Reading, Writing, and Real Bullsh*t

It’s no secret that President Obama wants a more educated country. I think our President means what he says about wanting to overhaul education “from the cradle to a career” and has good intentions.  Obama wants to push funding for the No Child Left Behind law and make sure every child as a chance at a quality education.

Too late for that.  Just about every child was left behind a long time ago.

We’ve failed our children not because of a lack of teachers or old textbooks.  Every child can have their own tutor and brand new textbooks, but it doesn’t help if what their learning won’t help them.  The educational system we have is archaic.  It no longer serves the purpose we need it to, and the sooner we realize that, the sooner we can give our kids the education they really need.

Remember when Phys Ed was an important class?  I remember I got a “B” in Algebra, and my father lectured me for 20 minutes about the importance of math.  When I pointed out the “A” I got in Phys Ed, he responded, “Any monkey can jump around.”  It just wasn’t that important anymore.

Fast forward to now.  Can you really look at your child’s report card and see classes that will really help them when they get older?  Don’t give me that bullsh*t about having a “well-rounded” child.  I’m talking about helping your children keep up with a rapidly advancing society.

My father and I debate about this all the time.  He’s an educated man, and he always talks about the value of a good traditional education.  Math, English, Science, Social Studies.  And he’d be right if this was 1960.  But as we move forward to 2010, our kids shouldn’t be looking at those old textbooks they have and asking, “When are we going to have to use this?”  We should be asking that ourselves.

Our educational system should be focused more on technology and less on the traditional courses.  Face it, we aren’t going back to the abacus or counting on our fingers. Social studies is a joke.  You’re never going to have to count that big jar of pennies you have on your dresser.  You’ll go down to your bank or local supermarket, pour it in that big coin counting machine, take your receipt, and get your dollar bills.

There are some people who say we need the traditional education in case all the computers shut down; those are the same nuts that stocked up on bottled water, duct tape, and canned peaches and locked themselves in their basement at 11:59 pm on December 31, 1999 while I was raising my champagne glass and welcoming in a New Year (I’m still laughin’ at your dumb ass on that one).

I’d like to see more courses on internet navigation, using search engines, and social media.  These aren’t just toys teenagers use to find free porn sites and talk to each other about ex-boyfriends; they are legitimate communication tools and they’re only getting bigger.  People are text messaging business communications and using Twitter to distribute their resumes.  Fifteen years ago, did you ever think that blogging would be as big as it is now?

You would have thought we would have seen this coming.  Multi-functional minicomputers we call Blackberrys and IPhones have replaced those large mobile phones you used to have to carry in a small briefcase.  Cell phones have put public payphones out of business (I haven’t seen a payphone in a while).  I haven’t met an encyclopedia salesman in a looonnnggg time.  My point is that advancements in technology have changed the game in terms of what we need to learn.  Our educational system hasn’t changed with it.

If we don’t re-educate our kids now, we’re going to have a large group of people who aren’t qualified to do much.  Don’t get me wrong.  I know there’s always going to be a need for somewhat of  a baseline traditional education, but that’s about it.

What do you think?  Answer the poll below and feel free to express your thoughts.

L-O-L could be your A-S-S

I was in the gym and overheard a conversation between two guys about text messaging.  The friend of one guy got was texting a young lady about the night they had and how enjoyed their bedroom romp.  The only problem was that his wife picked up his phone and read the text message…and you can guess how things went from there.

That got me to thinking about text messaging.  We like it because it’s convenient and clear.  You can watch a TV show and text a message at the same time.  You can text a message while on the go.  It’s a written account of a conversation.

So you’d better be careful of what you text.

A lot of times people say things they don’t really mean in an argument.  I’m sure you’ve yelled and blessed someone out over the phone.  People do the same thing while texting.  Enraged by the argument or actual stupidity, people will send lots of little forget-me-nots like “kiss my ass” and “go f*** yourself.”  I’ve been guilty of sending some myself.

I started think about what I was sending before I text during a  text “conversation” with my ex-wife.  More like a war of words.  I admit I said some pretty nasty things.  Then she pulls a “remember when you said” this and I denied it.  Then she forwarded the message I’d sent, and yep, I said it.

Here is the problem with text messaging.  IT’S WRITTEN.  It can be saved…and used against you later on in more than just an “I told you so.”  That goes for text messaging, instant messaging, and Twitter too.

Imaging going to court and you’re getting divorced and your soon-to-be-ex pulls some “verbal abuse” and “emotional distress” crap and starts crying and playing up to the judge.  You deny that you were verbally abusing and accusing her of  being dramatic and trying to drum up sympathy.

Then, she smirks and says, “Your Honor, I’d like to show you these text messages he sent me…”

Whoa! Weren’t ready for that were you? You probably didn’t mean 90% of the things you said.  You were angry and sent that in the heat of the moment.  But it’s come back to bite you in the ass, big time.

Technology has brought us a whole new world of communication, but with that new world comes new risk and new responsibility.  Review a text message just like you would a work email before you send it.  Check the recipients and review the words and context of the message.  Don’t text in anger; put your Blackberry down and walk away. Come back later when you have a clear head and express your thoughts in a calm, clear manner.

Or else she could save them and use them against you.  The next text you’ll get from her is “LMFAO at u…:-)”

Feel free to comment.