I've been thinking so much about this, as I see more and more kids with deep, even crushing, educational needs at my college. Things have not been getting better, and I've been teaching at LBCC for ten years. Robert Stacy McCain, in response to my recent piece on school reform, wrote an essay at Hot Air: "The Failure of School Reform." It's powerful. The happy medium for me is somewhere (somehow) between the kind of caring and autonomy at the charter schools and the fundamental attention to students (that only parents can give) discussed at Stacy's essay. Not all families can homeschool their kids. But we as a society have to find a way to break the organized labor/ big union indifference to the needs of today's youth. Remember my entry on Providence St. Mel as well, "'The Providence Effect': Astonishing Educational Achievement, 'The Way It Should Be Done'.'
Abolish the Department of Education.
ReplyDeleteMany, Many families would be able to homeschool - if they didn't buy into the crap that they are just too stupid to do such a thing -- that the only people 'qualified' to teach their kids rudimentary skills are people who have a degree in education.
Give parents more choices. Even parents who may not be the best of parents usually want something better for their kids. Most parents don't hate their own kids. (Although I've known a few who did..) The voucher experiment in Milwaukee showed that the competition actually forced the local public schools to improve.
It's all about choice. It's all about parents believing that they are incapable and accepting incompetence from our public schools - it's that mental block. We've been told by the 'authorities' that we're just not good enough. In fact - we've been told that we're bad - we're the problem and that's what they tell the kids, too. I personally know 2 friends who are now fighting with their local school - why?! Their kids are in high school and cannot read!! That is unacceptable.
You know that it's true - you see these kids coming into your classroom every semester. It's a terrible disgrace and I have to say that the private school that I have my kids in (for the LAST YEAR EVER!) has been less than stellar. It's been crap, actually. For all the thousands that we've paid into it - my worst day homeschooling was 10 times better than the best that this school could pull out of its ass.
I will teach my own kids - and what I don't know or can't remember, we will discover together. For the things beyond my grasp, I will make sure that something is put into place to help them with that. But it will be MY discretion.