From: scottj@magic.dml.georgetown.edu (John L. Scott)
Subject: Re: What can we have for an educational system?
Followup-To: misc.education,sci.edu
Organization: J. Random Misconfigured Site
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 15:01:24 GMT
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In article <1992Nov18.143511.13979@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca>,
mroussel@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca (Marc Roussel) wrote:
[...]
>      In a democracy, we all share both in the glory of our national
> achievements and in the ignominy of our failures.

So if I voted for the losing candidate, I am still to blame for the failed
policies of the winning candidate?  You might be willing to accept such
blame, but don't try to lay on me.

> Sure, there are
> plenty of rotten teachers.  Sure, a good teacher can make a difference.
> Putting all of our frustrations with the educational system on the
> shoulders of the teachers is however misplacing the blame.  If the parents
> cared enough to run for school board positions and vigorously supervise
> the school system, if they cared enough to force their politicians at
> all levels to make the regulations sensible, then we would get a good
> educational system.  Bad teachers are only allowed to stay because we
> don't care enough to force them out.

Wrong again.  Bad teachers are only allowed to stay because *the majority*
doesn't care enough to force them out.  Cut out this "we" garbage.

> (Don't tell me about the unions.
> They only protect the ineffective because we let them do so, not because
> it's intrinsically a part of their mandates.)  Potentially good teachers are
> prevented from doing their jobs properly because we let our governments
> frame a lot of well-intentioned regulations without providing proper
> funding for the measures required.

Oh yes, "we" let our governments do such things.  It's everybody's fault. 
Wrong.  It is not my fault.  I do not vote for the bozos who pass such
regulations.

>      In each of our homes, we have the influence to give our children
> proper attitudes to learning.

Very true.  But I won't except the blame for somebody else choosing not to
exercise that influence.  I will exercise that influence in my own home to
its full extent.  See below.

> Even in a bad school district, we can
> make sure that our children are not harmed by careless teaching.

This is not true.  Even with the best of home environments and the best of
supportive parents, kids who are forced to sit in bad schools for some 30
hours a week are going to be damaged.  That is why I fully intend to home
school my children.

> It is
> collectively however, through the power of the ballot, that we have the
> most ability to influence our children's educations.

Sure.  But you seem to have this bizarre notion that the 49% who voted for
the losing ticket are as much to blame for the subsequent situation as the
51% who voted for the winning one.  I suppose that would be a comforting
notion for a member of the 51% percent.  Such a person's rational must be
"well if those guys had such great ideas then they should have won.  They
obviously didn't convince enough people that they were right, so it's their
fault they lost.  In fact, since they didn't convince me, it's their fault
I voted the way I did."  Sorry, I won't accept such blame.

> Go ahead.  Blame
> the teachers.  It's a lot easier than blaming yourself for allowing
> things to go on as they have, isn't it?

Perhaps, and it also makes more sense if you have been working to prevent
things from going on as they have.  Let's examine the logic here.  Somebody
is disgusted with the state of education and says "Look, most of these
teachers these teachers are terrible," and you jump on them with "Don't
blame the teachers because it's your fault they were hired."  But not only
is that person not to blame, that person should be commended for trying to
do something about it.  The first steps to fixing the situation are to
identify the problems and talk about them, spreading the word, and in that
manner, build a consensus to do something about solving them.  THAT is the
democratic process.  You seek to shut down that process at its start.  You
berate people for not doing something about it and then you berate them for
starting the process.  I and others like me are going to "go ahead."  We
are going to blame the teachers.  And by doing that, we are going to do
something about it.  Get out of the way.

--John L. Scott
 
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