Back to School—Why Your Child is Failing--Old Navy t-shirts

[Modern School]

Check out these anti-school, anti-intellectual back to school t-shirts from old navy:
http://modeducation.blogspot.com/2011/08/back-to-schoolwhy-your-child-is-failing.html

[femmocrat]

1. I suppose the kids would think they were funny, but....

what parent would send a child to school in one of those shirts? :shrug:

[Sarah Ibarruri]

2. Nice. Way to go Old Navy! Help more kids fail! Not only do kids have major problems nowadays

but this corporation is encouraging them to hate learning. Cool beans.

[bluestateguy]

6. There are some teachers and schools that really do overdo it with the HW

I don't think there should much much homework until high school, except studying for tests.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

9. I agree, but homework has always been a pain in the ass.

However, I wouldn't trade my life for the life of kids today:

no extended family around,
no being outside all day playing hopscotch and hide and seek,
they get driven around from activity to activity after school, violin class, or soccer, if the family has money,
or they're alone at home with the Xbox or Wii,
roomfuls of expensive items so they're never excited about getting a new toy since they expect everything,
and everything expensive,
sneakers that cost $200,
or if they're poor, no money to eat lunch at school,
they don't read books for joy,
they get bored with any intellectual activity,
get bored being with the family,
they just engage in texting,
and sexting,
and having sex at 10,
and lots of unhappy bullshit. :(

God, my childhood was great! I feel SO SORRY for kids today. They live horrific lives. I'm surprised we don't hear of more kids committing suicide, really.

[digonswine]

11. Sending kids to school w/this attitude-

makes it appear to the wearer that teachers are there to entertain rather than inform. Guess what? Some things are a pain in the ass to learn. If it was not so--we could teach in sound-bytes. The kids would then be in a position to lap up the pablum that the ignorant in power so desire for their own ends.

[FLAprogressive]

3. The shirts are just reflective of the attitudes.....not vice versa.

Unfortunately a lot of students these days do not value education because they think they can become famous.

[notadmblnd]

4. I don't think it is something we need to worry about

My son wore shirts like that and he graduated HS in June. He is a certified mechanic and working full time 11/12 hour days at a local shop. He is taking more classes at the local community college. He wants to have his own shop. Kids don't like homework. Let's allow them to express themselves without making it a political issue.

[bluestateguy]

5. I don't see anything wrong with the Homework Overload T-shirt

I often felt that way myself, and I was a very good student. Indeed, many of my teachers did overdo it with stupid busywork that wasted my time after school.

[Modern School]

13. Missing the point

I think some of you are missing the point.

Yes, HW is a drag and many teachers do assign too much and many do assign mindless work. This is bad and should be fixed.

And YES YES YES it's insane and unnecessary to assign hw to k-2 graders, as has become typical nowadays.

However, the messages on these shirts suggest that learning, knowledge and effort are lame. It is like wearing a picture of George Bush on your shirt and saying I'm proud to be ignorant and lazy.

A child who wears one of these shirts could certainly be mature enough, smart enough and well-adjusted enough to succeed in life and even in school, and simply be making a sarcastic statement. However, the message they are sending to their teachers is that they don't care and won't bother. This is not only a terrible way to start the school year and a good way to get your teacher to write you off as a knucklehead, but it also contributes to an anti-intellectual and anti-academic culture at the school.

Modern School
http://modeducation.blogspot.com/

[Gidney N Cloyd]

7. Seems pretty mild.

[johnd83]

8. I don't think any kids like homework

the t-shirt isn't exactly news. Also a lot of teachers do assign a lot of mind-numbing pointless work. Homework needs to be targeted to assist in learning, not just waste kids' time.

[digonswine]

10. I have not seen pointless homework-though I am sure it exists-

you can say "a lot" do it-but that is not the norm where I live. It is through homework that good teachers can gauge students' understanding of what is being taught. This is simply a thumb in the eye of people trying to teach your damn kids something. Reverse elitism nonsense to make some who are above it all feel superior. Get over yourself.

[johnd83]

14. Huh?

Actually I am about finished with my PhD. Many teachers in my school high school school gave out a lot more homework than was necessary to reinforce what was being taught.

[Supply Side Jesus]

12. faux outrage

this outrage belongs on fox & friends

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. Yep. We have much larger problems than silly t-shirts.

Would I want my kids to wear them? No. Am I outraged over them? No.