We're still in spring cleaning mode here at the Carberrys', so my wife is insisting I do something with this pile of odd notes stacked on the dining room table. When the idea of public education came back in vogue in the mid-19th century, it was as a tool to 'Americanize' these immigrant slum kids. Fortunately, as so many callers each week see fit to remind me, I'm not a respectable columnist. So, from my dining room to yours, here's another loose thought set flight to honor the gods of spring.
Public education is a pernicious little beast.
It started in the United States as a fancy little notion entertained by wealthy educated men like Thomas Jefferson. Those who picked it up after a few years could move on to more advanced science, philosophy and history. Those who didn't could go home and farm. The radical concept here was that republican government had an interest in preparing all children to be competent citizens, and that even a few poor kids with poor breeding might turn into great leaders if given a chance. Reality ignored Jefferson's dream.