Harry Guerrilla
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We recently talked about some of this in another thread. I am curious what others think are the driving factors for why the poor, both urban and rural, do so poorly in school.
Bad parenting, mostly, and communal disarray; not to be confused with General Disarray...
There's plenty of bad parenting in the middle and upper classes.
When the parents are uneducated themselves, they tend to not support the child's education as a priority. That's a huge risk factor.
Mellie, what caused you to be so motivated? Was it expected of you that you would attend college? Did your parents go to college? Are you now poor or did your education help you out of that?
You can vote for more than one option...
I know. My younger brother AND sister are examples of this - neither of them are achieving anything of worth. Once again, bad parenting...
Also, I did mention communal disarray.
I'll ask my brother-in-law about it tonight. He is the first one from his family to go to college and he worked his way through a Masters program in Aeronautical Engineering. Very smart guy.
But what about kids who don't get that? Do you really believe that the average 7 year old will motivate himself/herself without parental support and supervision?
Survey says no.
When the parents are uneducated themselves, they tend to not support the child's education as a priority. That's a huge risk factor.
Didn't that bad parenting affect you as well? Perhaps in a different way, though?
In my case, I just rejected their way of life and got out on my own. However,
I have 2 siblings, one younger, one older, who really needed some help around 3rd grade, which both of them failed.
My parents made only token effort to help them out. I tried with my younger brother, but he not only was a bit slow, he just didn't care. Except for 2 years in the Navy, he has never worked a full time job. He lived at home as the eternal child for all but that 2 years.
If our parents hadn't left him their house (only slightly better built than a shack), he would be homeless today....
Didn't that bad parenting affect you as well? Perhaps in a different way, though?
In my case, I just rejected their way of life and got out on my own. However,
I have 2 siblings, one younger, one older, who really needed some help around 3rd grade, which both of them failed.
My parents made only token effort to help them out. I tried with my younger brother, but he not only was a bit slow, he just didn't care. Except for 2 years in the Navy, he has never worked a full time job. He lived at home as the eternal child for all but that 2 years.
If our parents hadn't left him their house (only slightly better built than a shack), he would be homeless today....
It did affect me, yes, as it took me longer than it should have to begin my "adult life", but I was the oldest of the three, so I was given more discipline and responsibility than my younger siblings, who were basically spoiled; this increased discipline and responsibility translated into success once I matured.
My younger siblings were just spoiled. They were barely ever disciplined, and they weren't given any kind of work responsibilities at home; my dad just didn't have the resolve to punish them; he tried to win a popularity contest with them; he didn't do that with me. The results speak for themselves.
BUT, you would think that they would encourage their kids to do better.......
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Comes a time that we are all on our own, with some of us better prepared for it that others....you sound like the lucky one from your family.
My prescription would be more wholesome ass-whoopings (spanking, strapping). I know I could have used a few more myself...
I had a similar upbringing.
Out of my sisters, cousins and myself, I'm the only one trying to do anything with my life.
My father did finish college but he was in his late 40's when he did, most of my life he was uninvolved with any of my education and only cared when I did bad in school.
My mother was busy trying to be my friend.
My younger sister is on life support from my parents, even though she is a border line criminal and my older sister is spoiled by her maternal grandparents with no want to achieve anything.
I credit my backwards success to my grandfather, he was more or less my actual father, he cared about me doing something positive with my life.
My prescription would be more wholesome ass-whoopings (spanking, strapping). I know I could have used a few more myself...
One set of my grandparents tried to help me and one sister, the only 2 who showed a reasonable amount of brains and a desire to learn.
BUT, for me anyway, I didn't find out about it until I was in my mid 20's that they had offered to take me to their house for my last 2 years of HS, where I surely would have done better. Grandpa had connections with maritime colleges, as he was a merchant marine ship captain...they would have made sure I got into college. My parents denied me that opportunity, and I never knew for about 10 years...
But, the navy turned out to be a good alternative...
(Note: I'm not against spanking)
It takes more than spankings and punishment to get a person to want to improve themselves.
The Black community is a testament to this, as their parenting style is much more physical with punishment than many others.
That is a generalization though.
It takes a parent who wants to learn to teach their children to learn.
Of course. I agree with this, however, sometimes physical discipline is absolutely required to supplement the process. Often times, a "contest" between child and parent reaches a point were defiance can only be resolved with physical discipline. I know that was the only language I understood at times.
One of my golfing buddies and I actually reminisce laughingly about the physical punishment we received from our fathers. It's just part of becoming a man; being hardy and rustic; neither of us are emotionally scarred from getting some good whacks on the butt (not saying that's what you think).
I think physical punishment is overlooked and under appreciated in our sanitized, PC little world. If your kid is acting like a defiant little brat, whack them on the ass!!! It's worked for thousands of years...
Oh, there was plenty of that, for ME and the smart sister, not the other sister just older than me, or the brother just younger....
According to dad, mother was resentful of her own kids getting more education than she got, which was 3rd grade....
Somehow the other sister (the smart one) and I pissed her off a lot....
Some kids, tho, will fail no matter what is done for them, or to them. They just don't have a clue...
I think another part of the problem is the rigidity of our education system. We need to rid ourselves of this moronic delusion that every child needs to receive a "liberal arts" education; some people are just destined to become plumbers or carpenters or construction workers (nothing wrong with ANY of those jobs). The only mandatory learning I feel should exist is basic arithmetic, reading, grammar, and civics; once that knowledge base has been acquired, I think students and parents should be given more latitude in the education path they choose; I would be very supportive of a trades path in public schools and a high school diploma equivalent for people who choose such a path.
I think another part of the problem is the rigidity of our education system. We need to rid ourselves of this moronic delusion that every child needs to receive a "liberal arts" education; some people are just destined to become plumbers or carpenters or construction workers (nothing wrong with ANY of those jobs). The only mandatory learning I feel should exist is basic arithmetic, reading, grammar, and civics; once that knowledge base has been acquired, I think students and parents should be given more latitude in the education path they choose; I would be very supportive of a trades path in public schools and a high school diploma equivalent for people who choose such a path.
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