Well, this explains a lot...

[Joe Handley]

We have doomed ourselves, most of the older generation is having to raise their grand and great-grand children due to humans that procreate with no thought given to the path they have chosen and the burden it places on other "responsible" adults related to them and in some cases unrelated to them.

 

In some cases, you reap what you sow, if the grandparents were the best parents, they're no less guilty for how their grandkid's parents turned out than themselves.

[SfanGoch]

I blame it on the "No snowflake will be left behind" system currently in place.

Dont'cha know everybody's a winner?  "Yay! You're the second winner! Here's your participation award!" Second winner? Third winner?BULLFMEEP! There's only one winner in a race. Second is first in a long line of losers. Don't like the way it sounds, Junior? Get used to it. It's known as reality. Second best is the doormat which the winners wipe their feet on as they move forward. If we tell you that you're one-in-a million, that doesn't mean you're special. There are 7500 others just like you. What?!? You want us to cover your tuition at NYU for the next nine years so you can get an English Lit or Fine Arts degree?!? BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! You know something, kid? You aren't the brightest bulb around; but, you sure are funny. 

[fog cutter]

 "... you're one-in-a million, that doesn't mean you're special. There are 7500 others just like you. ...You know something, kid? You aren't the brightest bulb around; but, you sure are funny."

 

so one million take-away one equals ..... seven thousand five hundred. got it. 

[SfanGoch]

There are approximately 7.5 billion people currently residing on this planet. Divide that by a million and........ah, go ahead and do the math.

 

[mikemodeler]

I think it is criminal that schools pass kids along without ensuring that they have basic skills to make it in the real world. I am talking about understanding how interest rates and loans work, why saving money is important, how to manage a checkbook and basic accounting. These are real world skills needed to survive college, let alone life after graduation, yet someone thinks its more important to teach a level of math that will be used by so few.

The lack of physical education classes at ALL grade levels today is laughable. If I didn't know better (and I might not!) I'd swear that Big Pharma was behind the trend to eliminate any physical activity for our school kids only to sell them drugs for whatever ails them in later years, at taxpayer expense!

[Snake45]

 

I don't own a "smart" ANYTHING, and if I can help it, I never will. I'M smart. I want to own dumb, stupid stuff that does only what I tell it to do.

[bobthehobbyguy]

Of course the sun rltates around the earth thats because the eart is flat,

[disabled modeler]

Sad to say it but there are some people in my town that I am amazed they can figure out how to breathe....

[Old Buckaroo]

Perfect example - The young woman claimed she did not know how much six tons equaled in pounds

https://www.yahoo.com/autos/s/young-semi-truck-driver-destroys-bridge-built-1880-210035397.html

[Ace-Garageguy]

Perfect example - The young woman claimed she did not know how much six tons equaled in pounds.

Well...like...isn't there, like, an app for that ??

[DaveM]

I had to teach my girls English, math, science, history and the U.S. Constitution.  The school taught them some version of P.C. history about how Icelandic transgender atheists made just as much of a contribution to society as our Founding Fathers.  The school taught them anti bullying, accepting people even when they're dead wrong, everybody wins, everybody's okay, you don't have to do anything right to be special...  The school was so busy teaching them about non subjects, telling them to turn their Parents in to Social Services if we weren't accepting enough of the P.C. agenda and throwing pity parties (including counseling) for any students that were actually disciplined, that they didn't have any time left to teach the "three R s".  

We were able to get them out of the public system in Middle School, and we never looked back.  We found a good Christian School that had excellent math and science.  I didn't require a specific Christian school, but I wanted a place that had the correct educational priorities.  They didn't waste time on social bullslobber.  They went straight to academics, and still had time for some artistic and creative pursuits as well.  They didn't hold up the whole class and dumb them down to the level of the mainstreamed student.  They pushed every student to the limits of their abilities, and did extra work with the ones that needed it to keep up.  All of the students had to meet academic and behavior standards to be accepted, and they had to maintain those standards to remain in school.  They didn't spend two whole class sessions discussing why it was okay for a student to act out.  (Yes the Public School did that in a math class, with counseling available to students who were offended)

 

The most important thing we did was to give a darn.  We had expectations, and if they didn't meet them, we would correct the situation until they met them.  If one of them got stumped, or confused, we tutored them.  If one of them wanted to get lazy, we had ways to refocus them.  (It's hard to be distracted from you schoolwork when you lose your TV, Stereo, telephone, computer, free time, transportation and art supplies)  We supported them through Science Olympiads, Math Competitions, Award ceremonies, sports, musicals and concerts.  We showed them how strongly math and music are related.  We encouraged them to seek knowledge and we rewarded them when they did.  They finally all came to the conclusion that knowledge was its own reward.  We made education their number one priority.  We made sure they were versed in current events (NOT the Kardashians!)  and we challenged them to stand up for their beliefs.  (Even when we didn't agree with them.)  We made them support their opinions through logical arguments and we had them write on a daily basis.  They didn't get to speak "Gangsta Slang" around us, and they had answer to us if they did something stupid.  We weren't afraid to correct them in front of their friends if they spoke incorrectly, and we made them fully accountable for their behavior.  

We were told (Many times over) that our parenting methods were "Neanderthal", Backwards and just plain wrong, but we have four confident, competent and successful Daughters to prove us right.  We didn't let them keep "Participation" awards, unless there was a special achievement attached.  (Dawn still has her plaque for making the State's top ten finals in math.)   We did support them for trying, and encouraged them to fail and get up again, because that's how you raise kids who aren't afraid to reach for the impossible.  Failure is a part of the learning process and a part of life.  If you never fail, you aren't attempting daring enough things.   We never let any of them take the easy way out when it came to school.  They never took a study hall, or a throwaway class.  Things like musicals and crafts were savrd for afterschool activities.  They took debate, public speaking and essay writing courses during the Summers.  Most of all, we encouraged learning in the home as a way of life.  

It would have been a lot easier to sit in front of the TV at night and let the schools raise them, but neither of us were raised that way.  The schools can't teach any kids without involved parents.  Parents, today, are too involved in leisure activities, self indulgent pursuits and self promotion to take the time to really work hard with their kids.  Then they wonder why their kids are dumb as rocks.  Education and children are like everything else.  You get out of it what you put into it.  Our kids aren't successful because we were White and middle class.  Our kids are successful because we both made ourselves successful, and put the same effort into our Daughters lives that we put into our own.  

[Bad Brad #2]

W can at least content ourselves in the knowledge that 25% of the hundreds of millions of dollars of lottery proceeds go to education.

25% ??....That's like what, $50....sorry, I was never good at math.

[Harry P.]

I had to teach my girls English, math, science, history and the U.S. Constitution.  The school taught them some version of P.C. history about how Icelandic transgender atheists made just as much of a contribution to society as our Founding Fathers.  The school taught them anti bullying, accepting people even when they're dead wrong, everybody wins, everybody's okay, you don't have to do anything right to be special...  The school was so busy teaching them about non subjects, telling them to turn their Parents in to Social Services if we weren't accepting enough of the P.C. agenda and throwing pity parties (including counseling) for any students that were actually disciplined, that they didn't have any time left to teach the "three R s".  

We were able to get them out of the public system in Middle School, and we never looked back.  We found a good Christian School that had excellent math and science.  I didn't require a specific Christian school, but I wanted a place that had the correct educational priorities.  They didn't waste time on social bullslobber.  They went straight to academics, and still had time for some artistic and creative pursuits as well.  They didn't hold up the whole class and dumb them down to the level of the mainstreamed student.  They pushed every student to the limits of their abilities, and did extra work with the ones that needed it to keep up.  All of the students had to meet academic and behavior standards to be accepted, and they had to maintain those standards to remain in school.  They didn't spend two whole class sessions discussing why it was okay for a student to act out.  (Yes the Public School did that in a math class, with counseling available to students who were offended)

 

The most important thing we did was to give a darn.  We had expectations, and if they didn't meet them, we would correct the situation until they met them.  If one of them got stumped, or confused, we tutored them.  If one of them wanted to get lazy, we had ways to refocus them.  (It's hard to be distracted from you schoolwork when you lose your TV, Stereo, telephone, computer, free time, transportation and art supplies)  We supported them through Science Olympiads, Math Competitions, Award ceremonies, sports, musicals and concerts.  We showed them how strongly math and music are related.  We encouraged them to seek knowledge and we rewarded them when they did.  They finally all came to the conclusion that knowledge was its own reward.  We made education their number one priority.  We made sure they were versed in current events (NOT the Kardashians!)  and we challenged them to stand up for their beliefs.  (Even when we didn't agree with them.)  We made them support their opinions through logical arguments and we had them write on a daily basis.  They didn't get to speak "Gangsta Slang" around us, and they had answer to us if they did something stupid.  We weren't afraid to correct them in front of their friends if they spoke incorrectly, and we made them fully accountable for their behavior.  

We were told (Many times over) that our parenting methods were "Neanderthal", Backwards and just plain wrong, but we have four confident, competent and successful Daughters to prove us right.  We didn't let them keep "Participation" awards, unless there was a special achievement attached.  (Dawn still has her plaque for making the State's top ten finals in math.)   We did support them for trying, and encouraged them to fail and get up again, because that's how you raise kids who aren't afraid to reach for the impossible.  Failure is a part of the learning process and a part of life.  If you never fail, you aren't attempting daring enough things.   We never let any of them take the easy way out when it came to school.  They never took a study hall, or a throwaway class.  Things like musicals and crafts were savrd for afterschool activities.  They took debate, public speaking and essay writing courses during the Summers.  Most of all, we encouraged learning in the home as a way of life.  

It would have been a lot easier to sit in front of the TV at night and let the schools raise them, but neither of us were raised that way.  The schools can't teach any kids without involved parents.  Parents, today, are too involved in leisure activities, self indulgent pursuits and self promotion to take the time to really work hard with their kids.  Then they wonder why their kids are dumb as rocks.  Education and children are like everything else.  You get out of it what you put into it.  Our kids aren't successful because we were White and middle class.  Our kids are successful because we both made ourselves successful, and put the same effort into our Daughters lives that we put into our own.  

Amen.

[SfanGoch]

25% ??....That's like what, $50....sorry, I was never good at math.

No, you're right. That's about how much is spent. The motto of the NYC Public School system is, "Third Grade, the best four years of my life."

[Ace-Garageguy]

We can at least content ourselves in the knowledge that 25% of the hundreds of millions of dollars of lottery proceeds goes to education.

The question:                          

 The apparent answer:            and:     

Oh yeah...I forgot one:    

 

Edited January 3, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

[Ace-Garageguy]

            

        

[SfanGoch]

I find using det cord wrapped around a loaf of bread and an M60 fuse igniter a real time saver. Not only is the bread sliced; but, each slice is toasted to golden brown perfection.

[Harry P.]

Sorry, snake... had to hide the video you posted. Goes against the no swearing rule.

[SfanGoch]

Sorry, snake... had to hide the video you posted. Goes against the no swearing rule.

No swearing?  What happens if he's called to take the stand as a hostile witness?  

[Snake45]

Sorry, snake... had to hide the video you posted. Goes against the no swearing rule.

Huh. I hadn't noticed any and went back and checked. You're right, there's one very quick mild nasty word near the beginning.

Oh well, anyone who wants to see it can find "Money Hole" easily enough on their own.

[Ken Gilkeson]

Proper education starts and ends at home with parents setting the example. Dumping kids at daycare is not parenting. I remember not long ago before greed took over the mother and father played a large role in discipline and education. Again thank a generation thats only concern has been selfishness.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Proper education starts and ends at home with parents setting the example. Dumping kids at daycare is not parenting. I remember not long ago before greed took over the mother and father played a large role in discipline and education. Again thank a generation thats only concern has been selfishness.

Would that be Generation Jones?

Essay question: Let's hear your reasoning on this.

And while you're at it, lets have some referenced examples as to what the following generations are doing so brilliantly to reverse the trend towards mass ignorance.

A somewhat related article:  http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/10/who-destroyed-the-economy-the-case-against-the-baby-boomers/263291/

Edited January 3, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

[mikemodeler]

Proper education starts and ends at home with parents setting the example. Dumping kids at daycare is not parenting. I remember not long ago before greed took over the mother and father played a large role in discipline and education. Again thank a generation thats only concern has been selfishness.

 Yes, there is some truth to your statement, but let's not forget that the breakdown of the family dynamic, a general lack of respect for everything, no longer being responsible for one's actions and a government eager to take over our lives and the recipe is ripe for our current situation.

 

My biggest fear growing up was not the punishment from a teacher or police officer, it was from my father. I was also worried about disappointing him and my mother as they set reasonable standards for my behavior and scholastic achievement and I think today too many people are quick to blame others instead of the person in the mirror.

[Ace-Garageguy]

 ... today too many people are quick to blame others instead of the person in the mirror.

Right on, brother. The world is in a mess, and "they" aren't going to fix it. It's every individual's responsibility to try to do SOMETHING to make things a little better.

[SfanGoch]

Right on, brother. The world is in a mess, and "they" aren't going to fix it. It's every individual's responsibility to try to do SOMETHING to make things a little better.

There is no such thing as individual responsibility anymore. "I" is only used when taking credit, or looking for recognition, for perceived accomplishments, sort of like the guy in the Prevnar 13 commercial who does one push up, walks away with a smug, self-satisfied smirk on his face and looks around to see if anybody noticed. Whatever failure or shortcoming is inevitably blamed on the enigmatic "they" or "them".