No one is accountable these days. It all starts in junior high.

I have taught in public, private and U.S. Army schools. I have taught most subjects, and I have served as teacher, curriculum adviser, assistant principal and headmaster. I liked teaching. I was successful until I taught at Summit High School. The A students didn’t need a teacher and the wild kids liked me. But the remaining 80%? Ever tried pushing a string?

So don’t blame the parents, the teachers or the school board; it’s the environment. Modern life isn’t conducive to discipline. City kids seldom do what they don’t want to do when they don’t want to do it.

The solution? Starting at age 12:

• All teachers and guidance personnel should rate each student’s potential in each subject. (Some students are good at art but have trouble with math, etc.)
• All students should produce at their capacity (no “gentleman C” cop-out).
• If they don’t, they should be tutored on their own time (weekends).
• They should work for the town or county on their own time (weekends) to pay the tutor.

How long before students start performing up to their capacity?

Hey, if a student breaks a school window, they are held accountable. How about the taxpayers’ money that pays for the teacher, the utilities, the school when the kids goof off?

I personally think every student must be accountable for 100% of the vital information in each subject. Let’s quit trying to make all students rocket scientists. But each student should know how to parse a sentence, critique and write an essay, and make speeches.