Tough Luck, Kid
For all of the passion and strong opinion expressed on this blog - and I hear complaints about it - there is a broader spectrum of opinion expressed elsewhere. I read education stories in the Seattle Times, the Seattle Weekly, the Stranger, Crosscut and on other online sources and I read and participate in the reader comments that follow the articles.
Some of the folks who comment on these sites give voice to some absolutely shocking sentiments. There are some who oppose the very idea of publicly funded education. There are others who are okay with the government funding education but don't think the government should be providing it. I read a lot of bumper-sticker thinking - folks who think the whole education failure can be solved by vouchers, charters, abolishing the teachers' union, or school choice. Only none of these solutions is actually workable and none of them will really make any difference. Scratch the surface of any of these solutions and you will find them to be without merit.
As thoughtless as those folks are, I'm most disturbed by the folks who think that some children should be excluded from access to education. These folks believe that there are reasons - none of which are the child's fault (as if children can be blamed for anything) - that some children should be left without an eduation. These beasts who appear human will write off children with unsupportive families, with disabilities, who are members of families that came to this country through illegal means, with poor families, with single parents, with family members with chemical addictions, who are experiencing violence at home, with family members in prison, with negligent families, and more. I have read a stunning array of excuses for failing to do our duty to educate children. They all disgust me.
And we do have a duty to educate children. Title IX of the Washington State Constitution makes it clear:
Some children are very inexpensive to educate because they are largely educated at home. Most children cost more. Some children cost much, much more. Averages are meaningless. It doesn't matter anyway - we choose to teach them all. Universal public education is a moral issue as well as a legal one. It should not, however, be a political one. We cannot fail it.
Sorry to subject you all to this post but I just had my fill of horror after reading this sort of sewage.
Some of the folks who comment on these sites give voice to some absolutely shocking sentiments. There are some who oppose the very idea of publicly funded education. There are others who are okay with the government funding education but don't think the government should be providing it. I read a lot of bumper-sticker thinking - folks who think the whole education failure can be solved by vouchers, charters, abolishing the teachers' union, or school choice. Only none of these solutions is actually workable and none of them will really make any difference. Scratch the surface of any of these solutions and you will find them to be without merit.
As thoughtless as those folks are, I'm most disturbed by the folks who think that some children should be excluded from access to education. These folks believe that there are reasons - none of which are the child's fault (as if children can be blamed for anything) - that some children should be left without an eduation. These beasts who appear human will write off children with unsupportive families, with disabilities, who are members of families that came to this country through illegal means, with poor families, with single parents, with family members with chemical addictions, who are experiencing violence at home, with family members in prison, with negligent families, and more. I have read a stunning array of excuses for failing to do our duty to educate children. They all disgust me.
And we do have a duty to educate children. Title IX of the Washington State Constitution makes it clear:
It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders, without distinction or preference on account of race, color, caste, or sex.We have a duty to educate these children and we are honor bound to fulfill that duty. It is the law. It is the right thing to do. We must not shirk that duty.
Some children are very inexpensive to educate because they are largely educated at home. Most children cost more. Some children cost much, much more. Averages are meaningless. It doesn't matter anyway - we choose to teach them all. Universal public education is a moral issue as well as a legal one. It should not, however, be a political one. We cannot fail it.
Sorry to subject you all to this post but I just had my fill of horror after reading this sort of sewage.
Comments
And, as Charlie said, these people know bumpkis about our district and just write it off.
While public education is not perfect now, I think people forget how the good old days had a lot of problems that were not addressed and were ignored. The plethora of activities and ideas that were presented to my kids made me jealous. I would have loved to have these kinds of opportunities when I was in school.
I also like to point out to these people that the U.S. has the best, the absolute best, higher ed system in the world. We didn't get that way by having the worst K-12 system in the world.
Gentle Reader
Worse, they as continue their drumbeat for years and years, they eventually have some influence. After enough years of calling for vouchers we may eventually have them. Especially if Gates or Broad put some real money behind it.
-LE
And I too am concerned that the voucher movement could pick up momentum. I think the biggest threat to that is if a lot of people are not engaged in and part of the public education system. It is probably true that as more and more people chose private school instead of public school, it becomes more and more likely that vouchers would become a reality.
I think this means cities should work hard to make the public school system as attractive as possible to as many as possible. Here in Seattle where so many choose private school over public school, the district should ask why people choose private school over public school, especially those in the middle class who can barely afford it, and try hard to attract them back.
A friend has a severly disabled child that can not walk, talk, or perform any self function other than eating with hands.
The parent will not agree to the "Medically Fragile" label, and wants their child to be in a General Ed. classroom for K and above at their Attendance Area School.
With the current ICS model would this child have a full-time aide in the classroom? Or, would it be the 1:12, 1:18 aide or yet to be determined ratio?
The commment of LE also sparks questions - what is the definition of an "appropriate" education?
-No snark, just don't know
I was shocked.
After leading him through five minutes of examples, ranging from "having those educated young people get good jobs so that they can pay into Social Security and Medicare so that your parents have support when they retire," to "the consequences of uneducated people voting is that you elect people who can fool the uneducated," the student finally realized that maybe his viewpoint was without merit.
Too bad we can't do that with the many adults who spew similar garbage. But then again, they wouldn't listen if you could...
Me ... I am shocked at the Governor and the legislature.
Title IX of the Washington State Constitution makes it clear:
It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders, without distinction or preference on account of race, color, caste, or sex.
On Feb 4, 2010 in the NEWS legal action, the State was found guilty of failing to fulfill its Paramount Duty by inadequately funding schools.
The Gov appealed and things have become even worse since 2-4-10.
I can live with ignorant trolls ranting online (in fact some folks see me as an ignorant ranter), it is the ignorant violators of the WA Constitution that are in elected office that really bother me.
Recalling elected officials needs to be attempted a lot more often.
If the court system ever wakes up to legislative intent, and laws as written, we may even see some recall sufficiency petitions approved in Superior courts. Perhaps the Dorn Recall at the WA Supreme Court can be the beginning of an era of more responsive government.
Responsive as in elected officials follow state laws and the obligations imposed by the State Constitution .... just like what theoretically happens in a republic, where every citizen is guaranteed the protection of the law and the constitution.
It just makes me tired.
Great that you were able to share some other view points with this student and that he was receptive.
As for adults of this mentality, of which most are less receptive to other views, I always like to gently remind them to remember that it was "other peoples" tax dollars that paid for their education too.
It goes both ways.
Doesn't follow -- many people who went to private school themselves can't afford it now. Also, hardly anyone goes to private school for every single year from kindergarten through twelfth grade; I would be surprised if the average for those who do some private is even half of that.
Helen Schinske