Karmamatterz » Thu Jan 25, 2018 2:09 pm wrote:...snip...
Interesting that you went from one extreme to the other here. It has to be either public education or the binary choice, corporations running schools. You have heard of private schools right? Contrary to popular leftist belief, they aren't all run by corporations. I gather you don't live in the U.S., but there are many excellent private schools. If you want to send your kid to a private school you will find a way to do it....if you actually give shit about their education. Fact is, many people don't. My dad was a teacher, and I know plenty of teachers who tell me many parents don't get off their lazy asses to even bother attending parent/teacher conferences. The Creationism thing is total dog whistle. NOBODY, I mean NOBODY I talk to, or listen when they are discussing school issues ever bring that topic up. Why would they? It simply isn't an issue. Its so fringe that its funny when people on RI bring it up. Sure, there might be some school districts where it has been an issue, but its such an extremely small minority that its inconsequential to the overall picture.
Actually creationism is a big problem. 38% of Americans believe God created man within the last 10000 years, and a lot of them want it taught in schools and are trying to push it in school boards across the country. Thankfully they usually fail, but not for lack of trying.
As for private schools, I'm against them on principle. Some private schools are excellent, and some are purely profit driven with no thought to how their students turn out. Even if you have laws that says you can't run for-profit private schools they will just set up companies to supply various services (office, janitorial, supplies, food etc.) and charge through the nose to supply those services to the "non-profit" school they're running. I know this because it's exactly what's happening here in Norway.
Also, the way DeVos is trying to push the school voucher system means that it's the tax payer footing the bill. The private schools get government funding per student. You can bet your ass people will figure ways to fleece that system.
Why not just spend that money on ensuring a good, public education for everyone? No profit motive, no religious agendas, just a mandate to supply the best possible education.
And religious schools. God damn. They should be outright banned. Filling children's brains with fairy tales and superstitious horseshit is not something a decent society should be OK with. If they want their children to have a religious upbringing then they can do it themselves. It's a private matter and has no place in schools, or any other public space for that matter (except houses of worship, obviously).
Parents are more concerned about discipline in classrooms, having quality teachers who are held accountable and programs for gifted students. Teachers who can bring to the classroom a shred of skill in teaching children how to think would be miraculous. Critical rational thinking, not the latest trend in pop culture. Parents are concerned that lazy or fearful principles allow crappy behavior to run out of control in the hallways. Its a real thing. It would be grand if teachers who fall asleep in the classroom are fired. Yes, its a real thing and my son experienced it first hand. I saw the photos fo the teacher asleep. She got fired, sued the school district and because of the union contract was able to get sizable parachute. Total BS and we parents were outraged. Meanwhile, in the next classroom over the female English lit teacher was having sex with one of her students. At least she was prosecuted and sent to prison. Parents with gifted students desperately want their kids challenged and to have the highest level of teachers, programs and material available for their children to excel. If you are on RI and have children in public schools then you know (one would hope) that the history classes taught are absolutely pathetic. Have you actually seen the textbooks? What a joke. I often had discussions with my kids about what was being taught in their history and "soc" classes and was appalled.
Teachers falling asleep or having sex with their students doesn't strike me as huge problems in the current system. I don't see the relevance of bringing that up.
As for the quality of the teaching material, do you really think it would get better if it was left in the hands of a thousand different organizations with different goals?
We're all concerned with school funding. The model in Ohio sucks and an alternative to property tax funding would be a great start.
"(teachers should have the same pay and social status as doctors imo)" - Here in normal people land a lot of folks think teachers are already overpaid. I personally don't think they are overpaid, but I believe union contracts allow for some who are less motivated to get lazy with no accountability.
Teachers in the US are paid on average $46,000 a year, and that includes having to put up with a room full of children every day, year after year, plus godawful amounts of overtime at home, grading papers and preparing assignments, and union contracts are what got them even that in the first place.
I have four teachers in my family, and listening to them and their experiences that number is way too low. Their job is quite literally to build the foundations of the future of your country, and I think their pay and status should reflect that.
Of course you will get the occasional dickhead just sailing through on union backing, but that's a silly argument against unions. Every kind of organization will get the occasional turd in the system. It's called "humans".
Getting rid of school boards? Replace that DIRECT form of democracy with what? Fact is, school boards are elected by locals. What is the alternative? A larger government body that determines all things local? I think not. Parents who care know school boards are necessary to keep a form of democracy with the local schools. The values of what the locals want in their schools is part of what this is about. Removing local control and a say is not respecting what the local citizens want for their schools.
What if the locals want to remove critical thinking, or teach creationism? How about just hiring qualified people and not just electing whoever happens to be the most persuasive speaker, regardless of their actual qualifications? Sure, have parent representatives and all that, but determining school policy should be left to people who are actually qualified.
