Schools should teach some common sense.

I got to tell you guys this one actually happened at my school. Some kids had found a new way to get high by putting a bag over there head and tightening a belt around there neck to choke them till they passed out. After they had passed out another person would remove the belt. Obviosly this would fire the neutrons in their brain for quite a light show. But this kid decided to do this at home,ALONE! As you can imagine no one could remove the belt and he suffocated to death, Darwin award anyone? This really shows how much schools need to teach some sense.

You cannot be serious??!!

I sure hope the others learnt a harsh lesson from this. So what happens if the one of them stops breathing if they ain't clever enough to know not to strangle themselves how are they going to perform basic first aid???

i don't know if you can really teach common sense at school. or maybe talk about it, for sure.
most of the common sense should be given trhough education from the early age and i think the parents have to do most of the job.
not easy for sure, but when i see some of the adults out there and what they do, i sometimes wish they would not have kids, but they do.

i have seen a woman in the bus feeding her 2 years old daughter with chips. where is the common sens in that? and what's sad is that this little girl would think, weighting 100kg, that eating chips IS common sense.

where is the world going? I wonder!

schools today have a mandate in their curriculums to promote strong self images, self entitlement and self worth and self respect. This is all well and good except, it seems, that these attributes are promoted regardless of any lack of intellect, effort or merit. Kids now demand respect without earning that respect. Kids are simply "entitled" to a good job, big homes, expensive and trendy possessions without working for them And children are taught of their intrinsic self worth without substance. Children who have marginal grades are passed to the next grade so as not to damage their self esteem. Instead of training our children to be a valuable asset to his society, he is taught that his needs are paramount. We arent' teaching common sense because what we ARE teaching our children isn't entirely sensible. We already see the effects of this "holistic" theory of education by a generation of youth who are disenfranchised from the society that they are supposedly being educated or trained to be a part. Often, it seems, children are exempt from the responsibility of their actions. How can common sense be taught in this sort of educational climate?

I know this isn't exactly on thread but I have a (silly) theory about schools these days, funny how virtually everything I have learnt in my life has not been due to school but rather my own discipline and learning capabilities.

There has def. been a increase in school violence but why???

Could it be drugs???

The food we feed our children (purchased by the lowest bidder)???

The stuff on TV???

The music they listen to???

The parents???

Bordom???

Education???

Enviromental changes???

Stress???

I just noticed Oxford uni. students (aged 18+) were told not to jump off a bridge because there is only 3ft of water and fences were put up to stop them, yet they think they know better and just jump off. Yeah these are going to be our future leaders and financial leaders and they cannot seem to see that if you jump off a bridge into 3ft of water you might just get hurt.

How stupid, it seems they don't teach common sense in universities either.

[edit on 2/5/05 by Hunting Veritas]

Been awhile since i been to school but surely more things can be done to stop this

i think parents should given their children common sense not school. most parents just let their children go to school, come home watch tv ads etc. and ads mess up their brains.

the sad reality is that most of the parents dont have common sense either.

I work customer service for the local cable provider, and i just have to lower my head and shake it slowly at some of the questions i get asked.

some examples:

you want me to unplug my digital receiver ?
how do i do that ?

is my tv on ?
well, i think it is, let me check.

what do you mean you shut my cable off because i didnt pay my bill ?


ok now these people are teachers, doctors, airline pilots, etc..

very scary world we live in

[edit on 2-5-2005 by Patriot36]

Sad story. it can happen anywhere, there are probably no warnings either. I got into lots of things when I was in HS my parents never found out about, any a number of them could have killed me or gotten me in big trouble..

the parents, siblings and friends of these kids should have stepped in when they found out this was going on. The school teaches abc's, judgement is up to the parents and loved ones.

It's the parents responsibility to teach a child common sense, not the schools. They have enough to deal with.

I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out why the children of today are so different than the children in previous generations. The main difference that I see is that in previous generations there was more of a sense of community. Neighbors knew each other and helped each other out. Families lived closer together and spent more time with each other.

I know that when I was growing up (born in '67), we knew all of our neighbors and the children would all play together in the cul de sac or on the streets. ALL the neighborhood parents worked together to keep an eye on us and make sure we were safe. There weren't any 'working mothers' and the Mom's were heavily involved in the PTA and many other charities. Schools could focus on teaching eduation because the parents and communities were doing their part in teaching children common sense, morals and how to behave.

Any child who is dumb enough to get 'high' in the sort of fashion described in this thread has much bigger problems than needing to learn common sense. And the type of problems they have are not the kind of problems that the schools are equipped to handle. IMHO it all goes back to the parents.

Jemison

I know that when I was growing up (born in '67), we knew all of our neighbors and the children would all play together in the cul de sac or on the streets

Ahh yes as I look outside my window now, what do I see? Well I see little children playing in the streets and running around because they just came back froms school! Yes kids still do play outside and know their neighbors. I do! And everyone else I know also does.

Any child who is dumb enough to get 'high' in the sort of fashion described in this thread has much bigger problems than needing to learn common sense

Wow I love it how we all just love the pot smoking hippies of "67" In fact, I love hearing my mom tell me how when she was a kid, there were "smoking courts" where at least half of her school smoked their cigaretts and weed. Those were some days huh?

There weren't any 'working mothers' and the Mom's were heavily involved in the PTA and many other charities

Well I wish the economy was good these days because maybe there wouldn't have to be working mothers??

Ahh yes as I look outside my window now, what do I see? Well I see little children playing in the streets and running around because they just came back froms school! Yes kids still do play outside and know their neighbors. I do! And everyone else I know also does.

Yep, they do still play in the streets, but the parents are highly visible (I hope) and it's just a different feel than what it was when I was growing up. And yes, I too know my neighbors, but that isn't the norm these days.

Wow I love it how we all just love the pot smoking hippies of "67" In fact, I love hearing my mom tell me how when she was a kid, there were "smoking courts" where at least half of her school smoked their cigaretts and weed. Those were some days huh?

Um, I was BORN in '67. Not a hippie, not a child of hippies. Never smoked pot and didn't have parents who smoked. And quite frankly, I really don't see how smoking pot has anything to do with putting a bag over your head until you pass out.

Well I wish the economy was good these days because maybe there wouldn't have to be working mothers??

I agree. And I have NOTHING against mothers that HAVE to work in order to help support or solely support the family. I do however, have a major problem with women who CHOOSE to work full time as soon as their maternity leave is over and pay someone else to raise their children.

Jemison

Gee Jemison, maybe the dad should stay home, it's his kid too. Or are you a believe in the bible where it says women are to be slaves to men?

The problem is that in todays society, you need 2 incomes to survive, sometimes 3. Comfortably. I wouldn't be so rash as to blame the parents, todays economic structure takes the parents out of the home.

Gee Jemison, maybe the dad should stay home, it's his kid too. Or are you a believe in the bible where it says women are to be slaves to men?

Whichever parent can stay home. There are quite a few Mr. Moms that I know that do a very good job taking care of the home and the family. Who stays home is a personal choice.

I'm not really sure about your biblical reference. I am by no means a feminist but I do NOT believe that a woman should be a 'slave' to a man! Just ask my husband!

The problem is that in todays society, you need 2 incomes to survive, sometimes 3.

In some cases that might be true but there have been studies done that show that if the second income is less than 40K, it is NOT beneficial to have that second income. The additional income gets eaten away with the added cost of having a second person working out of the home, childcare, work clothing, gas, lunch expenses, taxes, etc.

In our society people spend more money on things they don't need rather than on necessities. We are a society of instant gratification. People also dont' know how to budget and they live way beyond their means. If people were educated on how to spend wisely, live within their means, cut down on the 'wants', and save for a rainy day rather than living on credit, I'm sure many of them could find a way to live with one income.

Jemison

Originally posted by Jemison
In some cases that might be true but there have been studies done that show that if the second income is less than 40K, it is NOT beneficial to have that second income. The additional income gets eaten away with the added cost of having a second person working out of the home, childcare, work clothing, gas, lunch expenses, taxes, etc.

I guess that would depend on the age of the kids. Our 15 YO son IS our daycare. Costs us a helluva lot less than what most pay in daycare. BTW, daycare was supposed to help out the working family, now it's another cash grab.

Coincidentally, both of us work full-time, I also work part-time. Between us my wife gets 2 days off a week. I get hollidays. Unless they fall on the weekend, then I'm screwed.

U gotta do what U gotta do.

You are right. Daycare is a giant rip off these days. The amount of money people have to pay is crazy! I'm not really sure how the people that run the day care centers can justify the prices they charge but they know that parents feel like they have no other options so they take advantage of it. You are lucky to have your 15 year old to help you out!

I understand that parents have to do what they have to do. I just get frustrated when parents have a CHOICE and finances aren't the issue and they choose to both have careers rather than being home with a child. The first 5 years are so important in a childs life and putting a career on hold during that time, or at least a portion of that time, would be so beneficial.

Jemison

Originally posted by Jemison
The first 5 years are so important in a childs life and putting a career on hold during that time, or at least a portion of that time, would be so beneficial.

Jemison

Couldn't agree with that more.

If life let's you do that, great.

Sorry, but I don't believe it is the responsibility of schools to teach "common sense". (can common sense be taught?) I also believe that children learn from their parents. They will emulate how their parents are.

Originally posted by Faeryland
Sorry, but I don't believe it is the responsibility of schools to teach "common sense". (can common sense be taught?) I also believe that children learn from their parents. They will emulate how their parents are.

That's right, do you see that society has dictated that parents spend minimal time with their kids. This time includes cleaning, shopping, cooking, homework, etc. I could go on. As a parent, I feel like I'm being ripped off while raising my kids. I spend so much time on business of family that they get less than is deserved. What you going to do though?