The Barnyard

this discussion of education, almost entirely consisting of laments from the average middle class white person.

there is little or no perspective from those who have to suffer in the lousy schools we offer some of our kids,

my perspective came solely from a segregated system. not until i got to carolina did i see a black or minority in a classroom setting

all things come to rot & ruin, change will come, the system we have now will likely bear much resemblence to 50 years from now. that is simply my opinion, but the date is near when a good student can get a good education on line perhaps without the bricks & glass & stuff

i will be gone by then. i hope it works out. the lousy public school teachers i had tended to be more along the lines of a loris sc teacher who bitterly complained about bill cosby starring on the tv show with bill culp as the spies who played tennis

was just not right them associating black & white people like that on tv. this was 1965. i dealt with such morons with little recourse

then again i was a poor student

The veiled attempt at humor notwithstanding, I’m certain there are one or two “good” teachers out there. Judging by the posts and comments I've read over the years on this site, I would go out on a limb and venture an “educated” guess people such as Bunzie and 3.0 have dedicated the better part of their adult lives to the pursuit of the most noble and honorable of professions, the educational transformation of our youth. I suspect there are many other educators, teachers, coaches and mentors on these boards of whom I am not aware who equally invest their efforts in the same noble cause.

Recently I texted a friend of mine of my appreciation for his endeavors as an educator, coach and mentor. I hope he doesn’t mind that I share one or two of those thoughts.

There are really only two spheres of appropriate influence for our youth - parents and teachers. Unfortunately the former is often lacking at the foundational level. Therefore it becomes paramount that the deficit be filled by the educational community.

As a coach (no offense to those who are not) you have an additional skill set that sets you apart from the average teacher. A coach is a mentor; he is one who provides the moral compass to the youth in his charge. He not only teaches and instructs the virtues and values of sportsmanship, teamwork and discipline, he models expected behaviors.

The importance of victory cannot be overlooked yet it is the coach who conveys there is no shame in losing. It is the coach who imparts the life lessons of humility and compassion in the face of defeat as well as in victory.

Not to sound grandiose but America's youth are depending on the teachers and coaches such as you to show them the way and point them in the direction of success. Plus it is often the teacher who helps these kids find their internal Don Quixote and helps to set them off upon their quest to dream that impossible dream. With any degree of good fortune and the proper application of the skills, traits, guidance and lessons learned from the good teachers and substitute parents, many of these dreams will be achieved.

I realize it’s a but a small token – but let me say Thanks for all you do.

Theres a lot of really bad ones and a lot of really good ones out there. My experience in elementary school was terrible. We have a big problem in this state or possibly this country in dealing with children who are more advanced than others. School was a mental prison for me until 7/8 grade.

The best teachers are the ones that teach you to think for yourself and to take chances intellectually. They aren't there just to teach to the end-of-year tests.