When I went to work 8 years ago at the age of 62 as a campus security at local middle school, I was shocked at the student behavior I encountered. The fights, the anger, the decline in academic standards, the lack of respect, the nuclear profanity, all disturbed me. It still disturbs me. It’s just the way it is, and it shouldn’t be. I applaud the editorial staff at the Review-Journal for giving CCSD a failing report card.
The school I work at has a great administration, great teachers and support staff. They are not the problem. The problems are the policies and procedures that handcuff site administrators and teachers.
District policies restrict site administrators from instilling proper respect and discipline at our schools. Our school system will never achieve academic proficiency until it addresses behavior issues. You’d be amazed at the number of fights, almost-fights, verbal altercations, and use of the “F” bomb and every other curse word known to mankind.
I realize I predate the Neanderthals and times have changed. But come on new world, you’re out of control.
In my day, my buddies and I all cursed up a storm. But we didn’t cuss out teachers. We didn’t fight in classrooms. Mne was youth misspent. I understand times have changed and the school district cannot cure all our societal ills. But it has to do better. The RJ rightly calls out the dumbed down grading standards in our schools. Calling the standards dumbed down is being overly kind. Believe me I know what I’m talking about. I’ve seen some of the tests and essays our students write. They’re appallingly bad. We are not doing our students any favors.
What’s going on in our schools is nothing short of an educational crisis. The spin doctors with the school district are like the wizard from that movie where Dorothy ends up in Oz. Only this movie won’t have a happy outcome. It’ll be more like a Shakespearean tragedy.
If you’re a parent with a son or daughter who attends a CCSD campus, I urge to spend as much time as you can watching what goes on in our schools. You won’t like it.
