You can find a whole shelf of books in public libraries-many of them
written by professional educators- trying to explain the disaster that
is the American public school system.
In the final analysis, this connects to the Bernie Sanders campaign theme of "unacceptable economic inequality. " It is impossible for most poor kids to rise above the " culture of poverty ".
That culture cries out for reform not pseudo-liberal " tolerance " .It is not OK to be illiterate and a senior in high school. It is not OK to " know nothing about history and geometry " ( a pop song of the early 60s ? ) .
Oddly enough , apart from privatization, conservatives have some sound ideas on educational content and instruction methods. I liked , for example, the often bashed concept of " cultural literacy "
. It makes perfect psychological sense, this idea of " background knowledge ". Way back in 1955 a book titled " Why Johnny Can't Read " became oddly controversial . Enough of phonics- teach English as if it were Chinese picture writing ?
Read how the freed black slave Frederick Douglass learned to read; it was not by " look and say ".
There is too much bashing of teacher unions. Should we " outsource " public education to India perhaps ?
Public education should not push the kids into the social status rat race of competitive capitalism. The Internet has made knowledge more accessible to the masses. Frederick Douglass knew the consequences of knowledge : liberation of the mind and soul.
In the final analysis, this connects to the Bernie Sanders campaign theme of "unacceptable economic inequality. " It is impossible for most poor kids to rise above the " culture of poverty ".
That culture cries out for reform not pseudo-liberal " tolerance " .It is not OK to be illiterate and a senior in high school. It is not OK to " know nothing about history and geometry " ( a pop song of the early 60s ? ) .
Oddly enough , apart from privatization, conservatives have some sound ideas on educational content and instruction methods. I liked , for example, the often bashed concept of " cultural literacy "
. It makes perfect psychological sense, this idea of " background knowledge ". Way back in 1955 a book titled " Why Johnny Can't Read " became oddly controversial . Enough of phonics- teach English as if it were Chinese picture writing ?
 |
| A very reasonable book |
Read how the freed black slave Frederick Douglass learned to read; it was not by " look and say ".
There is too much bashing of teacher unions. Should we " outsource " public education to India perhaps ?
Public education should not push the kids into the social status rat race of competitive capitalism. The Internet has made knowledge more accessible to the masses. Frederick Douglass knew the consequences of knowledge : liberation of the mind and soul.
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Ron