"Rainy days and Mondays always get me..."
Down? Not really. So it's Monday - the work week has to start somewhere. And it's rainy - we need the rain. But news on Monday can sure get you down if you let it. There's a ton of noteworthy news out there this morning. If you are interested in the future of our country we could discuss the current political race for president. If you are an avid sports fan we could talk about the draft from this weekend. If you are a follower of celebrity status we could talk about Miley Cyrus and her apology over a Vanity Fair issue set to go out this week (I could...no...not today). So what do we talk about? Let's look at something that's happening in our state right now.
I just read a report on Boortz.com about Norfolk schools and their current talks over allowing the grade point average to be dropped for athletes. In case you don't know, the minimum grade point average for most schools and those who qualify to play sports is a 2.0. In Norfolk they feel as though they are asking too much of their athletes. It's not just the athletes however, last year 3 out of 10 rising ninth graders did not have a 2.0 grade point average. I'm sorry but I don't get it.
I got involved in sports from 9th grade through high school. I enjoyed the opportunity to play football, basketball, and even ran track one year. All the while understanding that I had to maintain a "C" average to keep on playing. In other words, I could be an average student while trying to be an above average athlete. Personally, it wasn't that hard. At least when I was in school if you couldn't keep a "C" average you probably weren't trying. But in today's society we are expecting way too much out of our athletes. We will bend or change the rules just to keep guys & girls eligible. What's wrong with us?
I'm not trying to pick on Norfolk. There are other states, cities, and counties that have already changed their standards or are at least thinking about it. What kind of culture are we creating that is willing to keep kids ignorant as long as they can throw or catch a ball? There is nothing wrong with a kid actually having to apply themselves in school. There is nothing wrong with putting a student in the place of actually trying to excel in the classroom. In fact - that's what our schools are required to do. They are required to educate our children. Your government school does not exist to provide a place for your kid to play sports. I'm a sports fan and I am still willing to see a football, basketball, or baseball team not be able to compete because they cannot fill the roster with kids who are able to keep a "C" average.
What is so hard to understand in all of this? A "C" average is just that. It's average. The average student ought to be able to keep an average grade. But here we have shool officials - educators? - saying it's o.k. if you can't make the grades we'll let you play anyway. Is there any wonder why America falls so short in testing compared to other countries? Who knows, maybe this a ploy to keep the American masses dumb to the things that go on in government. The more uneducated a person is the less likely they are to care about how things work in this country. Why should they seek to be educated if our government is going to take care of them from the cradle to the grave?
How's that for a Monday entry? Is that enough to get your day started right? I don't have a lot of time this week to get you thinking. I'll be heading off to New Hamsphire this week for a mission trip. That's right - a yankees fan heading to a New England state - I have got to get some of this stuff in. I hope you understand that I share these things with you so that you will pay attention to what's going on in your own school. You might have to ask yourself whether or not your kids are getting the education that you are paying for. You may have to actually talk to a teacher or administrator and say "it's not good enough."
Get involved or the next thing you know we will see kids who cannot pass a simple high school test continue to enjoy sports. Sure they might make it through high school, or win a state championship, but they will have no quality of life if they don't receive an education. Think about it!
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