Kansas City Don’t Need None of That There Edumucation
What the fuck is happening to this country? How much further do we have to sink before we become the world’s number one basket case?
Kansas City is short on money (who isn’t?), so of course the first thing to go on the chopping block is Booklarnin’. Kansas City might close half of its public schools because of a $50 million budget shortfall.
There’s nothing else they could cut besides education? How about enforcement of hundreds of those victimless “crime” laws? How about a few overpaid government administrators and assistant-to-the-assistants?
A local 32-year-old father of two said that during his school days, he transferred from a top private school to the Kansas City public school system because of their high quality. Now he’s appalled at the deterioration and wonders where the money went:
“It's crazy. I just hope that with all the changes that they are planning on making, that the kids are the ones who are the most important and that hopefully they will get the resources and the education they need to be successful.”
If public schools (followed closely by libraries) go the way of the stagecoach and the hula hoop, there’s still a hopeful alternative: Hoem Skooling. And this way, you won’t have to clutter up your children’s minds with any of that there science and eevolooshin and such like.
If home schooling parents want to pretend the universe revolves around the Old Testament, they’re entitled. But just maybe, there could be a few home schooling texts available for families who know what century this is.
One of the most popular home schooling textbooks begins its biology chapter with:
“Those who do not believe that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God will find many points in this book puzzling. This book was not written for them.”
All righty then…
And speaking of dinosaurs — you probably saw this story a few days ago: Scientists are now certain that the dinosaurs were killed off by an asteroid.
Unfortunately, I think it missed a few of them.
Labels: dinosaurs asteroid, home school textbooks, Kansas City public schools
posted by Tom Harper @ 1:26 PM
17 Comments:
While home schooling does have it's advantages over most school systems, it depends on the parent and their choice of cirriculum. If it's bible based, the poor child doesn't stand a chance.
I think most politicians would welcome the chance to take money away from schools because an educated constituency is one that will ask too many questions.
Wow, my having two teenagers, you hit the nail on the head. These folks think that these Government programs like Schools, Postal services, Police and Fire Depts. etc, are a stumbling block to what their God, Pres. Reagan started a long time ago...stifle Government, eliminate the middle class and have unrestricted power over the citizenry. Lets keep the fight going against them...
Lew: I feel sorry for the children of these Bible-pounding parents. And you're right, this provides even more gullible dunces for corporations and demagogues to manipulate.
Teeluck: Yup, who needs them commie schools, fire departments, mail delivery... Republicans won't be happy until every government function has been eliminated or privatized.
Out here in Californee The Conservatives tried to Change the Homeschool Rules using sweet wholesome educated Christian Parents as their front. Out here you have almost have to be a teacher in order to homeschool but the rightwing say it's a tool of our all Powerful subversive Teacher's Union (more powerful then the CEO's? Wow!) to keep their jobs.
The Big advantage Homeschool has over regular school is individual attention (Hello? which teachers have been screaming about for years) After that if you don't have the Education to stay ahead, even with these home learning kits, you then harm the kid more then help.
I found out in many states, especially our southern ones, all you need to do is have an objection to the present curriculum (Darwin, Black History) you can Homeschool the kid. The School must check on the kids progress and then if not up to speed - suggest they re enter public school (once they do you can object to the curriculum again) and ....you get the idea!
Bob Jones Still Believes in the Bible Doctrines against Race mixing and that God made white people to be superior so it scares me what they but in their text.
Erik
Erik: That's right, the all-powerful Teachers Union is the biggest threat to our democracy this side of socialized medicine. I can't believe people are actually using textbooks published by Bob Jones. Well, yes I can.
personally i think the dinosaurs committed mass suicide when they realizeed humans would be iin charge
i am not a fan of home schooling. there is a certain social aspect of schooling (good and bad) that all kids need to leatn to adapt to
why why why are SO many politicians christian nut jobs
I smell an anti public education trend, down here in Georgia, the state with a 50% high school drop-out rate, the latest target from Legislators is higher education. The university system costs 12% of recent budgets, but to balance the state balance sheet, it is being asked to suffer 30% of the cuts. The high-school system is a mess, now lets see how we can screw up the ones that survived K thru 12.
Here's an example from my experience. 25 years ago, my wife's (now ex) brother came to live with us for a year while her parents resolved marital issues. We enrolled him as a Junior in a nearby high school with a good reputation. He asked for help with his homework, and I recognized the Geometry text from when I was in school. But there was a difference. I used it in the 7th grade, not as a high school Junior!! Things have deteriorated since then.
I read an article in this morning's research that the religious right so dominates the home school movement that it is virtually impossible to get a science text that does not denigrate evolution in favor of the Genesis creation myth.
Tom YOU LIE! Why my great great great great great great great great great great grandaddy rode one of them dinasaurs to school every day.
Distributorcap: Now if the dinosaurs in that linked picture would commit mass suicide, all would be well. I think home schooling should be allowed, but I think it's a mistake, for the reason you mentioned. If the social aspects of a public school are difficult, home schooling will just make the real world that much tougher to adapt to when the child turns 18 (or 21 or 40 or whatever).
Holte: Oh well, look on the bright side. When education has been totally decimated, there'll be that many more diligent obedient worker bees to run our economic engine (if we still have one).
TomCat: That's a pretty telling example. And the downward spiral continues...
Demeur: You Betcha!
Part of me doesn't mind the home schooling fad, it ensures that a large percentage of Fundies are unemployable.
On the other hand, being uneducated and without skills doesn't prevent one from voting.
Thomas: Aye, there's the rub. Some of those Fundies are dumber than dirt, but they can still vote.
You liberal elitists wanting the kidlets to get educated is going to be the end of the world you know. I don't think I know anyone that has been homeschooled. Although, I did recently hear about a family from Germany that was granted assylum here because they could home school the children here with the good book as the guide.
What I want to know is, why is it the kids and the poor people are the first programs that are cut? Surely they could cut some of the admin staff for the school districts. Maybe all of our states legislatures should go back to being part time then they have to work like everyone else and only go in when stuff needs done every three months or so for a month/month and a half. Think of the saving there on staff, medical coverage. It would be a sight to see these boneheads have to survive in the private sector just like everyone else. I can dream can't I?
It just pisses me off that if we did not have to fight these damn wars and bail out the big banks all the money that could have been used here to fix our education system.
Tom Cat, depending on where you live, Texas is the biggest purchaser of school text books, so most states by from the same people. I know California has its own but a lot of the southern states go for the TX books because of the cheap cost. They are notoriously right wing in their thinking, on the TX school board, and the text books show that. When they just had the election last week a couple of the more wingier elements were tossed on their asses for moderates but still, it will take a while for them to get to the point where the earth is round and dinosaurs were not pets in the house.
Jess: I remember that news story about the German family who came here for asylum so they could home school their kids.
I've heard lots of stories about school districts spending jillions of dollars on every perk imaginable for administrators and secretaries, at the same time that classrooms are overcrowded, teachers are underpaid, textbooks are out of date...
Yeah -- Executives and administrators should have to be paid by piecework ( they get paid for what they get done only.) Then we could feel they were earning their pay, or not pay them. :-)
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