If you’re a parent, you are probably very concerned with education. The education of your children is your responsibility… from kindergarten to 12th grade! But there are many school board standards, as well as a cultural change, that have taken place over the past few decades.

The big question of course, is do you believe the current school system is setting your child up for success? Or maybe you are one of those parents who has had enough and decided to home school your kids – which is exactly what my family did!

I know I certainly didn’t receive any entrepreneurial skills in school, and yet America calls small businesses the backbone of our economy? Hello, disconnect?!

Last week, I spoke with a woman named Annette from Virginia who is a teacher at a multi-cultural school. Annette has been teaching for 25 years, and I asked what she has seen change over those two-and-a-half decades in the education system.

She quickly answered, “The biggest change I’ve seen is the push for everyone to be successful on state tests. Which is not going to happen. That is the biggest change, because it takes away from the teaching in the classroom. Some of these teachers I have seen, who are more creative, are trying to teach them real-life skills along with what’s on these state tests.”

It’s true, not all students test well and it brings into question how important these standardized tests even are! Especially since teaching kids to do well on them is now the primary focus of most teachers.

From my own children I noticed a huge change in sexualization in schools. When I was a kid, so-and-so being pregnant or having sex was a big deal in my school. It was crazy talk! But when my oldest daughter was in 9th grade, she said it was common for kids to skip class for sex! And not only was it common, but people spoke about it openly. So I asked Annette how she has seen the culture change over the past 25 years.

One thing she mentioned was how hard it is to keep their attention. There are an infinite number of distractions so easily at the ready these days. Cellphones, Facebook, Instagram and selfies are all competing for attention with instructional lectures, for students of almost all ages. And it’s opened the door to cyber-bulling, sexting and in general, just being able to disconnect from family and friends.

I see kids all the time out at dinner with their family, but they won’t look up from their phones! The worst part is, the parents are doing it, too! Our society has become so disengaged, I wonder how many are actually paying attention to what is a small or big issue in our schooling system today. Take a look at your family dynamic today. Are you teaching them respectful and honorable people skills, or how to disengage and get distracted?

What do you think of our current school system? Do you think it is grooming kids for success? If not, which major areas come up short? Have you noticed big cultural changes your kids have to deal with, that are different than when you were a kid or teenager?

This is such a huge discussion, but let me know your thoughts! While you’re leaving a comment, remember to Like and Share today’s message with your circle of influence. Include other parents or even someone who is IN the current school system on this discussion!

Let’s keep talking! Join us today and tomorrow at lunchtime for The Dani Johnson Show at 12 pm ET/11 pm CT. You can tune into the show on either your TV or radio and please remember you can always stream today’s show right on our website.

In great faith,

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