101 ABSURDITIES PARENTS SHOULD BE AWARE OF ABOUT GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS
[ ABSURDITY — illogicality, ridiculousness, nonsense, folly, stupidity, foolishness, silliness, idiocy, irrationality, incongruity, meaninglessness, anomaly, daftness, senselessness, ludicrousness, unreasonableness, joke, preposterousness, farcicality, counter productivity, craziness ]
Finally, after 50 years in the pits of education reform, I’m writing a book (I think). Always wondering what title or theme would be best. Today, it kind of came together. This video of a recent graduate of our North American high schools is significant. Demands for free college, forgiveness of student loan debt and $15 hr wage for campus workers . . . makes one wonder just what public schooling/college is hatching. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmji36q8E4o
Combine this presentation with a growing interest in home education and we can see where an impatience is growing about the dubious legacy we are leaving future generations. Costly absurdities — economic, psychological and psychic illogicalities — are becoming intolerable.
Eventually, with helpful input, I hope to get 101 absurdities. Today, I’ll note just 5 to start:
1 Of course, the foremost absurdity is thinking that parents can do something about our public schools. We’re supposed to have local control. But, we all know “the system” has it’s own agendas and is not very responsive to parents and the needs of children. See my list of books that promise parent effectiveness in school matters — http://www.parentsteachingparents.net/2015/11/nothing-you-can-do-to-fix-schools/
2 Compulsory attendance at public schools as state mandate is under increasing dispute. Yes, private schools are an option, but for many it is not economically feasible. The titles of two recent books are telling: “International Perspectives on Home Education – Do We Still Need Schools?”, and “Education Without Schools”. See a review of the second book here: https://gaither.wordpress.com/2015/11/10/education-without-schools-home-education-in-the-uk-part-1/#more-2609 Note chapter five comment — how a “conversion” from institutional schooling provided a parent tremendous relief and “an eureka moment”.
3 Experimentation is always open season with no restraints or protocols in public schools. Why, even the education literature has much to say about public schools being vulnerable to a “lunatic fringe”. This is something about which a whole book can be written, but just go to Google Scholar and put in the term “lunatic fringe progressive education”.
4 21st Century Learning is the latest fad to enter school systems. Here is one recent video that captures the absurdity of Modern Educayshun — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKcWu0tsiZM (Read the publisher’s comment about his intent and how this production has struck a chord all over the world. If this is happening everywhere, is it any wonder that Education Savings Accounts is an appealing alternative? More on ESAs later.)
5 It is heartbreaking to hear teachers say how much they like children, like to teach, and how they see their work as “a calling”. Yet, because of the progressive ideology that has been embedded in most of the systems teachers willingly persist, or submit to coercion, to avoid teaching all children to read by proven methods (phonetically). Especially where there is proof of causality: The school to prison pipeline shows that at least half of prisoners lack proficiency in reading. This is willful harm. Professional teachers need to commit, sincerely and with training, to the principle: “First, do no harm.”
[pubnlished on SQE, 20151115]