On PUBLIC Education

[nadinbrzezinski]

Back at the early years of the Republic we had many of the founders writing volumes on why we needed to have free public education. In a few cases this went all the way to Free University. In reality this vision did not come reality, and the idea of National Standards, though discussed, died on the vine.

During the Jacksonian Era Public Education became part of the Working Man's Party of New York. Yet we still did not, mostly, have that public education that the founders believed was essential for a well working democracy. It took a while, and I mean a good while, for that vision to finally become true. That was by the early part of the 20th century.

On the verge of the 21st we are in the process of destroying it. We have direct attacks against that public education, and the PROFESSIONAL teachers that work in it. Not only is this part of fascism... (look at the 14 points) but if successful it will help to kill whatever remains of democracy, but see that competitiveness that is is gone... think of a lost generation.

Oh and of course let's not even go into one more attack against a Union... so when Jill and Jane cannot read, but perhaps are good test takers, I expect people to STILL blame the teachers, instead of the privatized, corporatist, system.

And yes, I AM PISSED... at how many folks buy the shit sandwich presented not realizing how they are enabling things. Oh and school choice is up there with globalization in how good it will be for the average American...

That is all...

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. New Orleans is exhibit A

Followed by Chicago.

Great thread. Thanks.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. And DC to come

With the LA unified...

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. Then Detroit

followed by St Louis.

[pleah]

3. K&R Bravo!

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Thanks

[Catshrink]

6. As usual, you distill it down to the nitty gritty.

Thank you.

[Dinger]

7. Thank You

From the bottom of my heart!:)

[LWolf]

8. Thanks.

We need to hear some words of support outside our own profession.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. If the resume and the rest works

I will be joining you at the Junior College Level, where I intend to insert some history of labor into the mix.

Part of the reason nobody knows this is... nobody mostly teaches it.

[LWolf]

16. I can't say what happens after students leave me.

I know that, K-8, history stops about the end of the 19th Century. Each grade having it's own era to focus on. There's a little 20th century in there for 8th grade, but time and too much to cover and too much time spent testing takes its toll, and it is rarely, if ever, reached.

High school spirals through US history again, reviewing and adding to what has already been taught. All in all, though, in the age of high-stakes testing, history is not high on the priority list. It should be, but it's not.

I HAVE had admins suggest that we spend less time teaching history so that we can focus more time on language arts and math, which are tested every year. And even though most won't suggest it out loud, that's what happens. After mandated "protected" times for those 2 subjects, which take more than half a day, we're left with the rest of the day to provide EVERYTHING else; social studies, science, art, pe, etc..

Time is not our friend in the effort to adequately teach everything we need to.

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. And the teaching curriculum does not cover

labor history, for example... or intellectual history.

In a testing environment making connections of unions and quality jobs is not easy to test... while what year was the Constitution ratified is.

[nosmokes]

10. We could and should double the salary of teachers and it still wouldn't be

enough for the vast majority.

Thanks for this post.

[Odin2005]

11. Our corporate masters don't want EDUCATED people, they want TRAINED people.

Educated people question the status quo, trained people cannot conceive of anything except the status quo.

[liberal N proud]

12. Trained in one task and one task only

When they are done with that task, they will simply train new people to do the next task.

[Odin2005]

13. Yup.

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. This is not a new conflict

in fact if you read the history of education you will quickly realize that things like oh DeVry (by another name and other skill set) were all the rage oh back in the early 20th century.

And most kids, ideally, were taught to do what was needed in industrial education. This liberal arts, thinking by yourself, shit... is actually a result of the space race.

That said, what we had oh even a generation ago prepared people a little better, that does not mean the people who were a result of that education could tell shit sandwich from bologna sandwich. That is my generation, which graduated just as Reagan was taking over. Propaganda is powerful, but this attack is a natural result of it.

We have had attacks on public education from the word go, as well as efforts to professionalize the profession. Heck, my alma matter was originally a TEACHER'S college, not a four year research institution with a college of education for good measure. What is different from previous attacks is that this is way too organized and it is NOT limited to the United States. (Which is not something a lot of folks realize)

[eppur_se_muova]

17. Sadly, many students (and their parents) comply without the least objection.

They don't want a good education, they just want an equal opportunity to get a job -- and equate a single job with a lifelong career. The generation that survived the First Great Depression were so fearful of unemployment that they raised their children to believe that taking a job at the first opportunity equals success, when really it's only buying time for whatever comes next.

I've never known a student to complain about not learning enough, only about whether they were graded fairly -- which to most means that if they spent a lot of time studying, they "deserve" a good grade, regardless of whether they understand the material. So it's sheer labor, not the end result of that labor, that has merit by their standards. As for courses outside their major, those are merely items on a list to be checked off by attending class regularly and retaining nothing past the final exam. Education can't broaden people who resist it.

[BrklynLiberal]

15. +1000

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

I am at a loss to understand how there are still those who do not comprehend the seriousness of this threat to our education system, and therefore our future and that of our children.

[MichiganVote]

18. In future, the corporate nutjobs like Bill Gates will have parents paying for a public education

on top of the taxes. Taxpayers will also be forced to pay for private education up to an including the fancy schmancy prep schools the wealthy send their kids to.

Oh sure, they'll deny it. We'll all deny it until it is crammed down our throats.

That is the end game here folks.

[nadinbrzezinski]

20. Actually the end game is worker drones

and this has been a conflict from the beginning.

[bobbolink]

25. "worker drones" are a lot cheaper than slavery.

Its working out very well for them.

[Dappleganger]

21. "And yes, I AM PISSED...

... at how many folks who claim to be Democrats and progressives who buy the shit sandwich presented not realizing how they are enabling things."

FTFY

[Angry Dragon]

22. I feel I am in a unique position

I have no children, have no grandchildren, I am not in the teaching profession so I have no axe to grind when it comes to education.

I graduated from a top high school, the neighborhood that I grew up in had a fairly large number of teachers. For the most part I found them to be caring people.

I have read most of the posts on DU about the system that duncan and Obama are trying to implement. I have commented on a large number of them. I have stated before and I will state it again. What they are doing is dumbing down the youth of America. They are not teaching them to think on their own. They are teaching them facts and nothing more. The only people that will benefit from this system are the administrators. They will fill their pockets with as much money as they can, and walk away when things start falling apart, and they will fall apart. The taxpayers will then have to pony up more money to start the schools up all over again.

They walk into a school and state the tests are showing failing schools without looking at the students that that school has. They want to set the schools up like factories. I understand factories because I have 40 years of factory experience. in the factory you throw out the material that is damaged. That is what they plan on doing with the students. Throw out the students that are slow learners, the disabled, the ones from foreign countries.

The system that they want to implement is stupid without looking at all the facts and not just look at test scores.

end of rant for now

edit some spelling

[nadinbrzezinski]

24. We don't have kids either

and I am not involved in the educational system YET...

But I see it with kids I know... and we are failing them, and we will have a lot generation best case, two of them worst case.

[ljm2002]

23. But but but...

...charters are public schools too! No, really, go look it up!

:sarcasm:

K&R for telling it like it is, and also for providing some historical context. Thanks!