I WAS ambling home from a walk through our local park the other afternoon when I spotted a couple of policemen calling at a house near to mine.
They knocked at the door a couple of times. When there was no answer, they began looking around in a somewhat confused manner and then decided to ask me if I knew the people who lived at the house. I told them that I did but they worked during the day and wouldn’t be home until after 5pm.
I was then asked if the man of the house was black. I said no and they said that they had been told that the man who lived at number 23 was black. I didn’t have the heart to tell them that they had been knocking at number 24 because the number was clearly on the front door at eye level!
They briefly discussed the matter and decided to come back in the evening.
This leads me to believe that it might be a good idea if the authorities checked the numeracy of the police before they let them out in the neighbourhood.
I’m afraid that recent experiences lead me to believe that the basic skills are not being taught well enough in our schools.
Perhaps too much time is spent on more frivolous pastimes and not enough on the skills that everyone needs to make their way in life.
Too much is made of the use of computers, which only makes young people lazy when it comes to thinking for themselves.
My mum and dad both came from working class backgrounds. My mum had 11 brothers and sisters and all of them could write a good letter and spell properly when they left school at the age of 14.
They probably lacked some of the finer things in life but good manners and common sense where high on the agenda for them as was ensuring that their own kids got a decent education.
It’s sad to say it but I really believe that we have allowed modern technology to take the place of good old fashioned parenting.