Mildred's Letter

Did you happen to catch the letter to the editor in today's ER from Mildred Eells? It was the same letter that the MJ published this past Thursday. The Review titled it "Combat pay". The MJ called it "The four R's". If Mildred is the same Mildred I'm thinking about she is retired and I think she retired after devoting many years to the field of education. If that is true then one can not argue with her credentials for her observations.

Those observations struck a chord with me. Last year I wrote a piece about what I call "boob tube babies" and the effects television on their ability to think rationally. The way children are raised and educated in this day and age have long been one of my concerns. Apparently it is a concern with Mildred too.

In brief Mildred says that kids today are not raised with the need to respect others and taught that the rewards in life have to be earned. It starts at home and continues throughout their school years. It's not just a local problem. It seems to be nationwide. Just look at the stories you see in the papers and mostly they are just the ones that are spectacular. There are wacko teachers that make the news too but those are few and far between compared to the number of educators that lack the desire to stimulate their students. To be fair I also have to say there are some teachers that excel in their job and truly make a positive impact on students that go on to make themselves responsible, contributing members of society. I could name a few right here in Wellsville that taught me and some that taught our kids.

Back in the sixties guys could get a draft deferment during the Viet Nam war if they went to college for an education degree. A lot of guys did that and went on to be teachers. There was a large influx of new blood looking for education jobs. Like any other place of employment some of those teachers took the job just for the pay check and really didn't have any desire to be real teachers. I had a coach in high school that also taught a health class. He loved his sports but his teaching plan consisted mainly of showing movies. It was an easy grade and a good time for napping.

I've was raised to believe that kids are a gift from God, not an accident from failing to used methods of safe sex. I was also raised in a home with a stay at home mom. Mom had a profession but she gave it up when the family started. Mom was the disciplinarian in our house and we all had our jobs that we had to do to help out around the house. Her reward system was a little skimpy. I mean when you're five years old who cares if you're allowed to eat supper at supper time. We had a t.v. but it was only allowed to be turned on mainly after the supper dishes were taken care of and the waste basket was emptied in the kitchen. Then we had to watch what Mom or Dad wanted to see. If you haven't done your home work even that viewing time was gone. A quick backhand to the cheeks was our reward if we said a bad word or showed disrespect to an elder. If I got in trouble at school I not only had to endure the meted punishment there but also was rewarded with Mom's ruler when I got home. I had a sibling that seldom failed to advise Mom of my indiscretions at school. Man, when I got the paddle at school I ran home when school was let out, changed into my play clothes and got out of there before my sibling got home that day. It only postponed the ruler but it took me awhile to figure that out. Mom finally got wise to it and eventually made me wait for the tattletale to get home before going out to play.

Our home wasn't abusive and the good memories far out number the bad ones from my youth. Some may argue with me but I don't think I turned out too bad. Times have changed and there are a lot of demands on couples today that mostly stem from economic necessities for them to support and house a family. The missus tells me I was an extremely fortunate kid. We always lived in a house with indoor plumbing!

Somewhere along the line before we started our family I read that for the most part you have your kids until they are six years of age. Maybe it's five years of age today but the point was once they started school your chance of teaching your children the necessary discipline and respect was just about over. If you didn't have those values instilled in them by then it would be a long, uphill battle to achieve once they got started in the education system.

Mildred said the learning of discipline and respect has to start at home and be continued in the school systems. There is far too much concern for a child getting hurt feelings if he didn't achieve his goals and didn't get the same recognition as their peers. The education system is losing track of their mission. Educators are getting more worried about law suits and such more than the quality of students they turn out. Of course there are exceptions to the rule but Mildred certainly gave us food for thought.

Mildred said "It's time the schools return to the basics of "reading, writing, arithmetic, and respect". I couldn't agree more. To that I might add it has to start at home.

ole nib