IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray
# 188
“Why not?”
June 10, 2014
Just when I believe that I have “heard it all,” again the hammer falls and another crucial portion of our human experience teeters on the edge of oblivion.
First it was the “new math” that my children barely escaped before actual thinking people saw its futility and trashed it. Then home economics and shop trades slipped over the edge. Hundreds of thousands of pieces of shop equipment made it to the auction block in Indiana alone.
And the result? Countless young people missed out on basic skills that hold any householder in good stead as they go about their daily lives. Still other students missed out on the opportunity to discover a possible interest in the trades. Exposure, you see, is everything.
Today, computers and “tablets” rule — and not the blue-lined paper tablets of recent memory, either. Oh, no. These tablets are small computers. An interesting side note from sources doing research on major book sites like Amazon tells us that retention is far less with tablets than case bound books. That is, children who read actual books retained far more information than those who simply scrolled a tablet or computer screen.
Oh, goody! Not only are our children wired to these gadgets, they do not retain a good portion of what they “read” on them.
Not so long ago, movement began to seed to eradicate cursive writing from the school curricula. Now, does that make sense? What will one use to sign a contract, an “X”? Talk about going in reverse. Are we to emulate illiterate people unable to write? How did we go from beautiful hand script of the 1700s and 1800s to emails rife with abbreviations and acronyms? The answer is really pitiful. Instead of moving forward, we go backward. Oh, wonderful….
I see a dangerous pattern here. With a Master’s in history, I note that current textbooks not only skip over large, important parts of both U.S. and world history; but, they also grossly edit them — leaving out important facts. Minus really solid information, America’s young people could grow up with a flawed view of whom we are, our origins and the wars that kept up and a good portion of this planet free.
For decades, many major authors have warned us of “dumbing down” our population. The only way such a practice makes sense is to consider it a tool with which to control the people. History in and of itself gives us a line of warning signs. It’s not just an old saying that “history repeats itself.” It does. However, if people know their history and recognize the warning signs, they will be able to change course and avoid disaster.
I remember when a “cell phone” would have been in a jail or a prison. Now, children from very young ages march around with cell phones — often oblivious to anyone or anything around them.
What’s more, this penchant is not relegated to the young. How many times have you seen adults in a public place constantly punching away at a phone? How many times has your meal been interrupted by a wild ring or a bizarre sound effect? From time to time when eating out, my husband and I have seen entire families — Mom, Dad, and kids — texting at the table and never talking to one another at all. Have you seen this, too? I’d guess you have, and more times that you can count.
You ask how a cell phone links to my title, “Why not?” Well, it hooks up quite nicely, and herein lurks a disturbing pattern.
One by one, systematically, basic skills wane. First, the thought process for mathematics with a pen and paper was abandoned in favor of a calculator. History surfaced, edited to the point where textbooks totally misled students. Next, trade classes disappeared. Then actual “books in hand” were on the chopping block.
How do I connect all these to the cell phone craze? Here’s how: Once, young people met and formed relationships one on one. School hallways echoed with exuberant voices getting in that last bit of chatter before the bell rang and another class began. Dating posed challenges in conversation and action. A shy young man had to overcome his reticence and actually talk to the girl of interest. Oh, notes passed among boys and girls, but a conversation was inevitable. Today, I see more and more young people text back and forth — literally within a few feet of one another. They don’t talk. They text.
How, I ask, can they possibly develop a persona that will hold them in good stead in the workplace? How will they perform a job interview if they cannot carry on an intelligent, adult conversation? Once, a job was the goal for a young person. He or she did not arrive dressed in sloppy or suggestive clothing — cell phone in hand — grab a job application and saunter out the door oblivious to the employer who stood slack jawed by the office door shocked at the lack of any degree of professional appearance. It’s almost as if the young person thinks the employer “owes” him or her the job. But that subject would take up another column….
Decades ago, when I was looking for a job, things were far different. The interview was paramount to the willing, prospective employee. Dress or trousers and shirt pressed, hands clean, hair combed, teeth brushed, the candidate arrived for the interview determined to make a good impression. Moreover, a well-written thank you note to the employer went a long way in the “good impression” department.
Minus the ability to converse well, how can a new employee express goals and mesh well with others in the workplace? It is easy to see that someone with poor speaking and writing ability is at a terrible disadvantage.
My solution? Instill the love of reading books. Infuse good writing habits in your child, including a pride in good penmanship. Your own child’s signature should not be a mystery to you. You should be able to read it easiliy.
Unless texting to “911”, remove texting ability from phones — especially for those under 18. Considering the highway deaths attributed to texting while driving, that small adjustment to the cell phone program would save lives.
Make it impossible to chat back and forth electronically. Infuse the importance of being a well-spoken individual. We are at risk of losing our ability to talk to one another. How sad.
Alas, first textbooks surfaced with basic facts purged from their content, next “page in hand”, case bound books began to disappear in favor of computers and tablets. Now, children risk losing the ability to carry on a simple conversation.
Do parents have the courage to remove texting from their children’s cell phones? Should texting work in a moving car? It is a shame that such a convenience has become an excuse for disconnecting with our peers.
Would you do it? Would you make sure that your child only used his or her phone when absolutely necessary? Most of us over 60 grew up with a shared party line and only a single phone in the entire house, so the thought of giving cell phones to children is a practice too easily abused.
We need thinking, articulate people to lead this country. Are we rearing them? Really…. Are we?
Limit cell phone use and remove texting ability except for calls to parents and 911? Why not? Think about it.