Today’s JG rant
RE Kelly Gomes’s
letter “Public education remains essential to our future” of Aug 3, 2018
Like so many Lefty
Libs since Nov 8, 2016, Gomes states that she’s angry because someone doesn’t
see eye to eye with her on a particular issue.
In this case the issue is public education. Other people’s ideas and opinions as
expressed in a letter on the pages of the JG are nothing to get angry about.
With regard to
public education, in this day and age why are we trapped in a 19th
century model for education?
If we were to start
with a blank slate on how best to organize public education, how many would
advocate for a system that requires that we bus our kids all over town, pack them
into classrooms where everyone is expected to learn the same material at the
same rate?
Wouldn’t it be
better to have a system that challenges the gifted, advances the medium, offers
special help to the slower and allows for directed apprenticeships for those
interested in developing work skills?
Everything can be
improved. Is anyone happy with the state
of Ft Wayne’s secondary public schools? If
the schools are mired in C and D ratings, if they cannot teach basic skills, if
they have low graduation rates and a large percentage of graduates are
functionally illiterate why in the world would anyone trust them to teach
anything – let alone sex education.
My advice is to dump
the one size fits all 19th century model and bring public education
into the 21st century. Schools should consider partnering with
unions, industry, military, business and colleges to bring people with
practical skills into the classroom and offer educational choices
tailored to students’ (and yes their parents’) capabilities and goals.
Here’s a news flash:
The truly gifted and those interested in learning a trade, might only need a
half day of public schooling.
Don’t get
angry. Why not try a model that accommodates
the goals of students rather than the goals of school administrators, legislators and teachers’ unions?
Public education
remains essential to our future
The July 22 letter
“Private school parents punished in pocketbook” is so naive and short-sighted,
it makes me angry. I taught in a private school for my first five
years and have seen both sides.
In regard to
tuition/taxes/vouchers: The public school I currently teach in has seen an
influx of students who have been “priced out” of private schools. Vouchers do
not cover the full cost of tuition; the school has to make up for it somehow.
If you choose to send your child to an elite private school, it should be a
sacrifice.
In regard to
choosing a curriculum that fits your family values: If your private school
is funded with public money/vouchers, what prevents the government from
deciding what you need to teach? Right now that's not the case for private
schools.
And how dare we teach
sex education! The state has already made it difficult for public schools to
provide a free and accepting environment with a new law requiring parents
to sign a waiver allowing their students to participate in any course that may
discuss human sexuality. Parents can request to withdraw their student from
that particular lesson without penalty. So there goes any opportunity for
teachable moments off other subjects. How dare we provide a free environment
where students can explore and learn and discover their true selves in a
nurturing environment. I'm not saying teachers should “promote” anything, but
students should be free to explore, learn from others and express themselves.
On small class sizes:
To some degree, this argument is valid. However, in most effective public
schools, class sizes are kept small, and there are multiple teams of people
trying to keep each student plugged in and successful. Also, smaller classes
mean fewer points of view and personalities to learn from.
On
competition: There's plenty of competition among other public schools. But
I also agree that competition is not a bad thing – we strive to make our
environment an educational experience more appealing than the schools around us,
and it has made us a better school.
It is our civic duty
to maintain quality, free public education for all students, not just those who
can afford it. Constantly cutting funds from public education will have a
devastating effect on our future.
Kelly Gomes
Fort Wayne
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