When I was a youth I would march on down to the local quarry several days before school started and pick up a couple of stone slates, a sharp chisel and a hammer, as these were all the supplies I needed for the start of a new school year.
It's not far from the truth as my mother would give me a couple of dollars which was used in the purchase of a few pads of note book paper, some pencils, an eight pack of crayons and maybe a new ruler at the local 5 & 10 cent store. And best of all, there was enough change from those two dollars to stop at the corner drug store and purchase a milk shake.
Now mothers load kids into their large SUV's so that they are able to return home in one trip with all of the items they now purchase. I couldn't believe at the amount offered in the Sunday sale papers, as page after page was devoted just to school supplies. A safari to Africa or an expedition to climb Mount Everest travels lighter then most kids off to their first day of a new school year.
With the barest of supplies we learned how to read and write and to solve math problems without the use of calculators. Problems were solved with the use of the brain, not a computer. We led the world, as America's public education system was deemed to be the best in the world, as we put men on the moon.
With all these tons of new supplies, calculators and computers and innovative new names for various types of education and schools; we are falling further behind, as the rest of the world is quickly passing us by.
May be we should go back to the old system of reading, rigthing and rithmatic. Studies have shown that the old system worked just fine, until once again to many innovators tried to fix a system that worked efficiently and was in no need of repair.
A war is being waged to fight obesity by informing people to exercise and stay away from fattening foods. Yet we don't do the same for the brains of our children as we let computers and calculators do their thinking and their brains stagnate from lack of exercise. And then we wonder why we are falling behind.
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2 comments:
All of that would be nice; however, the lists of supplies that are required by the school are almost 4 pages long. Some of the lists I think are grocery lists for the teachers as I had to bring a box of tissues, napkins, two rolls paper towels, Ziplock bags, baby wipes, box of crackers, and a gallon of juice for Girl's list.
Simple solution, send a list with daughter on what you expect her to bring home from school every day.
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