Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005 | 8:42 a.m.
Every time the national elections come around we hear from the candidates on how they're going to make the public school systems better. On the other side of the coin we hear the same old songs: We need more teachers, we need more new schools, teachers' pay is terrible, class numbers are too high, schools are top-heavy with administrators, and on and on. If all of these problems were rectified overnight, the public school systems in this country would still be in a mess.
Most of the problems have never been about the system itself; it's always been about parents. If you have children being raised in a dysfunctional home atmosphere, where parents or a parent could care less about education, guess what kind of student will be taking up space in a classroom?
On the other hand, if a child is being raised in a functional atmosphere with high expectations for that child to succeed in life, guess who will come out on top? I feel sorry for children born into dysfunctional families. They are looking at a third-strike ball most of their young lives.
JOHN TOMINSKY
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