EJUKASHUN
(Mar. 28, 2006)
Did you know that American Public School 4th Graders rank third in the world (behind South Korea and Japan), in achievement tests and by the time they graduate from high school, they rank almost dead last?Blame that on class size?Recently, my wife and I dug out our grade school class pictures from the Fifties, and recalled that there were from 28—31 students in our classes. From my 4th Grade Class, I know of three who obtained Phd’s, and Two MD’s. (Another, our high school Valedictorian was Charleton Heston’s niece)No teacher’s aides; no guidance counselors; just one teacher. Oh, there was the Principal down the hall, but you never saw him unless you were a troublemaker.The principal and I were on a first-name basis.Principal: Johnny, why aren’t you in class?Me: Oh, hi Ray, just going to the bathroom - How are Marie and the kids?I digress. It’s also true that many children check into kindergarten never having picked up a pencil or crayon.What WAS in the classroom back then was discipline, God (I had to play Onward Christian Soldiers , hm hm hm on the piano every time we went to the music room in 1st grade—I survived), and the 3 R’s.Today we have the Department of Education, courtesy of the second-worst American President ever, a paean to the teachers unions in exchange for their support of Jimmy Carter during the 1976 campaign. This mammoth bureaucracy, laden with politically correct resolutions, rules, and laws, has contributed hugely to the shocking decline in American (public) Education - most especially in inner city schools.In most large urban systems, the dropout rate runs to 60%. 6 out of 10. Why? First, poverty: Encouraged by a public welfare system that rewards failure and discourages the family unit (Mom, Dad, Kids, Dog and Cat). An unwed mother can escape her own miserable homelife, and become eligible for assistance from the taxpayers as long as the sperm donor remains out of her life. Handouts discourage incentives; the desire to work hard, to be free, and to get ahead that so defined those generations of Americans who came before us.Second, Teachers Unions. Union rules imposed upon their members,school boards, and ultimately their students, guarantee that today's inner-city child will fail. We have a shortage of qualified people to teach Science and Math. Why? Because those with degrees in Science and Math can get better-paying jobs in the private sector. So, your child "learns" Math or Science from a teacher whose major may have been English or Physical Education. Also, once a teacher obtains tenure, it's almost impossible to fire them, regardless of their incompetence.In Washington DC, it costs about $15,000 per year to educate a student. That's around $300,000 per classroom - and the building and furniture is ALREADY PAID FOR ! !. And they have a dropout rate of 50% ! !In private schools it costs less than one half of that and even though they take a lot of inner-city kids, they have a dropout rate around 2%.Why?Because teachers in private schools don't see failure as an option. Parents are required to attend parent-teacher conference and other school-related activities. Inner city public schools employ teachers who draw heavily from the bottom ranks of college graduation classes. Unable to get better assignments, many of these teachers become disenchanted and their students easily sense their lack of enthusiasm. Private school teachers are given year end reviews usually with input from their students. About 10% are not rehired.Who pays for this idiocy? The taxpayer, surely. But it's the inner-city school child who pays for this for a lifetime. Why don't our political leaders do something about it? Democrats and Republicans alike passed the "No Child Left Behind Act," that provided vouchers for tuition for inner city students to attend private schools. When Barack Obama became President, his first act was to cut off funding for vouchers (since rescinded).What gives here? I thought all Liberals were for lifting people out of poverty, and what better way than by improving education. It's simple: Liberals are beholden to the Teachers' Unions, and inner-city kids get thrown under the school bus.In their never ending quest for jobs that aren’t too hard, where one is not required to get one’s hands dirty, and one gets paid a generous salary, progressives who tend to look down upon those who do, progressives have erased the blue collar curricula from our secondary educational system in favor of college prep courses. “We have become a service-based country.” Right. The next time your toilet backs up in Malibu or Manhattan on Saturday, call one of the millions of unemployed IT guys to unstuff it.President Sawyer will dump the Department of Education, and place the education of our children back into State and Local hands. President Sawyer will pressure (through legislation) school boards and unions to allow for higher pay for Math and Science teachers. President Sawyer would mandate (through legislation) that teachers be required to take literacy and competency tests annually; you fail, you're out. Finally, I would encourage trade curricula in secondary and trade schools. Not everyone is cut out for college, and not everyone has the desire to go to college (myself included)(Feb 11, 2011) Update, Update. It's official !! Jimmy Carter NO LONGER is the second worst President of the United States. Congratulations, Jimmy.(Feb 22, 2011) Update: Maybe finally, someone is reading my website. Now Wisconsin and Indiana are fighting back against the destruction of our educational system caused by the intransigence of the Teachers' Unions (and AFSCME). A quick listen to the stu' - dent' who skipped school ta tell da nation (fer sure) the teachers are lookin' out fer their stu - dents and if the unions are broken, teaching will no longer be able to hire the best and brightest. FYI, numbnuts: A large percentage of todays teachers come from the lowest 10% of college graduating classes - 'best and brightes't my ass.
