From Mimeographed Copies To Laptops

NOWHERE IN AMERICAN SOCIETY HAS THERE BEEN MORE CHANGES IN THE LAST 50 YEARS THAN EDUCATION!


Up front acknowledgement: Our three children are grown (sadly, one has not grown up) and we are raising three of our six grandchildren. Consequently, I may have more interest in this Post than many of you. But all of us have a stake in the future of our great Nation and the future of our posterity.


1. Mimeographed copies had that unmistakable smell of a mixture  between rubbing alcohol and rotting Polk berries. In addition, the copies were often semi-dry and refused to readily accept the marks of our No # 2 lead pencils.That was what we used in PCHS. 


Today, students take many of their tests on computers, often school supplied laptops. Almost every student in the eighth grade and above has a cell phone. Some of my granddaughter's (age 8) friends had cell phones in the second grade! We have the 14 years and above rule in our house. I was a freshman at Purdue before I knew how to use a phone!


2. School supplies: It is an annual treasure hunt in multiple stores to find the zillion folders (some with pockets, some plain,), essay notebooks, graph paper, scientific calculators, college ruled paper AND wide ruled paper, computer printer paper, red pencils, blue pencils, 36 No #2 pencils, ball points (medium and fine point) 1 inch three ring binders, one and one-half inch ring binders, two inch ring binders, and even three inch ringed binders, at least three erasers, (some red, some white), pencil boxes, binder pencil holder,crayons, felt-tipped markers, four boxes per student Kleenex tissue, soap less hand cleaner, rulers, compasses, protractors, zip lock plastic bags,  and several pounds of other stuff that necessitates the ubiquitous BACKPACK.


3. Backpacks deserve special mention. The smallest of Pre-K children have backpacks that nearly drag the ground. The little guys look like pilots in WWII with their parachute attached just before getting into their aircraft! Every imaginable cartoon character, rock star, scenes from Star Wars, and many other designs are printed on the back. Your name must be on the backpack, but not so a stranger can see it! My oldest grandson (age 16) has about 25 lbs of material he carries to and from school each day.  Did I mention, a new one must be purchased each year! Someone needs to find a way to recycle old backpacks.


4. Clothes and especially SHOES that are in fashion. I have driven cars that didn't cost must more than some of these Like Mike, jump to the moon shoes. Of course there are the specialty shoes: Gym, sports, band, and dress shoes that must be lugged to the cash register. Shoe string colors are really important--better get about 5 different colors.


Where did we go wrong in buying shirts that advertise the manufacturer or some other product? They need to pay us!
While I am on my soap box: I sure would like to meet the joker than invented faded, cut, ragged, stringy $70 bluejeans. Baggy pants are against the dress code here, but seldom enforced. Sadly, some our young girls look like models for Victoria Secret at school!


I am on a roll and can't stop now. Have you noticed that many middle/high school girls are look-a-like clones of their mother? What ever clothes mother has on, ditto the daughter. Same hairstyle, same shoes, and even same sun tan! Check it out at Wal-Mart or the Mall. I saw this past week a little toddler wearing a T-shirt that said "Pretty Like Mom". Guess who bought that shirt? By the way, the toddler was much prettier than Mom! My final T-shirt story is one that a high school girl was wearing at the Mall that simply said "IT'S ALL ABOUT ME!!"


5. The dreaded WEDNESDAY folders: In the elementary grades here all children bring home a folder each day. Middle school WEDNESDAY only. The folders that come home are packed with candy, cookie, sausage, shirts, and ticket flyers. Every volunteer organization in Shawnee somehow gets to promote their activity through the WEDNESDAY folder. If we really want to save the trees, filter this continuous flood of paper from school to home. 


A future Post will address teachers and what is being taught.


Gee, I feel so much better! Thanks for listening to this concerned grandfather.