The drive for fascism continues apace.
11 Likes
Well, if the teachers strike, the kids might just get a better education than the one mandated by the state of Florida.
2 Likes
Even where draconian bigoted laws restrict how teachers can teach, kids are still better off with an education than without one.
9 Likes
Ever heard of free schooling? I mean in the Summerhill sense, not the access to public schools sense of free.
Every alternative to public schooling drains resources and support from public schools.
I know itâs a kinda radical position, but I donât think homeschooling or private schools should be an option, as they simply give priviledged families an out from supporting the public school system, leaving an underfunded system to whoever canât afford the alternative. In this way, itâs a lot like healthcare.
10 Likes
Home schooling, Unschooling, Free schooling, whatever you call it, the problem is that it requires parents who are not working outside the home to make it work. And the oversight is minimal. I have kids whose parents proudly tell me that their kids complete their âschool dayâ in 45 minutes and then can help around the house or whatever. Like this is a good thing. Education of the next generation is not a privilege to be reserved for the privileged. It is a human right that is required for the society to thrive. So, no, public school teachers are truly doing the work society needs them to do, at the cost of their own financial well being, I might add. And, increasingly, at the risk of their own health and safety.
16 Likes
Iâll join you on that stand.
Schools arenât just where children go to learn things, theyâre the means by which we create the future iteration of our society. Itâs better for everyone if we all have a stake in the success of the public education system, and better for everyone that we donât have a parallel system where the offspring of the rich network with one another, and never interact with anyone outside their bubble.
7 Likes
I get your point, and do agree⌠BUT, the problem with public schools right now (even some decently funded ones) is that they are often authoritarian in nature, in some cases in extreme ways. Just look at the school were Nex Benedict got killed. They might still be alive today if they had been able to go to a private school that actually gave a shit about them.
Iâd prefer a system of public education based on smaller schools embedded in their communities, with good pay for teachers, based on less authoritarian principles than most public schools are right now⌠But I do agree that weâre fucking public school over, but lots of people are making the choice for private because they schools in their districts put their children in harms way.
10 Likes
Thatâs true, we opted for a small private school for my youngest many years ago. She is autistic, and at the time the only options in public school were regular classroom, no support or warehoused with the âsit in the corner and rockâ kids. I donât often make full use of the privileges i have, but i did then
It worked out, more or less. Certainly better than the other option. My point is just that, had i been less privileged, what would have become of her? Everyone should be able to get an appropriate education for their kids. Not just those with money and position.
11 Likes
I have friends who are very lucky, in that their son who is on the spectrum was able to get into a charter school geared towards supporting kids on the spectrum. And then his younger sister was able to get in there as well. Not everyone has those optionsâŚ
But we sent our kid to a private school, in part because both my husband and I had bad experiences in our schools as teens. But we, like you guys, was privileged enough to be able to make that choice. It worked out well for her, since sheâs a very introverted kid. She was able to pretty smoothly transition from a small private school, to the largest public university in the state with no problems, thanks in part to the way her school was able to help her navigate her introversion⌠I donât think that would have happened in a public school.
So, I agree with @DukeTroutâs larger point about the importance of public school, we also have far too many public schools failing, and far too many kids at risk right now, without broad, sweeping reforms. I think maybe that everyone being forced to go to public schools would help, but that would take years to work out a better systemâŚ
I donât know⌠there arenât good answers.
8 Likes
100%. Iâm talking as much about future state rather than current state. I think the myriad problems with public schools are the symptom, not the disease. The disease is the defunding of those public schools for the past 80 years.
10 Likes
We absolutely need a vigorous public education system, ideally one that would include a variety of educational models so that kids could learn in an environment that suited and supported them. (Which was the initial impetus for the charter school movement, as horrible as that has become.)
As it is, most kids will be ok if their school is closed for a strike for a month or so. Losing school lunch and/or breakfast will have a worse affect.
I think thatâs a big problem, but I donât think itâs the only problem. There is a major disagreement about what education should be about in this country, thatâs driving some of this (I know youâre probably aware, but here we go)⌠the conservative view point is that itâs job training and teaching people how to behave properly (according to their very narrow of âproperâ)⌠They certainly donât want the âwrongâ people to be getting âideasâ in their heads that they deserve more than their âbettersâ will allow them⌠itâs the whole âeducation for industrial productionâ model⌠But then there is the more progressive view (associated with people like Dewey, Montessori, etc) that education should be for moving things forward, for helping people find out who they are and what theyâre good at, and creating active citizens who are engaged, educated, and creative⌠Until that debate works itself out, and we fully fund all our public schools and promote a good education for all, without any of the fascist, classist, racist, misogynistic nonsense, then no one should be forced to go to a public schoolâŚ
6 Likes
It might be a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem, though. The best way to get conservatives on board with funding public schools and making them work better for the students is to force those conservatives to send their kids and grandkids to public schools. All of a sudden, there would be immediate support. Without that impetus, I donât know how we get there.
7 Likes
Yeah, I have no easy answers, for sure.
5 Likes
Legislators shouldnât get paid when theyâre not on the House floor.
6 Likes
15 Likes
That second one is huge!
9 Likes
Thursday evening, the Austin, Texas City Council was set to consider and pass a resolution calling on Google to bargain with a union of YouTube Music workers who are based in the city. While one of the workers was speaking to thank the council, Google laid all of the workers off: âTo be supported by the city of Austin and also our allies in the labor community gives us the motivation to keep this fight going,â Jack Benedict, a member of the Alphabet Workers Union was saying to the council.
One of his colleagues, Katie Marner, walked up to the pulpit: âNot to interrupt, but they just laid us all off,â she says. âThey just laid us all off. Our jobs are ended today. Effective immediately.â A bell rings. âIâm sorry, your time has expired, but weâll follow up on this,â Austin mayor Kirk Preston Watson says.
ETA: added blockquote
13 Likes
Second, they argue that NLRB proceedings violate the Seventh Amendment right to a trial by jury.
Great! That means theyâre going after arbitration clauses, too, right? Right?
7 Likes
