As many of you have noticed, the schools in the US have been dumbed down to allow more kids to have a chance at a better life. This is one area both Democrats and Republicans actually agree on.
I, on the other hand, don't think the problem is with the kids growing dumber. I think it's all these parents putting their kids on behavior-control drugs such as Ritalin.
My mom and dad work in Awanas at our church, and my mom's seen first-hand what Ritalin does to a kid. There was one kid who was the very definition of troublemaker. He would not sit down, would not shut up. Few weeks later, his parents put him on Ritalin. Well, it did the trick all right. The kid sat quietly in his seat...with a glazed look on his face. It was as if there was no one there. When his parents took him off the stuff, he was just as jumpy as he was before.
Another thing I heard in an MP3 seminar my dad found on drugs was that Ritalin completely blows out the poor kid's learning ability. Hence the decline in kids getting adequate education. And the schools actually prescribe it to the parents as though bad behavior was a disease and Ritalin was the cure! If dumbing down schools does the job, why not just do away with it altogether?
So I don't think the answer to declining education is dumbing down the schools.
I think the answer is banning the use of behavior-control drugs like Ritalin.
Declining schools
Moderators: Tunnelcat, Jeff250
I've seen kids like these. In many cases, it's simply a situation where the parent really has no control over the kid--therefore they resort to drugs that make their kid act like they want him to act.
Ritalin is definitely a dangerous drug; I've heard of at least 6-8 cases in our area where a kid on Ritalin was either mentally disabled or had extreme side effects.
Ritalin is definitely a dangerous drug; I've heard of at least 6-8 cases in our area where a kid on Ritalin was either mentally disabled or had extreme side effects.
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CDN_Merlin
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As a child (3=5 yrs) I was very hyper and destructive. I would destroy everything in my bedroom. The doctor told me mother to put nothing in my room cept my matress. After 2 years of this, I calmed down.
Would Ritalin of helped me? Maybe but I'd be more screwed up now.
I also agree parents are trying to take the easy way out with taking drugs because it's the simple and fastest results.
Would Ritalin of helped me? Maybe but I'd be more screwed up now.
I also agree parents are trying to take the easy way out with taking drugs because it's the simple and fastest results.
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Lothar
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I don't think the whole problem is kids on ritalin... they definitely don't help, but they're not one of the top things wrong with American public schools.
A lot of the problem is the fake self-esteem culture we live in. We overinflate kids' self-esteem. They do crappy work, and we're like "good job Johnny! Nice work!" because we don't want them to feel bad. They never learn to do any better, and they never learn to respond to criticism. They get through school with a D average and keep getting told what great kids they are, and then they go get a job and the employer is like "you need to change these things in your work habits" and they break down because they've never had anyone tell them anything but "good job" before.
There are also teachers unions that make it so that teachers can do a crappy job and not get fired... and school districts that are underfunded on all levels... and parents who take no responsibility. Ritalin comes in way down at like #20 on the list.
A lot of the problem is the fake self-esteem culture we live in. We overinflate kids' self-esteem. They do crappy work, and we're like "good job Johnny! Nice work!" because we don't want them to feel bad. They never learn to do any better, and they never learn to respond to criticism. They get through school with a D average and keep getting told what great kids they are, and then they go get a job and the employer is like "you need to change these things in your work habits" and they break down because they've never had anyone tell them anything but "good job" before.
There are also teachers unions that make it so that teachers can do a crappy job and not get fired... and school districts that are underfunded on all levels... and parents who take no responsibility. Ritalin comes in way down at like #20 on the list.
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Flabby Chick
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My twelve year old daughter has a "bubbly" personality and was recommended by a teacher and a school psych' to take ritalin when she was seven. Needless to say i told them where to stick their drug. Now she's calmed down a bit, is very bright (despite her parents being thick) and is doing very well at school.
I must say though that there is a movement here to raise awareness about the dangers of Ritalin. At least thats somthing.
I must say though that there is a movement here to raise awareness about the dangers of Ritalin. At least thats somthing.
Ritalin. THE drug of choice to appease the morons running the school system. I was on the stuff for a few years. I absolutely hated how i felt on the stuff. I had no appetite, didn't have much interest in anything really, and usually was zoned out. Now I am jumpy as a cat in a chinese resturant in any kind of social situation, and my mind's usually in a fog.
Thanks for screwing my brain up. hope you're proud of yourselves.
and no, there is no such thing as a 'misdiagnosis' when it comes to this stuff. it's all baloney. every word.
Inability to pay attention? hey how about you stop being mindnumbingly boring.
Fidgeting? ever think to ask me if I'm uncomfortable?
Impulsiveness? I wouldn't be impulsive if you actually engaged my mind in the exercise.
Can't enjoy lesure activities quietly? hey how bout I take to a race sometime.
And last i checked, a psyciatrist deals with mental illness. but a neurologist deals with disorders.
Thanks for screwing my brain up. hope you're proud of yourselves.
and no, there is no such thing as a 'misdiagnosis' when it comes to this stuff. it's all baloney. every word.
Inability to pay attention? hey how about you stop being mindnumbingly boring.
Fidgeting? ever think to ask me if I'm uncomfortable?
Impulsiveness? I wouldn't be impulsive if you actually engaged my mind in the exercise.
Can't enjoy lesure activities quietly? hey how bout I take to a race sometime.
And last i checked, a psyciatrist deals with mental illness. but a neurologist deals with disorders.
issues with Ritalin are an indicator of a bigger issue under the surface of our society - with regards to mental health and how it is defined.
you may like this ferno
got it from here
http://www.livejournal.com/community/antipsychiatry/
you may like this ferno
got it from here
http://www.livejournal.com/community/antipsychiatry/
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CDN_Merlin
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I think Lothar hit the nail on the head. How many times in your life have you wanted to tell someone his/her work sucked but can't due to political correctness?? I think we've gone to far with this crap and need to be able to deal with criticism.
Look at the vitiman craze now. Everyone is popping extra vitimans becuase they don't want the extra calories by eating the actual foods. This will bite them in the arse later cause nothing can replace the natural way of getting them.
People take the easy route to any solution whether it's ritalin or something esle.
Look at the vitiman craze now. Everyone is popping extra vitimans becuase they don't want the extra calories by eating the actual foods. This will bite them in the arse later cause nothing can replace the natural way of getting them.
People take the easy route to any solution whether it's ritalin or something esle.
I definitely agree, Ferno. Hell, apparently in first grade I'd roll around on the floor while the teacher would be reading. And aggravated her when I could answer any question she came up with. 
When teaching to the lowest common denominator, you're screwing everyone else, and being horribly boring in the process. Not all kids will be able to sit there and take it, gotta find something to amuse yourself. (Same thing at home, if your parents aren't giving you the right outlets for your energy, you'll tend to make your own, which may not coincide with what your parents would like.)
And while yes, some kids are just insanely energetic, there's also problems with otherwise-"good" intelligent kids who just aren't being mentally stimulated. I went to a dual-credit program (state college -- that was what I think high school should be like), and there were definitely a lot of strange kids there, some of which were quite the troublemakers. Actually, one of the guys I knew from my crappy HS was going to be expelled for blowing up a trash can during lunch. As far as I knew, at TAMS, he never had any need of doing that.
Course, then there's those who would be counterfeiting money, or stealing electronics, or whatever, but who knows, they could've just been left to those sorts of devices too much. (Or they were just the "dumb" ones, lacking wisdom despite having high intelligence.)
Our schools are pretty much not teaching the kids anything, everyone's being given As and Bs even if they did D or F work, and no one's giving much thought to what this is doing to the kid's minds. I know I was usually bored in school. Though for me, it just led to slacking off (but I was still #3 in my class both years I was still there).
When teaching to the lowest common denominator, you're screwing everyone else, and being horribly boring in the process. Not all kids will be able to sit there and take it, gotta find something to amuse yourself. (Same thing at home, if your parents aren't giving you the right outlets for your energy, you'll tend to make your own, which may not coincide with what your parents would like.)
And while yes, some kids are just insanely energetic, there's also problems with otherwise-"good" intelligent kids who just aren't being mentally stimulated. I went to a dual-credit program (state college -- that was what I think high school should be like), and there were definitely a lot of strange kids there, some of which were quite the troublemakers. Actually, one of the guys I knew from my crappy HS was going to be expelled for blowing up a trash can during lunch. As far as I knew, at TAMS, he never had any need of doing that.
Course, then there's those who would be counterfeiting money, or stealing electronics, or whatever, but who knows, they could've just been left to those sorts of devices too much. (Or they were just the "dumb" ones, lacking wisdom despite having high intelligence.)Our schools are pretty much not teaching the kids anything, everyone's being given As and Bs even if they did D or F work, and no one's giving much thought to what this is doing to the kid's minds. I know I was usually bored in school. Though for me, it just led to slacking off (but I was still #3 in my class both years I was still there).
Re: Declining schools
While Ritalin use is way out of control and is often applied like asprin, I really don't think it's the underlying cause of the "decline of schools". THAT problem is much more involved and has more to do with special interest groups and aggendas set on a civic level than persciption drugs. There is more than one thing at work here.MDX wrote:As many of you have noticed, the schools in the US have been dumbed down to allow more kids to have a chance at a better life. This is one area both Democrats and Republicans actually agree on.
So I don't think the answer to declining education is dumbing down the schools.
I think the answer is banning the use of behavior-control drugs like Ritalin.
Also, what exactly do you mean by "declining education"? I'm not being retorical, would just like an example or two.
The problem is teachers don't give a damn. Instead, they complain about not having enough vacation time. This is why parochial schools blow away public schools through 6th grade: the teachers willingly accept the much lower pay because they love to teach. Teachers' unions just foster the sense of apathy by making sure that teachers cannot be held accountable for students' poor performance.
Then the kids come home and play videogames, or far worse, watch TV, all evening instead of doing work. I've been lucky (and unlucky) that I haven't had to do any schoolwork throughout my life, but my cousin, who goes to public school, spends every minute from 4 PM to 10 PM trying to do her homework. Yet she's in honors classes, and they won't kick her out because it would hurt her self esteem (and her parents' delusion of their daughter's abilities).
My brother is in Catholic grammar school right now and is in for a real shock when he moves to Maryland and starts attending public high school. I'm really afraid that he's going to get bored and simply not do any work.
Then the kids come home and play videogames, or far worse, watch TV, all evening instead of doing work. I've been lucky (and unlucky) that I haven't had to do any schoolwork throughout my life, but my cousin, who goes to public school, spends every minute from 4 PM to 10 PM trying to do her homework. Yet she's in honors classes, and they won't kick her out because it would hurt her self esteem (and her parents' delusion of their daughter's abilities).
My brother is in Catholic grammar school right now and is in for a real shock when he moves to Maryland and starts attending public high school. I'm really afraid that he's going to get bored and simply not do any work.
Dcrazy, here in Oregon, its not so much the teachers are "fat and Lazy". they don't have the time to really teach and the districts have tied thier hands on many fronts. Dicipline for one thing. Here in Oregon, kids learn to take the States tests so the schools look good rather than learning the info that is necessary to pass them. 
This is no bull. We went thru hell with my daughter and the retoric she was being fed. finally in 4th grade, we yanked her outta public school and home schooled here through the 7th.
My brother-in-law was a teacher (retired now) and loved it up until about the late 80's when the politics became unreal. He retired early in 96.
This is no bull. We went thru hell with my daughter and the retoric she was being fed. finally in 4th grade, we yanked her outta public school and home schooled here through the 7th.My brother-in-law was a teacher (retired now) and loved it up until about the late 80's when the politics became unreal. He retired early in 96.