Education Myths

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

[Turbo Pig]

I agree with much of what the article said. I do have a BIG point of contention with the bit about teachers not working as much as people in other professions. My disagreement stems more from personal experience, than any hard facts. The good teachers; and there are a lot of them, put in just as many hours, if not more, than a lot of people I know.

Both my parents were school teachers. They are old-school, paddling is ok, better damn well learn the subject teachers. In fact papa pig started in 1957 and last year was the first year he did not teach in a school in some form or fashion. Good teachers don't work 9-5. Add to that the extra weight of coaching, like my father, and the hours that they put in during a school year can easily add up to 60 to 80 hours a week, or more. They are available late into the night for their students, and take their work home on a regular basis.

Don't take this comment wrong, my parents always put my sister and I ahead of everyone else. As a kid, though, I realize that a lot of the resentment I had towards my parents stemmed from the fact that I felt had to compete with ALL their students for their attention. This was because all year round, whether they were at school or at home they were on duty as teachers. So don't think teachers have it made in regards to hours worked and summer vacation.

Sad thing is mama pig was an English and Typing teacher and I still have to use spell check, and can't type worth a dang:-)

[Dick Bachert]

In 1978 or so my wife and I came to know a young woman named Patty. She
was a devoutly religious young mother who'd become more devout when her
husband and father of her two small sons aged 2 and 6 informed her that he
was leaving. In dire economic straits, I offered to let her stay in our
former home in Chamblee -- which was not rented at the time – rent-free until she got back on her feet. She had been clandestinely home schooling the 6 year
old for about 2 years using very well done Christian course materials from
an organization in Texas the name of which escapes me. The lad had recently been tested and had placed at least a year ABOVE his chronological age. As required by the government school authorities at the time, she dutifully apprised the authorities of his scores.

For reasons which would become clear in a moment, Patty had been harassed by the DeKalb County school authorities for about 6 months and, by the time she moved into the Chamblee house, had been -- unbeknownst to us -- ORDERED to put the 6 year old into the nearest government elementary school or suffer the consequences. Because she wanted the boys to be educated Christians, there was no way she was going to do that and she told them so.

At approximately 2 am one morning, a loud knock on the door announced the
arrival of the aforementioned "consequences."

Dressed only in a nightgown, she was confronted by several burly police officers who thrust an arrest warrant in her face. With the now awakened 6 year old watching and the 2 year old wailing in the other room, she was handcuffed and led out the door to jail. She was tossed into a large cell with a couple of hookers and a junkie who spent much of the rest of that morning vomiting in the corner. The two young boys for whom the educational authorities professed such great concern were just left AT THE HOUSE -- ALONE! Patty was later told that the bureaucrats from Children Services who were SUPPOSED to accompany the cops were late and, in their haste to get this dangerous miscreant behind bars, the cops just missed the fact that the Children Services people were, well, missing. The CS folks showed up an hour later to find two terrified kids, one of whom had just seen his mother hauled off in cuffs.

Patty was ultimately brought to trial under the Georgia Truancy Statutes. Her pro-bono attorney tore the school authorities to shreds and hers has been called THE case that opened the floodgates to home schooling in Georgia. Once they had all the facts, the jury didn’t take long to acquit her. I’m proud to have played a small part in that.

At Patty’s trial, a previously overlooked aspect of the government schools was put into sharp focus for those paying attention: The Director of Instruction for DeKalb County testified that the then current 7 hour school day consisted of an average of approximately 3 hours or less of instruction. At that time, Patty was devoting 4 to 5 hours a day to direct instruction.

He also as much as admitted that the REAL reason they wanted ALL these kids in school was the $3,000.00 per kid per year (I’m sure that number is higher in 2001!) they then got from the state and federal government. Empty seats = lost funds. As in most things, follow the money.

Patty home schooled these two boys through high school.

And how did the boys turn out?

One is now a physician and the other a budding journalist.

But that now seems to be the norm for the growing legions of home schooled kids – which most likely explains why the NEA and the government school folks feel so threatened. For what it’s worth, a home schooled kid won the last National Spelling Bee.

Thomas Jefferson believed an EDUCATED PUBLIC to be the cornerstone of the system he and the other Founders TRIED to leave behind. He would NOT, I feel certain, be a big fan of the current government education system. If he returned today, he’d home school his children just as he did before.

Dick Bachert
6-2001

[sinbad17]

I have no quarrel with the comments stated herein;however, there seems to be one major ingredient missing. LEARNING! To the best of my knowledge ( which I admit has not been updated in some time), NO ONE truly knows how a person learns. Yes there are many theories but NOT A SINGLE LAW. Seems to me that this is where the emphasis should be, finding out how people actually learn then one can direct the other aspects to ensuring such learning does occur.I think we blame teachers for students not learning when the teachers and those that govern education, themselves have no idea exactly what should be happening in the classroom.

[razorback-bert]

I was fortunate that I was taught math, science, and English by people who had degrees in those subjects( many had the title Doctor in front of their name)in my high school.

What a old fashioned idea having pupils taught by people trained in the subject.

[ChessExpert]

Great article. The NEA and teachers will argue point for point, and attack the messenger. They will convince themselves, once again, that they just need to steal more public moneys.

But money is not the only theft made by government schools. They also steal other people's children, and do the best they can to imbue those children with NEA/Liberal values. Milton Friedman once said that socialistic education systems teach socialistic values.

(Here's a technical digression. Communism differs from socialism in that, under communism, the state controls the means of production. Under communism, government owns the buildings and hires the employees - just like our "public" schools.)

The current government education system is unfree, immoral, and unjust. Our school system borders on the totalitarian. Vouchers are a just way out.

[Explorer24]

James McWhorter, "Winning the Race: Beyond the Crisis in Black America"

Said the same thing last night on CSPAN at an AEI event. Cited the Abbott schools in NJ as proof that more $ won't solve the problem. And he rebutted the common claim of the left that it's structural racism to blame. He emphaises, get this, culture! Go figure.

I'm very proud of strong black leaders who are transcending the decades of hyberbole and getting into real solutions. Too bad the MSM won't give them a voice and democrats feel the need to put asterisks next to their names.

[Kay Ludlow]

bump for later reading

[G Larry]

Bump!

[Non-Sequitur]

The most generously funded of the five voucher programs studied, the Milwaukee program, provides students with only 60 percent of the $10,112 spent per pupil in that city's public schools.

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?

[maine-iac7]

Of course, the other side is that the home schooled children win all the prizes and a hugely disproportionate share of seats in competetive colleges

So, rather than the better educated, better performing students reaping the benefits of their work/achievements - you want a quota system?

[upchuck]

Schools don't need more money. They need competition. Nothing will achieve positive results faster than competition.

Vouchers and school choice are a start.

[Dutch Boy]

I've always wondered if the ratio of administrative cost compared to the actual teaching costs translate into a ruler for success. I have this notion that the higher the administrative part of the ratio, the worse the schools are likey to perform. Are there any real statistics on this?

[WHESS]

I have read the article and agree with a lot of it.
One point of contention is this:
Private school students achieve better results because (in my opinion): A. the class size is consistently smaller and that DOES make a difference. B. Kids in private schools have extra incentive (a kick in the pants) to do well since Mom and Dad are shelling out big bucks for tuition. They'd better damn well be doing well in school! C. Most private school students come from similar backgrounds-economically (translate-rich), life experiences, and education is a huge priority. Public school is just that: PUBLIC. You get what you get and everyone is lumped in together.
The point about teachers not working hard-well I don't know if we work harder than others, but I for one, sure don't work any less.
The complaint about underpaid teachers: That used to be a mantra with teachers-mostly because it was true! But, at least where I work, huge strides have been made and I think I receive very adequate pay and benefits. I'm not sure who continues to whine about being underpaid but I suspect it's union folks.?
And finally I'll just throw this out: If vouchers are implemented, don't you wonder what will happen to private school test results? Seems to me, private schools would lose their 'exclusiveness'-which is a huge point of private schools, isn't it?

[9999lakes]

For that long at least I've been saying that the School Voucher program will happen because it has to happen. I still believe that, it's just taking longer than I hoped. ....................................................................................................................... Me too. I said it like this -- Vouchers are inevitible because parents love their children more than they love the teacher's unions. I'm beginning to think I'm wrong............................. Not about Vouchers................................... Not about Parents................................... Not about Teacher's Unions............................ ...........Just about "inevitible", and it's because the GOP thinks I have nowhere else to go on election day. ...................Now something else is inevitible.

[P-40]

more $ won't solve the problem.

It will get you a more expensive problem though. :)

[upchuck]

Are there any real statistics on this?

Probably. But if there are I betcha the NEA, et al have buried it.

I agree with you 100%.

[ClaireSolt]

Who me? Something wrong with your fingertips. The braille doesn't come through?

[maine-iac7]

Who me? Something wrong with your fingertips. The braille doesn't come through?

(in answer to my post # 30.)

You gotta be a teacher - or a lawyer...uses attack & obfuscation rather than refutation

[driftless]

I have a bro-in-law who recently retired at age 55 after teaching for thirty years in the public school system. He never worked summers. He doesn't believe in stocks and bonds, but he and my sister have plenty of dough even after spoiling their two now grown children.

[ClaireSolt]

You speak a completely foreign language. Your comments are not germane.