6/13/2012

The Education System on BI

At one time about 37 years ago, after having spent 20 years in the USN and having been exposed to very many lifestyles in my travels around this country as well as others, I became very concerned with just what was going on with the school systems here in the US. But more specifically what was happening, or not, right here in River City!

Way back then even obtuse me began to see a different direction that was slowly being imposed on the criteria of material being taught to our kids. I don't believe that I was all that oriented, or really informed of  either a right or left leaning bent. I just thought I knew what was right and wrong.

Not liking what I was seeing, I ran for School Committee and was elected and then given the job of Chairperson, ( See, this was another indication of where things were going) by my peers.

For the next 12 years or so it was an on going battle trying to balance the need for money to run the school system, with the ever increasing demands from the evermore intrusive State Board of education.

With their demand that we in corporate into our curriculum all sorts of unfunded mandates that they unilaterally saddled us with.  The first was Public Law (94-142) which was called the Special Education Law I do believe.

Since then the degradation of the Education of all RI kids has been on the skids. Everything has become oriented toward the sole purpose of making the kids "feel good" about themselves, "Increasing their self esteem", Making them aware of the feelings and worth of the children of the world, all sorts of feel good information that most people used to pick up on their own.

All this at the expense of the classes and lessons that really prepare our kids  for the real world out there.  You know like being able to read,write, and spell American English, string two or three co-herent thoughts together on a piece of paper, balance a checkbook, make change, Science, History, (American, World, Ancient) That has NOT been revised by the very left leaning establishment, basic Math, all the things that ought to be taught to our younger generations.

SO, this brings me to where we are today. The elections for  School Committee members here on BI are Non-partisan, so you cannot tell just where a candidate is sort of coming from by her/his political leanings or party affiliations.

So I think that if we want to get our local, "Edifice of Erudition" back on the straight and narrow path and eliminate all the feel good bullshit, we should publicly ask of our candidates just what their thoughts are of the direction in they would steer us, and for what reasons.

Myself I am all for the old time stuff of "readin', writin', and 'rithmitic"! TIFN    

3 comments:

Old NFO said...

Concur, and you Sir, have a microcosm that allows you MUCH more visibility than the average person. Sadly, what you are seeing is becoming more and more prevalent nationwide; which is pushing more and more folks to private schools. I'm not sure from our conversation whether that is an option on the island or not.

Everett said...

Well as usual it appears I've stirred up a hotbed of controversey!

Everett said...

Guess I should proof read for spelling veracity.