When activism masquerades as education

NY Daily News ^ | 7/21/06 | SOL STERN

[Onelifetogive]

School is the only place where they are likely to obtain the academic knowledge that could make up for the educational deprivation they suffer in their homes.

The Dims (power-brokers) are not stupid...If only stupid people will vote for you...make more stupid people.

[Zon]

OUCH!!

That'll leave a mark.

Sounds like a response Milton Friedman would say in his PBS series. Very good video: PBS: Free to Choose -- What's Wrong With Our Schools?

[phillyfanatic]

By golly, this is the NEA's agenda. In fact, Pubs used to believe in getting rid of the Dept. of Ed. Well, that idea should be gotten dusted off again and then teachers who are not brainwashed and Dems, should quit the NEA. Why any Pub belongs is a mystery since the NEA goes against every Pub philosophy foundationally.

[Old Student]

"I don't know about the rest of the article, but this statement is false. I am currently in "teacher preparation program" which is a Masters in Teaching. I have heard nothing remotely close to this statement, nor have I seen anything like it in any of the textbooks we use. We concentrate on math, reading, science and social studies teaching methods, and learning disabilities."

I completed my bachelors, in Social Studies, Secondary Education, in Dec. 2004, and this is, in fact, part of the teacher preparation materials. It's not by any means the only thing, but it's certainly there.

The main textbook for EDFN 3003, the first required teacher's ed class, at the University of Oklahoma, when I took the class, was "School and Society: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives" 4th ed., by Steven E. Tozer, Paul C. Violas, and Guy Senese. According to the index, Paolo Friere is referenced on pages 244, 258, 259, and 260. Benjamin Rush gets pages 42-45, 50, 60, and 130, while Thomas Jefferson gets 23 separate page references. The statement is not false, although it may not be emphasized as much as the author wants us to think...

I will also note that the university bookstore also carries Friere's work in stock at all times. I can't tell if it's the same books that were there when I started at OU in 2000, or not, but there were 3 or 4 of his books on the shelf when I was there last week.

[Old Student]

"When & why was history replaced with social studies? "

Social studies is not just history, but also geography, anthropology, sociology, etc.

"Literacy isn't just reading, it's spelling, grammar & writing."

Precisely, so why expect teachers to only teach reading? One of the best ways of learning to write, of course, is to do a LOT of reading. Followed by explicit instruction in the other skills that go with it. I am a social studies teacher, and social studies is almost ALL reading. Students who don't read well, don't do well in social studies. So in addition to teaching history and geography and government, I also teach a little reading, and study strategies, and writing, and...

"Your learning disabilities instruction, weighted towards identification of disabilities or towards dealing with different learning styles, using the individual skills even "disabled" children have? Since "gifted" students may have challenges that other students don't have, why no special instruction about teaching them?"

Weighted towards teaching skills that students don't always get, regardless of their ability levels, including gifted and talented students and those who are truely disabled, as well as those who are only mildly challenged in one subject or area.

Here at OU, anyway.

[dcnd9]

Keep 'em poor in mind, body and spirit and you will control them!

[NavySon]

"They call for 'mandatory African-American history classes in all New York City public schools.'"

"Mandatory African-American history classes"? History classes already learn about black history! Slavery, segregation, the Harlem Renaissance, the Civil Rights Movement, etc. We have a black history MONTH for God's sake! (And everyone knows that during Black History Month you can't go 30 minutes without hearing about all the stuff I mentioned on TV or in school.) Black history is a part of AMERICAN HISTORY! To create an entirely separate class for black history is racist and segragatory (not sure if that's a word but you get the idea). All these liberals and democRATs are talking about how important black heritage, history, and culture is important to America, and it is! But creating separate history classes for different races' histories is just plain racist! "Separate but equal" was declared unconstitutional! Liberals and democRATs don't care about "fair treatment" and "equal opportunities," they just know that most blacks vote democRAT, so they try to keep this support by creating policies and programs that are discriminatory, racist, and unconstitutional. And no one can stop them because if we try to, the libs will cry out "racism!" plus the Republican party would probably lose more black voters! I swear, libs and dems make me sick!