Governor Scully's Philosophy of Education
September 9, 2003
I wrote the Philosophy of Education linked below
about 10 months ago, in December 2002.
I believe that when I wrote it
I was succumbing to peer pressure.
Thomas Sowell, my favorite writer,
touches on this phenomenon in
Peers and pied pipers
"Why did I do it, then?", to paraphrase Dr. Sowell.
"I wanted to be hired", I reply.
(By the way, I agree with Dr. Sowell quite
solidly on education topics across the board,
to the extent that I have read his articles
on education.)
I really think public schools are dysfunctional.
As David Horowitz explains,
public education is a jobs program.
Job security, more jobs, and higher pay
are their top priorities.
The schools are violent places,
full of intimidation.
A junior high girl got her jaw broken
and four teeth knocked out at the library
during summer school this year.
It was covered up.
It's like an iceberg;
you only see the tip of it.
Well-behaved, good students
are pressured and intimidated.
These public schools need a strong
and constant show of security forces.
Schools are about teachers' unions
and political influence
and public relations
and higher pay for teachers who are
quite well paid already.
In the school of education I attended,
I was advised that they were admittedly
social reconstructionists. In other words,
they think it's their right and calling
to change and mold society. Problem is,
they're too stupid. And, besides, even
for the bright ones, what gives them the right?
To make a long story short and get to the point,
the answer is local control, parental choice,
VOUCHERS in other words.
There was a story written on a flier and passed
out during a teacher ed course. It was memorable
and I wish I could reproduce it from memory well,
but I'll settle for a good try.
It was about the Woodland Animals getting together
to discuss their school. Four-legged furry critters,
birds, diggers, swimmers, all the creatures and
critters were there. They discussed curriculum
and dissention arose. Running and jumping, of course,
were core subjects, but what about flying, crawling,
swimming? The gophers and beavers left in anger
to start their own school that included digging
and dam building. The class valedictorian at the
main school was a snake that could run, swim,
climb and even fly a little.
Well, I hope you get the point. Every
student, for the sake of the student and of
society, needs to be literate. But, beyond
literacy (the three R's and basic government)
who is to decide what the student should learn?
If you really think deeply about it, you'll
realize that most of what is taught in school
beyond the three R's is propaganda. Opinions
can vary on what to cover.
The applications are various and can solve
many of the problems in schools today.
For example, prayer? Let the parents decide
and send them to a school of their liking.
Parental-rights laws regarding their children
being sent for abortions? Again, they can pick
a school with a policy to their liking.
With a voucher system for ALL students
(not just for the ones lucky enough to be in
the very worst schools),
we'll have choice
and flexibility in schools.
Though I respect Diane Ravitch as the
top education expert in America and I am
in general harmony with her philosophy,
I disagree with her thesis in "Left Back"
that an academic education is for everyone.
The beauty of vouchers is that LITERACY
will be guaranteed to every student, but
the choice of what extent to go vocational,
or arts, or academic will be up to the student
and parents. And, remember,
learning is lifelong nowadays.
I fully agree with Dr. Ravitch
that education is trendy and faddish.
I wrote about integrated learning in my
Philosophy of Education, but I never gave
the punch line. The reason integrated learning
or integrated curriculum is so popular nowadays
is that the liberal activists in education
figured out it's a great way
to preach their liberal activist propaganda
through ALL the subjects, even math, spelling,
P.E., and whatever. I'll give the punch line
for "critical thinking" later. Gotta tease you
a little.
For now, let me recommend some more
Thomas Sowell
and Diane Ravitch
and Dinesh D'Souza
and Walter Williams
and Ward Connerly
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