[Rhodes22-list]Public Schools, was Public Radio and TV

[Philip]

I used to be a public school teacher; I now teach in a private school.  It
was county policy to not give any student a grade of less than 65% and you
cannot fail a student regardless of his work or effort if he or she is on a
sports team.  There is very little time spent on the basics and a lot of
time on issues that should be taught at home by parents.  Some of the
courses being Sex education and lifestyle issues.  Most of the public
education students enrolled in the local community college here cannot get
into the college level 100 basic courses and most of them are taking at
least 1 or more developmental classes just to be able to get into a basic
algebra one class.  The public schools here have been on the verge of
loosing their accreditation for the past 10 years.  Deena

-----Original Message-----
From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org]On Behalf Of Slim
Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2005 5:41 AM
To: Rhodes
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list]Public Schools, was Public Radio and TV

Philip,

Why are you against public schools?  I admit, there are many problems,
mostly caused by union-bashing, fund-cutting republicans; but the public
schools are our best resource, period.  Shouldn't we be giving our youth the
best that we can?  Private schools cost money that most do not need to pay.
The public system is as good as the funding.  Offer a decent wage and you
attract decent teachers.  Where I live, Minnesota, the average life-span of
a new teacher is three years before they find better pay/conditions
elsewhere.  It's abysmal.  It's a very tough job.  I know - been there, done
that.  Have you?

It's easy to sit back and complain, but consider this:  The law requires
specifically mandated curriculum but doesn't fund it, and so private schools
have to send students to the public schools for whatever they can't provide,
e.g., special ed, phy ed, science, or whatever.  And then the public schools
have to take these students, for which they are NOT paid, and provide
service because it's the law.  Private schools want to have their cake and
eat it too.  It's just not fair because it puts the public schools in a
deeper hole than they're already in.  If you want to send your kid to
private school, fine, but don't send him to the public school for gym.  But
you'll have to change the law first.

What really bugs me is that everybody thinks they're an expert, e.g.,
legislators, governors, parents--none of whom have ever set foot in a
classroom.  They keep coming up with nothing but educational gimmicks that
do nothing but waste the valuable time and money of teachers.

Philip, teaching a kid to read is not rocket science, but it becomes
Herculean without the proper resources.  If you want to see our public
system collapse, we'll be putting our youth and therefore our country at a
disadvantage.  Privatizing leads to nothing but discrimination and elitism.
Is that what you really want for our country--even more of the "haves" and
the "have-nots?"  Should we abandon our nation's entire educational
infrastructure to accommodate you and yours?

Slim

On 5/25/05 10:06 PM, "Philip Esteban" <3drecon at comcast.net> wrote:

> I am totally against public education in its current form.  Any parent who
> wants their child well educated will NOT send them to public school.  As
for
> PBS, if you do not detect the left wing near communist, praise Castro
bias,
> then you might want to examine your own leanings.
>
> Philip
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
> [mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org]On Behalf Of Saroj Gilbert
> Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2005 8:58 AM
> To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Public Radio and TV
>
>
> Heavens, I don't even know how to respond to this.. may have to leave it
up
> to the eloquence of Stan...
>
> Are you saying that public radio promotes communism and socialism?
> Are you saying that public radio and TV promote control of individuals?
> They are promoting the control of the point of view of the masses?
> They are somehow disdaining individual freedom?
>
> That they are biased in some way I would grant you... it is impossible to
be
> a human being or an organization of any kind and not be biased... you are
> too... we all are.. it is the nature of being a human being...or group of
> human beings...  I've been listening to NPR for years, and I never picked
up
> on this... hmmm... just dense maybe.. somehow intellectually defective?  I
> find them innovative, focused on presenting representation of the arts in
a
> way that can't be found anywhere else, whether literature, drama, music.
>
> Why don't you suggest they read Natan Saransky's book on Democracy....
they
> no doubt would... maybe I should read it... I haven't...
>
> However if you are concerned about control of the individual then you MUST
> be against public education... that is the biggest and most incidious form
> of it we have in this country..  I know I am.
>
> Saroj
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "ed kroposki" <ekroposki at charter.net>
> To: "'The Rhodes 22 mail list'" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2005 8:28 AM
> Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Public Radio and TV
>
>
> Saroj:
> Unfortunately your public radio and TV often promotes a control the
> masses point of view.  Communism and socialism are political positions
used
> to control individuals.  Big business is corporate control of the
> individual.  Public radio promotes the same thesis of controlling the
> individual.
> Individual freedom whether political, educational, business is
> distained by your public media. Public Radio or TV promotes only the view
> which represent their biased point of view.
> Has radio reader ever read Natan Saransky's book on Democracy?  Have
> they promoted writers who espouse individual freedoms?
> They advocate just another form of bigness...
>
> Ed Kroposki
> Greenville, SC, USA
> Addendum:  "As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master.  This
> expresses my idea of democracy.  Whatever differ from this, to the extent
of
> difference, is no democracy."  A. Lincoln
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
> [mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of Saroj Gilbert
> Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2005 7:01 AM
> To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Re: Commitment to war
>
> So we can have a source of news that isn't massaged to meet the demands of
> the corporate advertisers....
> So we aren't bombarded by commercials...
> So we can listen to the BBC...
> So we can experience innovation that isn't dependent on commercially
> dictated norms...
>
> It is mostly subscriber-supported and grant supported anyhow... but you'll
> notice more and more that it receives a lot of commercial support too so
it
> may not be able to maintain its independence.
>
> Saroj
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Philip Esteban" <3drecon at comcast.net>
> To: "'stan'" <stan at rhodes22.com>; "'The Rhodes 22 mail list'"
> <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2005 10:09 PM
> Subject: RE: [Rhodes22-list] Re: Commitment to war
>
>
>> Why, with hundreds of channels available are we funding public radio and
>> television, but we are told we need our taxes raised to meet other
>> requirements?  The government needs to get out of the radio and tv
>> business.
>>
>> Philip
>
>
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