The Radical Left's Stranglehold on Public Schools

[Phantasmal]

Interesting read for those weary of hallucinating liberals crying about religious plots from the Right.

I think it was Mark Steyn who spoke about his son coming home from school one day and talking about how he acted a part of the female reproductive system in a class play. Thank you, Democrats...

http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/opinion/951-dr-samuel-l-blumenfeld/1654

Sounds like a big advertisement for his books and program, nothing like self promotion, I say!

I think it is so sad that liberals are so powerful and conservatives are o helpless.

I use to attend PTA and school board meetings, the apathy on both sides is pathetic!

 

[Rune]

1. Choices are limited due to funding and state laws- period. Your choices in the state you live in may not be equal to the state another lives in.

2. There are three distinct learning styles- most public schools only cater to just one, auditory learners. Though phonics is typically successful with these kinds of learners- they fall short with visual and kinesthetic learners. Most public school programs are unable to help these kids due to time/training constraints.

3. The true goal is choice- Choice would serve families and students better then the current system.

4. This is bogus. College remedial needs pre-date NCLB legislation.

1. Thank god I live in a populous liberal state where a good education for children is valued.

2. I am well aware of that, my older son has NonVerbal Learning Disability. We tried every school in the system. An alternative school 40 miles from home was able to get through to him finaly, and I dutifuly drove him there for years. He aged out of that school and dropped out of school in 9th grade. I homeschooled him since, and since he voted for Ron Paul yesterday, I think I did a good job.

3. I see that like Damo, you didn't read the article. The article's goal is most definitely the elimination of public education funding, a far right goal, which is why you are supporting it.

4. Check and see if it is worse now. Every single teacher I know now "teaches to the test". It is teachers in Mass single biggest complaint.

 

[Granule]

OMG! Lady parts! Ewwww!

That's right, stupid. I'd love to see the play that depicts your daughter or niece as a penis. Wouldn't you?

 

[icedancer2theend]

1. Thank god I live in a populous liberal state where a good education for children is valued.

2. I am well aware of that, my older son has NonVerbal Learning Disability. We tried every school in the system. An alternative school 40 miles from home was able to get through to him finaly, and I dutifuly drove him there for years. He aged out of that school and dropped out of school in 9th grade. I homeschooled him since, and since he voted for Ron Paul yesterday, I think I did a good job.

3. I see that like Damo, you didn't read the article. The article's goal is most definitely the elimination of public education funding, a far right goal, which is why you are supporting it.

4. Check and see if it is worse now. Every single teacher I know now "teaches to the test". It is teachers in Mass single biggest complaint.

1. Yes, and to hell with everyone else?

2. So, as the author noted phonics, is the best tool for learning to read- and so?

3. I did read the article- Your trouble is that you use broad brushes- One man with a few adherents is not equal to everyone on the right wanting to do away with public education. That said his ideas are not unique. The idea of localizing education and funding it privately has been introduced a number of times. It is neither unique nor stupid. It has merit and is worthy of honest debate. The best way to reform public education, IMO, is to create true choice.

4. It has continued to decline for the last 40 years. Teaching to the test is the result of bad state legislation in order to meet requirements created under NCLB legislation. Schools were failing prior to the NCLB legislation, THAT is why Bush and Kennedy wrote the bill. Hoping to bring some accountability to schools NCLB required certain attainments were met- instead, states under pressure from unions, created test based teaching legislation.

 

[Cancel 2016.11]

That's right, stupid. I'd love to see the play that depicts your daughter or niece as a penis. Wouldn't you?

If the student was playing the role of "the female reproductive system" then the student was not dressed as a vagina...

Seriously, you righties need to go back to school and learn some really basic stuff. I would put most of you at about the third grade level. It's pretty stunning.

 

[WinterBorn]

Interesting read for those weary of hallucinating liberals crying about religious plots from the Right.

I think it was Mark Steyn who spoke about his son coming home from school one day and talking about how he acted a part of the female reproductive system in a class play. Thank you, Democrats...

http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/opinion/951-dr-samuel-l-blumenfeld/1654

The article aside, what is wrong with a male student playing the part of a female reproductive organ? I seriously doubt the play was sexual in nature. Most likely it was similar to the "I am Joe's Kidney" articles published by Reader's Digest.

 

[icedancer2theend]

The article aside, what is wrong with a male student playing the part of a female reproductive organ? I seriously doubt the play was sexual in nature. Most likely it was similar to the "I am Joe's Kidney" articles published by Reader's Digest.

How about-It's totally lame.

 

[WinterBorn]

How about-It's totally lame.

I have no doubt it was lame, it was a school play about body parts.

But the implication was that we should be outraged by the school having the boy play the part of the female reproductive organs, or that we should be teaching about reproductive organs at all. A much different sentiment.

 

[icedancer2theend]

I have no doubt it was lame, it was a school play about body parts.

But the implication was that we should be outraged by the school having the boy play the part of the female reproductive organs, or that we should be teaching about reproductive organs at all. A much different sentiment.

The fact that a play is done on the subject, where anyone needs to dress up as reproductive organs, is lame and an unnecessary waste of time. High schools and junior high schools have been teaching reproductive lessons for at least 40 years. Most 4th graders and older understand how babies are made. Most 6th graders and older know about how sexually transmitted diseases happen- and still kids get pregnant and don't use protection like condoms (readily available for free).

 

[WinterBorn]

The fact that a play is done on the subject, where anyone needs to dress up as reproductive organs, is lame and an unnecessary waste of time. High schools and junior high schools have been teaching reproductive lessons for at least 40 years. Most 4th graders and older understand how babies are made. Most 6th graders and older know about how sexually transmitted diseases happen- and still kids get pregnant and don't use protection like condoms (readily available for free).

A waste of time? It was a way to get kids motivated and excited about a subject. It beats having them read a chapter and regurgutate the material on a test.

If you want to make this about condemning the failures of kids to have safe sex I think you are missing the picture here. This was a school play about an academic subject. Why would Granule object to a boy playing the part of a female reproductive organ?

 

[icedancer2theend]

A waste of time? It was a way to get kids motivated and excited about a subject. It beats having them read a chapter and regurgutate the material on a test.

If you want to make this about condemning the failures of kids to have safe sex I think you are missing the picture here. This was a school play about an academic subject. Why would Granule object to a boy playing the part of a female reproductive organ?

Reproduction is not an "academic subject" it is a blip in most biology text books and hardly requires a play- to engage and teach kids about how sexual reproduction works.

 

[WinterBorn]

Reproduction is not an "academic subject" it is a blip in most biology text books and hardly requires a play- to engage and teach kids about how sexual reproduction works.

Reproduction is far more than a blip in biology. Since we do not have any info on the play, to assume it was ONLY about reproduction is a guess. Since it was a school play and would have tried to involve more ids, it was likely to have been about the human body in general. Human physiology is very much an academic subject.

Also, the kids involved would have learned, not only about the body, but about the arts while rehearsing the play and creating the sets and costumes.

Many kids don't absorb as much by simply reading a text, so other ways of engaging them increases the knowledge gained.

 

[icedancer2theend]

Reproduction is far more than a blip in biology. Since we do not have any info on the play, to assume it was ONLY about reproduction is a guess. Since it was a school play and would have tried to involve more ids, it was likely to have been about the human body in general. Human physiology is very much an academic subject.

Also, the kids involved would have learned, not only about the body, but about the arts while rehearsing the play and creating the sets and costumes.

Many kids don't absorb as much by simply reading a text, so other ways of engaging them increases the knowledge gained.

It is not play worthy. It is lame. You can pretend all you want that high school kids would think this interesting- but that is just not going to be the case. Mark Steyn discussed the facts of the play- his son was asked to dress up like a fallopian tube for a school play on reproduction. Curriculum that addresses reproduction at the the HS level does not require a play- nor is it even appropriate. Find me one freaking HS student that does not know the basics in how reproduction happens- and I will show you a kid that no play will ever do the trick of teaching him either- LAME

 

[WinterBorn]

It is not play worthy. It is lame. You can pretend all you want that high school kids would think this interesting- but that is just not going to be the case. Mark Steyn discussed the facts of the play- his son was asked to dress up like a fallopian tube for a school play on reproduction. Curriculum that addresses reproduction at the the HS level does not require a play- nor is it even appropriate. Find me one freaking HS student that does not know the basics in how reproduction happens- and I will show you a kid that no play will ever do the trick of teaching him either- LAME

So your issue with it is that the play was a waste of time? You don't have a problem with a boy playing a fallopian tube?

If you have a link to the article, I would be very interested in reading it. A quick search on the topic failed to bring up anything for me.

 

[Phantasmal]

1. Thank god I live in a populous liberal state where a good education for children is valued.

2. I am well aware of that, my older son has NonVerbal Learning Disability. We tried every school in the system. An alternative school 40 miles from home was able to get through to him finaly, and I dutifuly drove him there for years. He aged out of that school and dropped out of school in 9th grade. I homeschooled him since, and since he voted for Ron Paul yesterday, I think I did a good job.

3. I see that like Damo, you didn't read the article. The article's goal is most definitely the elimination of public education funding, a far right goal, which is why you are supporting it.

4. Check and see if it is worse now. Every single teacher I know now "teaches to the test". It is teachers in Mass single biggest complaint.

My niece in Denver absolutely hates it! #4

You are a good man, and I am sure your brother adores you!

 

[Rune]

1. Yes, and to hell with everyone else?

2. So, as the author noted phonics, is the best tool for learning to read- and so?

3. I did read the article- Your trouble is that you use broad brushes- One man with a few adherents is not equal to everyone on the right wanting to do away with public education. That said his ideas are not unique. The idea of localizing education and funding it privately has been introduced a number of times. It is neither unique nor stupid. It has merit and is worthy of honest debate. The best way to reform public education, IMO, is to create true choice.

4. It has continued to decline for the last 40 years. Teaching to the test is the result of bad state legislation in order to meet requirements created under NCLB legislation. Schools were failing prior to the NCLB legislation, THAT is why Bush and Kennedy wrote the bill. Hoping to bring some accountability to schools NCLB required certain attainments were met- instead, states under pressure from unions, created test based teaching legislation.

1. I keep telling you and everyone else who will listen to stop voting against your own interests. Don't complain about the bed you made.

2. And so what? The author claims phonics is no longer taught. That is untrue. What is your point?

3. No, I am only saying the author is against public funding and that it is a far right goal. I am not using a broad brush, many on this forum are not far right, you are though.

4. Teachers are required to teach to the test or risk losing Federal funding. This has nothing to do with unions. It has to do with an underfunded federal mandate,
the ultimate goal of which was to dumb down the population in order to more readily violate their civil rights and enslave them.

 

[Damocles]

So, you have home schooled or sent your children to private schools because public education is so miserable? Do you think a privatized education system would allow "poor" children to receive a better education than does the public school system?

I have already provided a place where they have used a voucher system (Belgium) where the results are exemplary compared to our students. I supplement my children's learning at home because the schools can, have, and will continue to fail our children when competing in a global market until we understand that monopoly is not a solution that provides any success.

Your assumption of a "privatized" system is still more preposterous considering it has already been addressed twice in this thread alone and is not an argument that has ever been suggested by anybody here. That is the very definition of straw man.

Parental choice only enhances the educational opportunities available to all levels of the economy, it doesn't save it solely for the rich.

 

[Damocles]

1. Thank god I live in a populous liberal state where a good education for children is valued.

2. I am well aware of that, my older son has NonVerbal Learning Disability. We tried every school in the system. An alternative school 40 miles from home was able to get through to him finaly, and I dutifuly drove him there for years. He aged out of that school and dropped out of school in 9th grade. I homeschooled him since, and since he voted for Ron Paul yesterday, I think I did a good job.

3. I see that like Damo, you didn't read the article. The article's goal is most definitely the elimination of public education funding, a far right goal, which is why you are supporting it.

I see your mind is crippled by your assumptions. In Belgium, where vouchers are the norm, their children outperform every single state in this union, even the "advanced" students in New Jersey and other states with vaunted "good" education systems.

Again, I'm not arguing anything for or against the article because I didn't read it. I am arguing for a very real option that has proven successful in every place it has been tried.

4. Check and see if it is worse now. Every single teacher I know now "teaches to the test". It is teachers in Mass single biggest complaint.

I agree. I already noted that centralizing education under the federal government is something I am against, let alone taking it over and setting "national" requirements that focus on continued failure and do nothing about the monopoly and thus stagnation of our education system.

 

[Rune]

I see your mind is crippled by your assumptions. Again, I'm not arguing anything about the article because I didn't read it. I am arguing for a very real option that has proven successful in every place it has been tried.



I agree. I already noted that centralizing education under the federal government is something I am against, let alone taking it over and setting "national" requirements that focus on continued failure and do nothing about the monopoly and thus stagnation of our education system.

O.K.
I am sure if we both knew what the other really wanted we would be in agreement anyhow.
Pretty much everything I have tried to discuss in this thread has been about the article since that was the topic.

 

[Phantasmal]

I have already provided a place where they have used a voucher system (Belgium) where the results are exemplary compared to our students. I supplement my children's learning at home because the schools can, have, and will continue to fail our children when competing in a global market until we understand that monopoly is not a solution that provides any success.

Your assumption of a "privatized" system is still more preposterous considering it has already been addressed twice in this thread alone and is not an argument that has ever been suggested by anybody here. That is the very definition of straw man.

Parental choice only enhances the educational opportunities available to all levels of the economy, it doesn't save it solely for the rich.

See, you are a good parent and do as a good parent should do, enhance your children's learning experiences.

Oh, there you go again with your strawman. Yawn

Privatization is very much the plan in spit of what the right claims. This will ensure that the upper classes get the premo education, while the lower class will be used as a cheap source of labor and cannon fodder.

Parental choices is not what you hope it would be, you fool yourself.