Education debate

It is interesting to read the debate regarding education in the paper. It is the same debate I remember from my youth 40 years ago. I had a teacher that that taught me the importance of staying informed by getting my information from a variety of sources. Thank-you Mr Wysong.
I’ve been an engineer for thirty years and substitute teacher for twenty of those thirty years. As in engineering and everything in life start with the basics and then build off that. When looking for the causes of a failed system, part, organization, machine, or anything for that matter, you will always find a root cause.
The root cause with regards to education is the lack of a strong foundation supporting the students. This is a result of the destruction of the family unit. And there are numerous reasons for that. The root cause for the loss of family structure, the basic foundation of groups that become societies, is too complicated to address in this format. But one of the contributing factors that apply directly to education is the diversity of ethnic, cultural, and economic factors that our students come from and are exposed to in their earliest years.
When you take a random group of students put them in a classroom, with one teacher, you have a recipe for failure.
That one teacher has got to present their subject matter to a group of students with varying abilities, attention spans, and social skills. The teacher has to teach to a syllabus mandated by school boards. They have to keep on schedule and meet progress milestones and trust that their students are upholding their part of the process by studying and doing their best to keep up with the class. Some do and some don’t. All the influences that we as members of society experience in our lives are concentrated in the classrooms. The results are the complex problems we see in education today.
It is absurd to believe that you can have one type of school system to address the diversity we experience in this country. Unlike other parts of the world we mandate public education for everyone. In second and third world countries children want desperately to go to school. Here in the U.S. many students find school to be an inconvenience that is barely tolerated. The 15% of students whose maturity and behavior are a detriment to any class or school, become a catalyst for chaos, and they destroy the learning opportunity for many other students.
To suggest that more computers, more janitors, and more supplies are needed is absurd. I’ve taught, albeit as a substitute, in many schools in this county. There are bags, drawers, closets, and file cabinets overflowing with supplies. There are countless computers and monitors stuffed away not being used. Laptops replace desktops and the desktops are hid away because there is no money to dispose of them properly. There are books everywhere that go unused and the books that are used are abused by many.
To suggest more janitors are needed is absurd. What is needed is a policy of holding students accountable for their behavior. Before I dismiss students I try to ensure that the room is as clean as it was when the came into the classroom. The students stick their gum everywhere. The students throw candy wrappers and spit sunflower seed shells wherever they like. Lollipop sticks and chip bags are dropped where they stand.
The incorrigible 15% need to be removed from the schools today and the remaining 85% of students need to be given the diversity of education opportunities that reflects the diversity in our society.
Going to school is every student’s form of employment. They get paid in grades and privileges. Sports, band, and all extra-curricular activities should be earned; they are not by any means an entitlement.