Why our schools are in crisis

Everyone is talking about education these days. Here is my two cents.

My name is Doug Weir. I am not a school professional. I am a retired chemical engineer and financial analyst who was a substitute teacher at the local high schools. Here is what I have observed as a sub over the last five years.

I see a school system in crisis. Between a quarter and half of both high schools' freshman (and maybe sophomore) classes are wasting their time and the taxpayers' money by being in school. Many or most of these under-performers will either drop out or flunk out. I can only describe these kids as "brain dead" or "the lights are on, but no one is home." They (mostly boys) have no intellectual curiosity and come to class completely unprepared. Many bring neither books nor pencils, papers or homework. Whether they are incapable of learning or just don't care is unknown to me.

For example: They put their heads down on the desk and go to sleep when a well-prepared video is shown. The minute I turned my back, out came the handheld video games and music players. In classrooms with computers, as soon as they thought I was no longer watching, they surfed the Internet for truck parts (boys) and prom dresses (girls) or played video games. All of these behaviors are against the school district's rules. I believe I was fired as a sub for trying to vigorously enforce these rules. Even more bizarre is the fact that no one in the district or on the school board will confirm my firing.

Let me also say I don't blame the teachers for any of this. I was constantly amazed at their diligence under very trying conditions. Their lesson plans, record keeping and dedication was obvious in everything they left for me. I am not so complimentary of administrative personnel.

If the kids' academic performance was poor, their dress and deportment was worse. They'd wear stupid hats and hoodies indoors, plus of course, baggy clothes. As someone from the (Gangland) East, I wonder if folks in Idaho know where these styles came from? Answer: Street gangs. The hats and hoods are worn by gang members to defeat surveillance cameras, and the baggy clothes are to hide weapons and drugs. The kids' attitudes here are as bad as their clothes. Kids are surly and disrespectful. They seem to know that nothing will be done to them.

Why are the kids so bad? I am no psychologist, but I have several thoughts.

There are no intellectual role models today for the kids to follow. People in the media (or those who are famous) are only there because they are drop dead gorgeous (females on Fox News) or good in sports (males in the X-Games).

Even worse is the rise of the dirtbag on TV. Kids now can watch The World Poker Tour, World Wrestling Federation, Orange County Choppers and Jersey Shore and see that dirtbags, who have no education, can be rich and famous. Then we have the rise of the rich airheads like Paris Hilton or the Kardashians. However, the most insidious media influence may be the TV shows aimed at tweens. The kids in these shows are at school, but never in school. If "I Carly" or "Hannah Montana" never have to do any homework or take a test, why should any kid? Also, the adults (?) on these shows are jerks.

I have clashed several times with school administrators over their unwillingness or inability to discipline these underperforming kids. To be fair, they are being overwhelmed. The schools' systems are set up for a few bad apples, not the masses that they have to actually deal with. The detention rooms are merely closets, when an auditorium for in-house suspensions might be more appropriate. Typically, all discipline problems are funneled through a single assistant principal. That is crazy! The school board seems to be oblivious to all of this, based on the TV coverage of their meetings.

A piece like this would be incomplete if I didn't make a few suggestions to improve the situation. First, we need to "sell" the value of education. As near as I can tell, none of the kids in North Idaho relate a happy life to a good education. I tried to do this as a sub. This (or the threat of a bad life, as a dropout) has to be done in the middle or elementary schools. If a kid gets to the ninth grade and thinks high school is a waste of his/her time, it will be. I believe this negative re-enforcement (necessary as it might be) isn't being done because the current education theory is that you can't depress the little darlings. Well kids, depress this: The world's economic climate is very hostile, and your only defense is a good education. Speaking of defense, even the high-tech military won't take you if your career path follows in the footsteps of Beavis and Butthead.

I know money is very tight (please vote yes for the supplementary levy in March), but the discipline setup at the high schools is totally inadequate. Rogers High School in Spokane has demonstrated that discipline is the key to academic performance. A strict dress code must be enforced. No hats (maybe on the ball fields), or hoodies, or Goths. Some classroom teachers have already done this. No employer (except maybe Orange County Choppers) or college is going to take someone that looks like a gang banger or a Goth. As the military knows, a dress code establishes who is in charge. Right now, it is the kids.

Are more computers in classrooms the answer? See above.

I am sure others in the community, or maybe other subs, have even better ideas. Perhaps they will come forward. After all, we are all going to pay for this, one way or the other.