A PRO-voucher, Philly reporter saw her article on FR; enjoyed your posts; and is now on FR!

Columbia School of Journalism Review; FReepmail ^ | June 27, 2002 | summer; Journalist turned FR poster: "clasquith"

[summer]

Thank you, isthisnickcool! clasquith, see post #36, as I think it was meant for you. :)

[summer]

FYI. :)

[Abundy]

Welcome to FR. Much like a classroom/school, this place is a unique collection of wingnuts - 99% of whom are good-hearted people who love their country and want to see everyone succeed.

Enjoy your stay.

[summer]

FYI. :)

[EternalVigilance]

Welcome to FR, clasquith!

I remember your article as well (thanks for the ping, summer! :-).

We conservative activists have been involved in education issues for a long time...primarily because it effects the most important thing in the world to us...our children.

But education issues also are important to us in terms of taxes, regulation, local governance, liberty etc.

Personally, I think that vouchers are just a bridge to get us back to where we should be...I call it T.L.C....True Local Control.

In other words, I think ultimately not a single dollar should leave our locality. How sensible is it for us to send our education dollar to Washington or to our state capital, have them run it through a huge bureaucracy, and then have them send 25 cents back with strings attached? (No bureaucrat has ever taught a single child a single thing!)

Also, there is not a study in existence that shows any correlation between dollars spent and results...not one! The key to education is parental involvement...and you only have that in reality if the the parents have true ownership of the school, the money and the curriculum. Human nature is such that people just won't take responsibility over something over which they have no authority!

Over the years, I have been involved in private schools (I helped start one), in homeschooling, and in the public schools...and the public schools are at the bottom of the heap acedemically, even though they have the most resources by far.

One other thing...the NEA is the largest union in the world. They are also the most powerful part of the Democrat coalition...take a look at the makeup of the Democrat's national convention and the makeup of the NEA's national convention...they are exactly the same people.

The NEA is consistently pushing an extremist liberal social agenda that is anathema to everything I believe in...the things that are the foundation for our free republic.

Sorry to rant on for so long, but I wanted to throw a few things out there for you consider...I have to go for awhile, but I will stop back in after bit to contribute more here.

Again, welcome to FR...there are a wide range of perspectives here, but 99% of FReepers love this country deeply...if you too are a patriot, you will fit in just fine.

Regards,
EV

[summer]

FYI. :)

[clasquith]

so true about low expectations!
but I disagree that unions don't help teachers. I guess it depends on how you see "helping" them. In the short term, they have locked in good hours, a decent wage, summers off and great benefits.
Unfortunately in doing so, they've contributed to the destruction of the learning environment so that teachers jobs are now often exhausting and even dangerous.

[RKM]

I was just getting in the shower and I heard about this Freeper Teacher on TV. What's up?

[Texas_Jarhead]

I remember that article. It was interesting. Welcome to FR.

[Ronin]

Welcome aboard!

[isthisnickcool]

It was meant for her. Sorry for the mistake there.

Shucks. I'm just a big dumb Texan. And I can prove it and do so here on FR all the time....

[ST.LOUIE1]

Great post, summer!

Welcome, clasquith!

[summer]

FYI. :)

[clasquith]

while not a lock-step conservative, I'm a big supporter of vouchers.

I saw lots of good parents in the inner city give up bc they know they have no power. most would love to get into a private or religious school

[McGavin999]

But that's the point clasquith. They do produce when it comes to wages and benefits because higher wages and benefits benefit the unions as much as the teachers (if not more so). Face it, you wield a lot of power when you are in charge of a pension plan that is growing constantly, you get to decide which health care plan will be used by the union, and most union officials are paid from dues. Those dues are also used to purchase political power. As to teachers having the summer off, that was not as a result of unions. It was a result of the fact that we used to be an agrarian society and children were required to work on the farms and ranches during the summer through harvest time.

[keithtoo]

The answer to why the unions resist change is simple. Please repeat after me: "Liberals.....aren't!"

Talk to a so-called liberal about a radical, or even a gradual change in an institution that the liberals currently control.....and then see who is actually 'reactionary' and 'conservative'.

Liberals are as resistant to change as are the conservative straw-men they construct to attack.

[EternalVigilance]

...while not a lock-step conservative, I'm a big supporter of vouchers.

Well, then I'm glad yer here, so we can ejakate ya! ;-)

EV (a lock-step conservative!)

[summer]

FYI. :)

[WillaJohns]

Welcome. I, too remember your article and the excellent discussion afterward.

What do you think of the discovery that the schools (in New York, I believe) have been changing authors' words on the student tests so as not to offend anyone? Have you read about that?

[summer]

Sorry for the mistake there. Shucks....

I accept your apology, but no need to apologize here! I knew what you meant. :)