The media’s lack of critical thinking in writing these stories up is pervasive but still astounding. They bash their 500 words out and go to Starbucks or something.
Government’s view of its schools as ideological day camps and indoctrination centers is obvious to anyone brave and willing enough to deal with reality.
Even parents and so-called conservatives - many of whom, it must be said, work in the schools - are lulled to sleep and ignore the risible concept that schools should be one of the pillars of society. It’s worth noting that society used to have three pillars of society - church, school and family. Marxists have been rather successful at pushing churches and religion out of the way and even more successful at breaking up the family, leaving just the schools - and the schools have been transformed into something very sinister and ugly.
Imagine picking 30 kids at random:
-3 of them are addicted to street drugs or opioids or alcohol
-5 of them are on some other form of psychotropic drugs for ADD, depression, anxiety, etc.
-5 of them are engaged in criminal activity
-2 of them are undiagnosed or untreated dangerous psychos
-15 of them might be considered otherwise normal
Compulsory attendance laws and demands that ‘everyone is entitled to an education’ means that the state intentionally herds normal kids who want to learn into confined spaces with people - regardless of age - who have no business being in school.
Schools are unfit for purpose. Schools attempting to become music academies, sport clubs, art schools, and anything else beyond the concentration on and transfer of knowledge are unfit for those purposes as well but extracurricular activities are constantly invoked as a means of camouflaging the abysmal, expensive mess that is public education.
McDonald’s occasionally tries to sell salads, apples, juice and other healthy fare. Inevitably the public mocks or ignores these items and wants its hamburgers and fries. McDonald’s then makes a big production of saying ‘we’re going back to what we do best.’ It’s the correct decision but it stakes way too much time and money.
Schools, on the other hand, never get round to confronting their existential crises and are allowed to skate. Schools and the classes therein should be selective and regimented. Smart kids must take tests, write essays and generally break their necks - merely to escape the rabble be taught at their correct intellectual level! They are held up as AP, honors, gifted show ponies but the real scandal is that most schools and most classes are open-air prisons with a chalkboard hung on the wall. Schools bend over backwards to coddle criminals, thugs and psychos. ‘Expulsion’ really isn’t. In fact, it’s an excuse for the school to lavish even more attention on a punk - counselors, special teachers, etc.
Schools must be forced to return to their core functions. Those unable or unwilling to learn should be shunted off to different facilities at their parents’ expense.
Music education? A private academy. Dramatics? A private academy. Sports? An academy/club where playing fields, medical/training staff and coaches work ie a huge savings thanks to economies of scale. Dances? A community cotillion board. All dances and social functions are VOLUNTARY. If they mention Christmas or Easter and someone objects, then that someone can stay home. If they have a dress code and specify male/female couples, then same sex couples can go elsewhere. No lawsuits, no pickets, no court orders. Moving the game off leftist turf is a must.
If teachers’ unions are going to protect incompetent teachers, then schools can play hardball with the unions. Where are the unions going to go for work and retirement income? Poor test scores/grades and a general lack of knowledge will be cause for temporary or permanent reductions in compensation. Make the unions police their own if they want the bucks.
So many obvious fixes for the broken schools - many of which would produce huge cost savings.
Next they should mandate use of horses and buggies on state roads... :-(
The Internet has turned schools into very very expensive babysitters.
“McDonald’s occasionally tries to sell salads, apples, juice and other healthy fare. Inevitably the public mocks or ignores these items and wants its hamburgers and fries.”
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I don’t know about juice or apples but McDonald’s salads are HUGE sellers.
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