[QUOTE=Iraxy;4776741]I beg to differ, schools are trying to teach kids every day.
Being politically correct is only showing courtesy to all regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or religious affiliation.
What was meant by "politically correct" is that it seems like more and more emphasis is being placed on race, gender, sexual orientation and religious affiliation rather than teaching the basics of reading, speaking well, writing well and knowing math and science. Everyday common courtesy, decency, morals and manners is not the definition of "politically correct". If we, as parents and teachers, treat EACH child the same w/o making a special class/subject to talk about these designations, then the children will accept each other without question. Children from an early age are very accepting. When they see/hear adults treating some as different or giving special consideration because of these designations, then they learn "political correctness".
As parents to sons with children of their own, and sisters with children, we were and are active in the education of our children and we see how the public school system has changed, from the textbooks they use to the climate in which the teachers have to work. Having neighbors who are teachers (one is a principal), we have talked about what the public schools in our area (metropolitan but not inner city) HAVE to teach to meet federal standards. My niece is finishing her last year in college and will begin her student teaching next fall and we have discussed the differences as to what is being taught.
I believe that teaching our children is a parent/teacher partnership. I also see the disrespect shown by even young children to their teachers and other adults around them. This stems from the home environment mostly and if emphasis is placed anywhere, maybe it should be on more parent participation. I have seen great teachers leave the system and I have seen bad teachers that can't be fired. I have graded 9th grade papers where the kids cannot spell simple words, make complete sentences or construct a story line. My friend who was teaching at that time said it was sad because she had to spend time teaching these 9th graders how to do 6th grade work. And this occurred in a Level 5 school system (the best federal rating).
I also believe that good teachers should be among the highest paid professionals. The athletes we see making these "stupid" statements were not taught correctly, if at all, and probably more attention was paid to their athletic abilities than to their grades. Then we see the younger children holding them up as role models. Once again, the responsibility falls on the parents or a mentor to teach the difference in being well educated versus just playing a sport...or being an actor or singer or any of the other highly paid popular icons in our society. IMHO, our teachers need to teach the basics of education and not have the added burden of teaching PC social issues during the hours they have available to spend with our children.
