Lefty Grown Up [George Will on Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown's religious/military charter school]

The NY Post ^ | June 16, 2002 | George Will

[summer]

OAKLAND, CALIF.

Jerry learns to concentrate - on schools.

LONG ago - long before he served two terms as California's governor and made three runs for the Democratic presidential nomination - Jerry Brown, who has won a second term as mayor of this city, was a Jesuit seminarian and, one suspects, a test of the Christian patience of his religious superiors. He recalls that while doing his chores he was prone to flights of philosophizing, to which his supervisors would respond, "Brown, age quod agis."

[summer]

Re your post #51 - Well, like I said in post #44, uniform color or design is something that can certainly be changed a lot easier than these kids' lives. But I do see your point. Thanks for your post, xsmommy. :)

[summer]

The question is... Why aren't Conservatives taking great Pains to point out all the good things he has done as Mayor of Oakland.

This column was written by a conservative, George Will. So, some are taking notice. But your question is a valid one. More conservatives should sit up and take notice of this. Thanks for pointing that out.

[summer]

Re your post #53 - I was thinking along those lines as well. GW would be wise to applaud Jerry Brown on this school.

[summer]

I think it would be VERY good for Simon to visit this school, and especially for Secretary Paige and President Bush to give it some attention.

I agree with your suggestion here, Miss Marple. PKM, thought you might find this thread of interest...

[summer]

Re your post #55 - I doubt Jerry Brown would have much faith in Terry McAuliffe, the wizard who can turn a $100,000 investment into $18 million. If Terry McAuliffe could just show teachers how to do that, you'd never hear another word about low teacher salaries.

[summer]

Yes, I too am very interested to see what Bloomberg does with NYC schools....

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

I asked my mother to put the manuscript in a safe, hidden place. It was so well hidden that now she can't find it.

Classic blunder. First time I remember doing that, I was about 12 years old.

It was tickets to some affair or another that the family was going to; I somehow decided that they would be safe under the telephone. They were; nobody found them for years afterward!

[let freedom sing]

Again, sorry. I don't buy it.

I don't believe you do-- but someone will pay for it, even if you don't. I'm not against teaching kids to read-- CA has spent plenty of money NOT doing that, while training kids to target standardized tests does not educate them, either-- even a RAT can run a maze.

[summer]

I'm not against teaching kids to read--

Glad to hear that! :)

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

much less costly to maintain this kind of wardrobe for work. Other teachers I know elsewhere have told me they prefer this as well, but few schools do this.

This certainly has merit; "What do I wear to work?" solved forever! And economically, too. That commends the practice for students as well; no "keeping up with the Joneses" problem.

If one objects to the homogenization, perhaps one might better object to the whole idea of assembling all the kids of the community into a government cultural institution. And, for example, to requiring children to disrobe semipublicly in sex-segregated locker rooms . . .

But I wonder about the informality of the teacher's uniform as you describe it. Teachers should be senior to--hence socially distant from--their students, not least in a taboo on any expression of sexual interest across that divide. I would think that that divide should be expressed and emphasized in the respective dress codes applicable to students and teachers--and certainly if uniforms are involved . . .

[summer]

FYI.

[summer]

This certainly has merit; "What do I wear to work?" solved forever! And economically, too. That commends the practice for students as well; no "keeping up with the Joneses" problem.

You're right - it is much less distracting for students to be wearing the same thing as well. Less attention on "keeping up with the Joneses" mean more focus on learning. Religious schools have always had students in uniform.

But I wonder about the informality of the teacher's uniform as you describe it

I mention the informality as a practical matter -- a teacher can be doing a wide variety of tasks during the day, including lifting stacks of books; rummaging through storage closets for supplies; reaching to post papers on a wall; etc. Schools that require upscale dressing are not doing teachers any favors. Teachers need to be able to move around freely and to wear professional clothes that are comfortable. However, that doesn't mean denim jeans and a tee-shirt, as, sadly, I have seen teachers wear this as a uniform.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

OMI uses the Saxon reading and math curriculum

My brother had the experience of tutoring the son of the nurse aide he employs part-time. He told me that it was scant wonder that his student had trouble in the subject; the math book provided by the school was essentially devoid of intelligible mathematics!

I would not recognize any other name in the field, but I do recognize Saxon--and I believe that when he wrote his series of books Saxon was deadly serious about teaching mathematics. And that, especially for the less-than-stellar math student, Saxon's math curriculum actually works. So if you're starting with students who are already in trouble, Saxon is a very wise choice.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

.. the goal is to have all OMI students, many of whom entered the school reading four or five grades below grade level, reading at or near grade level by the end of the academic year.

All the better to absorb the leftist propaganda, my dear-- probably get a good dose of PP (Planned Parenthood) safe-unsafe-safe condom education, too.

That would apply to Cuba, which vaunts its literacy rate but allows only Castoite publications to be read. But in America--even in Oakland--you have to figure that literacy is required for conservatism. It is not a sufficent condition, unfortunately--but it is pretty much essential.

Unless somehow you learn from talk radio, if you're illiterate you are subject to an essentially pure liberal propaganda stream from journalism and the rest of the media. And if you were illiterate you wouldn't be reading FR . . .

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Schools that require upscale dressing are not doing teachers any favors. Teachers need to be able to move around freely and to wear professional clothes that are comfortable.

I wouldn't say that the objective of "Schools that require upscale dressing" is to do teachers favors. Although a distinction of formality if backed by administration support certainly has an element of protection from presumption on the part of students.

However, that doesn't mean denim jeans and a tee-shirt, as, sadly, I have seen teachers wear this as a uniform.

The way people dress tends to influence they way they behave. Mother always assured that I, as a student, was dressed more formally than that. There were occasions when that effect on my behavior kept me out of trouble. Sometimes probably (boys sometimes actually perforce must be boys) to my own actual detriment, tho . . .

[summer]

I wouldn't say that the objective of "Schools that require upscale dressing" is to do teachers favors.

Their objective is to make the atmosphere more professional for the students.

But, all that policy actually does it to cost the teachers more money in wardrobe expenses, and emphasize an existing economic different between: black students who are low income and white teachers who are struggling to be middle income, resulting in jealousy from some students' parents.

So, no, they are not doing teachers any favors.

[sultan88]

Summer, thanks for the ping. I had read this column in the paper and said to myself, "What a great idea. Anything modeled after the venerable VMI can't be bad."

BTW I have always considered Jerry Brown to be one of the "likable" liberals.

[summer]

sultan88, Thanks so much for your reply.

Several people wrote very supportive comments on this thread about Mayor Jerry Brown and his religious/military charter school here. Consequently, maybe someone will want to make his day, by sending him the URL to this FR thread so Mayor Brown can see how some people support him and his goals, despite all the opposition he has encountered. And, if he happens to write back to a FR poster, maybe that person will post his response on this thread!

Here's Mayor Jerry Brown's email address if anyone is interested: officeofthemayor@oaklandnet.com


Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown

Other contact info from the Oakland mayor's page here:

Mayor: Jerry Brown
One Frank Ogawa Plaza
(One City Hall Plaza) 3rd Floor
Oakland, California 94612
Telephone: 510-238-3141
Fax: 510-238-4731
TDD: 510-238-3724

[let freedom sing]

ok-- they learn to read-- they have half a chance to interpret conservative principles SHOULD they have the opportunity to encounter those principles in an open forum.

[summer]

LOL... :)