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."

[Republicus2001]

Mabbe she put it up in the attic with the lifting weights....

[Gophack]

Boy! This coming from Governor Moonbeam? He sounds downright conservative! Imagine ... liberal Jerry Brown admitting that public schools are failing ... that uniforms are a good idea ... that discipline fosters self-respect. These are such radically conservative ideas ... has he re-registered Republican? Wait ... has he even endorsed Gray Davis?!? Maybe there's a falling out between the Mayor and the Gov ... that would be interesting. Maybe Bill Simon can get into the double-digits in Oakland! (I don't think any Republican has topped 9% of the vote).

Seriously, charter schools are doing a great job, and I commend all who want to give these kids a chance. Public schools are dismal failures, kids are not taught to read. Reading is the foundation for all learning, and if kids can't read they are doomed for failure and welfare and gangs and an early death. If former-Governor Moonbeam has seen the light, more power to him. Maybe as more of these 60s and 70s liberal icons grow up, they'll realize their past ideas were wrong and realize that they are, in fact, conservative.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

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 difference 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.

Hmm, now we have race in the equation . . .

From that POV . . . the essential point must surely be that the typical black parent did not have a good experience in school, yet that parent's support is sine qua non for fruitful education to occur.

Does the teacher's dress code actually make the difference, or is the inherent distance between a middle-class, education-minded white adult and the parent described above the actual problem? I could readily envision your denim-clad teacher being criticized for not looking the traditional teacher's part just as easily, and by exactly the same parent who would take umbrage at the other teacher's suit and tie. Because I simply believe it is not the real problem. The problem--which the teacher and school simply must somehow address--is that that "poor" parent does not expect to be respected by the school, and walks in (if at all) with a chip on his/her shoulder.

And I just think that that is at best a very, very delicate problem for the school. The school and the teacher must aggressively draw a circle that includes the parent in. One of the merits of school choice is exactly that it institutionalizes that requirement--if you must recruit your students you are under no illusions that you do not have to sell. To the student, and to the parent. But, once you have done that initial sales job, the parent and the student have invested in the decision to go to your school, which gives you at least some working capital.

And I would certainly hope that your school's math curriculum is as well-suited to teaching math to the non-stellar student as is the Saxon one . . . that you are indeed delivering the goods. Because if you can deliver--if the kid knows it--you will generate true self esteem. Not insecurity, but the confidence of accomplishment.

But it must begin with mutual respect between parent and teacher. You can't just depend on your degree and your suit to impress, you also have somehow to connect to the pedagagaphobic parent and his--all to often, only her--child.

[xsmommy]

it would be interesting to hear if David Horowitz has ever opined on Gov. Moonbeam? as a former leftie himself, he would, perhaps, have a feel for exactly where Brown falls on the continuum.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

That has been posted here, on FR:

Gangs, prison: Al Qaeda breeding grounds?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Davis was an understudy to jerry Brown.

I say that, not knowing whether you were already aware of that.

It gets rehashed frequently on some of the active
California discussion topic areas like Calgov2002 and Calpowercrisis!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Did you post the article twice?

[summer]

Re your post #82.

Actually, according to the article, Gov Davis was the only one who backed Mayor Brown here:

Oakland's school board refused to create OMI; the board president, a veteran of Berkeley's sandbox "revolutions," said it would be akin to putting a Ronald Reagan museum in Berkeley. The county school board unanimously rejected it.

But the state supported the idea for this novel charter school - Gov. Gray Davis attended a military school -....

[summer]

Re your post #85 - Thanks for the info, Ernest. :)

[summer]

Did you post the article twice?
If you're talking about the Christian Science Monitor article in your post #85, no, I didn't post it at all. I just linked to it on this thread.

As for this NY Post article about Jerry Brown's charter school, I only posted it once (here on this thread).

[summer]

Hmmm. Interesting question....

[summer]

But it must begin with mutual respect between parent and teacher.

Agreed. And, I think in some schools, that bridge could be built a bit quicker with the teachers in the kind of casual uniform I described here on this thread.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. :)

[let freedom sing]

Your #85 is not the Jerry article-- two different articles, with a possible connection.

[summer]

Here's the photo I tried to post in my post #78 --


Mayor Jerry Brown

[xsmommy]

He STILL looks like a Jesuit!

[summer]

LOL...I did a Google search and a few things come up on David Horowitz and Jerry Brown; however, nothing very recent. But, this National Public radio piece might be interesting -- here's the title:

"Oakland, California, trying to improve itself under the leadership of Mayor Jerry Brown"
[NPR's "Morning Edition" program]

[xsmommy]

Thanks, i will poke around a bit myself.

[summer]

You're very welcome, xsmommy. A "Jerry Brown" list follows from NPR, but they don't have written transcripts; you actually have to listen to the program. But, the short summmaries are interesting to read. Click HERE.

[summer]

Re your post #82 -- ....charter schools are doing a great job, and I commend all who want to give these kids a chance. Public schools are dismal failures...

Just a minor point for those who may be confused by your statement here: charter schools are in fact public schools, in that charter schools are taxpayer funded; however, charter schools are not operating under the same rules governing public schools.

Also -- believe it or not, here in FL, we now have "Charter School Districts" -- with entire school districts (public school dsitricts) now freed up from state government regulations in exchange for a committment to obtain higher student achievement.

BTW, thanks for your comments! :)

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

I think in some schools, that bridge [of mutual respect] could be built a bit quicker with the teachers in the kind of casual uniform I described here on this thread.

You know, I didn't suspect that I had such strong feelings on this issue; I don't recall having thought it through in any systematic way before. And, "a man convinced against his willis of the same opinion still." I'm certain that there is some merit to your point, yet I recoil at it. I strongly suspect that means that I will see other reasons for my position than those I have so far articulated. It just feels to me that social distance between parent and teacher can be toxic, yet at the same time social distance between the student and the teacher is essential. The parent and the teacher are in principle equals, and again, the school choice model emphasizes that the teacher/school must sell the parent. But a sober parent does not want to buy excessive familiarity between his young, beautiful daughter and some guy who has teaching certification but is personally a jerk.