Posted on 02/28/2002 4:32:57 AM PST by Stand Watch Listen
* Edna Kleinmeyer who didn't just teach English: She imbued us with a love of language I carry to this day;
* Charlie Kluckholn, the tough old wrestling coach who taught chemistry and gave me some of the best advise I ever heard;
* Charles Huffman, my homeroom teacher who helped me over a very rough spot in my life;
* Franklin Jefferis, a "lowly" shop teacher, whose love of a job well done was wordlessly communicated to his kids in thousands of subtle ways. Mr. Jefferis died soon after I graduated. One October night, I “visited” him – alone -- at the funeral home and wept as I thanked him one last time.
But the current GS are radically different from the system through which I passed 50 years ago. Know that my concern and hostility are NOT directed at those who still TEACH -- really teach, really want the best EDUCATION for the kids, want to prepare them academically for the future.
Those feelings are reserved for SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS who have socialist/collectivist agendas or quietly acquiesce to the agendas imposed on them from above. They know that what is going on is wrong, but say nothing lest they jeopardize their careers. Author Thomas Sowell calls these folks "the anointed." And as the title of his book on the subject, "The Vision of The Anointed," indicates, they HAVE a vision! That it is NOT the PARENTS’ vision is of no concern to them.
When my kids were still in the GS, my wife and I were quite active. The Principal of their elementary school chose me to represent the school in something called the LSAC (Local School Advisory Committee) program. I attended several meetings held at the County Board of Education headquarters. I came away from the VERY FIRST of those meetings with these impressions:
1. Those folks DID NOT speak English. Through tight little smirks clearly indicative of the low esteem, indeed, contempt, they had for the uninformed and ignorant gaggle of parents arrayed before them, they spoke in buzz words and technobabble code only they comprehended. At one point -- to the visible relief of the other parents -- I stopped one woman’s presentation and asked for a translation of what she'd said. She was NOT pleased!
2. They DID NOT want parents involved! Cookie sales and PTA? OK. Serious criticism of a course or textbook? Verboten! Your option was private or parochial school. There very little home schooling then.
3. Most of these people MAY have once been educators. They were now bureaucrats guarding their turf.
4. Many of those administrative folks were making over $50K and, though I looked for signs of it, I saw little evidence of anything resembling “work.” And this was 20 years ago when the average classroom teacher earned less than $25K.
5. There were WAY too many administrators in the GS. It is a perfect opportunity to provide make-work sinecures for “anointed” members of the educational fraternity. Four years as an Air Force instructor taught me how to spot the signs.
Here’s the “bottom line:” Simply hurling more money into the black hole of the GS WILL NOT WORK. Most of that money will NEVER get to the classroom or into the pockets of DESERVING teachers who actually TEACH. And teach what any sensible human being – REGARDLESS of race, faith or ethnicity -- instinctively understands to be correct, morally defensible material.
Bush is right about one thing: We need accountability! Perhaps you recall Clinton’s asinine plan to send 100,000 PAID Americorps “volunteers” into the grade schools to TEACH KIDS TO READ. Why hadn’t their PREVIOUS teachers – OR THEIR PARENTS! -- taught them to perform that rather basic skill???
Think about what you just read as YOUR local government schools continue to raise YOUR property taxes.
Ping!
Stop Public School at Eighth Grade
What’s the big deal about the “new” airport security screeners not being required to have a high school education? For years our public schools have not required a high school education to receive a high school diploma. The piece of paper (diploma) means nothing if a useful education doesn’t come with it.
A recent article in the Sun-Sentinel (“56 percent of ninth-graders don’t finish school,” Jan. 18) stated what we pretty well all suspected: more than 50 percent of Florida’s ninth-graders do not finish high school. We also know that the “average” high school graduate functions on about an eighth-grade level.
A friend who teaches General Education Development told me it is estimated that 85 out of 100 recent high school graduates could not pass all five parts of the GED examination (English, math, science, social studies and literature) the first time, and some not at all. It’s not that the GED is so difficult; it’s just that one has to be able to read and think to pass the test. Are we getting our money’s worth?
Let’s be honest, our public school system, especially at the high school level, has become a “baby-sitting” institution. To save money, why don’t we end a student’s public tax-supported education at the eighth grade? That’s where most graduates function anyway. Those students who are motivated and able – confirmed through fair and reasonable testing – should be allowed to continue their education, or study for the GED, at public expense.
The money that we could save by eliminating this expensive baby-sitting service could be used to reduce the class size for kindergarten through eighth grades and hopefully, improve the overall reading, writing and math skills of all our students. I think that those who are motivated (or get motivated) will find the tax-paying public more than willing to finance their high school, college and even graduate school education.
I for one am grateful that our state and national leaders are pushing for more accountability from our schools, teachers and ultimately the students. Frankly, I don’t think that we are presently getting our money’s worth. What do you think?
WILLIAM “BILL” MOORE
Pompano Beach
Since Florida’s education system has been horrendous for the 25 years we’ve lived here, the current crop of parents were non-educated in the same schools that are turning out semi-illiterates. These parents themselves lack the reading and reasoning skills needed to oversee their child’s education; the result is babysitting on a massive scale, with liberal indoctrination thrown in to insure the downward death spiral of “public education.” A dumbed-down populace is a liberal candy store.
I think running down the street screaming might be appropriate. However, if you have children in school they might (will) be questioned about mom or dad's behavior.
You'd be surprised what happens then......gossip among the teachers. Trouble is some kids have vivid imaginations that spring into use when they can't think of anything interesting to write about, especially if they just watched TV all weekend.
Exactly. I know a fellow who filled out one of these questionaires when he was in high school. (Didn't have 'em when I was in) He told me that most kids made up what they thought would be the "coolest" answers. It was a sort of a contest to see who could say they were doing the most drugs, or their parents were, how many sexual partners they had been with, etc. One would think that the powers that be would recognize this and know that the results were highly tainted. But, one would also think that such questionaires would never be foisted upon school kids. At least not in a free society, anyway.
Launched from the parking lot of John Hardin?
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