Education Myths

The American Enterprise ^ | July/August 2006 | Jay Greene

[moog]

"I absolutely would have no problem with that around here either. It would do public schools a world of good to be in a competitive market.
Good for you-"

I wouldn't mind it either--but the state bureaucrats can't stand not to have the control and policy. We could really do a lot of great things here. In my area, teachers' unions don't have "control" a lot. I think that the efforts are going to have to be grassroots. I really think this next year will be the start of something neat and I'm going to do my darndest to see it is.

One reason--I teach in my neighborhood and am tired of seeing the gossip and "I'm better than you" type things spring up. It'll take a collective effort, but things are going to be great here.

[ClaireSolt]

It is just that I didn't say anything about quotas, not did I imply anything. So quit bugging me.

[TASMANIANRED]

The 2 primary problems with what is wrong with public school education is

Teachers Unions and Schools of Education.

A Bachelor of Science in Biology can teach Science better than a Masters of Education.

Master in Education is little better than certification in Marxist Indoctrination.

[ClaireSolt]

The titel is education myth. You qualify.

[moog]

I didn't say anything about quotas eithers. The reply was a dumb joke about "germane." Please recognize it for what it was. Sorry to disturb your foofoos.

[moog]

I agree, teachers should be qualified, but as we've seen sometimes that slip of paper doesn't necessarily translate into the best teacher. Not all "educated" people are all that "educated."

[moog]

The titel is education myth

Good titel.

[moog]

"I didn't say anything about quotas eithers."

Eithers????? I gotta lern wut u spillchek ez.

[metmom]

But I will say, that's what you expect as a teacher and teachers full-well know about it when they become one.

I would certainly hope so. Anyone who doesn't have that one figured out isn't mentally qualified to teach.

[wintertime]

You may be right. When they turn a skating rink into a successful private school, give me a call. I will tip my hat to you.

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If "gobmint" teachers have their way, the ice skating rink will never have the opportunity.

By the way,,,,my kids did skate at an arena that trained the Cruthers, an Olympic medal winning brother and sister team. Having had some limited opportunity to see the dance, choreography, and study of music and the expertise of the couches, I am convinced that this arena could provide the foundation for an excellent school. In fact, several parents did attempt to start one. The problem of course, was trying to compete against the price-fixed monopoly government school system.

That you denigrate this idea, merely demonstrates your profound ignorance of what Olympic level training in skating entails. I personally feel privileged to have been able to be a witness.

[moog]

I would certainly hope so. Anyone who doesn't have that one figured out isn't mentally qualified to teach.

You do expect a lot of things, but there are always curveballs of course that get thrown. I've seen many.

[ThomasThomas]

The schools today need to keep everybody on this forum happy with out upsetting the other types over at DU with rules set by national, state, district elected officials with out beings sued by the ACLU. Every times someone sees a local problem they pass a law making changes across the state. You can't even take roll in the morning with threat of suit somewhere. And after you get by all these hoops to jump through you need to deal with the parents of the kids in your class. One one the biggest problems in schools is that so many people want their spoon in the pot there isn't any room left the kids.

[ClaireSolt]

One thing that would help is if teaching jobs were advertised and collected in a nationwide data base. There are places where there are shortages and other places with surpluses, but usually you have to contact each district to see what is open. Also, because of the pay structure and different state certification requirements, it is hard to relocate and stay in teaching. Most americans do move, but taching assumes one will stay put in one place.

[wintertime]

The solutions to the public school problems are both simple and inexpensive: Institute standards for both the teachers and the students, then stick to them.


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So..who gets nominated to the Soviet-style Neighborhood People's Re-education Camp Committee?

The solution is to begin the process of privatizing universal K-12 education. Parents, teachers, and principals in private settings are in the best position to formulate an educational plan for a child. Soviet-style People's Committees aren't.

[Sam Cree]

Way back in the mid 50's, when I was a kid in second grade, I went to school in a very rural area. There was no air conditioning, heat was from a coal stove. Just one teacher, Miz Hamner, was teaching the second grade and the third grade, in the same room and at the same time. She did a great job, if you did what she said, you learned, if not, you didn't. It was a public school, without any amenities and very little money, but that didn't matter, the teachers taught and did their jobs (I guess they were motivated), most kids did well, the ones that didn't, well, that wasn't the teachers' fault.

She had a washtub, if a kid came in smelling too bad, they had to bathe in the tub...if they misbehaved, she had a wooden paddle with holes drilled in it so it would whistle as it slammed down on the kids' butts.

Funny, as long ago as that was, I still remember it fondly. Miz Hamner was a true lady. There was a TV program made later about her family, called the Waltons.

[moog]

And after you get by all these hoops to jump through you need to deal with the parents of the kids in your class. One one the biggest problems in schools is that so many people want their spoon in the pot there isn't any room left the kids. Good comment. I am the luckiest teacher in the world as I get good parents and good kids to work with each year. I'm the dumbest, lamest, weirdest, stupidest, and a terrible idiot of a teacher and yet I see magic happen each year (no, not the black kind:).

[WHESS]

What are you talking about? How did the idea of turning a skating rink into a private school turn into a slam to me about my ignorance of Olympic training?

You are indeed what people call "a piece of work."

[cbkaty]

Which still means that the voucher is about $6000. It the state is subsidizing private schools through vouchers to that extent then what is to stop them from demanding a say in curriculum, admissions policies, teacher credentials, and all the rest?

Thats a red herring....the state provides nothing....the taxpayer pays everything...and the parents are taxpayers....

[wintertime]

"Which still means that the voucher is about $6000. It the state is subsidizing private schools through vouchers to that extent then what is to stop them from demanding a say in curriculum, admissions policies, teacher credentials, and all the rest?"

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Good point! I personally oppose vouchers for the reasons you state.

However, I do agree to tax credits for any person or business who donates money to a private scholarship fund for private vouchers, or who pays for the private education of a specific child. There is less opportunity for government control with tax credits.

One good way to start the process of privatizing universal K-12 education would be by charging tuition, on a sliding scale, to those parents who send their child to a government school.

Somehow we must break the government price-fixed monopoly on k-12 education. Tax credits could help do this.

[moog]

I LOVED the Waltons--kind of where my values lie and what my parents taught us. There's a LOT MORE to deal with nowadays, but I think if people can just get all the monkeys off their backs and just get back to simple values like giving compliments, not blaming others, recognizing the positive and the negative, dealing with things rather than complaining all the time, showing thanks, being thankful for what we have, not always saying that you have to have what the other guy does, recognizing the traits of personal responsiblity and effort, working with not against people, being honest, and so on and so on, things would go a lot better. That's my approach--those simple values. Besides, I'm a simple person so I have to take that approach:)