27 replies to this topic

[NatonWolf]

I read this last night but went to bed at like 6:30. Uniballer summed up my feelings pretty well by saying that while there are some broken parts, it doesn't need to be trashed. Also, I can see why he was a bad teacher. Standards based education doesn't have to lack creativity unless the teacher teaching it isn't creative.

Was he a bad teacher?

He worked as a writer and held several odd jobs before borrowing his roommate's license to investigate teaching. Gatto also ran for the New York State Senate, 29th District in 1985 and 1988 as a member of the Conservative Party of New York against incumbent David Paterson.[3] He was named New York City Teacher of the Year in 1989, 1990, and 1991, and New York State Teacher of the Year in 1991.[4] In 1991, he wrote a letter announcing his retirement, titled I Quit, I Think, to the op-ed pages of the Wall Street Journal, saying that he no longer wished to "hurt kids to make a living." He then began a public speaking and writing career, and has received several awards from libertarian organizations, including the Alexis de Tocqueville Award for Excellence in Advancement of Educational Freedom in 1997.

[NatonWolf]

I'm for radical reform. I think a little tweaking is a big waste of time (those sentences also apply to the tax code). I don't think Woodrow Wilson's quote describe the education system at all.

What would you do to radically reform education?

[The Uniballer]

What would you do to radically reform education?

I don't like one size fits all solutions. The more localized the solution the better. I think there are some school districts that probably need year round schooling. Others might need longer days. I'm not a big fan of testing, but there are some that swear by it. Better use of technology for distance learning/teaching.
I think the federal government should play a role in setting standards -- because I think the education of children is an issue with tremendous national implications -- but not in determining how those standards are met. I think the federal government could play a role in helping link school districts together for solution sharing and in conducting/sharing research.

[Smitty]

Thanks for sharing the article. I don't think it's possible for me to disagree more with it. It is a perfect illustration why I would never vote for Ron Paul. I think Ron Paul has fantastic problem identification skills, but I think his solutions are impractical and would not be effective.

I think we need radical changes in our schooling systems. But I believe they should be (and can be fixed) but not abandoned. It seems like that's Ron Pauls' answer to a lot of problems. It's broken, so let's scrap it. I think a better solution would be to revolutionize and modernize our failing systems to reflect our current world. The best solution would be to revolutionize and modernize our failing systems to reflect the world as it will be in the future.

Dr. Paul wants to get rid of the department of education, not public education. Easily confused, but there's a big difference.

[The Uniballer]

Dr. Paul wants to get rid of the department of education, not public education. Easily confused, but there's a big difference.

I get that, I just think there's an important role to be played by the Department of Education.

[pcf]

I have perfected my Ron Paul impersonation. He's got a certain cadence to his speech that is easy to mimic and he never seems to pause between sentences. It is like he is filibustering his audience and doesn't want to leave a pause where someone can get a word in edgewise.

[gohornedfrogs]

Did Sam ever win an election with 9% of the vote?

That's all it takes to get a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival.

[STL Frog]

Whatever we decide to do with America's educational system, we should work diligently to involve more people like the current President of the Chicago Teachers Union, Karen Lewis. Enjoy: