American Schools, Am I shocked? Nope

Just 20 years ago, American students were among the best in the world, routinely coming in first in test results. Now, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, students in the richest country on earth are in 24th place in math. That's behind Canada, Germany, France, Korea…but also smaller, poorer countries like Poland, Hungary and Slovakia.

With a net worth of about $51 billion, Microsoft founder and world's richest man, Bill Gates, and his wife, Melinda (two of Time magazine's "Persons of the Year" in 2005), are determined to use their fortune to change the crisis in American schools. Through their influential Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, they are trying to revolutionize an education system that, if it were a business, Bill says, "would be bankrupt."

Melinda adds that this is not an isolated problem of poverty. "This is affecting all schools," she says. "Kids are falling through the cracks and nobody notices it. That to me is what's wrong with the school system."

I think people notice, the question is, do they care? We all went to school and had an opinion or the question, "Why the hell do I need to know this?" If you have a friend or relative who has been a teacher in the system for the past 20 years, all you ever hear are stories of when they (the teacher) tries to bring order to their class by disciplining a student - the parent of that child will come in and scream at the teacher about how dare they try and tell their child what to do. That the teacher has no right to do so, and the system will back the parent because they dont want to be sued because our legal system is whacked. The legal system doesnt back the "right" thing to do. It finds a way to make money on the issue. So as a teacher, do you care what happens to those you teach? Maybe the few who show signs of being a credit to humanity, but after a while it is more like a job to go in and collect your paycheck because of the BS bureaucracy. Each year I will hear news reports of 40,000 plus kids being truant (in Milwaukee), and spending their days being hooligans in society. Okay, gee thanks for thee "more" awareness. The media thinks we dont know this and need to report issues like this to us more. We are already over aware of these things in my opinion. What we need are leaders, people who will have the nerve to take on the issue and make them right. What can the average citizen do but picket or riot? Form some kind of coalition or mob and demand change? So when a media mega-giant partners with a financial mega-giant to report a crisis to us, I wonder if they think we will now jump? Where does the money and power lie? Who has the ability to make change? Take on the powers that be (legal, Ceo's, Government, Supreme COurts, etc).

My grudge being - "yay more reporting, more talking about it" - but like global warming and all other American problems, they are only their to make money off of (news) - and the problems will continue as they say (silently unaware) but it is more because we chose to ignore issues and focus on celebrities and their lifestyles and how we all can get our hands on cash and buy our way out of situations. Yes America is failing, has been for decades, thanks for noticing after it has become a "crisis" and it is now failing the important people as well.

Links to where I was reading
Oprah
TIME

Maybe I can make a better point than just a rant. You see, when I was young there was this man who whose physique was incredible. He became a Mr Olympian Champion several times over. You may have heard of him, Arnold Schwarzenneger? His fame and achievements had presidents inviting him to the White House to try and influence the Health issues in schools and change America's mindeset about being healthy. Yet where is the health situation with America's youth and their health programs? What percentage of children are obese and have diabetes?

What has health to do with education? I see it as a relative topic. Think of how bombarded we are with health: pills, exercise equipment, diet programs, workout videos, eating habits - and yet where is obesity going in this country and its overall health? We all had school house rock on Saturday cartoons and we all know the 4 basic food groups and we have heard the words "Diet and Exercise" how many times? Drink X amount of water daily..and yet....

America is awake, we just aren't motivated or inspired.

Question: Have you ever heard how many engineers attend and graduate in America compared to China and other countries? Check out the ratio.

Question: How many News reporters and magazines are there in America? Oprah, Barabra Walters, Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric, 60 minutes, 20/20, Regis and Kelly, Good Morning America, Today and this could continue forever. What does an educated person get paid? A stripper? A Pro Athlete? A celebrity? What pays the most in America? Beauty
Ability (i.e. throw a ball, hot a ball, catch a ball)
Talent (singing, acting)
Stupidity (Reality TV)
Intelligence
Family Business (inheritance
Organized Crime (Drug Sales)
Good Honest Hard Work with mandatory overtime day in and day out

I apologize to the reader as my mind is entering a stream of thoughts, for not putting them all together in one structured paragraph. Things coming to mind:

Stay in School might be a great slogan, and your graduation speech ceremony cheerful - but then you hit the real world (hard if unaware), start job hunting and find out how it real works.

Daily Bombardment of commercials - Are you in debt? Are you tired of dead end job? Need more money, opportunity and better life? Than you have to watch/buy my system/program.

Can Bill Gates with all his money change the World and the way humans think? Or can merely just one up Andrew Carnegy on building schools and charities?