Not mad, exactly, just … really?
Recently witnessed a news story out of Baltimore … a 17 YO high school senior is getting ready to graduate when he (and his mother, apparently) discovered that he had only completely sufficient credits for the ninth grade.
From his report cards, he’d only managed to pass three classes for the past four years … and had missed or been late for some 250+ days … so, starting in the fall, he was starting the ninth grade. As a 17 YO senior.
Right.
One bright spot (really? Is it? You sure?) … the kid placed near the top half of students in the district … 62nd/120.
And the mother’s refrain? “They failed. They failed. They failed.” Referring to the school district.
Her excuse? Three kids, three jobs, zero father(s).
Not to critique, but to insult – the hell?
One guess as to that flavor of American I scream, and the first one doesn’t count.
OK so thus when this my next question is … Accountability? Responsibility? Birth control? Abortion?
And the real nut-kicker is viewers get to watch the kid play video games in the background. They were merciful enough not to show his face, but Mom’s weave was looking right. You go, Mz. France.
A fun little ditty by John Ogbu, Black American Students in an Affluent Suburb – a Study of Academic Disengagement (say that three times fast), studied the academic gap between black and white students with equal access to educators, facilities, and resources in Shaker Heights, OH, and this study reached the conclusion that the singular most important predictor of academic success was … [duh-DUH-DAH) … parental involvement.
Oops. {Proverbs 10:1}
The schools can’t do it without the parents, and the parents can’t blame the schools for the parents’ failure.
Parents owe a debt of responsibility to their child, to prepare a plan and have it in place for that child’s success.
And that monkey is HUGE.
If you can’t be bothered, don’t bother.