A TEACHER SPEAKS
This comment was posted today on the old MovableType version of this site. I’ve reproduced it here in all its glory. All errors in spelling and fact are in the original.
I’ve quickly scanned some letters of the day and am a little appaled at what I’ve read in a website that labels itself a “libertarian – leaning” edu-blog (the typo is not on my behalf). Is this indeed a blog that let’s people tilt in whichever direction they want? If so, then you should enjoy this diatribe:
We know that public education needs fixing. My wife and I both teach in a public school where our children will happily attend. Although it is small and sometimes feels like a private school, there are a few times we find ourselves addressing “modern” social issues. We are indeed fortunate in that aspect. Sometimes we brag about how our most complicated issues are finding ways to motivate the high school students to work more, or how to solve the bullying problem (we have students that might even -shudder – shove one another once in a while!!).
Now this might seem a bit “Polly-Annish”, but there you have it. We work in a public school that is sheltered from mainstream drug traffic (although that DOES seem to be creeping in). Even so, we run into many constraints placed upon us by the state and national standards, that, if they remain unfunded, will make it impossible to succeed!
However, this does not mean that teachers like myself and my wife are not giving our all to make our small corner of the world a better place to -dare I say – LEARN (notice the intenional corrected spelling)! We need help from taxpayers and community to support our efforts. That should include HEKs, because they have a stake at what happens to public schools (more on this another day… I need to spend time with said wife and children)
Of course, the relevant part of the blog tagline is “libertarian-leaning,” not “libertarian-learning.” In a subsequent comment he caught that he had misspelled “appalled,” but evidently missed “it’s” “let’s” [sic] and “intenional” [sic]. And I believe it should have been “intentionally.” Folks who live in glass houses best look out for bricks by return mail.
2 Responses to “A TEACHER SPEAKS”
 Comment by Rikki July 30th, 2006 at 10:16 pm |
Why do I always find myself wanting to type smart-assed answers on here? I must be “leaning” in a bad direction. Perhaps I need some “learning”. |
 Comment by Daryl Cobranchi July 31st, 2006 at 10:49 am |
The main point of my post was not the perceived mistake of leaning vs. learning. That was more tongue-in-cheek, which is not easily conveyed in type. I call Bullshit! You twice basically called me a moron in not knowing how to spell “learning.” The main thrust of the post was the fact that Public Education seems such a disappointment to most of you. Not true. We love the g-schools. As long as they stay away. Seriously, if y’all would simply do your jobs (and I don’t consider music one of them), this blog would simply ignore the schools. But the public school system is an enormous bureaucracy that attempts to control every aspect of kids’ lives from birth to 18. We believe we have found a better way and would just as soon you leave us out of your discussions and pleadings. If our school has to start cutting programs because of lack of enrollment, these programs would be amongst the first to go. And why should your enrollment be declining? It couldn’t be the poor product, could it? You see, when folks have the option for something better, they take it. The g-schools survive only because they have quasi-monopoly power. As to your snyde comments and innuendos about my mistakes, I only need to point to that behavior to see that your interest is in self-promotion and self-importance, rather than promoting unity within a community! I’m a blogger. Self-promotion is my raison d’être. 🙂 And I think our community is plenty unified. Sure we squabble among ourselves, but we follow the old Middle East code: Me against my brothers. My brothers and me against our cousins. Me and my cousins against our village. Me and my village against my tribe. Me and my tribe against the world. Homeschoolers are a tiny minority (~4%). But we’re a tribe. |