A New Era.

We definitely live in a different era. I applaud my parents for my upbringing. I was not an easy child to raise, but my parents did a great job. I only wish that I will be able to mimic their parenthood.

If I was in trouble at school, I would be in worse trouble at home. This just doesn't seem like the case anymore. Why are parents now days so quick to judge the school rather than their child? Why do we live in this new era? Will society ever change back? If society doesn't change, how can we make the system better? I think about this all the time.

When No Child Left Behind was passed, it totally took accountability away from the parent and the student and put it in the hands of the educator. If a student does not perform to high standards, then ultimately the school system failed. I do not agree with this. How is the students life outside of school? What if a student does not get a meal three times a day? What if the child's parents are separating? What if there was a death in the family? Don't all of these factors play into a child's educational success? Why then does accountability only rest on the school?

If I failed a test at school, you can bet that my parents made me study harder. If I talked back to a teacher, you can bet that it never happened again, because my parents made darn sure it wouldn't. If I didn't do my chores, I didn't get my weekly allowance of 10 dollars. Yes, I said 10 dollars, and this was only 15 years ago. It didn't take me long to learn values. It didn't take me long to learn how life worked. I got out what I put in. This continues today. I pay the consequences for my mistakes, and failures do make me a better person. It seems like failure is no longer an option now days. Losing a basketball game, dropping a touchdown pass, or getting an "F" on an assignment or test. If failure is no longer an option, how can one move forward?

I don't have the answers, but what I do have is a set of morals and values that my parents passed on to me. I only hope that I can pass these on to my children.