celebrating mediocrity

[gtc]

Anyone else in here wondering why they would need a graduation ceremony for finishing 5th grade?
My generation (I'm 30) may be the least motivated ever, but our parents (boomers) have to be the worst parents ever, as well.

[Rapewta]

Crazy to acknowledge "C" students.
We lose the gumption to work harder. I couldn't believe it when they awarded
trophies to all the Soccer teams. Last place was recognized with a trophy.
The "Dumbing of America." PC has killed us. Oh well... I managed to get my three children (adults now) educated and semi-conservative. My daughter, the youngest
of the three really got persuaded by liberal teachers and I watched as the years went by that she forgot all the orthodox ways we parents tried to show her.

I can't go back far enough to find someone in my family that didn't serve in the
service. Well... none of my children wanted anything to do with it. I threw all kinds of carrots out there to no avail. My, my.. times have changed. I love them but it is a bit of hurt inside knowing that they prefer the information via the media as truth as opposed to what I know.

[patssle]

Just remember who caused the Great Recession and threw the world economy in a spiral, racked up massive debt, gave the country 3 wars, increased school tuition by tens of thousands of dollars, are said crappy helicopter parents, set the rules for the current school system, and refuse to fix the real problems:

You baby boomers. Thanks y'all!

-Young Generation

[Porsche-poor]

Originally Posted by gtc

Anyone else in here wondering why they would need a graduation ceremony for finishing 5th grade?
My generation (I'm 30) may be the least motivated ever, but our parents (boomers) have to be the worst parents ever, as well.

Depends on the school. My kids move on to another school for 6th grade so they make big deal out of it mostly cause the kids have been there since pre-school.

[Danimal16]

Originally Posted by patssle

Just remember who caused the Great Recession and threw the world economy in a spiral, racked up massive debt, gave the country 3 wars, increased school tuition by tens of thousands of dollars, are said crappy helicopter parents, set the rules for the current school system, and refuse to fix the real problems:

You baby boomers. Thanks y'all!

-Young Generation

No thanks necessary. You are spot on AND it is the shame of my generation. It really pi$$es me off to think how good I had it as a kid because of the things my parents "forced" on me and yet to see how much has been pi$$ed away in the name of "the children".

[Superman]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

Anyone with a teenager and a lawn who pays to have it mowed should be asked to leave the country...

LOL. So true. Recently, because it came up in conversations, I have reminisced about the very earliest beginnings of my work life. My dad had his own personal slave. I know how to use a scythe (sp?), lawnmowers, etc. I know how hay is collected and how firewood is split. To this day, I very much enjoy splitting firewood with a mall. Hard work is good for you. Seriously. Hard work is good for you. It makes you happy.

[red-beard]

We didn't have graduation or Honor Roll in Middle School. Or in Elementary school. We didn't have cap and gown for kindergartners.

What has the frigging country come to?

[wdfifteen]

Yawn. This complaint has been going on since the dawn of recorded history.
I only knew I was doing a good when my dad wasn't berating me about something. A little support and a reward now and then would have been nice.

[masraum]

Allowing Bs in the Honor Roll isn't a problem, but allowing Cs in the Honor Roll is.

For 3 years I went to a private school because the public schools in my area were horrible. I sometimes had all As or at least had mostly As and a B or two, except for penmanship. I was kept off of the honor roll the whole time I was at that school because my handwriting isn't pretty. You weren't allowed to print. You had to write in cursive. It sucked. Oh well.

We got lucky, my daughter got her BS in Biology, got out, got a job, decided it sucked, and went back to school to get her Physician's Asst degree/cert/thingy. She'll be done in Dec.

The only graduation that I had through school was going from HS to College. I don't get these other's, kindergarten, 5th grade, 8th grade, etc....

No dodge ball? Everyone gets a trophy?

Hell in a handbasket...

[Noah930]

Originally Posted by gprsh924

23 year old chiming in: I get really tired of reading about how no one in this generation knows what a day's work is like while I am on the 10 minute break for lunch I am taking in the middle of my 12-14 hour work day.

At least you had a lunch break today. Slacker.

[Jason Porter]

Some of the kids in my son's class look like they may be eligible for the "I didn't crap myself all year award", and they probably have one.

I get daggers everytime I go to his school now. The teachers and principal think it's uncool to make my son do yard work for 2 hours/day. We are remodeling the whole property. Everyone that lives here is benefitting, so everyone that lives here can get off their butts too. If only my father had let me get away with so little.

They also absolutely shudder at the idea of his getting his tail tore up for doing something stupid or inconsiderate or dangerous. My best friend's dad whooped me more than a few times growing up, and then my dad would let me have it when I got home.

I turned out fine... ROFL, no seriously I did!

[look 171]

Originally Posted by Groesbeck Hurricane

I will never forget my in-laws neighbors coming out to berate us because we were putting in flower beds at their house. All of them that came over were mad as wet hens:



That is not work you should be doing. That type of work is done by XXXXXXXXXXs.

We'd NEVER let our children work in the yard or do any type of manual labor! That is below them!!!!!



Just so we know the type of children they raised:

One is doing Federal time for counterfeiting (for fun and profit). He also had something pending in state for conspiracy to commit fraud, theft, and some other interesting charges.

One is in State but I never understood why.

One got pregnant, dropped out of life.

Drugs and video games seemed to make up their children's lives.

All the above before their 19th birthdays.

Except for one neighbor, we saw one daughter (out of about 10 kids on the block) who came out as somewhat independant and able to think on their own. It was through zero help from her parents. She is a nice girl.



One neighbor had his children out working and cleaning and taking care of business (school and church and family). Very respectful family. Oldest was a decorated Marine, died saving some of his platoon. Next should have finished college by now and was a very smart man, very polite. Youngest was heading military as well when she finished school.


I met Paul's son, he was polite and seemed to have his head on straight. Moreso than most college (or collage??? ;-) students I have met in the past several years.

My electrical Sub contractor and I were talking about this just today. His wife ruin his kids by not allowing them to do yard or labor work like his dad. they weren't allow to go under the house to fix things. It was below them. both his kids have been done with college. UC irvine and UCLA. Both have been without a job for 4-5 years. their mother refuse to have them work just any job. the both kids actually think they should be earning 45k plus as an entry level $$$ per year. That what school tellls you anyway.

[Dottore]

I'm always reminded of this classic when I read threads like this.

YouTube - ‪Monty Python - Four Yorkshiremen‬‏

[look 171]

Originally Posted by red-beard

We didn't have graduation or Honor Roll in Middle School. Or in Elementary school. We didn't have cap and gown for kindergartners.

What has the frigging country come to?

My kid is getting out of nursery school. They want a graduation for them. What a bunch of crap. Many of the parents thinks its the greatest thing since slice bread. Why do so many young people in this country think they should be rewarded every three step they take? Teachers in general. I started working part time as shop teacher in a high school years ago. At my first end of the year faculty meeting it was announced our graduating senior, 6 people (out of 450) has been accepted to UC schools. the faculty stood up and clapped their hands and scream. I was disgusted at that number

I had a couple of young (mid 20s)workmen over the years (I am not that old. 44 at the end of the year) moan about me getting on them with all the things they are doing wrong. Nothing and no reward or a simple "Thank you " when they do thing right. My reply was "you are being paid so it should be done correctly. A thank you isn't necessary" I am the mean guy suddenly. They lasted for another 2 weeks.

[red-beard]

One of my workers is from Spain. She has a masters and was teaching college in Spain. She worked to get her teaching certificate in the US and one of the issues she had was that she was not giving constant positive feedback.

OTOH, he 16/17 year old son, who has a car, called us to say he had a flat tire on his way home. I went over and helped him change it.

I stood there and gave him directions on how to change the tire...I think he was expecting I would change it. And this kid is thinking about engineering...

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by look 171

My kid is getting out of nursery school. They want a graduation for them. What a bunch of crap. Many of the parents thinks its the greatest thing since slice bread. Why do so many young people in this country think they should be rewarded every three step they take?

You said (correctly, I think) that it was the parents who think its the greatest thing since sliced bread. I'll be the kids would rather spend the time on the playground playing in mud. I sincerely doubt that a graduation ceremony was their idea or that they consider it a reward.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by red-beard

I stood there and gave him directions on how to change the tire...I think he was expecting I would change it. And this kid is thinking about engineering...

Engineers don't necessarily know how to change a tire. I have a lot of horror stories about engineers and their cars from when I was in that biz.

[MotoSook]

Think he's talking about a real engineer. One that can solve problems on their own.

Quote de red-beard

I stood there and gave him directions on how to change the tire...I think he was expecting I would change it. And this kid is thinking about engineering...

Engineers don't necessarily know how to change a tire. I have a lot of horror stories about engineers and their cars from when I was in that biz.

[red-beard]

I agree there are a lot of hands off engineers. My last couple of years in College was in a small liberal arts college that offered engineering. A lot of those people could "do the problems" but didn't really understand the concepts.

This kid is smart, but his parents do not let him do the things needed to really understand the real world. I employed his sister for a short period of time and she worked out OK. I can't imagine hiring him.

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

Anyone with a teenager and a lawn who pays to have it mowed should be asked to leave the country...

I understand the sentiment except that I wanted my daughter to associate doing a good job with getting a good reward. She didn't get an allowance for things like keeping her room clean but we chose some household chores that were optional and she would get paid for doing them. It creates a work ethic...

Originally Posted by red-beard

I agree there are a lot of hands off engineers. My last couple of years in College was in a small liberal arts college that offered engineering. A lot of those people could "do the problems" but didn't really understand the concepts.

I always wondered why anyone needs to understand the concept or do the math without a calculator (heck, I had to learn to use a slide rule!). I realized that "doing the problem" is to be in maintenance mode. When something blows up or, for there to be advancement and breakthroughs, there has to be critical thinking and that requires understanding.