I Am a Believer In Education

Given the state of public education maintaining the status quo would be criminal.

@dunpender: Good for you. There are millions of people that are not satisfied.

@dunpender: and your contention is that people are not interested in better results?

@HoraceGreenley: You'd rather have some millionaire chick with no training or experience in education as Secretary for Education? I doubt that would ever help. People should rather look to countries with better results (like Canada, Finland, etc.) instead of dragging in some woman who wants schools to have guns available, and who wants to privatize public schools.

It's like noticing a nail isn't hammered in all the way, and trying to fix it by hitting it with a salmon instead of trying to find the hammer.

@dunpender: to what "ignorant rednecks" do you refer?

@NorthernRoses: In fact yes I would prefer some one with no training in education. If we keep appointing people with the same ideas and training we will continue to get the same results. Maintaining the status quo would be criminal.

@HoraceGreenley: Thing is, people with education and an understanding of American education ≠ people who have the same ideas. Different people have different opinions on how to fix the issues, and what will work or not. The thing that sets them apart from people who have no training or experience, is that they KNOW what's wrong. They KNOW why it isn't working. And if they don't, they will find out MUCH faster than someone with no idea what they're doing.

@NorthernRoses: I disagree. Those trained in the current thinking are bound to repeat it. They are beholden to the status quo. Until the hold of the teacher's union is broken we will repeat the past.

@HoraceGreenley: The teachers union is needed to protect the innovative, creative, dedicated, concerned teachers from the bureaucrats, only concerned with money, from the status quo, they are not thinking about students and education. How many schools have they closed ? How many programs ? To have eyes from the outside is a good thing and can help to improve and encourage teachers. But then they, bean counters, aren't the one in the classroom. To see the "light" come on in the eyes of a student is an awesome feeling, to see it happen in a classroom of students is profound. Teachers don't teach because of the huge salary, it's because they give a fuck !!! 8)

@softspokenman: but because of the union you can't fire a bad teacher. I want competition among teachers. I also want to get rid of bloated administrative staffs.

@softspokenman: you are extrapolating from personal experience. I am talking nationally. We spend a lot of money to get mediocre results. Time to do something different.

@HoraceGreenley: Because we have mediocre bean counters that don't know their ass from there elbow dictating educational policy NATIONALLY. All they can think about is how much money it costs and keep making cuts in funding. And when results show failing school systems they blame it on the teachers, not themselves. Teachers don't get there education from the back of a cereal box. (implication intended)

@softspokenman: There wouldn't be Special Ed, Special Needs, Gifted, or Deaf Ed, and other programs as well, if left up to the cookie cutter, one size fits all, line um up, stamp their head and push out the door, bean counters. No milk programs, no breakfast or lunch programs or after school programs (that teachers don't get paid for). Eugenics anyone ?