Today's Youth, what are they comming to?

[MattK]

Another reason the world needs FIRST




PORT ST. LUCIE, Florida (CNN) -- Two third-graders at a Florida elementary school are facing felony charges Wednesday after police said they were found to have 15 plastic bags of marijuana.

Port St. Lucie police said a cafeteria worker at the Rivers Edge Elementary School told them a 9-year-old boy had shown her a plastic bag of what appeared to be pot.

The boy had 12 small bags of marijuana, according to a police report.

The student admitted he attempted to sell some of the bags to another third-grader, according to police. A second pupil was found in possession of three bags, police said. He told police he got them from the first boy on the bus on the way to school.

The boy with three bags was charged with possession of marijuana, a felony because it happened on school grounds. The second boy was charged with felony possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

The boy with 12 bags initially told police he found them on the ground in Fort Pierce, a city north of Port St. Lucie where he lives. He then said another child gave it to him to sell.

Police said they are looking for a Fort Pierce teenager in connection with the incident.

Port St. Lucie is an Atlantic Coast city about 120 miles north of Miami.

Police estimate the drugs -- about 16 grams of marijuana -- were worth about $75.

The boys were booked into the St. Lucie Regional Detention Center and then released to their parents or legal guardians Monday night. A police spokesman said these are the youngest children they have arrested on charges of marijuana possession.

A school district spokeswoman said the Rivers Edge Elementary School sent a letter to parents explaining the situation. She called it an isolated incident, the first of its kind involving elementary-age students in her district.

The students were suspended for 10 days and have been recommended for expulsion under the school district's zero-tolerance policy for drugs.

[MattK]

HOLYOKE, Massachusetts (AP) --The Department of Social Services is looking into a possible case of child abuse after a 4-year-old girl brought her teacher a small bag of marijuana as a gift.

When Head Start Early Childhood Center teacher Iris Galvez asked where she got the gift Monday, the girl said she got it "from her mommy," according to a police report obtained by the Union-News of Springfield.

The girl's mother, Shelin Colon, 32, said she doesn't have any drugs in the house and doesn't know where the girl might have gotten the marijuana, police said.

No charges have been filed.

A report of suspected child abuse or neglect has been filed with Social Services, a department spokesman said.

Suzanne L. Parker, deputy director of the area Head Start program, declined to comment.

[Amanda M]

It looks to me as if those children didn't know what they were getting themselves into. I mean, yeah, they had it, but not ALL nine year olds know what it is. I know I dodn't when I was in third grade. Maybe it was because I lived a sheltered life, but, in the two stories, the children seemed to be doing something they didn't understand:

For instance: The little boy lied about it, probably because he knew he was in trouble and the older teenager told the third grader that if he told on him, that the kid was going to get pounded. My little brother is that age. He comes home crying from getting such threats. The little boy obviously didn't know what he was doing was wrong, and I think the felony charges should be transferred to another person.

Also, the little girl said it was her mommy's. If it was, she probably thought that it was a natural thing, for a person to have those drugs. She might not have even known they were drugs.

People may have a difference of opinion, but even growing up in the neighborhoods that I did, these things never occured to me at that young an age. The justice system needs to work on their punishments, a nine year old shouldn't be tried as an adult. It's aboslutely insane!

[MattK]

Originally posted by Amanda M
It looks to me as if those children didn't know what they were getting themselves into. I mean, yeah, they had it, but not ALL nine year olds know what it is. I know I dodn't when I was in third grade. Maybe it was because I lived a sheltered life, but, in the two stories, the children seemed to be doing something they didn't understand:

For instance: The little boy lied about it, probably because he knew he was in trouble and the older teenager told the third grader that if he told on him, that the kid was going to get pounded. My little brother is that age. He comes home crying from getting such threats. The little boy obviously didn't know what he was doing was wrong, and I think the felony charges should be transferred to another person.

Also, the little girl said it was her mommy's. If it was, she probably thought that it was a natural thing, for a person to have those drugs. She might not have even known they were drugs.

People may have a difference of opinion, but even growing up in the neighborhoods that I did, these things never occured to me at that young an age. The justice system needs to work on their punishments, a nine year old shouldn't be tried as an adult. It's aboslutely insane!

Yeah, I agree it seems like the people they look-up to are the ones who are the scum-bags.

I think a good name of this thread should really be, "another good reason for FIRST"

[MattK]

wow, this one is even worse! I dont even want to post it

here

[Mike Schroeder]

ya know instead of replying in your own thread, you can edit it (just thouht you would like to know)

[FotoPlasma]

The title of this thread is enough to convince me that the entire educational system of the United States is in need of reform, of some sort.

Posession of marijuana at school bugs me a lot less than not being able to discern when a word should be capitalized, and the proper spelling of a simple word, such as "coming."

Education is key. That's all I really have, or want, to say.

[Amanda M]

Well, frankly, the education system is screwed. I mean, I am from Arizona. We are ranked 48th or something in education. I am at the top of my class, and the rest of the people are either totally amazed at my intelligence, of they hate me. I don't want to me egotistical, but I think that I am one of the lucky ones. I look at my little brothers, who aren't as naturally intelligent as I am and think of how bad they have it.

This semester alone, I taught my little brother how to read and do math. His teacher didn't do much in the way of helping him AT ALL. What I think is if we give the teachers more money, they will teach better. The federal government really has a problem, and they need to put less money into other countries and war and more into schools. Maybe that way we can bring up the literacy rate.

[Greg Ross]

Originally posted by Amanda M
What I think is if we give the teachers more money, they will teach better.

Giving bad teachers more money won't make them into good teachers. Raising teacher salaries might attract a better class of teachers, but you have to get rid of the bad teachers to hire new good ones; and with powerful teacher unions, that is very difficult.

[MattK]

Originally posted by gwross
Giving bad teachers more money won't make them into good teachers. Raising teacher salaries might attract a better class of teachers, but you have to get rid of the bad teachers to hire new good ones; and with powerful teacher unions, that is very difficult.

My mom is a teacher, and there was a teacher who tought with her that was stealing and was being a REALLY bad and a VERY sexist and pervers person towards the students. He basicly would give the attractive girls better grades and mess-up stuff like that.

Anyway he was finaly fired after 5 or so years, the teachers union fought from him to stay and stuff. Its pointless, one the current teachers at my school moved from the school my mom teachers @ beacuse its so messed-up.

Well needless to say the teacher who is "Crazy" is now teaching @ a local Catholic school (and I have heard storys about him from friends who go there) such as not liking the janitor so he dumped buckets and buckets of old paint of the floor and told the kids no to touch it so it would dry and Larry the Janitor would have to clean it.


Sick sick stuff


BTW,
We need better subs too! Today I we had a sub science teacher, we took a test and then he gave-out the answer key and let us change our answers!

I didnt beacuse naturaly I got them all correct the first time

[MattK]

Originally posted by Amanda M
Well, frankly, the education system is screwed. I mean, I am from Arizona. We are ranked 48th or something in education. I am at the top of my class, and the rest of the people are either totally amazed at my intelligence, of they hate me. I don't want to me egotistical, but I think that I am one of the lucky ones. I look at my little brothers, who aren't as naturally intelligent as I am and think of how bad they have it.

This semester alone, I taught my little brother how to read and do math. His teacher didn't do much in the way of helping him AT ALL. What I think is if we give the teachers more money, they will teach better. The federal government really has a problem, and they need to put less money into other countries and war and more into schools. Maybe that way we can bring up the literacy rate.

Its true teachers get paid Squat.

Really if you are going to work for the City or State and you want to help somone you dont really get paid much

My mom is a teacher and my dad is a retired cop now Federal agent

[Mike Rush]

Read 'Death of the West'. There is an interesting chapter on (well there are a bunch of interesting chapters but...) schools and teaching. Of special note is what is in current History books. Made me mad just reading it.

I agree, education is the key. But the importance of education is in the is teaching of the important, the true, and the moral.

[Mike Rush]

Originally posted by Amanda M
I don't want to me egotistical, but I think that I am one of the lucky ones. I look at my little brothers, who aren't as naturally intelligent as I am and think of how bad they have it.

This semester alone, I taught my little brother how to read and do math. His teacher didn't do much in the way of helping him AT ALL.

You should teach your brother. You shoud be thankful for your God given talents and use them to the best of your ability.

[MissInformation]

It's not so much that bad teachers will teach better if you gave them more money, but if teaching was a better paying job, it could attract a better quality of teacher. I was going to be a teacher; I planned on it my whole life just about (along with writing). And I had teachers every year try to talk me out of it; they said I could do better than teaching, that I could actually be something amazing. Well, I think a good teacher is amazing, and I had a few in my life who changed it in wonderful ways. And I've had bad teachers who did more damage than should be possible. And there were plenty of mediocre teachers in there as well. Our education system does play an important role in our youth. But look to the home front if you want to place blame for the problems of our youth.

I think too many people have kids before they are ready for them, both financially and emotionally. I think too many parents think the school system should be a baby-sitter for their kids. And I think (can you tell I do a lot of thinking?) too many parents want to be "friends" with their kids rather than parents. Kids need boundaries, and it's hard to find a balance between too strict and too lenient, and erring too far on either side can be disastrous.

What are today's youth coming to? I don't know but I think yesterday's youth came to it too. Things like this happened when I was young, and when my parents were young and so on, it's always just a shock to read it in print.

And the last thing I'll say about today's youth is that I think they are pretty great.


MissInformation

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[Jnadke]

Originally posted by MattK
Another reason the world needs FIRST

Today's youth are generally stupid and ignorant. They need more common sense these days.


Of course, the root of the problem would be the parents. Parents need to expose themselves to the real world when they are young, not shelter them from it. My parents exposed me, and I turned out perfectly fine. Too many times have I seen "A" grade school people that can't do anything that requires common sense. Sometimes, people just need to take a step back and think things through, before they act on them.

For example. In physics this past year we had to design and build a small device that would transverse a length of wire (on an incline) by using no human force. Being the fastest got you extra credit. The emphasis wasn't necessarily on building a fast device, but building one that worked and then being able to calculate gear ratios and velocity. I found that many of the generally "smarter" people were complaining about this project. When I mean smart, these were the "4.0" people of the senior class. Their GPA's ended up being hurt by this class. He wasn't strict about it or anything, he even provided us with motors and batteries (although I opted to go to Radioshack and pick up a 9,000 RPM hobby motor and geared it down (10:1 I think) using a K'Nex kit; we were the fastest group). I came up with many other ideas that would transverse the wire using cardboard, superglue, and the (slow) motors provided. We opted for the K'Nex route simply because we had the tools available.


School isn't about being able to digest information and then being able to regurgitate it on a test. It's about learning and understanding. These "smart" students did poorly in this class becuase they tried to learn physics and without trying to understand it.

This is why FIRST is important. FIRST teaches kids about understanding things, and not merely learning them. Although not all kids are changed by FIRST (this past weekend I had a kid try to tell me that hooking an alternator to the bot would generate unlimited energy), generally a lot of them are. It is important to not only learn how things work, but understand why they work. Usually, one must go to the basics (action-reaction) to understand many of the mechanical aspects. The electrical aspects requires a little bit more knowledge, but isn't a whole lot more complex.


Of course, everything I said wouldn't apply to the children in your article, simply because they are far too young to understand the consequences of their actions. However, I would hold anyone at the 6th grade or above accountable, because they should be well aware of right and wrong. Knowing what drugs are, is a different matter.