August 29, 2009
Education, or lack thereof
While perusing the local paper today, I came upon this interesting tidbit (August 29, 2009 in the archives)..seems that the oh-so-brilliant "professional educators" in the Brownsburg school district have decided that they will drastically cut back on the teaching of cursive writing in their grade schools. It isn't enough that the curriculum in the public schools systems has been "dumbed down" to the point where they are graduating functional illiterates so that little Johnny can't read, but they don't think Johnny really needs to be able to write, either. They will teach him to be able to write his name with a pen, but for the most part, they decided to concentrate on his being able to type instead.
I remember how much difficulty I had in learning cursive when I was in the second and third grade (sorry for being such a trial, Mrs. Biddle!), and I still have handwriting more worthy of a doctor's prescription pad than any sort of calligraphy in anyone's estimation; it was still a project worthy of the attempt, for the discipline it imposed if nothing else. This is just the latest example of the declining quality of a public school education ever since the Federal government became involved with public education with the founding of the Department of Education in 1980.
The DoE currently has 4,200 full time employees and an annual budget of $68.6 billion. I believe we as taxpayers have been totally remiss in demanding a decent return on our investment. Turning over our children's educations to the tender mercies of the NEA and other professional Teachers Unions has been an unmitigated disaster by any reasonable measure you could propose.
The NEA would have you believe it's because we aren't spending enough, yet expenditures have risen every year since the DoE was founded, and the end results have grown more dismal with every passing year. Those districts that spend the most, on the whole, tend to have the worst results by every accepted standard.
WE the PEOPLE need to get more involved with the process and DEMAND that REAL reforms be made, beginning with the abolishment of the National Department of Education. Control needs to be remanded back to the local level, where parents AND teachers can have more control over what is taught and how it is taught.
If the Brownsburg parents allow their school district to get away with not doing what they are paid to do, they are being remiss in their responsibilities to their children. IMHO They should fire the person(s) responsible for this idiotic decision and get people in those positions of power to actually effect real school reforms. They shouldn't have to fear the threat of a loss of federal funds because they refuse to follow the dictates of the latest fad in educational theory.
The old truism is that "them that pay get to make the rules" and the Federal government should never have gained the power to dictate to the local districts.
It's up to us to strip that power away and put it back in our own hands, where it belongs.