Well, It's Not Like There's Going To Be Jobs When They Graduate Anyway

Here in the marbled halls of IM Central we often find our thoughts turning to the children when we read about countries deep in poverty, or steeped in violence. Perhaps it's because we make money for dog food and Stoli by toiling in the vineyards of education ourselves that we are a bit more sensitive to these issues, but we like to think it's because education represents the future of any society, and until those in power everywhere truly realize that young people are any civilization's most important natural resource, whether they live in the poorest of the poor countries, or the modern industrialized first world we are all doomed to be stuck in this constant loop of ignorance, destruction and eventual decline. Take these poor children for instance.

A Detroit elementary school is asking for donations of toilet paper and light bulbs to continue functioning.The principal of the Academy of Americas sent a letter to staff, parents and partners asking for donations of items "that are of the utmost importance for proper school functioning and most importantly for student health and safety."

It is truly a sad state of affairs when children who are just unlucky enough to be born in the wrong spot on the globe have to look forward...wait a minute. Where's that school?

Detroit Public Schools is grappling with a more than $400 million budget deficit and is on the verge of being assigned an emergency financial manager by the state.

Detroit? As in Michigan? Not Somalia, or Bangladesh, or Ecuador?

"We realize that the economic situation is stressful for our entire community, but we are asking for your collaboration," wrote Khalil. "We thank you for your cooperation and we hope that as a school community we can pull together to guarantee the best possible educational environment for our children."

Lady, if you can't even afford for kids to wipe their butts, your "educational environment" went south long ago.

A spokeswoman for the district said the school is not running out of supplies but instead is asking for them to ensure they have sufficient supplies to what they already have. "We'll have plenty of supplies to last the rest of the school year if we don't use them," she said. "It's just that kids, you know, use stuff."

Right. We have often said teaching would be a great job if it weren't for students.

Want to know what's really wrong with the schools? What's really keeping them from being "World Class" and turning out students who can "compete"? The adults.