Posted by
Raffy on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 12:00:00 AM
What Obama proposes is for MORE Federal aid to be distributed to public
schools. So the schools would get more aid, more cash, more resources,
in hopes of improving test scores and the quality of education for the
students. I would think that schools or districts that are taken over
by the government sometimes fair better, for the short term, but I
wouldn't say throwing money at a public school problem specifically, is
going to make it better.
Teachers need better game plans, better education, not just on teaching
but on coaching, on advising, on counseling, not merely throwing
information at kids but instilling a passion for learning, for debate,
for writing and reading, for solving problems and for creativity. There
is a quality issue in this country when it comes to public education,
obviously the understatement of the century. In life, you get what you
pay for, except when it comes to federal programs.
What I suspect Obama is doing when he promises more Federal funding of
public schools is telling those teachers, administrators, parents and
students that he will give them more, and it is an implicit exchange
for a vote. What I suspect Obama omits is that the Federal aid hasn't
done much good until now, and that the better schools are the ones that
simply cost more, unfortunately. I have been a homeowner for a few
years now, but my family doesn't enjoy the education that is funded in
our neighborhoods via property tax. I would propose, as McCain has
endorsed, a voucher program that says 'here's the cash available that
would normally go to educating your child the way the government sees
fit- locally at the closest school, regardless of quality - please feel
free to use it to educate your child as YOU see fit'. It's so much more
than choice, it is liberation from the ridiculous cycle of ineptitude
that is the public education system. Teachers are unionized, they don't
care as much about the kids (the unions at least) as they do about
getting more money to perform the same or even worse. The public school
administrations are more police forces and politicians than educators
in the public school environment. The environment, if we must speak the
truth, must change. It must be conducive to learning. It must be driven
by true educators, with the input of parents. It must be cognizant of
what the public demands of students and graduates- a MASTERY of
English, a MASTERY of math and science and social studies, a MASTERY of
the skills and information needed to survive in the post-public school
world. If the best schooling a child can receive is rendered 'off
limits' because of a voucher-free policy, the government is not doing
the CHILD any justice. The best bet is to give the cash expended on the
child's behalf, without the parent's input, to the person most
responsible for that child's welfare, THE PARENT. Let the parent(s)
decide where their child will best be educated, which is a fast way to
get to the number and quality of schools this country deserves.
What the NEA and other teacher organizations, with the sometimes
assumed support of teachers and the almost consistent objection of
parents, want is a perpetuation of the status quo: less hurdles for
teaching credentials, more job guarantees through less
performance-based recruiting and retention and raises, more control,
less interference. We have the finest schools in the world, it's just
that few of them are public. That's the issue. The schools are there,
and the only thing between YOUR child and the best education they can
possibly get, is Senator Obama's crazy notion that he knows what
school's best for your child. That's not only arrogant, it's
obstructionist and in the end, a national security issue as was
discussed in the debate tonight.
If you 'believe the children are our future', let parents invest in
them. The government has done a horrible job thus far, and maybe it's
time to 'share the wealth' and let parents have access to federal funds
to educate their children in a positive, safe environment and with a
level of quality that is currently unavailable to them without vouchers.