Sunday, April 13, 2008

FLIPSIDE 1.3

Urban cities are already getting a bad rap with all of the drugs and crime, now topping the list is our failure to finish high school. In a national report a few weeks ago, percentages of high school graduation in large cities were dismal especially in Detroit. The percentage was 25 percent, meaning that 75 percent didn't finish school at all.

Officials claim that those numbers may be lessened by students who transfer out of the city's school system, those who are deceased, or even the mothers who sometimes finish at alternative schools due to their pregnancy. Are those supposed to be legitimate excuses to why the numbers are so low? Those just sound like more issues plaguing our inner-city youth. What's surprising is that parents continue to point fingers at the public school system when they have not done anything to help improve it.



“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those
who prepare for it today”





The bottom line is that we, as African Americans, have got to play a bigger role in our children's education. We cannot expect to send them off as children into the public school system with no guidance and expect them to return home as young adults. As a parent you should know your child's school schedule. You sould be comfortable with the fact that if you show up to her school during third period, you know what class she should be in at that time. Participate in your child's school functions, get to know their teachers. Educating today's youth is a team effort, we can no longer stand by and point fingers at a system that is failing largely because of our lack of participation and involvement.

The education of our upcoming generation is vital. Gone are the days of manual labor. Gone are the days of the automotive industry. Gone are the days of low tech. Even fast food jobs require some kind of familiarity with computers. There is no way around it. The important and most difficult part is getting the youth of today to realize just how important an education is, regardless of what they plan to be as an adult. No matter how difficult it is though, you as a parent are responsible for making it happen. Nobody said being a parent would be easy. Catch ya' on the FLIPSIDE

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Drug addiction plays a roll in parents not being very active in the educational development of their children. With the tough economic times, many parents are getting 2nd and even 3rd jobs to keep the lights on and food on the table, which leaves their children unsupervised. It's a domino affect.