Charles Sykes is the author of DUMBING DOWN OUR KIDS. He
volunteered for high school and college graduates a list of eleven things
they did not learn in school. In his book, he talks about how the feel
good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no
concept of reality, and set them up for failure in the real world.
Rule 1
- Life is not fair; get used to it.
Rule 2
- The world doesn’t care about your self-esteem. The world will
expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3
- You will NOT make 40 thousand dollars a year right out of high school.
You won't be a vice president with a company car, until you earn both.
Rule 4
- If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.
He doesn't have tenure.
Rule 5
- Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your
grandparents had a different word for burger flipping; they called it
opportunity.
Rule 6
- If you mess up, it's not your parents fault, so don't whine
about your mistakes, learn from them.
Rule 7
- Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they
are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes,
and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So, before you save the
rain forest from the parasites of your parent’s generation, try delousing
the closet in your own room.
Rule 8
- Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but
life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades; they'll
give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't
bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Rule 9
- Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off,
and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do
that on your own time.
Rule 10
- Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have
to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
Rule 11
- Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.
DPetty 
