Education

Boy, Thomas Sowell and Walter Williams have it right on education!!!! Why is it nobody listens to them, preferring the "psychobabble" of the education-types (I say that in the most pejorative sense, of course!) and administrators? Williams and Sowell make all kinds of sense.

Read the latest column from Williams: http://townhall.com/columnists/WalterEWilliams/2009/12/23/black_education

Note what he says about schools of education, which, in my experience, is right on the money. I know people will scoff, not really arguing against what I say, just scoffing as if I can't be taken seriously, but student-teaching is a big scam. It's a crock. What does student-teaching do that the first year of teaching doesn't? Oh, then they learn it while student-teaching, not while earning pay? Think about that one a while, think deeply. Then try asking it again, with a straight face. Student-teaching rips off students-teachers, reinforces the worst of the worst (note Williams' comments on schools of education again), and allows teachers to get paid with time off. But who will listen? Who will take this seriously?

And note what Williams says about those going into education, that is, those becoming teachers. It's devastating. No doubt, we have some good people with good minds who are going to be teachers, but, in all honesty, they are not nearly a high enough percentage. Even some people I know who have always defended teachers, the worse even, have said that the younger teachers just don't cut the mustard. From my experiences, they don't know their subjects, have no sense of rigor and/or quality, and don't have any integrity or courage when it comes to demanding excellence (of course, per my first two clauses, they might not know what "excellence" is!). And, who keeps passing them along, with tenure and awards? Yep, the equally inept administrators, who also are afraid of or don't know quality, rigor, etc. What, do people think Sowell and Williams just make up this stuff? They know what they are talking about.

Good timing, for the editorial above Williams' column this AM talks about the state reform legislation that is pending, calling for its passage. Again, people who don't know what they are talking about, who don't know the real problems, who take what they hear from politicians and administrators as the gospel, etc., weighing in on education. Read the editorial and then read Williams--night and day. The difference between right and wrong (although the intent might be noble).

Freakonomics takes a few glances at education and suggests the above, the good part of above. Again, my guess is nobody will listen. Who, after all, wants to criticize teachers who give out all As and Bs to their kids, despite the fact the students can't read or write very well?

What have we created? See, there's the problem with "give and take," with "compromise." A little give here and there and here and there and soon we have a problem that is monumental, one that likely can't be solved without destroying the entire system. What was it Everett Dirksen said about gov't spending? A few million dollars here and a few million dollars there and pretty soon you're talking about real money. Yep....

We should be ashamed, but, alas, there no longer is a sense of shame.