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Public Education’s Dirty Secret
Quillette ^ | February 10, 2019 | Mary Hudson

Posted on 02/10/2019 8:24:14 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Bad teaching is a common explanation given for the disastrously inadequate public education received by America’s most vulnerable populations. This is a myth. Aside from a few lemons who were notable for their rarity, the majority of teachers I worked with for nine years in New York City’s public school system were dedicated, talented professionals. Before joining the system I was mystified by the schools’ abysmal results. I too assumed there must be something wrong with the teaching. This could not have been farther from the truth.

Teaching French and Italian in NYC high schools I finally figured out why this was, although it took some time, because the real reason was so antithetical to the prevailing mindset. I worked at three very different high schools over the years, spanning a fairly representative sample. That was a while ago now, but the system has not improved since, as the fundamental problem has not been acknowledged, let alone addressed. It would not be hard, or expensive, to fix.

Washington Irving High School, 2001–2004

My NYC teaching career began a few days before September 11, 2001 at Washington Irving High School. It was a short honeymoon period; the classes watched skeptically as I introduced them to a method of teaching French using virtually no English. Although the students weren’t particularly engaged, they remained respectful. During first period on that awful day there was a horrendous split-second noise. A plane flew right overhead a mere moment before it blasted into the north tower of the World Trade Center. At break time word was spreading among the staff. Both towers were hit and one had already come down . . .

(Excerpt) Read more at quillette.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; Philosophy; Politics/Elections; US: New York
KEYWORDS: affirmativeaction; apologia; arth; authority; bigotry; childabuse; dumbeddown; education; expectations; indoctrination; newyork; newyorkcity; nyc; publiceducation; race; racenorming; racism; rebellion; rejection; thebelljar; worstexcerptever
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To: Some Fat Guy in L.A.

I have often thought that is at the root of it. Parents expecting schools to teach discipline to their kids (or not caring at all about discipline) yet handcuffing teachers so they cannot discipline.


61 posted on 02/11/2019 4:44:52 AM PST by rlmorel (Leftists: They believe in the "Invisible Hand" only when it is guided by government.)
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To: FreedomPoster

Who indoctrinated ( oops! “schooled”) the parents?


62 posted on 02/11/2019 4:52:29 AM PST by wintertime (Stop treating government teachers like they are reincarnated Mother Teresas!)
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To: EinNYC
If one had a shred of integrity, you could not be a part of this horrible travesty and live with yourself.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Exactly! There are no good teachers in the school described in the article. If they had any integrity, they would quit.

For the government to force children into this Lord of the Flies environment is a human rights abuse. If the teachers had integrity they would refuse to open the doors on this child abuse.

Why are children forced by law into an environment that no rational adult would tolerate and would win the adult **millions** in a court of law?

63 posted on 02/11/2019 4:57:25 AM PST by wintertime (Stop treating government teachers like they are reincarnated Mother Teresas!)
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To: Cowgirl

I heard an NPR story the other day. It was revolutionary! The teachers were actually trying to teach the students to recognize the sounds that the letters make in order to sound out the words.

Wow.

They never used the word “phonics,” but that’s how we learned to read.

Duh.


64 posted on 02/11/2019 4:59:59 AM PST by Republicanprofessor
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To: rlmorel
yet handcuffing teachers so they cannot discipline.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

No one is holding a gun to the heads of the teachers and principals who ***willingly** sought work in these evil institutions and **willingly** cash their paychecks each month.

Good people do not participate in evil.

Good people never consider it or if they naively and ***willingly** accept such employment, they soon quit.

65 posted on 02/11/2019 5:03:00 AM PST by wintertime (Stop treating government teachers like they are reincarnated Mother Teresas!)
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To: wintertime

I don’t think the fundamental concept of public education is evil, even if I do think the current iteration of it does contain evil elements, particularly the indoctrination and revisionist history aspects of it.

I think a lot of people get into teaching without understanding fully just what it is today. And after a lot of them get into it, getting out of it after expending time and money to get a degree in it isn’t an easy thing to do.


66 posted on 02/11/2019 5:14:11 AM PST by rlmorel (Leftists: They believe in the "Invisible Hand" only when it is guided by government.)
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To: DeweyCA

Fully agree. I attended a high school in the late sixties (Class of 1970 here) which had mostly whites but significant minorities of Mexicans and Native Americans but no blacks. The Mexicans were largely integrated but they tended not to be that interested in education. The Native Americans self-segregated and harassed whites whenever they could. They were even less interested in higher education and the tribal leaders encouraged that attitude because, I suspect, they didn’t want the kids to leave the reservation. During the seventies, serial suicides swept among my former classmates on the reservation. Tragedy all around. I did have one Native American friend but she was not of the local tribe and had been adopted by a white family. She did fine.


67 posted on 02/11/2019 5:39:46 AM PST by caseinpoint (Don't get thickly involved in thin things.)
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To: rlmorel
Teachers and principals run these evil institutions. Without their **willing** and active participation they couldn't exist. No one is holding a gun to their heads.

So?....When has it ever been easy to avoid doing evil, especially when money and nice perks are offered?

68 posted on 02/11/2019 5:43:12 AM PST by wintertime (Stop treating government teachers like they are reincarnated Mother Teresas!)
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To: Robwin

Lowest common denominator ...


69 posted on 02/11/2019 5:51:27 AM PST by IronJack
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Denver Colorado teachers started striking today. Administrators and substitutes will fill in. Most schools are pretty bad here, so I doubt giving teachers a large raise will improve anything.


70 posted on 02/11/2019 6:48:42 AM PST by dynachrome (Build the wall, deport them all.)
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To: Jim Noble
Most posters here would rather pay for “schools” rather than have every central business district occupied by roving gangs of low IQ high testosterone minorities from 10 am to 5 pm, because they scare away customers and lower the quality of life.

These people don't belong in a classroom. If the only reason to put them in a school is to keep them off the streets, then they may as well be incarcerated. Bus them to a minimum-security detention facility and let them play basketball and video games all day.

71 posted on 02/11/2019 6:54:14 AM PST by Alberta's Child ("In the time of chimpanzees I was a monkey.")
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To: wintertime

I am sure that we all have been engaged in evil activity depending on someone else’s viewpoint.

I don’t view teaching as intrinsically evil any more than I view being a member of the military as intrinsically evil, as some do. (Generally not us, of course)


72 posted on 02/11/2019 7:04:02 AM PST by rlmorel (Leftists: They believe in the "Invisible Hand" only when it is guided by government.)
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To: Dr. Pritchett

“Good God, lady, get to the freaking point.”

I second that!!!!

The 2nd paragraph hinted at the ‘discovery’ but then wandered off somewhere.

Seemed be more interested in bringing the focus upon themselves.


73 posted on 02/11/2019 8:28:34 AM PST by Tomato lover (Words matter)
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To: MayflowerMadam
Homeschoolers scored over 600

Love it! Our students did very well, too.

74 posted on 02/11/2019 8:32:04 AM PST by Tired of Taxes
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To: Susquehanna Patriot

The fact none of the kids turned her in is telling... there is hope.


75 posted on 02/11/2019 8:40:48 AM PST by GOPJ (We renew our resolve America will NEVER be a socialist country. We are born free we will STAY free!)
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To: Jim Noble

I believe this country is headed down a very dark road. One where ideologies are going to clash and when they do, it won’t be pretty.

One side thinks that they have nothing to worry about(ANTIFA, BLM, OWS, etc) because they’ve been allowed to get away with so much. They have the media on their side and think they have more support than they actually do.

The other side quietly waits, getting ready. Clinging to their bibles and GUNS and AMMO, and a lot of it. I think about an article I read a while back:

https://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2012/09/03/bracken-when-the-music-stops-how-americas-cities-may-explode-in-violence/

Pretty soon, walls will be put up. Whether figuratively or literally. These walls will go up, as much to keep people out, as to keep people in.

As with most things, there isn’t a simple solution. Look at the way kids today treat teachers. Teachers are fired for defending themselves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yGveFuav8c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJF9U2fHcFo

And then there’s this one.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1tyugy2Z60 I’d rather that fatf*ck be on the street with his low IQ and high testosterone. Why? because at some point in the very near future, they’ll be drawing chalk around his body.

These are just 3. Youtube has pages of these videos.

I’d rather these kids be on the street and dealt with, because they will be dealt with, than waste your money and my money being housed in a warehouse. They offer nothing and will never offer anything. Initially, they’ll cause some problems, for sure. But, eventually the business owners will either disappear or the local government will help them. I If they don’t, they get Detroit. Blocks with houses on them that are worth $5. These kids will soon realize that they cannot go where they are not welcome and will be forced to stay in the neighborhoods they helped destroy. Eventually they won’t be able to cross the street without being harassed and/or arrested. They will be forced to never leave the sh*thole they help create. And then they will eat each other. Oh Well....


76 posted on 02/11/2019 9:05:46 AM PST by qaz123
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

So, your children can’t read?

Maybe it’s because they’re stupid.


77 posted on 02/11/2019 9:42:27 AM PST by seowulf
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

So...if your children can’t read, maybe it’s because they’re stupid.


78 posted on 02/11/2019 9:43:50 AM PST by seowulf
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Ummm, lemme guess...
John Dewey?
Dept. of Education?
The Frankfurt School?
National Education Association?
Columbia U?
Teaching colleges?
Ignorant, arrogant, lazy union teachers?
Democrats?


79 posted on 02/11/2019 10:00:26 AM PST by polymuser (It is terrible to contemplate how few politicians are hanged today. - Chesterton)
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To: wintertime

Well said. Similar to ‘good’ nurses working at abortion clinics.


80 posted on 02/11/2019 10:08:55 AM PST by polymuser (It is terrible to contemplate how few politicians are hanged today. - Chesterton)
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