To fix problems in schools, start at home

As I read the local newspapers about all the proposed ideas and promises for correcting the behavior problem in the school system not one of them, in my opinion, made any sense. The school system can make new rules, institute new programs, add more police to patrol the halls and do whatever they think is best like they always do, but they always miss the mark when it comes to making students behave in school. I am not saying they don't do their best but most people if they would speak out on the subject, would tell you the correction and the discipline must start in the home. The school system can make all the new programs they want but it will do little or nothing to change the behavior of some students.

This is because the very root of the problem is in the home and how children are raised. I do not have any college degrees behind my name so what I say will not matter that much, but I speak the truth. When kids are not made to mind in the home how are they going to be made to mind in the school? At one time the unruly student received his just reward from the principal and when that student got home they received it again. This does not happen anymore because the parent (I say parent because in most cases the home only has one parent.) never knows where their kids are or what they are doing. The parents will defend their kids most of the time leaving the teacher as the bad guy. This ought not to be. If children are not corrected and disciplined in the home how can they be corrected in the schools?

Some people in the federal government have said for years that it takes a village to raise your kids. So the village has raised our kids for years now and look at what we have. We have unruly kids using the schools for a social club or a hangout. I had the privilege of being in a Dorchester County school some time ago and I was so shocked at how some of the students were acting, the language they used, and their conduct. What you see out of the students in school is for the most part what you will see in their homes. Schools are not a social club for kids to meet every day. It is a place of learning, education, and to get them ready for a world that gets tougher every day.

I will always believe it is the family unit that will make or break this country and the same with the school system. Students must have a good foundation and fertile soil for them to be grounded in to excel or even want to learn in school. This means spiritual guidance, parent discipline, family functions, and even time together as a family whenever possible, getting involved with your child's homework and school functions.  To correct the problems in our schools we must start in the home.