Posted on 12/29/2010 5:50:30 AM PST by IbJensen
Contemporary figures like Marilyn Monroe are given more exposure in many of the textbooks than George Washington. However, these textbooks don't expound on the theory as to how Monroe died and who did the killing.
Our schools are official atheist institutions. Why a country that inherently mistrusts government allows it to unconstitutionally run the public school system boggles the mind. Everything the schools were established to teach, i.e., religious and moral values, patriotism and love of country (Americanism), and the basic courses to use the knowledge imparted throughout one's life, no longer apply. Now it's all about music, sex and football which won't get one very far.
bttt
If you cut all public funding for schools tomorrow, students who want to be educated along with their parents help, will find a way.
If you increased public school funding a thousand-fold tomorrow, students who don’t want an education, still won’t get one.
Unless you're planning a career as a historian, learning any language other than your own decently is way the hell too much work for anybody to want to be learning DEAD ones.
I wish I could truly believe this assertion, but I have my doubts.
School is more than a place to get an education, it's what you do. It's the place where you put the kids, out of your way. It's expected; it's done for you.
If parents have to do the research to find the "best" school (by whatever criteria), will they do it? Or will they go along with the neighbor's choice (who went along with their neighbor's choice) because it's easy?
Like I said, I wish I could believe that everybody would search for themselves, but I have a hard time believing it.
Unfortunately over 40 % of the parents are certifiable nitwits who couldn’t find Canada on a world map.
The author falsely assumes that many parents care about thier kids. This is demonstrably false.
You can look at any minority school you like - try to find a parent who bothers to attend PTA, bothers to help their child do homework, can be bothered to care if their precious little baby even attends classes.
Look at the drop-out rates of minority children. Here's a hint. If a parent cares, if a parent is involved in the SLIGHTEST - dropping out of school is simply never an option.
I submit that we would, within a single generation - have 3rd world illiteracy, and the parasites would have an ever greater stranglehold upon the achievers. Why? Because now the parasites won't be able to read/write and this will be yet another example of 'The man holding the (insert race of choice) down'.
If you increased public school funding a thousand-fold tomorrow, students who don’t want an education, still won’t get one.
That was very well said, umgud; and, very true.
The pitiful truth of this situation is that America DID indeed have the perfect school system. Think back to the 1920’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, to the OLDE DAYES. No educators, just teachers. No theories, just learning. No “building of self esteem”, just STUDY or else. Some students picked for an accelerated, more intensive course of studies. Some given an easier, less intense course, all geared to actual abilities.
How many of today’s brightest could pass a 1948 high school final exam. School then had 1 teacher per classroom, 25 or 30 students, one principal, a janitor and the students learned. Without computers, they used their brains. No calculators..just brains. No spell check..brains again. Students could fill in the names of our states on blank maps (fifth grade). Then fill in “most” of the countries names on a blank map of the world (sixth grade).
A WORLD CLASS EDUCATION SYSTEM? Is that your wish. Go back 50 or more years..we had it and screwed it up royally.
ping
OUTSTANDING essay. Thanks for posting.
I find that having studied both Hebrew and Latin helps me greatly with English, and having a clear understanding of the roots of words and their underlying meaning.
And it wasn't that hard. I'm not a historian.
/johnny
Unfortunately over 40 % of the parents are certifiable nitwits who couldn’t find Canada on a world map.
Without advancing kids for social reasons, the cream will rise to the top.
I otta write a book about what(and/or who) killed one-room country schools in the Mid-West. Anyone what to bet that the filthy hands of educrats are all over this one?!
Public Education = Child Abuse
If you want to cripple your child intellectually and warp them emotionally, send them to a public school.
With the e-books / digital media, Internet and telecommuting, you could significantly cut the cost of education (the number of schools and classes would not need to be occupied daily by the same number of students) and therefore, the cost and the gas spent for student transportation (by parents or busing) could make the case for “environmentally friendly” schools, as well as freeing and saving the time for parents preparing and/or dropping children off at schools before going to work... There is potential for tremendously “green” cost and time savings...
Add to that the individual pace of studies instead of going to the “slowest common denominator” in the class...
Also, even if states and/or cities accept / demand that the “government” (the taxpayers) should pay for the primary education, it doesn’t mean that the government has to run the education system - vouchers would be much better and much cheaper and more competitive way of financing primary education. Just like because government issues food stamps doesn’t mean it should run grocery stores.
Fund kids, not schools.
When I was in middle school, somebody gave me a book called "Word Clues". It was all about the roots of English words, concentrating on Greek and Latin, but including Arabic, Hebrew, and others.
Learning the roots helped me to understand and use the language on a whole new level.
Funny story: I had an emergency trip to the hospital about that time (2 week stay). Afterwards, we were at the doctor's office and he was telling my mother what the problem had been. He used the term "hypertensive encephalopathy", and I remember repeating it after him. Of course, knowing the root words, I figured out what he was saying at once.
The funny part is remembering the look that I got from my mother at the time. (Well, the doc, too.)
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