It Wasn't Our Best Summer
- Print print this page
- Discuss 31 comments, Blog about
Advertisement
It was surely the summer of our discontent. The 24/7 cable news coverage of the debate over the United States' debt ceiling and deficit was more than a political annoyance. It was discouraging - downright depressing - and it's left many Americans wondering whether we are capable of governing ourselves under the circumstances that have evolved in Washington.
Politicians took our economic future hostage, leaving us fraught with anxiety. And we have every right to be frightened. Who knows what the Gang of Six (a disturbing piece of nomenclature if ever I heard one) will foist upon us? It seemed that our elected officials - especially those voted in by the tea party - had decided to burn down the village in order to save it.
As one 100-degree day followed another, the economy continued its downward slide. Unemployment shot up, the stock market began to nosedive, and jobs became increasingly scarce. It now seems likely that we'll sink into another recession - or worse.
On Tuesday, Sept. 13, the Census Bureau announced that the nation's poverty rate rose to 15.1 percent in 2010, up from 14.3 percent in 2009 and to its highest level since 1993. And there's serious debate over whether the "poverty threshold" is set too low.
As Michele Bachmann so eloquently pointed out, we suffered through a hurricane and an earthquake brought on by God's displeasure. (We're lucky to have her; she has a direct line to the Lord.) What she didn't mention were the tornadoes, droughts, floods - and the two wars we can't win or afford.
Worst of all, the 2012 campaigns for president began. GOP candidates threw themselves into the briar patch, sniping and backbiting on the televised debates. Perry and Romney argued over who said what about Social Security, Medicare, immigration and health care. And we've got a lot more of this baloney to swallow.
All in all, not an auspicious summer for Americans.
Unfortunately, the bad news - news with ominous, long-term implications for the culture - got lost in the hubbub. What should concern us more than the political nastiness is that reading scores on the SATs have taken a dive. This year's average score of 497 is a 40-year low, down 33 points from 1972.
The College Board notes that test-taking has broadened and that the number of students who did well has increased. But there is still a huge gap in achievement between African-Americans, Hispanics and whites, a gap we've been unable to close despite billions poured into No Child Left Behind (an ironic appellation for another failed government program).
What can explain these low reading scores? Maybe teachers are "teaching to the test," which ignores the analytical skills necessary to do well on the SATs reading component. It might have been a bad year, a fluke. But in fact, the scores have been trending downward for the last four years.
Whatever the problem, the truth is simple enough: If our children can't read, they can't learn, and if they don't learn, they'll likely become a statistic, another name and number on the poverty roles, another burden on society. Illiteracy is silent and insidious - and it endangers the republic.
I have a simple suggestion for solving many of the problems that plague us. Turn off the TV - or cut back to basic cable - and read more. Quit watching Fox News and MSNBC. Who are these "political commentators" who have the effrontery to set themselves up as purveyors of public opinion?
Do we really need to be told what to think? If we read both sides of an argument, we can arrive at a measured conclusion - and we'll be capable of backing up our point of view. It isn't enough to say that we dislike a particular politician or political party; we should know why we disagree with them. I'm not interested in hearing any more mindless 24/7 media jabber.
If we want to raise our children's reading scores, pull the plug on the flat screen and put good books in their hands.
Stephen Smith lives in Southern Pines. Contact him at travisses@hotmail.com.
More like this story
Advertisement
Comments
deidretg 1 year, 7 months ago
...."It seemed that our elected officials - especially those voted in by the tea party - had decided to burn down the village in order to save it....." Most likely it will be to 'shutdown the village', not burn it down. Their efforts will have the same effect that the greatest Republican majority to ever be elected to Congress (1994) had on their next election campaign (1996) when they shut down the government twice (1995 and 1996). President Clinton was suffering greatly in the polls until after those two Republican public relations fiascos. After that, he never trailed in the polls again and won re-election handily. President Obama will most likely suffer the same fate at the hands of the Republicans in 2012. ...."On Tuesday, Sept. 13, the Census Bureau announced that the nation's poverty rate rose to 15.1 percent in 2010, up from 14.3 percent in 2009 and to its highest level since 1993...... Somebody might want to pass that information on to our county's three 'big spenders and their $300,000,000 bag man (county manager)'. Those $95,000 prisoner suites being built in Carthage at their insistence are looking ever more calamitous when surrounded by vacant buildings and rampant unemployment in several areas of this county. Most of us just do not have access to 'tea sipping' parties at CCNC in order to rub elbows with Moore County's 'elected' government officials during ‘meet and greets’. That is a perfect shield against the riff-raff and a guarantee that the spending can continue as they see fit. ......What should concern us more than the political nastiness is that reading scores on the SATs have taken a dive. This year's average score of 497 is a 40-year low, down 33 points from 1972......We know where Moore County stands on this issue----Power grab $55.2 million for pet prisoner projects while denying $500,000 to keep Academy Heights open. Now there's a plan for our children's future.
teufelhunden 1 year, 7 months ago
Hey I like sipping on tea at CCNC! ;)
dustyrhoades 1 year, 7 months ago
If we want to raise our children's reading scores, pull the plug on the flat screen and put good books in their hands.
Or, you could put a good book on the flat screen. Just sayin'. I finally finished BLEAK HOUSE on the Kindle, a book I'd always failed to finish becuase I got tired of lugging it around.
geoffcutler 1 year, 7 months ago
I've been going back and reading lots of stuff over again. Hemingway, Stowe, Steinbeck...Dickens was one of my favorites...except Bleak House. I just couldn't get into it, and never finished it. I got away with the final exam cause I wrote my essay on the other book. Thank God I had a choice. I've been thinking about picking it up and trying again. What did you think this time, and should I give it a whirl?
Nezumi 1 year, 7 months ago
You can always watch the miniseries; it was quite good. And the Kindle is great for travel reading, it certainly beats reading Dickens on a Treo 600 (I've done it)
dustyrhoades 1 year, 7 months ago
I think it drags in spots, and Esther's just a little too good to believe. But it's worth it for the rest of the characters and, of course, for the satire, especially of the legal system.
It helps to take a break now and then and read something else, something which an e-reader makes incredibly easy.
geoffcutler 1 year, 7 months ago
Reading TR's autobiography right now, love it. Perhaps I'll get the clunker down off the shelf to try again. Pickwick Papers my favorite. Thanks!
MikeNC 1 year, 7 months ago
I'm not sure how they do it in the N C school system, but my sister in law is a teacher's assistant in a burb in Cleveland. It's insane how they work this, but here it goes: No matter what the level of student, they put both excelled and slow in the same class. Terry's job, to help the slow in that class and or take them to a special needs class, such as speech. Well what happens, Terry tries to assist the slow learner while the teacher continues the lesson and in the process, the slow learner loses out on the rest of the lesson and falls behind further. On top of that, kids who have social and mental problems, are also in the classes. There is one boy, who from time to time, has temper fits pounding his feet on the floor and screaming. How are the other kids suppose to pay attention with that sort of disruption?
When I went to school, we were divided up based on tests scores. A. the slower student didn't feel intimidated being in class with kids who were excelled and just give up. B. The teacher in the slower class, didn't have to worry about the excelled learners getting bored. Everyone, both teacher and kids, in other words, could stay on the same page.
JER 1 year, 7 months ago
Reading scores have taken a nose dive despite the fact that almost every single young person spends all their time "communicating" on their electronic communication devices. If they were simply talking on their cell phones, you could understand their lack of reading skills. But they are typing out messages with astounding speed so you would assume they were familiar with the written word. Evidently not!!! We have two choices: 1) Mandate that all students have a Kindle type device where all their reading material will appear, thus putting their required reading in a format they are comfortable with. or, 2) Convert all school required reading material into the "language" they are familiar with ( that weird shorthand that makes you LOL). I had a third option but they don't let the teachers whack the kids with a ruler anymore.
RmeMP 1 year, 7 months ago
@ JER -
your third option is the correct one, but no, cant do that any more - heaven forbid, you might hurt someones feelings... then youll be labeled a bully and "lady gaga" will tell the president on you...
sgmartin 1 year, 7 months ago
Couldn't agree more. We need to read the politics and spare ourselves the talking heads on the news networks who have their own agenda and 24 hours to fill. I'd rather read the information and form my own opinions.
Nezumi 1 year, 7 months ago
If only BBC World News was a cable option...
dustyrhoades 1 year, 7 months ago
The radio version's on NPR, and you can catch it on the Web.
Nezumi 1 year, 7 months ago
I stream that most of the day - but often end up on BBC4 which has some great documentaries as well as "In Our Time"
fugitiveguy 1 year, 7 months ago
"Quit watching Fox News and MSNBC"
There is no comparison with these two networks. One of these days I think a couple of us conservatives should sit down with a couple of the liberals (I am speaking of those who voice opinions in The Pilot) and watch a couple of hours of Fox News and see how many legitimate examples of their alleged lies and distortions. Of course they have opinion shows like Hannity and O'Reilly, for anyone to equate that with news is just plain silly. The left wouldn't be so obsessed with Fox if so darn many people didn't get their news from Fox. I maintain Fox offers balance to the other major news outlets ABC, NBC, CBS, and CNN.
TreadLightly 1 year, 7 months ago
Reading scores are right where they are planned.
If you want to teach kids to read, you have to teach phonics. The current system is the brainchild from the Dewey or Rockefeller trust funds that promote the dumbing down process.
If you want to teach kids anything, it has to be in the curriculum, and you have to have order in the classroom. Our local school boards focus on administration, not lesson plans and content. Private schools have mandantory homework.
Any little mom can take a home school course and beat the system easily.
moonchild7 1 year, 7 months ago
As a kid growing up in the Northeast in small suburban towns the most favorite time of my week, usually Saturday, was to ride my bike to the local library. I never stopped going and in college I was just at a loss for words at the size and scope of their collections. Many times I was the last one out. So, I decided early on in my sons life I would continue with that habit. It was difficult at times because I worked such long hours at times but at least once a month on Saturday or Sunday we went to the library. He learned from an early age to enjoy the books, magazines and maps. So, just the other evening when he called and I asked about his day, he said it was fine and that he had just gotten back from his Manhattan Branch of the Library where he checked out a few books and videos. Those good "habits" must start at home; Oh and the library is "FREE".
Courseaire 1 year, 7 months ago
Bravo MC! You are correct in this and have done a fine thing for your son and is a good lesson for others. Now you just need to get him to watch Fox News.
teufelhunden 1 year, 7 months ago
You are right on MC7. Love the library!!!
MikeNC 1 year, 7 months ago
I second a bravo for Moochild ! another problem with parents today, they aren't PARENTS, their BUDDIES to their kids. It's pretty simple parents: Kid comes home. Take the darn cell phone, text, ipod, ipad, plumberry, facebook and tv away for half an hour and make the kid read a book or do their homework or God forbid, some chores around the house and maybe carry on a conversation with you for 15 minutes. Diane
Courseaire 1 year, 7 months ago
While on safety patrol at school, I took a book to read for when it was slow. Also, way back when, I earned my spending $$ with a paper route, shoveling driveways, mowing lawns, raking leaves & baby sitting. Try to get a kid to do any of these today is next to impossible.
teufelhunden 1 year, 7 months ago
Kids can earn some serious dough picking up pinecones! :)
RmeMP 1 year, 7 months ago
My nine your old son gets paid $20 each weekend (weather pending) doing this exact same chore for an elderly man in our neighborhood :)
teufelhunden 1 year, 7 months ago
Awesome. Good for him!
geoffcutler 1 year, 7 months ago
With all the gadgetry MikeNC mentions above, unless you've been reading every night to your children from the toddler stage, it's almost impossible they'll have any interest growing up. Schools won't spark it. I heard our public schools don't even have kids reading full novels anymore, just selections. Does anyone know if that's true?
J.K. Rowling saved a segment of what could be the last generation of interested readers. Bottom line though, if parents don't instill an interest in kids to read before they get to school, it's not likely to happen. Not when reading has to compete with gazing at themselves and their friends on facebook.
honesty2 1 year, 7 months ago
It is so important to read to your children. Some schools do have them reading full novels, but some teachers are killing the joy of reading for pleasure (in the upper grades)- not all mind you . The astronomical amount of homework leaves little room for extra reading.
geoffcutler 1 year, 7 months ago
How do some teachers kill the joy of reading? Is it in the assigned reading material, or what?
TreadLightly 1 year, 7 months ago
“Politicians took our economic future hostage, leaving us fraught with anxiety…frightened.”
“…burn down the village in order to save it.”
In other words, any attempt to slow down federal spending with 40 percent borrowed money is destructive? (Get ready for more “fraught with anxiety” and “frightened.”)
“...huge gap in achievement between African-Americans, Hispanics and whites, “...low reading scores?
These are related. Where are the (legal) jobs that pay big money for people who can not read? Plenty of black people have education, culture and BIG MONEY. (Sorry about that caps relap, Geoff.)
Then some “attend” school for the required time, get their diploma, and hit the street to make the big bucks that high school diplomas demand. Then, as the old country song says, “It’s Crying Time Again…”
“Illiteracy…endangers the republic.”
I am shocked and surprised that you let that progressive strategy out of the bag!!!!!!
Why do you think they dumbed down the schools? The whole point is to bring down the “republic” and its bothersome constitution so that it can be replaced by good old plain vanilla “democracy.” That always brings joy to the hearts of the country, until it is soon replaced with “firm leadership.” (Also known as oligarchies, aristocracies, kings, dictators, central committees, etc.)
“…we should know why we disagree with them.”
That one is too complex for this short venue. If we could have a few coffee and tea socials to search one another’s hearts, that would have been done by now. I have tried that to no avail.
If we could get around a conference room table and lay all the facts and figures on the table, look at the form and intent of the constitution and look at the reasonable approaches to self-government, that would have been done by now. I have tried to no avail.
The problem is that progressives are led by the heart and conservatives are led by the brain. That is like one of us living in St. Louis and other one living in New Orleans. We are each traveling to the other town on the same week-end, and suggest that we have lunch together as we pass. Then we discover that you are coming down the Mississippi River on a boat, and I am coming north on a jet airplane.
The contrast of heart-head approach is why you call us heartless, say we have no soul and we want old people and poor people to die. It is why we call your side stupid, clueless, out of touch with reality, etc. (While you are calling yourself loving, caring, compassionate, etc. and we are calling ourselves patriots, law-abiding, rational, wise and reasonable.)
Minds and hearts don't have to agree. (Note marriage.). We just have to have an election and see how the whole country feels about it.
“…to raise our children's reading scores…put good books in their hands.”
(Try some phonics first, and then give them the book.)
JeremyG 1 year, 7 months ago
Both parties are corporate owned and operated but the GOP has certainly boarded the crazy train.
moonchild7 1 year, 7 months ago
Thanks guys for the "positive" response to my parenting skills. I'm sure I developed them after living thru my parents divorce and having to more or less "mentally" raise myself. It was also okay back then to let us kids go, explore, and run around after school and on the weekends. It's more than sad that it's not that way anymore. I even walked to school from Kindergarten until the 9th grade, then I had to ride the bus. I never got a car in high school like most other kids so I experienced bus "togetherness" for those High School years and it was an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. So, I had time to read. Schools need to help kids develop these "manual" skills first and stop with the cell phones, computers and videos. Of course if the schools don't do it then the parents must but I'm beginning to constantly observe the most horrendous "parenting skills" almost everytime I go out into the world. What's going on? My son is so "NORMAL" it's actually scary because I didn't really teach him "NORMAL" since I'm a bit out there. But he definately learned the value of work and saving money from me. And Courseaire, he'll just never be into FOX NEWS. In fact he got rid of his cable tv because he stays so busy(works a lot of overtime). He did get my "Leftie" politics from me of course but he's a registered Independent and he just loves Mayor Bloomburg(he's met him twice). I just can't get him to rethink that opinion at all.
Courseaire 1 year, 7 months ago
It's funny MC, we both lived very similar lives growing up, except my parents stayed together forever, yet we are polar opposites both politically & socially. Another difference was in college, I chose a business major rather than a social major. Your son & my daughter are also very similar, except she got our "Rightie" politics like her parents. If your son supports Bloomberg, there's hope for him yet. Bye for now, but looking forward to sparring another issue, another day.
teufelhunden 1 year, 7 months ago
You're definitely a thinker MC7. I bet you're a good mom too. I too think it's a shame that kids have to be entertained. It's during the down times and solitude that kids can think and therefore learn. Kids need time to just be and not have electronics dictate the majority of their day. We used to go outside and the only rule we had really was to be home when the street light came on. We figured the rest out for ourselves.
wrich49 1 year, 7 months ago
I was a teacher assistant for 5 years in an elementary school. I found that if I took a book with me when I moved from one class to the next or read for a few minutes while the kids were reading that they were very interested in what I was doing. I almost always have a book or my Kindle with me and I let the kids look at the book or play with the Kindle a little. I think the behavior we model for kids is important. They would say "Wow...you sure like to read don't you?" I'd say "Yes I do. Books can take you anywhere!"