This book should be read by every adult American, especially parents of school-aged children, and all those concerned about the reality of public education in the United States. It is a concise, quick and compelling read. Because of her unique perspectives from both inside and outside the classroom, Mrs. Hayden offers a very poignant and insightful comment on the American public education system, inspired by her disagreements with the conclusions drawn by Hillary Rodham Clinton in her own book, "It Takes A Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us". In fact, Mrs. Hayden emphatically demonstrates that Mrs. Clinton's "village" is, and may have always been, non-existent. She asserts that we are all "waiting for Superman", and that we wait to the detriment of our children, our future and the very fabric of our nation.

The Village Can't Do It!

... Because the Village Does Not Exist in AmericaBy Sandra Hayden

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2011 Sandra Hayden
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4567-2462-7

Contents

Introduction...................................................................xiiiSadly, The Village Does Not Exist in America...................................1Spirituality, Nurturing and Security of America's Children.....................9Insights from the Classroom....................................................19Special Education is Running Public Education..................................25School Has Become "Uncool".....................................................37America's Future Without the Village...........................................43EPILOGUE.......................................................................53REFERENCES.....................................................................55

Chapter One

Sadly, The Village Does Not Exist in America

The term "village" implies a social system where everyone is generally on the same socio-economic level. It invokes a somewhat primitive connotation. A village is a rural area smaller than a town but larger than a hamlet. A village, by its very definition, implies a tightly-knit group of people with very strong bonds and shared cultural norms. In fact, villages are quite small. When examined by outsiders, villagers appear to enjoy many similar cultural characteristics, and possess an often socialistic way of life. This is engrained in their governance and reflected in their economic systems. If we had a village, as Mrs. Clinton implies, the villagers would have a better chance at raising the communal pool of children. However, the characteristics of a village are in stark contrast to the hectic, multi-cultural fabric of the society we know as these United States of America.

Indeed, America today is a patchwork quilt of a very frantic and fragmented humanity. Families more often than not reside in buildings or neighborhoods where they do not know their neighbors. Young people are free to move around the country as never before in our history. Family members and extended families no longer live in the old family neighborhood, let alone in the same state where they were raised. The horizons for American families no longer extend to state and national borders, but beyond and into a "global" village. While not a bad thing, in and of itself, this does prohibit any village-type mentality from developing in the United States. Mrs. Clinton's challenge to all of us to build strong families and communities in order that our children are well cared for and so that our democracy remains strong is a worthy endeavor. Over a decade later, however, America has failed miserably at this challenge.

First of all, it takes a firm foundation of parental and family norms in order to raise children who feel loved, safe, and well grounded. In a village, typically the female is responsible for maintaining the home and caring for children. Daily chores are performed by village women at home: fetching water, cooking, tidying the home – usually only one or two rooms, tending crops and animals, and ensuring sufficient and clean clothing for the family. Village men pursue hunting and various occupations. In our modern America, when two parents are in the picture, they are likely both working outside the home. In a single-parent American household, children are more often than not spending less time with a parent out of the necessity for the single parent to earn a living. In both American home situations, children are carted off to daycare during the workweek, meals are rushed, and quality time at home as a family unit is at a premium.

Research shows that it is in the first year of life when children learn to either trust or to be distrustful. Infants left in their cribs to cry for extended time, as is often the case in daycare situations, tend not to develop a sense of security and trust. Mrs. Clinton mentioned the cutting-edge of this research in her book, when she cited that emotional development occurs primarily between 8 and 18 months of age. The original research by American Eric Erikson, essays of which were published in Identity: Youth and Crisis in the early 1900s, has been well substantiated by many modern psychologists.

Secondly, in order to have strong communities in the U.S.A. where "villagers" - family, neighbors and friends - truly care for our children there must be grassroots commitment. By commitment, I do not simply mean monetary commitment, although local and state governments in America traditionally provide some basic safety nets for families during periods of hardship. Rather, that in a village, individuals are by virtue of their shared norms, committed to working closely together to care for their children properly, while parents go about their daily work. I teach in a town named Havre de Grace, Maryland. Havre de Grace is nestled on the Susquehanna River, at the head of the Chesapeake Bay. It is approximately 40 miles north of Baltimore. In this community, the senior citizens who frequent the community center are actually afraid of our middle-schoolers. Although they make monetary donations of school supplies each year, they refuse to make a personal commitment to local youth. It is not that they are bad people, but they have heard the stories of our youth becoming disrespectful of authority and elders. They are aware of the rise in crimes that the local "tweens" and teens are committing: petty thefts, breaking community curfew, and vandalism.

As a prelude to my Master's thesis, I began investigating the possibility of developing a partnership with the local senior citizens organization, which is housed in the community center behind my school. When I surveyed them in 2009, not a single person indicated they would be willing to tutor one of our students after school or assist in formal mentoring or in a literacy improvement program with our students during the school day. I was shocked and, needless to say, stunningly disappointed. The town where I teach is not particularly crime-ridden. However, the elderly population has impressions that have been colored by the national news. A community unable or unwilling to impart knowledge and experience its youth is a community that will eventually break down. It is just a matter of time. And, as each year passes, I see that self-fulfilling prophecy being realized.

Thirdly, while not all Americans are earning a living wage, parents must instill in their children the importance of making the most of their public education. This also requires significant effort on their part in helping their sons and daughters maintain that commitment. Many parents do not stress to their children the importance of doing well in school as they enter kindergarten. They must encourage their kids to be the best they can be from infancy; read to them; play educational games with them; inspire their self-confidence. By the time a son or daughter is in high school, it is too late to tell them they need to study in order to do better in school than their parents did. The best chance at a stable career and adequate income in America is for our children to get a good education. If it isn't valued at home from an early age, it will not be valued by children. The American dream is still very much alive and attainable; just look at the many examples in mainstream media, in medicine, business and technology. This does not take into consideration the many thousands...