DeKalb Summer Youth Employment

Sounds good right? GIVE kids a summer job. That's right. They don't have to compete for the job. They don't have to earn it. Just another handout wrap-around service. To what end? Well, Michael Thurmond is quoted as saying [emphasis added]:

"In addition to receiving a paycheck, these youth are being introduced to job skills and a work ethic ..."

Really? Introduced? To a work ethic? Old enough to work, surely been in school and this is their first exposure to a work ethic? But guess what, these kids are all but guaranteed a diploma--apparently without without demeaning themselves by doing any work.

It isn't clear if the AJC is trying for a "save" or just don't know when to put down the shovel when they add:

participants receive softskills training, in which they learn about punctuality, conflict resolution, presentation and other important job skills

Say what? Is this to say they STILL don't actually practice punctuality they just learn about it? Is this like watching Jurassic Park and instantly being ordained a paleontologist? You watch things like this unfold and you wonder if reality is mimicking a Cascade commercial: what does our public school system do?