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

Fri May 27 10:20:27 EDT 2005

I am not wealthy by any stretch, but I send my son to private school (which
means I probably have to postpone purchasing a boat).  My older boy went
through the abysmal public school system  and I regret the decision to this
day (and yes, I have taught in the public schools system and so has my
wife).  The public schools have become a politically correct liberal forum
for issuing condoms, undermining parental authority and values and have
drifted away from teaching the fundimentals.  Most of this can be laid at
the feet of the liberals (usually Democrats) who are in bed with the
teacher's unions.  A union's charter is, by its nature, to protect the job
of its members.  The teacher's unions are no different and they get a pass
for illegal political activities as well (by the way, I am also a union
member since 1976, though not the teacher's union).

More liberal claptrap is the canard that more money means better education.
Washington DC spends in excess of 15k per student and has a 50% drop out
rate.  The public school system is failing.  When I went to school in the
60s we routinely had 30+ children per class and we received a fairly good
education.  That was before the curriculi degenerated.

Some examples:  Punishing a child for pointing a french fry and saying bang;
allowing a child to be assaulted daily (even though he complains to several
teachers) but kicking the assaulted child out of school for writing Kill
"[Name]" with no sanction to the aggressor; not allowing pictures of the
Minute Men because they carry guns; the recent issue of a principal not
allowing the picture of a recent graduate in the school (the assignment was
to bring a picture of a graduate of the school in his job or school) because
that student is a US Marine in Iraq and was carrying a weapon; the schools
in our area stopped having award ceremonies for kids who did extremely well
because it "isn't fair to those who don't get awards" or it "hurts the
self-esteem". . .

This doesn't begin to scratch the surface.

As for fund cutting, that is ridiculous.  Cutting the amount of increase is
not "cutting" funds.  When the federal government (under the liberal Clinton
Administration) can require Medicaid to fund Viagra (in general, not just to
sex offenders as recently covered in the news) then they don't need more
funds for other things.  You can argue life saving medications for people
unable to afford it, but why should we pay for someone to have sex?  Then
they come after us for more taxes for schools and the like.  Then the
schools don't teach the fundimentals.  Once upon a time a person leaving
highschool learned to be a good citizen.  College opened their horizons to
the deeper meanings of our history, liturature, math and science, but first
the basics.  Not anymore.  Now they get condoms; Billy has two daddys; they
learn about the "Nine" amendments to the Constitution (leave out the Second
Amendment); they can have "holiday celebrations" and can study every
religious holiday activity except Christian holidays etc.

There may still be a few good public schools in this country, but they are
far and few between.  An indicator is the teacher's unions opposition to
standards.  They don't want to be held accountable and it shows.

There is more and you are deluding yourself if you ignore them.  I know
teaching is a tough job and unfunded mandates eat into budgets, but the
schools began a downward slide years ago when the administators began to
outnumber the teachers.  Recently in Virginia, the legislature succumed to
pressure from the teacher's unions to leave the "guidance counsellors" in
place in the elementary schools instead of converting most of those
positions to reading teachers (reading scores were falling and we are
producing a generation of illiterate people).  Why do we need guidance
counsellors in elementary school?

Philip

-----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
>
>
> __________________________________________________
> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
>
> __________________________________________________
> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
>
> __________________________________________________
> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list

__________________________________________________
Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list