A Flying Rip . . . Rant . . . . Rave . . . .

About Public Education

A few observations . . . First, a union exists because a group of workers choose to bargain together and the union's first responsibility is its members. Thus, a teacher's union does not exist for the transient population that is made up of students, but rather the permanent population of professional teachers. The union protects teachers so that the individual teacher can get to the work of providing students opportunities to learn.

Second, teachers don't really teach as much as they provide an opportunity to learn. Education is a participation sport (so to speak) and requires the active effort on the part of the student. Measuring teachers by standardized tests is ridiculous because ETS can predict with over 80% accuracy standardized test scores by considering the following: 1) single-parent status; 2) free and reduced lunch status; 3) attendance; 4) how much TV is watched; and 5) how much children five and under are read aloud to at home. Teachers have nothing to do with any of these.

Third, public education is the best thing ever invented in this country. It is wildly successful in so many ways, but the left bashes education to get more funding, and the right bashes education to push vouchers and charters. But the truth is this country should stop trying to educate everyone on the cheap and turn public schools into the palaces they ought to be.

Fourth, so many posts suggest that schools are in the "business" of creating a product called students. Schools aren't a business. They don't produce a product. If schools are going to be judged solely on the "product" called students, then give public schools the opportunity to reject the inferior raw material just manufacturers in the private sector do. Just a coincidence how charters manage to keep their students until October 1.

Finally, I don't think there is enough information in any of the articles to determine whether or not the "sickout" is the correct action or not. Push anyone into a corner, and the results usually aren't pretty.

posted by Sean Black @ 4:30 PM