Education assessment sees U.S. teens drop to new lows

In the latest 2012 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) teens from the USA are now in 26th place in mathematics, while their Chinese counterparts are in first place.

When are people in the USA going to wake up? The current divorce rate in the USA is over 3 for every 1,000 inhabitants. Currently, the rate in China is 2 divorces for every 1,000 inhabitants. As the nuclear family in the USA has deteriorated, so have the educational scores for children in the USA.

There was a time when the USA was a leader in the world of education rather than a follower, and worse yet, at the bottom of the heap. The USA held the #1 place for most high school graduates after World War II. This leading place is all but a distant memory. Now out of 27 developed nations we rank #22.

There are some groups that focus on “family,” and those groups tend to be ultra right wing groups. However, when did wanting the best for your children become a political viewpoint?

The moment a statistic comes out about the poor performance of our students in school the typical suggestion is to spend more money on “education.”  Really?  The USA currently spends $115,000 per student on average in the USA. Do you really think more money is what is needed?

Perhaps people who have children should focus more of their time on their children rather than on the “flavor of the week” in their love life. It is nearly laughable, if it were not so sad, the effect these “adult lives” are having on today’s youth.

There are people getting divorced, then fighting over who will and will not get the children, and then the adults drift from one new partner to another over and over. This is all happening while their children are growing up and basically raising themselves.

Today’s so-called parents do not partner with their children’s school. Instead, they expect the schools to be raising their children. Isn’t that what parents are supposed to do, raise their children?  Oh, but wait — there in lies the problem: There are no parents, at least not in the way the word was meant.

Here is some sobering information:  If you have children, did you know that the child or children you created did not come to this earth on their own? You made a conscious decision to have sex, obviously unprotected sex, and then the female partner in this scenario became pregnant.

Please keep in mind I am not holding the woman solely responsible. It takes two to make a woman pregnant. If you as a man did not want a child, what kept you from wearing a condom to avoid this situation? However, once the woman became pregnant this resulted in a child or children being born.

Once a child is brought into this world you both owe that child the best possible upbringing as possible.

Children are not playthings. They are not toys. They are living, breathing, miniature people who will someday grow-up and become adults like you or hopefully better than you.

If adults with children spent half as much time involved in their children’s education as they do in their screwed up love lives, I am fairly confident the USA’s education scores would soar from the bottom to the top.

A child needs both parents to be successful in life not just one or the other. Of course, there are circumstances that may prevent a child from having both parents, things like a parent dying or the need for divorce due to abuse. However, if adults were less selfish and treated relationships as something sacred instead of disposable, I truly feel our divorce rates would go down.

Side note to those adults who have not created any children: perhaps you should consider the following before making a child or more than one child:

1. When you get married, do not run out and immediately have a child. You should wait at least three to five years. This way you and your spouse can enjoy each other and really get to know one another. After 3 to 5 years of “adult” time, you will probably be in a different frame of mind and be better prepared to commit to a child. Make no mistake, having a child is a commitment, and it is one that should be taken very seriously.
2. Get a puppy before you have child. Puppies are more needy than kittens and cats. If you find that you cannot commit to a puppy, then there is no way you will be able to commit to another human being known as a child. A child is 100 times more needy than a puppy so think about that before you run out and make a baby with someone.
3. I know in today’s society of “me, me, me,” this is going to sound foreign, but you need to put your child’s welfare before yours. If you are unable to do that, then again, do not make a child.
4. Do not have a child to “make a bad relationship better.” Get counseling. Do not bring a helpless child into a screwed up situation and then screw up that child.
5. If you cannot afford to make your rent or mortgage payment or you cannot pay your bills, do not add a child to the mix. Children are expensive. If you cannot pay your light bill, then you cannot afford a child.
6. Sex is performed by two people and for the purposes of procreation it’s between a man and woman. This means you are both equally responsible when it comes to the creation of a child. Therefore, if you are man and you do not want a child, then wear a condom. If you are a woman, take the pill. Take some responsibility for your actions.
7. Lastly, have some self-respect. Instead of having intercourse like “shaking hands,” why don’t you treat your body as well as you would treat your brand new car? Many people I know will not let you eat and/or drink in their new car, but will have sex at the drop of a pin with basic strangers. Isn’t your body more important than the interior of a car?

Bottom line children do not need more money spent in the world of education. If you want to see educational scores improve, make it mandatory for parents to be an active part of their children’s education.

Perhaps we should pass laws that “force” parents, both fathers and mothers, to spend at least one hour per day doing something educational with their child.  If the parents do not do this, then perhaps they should be fined some exorbitant amount of money.