Well, it’s anonymous secret sources and all that, but the scuttlebutt is that sometime this month, President Donald Trump will issue an executive order that will begin to dismantle the federal Dept. of Education (https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/03/trump-finalizing-plans-shutter-education-department-00202225).
Gee wiz, why would anybody want to do that?
Meanwhile, in New Jersey, the teachers’ union has demanded that the public schools hire “teachers” who, um, “struggle” with basic reading, writing, and arithmetic… ’cause union honcho Randi Weingarten sez it just ain’t “democracy” to burden teachers with all those requirements, blah-blah (https://thefederalist.com/2025/02/05/new-jersey-unions-demand-state-hire-teachers-who-struggle-to-read-or-write/. And New Jersey’s Democrat governor happily signed the bill. I guess the union buttered his bread for him but good in the last election.
I have taught in public school. I have for many years advocated for the end of “public education.”
If you still think it’s worth saving, I know a man who has a nice big bridge to sell you.
Teachers who struggle with reading, writing and arithmetic? Wow! Why didn’t someone think of this before?
When I was in the public schools, some teachers were better than others, but all of them struck me as well educated and competent with regard to the basic skills mentioned above. It strikes me that in order to teach, you need to be able to do the thing you are teaching. If not, students will figure it out quickly, and nothing good will come of it.
When I was growing up, home schooling was never so much as thought about. I had been anxious to start school, but was disappointed because it seemed to be more about children causing disruption than about actual learning. I would have been thrilled to be home schooled. The system was broken when I was in school, and it appears to be much worse, these days.
I wouldn’t have thought it possible for school to get any worse than it was when I was there… but it has.
We didn’t worry about school shootings when I was a kid. Most of my peers came away reasonably literate and equipped to join the workforce and make a meaningful contribution. It wasn’t great; there were certainly attempts at political indoctrination and even back then, some kids got away with causing a lot of trouble, and there was a lot of disruption in the classroom.
What chagrined me was the wasted time. As far as the work done, I could have accomplished just as much actual learning in 1-2 hours per day. I wish that I could have gotten some hands-on with mechanical and electrical equipment, because that spurred my curiosity and would have provided a practical application for the math I was learning.
I disliked school, from 2nd grade, until I got to 11th grade. In 11th grade, I took a class called Aviation, which was basically Private Pilot Ground School. Suddenly I was in a world of compass headings, calculating the effects of crosswinds, and calculating weight and balance, which are essential for safe planning of a flight.
In 2nd grade, I remember being bored by pages of subtraction exercises which I saw as a waste of time. I actually put my pencil down and gave up, in sheer boredom. By contrast, in 11th grade, I was putting math to work and enjoying every second of it. I wanted to do the work and passed with flying colors, in spite of having missed several weeks at the beginning of the course, due to a serious illness.
And, it stuck. When I became a licensed pilot, 8 years later, I reviewed some of the material, brushed up on the regulations, and took the Private Pilot Written Examination without having to take Ground School. In retrospect, it was one of the most valuable classes I ever took. Contrast this with any number of classes which weren’t of any value whatsoever, in the real world.
In order to learn, meaningfully, students have to see how the information presented applies to their lives. Graphic arts are my worst subject. I could take graphic arts courses endlessly and never make meaningful improvement. It’s just not my strength and has little practical application in my life. I appreciate graphic arts, but it’s extremely unlikely that I will ever be a graphic artist, so courses on this subject would be of little interest to me.
History was of little interest to me, although I did fairly well in history courses. Then, I saw the movie The Right Stuff which rekindled my interest in the space program. As I pursued this interest, I was drawn into Cold War history. As I learned about the Cold War, it became obvious that I needed to learn about WW II and that led me to WW I. Even WW I had prior causes, and before I knew it, my interest in the Mercury Astronauts had exposed me to history leading back many years. I had gone from the kid who could pass the exams in my World History class in high school to someone who loved talking about history, and who took delight in the subject … but it didn’t happen until I was able to relate it to my life, in some way.
But we aren’t all the same. I know people who are talented in graphic arts and can’t get enough of it. Thank goodness, because if everyone was like me, we would live in a very bland world. Appearances matter and there are people who are very gifted in making things look better. Look at the wrapper on a miniature Snickers bar, and you are seeing a work of art, albeit one that is a very common sight. We need graphic skills in our economy, but it’s very unlikely that my paltry skills in that area would ever have worth.
Among the many problems of public education, is that students differ in talent and ability. Reading came very easily to me, but my best friend was severely dyslexic and learning to read was all but impossible for him. He needed help, but he also needed understanding. He never overcame his reading difficulties, and wasn’t able to follow in his father’s and become a doctor. Had he been allowed to pursue with interests from an early age, perhaps he would have found his direction in life without being held to a standard he could never attain.
My lack of graphic skills held me back in school, because my handwriting is poor, but I excelled in some areas, and as soon as I found areas which fit my talents (music, aviation and eventually computers) I was able to do much better.
The years I spent in public schools involved a lot of wasted time. Had I been allowed to pursue my interests, I would have gotten much further, much faster. Once I pursued specialized training in Aviation, I had virtually prefect scores, and more importantly, I came away with marketable skills.
Basic skills, such as reading, writing and arithmetic are essential, but not everyone will perform equally in these areas.
Most people forget that public education strongly stresses conformity. In fact, that’s Job One. The child who sticks out from the others is in for a world of hurt. Very few teachers understand or appreciate them.
Precisely. The schools system was the perfect vehicle for creating compliant assembly line workers. Show up on time, do what we say and don’t ask questions. I wanted to learn and I was interested in real things, but I didn’t fit the program all that well.
I don’t think Educators cared too much about those of us who fell by the wayside.
I had a few teachers who were exceptional, but there were quite a few that were just trying to keep a steady job.
This is good news for Conservatives because the woman he had chosen to help run it has all kinds of red flags in her resume. And how about N.J.’s Governor Murphey bragging he has been housing illegals. The spiritual war for common sense has begun.
Murphy is trying to back out of that now.
You’d swear Democrats were American’s enemy in a war.