The spreading GOP destruction of public education

On top of that, the high school my son attended there were no cellphones allowed, very well educated no nonsense teachers, lots of homework and a big emphasis on writing skills. Kid really wanted to get into UF so we feel like the sacrifice was worth it but as always YMMV.

 

Same in the public school where I teach. Approximately 35 +/- kids get into UF every year. Of course, it does pull from a very nice area. Bottomline, your child's success very often is correlated to your address.

Both of my public school educated children attended and graduated from UF.

 

Just making sure I'm understanding you correctly here. You believe freedom is when a governor forces people under him to do things a certain way? And when a governor encourages people to do things a certain way, but does not compel them to do so, that is taking freedom away?

 

From the link:

 

Control freaks gonna control freak. Any attempt to oppose them is somehow "violating" their rights to control you.

 

That’s going to leave a mark.

 

A great read for anyone who wants to compare students at selective schools with students at general public schools.

The Blueberry Story: The teacher gives the businessman a lesson | Announce | University of Nebraska-Lincoln

I was convinced of two things. First, public schools needed to change; they were archaic selecting and sorting mechanisms designed for the industrial age and out of step with the needs of our emerging "knowledge society." Second, educators were a major part of the problem: they resisted change, hunkered down in their feathered nests, protected by tenure, and shielded by a bureaucratic monopoly. They needed to look to business. We knew how to produce quality. Zero defects! TQM! Continuous improvement!

In retrospect, the speech was perfectly balanced - equal parts ignorance and arrogance.

As soon as I finished, a woman's hand shot up. She appeared polite, pleasant. She was, in fact, a razor-edged, veteran, high school English teacher who had been waiting to unload.

She began quietly, "We are told, sir, that you manage a company that makes good ice cream."

 

This is pure nonsense and in line with the fabrication that anti education people spout to vilify public schooling.

 

Always kind of wondered, do you think UF looks at certain schools track record of success once they get into school? That was the hook for us when UF was high on the list of the different colleges their students were accepted to.

 

Absolutely. From what I understand they also take into account notorious grade inflators, both public and private. This is one reason that I don't support dropping SAT/ACT requirements. There has to be some equalizer in the equation, IMO.

 

Speaking for myself, I disagreed w several of your posts based upon the content. Vouchers ultimately steal from the poor and line the pockets of people in it for the wrong reasons. I appreciate your respectful responses, but even income contingent vouchers (if that’s even a a thing) would also hamstring certain schools, limiting resources mostly for students most in need. It’s simply a means to destroy public education dresses up in a package that fools a all too many.

 

‘We all declare for liberty; but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing’


Abraham Lincoln, in his Address at a Sanitary Fair, Baltimore, Apr. 18, 1864 (one paragraph break added):

The world has never had a good definition of liberty, and the American people, just now, are much in need of one. We all declare for liberty; but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing.

With some the word liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleases with himself, and the product of his labor; while with others the same word may mean for some men to do as they please with other men, and the product of other men’s labor. Here are two, not only different, but incompatible things, called by the same name — liberty. And it follows that each of the things is, by the respective parties, called by two different and incompatible names — liberty and tyranny.

The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep’s throat, for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as a liberator, while the wolf denounces him for the same act as the destroyer of liberty, especially as the sheep was a black one. Plainly the sheep and the wolf are not agreed upon a definition of the word liberty; and precisely the same difference prevails today among us human creatures, even in the North, and all professing to love liberty. Hence we behold the processes by which thousands are daily passing from under the yoke of bondage, hailed by some as the advance of liberty, and bewailed by others as the destruction of all liberty.

 

I mean the government helps fund us here at Habitat, but they don't shut down public housing because of it.

How come the government sees the benefit in funding one private enterprise and not another?

Not trying to flame. Serious question.

The government has all the education money currently and cant fix certain schools/issues. I think a more robust attempt should be considered

 

Cooper did not support getting all kids back in the classroom in full capacity. He failed. He failed those who needed to in the classroom the most. Those with the least.

Governor announces what schools will look like in the fall

If you want to talk Covid that is fine. So far you are the only one who has brought it up. So don’t put your crap on me. I have only explained policy and how bad it was. Policy that caused generational damage. Hence Cooper is not worth listening to imo.

 

@gatordavisl and @swampbabe
I know we dont see eye to eye but I always appreciate your insight and understand the pov it comes from on this subject.

And I do listen to the perspectives. Davis, you changed my view on arming teachers for instance. Not 100%, but definately a softened stance.

 

Reasonable. Thank you.

 

That is what Cooper did. He did not allow schools to reopen at the start of the 2020/21 school yet at full capacity in person. And yes I that that was an awful decision.

We damaged the ability of the kids in our country to achieve economic freedom in the future. We set them back. This is about policy. And we knew the policy was harmful.

We typically have government push policy that is for the betterment of society. Don’t worry though. You have set the ability of many young kids back to one day obtain the economic freedom this country offers. All so teachers unions could inflict their terrible policy. Which I assume you considered free since it fit your idea of what was right. Not allowing schools to open fully in person knowing it was safe and the kids needed it.

 

That's too simplistic, though. Schools boards run districts and administrate policies, etc. They do not "run" schools. Staff, admins and teachers run schools and while technically they may be guv employees, they are in the business of educating our children - not function as government. Not once ever in my years of teaching public school did a teacher, staff member, or admin mention anything about politics or government as a matter of carrying out school functions. In fact, no teacher, staff, or admin ever discussed politics or government . . . not even in lunch rm conversations. Actually, one time a fellow music teacher and I discussed the election of GW the second time. We disagreed and that was that. Never another word. The boogeyman crap about indoctrination or libbie teachers is just that . . . boogeyman crap.

As others have noted, the use of "government school" or "government run school" is a(nother) way of besmirching schools and is coming strictly from your side of the aisle. Frankly, I'm surprised you would employ such rhetoric.