Look What Education has Gotten Us Into?

I guess my title says it all. We have pushed and pushed everyone, even once he/she's been born, education is the answer to all of his/her troubles and if the child can't get into the "right preschool, his/her fate is sealed!" We have ignored everything else: eloquence, caring, courteousness, neighborliness." I'm just trying to "think out of the box." In this blog, I'm basically talking about the "educational system" public or private or homeschooled or charter schooled or whatever you want to call it. I remember my father used to say, "everyone will be so educated, we won't have a workforce to do the work he/she wants done." I don't know why it's come up at this point in time in my life, but it has and I guess it's really hit me between the eyes. I mean, let's face it, most Americans (those born in this country) will not consider a job "beneath" them or their educational degree. When did we, as Americans, become so snobbish? I mean I'm not talking about the fact that we shouldn't teach kids to read and write or add and subtract or anything, but we've become a nation of "phobias" and we all need therapy of some sort! Are we a happy place or do we have to find our "happy places?" I know we're all having a hard time with the economy, but I'm not blaming anything on the fact that somewhere along the line we've become whiners and shirkers and people who just want to LEFT ALONE and PAY ME to do it! We call this education? The problem is, as usual, nothing will change except we'll be more educated. Today I was subbing and trying to help a student and turned around to help another and as I turned, I was called a bitch. And I thought, "I'm a person with a graduate degree and I can't even give the "necessary" response to this kid" (you notice I didn't say appropriate). I know this probably doesn't make sense to most and I know I'm rambling, but I think I'll have to work on this some more! I'm out to change the world, the educational one anyway! Did you know that I was included in Cambridge's "Who's Who in Education"? Where in the world did that come from and what good is it going to do me?