Has the shift occurred?

I am very pleased when I read articles, particularly from UNESCO and other UN bodies that specify the difference between schools and education.
I am also very pleased when such documents stress the need to provide education for our children, and understand that this does not always take place in a building labeled school. One such document stress the need to provide education to children. In the past that sentence would have used “schools” or worse used the two terms interchangeably.
However, as a UN body and a progressive one at that, it is understandable why UNESCO would be so advanced in their writings and outlook.
After a meeting with representatives from Total Oil, I completely think that the shift has occurred in other industries as well. In the past Total focused on building schools and construction of classrooms. However, now, they realized that constructing schools does not necessarily support education and that education can take place “without the four walls.” I couldn’t believe a representative from Total was speaking like that. Total signifies the most corporate and least education friendly or sensitive industry to me. They dig oil for Pete’s sake! But now this oily and money hungry industry is trying to be more social responsible in their relationship with the communities in which they work. They realized their mistake and working towards it…now on to the environment Total, to be discussed later. Do something about that!
So the battle on separating schools from education has been won… now on to the war!

Disadvantaged children

Another study has been completed and the findings are the same; parental involvement separates advantaged from disadvantaged children. So much so that advantaged children go on to do better in their academic lives.
Duh! It seems real simple enough and yet so many of us are not getting it. Why are parents not able to give their children the necessary time to allow them a heads up in life? Because most parents, like mine, are busy working to put food on the table. They are duped into believing that money raises children; presents, not presence.
In fact, we hardly saw my parents during the week and never had time with them growing up. We raised ourselves, with some help from television. Luckily we never had cable so much damaged was avoided from that front.
I know I am not alone. I use to babysit a small boy who is now facing life in prison. He wasn’t a bad boy. Similar to all children, he needed the guidance of his parents, which he was not able to receive because she was working her life away to buy him “stuff.” He did not know his father and the male figure in his life, his step dad, was exactly that.
My favorite quote states “raise your children the way you wish you had been raised.” Not sure who said it when first, but it should make us all remember what we went through growing up so we can work towards not repeating the same mistakes with our children. So many of us forget what it was like being a child; the good and the bad. We need to analyze our days more and pay attention! I think another great quote is “remember your days as a child, and work from there.” That’s by me, right now.