Beat 'em with a trace chain...

[Jolly]

For the ignorant among us, that's an old country saying, derived from plowing with a mule that sulls. Farmers would get so aggravated, they'd whip on a mule with the chain, to try to get him to plow. As such, it evolved a broader meaning, basically meaning to take more drastic measures to make something or someone, comply.

As many of you are aware, my daughter taught in inner city schools for 14 years. As such, she can be a pretty very tough cookie. When you are dealing with those type kids, you have some pretty rough characters, even in elementary school. The school systems have become more and more hamstrung on how they can deal with these type kids. Many of these kids are used to disrespect for any authority, verbal abuse and physical violence.

As concerned parents homeschool or use school choice to have their children attend better schools such as charter schools, the student body quality in many schools is spiraling downward. Yet, in order to have a functioning society, we need to provide those left with a decent education or at least the opportunity to acquire one.

How can we foster at least a minimum of academic achievement and student discipline in today's regulatory environment?

[George K]

Parental responsibility used to be the answer.

Used to be...

I must've been about 11 years old and I brought home a report card with a "U" (the equivalent of a "D") on it. The subject was "Handwriting." My immigrant parents thought it was that I wrote poorly and didn't express myself. They read me the riot act.

But the "U" was because my handwriting was sloppy and, basically, illegible.

That hasn't changed, btw.

[Mik]

Hence you went into medicine where that was expected.

[Jolly]

That's ok. Today's generation cannot read or write cursive and has no idea how to decipher a paper map.

Take down the net, and the Geezer revolution will be sooo easy...

[George K]

@Jolly said in Beat 'em with a trace chain...:

That's ok. Today's generation cannot read or write cursive and has no idea how to decipher a paper map.

Yea, but to my point...that experience, more than 60 years ago sticks with me. I remember where I was standing when we had the conversation and I tried to explain.

[Jolly]

Oh, I get it.

One grading period in igh school, after I discovered girls and beer, I brought home three F's.

It was a life threatening altering experience.