WEEKLY WARNING WORDS
May 18, 2005 - Week 87 - Is School Over Before It Has Started?
BY DR. BRUNO J. KEITH
If Hawai'i's school authorities have to admit the sad fact that too many students "have been left behind" or "fell through the cracks", entirely , they are also the last to realize that they are more than stupid in many other areas of their responsibility.
During decades of their rule, they allowed dozens of schools to be robbed, vandalized & torched & laying blame on some innocents who never learned anything good or decent at home, in church or the streets & in school. More sensible & practical observers, however, suggested from the beginnings of their incapacity to perform important political jobs that each school needed 2 armed watchmen for 24 hours a day &, perhaps, even more during weekends & vacations.
When one of the sleepy guards has his coffee, beer or other drugs, the others should make the rounds with their weapon drawn to discourage siblings, sons, cousins or friends to apply their lessons in terrorism. Good payment & special awards for catching intended culprits would still be economical & affordable in consideration of the prices for replacement of computers, books, furniture, for repeated repairs, repainting or required complete demolition & reconstruction. Above all, the misery of the few students who miss learning opportunities by moronic devastation is to be considered as the foremost point of avoidance. With summer pleasures now in the offing, the Board of Education & its Superintendent of Schools should handle this preventive action as their 1st & foremost priority.
It pays to be on guard with the most reliable guards for the most valuable public property. Otherwise the "law" that crime pays remains valid in the Aloha State like elsewhere (as if the school authorities were somehow involved in these crimes against our humanity). Somehow the bulk of the funds for education on every level remains hogged by administrative heads & "overheads". But all that matters is the classroom teacher & security everywhere, every time & by every means.
What are our great corporations doing to embrace their novice-employees as prospective members in good standing? I can tell you names & titles of some 40 organizations which cannot make a simple address change even when no money is involved. No phone corrections accepted because they made bureaucratic rules plaguing seriously ill, crippled members or aged clients to the utmost. "citigroup", Smith Barney, needed 5 visits, 2 phone calls & several signatures which may eventually get their monthly statement to my new address. Our H.M.S.A. required 2 signatures, 2 visits & 2 phone calls but has mailed the new membership card. Similarly my Credit Union which used to be little people's bank. And so forth, fourth, fifth or ever more pending corrections…. With such perfect idiots for parents, why would their "off" off-spring become what they are not allowed to be?