the decline of English

Whether you want to accept this or not, reality is here to haunt not only teachers but also parents of kids who pay much to give their children quality education. Children today no longer care about the printed WORD. Most of them do not like to read and so therefore what do you expect when they go to a spelling bee? It's sad and likewise confusing because our educators do not seem to be exactly sleeping-on-the-job. We hear about the numerous seminars these key education players have to attend annually. Why? What are they learning in these seminar-workshops which cost the government lots of money? One teacher jokingly said that they like to go to such seminars because of the food and the "eating" that are part of those events. Of course, teachers gotta eat, too. But what do these annual gatherings accomplish except for the additional mound on our teachers' bellies?