--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I read in the papers here a while back…" description: "\"“I read in the papers here a while back some teachers came across a survey that was sent out back in the thirties to a number of schools around the cou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/cormac-mccarthy-181_education_i-read-in-the-papers-here-a-while-back-s_151856.jpg" --- # I read in the papers here a while back some teachers came… ![“I read in the papers here a while back some teachers came across a survey that was sent out back in the thirties to a number of schools around the country. Had this questionnaire about what was the problems with teachin in the schools. And they come across these forms, they'd been filled out and…” quote by Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/cormac-mccarthy-181_education_i-read-in-the-papers-here-a-while-back-s_151856.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/cormac-mccarthy-181_education_i-read-in-the-papers-here-a-while-back-s_151856.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/cormac-mccarthy-181_education_i-read-in-the-papers-here-a-while-back-s_151856.jpg) > ““I read in the papers here a while back some teachers came across a survey that was sent out back in the thirties to a number of schools around the country. Had this questionnaire about what was the problems with teachin in the schools. And they come across these forms, they'd been filled out and sent in from around the country answerin these questions. And the biggest problems they could name was things like talkin in class and runnin in the hallways. Chewin gum. Copyin homework. Things of that nature. So they got one of them forms that was blank and printed up a bunch of em and sent em back out to the same schools. Forty years later. Well, here come the answers back. Rape, arson, murder. Drugs. Suicide. So think about that. Because a lot of the time when I say anything about how the world is goin to hell in a handbasket people will just sort of smile and tell me I'm gettin old. That it's one of the symptoms. But my feelin about that is that anybody that cant tell the difference between rapin and murderin people and chewin gum has got a whole lot bigger of a problem than what I've got. Forty years is not a long time neither. Maybe the next forty of it will bring some of em out from under the ether. If it aint too late.”” [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Survey data shows a shift from minor school misbehaviors to severe societal issues over decades, highlighting worsening problems. **In simple terms:** School problems have become far more serious over time. Key Takeaway Address root causes of societal decline. Themes education societal change historical trends Mood concerned reflective Type analytical critical When to use this quote - school discipline - community safety - mental health initiatives Key Concepts social decay policy failure generational trauma Questions to Reflect On - What factors contributed to this shift? - How can education mitigate future crises? A Different Perspective Complex causes make simple solutions insufficient. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Papers Teachers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/papers-teachers-1686475/) [Problems Teachin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problems-teachin-1686473/) [Talkin Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talkin-class-1686474/) [Teachers Came](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teachers-came-1686477/) [Teachin Schools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teachin-schools-1686476/) [Too late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-late/) ## Related quotes > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. 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Had this questionnaire about what was the problems with teachin in the schools. And they come across these forms, they'd been filled out and sent in from around the country answerin these questions. And the biggest problems they could name was things like talkin in class and runnin in the hallways. Chewin gum. Copyin homework. Things of that nature. So they got one of them forms that was blank and printed up a bunch of em and sent em back out to the same schools. Forty years later. Well, here come the answers back. Rape, arson, murder. Drugs. Suicide. So think about that. Because a lot of the time when I say anything about how the world is goin to hell in a handbasket people will just sort of smile and tell me I'm gettin old. That it's one of the symptoms. But my feelin about that is that anybody that cant tell the difference between rapin and murderin people and chewin gum has got a whole lot bigger of a problem than what I've got. Forty years is not a long time neither. Maybe the next forty of it will bring some of em out from under the ether. 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