How the Public School Creates Big Government Democrats

By Adrienne Ross – http://www.motivationtruth.com

I’ve been teaching for 16 years, and the longer I teach, the more I see disturbing trends. Never mind the lack of skills and total disregard for authority. The most obvious trend is students’ tendency to see the school’s role in the same way Democrats see the government’s: as a never-ending storehouse of anything they might need. Like big government Democrats, students put almost no thought into where these things come from, so long as they’re provided. Like Democrats, they possess a sense of entitlement where these things are concerned. And like Democrats, they do not take personal responsibility.

I see it every day. A student walks in, approaches the teacher’s desk, starts searching, and asks, “May I borrow a pen?” or worse, “I need a pen.” Or a student walks in, sits down, does nothing, and when questioned about the lack of productivity, looks at the teacher like she should know this already, and states, “I ain’t got no pen and no paper!” At the end of the period, they usually leave the classroom, not having returned what they borrowed. And because they feel entitled, they lack any understanding why the teacher is upset that her supplies are diminishing.

This wouldn’t be cause for concern if this were a rare occasion, but unfortunately, it is not. Day after day, the same students need the same things. It would be understandable, of course, if the reason for not having supplies is that the family cannot afford them. However, this isn’t a poverty issue. The same students have iPods, cell phones, and expensive sneakers. Surely, they can purchase a writing utensil. This issue is bigger than money. This is an issue of entitlement and irresponsibility. Why provide for themselves what can, will, and in their minds, should be provided for them? I submit that the public school has not only contributed to this mentality, but may, with the aid and consent of the family, be the very reason for it.

I always say children don’t raise themselves. They think the way they do because they’ve been taught to think that way. As uncomfortable as it is to admit that we adults hold some responsibility for the way our young people are turning out, we do. Again, I see it every day. We train students to live off of others. We train them that it’s okay not to take personal responsibility. We train them…to be Democrats. Thus, they become Democrats who vote for Democrats–because “Democrats believe in helping people.” We, the mean, selfish conservatives, only believe in helping ourselves, they come to think. The truth, of course, is we believe in helping others help themselves. But thanks to their school experience, we are the antithesis of everything they have come to associate with the way it should be, the way kind, caring, giving people function.

How do we send this improper message? Simple. When students don’t have what they need, we tell them to come see us to get it or borrow from a classmate. They do so–every single day. We tell those who don’t have their homework assignment done to bring it the next day, or the next, or the next, the fact that we’re past that lesson now and the fact that the assignment could have been done in 15 minutes are not to be taken into consideration. If a particular teacher lays down the law, sticks to principles, and wants to teach a student some life skills, like personal responsibility, consequences, and work ethic, any group of people–parents, guidance counselors, other teachers–may come to the student’s rescue, sometimes demonizing that “mean” teacher. This appeal, all with the good motive to take good care of that student, is usually accompanied by some story of why the teacher should accept an assignment ten weeks late (right before report cards go home, of course), excuse all displays of irresponsibility, and buy extra supplies so those who choose to come unprepared can get them from her. Then we wonder why in a few years we are still taking care of these people via our tax dollars. By then, many of these young adults are okay with that scenario. Why wouldn’t they be? It’s all they’ve ever known. Apparently, we’re also okay with it because we helped do it to them. And I, too, am not without fault.

We are creating monsters. No, even worse, we’re creating big government, entitlement-minded Democrats who grow up and declare that because someone such as President Obama occupies the White House, they don’t have to worry about anything. Their mortgage and gas bills will be taken care of, for example. We’re creating people who wonder what the big deal is when told that they should strive to have their own, rather than having to depend on others on a daily basis. We have made it so that those who come equipped with what they need are the exception now rather than the rule.

I’ve told my students over and over that life won’t accommodate their behavior, that they can’t live life like this–relying on others. But I’m starting to wonder if that’s even true. There are people who do live like this, or at least believe it’s okay for others to live like this. Why not? What’s wrong with taking from those who have and giving to those who don’t have, rather than teaching those who don’t have how they, too, can have? With the help of the public school, they see absolutely nothing wrong with it. After all, everyone has to do their “fair share.”

Is it any wonder, then, that when Governor Palin speaks about taking personal responsibility, people call her “mean”? Oh yes, it’s mean to want people to learn to fish for themselves, so to speak, when someone else can just give them one. Governor Palin has talked at length about her upbringing in rugged Alaska, about how her parents expected the same from the girls as they did from their son. They hunted, fished, hiked, chopped wood, and played sports. Todd also grew up in a family that made sure he worked extremely hard, played sports, and bought his own vehicles. Both families knew what it was to get their hands dirty and make things happen instead of expecting from others. They didn’t feel entitled to anything. They worked hard for everything because that was the expectation.

The Governor and Todd have taught the lessons they learned to their own children. Perhaps that’s why we see such strength in them, even when faced with less than ideal circumstances. Take their oldest two as examples. Track is married, has a baby girl, and is serving in the U.S. Army. He’s been to Iraq and is now in Afghanistan. Bristol has made no excuses but has taken responsibility for raising her son, working hard, and making a life for them. She’s written a book detailing her experiences so she can help others. Their stories didn’t come accidentally. I had a conversation with Todd once in which he discussed the need for youth to work hard and take personal responsibility. I remember listening to him and thinking, “Every young person needs to hear from this man.” If our families and schools would partner in teaching and enforcing these kinds of principles to students, we’d have a stronger America coming up. I fear that is not the case.

Being a conservative to me just makes sense–common sense. Who doesn’t want to provide for herself, get ahead, live out the American dream? More importantly, who doesn’t want to fulfill the purpose for which God created her? This is something we should all aspire to, not walking around depending on others day in and day out. Everyone needs help at some point, but as I tell my students, may it be rare–a hand up, not a constant hand out. The more we pamper, coddle, and enable our young people, the more we disable them. They settle in to become permanent squatters on the Democrat plantation, where the chief staples are need, resentment, and entitlement.

And then they vote.

Youth Poisoned Against Palin

By Adrienne Ross – http://www.motivationtruth.com

If we’re going to “take our country back,” we’d better be sure we figure out a way to take our children back. The garbage they have been fed is stinking, and I smelled it in my classroom Friday. It took all the strength I could muster to remain calm and handle it quickly and professionally. I managed, but I was boiling inside.

Here’s what happened during my second period class.

I always take time to acknowledge holidays and observances. As Monday is Memorial Day, I talked briefly about honoring U.S. military who lost their lives, the greatness of our country, and the freedoms our military provide for us. Then I showed them a short video tribute to our troops with Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to Be an American” playing in the background. The students were very respectful during the video, which is saying something considering this particular class.

When the video ended, I was going to my computer to turn it off. However, because I was playing it from my playlist, it immediately proceeded to the next video in the playlist, which was a Governor Palin video. Before I could stop it, the jeering began and spread throughout the classroom.

“Who cares about Sarah Palin?”

“Oh, be quiet!” another student said to the Governor.

“Nobody cares about no Sarah Palin!”

It erupted simultaneously and surprisingly. Laughter filled the classroom.

I was headed to the computer but was totally thrown by the outburst. The co-teacher in the room with me said to the student who asked who cared about the Governor, “I do” or something similar, and the student said, “You do?”

I was simply trying to move on because I knew this wouldn’t end well if we stayed where we were. As if their distaste for the Governor didn’t run deep enough, another student added to it when he said, “She doesn’t like ‘South Park,'” which didn’t endear her any to his classmates. I corrected the students to tell them it was actually “Family Guy” to which he was referring.

The co-teacher said, “That’s because they made fun of her son.” The students then had questions about that situation, and we both quickly explained that they had chosen to make fun of the fact that Trig has Down Syndrome. This did grab their attention because we have just been talking about special needs in light of a novel we just finished reading. Last year, I wrote about this novel and how Trig influenced my introduction of it. You can read about that here.

Upon hearing the context of her comments about “Family Guy,” one student obviously didn’t approve of what “Family Guy” had done and said, “That’s messed up!” (A good sign; there is hope!)

I ended the outburst by simply saying, “I know what kind of person she is. Those of you who have a problem with her don’t even know why. Now, getting back to where we were…”

I purposely moved on quickly, but my heart was racing, my blood boiling, and my mind reeling. The sad thing about all this is that their reaction was so strong, yet it’s true that they personally didn’t have a clue why. They couldn’t even distinguish between “South Park” and “Family Guy,” both of which gross me out personally. Regardless, they not only didn’t know which show it was, they didn’t know what the situation was.

The other students who were obviously enraged by her brief presence on the screen have clearly been fed garbage, perhaps at school as well as home. This reminds me of my conversation with a student last year who insulted Governor Palin and learned by the end of the day that the very things the Governor represents are the very things she, herself, believes. She didn’t seem to know that, though. She did by the time I led her little by little through the facts throughout the course of that day, though! Here’s an excerpt of that post where I wrote about that episode:

Okay, now to my point. I started class the following day with a Sarah Palin quote that the students had to journal about. They had to write what they thought the quote means, state whether or not they agree with it, and connect it to The Giver. Then I would call on students to share their journals with the class. The quote was, “I believe the truest measure of any society is how it treats those who are least able to defend and speak for themselves.” You’ve probably heard Sarah speak these words. If not, view the video clip here.

As I walked around the room looking over students’ shoulders as they wrote, I noticed that the first thing one of my 7th grade girls wrote was, “Finally, this woman says something that makes sense!” She then continued to write about how she agrees with the statement and how it relates to the book in the horrible treatment of the defenseless baby who was released. Reading her paper, I could have let her have it right then and there! Instead, I simply said, “If you listen to her, you’ll discover that she makes sense quite a bit.” She and I exhanged smiles, and I determined that I would take up the issue with her–wisely–later.

Read the full post to find out what happened with that student by day’s end by clicking here.

As a person who spends endless hours with students, it saddens me to see that they have been fed nonsense that will not only shape their own lives, but eventually the direction of the nation. The Left has advanced their agenda in part by depicting the Governor and other conservatives as racist, hateful, and ignorant. Those lies have infected our children, and it will take a heavy dose of truth to cure it. It’s become increasingly difficult to reach them, but we must continue to fight for America and the souls of our children, whether from the inside or the outside. The game the Left plays has an impact that is frightening and dangerous, to say the least. I don’t have all the answers to the questions about how to stop the bleeding in our children. I wish I did. All I know to do is confront the lies when they manifest.

This is precisely why in the fall I fought against the display hanging in the library window in my school district, the display that promoted the Governor Palin book banning lie with the obvious intent to poison our students against her. Read about that battle, in order, here, here, and here. Despite the hate mail that came my way, taking on this battle was the right thing to do. Those who argued that the librarian’s actions were no need for concern–and some Left-wing loons actually did make that argument–are themselves party to the poisoning. This spirit will run rampant if we don’t figure out a way to fight back, and if the hearts and minds of our children aren’t worth the fight, what is?

I have joined the plethora of common sense Americans who have awakened out of sleep and are now crying out, “We want our country back!” But I know we won’t succeed without reaching out also to our youth, for they have been targeted, truth-starved, and poisoned. The message of faith, family, freedom, and country that Governor Palin embodies is exactly what our children need. God help us reach them with it.