I took a couple of my kids with me to pick up a load of hay one time...75 bales to  be exact, at $1.00 a bale. I told them to figure out how much I owed the guy. My kids said they needed a calculator. I was stunned......

why don't kids learn and retain?

We could discuss the different reasons:'

Stupid parents,  Drugged out/ drunk parents,  ABSOLUTELY NO DISCIPLINE for the kids to study,  bad teachers,   lack of hope for a good job when you are out,  PEER PRESSURE.... LIBERAL TEACHIERS.

So many reasons why America sucks at educating our kids.  :)

Home school works,  private schools work (need vouchers)... Polititians kids get the best of the best education, why not us that put them in office.

Just from observing children in our family.  I think they could be challenged more at school.  Our grand-daughter is bored silly there and nobody would do anything about it so our daughter in law purchased some software to teach her some things at home and would send work with her to work on at school because the teacher was too lazy.  (or stupid)  I think George W Bush was on the right track with some of his ideas as they pertained to education and teachers.  It needed tweeking in some areas as the no child left behind was not a perfect program and needed some changes according to teacher friends. 

I don't think school year around is needed but we sure could make better use of the time at school.

Yes, there are many one parent familys.  I knew a kid who was 14 one of the few i have met that worked to make ends meet at home.  His father had died earlier and I felt for him.  One of the best kids I have met and sad that he worked to help his mother.  It made a good man of him and he is married raising his own family now.

Its too bad we live in a nation where it is not enough for mom and dad to work we need to send the whole family out to work if you want to afford to go to that movie or what/ever. 

The meaning of sacrafice to ensure your future.  You sacrafice time from schooling by going to work, when the time in school may assure you of a better job in the future. 

I realize there are benifits with computer games and it has its place.  Its when it becomes a good babysitter for the parent, atleast he is quiet.  I know its peaceful when they quiet.     

I agree on the culture thing.  Children are raised in Japan and is a teaching of what is good for all, not just me.  I think we are about me in this country. Its what is good for me, me, me, and me, when it should be, what is good for  we, we, we and me.

As a young kid: 5 -7 years old.  I went to school year round in Colorado.  And it wasn't too bad.   There are huge breaks throughout the year.  So every 6 weeks, you would get about 2 weeks off (if I'm remembering correctly). So you do end up with about 3 mos altogether of vacation time.

School (particularly high school) should not go until 5pm.  We got out at 3pm. Many of us worked.

As for younger kids, they need to play.

My sterio typing of a child is someone who comes home from school, sits on there ass and excersises their fingers playing video games. Games are games but to my grandson they are the world, and I think he is haveing a problems distinguishing from reality, video games, and movies. 

Take a look at the Japenese school system children go to school 16-18 hours a day. They dress alike and are treated the same, and out rank us academically.  The world is full of competition and is up to us to prepare  our children to compete.  They are our future. 

In a rural situation many children help out on the farm.  I cant help to feel a little more leanring, and a little hard work, and a little less down time on a video games is a good thing.  

The kids who do not finish school are the losers in all of this. They lack the cognitive thought it takes to cure a problem.  They are out for fast gain but at what cost, jail and even death.  Some I would no doubt, have been teased out of the system, not only by adolecent students, but also by adolecent teachers, because they are different.  I support uniforms for kids to wear to school and the same treetment given to the foot ball hereo as the uncordinated nerd in the back. 

Kids neednt hate to go to school like I did.  The reason I hated school was because I was different and teachers encouraged students to treat you different and not to accept as part of the group.  I finished school but i still know how much I hated schools and teachers for that. 

Times have not change in the educational world, and yes I have met some teachers and principles who are less mature than the students they teach. 

My oldest may have finished school if it wasnt for the same thing in the Surrey School system. Kids dont quit school, the school quits them.     

I would say no to school all year around.  Summer is a time when teens can earn a few bucks and little children should be home with Mom or Dad.  If that is not possible, well other arrangments should be made. 

I think less vacation days during the year would be okay.. seems to me like kids are out for a holiday way too often.  I also think we need to have children focus on math skills and reading and science and tech more and less on monkey business in schools.

If we are going to start fining people who chose not to buy healthcare why not fine kids and their parents for them not finishing high school.

In detroit only 21.7% of high school age children are finishing high school.

Lowest to highest graduation rates in the nation's 50 largest school districts

Rate	District	Size rank	Rate	District	Size rank	Rate	District	Size rank
21.7	Detroit	11	53.7	New Orleans	48	68.4	Gwinnett County, Ga.	20
38.5	Baltimore City, Md.	30	53.8	Duval County, Fla.	19	68.6	Brevard County, Fla.	42
38.9	New York City	1	54.6	Clark County, Nev.	6	69.3	Fulton County, Ga.	45
43.1	Milwaukee	28	54.8	DeKalb County, Ga.	27	70.0	Hillsborough County, Fla.	10
43.8	Cleveland	44	55.1	Austin	37	70.2	Anne Arundel County, Md.	40
44.2	Los Angeles	2	55.2	Palm Beach County, Fla.	12	70.4	Cobb County, Ga.	26
45.3	Miami-Dade County, Fla.	4	55.5	Philadelphia	8	72.2	Granite, Utah	46
46.3	Dallas	13	56.0	Charlotte	23	75.3	Mesa, Ariz.	39
46.5	Pinellas County, Fla.	22	56.2	Orange County, Fla.	15	75.8	Northside, Tex.	49
Reply... Posted by Marilyn on Sep 30 2009 1:05AM In Article: 2nd try Obama education plan call for longer days. Five is too late, but we didn't get out of school until 4:50pm and we started school at 8:40am. Kids today aren't in school long enough and they have life too easy. Too much idle time spent on the computer, cell phones, IPOD's and their fat butts sitting on sofa's. We have some of the sickest and fattest children in the world. I did sports in school, no problem. Didn't bother me really, to stay after school for sports.I was too busy to get fat and out of shape. Of course both society and our parents expected more of us back in the 50's and 60's. BO's on the right track though. I like it that he's strongly encouraging kids in regards to their schooling. Reply... Posted by don't free willy on Sep 29 2009 11:51PM In Article: 2nd try Obama education plan call for longer days. I vote no for various reasons After school is the time when kids get excercise such as after school sports. I know I wouldn't have wanted to sit in school until 5:00 pm. Sounds like they want to turn school into day care.   Reply... Posted by kx viewer on Sep 29 2009 9:27PM In Article: 2nd try Obama education plan call for longer days. Thats better Reply... Posted by Marilyn on Aug 26 2009 6:16PM In Article: School lunches Okay, I just wanted to be sure it wasn't the kids saying it was 15 minutes, when maybe it was more. You know how kids are. We have six...and I know that sometimes they didn't always tell the whole story. 15 minutes is not enough time. Reply... View ALL Surrey, ND User Comments and Forum Posts