Just read this article and its depressing. Not sure how it is in other parts of the country, but in Oakland, CA, it ain't looking good.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2007/10/24/notes102407.DTL

Smart parents tend to have smart kids (and we all know Axiomites are smarter than the average bear person), but I'll do my damndest to be sure my kids aren't among the morons.

Can't use a friggin' ruler? My god....

Yes it would help if these kids had him in their life as well...

Ron Paul?

Thing to remember about that article is this:

a) it's an opinion piece.
b) the dude is bitter about everything, judging from his other writing.
c) Oakland has a terrible school district.
d) Not exactly a scientific survey.

At least, that's how I'm keeping myself from throwing myself off of the nearest tall building.

I will just add that it doesn't say much for the parents of those said kids, putting the blame on the education system is a cop out.

The number one educator for children is the parent, number two is the child him/herself, number three is the teacher, IMO.

Bravo!

I think that a lot of "education systems" have gotten a bit lax over the years, but look at the type of "students" they are dealing with. The parents (generally) don't start them off right with the right mind set and discipline to be truly successful in schools. And society (which includes a lot of parents) have gone to a Nike "Just do it" attitude of doing whatever you *want*, not whatever you *should*.

It is a hard battle for those of us that still are trying to keep our kids off of the deep end. My oldest (13) has been using the old "Buy Sally's parents let her......" type of approach. I am tired of having to keep saying "But we aren't Sally's parents!"

So it is getting harder and harder on people that try to be active parents, and harder and harder on teachers in schools with so many passive parents out there not helping in raising their kids.

Schools can only do so much. I remember a classic saying in one of my early computer programming classes back in college: Garbage in, garbage out... We need to stop sending garbage in to our schools if we expect to not get garbage out.

I usually say you're not Sally and we're not her parents. I think this has to be the original ploy for kids.



Exactly. Well said.

As a person of the younger generation i disagree with the article. sure there are plenty of young idiots but there's plenty of older idiots. all the generations see the new generations as being idiots and destructive,kids today with their loud music and crazy clothes (i even find myself saying that now!) not caring etc etc and yet the new generations keep coming up with new technology and complex discoveries about things. Working in an an area where I've got employees ranging from their late teens to their late 60's trust me, stupidity doesn't discriminate when it comes to age.

If the '79 in your name means you were born in 1979... I wouldn't suggest you're a member of the younger generation... you're the same age as my fiancee then.

Bren R.

Times have really changed. I remember catching my father bawling his eyes out trying to figure out how to make the next mortgage payment even though he worked 16 hours a day. I was old enough to understand what 18% mortgage interest meant. My discussions and experience with the majority of twenty-somethings tell me that they lack an appreciation for such dim times in our economy. Many expect to make (and do make) six figures with minimal commitment on their part. All the power to them if they can muster it. Times are certainly good for educated, north american twenty-somethings but globalization may change all that.