The governor who famously (facetiously?) referred to a "truce" in the culture wars now spends his days signing legislation dedicated to social engineering on a scale seldom glimpsed since the halcyon days of 20th-century "isms", then sells the souvenir pens on Ebay to finance his White House run.
Like my friend D's reaction, it makes me sick. Waiter: One of those irony bags, please. Extra large if you've got it.
Well Roger, whatareyougoingtodoaboutthismess?
Sorry ‘bout that; words spoken in anger tend to rush out without sufficient pause between. Oops, I’m beginning to sound like Yoda.
How can those idiots face their constituents, how can they face their G-d, when they pull off a stunt like “School Vouchers”? Of course, they are fully aware of the damage they’re going to do to the Indiana Public School system. What can they be thinking? If thinking is what they pretend to do?
The unthinking cruelty of these clowns; it goes to prove time after time that they are amoral to the ‘nth degree. I’m done with Indiana. I’ll never return; however this decision of mine won’t amount to a hill of beans in the long run. But, it will give my anger a focus.
I have to ask, where in Indiana is the one person who’ll stand up and speak out to remind their fellow Hoosiers that this is wrong? This is nothing but a sop to the ugliest of the radical right’s ambitions, and that is to reverse the civil rights movement in this country. To take us back to that imagined time in this country when white was right and those who weren’t were outta sight.
When I was in the sixth grade, attending the State Street Elementary School , the principal was Lillian Emery (of hated memory). She had declared, early on when the subject of integration of New Albany’s schools was discussed, that the only way a black child would walk into State Street School was over her dead body. We all, or at least a lot of us, held our collective breath and hoped that soon a new student would appear and grant our most fervent wishes.
So, one day, during recess I spotted that one black child, alone, away from the other students, crying, afraid, scared to death. I think he was a second grader, one little kid; and at that point the cruelty of the New Albany power merchants was out there for all to see. Unfortunately Miss Emery remained, fully ensconced on her throne. They even named the school after her, for a while; at least until her ugly story became public knowledge.
I tried to befriend and reassure that kid, but he was so miserable and afraid, he was literally inconsolable. I don’t remember if he was at school the next day, I don’t remember seeing him again. The school year ended and I was on to New Albany Junior High, on Spring Street, where integration was a reality. Not that everything was peaches and cream, but it worked, for the most part.
Now, the moral descendants of Lillian Emery are out to reverse the wheels of progress. Indiana’s most welcome to them. You’ll need to keep a weather eye out; I hear that Carrie Nation is reforming the W.C.T.U. for a second go around.
Be very watchful!
Someone please close the chasm for me and connect integration and racism with vouchers. Vouchers give ALL students an opportunity, the same opportunity, to CHOOSE the school in which they will learn the best. You may not agree with public money going to private schools, but how can you fault a poor child from seeking a better education and a better future? Vouchers will create competition. I know this is a dirty word in the liberal mind, but schools will have to compete by stepping up their efforts to teach our children. This will in turn help all students.
ReplyDeleteThis year's seniors get to choose where they will attend college. No seniors will choose a college that is failing to teach. Our younger students deserve the same choice.
One team gets to handpick their players by whatever criteria they wish, a separate set of rules allowing for greater strategic flexibility, and the ability to dismiss any player not performing well for whatever reason so that their scores don't count.
ReplyDeleteThe other team has to take whomever shows up to play after the first team has made their picks, has strict rules allowing for few major strategic changes, and just has to live with the lack of ability, preparedness, and performance of their players with those performances counting against them.
That's not competition. It's a stacked deck. It's separate in rules and implementation but "equal" in state funding.
I don't know many seven-year-olds who are doing much of their own research and "choosing" when it comes to educational alternatives. Some parents do that, though. Of course, children whose parents are that engaged tend do better anyway.
Especially interesting in all this is that those in government who tend to favor the performance of private and charter schools often point to their relative curricular freedoms as a primary reason for their success. Looming and still unanswered, of course, is why they don't just bestow that same level of flexibility on traditional public schools. If it makes schools stronger, why choose only certain state funded schools as beneficiaries?
Likewise, if private schools supposedly perform better due to superior "teaching", why not saddle them with the same rules as traditional public schools in return for public funding (which is how competition would actually work) so that an apples to apples comparison can be made?
Explain how to me, Daniel, how this is anywhere near FAIR competition. I know that FAIR is a dirty word in the regressive mind, but humor me.
ReplyDelete"Vouchers give ALL students an opportunity"
ReplyDeleteNot true, which is why we saw rural GOP'ers vote against this bill. The closest private school to me growing up was over 30 miles away making it impossible with two working parents to take me to and pick me up from school every day.
This bill leaves kids behind, plain and simple.
Still no answer on how this relates to racism.
ReplyDeleteI will agree that this system will not be ideal for rural students, but hey, I once heard if you like your current insurance,errr, I mean current school, you can keep it. While I understand that private schools do not have to accept everyone, this system still allows for school choice. I am no fan of private schools. All four of my kids are in NAFC schools and I am happy with the education they are receiving. I am also involved in their education. Simply switching schools will not help kids that are not interested or have parents that don't care. This situation is sad, but that is another battle.
Systemic, state-supported discrimination. Whether or not a particular student is allowed to attend a particular private school isn't up to a parent or the public. It's up to the school, and those decisions could be based on any number of factors including race, gender, sexuality, religion, physical disability, proven academic or athletic ability, etc., and the school would still receive state funding.
ReplyDeleteJeff, I agree with some of your assessment. Keep in mind though that students can choose another public school and private schools only receive funding from vouchers, not a blanket type amount. I'll agree that it is not perfect, but much better than the current state of education.
ReplyDelete