World News and Trends: No substitute for proper parenting
"Children are starting school less well prepared than ever because parents are failing to raise their youngsters properly, according to the [British] government's Chief Inspector of Schools" (The Sunday Telegraph, Aug. 31).
"Children are starting school less well prepared than ever because parents are failing to raise their youngsters properly, according to the [British] government's Chief Inspector of Schools" (The Sunday Telegraph, Aug. 31). David Bell further charged that children entering school have been subjected to a "disrupted and disheveled" upbringing.
The result? Verbal and behavioral skills are at an all-time low, leaving teachers to act as substitute parents. National Curriculum test results show that "one in four primary pupils fails tests for reading and math" (The Independent, Aug. 20). David Hart, general secretary of the National Association for Head Teachers, stated that "too many are starting school without basic social skills and simply do not know how to communicate. This puts enormous pressure on the teachers" (The Sunday Telegraph article).
Even persuading children to sit still for just a little while is proving to be a very difficult challenge for many teachers.
Longtime British journalist Mary Kenny pointed out that the parents are not always entirely to blame for children who cannot talk properly, fasten buttons or even hold a knife and fork. She wrote: "The government is constantly skewing the tax and benefits system to pressure [both] parents into going to work and leaving their pre-school children with minders who may or may not do a good job. (It is not politically correct or fashionable to look after your own children, it seems)" (Daily Mail, Sept. 1). (Sources: The Sunday Telegraph, Daily Mail, The Independent [all London].)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: November - December 2003
Course Content
Jerold Aust
Jerold Aust has served in the ministry for 52 years, as a public speaker for 58 years, a published writer for 38 years, and is employed by UCG’s Media and Communications Services. He is a Senior Writer, interviewer, and editor for Beyond Today Magazine and has taught Speech Communication for UCG’s ministerial online program and the Book of Revelation for ABC.
Jerold holds a BA in theology from Ambassador College, Pasadena (1968), an MA in Communication from California State University, Fullerton (1995), a distance-learning Ph.D (2006), and a Famous Writers School diploma in non-fiction writing (1973). Additionally, he studied post-grad communication at University of Southern California (1995), radio, TV, voice-overs, and Public Relations at Fullerton College (1995-1996), and graduate communication at Wichita State University (1978). Jerold has taught communication at the University of South Alabama (7 years) and ABC (17 years). His published works include, Ronald Reagan’s Rhetoric: Metaphor as Persuasion and EZSpeakers: Public Speaking Made Easy in 7 Steps. Jerold's overarching goal is to share with humankind its incredible destiny!
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
