tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957911.post8672982159686993402..comments2024-03-28T12:59:05.739-07:00Comments on Iron Tongue of Midnight: Diane Ravitch Comes to Her SensesLisa Hirschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14014924958428072675noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957911.post-86193710363631158252010-03-18T12:15:18.138-07:002010-03-18T12:15:18.138-07:00The tension you describe is an old, old one. When ...The tension you describe is an old, old one. When I was in high school, my instructor, a graduate of U. of Chicago, had us look at scholarly studies and books like "The Peculiar Institution," rather than using a h.s. textbook. One study we read was about a vote in the 1840s by the citizens of Beverly, MA, rejecting a proposal for public schools. <br /><br />We eventually figured out that this was because the citizens of Beverly were shoemakers, and their kids (boys, I assume) were typically apprenticed to them and followed in the family business. They didn't want their kids spending too much time in school and then going to work in the then-new shoe factories.<br /><br />What Obama is saying and what he's doing with his own kids do say a lot. Sasha and Malia go to Sidwell Friends and you can bet they get lots of art, literature, and languages.Lisa Hirschhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014924958428072675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957911.post-74710403935392551902010-03-18T12:09:39.023-07:002010-03-18T12:09:39.023-07:00Heard Ravitch on Philly public radio yesterday and...Heard Ravitch on Philly public radio yesterday and liked much of what she had to say, especially about over-testing. The thing that keeps coming back to me about the debate over education in this country is that no one seems to talk about exactly what education is supposed to be <i>for.</i> Do we want well-informed, well-rounded citizens or happy robots for corporate America? When Obama talks about education, he seems to dwell on the need for productivity and international competitiveness, essentailly telling kids, "Your parents blew it. It's up to you now." If that's all school is for, why bother with the arts and literature? Languages and geography will help in dealing with the Chinese, but forget about the rest. We might as well put our money into trade schools. <br /><br />Under this model, it is inevitable public schools will be treated as profit-making enterprises: they're essentially farm teams for other profit-making enterprises.Joe Barronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16638252347181688694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957911.post-16954922436380165732010-03-04T13:38:04.446-08:002010-03-04T13:38:04.446-08:00calimac, yeah. The answer: you're more driven ...calimac, yeah. The answer: you're more driven by facts, less by ideology, more honest, and not inclined to be dishonest in service of ideology.Lisa Hirschhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014924958428072675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957911.post-73784097898337049822010-03-04T13:36:03.790-08:002010-03-04T13:36:03.790-08:00I feel the same way as I did when Alan Greenspan c...I feel the same way as I did when Alan Greenspan confessed his surprise that Randian economics doesn't work. Or like Democratic senators who confess that Bush had bamboozled them over Iraq.<br /><br />Why did it take them all these years to figure it out? In all three cases, I knew this all along. Unlike these people, I'm no expert; so why am I smarter than they are?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957911.post-49931723292976679342010-03-04T04:01:00.504-08:002010-03-04T04:01:00.504-08:00The USA seems to want to be a third-world country,...The USA seems to want to be a third-world country, and not like Finland or Japan. Those countries are relatively civilized, and being civilized isn't what the USA is about. Pretending otherwise is a recipe for despair.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957911.post-24127846731974853662010-03-03T15:21:05.581-08:002010-03-03T15:21:05.581-08:00Even if we were to do everything that Finland and ...Even if we were to do everything that Finland and Japan have done the area needing the most improvement isn't the schools. As long as it takes two incomes just to survive parents are going to be too busy and too tired to give their children the support needed to study and succeed.<br /><br />Ask a good teacher what is the thing they want the most for their students and it is more involvement by the parents.Paul H. Mullerhttp://www.paulhmuller.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957911.post-37381984628797722062010-03-03T12:10:43.218-08:002010-03-03T12:10:43.218-08:00Amen. In fact, as worshipers in Black churches som...Amen. In fact, as worshipers in Black churches sometimes say: Teach!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957911.post-88545142224202912852010-03-03T09:08:05.462-08:002010-03-03T09:08:05.462-08:00The path to better education lies in the love of l...The path to better education lies in the love of learning, something that is never induced by standardized testing.Dr.Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02298893523780056481noreply@blogger.com