What have we allowed to happen to our schools that educate our young people?

A few weeks ago, I saw a quote that went something like this: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." by Edmund Burke.

If I added anything to this quote, I would add 'good men or good women'.

Just this week, the scores of the state Criterion-Referenced Competency Test, or CRCT, has put yet another black mark on our educational system.

Reports are coming in that the Georgia DOE has thrown out a number of CRCT results due to the fact that so many students have failed the tests. With actions like that, I can recommend some Miller County BOE members that would qualify for state board members. If they don't pass, just change the grade, or firethe teacher or principal.

With students from kindergarten to college graduating this time of year, we always hope the best for them. We hope that we have done the right thing for these graduates.

I believe this is the first time that I have heard that our failures go all the way to the state, and they just change the rules if things aren't to their liking.

It kind of reminds you of some of our county board of education members.

We have made many, many changes in our educational system in the past few years. Many of them have been good. More of them have been bad, very bad.

Whoever thought up the criteria for the "No Child Left Behind Program" hopefully doesn't have children. To date, I have not heard one parent, teacher or administrator who states that this program is not good for those who can't do the work, will never be able to pass the work of regular students, and always brings down the best students rather than pull up the poorest or not educable.

The only thing that I believe is good about this program is that it makes us try to help those who can't or don't want to excel. There are so many "standards" that are required which are impossible that the program has pulled our educational system to one of the world's worst, and Georgia continues to be around the bottom of this nation.

Now, our educational leaders wonder why one-third or more of our youth are failing courses like math, English, social studies, etc. It really doesn't take a PhD to figure it out. Even some of our BOE members, not all, can tell why we are failing our children.

There are exceptions to the rule, and every so often our young people fool us and succeed in spite of our programs and leadership. We can't blame it all on programs and leadership. We voters have the opportunity to change the leadership when those who are there do not improve, but bring down. If we don't make the changes when we need to or have the opportunity, the biggest losers are our young people, and they don't need or deserve it.

For the past few weeks, and especially the last week or so, I've been going to awards' meetings or banquets that honor our best students. I've gone to graduations that honor those who have put in their time and passed the courses that they will use as they go to higher education or to jobs that will make their livings. They are all to be congratulated for their accomplishments.

When we allow some "dogooder" to take discipline out of the schools, fail to demand that students and parents respect those who teach, make bookkeepers out of teachers instead of those who teach our children, allow a few judges to take God out of school as well as morals, guess who really failed?

It might be too late for several generations of young people, but it's not too late for all of them.

Because a large segment of our schools fail the standardized tests, we cannot throw out the entire set of standards so it won't make some "educators" look like we failed.

When things are happening that make us have to have armed officersin the halls and on campus to protect our youth from predators or from each other, we have failed.

As much as we would like all of our young people to do their best, this has never happened and never will. Some will be left behind, by choice.

As Ma used to say to me when she wanted to make me feel bad about how I was acting or performing, "You can't make a racehorse out of a jackass." We can try, but it just doesn't work that way.

Doing the right thing, even if it hurts, is still the right thing. If we let our little darlings do just what they want, anytime and all the time, they will not be very good citizens, parents or people.

Most of them are basically good. Good leadership, good citizenship and some hard work will make them productive, self sufficientcitizens.

With the help of God and good, loving parents, that is what we need for our future citizens.

Learn all you can. Do the best you can. Love your neighbor as yourself, and you will have a happy, blessed life.