[Rhodes22-list] Satire: Fundimentals

Fri May 27 11:00:17 EDT 2005

According to my Daddys liturature curriculi counsellors, administators 
have succumed to poor spelling
fundimentals.

Bill Effros

Philip Esteban wrote:

>I am not wealthy by any stretch, but I send my son to private school (which
>means I probably have to postpone purchasing a boat).  My older boy went
>through the abysmal public school system  and I regret the decision to this
>day (and yes, I have taught in the public schools system and so has my
>wife).  The public schools have become a politically correct liberal forum
>for issuing condoms, undermining parental authority and values and have
>drifted away from teaching the fundimentals.  Most of this can be laid at
>the feet of the liberals (usually Democrats) who are in bed with the
>teacher's unions.  A union's charter is, by its nature, to protect the job
>of its members.  The teacher's unions are no different and they get a pass
>for illegal political activities as well (by the way, I am also a union
>member since 1976, though not the teacher's union).
>
>More liberal claptrap is the canard that more money means better education.
>Washington DC spends in excess of 15k per student and has a 50% drop out
>rate.  The public school system is failing.  When I went to school in the
>60s we routinely had 30+ children per class and we received a fairly good
>education.  That was before the curriculi degenerated.
>
>Some examples:  Punishing a child for pointing a french fry and saying bang;
>allowing a child to be assaulted daily (even though he complains to several
>teachers) but kicking the assaulted child out of school for writing Kill
>"[Name]" with no sanction to the aggressor; not allowing pictures of the
>Minute Men because they carry guns; the recent issue of a principal not
>allowing the picture of a recent graduate in the school (the assignment was
>to bring a picture of a graduate of the school in his job or school) because
>that student is a US Marine in Iraq and was carrying a weapon; the schools
>in our area stopped having award ceremonies for kids who did extremely well
>because it "isn't fair to those who don't get awards" or it "hurts the
>self-esteem". . .
>
>This doesn't begin to scratch the surface.
>
>As for fund cutting, that is ridiculous.  Cutting the amount of increase is
>not "cutting" funds.  When the federal government (under the liberal Clinton
>Administration) can require Medicaid to fund Viagra (in general, not just to
>sex offenders as recently covered in the news) then they don't need more
>funds for other things.  You can argue life saving medications for people
>unable to afford it, but why should we pay for someone to have sex?  Then
>they come after us for more taxes for schools and the like.  Then the
>schools don't teach the fundimentals.  Once upon a time a person leaving
>highschool learned to be a good citizen.  College opened their horizons to
>the deeper meanings of our history, liturature, math and science, but first
>the basics.  Not anymore.  Now they get condoms; Billy has two daddys; they
>learn about the "Nine" amendments to the Constitution (leave out the Second
>Amendment); they can have "holiday celebrations" and can study every
>religious holiday activity except Christian holidays etc.
>
>There may still be a few good public schools in this country, but they are
>far and few between.  An indicator is the teacher's unions opposition to
>standards.  They don't want to be held accountable and it shows.
>
>There is more and you are deluding yourself if you ignore them.  I know
>teaching is a tough job and unfunded mandates eat into budgets, but the
>schools began a downward slide years ago when the administators began to
>outnumber the teachers.  Recently in Virginia, the legislature succumed to
>pressure from the teacher's unions to leave the "guidance counsellors" in
>place in the elementary schools instead of converting most of those
>positions to reading teachers (reading scores were falling and we are
>producing a generation of illiterate people).  Why do we need guidance
>counsellors in elementary school?
>
>Philip
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
>[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org]On Behalf Of Slim
>Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2005 5:41 AM
>To: Rhodes
>Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list]Public Schools, was Public Radio and TV
>
>
>Philip,
>
>Why are you against public schools?  I admit, there are many problems,
>mostly caused by union-bashing, fund-cutting republicans; but the public
>schools are our best resource, period.  Shouldn't we be giving our youth the
>best that we can?  Private schools cost money that most do not need to pay.
>The public system is as good as the funding.  Offer a decent wage and you
>attract decent teachers.  Where I live, Minnesota, the average life-span of
>a new teacher is three years before they find better pay/conditions
>elsewhere.  It's abysmal.  It's a very tough job.  I know - been there, done
>that.  Have you?
>
>It's easy to sit back and complain, but consider this:  The law requires
>specifically mandated curriculum but doesn't fund it, and so private schools
>have to send students to the public schools for whatever they can't provide,
>e.g., special ed, phy ed, science, or whatever.  And then the public schools
>have to take these students, for which they are NOT paid, and provide
>service because it's the law.  Private schools want to have their cake and
>eat it too.  It's just not fair because it puts the public schools in a
>deeper hole than they're already in.  If you want to send your kid to
>private school, fine, but don't send him to the public school for gym.  But
>you'll have to change the law first.
>
>What really bugs me is that everybody thinks they're an expert, e.g.,
>legislators, governors, parents--none of whom have ever set foot in a
>classroom.  They keep coming up with nothing but educational gimmicks that
>do nothing but waste the valuable time and money of teachers.
>
>Philip, teaching a kid to read is not rocket science, but it becomes
>Herculean without the proper resources.  If you want to see our public
>system collapse, we'll be putting our youth and therefore our country at a
>disadvantage.  Privatizing leads to nothing but discrimination and elitism.
>Is that what you really want for our country--even more of the "haves" and
>the "have-nots?"  Should we abandon our nation's entire educational
>infrastructure to accommodate you and yours?
>
>Slim
>
>On 5/25/05 10:06 PM, "Philip Esteban" <3drecon at comcast.net> wrote:
>
>  
>
>>I am totally against public education in its current form.  Any parent who
>>wants their child well educated will NOT send them to public school.  As
>>    
>>
>for
>  
>
>>PBS, if you do not detect the left wing near communist, praise Castro
>>    
>>
>bias,
>  
>
>>then you might want to examine your own leanings.
>>
>>Philip
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
>>[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org]On Behalf Of Saroj Gilbert
>>Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2005 8:58 AM
>>To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
>>Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Public Radio and TV
>>
>>
>>Heavens, I don't even know how to respond to this.. may have to leave it
>>    
>>
>up
>  
>
>>to the eloquence of Stan...
>>
>>Are you saying that public radio promotes communism and socialism?
>>Are you saying that public radio and TV promote control of individuals?
>>They are promoting the control of the point of view of the masses?
>>They are somehow disdaining individual freedom?
>>
>>That they are biased in some way I would grant you... it is impossible to
>>    
>>
>be
>  
>
>>a human being or an organization of any kind and not be biased... you are
>>too... we all are.. it is the nature of being a human being...or group of
>>human beings...  I've been listening to NPR for years, and I never picked
>>    
>>
>up
>  
>
>>on this... hmmm... just dense maybe.. somehow intellectually defective?  I
>>find them innovative, focused on presenting representation of the arts in
>>    
>>
>a
>  
>
>>way that can't be found anywhere else, whether literature, drama, music.
>>
>>Why don't you suggest they read Natan Saransky's book on Democracy....
>>    
>>
>they
>  
>
>>no doubt would... maybe I should read it... I haven't...
>>
>>However if you are concerned about control of the individual then you MUST
>>be against public education... that is the biggest and most incidious form
>>of it we have in this country..  I know I am.
>>
>>Saroj
>>
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: "ed kroposki" <ekroposki at charter.net>
>>To: "'The Rhodes 22 mail list'" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>>Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2005 8:28 AM
>>Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Public Radio and TV
>>
>>
>>Saroj:
>>Unfortunately your public radio and TV often promotes a control the
>>masses point of view.  Communism and socialism are political positions
>>    
>>
>used
>  
>
>>to control individuals.  Big business is corporate control of the
>>individual.  Public radio promotes the same thesis of controlling the
>>individual.
>>Individual freedom whether political, educational, business is
>>distained by your public media. Public Radio or TV promotes only the view
>>which represent their biased point of view.
>>Has radio reader ever read Natan Saransky's book on Democracy?  Have
>>they promoted writers who espouse individual freedoms?
>>They advocate just another form of bigness...
>>
>>Ed Kroposki
>>Greenville, SC, USA
>>Addendum:  "As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master.  This
>>expresses my idea of democracy.  Whatever differ from this, to the extent
>>    
>>
>of
>  
>
>>difference, is no democracy."  A. Lincoln
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
>>[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of Saroj Gilbert
>>Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2005 7:01 AM
>>To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
>>Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Re: Commitment to war
>>
>>So we can have a source of news that isn't massaged to meet the demands of
>>the corporate advertisers....
>>So we aren't bombarded by commercials...
>>So we can listen to the BBC...
>>So we can experience innovation that isn't dependent on commercially
>>dictated norms...
>>
>>It is mostly subscriber-supported and grant supported anyhow... but you'll
>>notice more and more that it receives a lot of commercial support too so
>>    
>>
>it
>  
>
>>may not be able to maintain its independence.
>>
>>Saroj
>>
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: "Philip Esteban" <3drecon at comcast.net>
>>To: "'stan'" <stan at rhodes22.com>; "'The Rhodes 22 mail list'"
>><rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>>Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2005 10:09 PM
>>Subject: RE: [Rhodes22-list] Re: Commitment to war
>>
>>
>>    
>>
>>>Why, with hundreds of channels available are we funding public radio and
>>>television, but we are told we need our taxes raised to meet other
>>>requirements?  The government needs to get out of the radio and tv
>>>business.
>>>
>>>Philip
>>>      
>>>
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