[nehalita]

Hmm I agree with alot of what you said but I have to be fair.

Sometimes, it's not the particular attitude that's wrong, it's the technique used to correct it.

People are lazy - yes. But alot of people are also afraid to step up -- I am the type of person to shy away because "i don't know enough" and "don't want to look stupid" (foolish, I know). For the first time ever, I'm being encouraged to try anyway and I think we should see this more. If more people encourage to TRY and to SEE what it's like, maybe it could happen. I do'nt think it'll solve the problem, but it may be one less student's intellect wasted.

Also, I don't think students are struggling any more than they used to. What about the children who quit school to work and pay for their family? What about children who endured the depression. Every decade brings its own "hard" problem and the difficulty doesn't change, just the situation. I feel it's apart of the maturing process to deal with these problems. We may not always make the right decisions but it always comes back to us (I'm a strong believer of karma). I agree, however, that there are many outside influences that guide us in the wrong direction. How many times have I seen people make fun of driven, hardworking people? Too many. That's not necessary. It seems that "watching TV" is the cool thing. No, there's nothing wrong with it but, as a person who does not watch tv, there's nothing wrong in this either. Two ways, two methods, two sides that deserve respect.

And blaming. Man, I've been guilty of this so many times. This, I feel is no excuse, we DO need to step back sometimes and say "i'm wrong." But people also need to learn that it's never "one person" -- it's always a mix of fault. And chiding someone for their faults isn't necessarily the best idea. A person can deal with their own faults.

As far as direction/self-esteem goes, I have noticed how fragile the "self-esteem" is treated in schools. I don't see any clear solution to this. Some students don't care and some teachers don't try to care. Maybe in an ideal setting I would suggest the teachers to grade harsher and encourage more -- but there is no such thing.

Nice thread ashley, I got to do a whole mental splurge, those are good for me every now and then =).