Hara Estrof Marano wrote a book called "Nation of WImps. Here is an exerpt from her book: "Cell phones function as an eternal umbilical cord," she said during a recent phone interview, "and it's all so misguided. Kids aren't allowed the freedom that allows them to build their own identities. They can't make their own mistakes, and so they miss out on critical life skills. When something difficult arises, there's mom or dad on the cell phone trying to fix everything."


I agree with her that we are becoming a Nation of Wimps. Let me give you a quick perspective as an educator. On the first day of school, I saw something that shocked me. As I waited in the hallway, during the passing period, I saw parents putting their kids books in their lockers. Talk about enabling the kid. This will be the type of parent when their student does not perform well, they will look to blame the teacher and administrators.

Also, I had a parent who wanted to meet with me because her daughter heard me curse. I asked the daughter what I said that shocked her. I was expecting her to say that I slipped and said shit or fuck, but I said "crap" in class and she wanted to have a conference about it, and not about her daughters performance. Not only that I never used it in reference to her daugher or any student.

I think we are becoming wimpy in certain respects, especially in the world of education.

What do you guys think?

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Edited by schoolinU at 11/16/2006 10:53 AM

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Edited by schoolinU at 11/16/2006 10:54 AM