I woke early this morning so lay listening to world service/radio 4 till time to get up.
There was a report of a prison officer who had more than 25 years service and was giving a report to some committee. He stated that the type of prisoner had changed markedly recently. At one time the majority would 'get their heads down' and either take courses or just see out there time. He literally stated that the prisons are now filled with feral youths, who are very aggressive, cannot take instruction or direction.
This got me thinking, but later in the day i turned the TV to see a hearbroken man sat in his dilapidated car with his children around him as the baliffs came to call.
And i wondered what sort of society do we want to leave to those who follow.
Schools teach English to an infinite depth when wouldnt a good level of comprehension, vocabulary, reading and spelling suffice. Time save could reinstate domestic science teaching how to cook cheaply and nutritiously. Mathetmatics has always taught parts that for most are destined to the wastebin of the brain. Why not teach money management. We should also teach saving, if you cant afford it, save for it. One of those BBC programmes 'Live well for Less', highlights just how precarious so many families are with their flash homes, clothes, cars and holidays and no back up in case of redundancy or illness.
The mental health issue has soared, is this because as a society we are not gifting our children the tools and resilience to cope with the actul realities of life.
