First Things First - Ark Education

Arkansas Publik Skulz ^ | Margaret Brogley

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First Things First
Date: Sunday, January 04 @ 17:25:43
Topic Letters to Editor

FIRST THINGS FIRST
By Margaret Brogley

With all other educational expenses we are expected to spend another billion or more on buildings. Why? What relation does that have with educational improvement?

Consider two scenarios...

First: I began teaching more than sixty years ago in southern Arkansas in tiny farm village. The small school had no indoor plumbing; we used the outhouse behind the home-ec building. There was a wood stove I had to stoke each morning before students came. I was also the janitor of my building.

Second: While teaching in London, a group of us teachers decided to visit Eton College, the school of future kings. As the headmaster led us into one of the great halls, he called our attention to the lack of heat, saying, "You see, we need none for the walls are four feet thick." I thought, "Yes, I see," as I stood there shivering in my fur-lined boots wearing a wool suit and sweater plus a heavy topcoat!

Would I wish either scenario on today's students? No, they're too pampered. However, I must say that my pupils had no problems studying or making change for they had been taught traditional academics before John Dewey's philosophy reached them. There were no discipline problems, and apparently Eton was sufficient for kings.

If the above-mentioned students could learn in such primitive conditions, why spend a fortune one school buildings? Ten million is planned for a survey and one billion for buildings. Will the expenses improve education? Not likely, but they will greatly increase taxes.

Education will never improve until we first return to traditional education. So far, the educrats refuse.

When will the taxpayers ever demand that first things come first?

This article comes from Arkansas Publik Skulz
http://www.gohotsprings.com/school/

The URL for this story is:
http://www.gohotsprings.com/school/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=332

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[RLK]

As the headmaster led us into one of the great halls, he called our attention to the lack of heat, saying, "You see, we need none for the walls are four feet thick." I thought, "Yes, I see," as I stood there shivering in my fur-lined boots wearing a wool suit and sweater plus a heavy topcoat!

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This reminds me of a true story. During the beginning of scientific and instrumented study of naurology on of the major tasks was to measure the speed of axon impulse conduction. The British data was in sharp disagreement with that from all other countries. When investifaters visited the british lab they found themselves shivering while the British stood about in theircustomary heave sweaters and other apparel. It was so cold in thr British labs that it retarded the action of nerve cells, leading to erroneous results.

[vpintheak]

Costs so much due to these factors and more. Regulations and building codes placed upon any building, I can't imagine how many codes go into making a school legal these days. It will probably be built by unions due to their congressional lobbying efforts. Therefore increasing the cost of building by 30- 50 percent. But just remember, Unions are for the "working" man. Who cares if it raises taxes just to pay them to build the places, the "working" man got paid. Can you tell I despise unions?