What Should We Teach?
Tuesday Open Thread
The speaker list is up for the Board meeting tomorrow; not as packed as I thought with just four people on the waitlist. The majority of the speakers are speaking on high school boundaries (with several wanting to talk about Ballard High). There are only three of us speaking about the Green Dot resolution asking the City to not grant the zoning departures that Green Dot has requested. It's me, long-time watchdog, Chris Jackins, and the head of the Washington State Charter Schools Association, Patrick D'Amelio. (I knew Mr. D'Amelio when he headed the Alliance for Education and Big Brothers and Big Sisters; he's a stand-up guy.)
Comments
I'd recommend showing kids the documentary "Cowspiracy" now streaming on Netflix. Not your usual vegan gore fest of brutality against farm animals, this is a look at the fact that raising animals to eat and drink their secretions creates more than twice as much greenhouse gas as all transportation uses combined. That's cars, trains, buses, etc. Also it shows how veganism is too hot for Greenpeace, Rainforest Alliance, Sierra Club and other giant conservation to handle. Suitable for children.
Sorsha Morava
BTW, can a kid get vegan food in a SPS lunchroom?
Engager
http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/coon_chicken.htm
The infamous Coon Chicken Restaurant in Lake City. The racist past of this city is astounding and should never be forgotten.
Milhouse
but like most questions asked of the general public it is likely irrelevant as:
The following line, from a study that looked at the influence of "average Americans" on public policy, says it all:
"The preferences of the average American appear to have only a minuscule, near-zero, statistically nonsignificant impact upon public policy."
When the preferences of the economic elite match up with the general public's preferences that is when the general public might mistakenly believe they have some clout.
In the SPS the really significant action the general public can take is the election of school board members ... and then pray those directors don't drink too much of the "Kool-aid" ..... There was a reason that the four directors elected in 2007 were able to spend $480,000 campaigning and it was not to represent or press for the "preferences of the general public" ....
It is hard enough for union members to delude themselves into believing that Union Leaders are usually representing the "preferences" of the members ... Look at SEA and WEA support of Common Core and how those decisions came about.
(and those union dues are doing something for Union Members but from many decisions you wonder what)
Like it or not "Long Live the Oligarchy" -- for the preferences of the general public are irrelevant and money is speech these days.
-- Dan Dempsey
That's certainly money well spent.
Taft
CodingForAll