It seems that in today's society no one wants to take responsibility for anything. Parents don't or won't take responsibility of how their children turn out. It's daycare's fault, school's fault, college's fault, cop's fault, ... you get picture. As far as children go today, newsflash parents, "It is your fault." They are your children, not daycare's or schools. It is your responsibility to be sure that they get to school, that they learn in school, and what they do after school. That means paying attention to what your children are doing. Taking an interest in homework they have, and if they don't have any, giving them some. Monitoring what kind of music they listen to, what they watch on television, what kind of movies they watch, and video games they play. Teaching them difference between reality and imaginary ideas, people and things. Television and video games are not baby-sitters, and neither is school system. Your children are your responsibility, and in all honesty if you don't have time to spend with your children, then don't have them. I fully realize that both parents have to work today because of cost of things. However, there are parents raising children who are aware of what their children are doing, spend time with them, and instill in them ethics, morals and values so that their children can become productive adults. Unfortunately, these parents appear to be few and far between.

Teachers, your job is to teach our children. The crying about class size doesn't cut it. When I attended school we had a minimum of 30 students in most classes, and teachers taught and we all passed our Regents exams before graduating high school. Unfortunately, while I was in college I could see writing on wall already regarding our education system. Those who were going into teaching only had to pass/fail classes such as psychology, sociology, and learning theory classes; and they couldn't even do that. Our education system has gone downhill since mid 70's. Yes, there are still some good teachers out there, those in their 40's and up. However, we have teachers today that can't read and write, so how can we expect them to teach our children to do so. Some of teachers today are afraid of being tested on a yearly basis, and many of them should be, because they would not pass. The standards for testing today are a joke. I would love to give a Regents Exam test from a high school in 50's, 60's, and even early 70's. Both students and teachers today wouldn't pass.

A. Know what you want. Establish a goal and what will satisfy you.

B. Develop a plan. Develop a negotiating strategy. Where do you want to start and to finish. Be sure to give yourself maneuvering room.

C. Know what person you're negotiating with needs. Remember, all parties must feel that some, if not all, their interests are satisfied. Ask open ended questions to get to these needs and to understand their position.

D. Be an empathetic listener. This will allow you to understand other's motivations.

E. Address problem. Focus on finding solutions to shared problems. Don't attack person. This is not conducive to working with them. Be courteous and tactful.