#281 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Tuesday February 22)
Good morning,
I cannot begin by acknowledging that today is 2/2/22. Thanks, Mark Greenfield, for keeping track of these calendar oddities. Please don’t forget to remind me when we get to 3/3/33!
EDUCATIONAL TRACKING
There were a lot of opinions about our educational system after I said I was against eliminating the gifted program in New York. I received a lot of comments from friends on this one.
Most people agreed with Debra Epstein, whose response to the New York idea is: “Terrible idea—education needs to meet kids at the level they are at—not level those that exceed and not skip over those who can’t perform…we know so much more now about how minds develop and can be nurtured, no matter where a child is starting from. This is the sort of mind numbing education that will turn kids off by the time they reach the pivotal 6th grade point.”
To be clear, it isn’t just the “upper achievement” end that suffers from a homogenized “let’s all move at the same pace” philosophy. Those with challenges require specialized educational options. Several people noted that they had severe dyslexia or other leaning issues but were neglected by a system that offered no special education for those who are challenged. As often as not, once these people received the attention they deserved, they learned that their learning disabilities did not translate into lower IQs or aptitudes—to the contrary, many later tested higher and achieved a great deal in their lifetimes.
Joan Estrada points out that the quality of teaching often is wanting: “My daughter volunteered through Americorp and was a teacher/student aide at an elementary school in Brooklyn for one academic year. She was appalled by the lack of academics and poor teacher performance.”
It seems to be that kids should be segmented into smaller groups to move at the appropriate pace and work with others who are proceeding at their own rate. To do otherwise forces some kids into classes that move too fast and others into circumstances when they are not advancing at their own rate. John Fritsche points out the problem: “I tutor reading at an elementary school and watch classes where most kids are sitting doing ‘busy’ work while the teacher spends all their time working with one or two kids. What a disservice to those kids who are there doing their homework and paying attention in class.” He goes on to note that “my granddaughter sits being bored while the teacher tries to work with a couple of kids to catch them up. She used to be excited about school but no longer.”
Kids are different. They learn at different speeds. They learn in different ways. Our schools cannot advance kids too quickly, before they grasp basic concepts appropriate for that grade. They cannot be unwilling to move kids more quickly, as this will stifle minds, careers, and our nation’s success. One size does not fit all. The attractiveness of treating everyone the same sounds great but all it does is serve no one well.
Finally, at the risk of grabbing at the “third rail,” I actually think the broad and liberal tenure system does not only a disservice to the children, but to teachers who are accomplished and excelling. In most other fields, performance is rewarded and failure to perform results in lower compensation or termination. Until we can “crack the nut” of the teachers’ unions, whose primary role seems to be the preservation of the employment of the WORST among their members, rather than focusing their advocacy on those who are at the median or better, it isn’t going to get better soon.
If you can afford it, a private school or a charter school seems the only logical way to go…
LEADERSHIP IS ABOUT TOUGH CHOICES AND COMPROMISE
I wrote a while back about the need to make tough choices in order to reduce pollution of the Earth. As I explained then, while it might be appropriate in a world where there were myriad green options to forsake nuclear energy, that option simply isn’t available. In an effort to argue for clean air and no risk, many environmentalists and many on the left are unwilling to accept any energy source other than wind or solar (notwithstanding that they also contribute to climate change in their own ways).
The same can be said of much of what’s on the agenda of the left. While well-meaning, the left seems unwilling to make hard choices—to adjust the agenda to be more limited and affordable. Not everything is achievable in a single moment, particularly in this particular political moment. The practical reality is that the Democrats have a slim minority and, like it or not, there are two moderate Democratic senators who want certain reductions in the Build Back Better bill. And there is the reality that the Democrats likely will lose the House, and perhaps the Senate, making it impossible after 2022 to enact any legislation. But instead of accepting “half a loaf,” the Democrats, in reaching for too much, may achieve little. This would be a great shame.
At the end of the day, the Democrats are learning a valuable lesson—whether you think you’re right or not, in a democracy, the key to success is compromise and making deals “in the middle.” It will take some key losses by the Republicans to learn the same lesson.
Have a great day,
Glenn
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