You would think that any person whatever their political party would recognize that the future of any nation is inextricably linked to the education and wellbeing of its children. You might think that, but sadly you would be wrong. The United States, once internationally respected for the quality of its schools, is now in crisis, both because public schools are under attack by the MAGAt community, that seeks indoctrination not fact-based education and also because child care is so bad in the U.S. that the mental and emotional wellbeing of American children, as this article describes, is very poor.
The top 10 countries with the best education are:
Christopher Page Jr., the principal at Highlands Ranch High School in Colorado. “We’re definitely supporting more kids in more ways than maybe we could have or would have in the past,” he says. “But is that enough? No. We always want to do more to be better by kids.” Credit: Rachel Woolf for The Washington Post
A few years ago, Christopher Page Jr.’s Colorado high school was rocked by a spate of student deaths, including three by suicide. So the longtime principal was troubled when he couldn’t fill a school psychologist job for an entire year. Nobody had applied. This summer, he finally hired a budding social worker who was still finishing her last two classes.
He helped get her an emergency license, which was not hard, because there is an emergency.
In his area and elsewhere, the student mental health crisis is unfolding as the nation’s schools face a shortage of counselors, psychologists, social workers and therapists — each problem amplified by the other, and all of them worsening since the pandemic began. “There’s just such an […]
Terri Quint
on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 at 9:41 am
It’s been about since the time of Reagan that money spent on well-being for the people by the government, whether Federal or local, has diminished so much as to ineffective. It is easily observable that this is a basic element of Republican thought and actions, whether Federal or state, or local. When it comes to education, health care, child care, etc. they want no part of it and usually refuse to fund it, even though it’s in the best interest of the people. Why? Because the people who need this help and assistance are usually Democrats, so there is no way they are going to help them if possible. They label it as socialism, communism, whatever to get out of doing it. Terri Quint
Albus Eddie
on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 at 2:24 pm
I see headlines like this: “In a crisis, schools are 100,000 mental health staff short” and I laugh. The reason is very simple. We live in a capitalist culture and society. There is no shortage of hedge fund managers because we pay them millions to do what they do. We pay and have paid counselors, therapists, and social workers pennies to do what they do. We have continued to pay them pennies while the costs of graduate education and training over the past thirty years has soared, with decreasing State funding. Many young graduates finish school with tens of thousands of dollars of debt. This requires that they forestall home purchases, vehicle purchases, and many other things because their salaries and debt will not support a middle class life style. Many of the young look at these prospects and rationally choose other careers. I get a second laugh when I read in the article that we need to get “creative”. The empty words of a capitalist who doesn’t want to commit significant resources toward a structural problem. It’s like telling the firefighters in Canada or in the West to get “creative” when fighting an out of control blaze. The words of individuals who don’t actually have take the risks, or do the work. And the solutions? Take ill prepared student professionals and ask that they address the needs of highly acute children, because its an emergency. Would anyone do the same with abdominal surgery, or cancer treatment? No they wouldn’t. But its justified because these suffer from mental illness, and its ok to allow the sub-prepared to treat them. Our society is sick, and getting sicker. The mental health crisis our youth face is just one indicator of many. Structural problems require structural solutions. Start by taxing the wealthy so funds can be generated to support mental health, and many another social good. And the next time you walk into a business and they tell you “We’re short staffed”, think instead “You don’t pay your people enough”.
It’s been about since the time of Reagan that money spent on well-being for the people by the government, whether Federal or local, has diminished so much as to ineffective. It is easily observable that this is a basic element of Republican thought and actions, whether Federal or state, or local. When it comes to education, health care, child care, etc. they want no part of it and usually refuse to fund it, even though it’s in the best interest of the people. Why? Because the people who need this help and assistance are usually Democrats, so there is no way they are going to help them if possible. They label it as socialism, communism, whatever to get out of doing it. Terri Quint
I see headlines like this: “In a crisis, schools are 100,000 mental health staff short” and I laugh. The reason is very simple. We live in a capitalist culture and society. There is no shortage of hedge fund managers because we pay them millions to do what they do. We pay and have paid counselors, therapists, and social workers pennies to do what they do. We have continued to pay them pennies while the costs of graduate education and training over the past thirty years has soared, with decreasing State funding. Many young graduates finish school with tens of thousands of dollars of debt. This requires that they forestall home purchases, vehicle purchases, and many other things because their salaries and debt will not support a middle class life style. Many of the young look at these prospects and rationally choose other careers. I get a second laugh when I read in the article that we need to get “creative”. The empty words of a capitalist who doesn’t want to commit significant resources toward a structural problem. It’s like telling the firefighters in Canada or in the West to get “creative” when fighting an out of control blaze. The words of individuals who don’t actually have take the risks, or do the work. And the solutions? Take ill prepared student professionals and ask that they address the needs of highly acute children, because its an emergency. Would anyone do the same with abdominal surgery, or cancer treatment? No they wouldn’t. But its justified because these suffer from mental illness, and its ok to allow the sub-prepared to treat them. Our society is sick, and getting sicker. The mental health crisis our youth face is just one indicator of many. Structural problems require structural solutions. Start by taxing the wealthy so funds can be generated to support mental health, and many another social good. And the next time you walk into a business and they tell you “We’re short staffed”, think instead “You don’t pay your people enough”.