TK> possibly, but I also have to give credit to the schools.
You made it through a system which has been steadily deteriorating ever since 
WWII, not by virtue of their efforts, but because you are in the small 
minority who will make it despite the lousy teachers and materials handed to 
most kids these days.
 TK> -> TK> Yes, but the way that Jane makes it sound, only those who are
 TK> -> home schooled or educated in private schools have a chance at ever 
K>
 TK> -> getting ahead. Only jail, or welfare. On the contrary. OUt of the
 TK> -> percentage that doesn't do well at all in school, possibly because
 TK> -> the public schools fail to teach them much of anything at all and
 TK> -> bore them stiff, is a very high percentage that end
 TK> up
 TK> -> in our prison system.  Their education has been lousy at best.
Who wrote the latter part of that?  Me or you?  Your mail reader leaves a lot 
to be desired at times.
 TK> Yes, but you just contradicted yourself.  If it was only my own
 TK> effort and genetics that made me what I am, then the schools can't
 TK> be blamed for the ones who don't do well. The parents of the
 TK> children must also must be held accountable, because if they had been
 TK> more involved in their childrens schooling, for instance, checking
 TK> to make sure they were doing their homework, and going to teacher
 TK> confrences.
We have many one parent households today.  And we just recently have arrived 
at a place where employees may take off for parent teacher conferences.  I 
have always wondered why I could do millions of dollars of business on the 
phone with people I never met face to face yet could not have any kind of 
intelligent conversation with any teacher over the phone.  I would love to 
see the schools have to send their folks to offices and factories to have 
parent/teacher conferences with parents who work just as hard as they do.
Not everyone can become involved in kids schooling as the school system 
thinks they should.  I frankly got disgusted with the school system my 
youngerst child had in Seattle, pulled her out in the sixth grade, and let 
her stepfather teach her math.  He had her doing fractions in her head when 
the teachers could not get her to do them on paper!
 TK> -> TK> agreed, but that doesn't say how many were educated in public TK>
 TK> -> schools, or elsewhere.
I am well aware of the population that does't do well in school these days. 
In fact, did an intake on one 14 year old last night.  Kid has been on the 
streets of Seattle recently, now is living with her grandmother who happens 
to be a friend of mine.  She is also both a genetic alcoholic and one who has 
lived in the war zone of a dysfunctional family system for several years. The 
best thing she did for herself was to get out.
This kid has been to some of the worst "mental health" workers this county 
has and picked up every "mental health" diagnosis under the sun except the 
right one, addiction.  She has also tried crank, is still in extended 
withdrawal from same with a high pulse rate and some marked recent weight 
loss.
And she will not be going back to any of the local idiots soon.  She will be 
on a regime for kids such as herself very similar to the ones that are now in 
use for children inside our local juvenile corrections institution in the 
therapy unit there and in other places that treat these kids.
And her grandmother just happens to be a student in one of the local schools 
that educates chemical dependency counselors.
Her mother happens to be a whiz on computers and she is able to sit down and 
make one do quite nicely herself.  The computer will assit in her withdrawal 
if no one tells her it is good for her at this time.  She thinks it is a 
wonderful way to escape being bored.
And this child has a superior I.Q.  But she also has an anger problem, quite 
common to those who have been abused or are genetic alcoholics.  One that 
isn't going to be cured by pills.  We shall see what a 12th step program with 
other similar children her age does about this.
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