I'm sitting in my Chemistry class waiting to receive my latest test grade. "Joe," the student next to me, seems like he doesn't care. When he receives his grade, he laughs and says out loud, "The usual!" But the problem with this scene is that the usual is almost always an unsatisfactory grade.

This is the problem with today's educational system in America. Many students just don't care anymore. The image that is being portrayed to children at a young age is that it's "cool" to fail.

"Joe's" problems probably began in elementary school. Maybe he didn't have friends or he just simply enjoyed it, but he began to cause trouble. The more trouble he caused, the more concentration he lost. By causing havoc in the classroom, he gained vast amounts of attention. This new idea of clowning around was seen as "fun" by the other children in the class. Some eventually joined him with his "class act," and now the problem of "Joe" and his new-found friends had its roots.

This elite group began their educational problems by not turning in homework and gradually progressed into failing tests. Throughout their "fun" years in elementary school, this organized gang of "rug rats" did not realize that the learning they should retain was the base for future learning.

When they entered junior high, some of "Joe's" friends realized this, but the majority didn't. They continued being clowns and their now mastered "art forms" of causing trouble. Their basic skills not only suffered because of this, but they also had problems with their native language, English.

By the time cool "Joe" and his friends, now all young adults, reach high school, they will have failed miserably and will be on their way to dropping out.

This is where the system has failed. If only Joe and his followers had been given a solid foundation in elementary school, there might be more intelligent people in today's world. Instead, we're losing these people.

Part of the blame should be given to the teachers. They must make the students realize that it's not cool to fail and that if they fail, their future will be very bleak.

The other portion of the blame goes to the parents. It's their responsibility to spend time with their child so they can discover the problem before it grows. They must sacrifice some of their time and help their child with his/her work and be there when they are studying. Once this is successfully executed, the child will have an excellent base for junior high and high school. n