Really Grim News

[Art]

I was listening to Stuart Varney today and he put out some statistics that are truly bad news, and I mean truly bad news long term.

While the overall unemployment rate is around 9% the unemployment rate for men is about 20%.

The high school drop out rate for men is double that of women (somewhat skewed by very high male drop out rates in some minority communities.)

Women dramatically outnumber men in colleges and universities. At the mid size state university our son went to 59% of the undergraduates were women.

There were other really bad cultural signs he spoke of but the male/female unemployment/education gap is truly disturbing, at least to me.

[John Sukey]

The rise of the "househusband"

[gpw_42]

And I wonder why men (fathers, especially) are routinely portrayed as bumbling boobs on TV. I guess there's the answer, if the stats quoted above are born out as accurate, over time.

One thing about stats is that they're easily manipulated to support whatever position one wants to take - sorta like a good lawyer can do (and I'm NOT trying to turn this into a lawyer-bash!).

Steve

[Rick]

I was watching a program about one of the minorities and if you were female you were going to probably go to college and if you were a male you were probably going to prison. If you look at the Disney shows for young people the girls are always dressed to the nines and the boys always play idiots. I think kids watch this stuff and use the characters for role models. In my community the boys either want to dress like a gang banger or a Mexican Mafia Drug dealers and the girls dress like whores. Its really a time we need parents to be parents and get the kids under a little control.

Years ago my friend was a US Marshal and his job was to track down people that were on the run. He stated that the biggest threat to America wasn't drugs but the break down of the family. A lot of times he needed to contact parents about their children and no mom or dad were at home. Both parents were out living their lives and not watching junior leaving him to fend for himself. Again look at the Disney shows. The kids run the house and no mom and dads are in charge of the household.

[Art]

And I wonder why men (fathers, especially) are routinely portrayed as bumbling boobs on TV. I guess there's the answer, if the stats quoted above are born out as accurate, over time.

Steve

A few years ago a woman named Christina Sommers wrote a book called "The War Against Boys" detailing how natural male behavior is being increasingly discriminated against, especially in the schools. I never read it but in the light of some of the interview with Varney and some of the stuff I've seen, especially in my "educator" days I think it's going on my "to read" list.

[Marine A5 Sniper]

The majority of all farmers are women now. That one surprised me a bit.

jt

[coppertales]

The company I finally retired from based the manager's annual bonus on how many non-white male employees they had in their department. The fewer, the higher the bonus. Being a white male, I was told many times when looking for another job was "you are the wrong sex/gender/and not gay".....chris3

[Chaz]

"The majority of all farmers are women now. That one surprised me a bit." God help us as the only one I know in my area schedules her cultural practices by the phases of the moon! I'm serious.
BK

[Marine A5 Sniper]

We have some female organic farmers around our area. I presume they have never heard of cross pollination. A quick DNA test of their products would quickly diminish their claims.

Most of the area horse farms are run by women, and they are some kind of mean b*t*hes to deal with. If you spoke to most of them, you would think they are all horse whisperers, but most of them know crap about horses. I told one of them that the technique used by Robert Redford in "The Horse Whisperers" was an old Jesse Berry trick that Redford should have used on day 1. She looked me dead in the eye and informed me that Robert Redford was the best horse trainer on earth and I didn't know what the hell I was talking about. I picked up a horse apple and tossed it to her and told her that it was her brain on steroids. She grabbed a barn rake and came after me. I had to lock myself in my truck, and she still broke off my mirror.

Another one saw me scratching my cajones one morning while I was helping her trim horses, and told me it was very crass to perform such acts in public (just me and her in the barn). She is one good looking, rich lady, but a real peckerhead. I told her I had gotten into a bunch of redbugs and my cajones looked like they had been shot with birdshot. She told me to soak them in alcohol, and I told her to bring it on (smiling all the while). She went into the barn and came out with a bowl of alcohol and told me to drop my pants. Without hesitation, I dropped trou and she stuck that bowl over my cajones. It took about 3 seconds for me to realize whatever was in that bowl wasn't alcohol. After doing the dance of the hyperventilating eagle for about 10 minutes, screaming obscenities at the crazy b*t*h, her laughing her pretty a$$ off the whole time, she told me it was hydrogen peroxide they used to wash out horse wounds. It killed the redbugs alright, but they were sure tender for a few days. The next time I went into the local feed store, the ladies behind the counter whipped out a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and burst out laughing. I think she had told everyone in town and even flagged down a few passing motorist for a chat. You gotta love 'em, even when they are bat f'ing crazy.

jt

[Paladin]

Most farmers list their wives as the owner of the property and business because they can claim it as a "minority owned business" on their tax forms!

[Gyrene]

Attending college in the '50's, everything was the old way. I enrolled in a physical anthropology class (simplified - the physical study of bones, etc). In the '70's it had become the cultural anthropology class ( a feminized study of cultures) not the physical study of bones (physical anthropology has not been offered at my university since the early 1970's). I also noticed that most of the other classes that had been hard studies had been softened to meet the needs of the females (i.e. the infinite calculus requirements are now mostly finite calculus where infinity never is a considered limit.

I took a couple of physical education classes, which surprisingly to me, I was one of two males (and the only male to finish the classes). The exercises and physical conditioning were more attuned to a grammar school than to university level, I could have challenged for the grade and gotten "A's", without so much as a workout for conditioning.

It all goes back to when the Fed's took over the school systems. The quality schools had to be brought down to the level of the underachievers, to make sure that all schools were teaching at the same level. The same thing has happened to the military and naval services!

Gyrene VSM - OFC

semper fi

[Art]

Since we've drifted into the overall quality of education....high school today is much more difficult than it was when I graduated in the 1960s. In fact, at least in Texas and Louisiana one could graduate high school without even taking Algebra, a bad idea. Today in Texas everyone has to pass two years of Algebra and one of Geometry and the schools are moving to requiring an introductory calculus course, also in my opinion a bad idea. The science requirements have been similarly ramped up. Any honest math teacher will tell you there is a genetic component to the ability to do higher mathmatics and while I think at least a year of Algebra and a year of geometry is a good thing the current requirement pushes the limits of the ability of probably 35-45 percent of the kids, especially considering that learning mathmatics is a cumulative endevor and one bad year can really set a kid back. The minimum passing grade has been upped from 60% when I was in high school to 70% today. The common use of exit exams has also raised the bar, no longer is it enough to satisfactorily complete course work. Inability to pass the exit exams results in no graduation. Are most kids going to have a job in which they'll need Algebra II or an introduction to Calculus? In my opinion absolutely not. I see no reason whatsoever for every high school kid to have a college prep course of study to prepare him or her for a degree in engineering or chemistry.

The reason for all of that is the idea that every Tom, Dick and Harry or Tammy, Dora and Harriett needs to go to college. The majority of the kids I graduated high school with didn't go to college even though I figure most of them could have gotten in. They had to go to work and a lot of those non college kids are a lot better off financially now than I am. I personally think the idea that everyone needs to go to a college or university is also counterproductive. The vast majority of kids who graduate college today are simply "pleasantly educated." I personally think we need fewer "pleasantly educated" people and a few more good diesel mechanics and plumbers. I've seen an awful lot of college graduates working in retail selling cars or as low level office workers never really using the english or psych degree that cost them and their parents $50,000.00 to $100,000.00 and will have them indebted in a lot of cases for many, many years.

[Art]

P.S.

One thing I did learn in the schools. A child who has a mother, and a father, who are married, to each other has a huge leg up. There are duds in any group but overall those children consistently performed much better than their peers. After a while I found that I was able to regularly pick out those children without even asking about their home situation.

The decline of the traditional nuclear family has had a devastating effect on children, especially in some minority communities.

[da gimp]

We have some female organic farmers around our area. I presume they have never heard of cross pollination. A quick DNA test of their products would quickly diminish their claims.

Most of the area horse farms are run by women, and they are some kind of mean b*t*hes to deal with. If you spoke to most of them, you would think they are all horse whisperers, but most of them know crap about horses. I told one of them that the technique used by Robert Redford in "The Horse Whisperers" was an old Jesse Berry trick that Redford should have used on day 1. She looked me dead in the eye and informed me that Robert Redford was the best horse trainer on earth and I didn't know what the hell I was talking about. I picked up a horse apple and tossed it to her and told her that it was her brain on steroids. She grabbed a barn rake and came after me. I had to lock myself in my truck, and she still broke off my mirror.

Another one saw me scratching my cajones one morning while I was helping her trim horses, and told me it was very crass to perform such acts in public (just me and her in the barn). She is one good looking, rich lady, but a real peckerhead. I told her I had gotten into a bunch of redbugs and my cajones looked like they had been shot with birdshot. She told me to soak them in alcohol, and I told her to bring it on (smiling all the while). She went into the barn and came out with a bowl of alcohol and told me to drop my pants. Without hesitation, I dropped trou and she stuck that bowl over my cajones. It took about 3 seconds for me to realize whatever was in that bowl wasn't alcohol. After doing the dance of the hyperventilating eagle for about 10 minutes, screaming obscenities at the crazy b*t*h, her laughing her pretty a$$ off the whole time, she told me it was hydrogen peroxide they used to wash out horse wounds. It killed the redbugs alright, but they were sure tender for a few days. The next time I went into the local feed store, the ladies behind the counter whipped out a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and burst out laughing. I think she had told everyone in town and even flagged down a few passing motorist for a chat. You gotta love 'em, even when they are bat f'ing crazy.

jt

you're lucky she didn't put some horse linament in it, or icey-hot. Then you'ld a danced like a turpentined tom-cat. Get a farm boy to explain that one to you.

[Marine A5 Sniper]

I was and am a farm boy.

jt

[DAVEB47]

P.S.

One thing I did learn in the schools. A child who has a mother, and a father, who are married, to each other has a huge leg up. There are duds in any group but overall those children consistently performed much better than their peers. After a while I found that I was able to regularly pick out those children without even asking about their home situation.

The decline of the traditional nuclear family has had a devastating effect on children, especially in some minority communities.

Art, you are dead on this one. Our town has 11 elementary schools and only 3 pass the No Child Left Behind. They are all in areas where there is more money and I'm guessing a higher rate of two parent families. Because of the NCLB kids in failing schools can open enroll in passing schools. My youngest attends one of the passing schools, we bought our house in this area and pay higher property taxes so she could attend this school, and we found out they will be moving trailers in this summer to handle the overflow. I will agree that some schools have better staffs than others, but the major problem is the parents or lack there of and how education is valued in the household.

[John Sukey]

Why are boys discriminated against in grade schools? Boys and girls are hard wired differently. Most teachers are women. Girls will sit quietly in class. Boys are more active. The teacher wants to make the boys behave like girls.

[Gyrene]

I do not agree that both a mother and father "in the home" are necessary for children to be successful in school or in life. My own experience and my friends that I grew up with were in similar situations, though most did have both parents in their homes. My mother had a 6th grade education and 6 children, so she had no time or skills in assisting us in our school work. My father would rather beat on us than even think about us in school, all 6 of us wished him out of the house or dead (he died, of a heart attack, with 4 of my siblings still at home, and everybody including my mother were very relieved).

If we wanted to do well in school, that was up to us as individuals. My friends mostly had uneducated parents (most had never attended school), who didn't have the knowledge or skills to assist their kids either. Of the some 25 kids I am referring to, 18 of us are University graduates (several with Masters Degrees, and 5 with PhD's) 5 of the other 7 are successful in their own businesses, and the last 2 worked for the power company.

I believe that the individual has to have the drive, though some can be pushed, or they will not be successful in school, or in life! I was a "C" average student in high school, but a 3.4 GPA at the University, qualifying for the Masters Program. I could have taken a Masters Degree at Stanford, but, my work place wouldn't allow me to take a sabbatical, so that put me back into the State university. I have worked in various jobs since I was about 9 years old, and am still working getting close to 80, why stop, if you feel like working?

Sorry that this goes against what the Psychologists (and Psychiatrists) believe, but you have to remember that most of the Psychologists/Psychiatrists teachings have come from directed studies by sometimes drugged testing Psychologists working with drugged test subjects. Many of these people have trouble dealing with life in their own lives, I could never figure out how and why these people have such power and control of our lives.

Gyrene VSM - OFC

semper fi

[Art]

Gyrene

Once again I seem to have failed to make myself clear. I didn't intend say it was "necessary" to have two parents who are married to each other. My point was children in two parent stable families have a leg up and are noticibly more likely to do well in school. Some people, my father comes to mind and perhaps you can overcome a lot of adversity. That can't be expected of everyone because not everyone is exceptional. My statement wasn't based on psychobabble but the observation of hundreds of children over a period of 10 years. That might not be "scientific" but it is a basis to form an opinion. While I saw some children from awful backgrounds overcome a lot that was not the way to bet.

Actually current trendy psychology does not agree that a two parent family, is necessary or in some cases even desirable. I personally believe that psychology is a pseudo science and to the extent that it involves "psychoanalysis" so is psychiatry.

[mike webb]

I agree with you, Art. A stable home life is not a prerequisite to success in life but it certainly increases the odds in the childs favour. And that is not just an opinion but a documented fact. Those who do well from unfortunate backgrounds really deserve praise as it is MUCH easier to go the other way. Along with the feminization of young men in our school system e.g., discouraging competition, physicality and natural aggression, there seems to be a mindset amongst educators that when children fail to meet their potential, Lower The Bar. So much of psychology that is commonly accepted as fact is actually theory from some pretty unstable albeit intelligent individuals.
As for psychologists etc. being allowed to control their patients lives when they can't manage their own, that is absolutely true. A friend of mine had been married for over 25 years and he and his wife were experiencing a rough patch, as many long time married couples do. His wife prevailled on him to see a marriage counselor and on arriving in her office my friend said," Before we sit down I want to ask you if you are married?" The counselor replied," No, divorced." My friend looked at his wife and said," I am out of here, this woman couldn't manage her own relationship. How can she help us with ours?" He and his wife are still married, but for almost 30 years now.

[gpw_42]

A few years ago a woman named Christina Sommers wrote a book called "The War Against Boys" detailing how natural male behavior is being increasingly discriminated against, especially in the schools. I never read it but in the light of some of the interview with Varney and some of the stuff I've seen, especially in my "educator" days I think it's going on my "to read" list.

Art, thanks for the tip on this book - I'd like to find a copy locally.

I recently moved from CA to NC, and am interested in becoming an Ass't Scoutmaster here (I'm an Eagle). It's been interesting to note that some troops have female Scoutmasters (though I don't know what percentage). For the Tiger Cubs, and MAYBE Cub Scouts, I can see mom being a valuable leader. For the older kids (13-18), just seems like a man would be the right sort of leader. But, when so many fathers are absent (for many reasons - sorriness, divorce, deployments) it's good to see the moms step in and keep the Scouts running. Perhaps I'm working myself into an argument to find a Troop with a female Scoutmaster.

Thanks again for the tip on the book.

Steve

[Fred]

We have some female organic farmers around our area. I presume they have never heard of cross pollination. A quick DNA test of their products would quickly diminish their claims.

Most of the area horse farms are run by women, and they are some kind of mean b*t*hes to deal with. If you spoke to most of them, you would think they are all horse whisperers, but most of them know crap about horses. I told one of them that the technique used by Robert Redford in "The Horse Whisperers" was an old Jesse Berry trick that Redford should have used on day 1. She looked me dead in the eye and informed me that Robert Redford was the best horse trainer on earth and I didn't know what the hell I was talking about. I picked up a horse apple and tossed it to her and told her that it was her brain on steroids. She grabbed a barn rake and came after me. I had to lock myself in my truck, and she still broke off my mirror.

Another one saw me scratching my cajones one morning while I was helping her trim horses, and told me it was very crass to perform such acts in public (just me and her in the barn). She is one good looking, rich lady, but a real peckerhead. I told her I had gotten into a bunch of redbugs and my cajones looked like they had been shot with birdshot. She told me to soak them in alcohol, and I told her to bring it on (smiling all the while). She went into the barn and came out with a bowl of alcohol and told me to drop my pants. Without hesitation, I dropped trou and she stuck that bowl over my cajones. It took about 3 seconds for me to realize whatever was in that bowl wasn't alcohol. After doing the dance of the hyperventilating eagle for about 10 minutes, screaming obscenities at the crazy b*t*h, her laughing her pretty a$$ off the whole time, she told me it was hydrogen peroxide they used to wash out horse wounds. It killed the redbugs alright, but they were sure tender for a few days. The next time I went into the local feed store, the ladies behind the counter whipped out a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and burst out laughing. I think she had told everyone in town and even flagged down a few passing motorist for a chat. You gotta love 'em, even when they are bat f'ing crazy.

jt

I don't think you've ever splashed rubbing alcohol on your nads. Try it. I guarantee you'll NEVER do it again. Give me Hydrogen Peroxide any day.

[PhillipM]

Why are boys discriminated against in grade schools? Boys and girls are hard wired differently. Most teachers are women. Girls will sit quietly in class. Boys are more active. The teacher wants to make the boys behave like girls.

To accomplish this they are drugged with ritalin. ADHD and ADD requiring drugs is BS in my unprofessional opinion.

[DAVEB47]

Gyrene, I'm not sayining it is a gauruntee of success or failure based on whether you live in 1 or 2 parent household, but I do think it helps. As you said, personal motivation to learn is key. The situations for success in our schools point to many factors and yet no one factor is the key to success of failure. Our best performing schools are in the highest income areas and have the lowest rates of minorities. Does that mean that intelligence is based on income and skin pigment?, absolutely not anyone is capable of learning, but thier must be some extenuating factors involved that make this happen. I think schools need to be viewed on by all as a place of learning and not a government funded babysitter that will provide kids with three meals a day. We have one elementary school that segregates boys and girls to resolve supposed issues with having both genders in the room. The people at the school says it decreases interuptions, but it is still one of the worst schools in town so who knows.

[Gyrene]

I live in one of the highest income areas of the US, and while we have some outstanding schools here, I find many, many college/university graduates who have not the slightest idea how to spell (including my boss), structure a sentence, paragraph, or write a complete document. Punctuation is completely beyond their grasp, and essentially they are near to illiteracy as far as I am concerned. My two kids were more literate in grammar school than at least half the college/university graduates are in this area. My daughter had an English teacher ask her where she went to school before the high school, because she had not had a student, until her, that was schooled as well as her. Incidentally, my two kids went to school in North Idaho for only three years.

Art, I have no problem with your statements especially those related to your first hand experience. I taught various Non-Destructive Testing Courses, as a Level III Instructor Examiner for X-Ray, Ultrasound, Eddy Current, Magnetic Particle (Magna-Flux to many people), and Liquid Penetrant, and I would get a very high percentage of success results. Since the supervisors needed to get qualified workers back on the job as soon as possible, I weeded out the ones with no intent of learning during the first class, because they would only hold everyone else back. We have some schools here that should not be called schools, as they are used as baby sitters, and many of the students (?) do not know if they will live once they leave the classroom. One of the teachers there is a friend of mine, and he has had 2 kids killed at the classroom door (when it was closed of course.), this past year he had 6 or 7 in the hospital, because of beatings and being run down with cars. This area is one that has many different races (Whites make up only 47%, and Hispanics are about 28%). Nice place, HUH?

I Know that for myself and my friends growing up, if we didn't work hard it was not going to happen (actually I was bored in high school, and if I had studied a 4.0 GPA was something that I could have done). When I attended the University, I was employed, working 50 to 70 hours a week, taking 14 to 18 Units of Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy, Geology etc.). I believe the teachers' presentation of the material under study is the most important factor in a students ability to learn (OF COURSE THE STUDENT MUST PAY ATTENTION!).

Gyrene VSM - OFC

semper fi

[Art]

Gyrene

I think everything you said in your above post is spot on, especially the part about paying attention.

[talucah]

One problem is that many boys do not respond unless challenged, they just don't respond to Dick and Jane. My Grandson who was being home schooled could not read when he was eight. I gave him an Outdoor Life and the next week he was reading, I knew when he said that the word read just didn't fit, my daughter didn't know until he used a history quote, she thought that he was finally getting Dick and Jane. As one who spent all his time in school trying to stay awake, I understood, and wondered what would have been his fate in public school.
Bob

[Fishnerd]

To accomplish this they are drugged with ritalin. ADHD and ADD requiring drugs is BS in my unprofessional opinion.

+1.... I was one of the "Hyperactive Children" in the '70's when medicating children was in its infancy. I swear I was put on a different medication every month in the hopes one of them would would finally work. The downside, personally, was that I thought it was perfectly fine to self medicate in high school and college- yup, we're talkin' alcohol, marijuana, etc. I honestly felt that if a doctor gave me "medicine" to alter my God given personality, why shouldn't I do it myself.
If it isn't obvious, I am very opposed to medicating children so their personalities fit their parent's and the school's idealogy.
Yes, I'm still bitter 30+ years later!!!

[Gyrene]

I have friends in their 40's and early 50's who were dosed up with many drugs by parents supported by their prescription writing PhD Psychology doctors, and the reason seems to be that the parents were too busy to work with their children when the children needed their parents the most. That is a strike against parents who should never have had children. As creatures of this world, we are driven biologically to reproduce, though many people do not have the desire to properly raise their children. One of my friends often refers to himself as the "PhenoBarb Kid".

One of the worst things to have happen to parents is to take away their various ways of disciplining their children. Words work with some, but the discipline must extend through spanking (NOT BEATING!). I was beaten by my father, and I know the difference. My 2 children were disciplined with what it took to correct them, usually words worked, but occasionally they needed to be spanked to get the corrective action. They will tell you, or anybody, that, to quote my son, "Dad was so much bigger than us, we were afraid of him, but we always knew he would never really hurt us!", my daughter agrees with that. When I was disciplining my children, I did always remember that discipline was what I was supposed to do, not let my anger get involved. It is OK to be angry, but you have to keep it separate, and not vent it on your children.

Gyrene VSM - OFC

semper fi



`

[Marine A5 Sniper]

[QUOTE=Fishnerd;163861]+1.... I was one of the "Hyperactive Children" in the '70's when medicating children was in its infancy.Yes, I'm still bitter 30+ years later!!!/QUOTE]

It wasn't in its infancy, as I was one also, and a lot earlier than the 70's. I, too, resented it a great deal. Many are not aware that the normal effects of that drug are reversed for some, and I was one of them. Since I was a straight "A" student from the git go, I never quite understood why I was medicated, especially with a drug with striking similarity to cocaine (Ritalin).

jt

[Rick]

No drugs for me in school. Just had a teacher that beat me on a regular basis and made fun of me to the other kids. Actually preferred the beatings. Hated school from then on out.

[Art]

No drugs for me in school. Just had a teacher that beat me on a regular basis and made fun of me to the other kids. Actually preferred the beatings. Hated school from then on out.

I feel for you. That was much more of a problem in the old days. I saw teachers do things in the 1950s and '60s that today wouldn't just get you fired but maybe sent to jail.

One thing I've never forgotten was an incident when I was in the 5th grade at a little country school. The teacher was a member of the local gentry. I don't know if this woman was ever a good teacher but if she was those days were behind her when I had her. She was bitter, sarcastic and really quick to use "corporal punishment." There was a boy in my class, a sharecropper's son, who was an ok kid but a prankster. Well one day he got on this teacher's last nerve and she beat him like a borrowed mule, I mean it was awful, the whole class sat there slack jawed as she worked him over for what seemed like a good five minutes with a belt. Back then you could get away with that, a relic of the old days I'm glad is gone.

[Weasel]

I feel for you. That was much more of a problem in the old days. I saw teachers do things in the 1950s and '60s that today wouldn't just get you fired but maybe sent to jail.

One thing I've never forgotten was an incident when I was in the 5th grade at a little country school. The teacher was a member of the local gentry. I don't know if this woman was ever a good teacher but if she was those days were behind her when I had her. She was bitter, sarcastic and really quick to use "corporal punishment." There was a boy in my class, a sharecropper's son, who was an ok kid but a prankster. Well one day he got on this teacher's last nerve and she beat him like a borrowed mule, I mean it was awful, the whole class sat there slack jawed as she worked him over for what seemed like a good five minutes with a belt. Back then you could get away with that, a relic of the old days I'm glad is gone.

That sounds like my 1st grade teacher. Mean as a rattlesnake she was. She would hit your hands with that damn ruller so hard it felt like they were broken. She loved that eating soap thing. She caught you talking in class out came the soap. I'll never will forget that old bitch.

[Rick]

This was my third grade teacher. First day of school I walked into the class room I step up to her desk and introduced myself. I have no idea what I did wrong as she got up from her desk shook me like a rag doll and swore at me like a sailor. It never stopped all year and I had to stay after school almost every night until she went home. Guess I was the goat before Charlie Brown.

Now what I think it was is this. She had just been married and her husband was shipped overseas. She taught one year to have something to do until the husband returned. For some weird reason she took her frustrations out on me. I thought it must be my fault so I sure didn't want to tell mom and dad.

Funny she wore out on me one day and sent me to the Principals office for some more disciplined. Thought now I'm really going to get it but turned out the Principal was nice to me. One of the pleasant surprises in life. After that when she went off on me I would tell her to do anything she wanted to me but what ever you do don't send me to the Principals office. Then I would go see the Principal and get treated like a human being again.

[Marine A5 Sniper]

I was lucky, I had great teachers. My problem was at home. Much worse situation.

jt