Why do Republicans think Education is bad?

@Pitgull (1522)
United States
February 24, 2009 9:35pm CST
Why would it be bad for America to invest more money into education? Wouldn't less of our jobs go overseas and more of our people be able to help and better our country? More educated and intelligent people running our companies and our country. Wouldn't that be a better America? And yet the Republicans call Education ---BIG Government? We need improvements.
4 responses
• United States
25 Feb 09
Republicans don't hate education alone. Many others join them. They want us teachers to live on the lowest pay of any educated professional. They want us to work with kids whose parents sue the system at the drop of a hat about things that shouldn't even be issues. I've been a teacher in Miami, FL, for 41 years and I've watched the decline of education come on strongly, with parents deciding what's best for their own child must be foisted on all kids. They ban books, demand that effective programs be dropped, deny discipline to get kids to accept the education they're given, then make excuses for their children not attending school, or not doing the work, or in some way avoiding education. The last statistic I saw showed that teachers here are paid lower than all but 2 other areas, yet we have to cope with multicultural, multiracial, and absolutely defiant kids who have their parents' full backing against every rule. We have to purchase our own materials -- want chalk? Try Office Depot! Our inadequate pay can't handle it. Then with the new laws brought in by the Bush administration, called No Child Left Behind, we're micromanaged, disparaged and disrespected by our so-called superiors. In my school, all you have to do is be a young woman who speaks Spanish much better than English, skirts shorter than the kids would ever be allowed to wear and quite obscene cleavage. No, I'm not being prejudiced in any way; just come to most high schools in Miami and you'll see the same thing. The worst thing any of us can do is be old and experienced, or not coach sports, or be overweight or gray-haired, etc. Nobody cares that we really do know what we're doing! We're not allowed to do it...
• United States
27 Feb 09
We teachers are often told it will get better -- the pendulum will swing back. Well, what's going on now is, in great part, a response to the loose curricula of the 1970s, when kids were taught to have strong self -esteem, but not to deserve it. That's how they got to be parents who don't even realize the ways in which their attitudes are destroying the education they tell us they want to improve. We have to come in at night (unpaid) a few times a year so parents can meet with us without harming their schedules. Last month, there were approximately five teachers to each parent who showed up! We have to demand that teachers be allowed to educate kids the way we know we should! The many demonstrations taking place now are partly for salaries, since few of us can make ends meet on what we earn, but more and more for academic freedom, and for the right to teach what the kids need to learn, in spite of tests made by politicians who have no clue! I would guarantee most of the politicians who are ruining our careers couldn't pass the tests they demand that every student pass. With regard to dyslexia and other disabilities, I must differ with you. Our exceptional education departments are excellent, and staffed with experts in the fields they encounter. My classroom is next to a unit for the autistic, and I couldn't be happier than when one of the autistic boys says hello, even though he can't pronounce my name -- he's just begining to talk, and he's 16. Another hasn't spoken yet, but he shakes my hand every day and smiles. That's HUGE for autistic kids! Many ESE students are mainstreamed into my classes, and the specialists make individual education plans for each, go over them with us, teach us what we need to know and to do, and follow up regularly and well. Since I teach high school seniors, I love the days when we confer with the ESE specialists to help the kids get into careers as well as colleges. I honestly believe your child would have benefitted from a public education. That's not to disparage home schooling, it's just the other side of the coin. As for wasted time, well, we do teach from bell to bell, but therre are thirty or more kids in each of my classes,and you were individualizing beyond anything we can do. Are you aware that mast public colleges are well staffed with ESE specialists who help kids with special needs very effectively?
• United States
26 Feb 09
Thank you, AMEN!!! I wrote higher up in this article. We home schooled in the Fort Lauderdale area when my daughter started school. We were supplied books from the book depository. I was thankful for the supplies but I could not use much of what was given. Books were written in such a confusing manner. I feel sorry for teachers who must teach from such confusion. I did not want to take my daughter out of society but I wanted to make sure she had a good basic education and beyond. I did not realize that her and I were both dyslexic. By the time she reached eighth grade she was at college level in every subject but math. She was at her grade level in math. When my daughter was diagnosed with dyslexia, we were told that if she had been put in the schools, she would probably not know how to read because the dyslexia was so bad. Educating her was not an easy task and many helps came from the home schooling community along the way. Her cousin had the same problem and attended regular school and was at first grade reading level in the fifth grade. It was a home schooling teacher (degree in disabilities) who figured out the problem and sent her to an eye doctor for vision correction. When my sister asked the school why they never told her what the problem was (and they did know) they replied that if they told my sister, they would have to pay for her daughter's treatment. Isn't that helpful. Rule upon rule. law upon law. With money from government there is always more rules and hoops to jump through. The whole educational system suffers and the children are left behind. With this extra help for my niece she is now at grade level and getting really good grades. One cannot imagine how damaged her self-worth was going through all of this. I suffered the same thing in school. I was amazed that even with the learning disability, it only took us from September to December to cover the materials for the entire year when home schooling. What in the world do they waste all the time on in school and they even want to extend the year. There is such a breakdown from every area in the classroom. When I attended school in the 50's and 60's, you didn't dare not do your work. You were told at home that this was a tremendous privilege to get an education. My parents also did not tolerate the educators not doing their work. There stands a guard shack at the old high school that I attended. When my mother found that my sister has skipped school for almost six months in high school, she brought her lawn chair to the school and followed my sister from class to class. The principle originally told her that he couldn't keep track of all the kids. Her reply was if you can't, I will. After three days, administration begged my mother to go home. She said she would go home on a few conditions. One of them was to build a guard shack and check students in and out of the parking lot. My sister finished her education and is a hard working mother of three today. I did not want to tell anyone at school that that was my mother yelling in the principle's office but it was interesting when she would walk in the bathrooms and kick everyone out that was smoking, etc. So back to the schools, how do you fix the mess - you've got part of the answer above. Now business would survive under these conditions. They would be bankrupt and why not with such an inferior product.
1 person likes this
@dismalgrin (2604)
• United States
25 Feb 09
I used to be republican, now I'm Democrat... long story there. But, I don't really believe in investing more money into the schools. Why? Because I feel that it takes away the rights of the parents to educate their children as they see fit. Lets face it, the more money we pour into our schools... the more of a waste it becomes if children don't use the government schools. So, in a way, to try to get the taxpayers to pay more for the schools is to try to get to sign away one of their rights. Because it could come to that. You can't see that far into the future to assuredly say 'that would never happen.'
@Pitgull (1522)
• United States
26 Feb 09
In our Constitution it says we have the right to dismantle the government if it no longer serves the people. How many Americans are homeschooled? Education is a major issue in America, why not invest in our people? I do not just mean in the form of money, but there needs to be a common realization of what education can do for society...and more support to make it a reality for all...
• United States
26 Feb 09
Homeschooling can be done for free, and a damn fine education it is... I'm living proof.LoL! But, I wasn't talking about home education here, I was talking about private schools. I get what you are saying, but I'm wondering if you are a teacher or perhaps have some inner knowledge of what new plans our public schools are planning that is so great that I don't know about. I have a daughter in public school and I don't feel that her education would be that much superior if I paid more money into the school. And, I wouldn't make anyone else pay so much money into taxes for her education that they could no longer afford to send their children to private school. The #1 factor in what a child gets out of their education will always be parental involvment. You can dump loads of money into the schools and if the parents aren't taking a vested interest in the education of their children (leaving it up to the school) you are wasting valuable cash. This money would be far better served in providing health coverage for the masses. I think. Far to many people are not getting the medical care they need because they can not afford it.
@xfahctor (14118)
• Lancaster, New Hampshire
25 Feb 09
Because if people got a propper education instead of the indoctrination currently taking place, they would realize what a sham they have had pulled on them. Same reason the democrats want to continue the massive federal interference in education. An informed public is dangerous to their jobs. Personaly I think the federal government should get right out of the education business and most controll returned to the states where it belongs, the fed's have ruined education.
@Pitgull (1522)
• United States
26 Feb 09
Thank you, this is what I am trying to get into. The American people need to become more involved in politics... The States, yes, but even more so, the local government should be involved with community residents to reform aspects that need reforming. We do not need proof of the value of education, we need unity and people working towards educating the masses. You are correct though, an informed public could be "dangerous to their jobs," but only to those not deserving of the positions that they hold...
• United States
25 Feb 09
It does not make sense to keep putting money into a system that is not working. I think whether Republican or Democrat, the whole educational system in the United States needs to be looked at. Check out how much we spend for education compared to other countries and what our rate of educational success is compared to other countries. Yes we need improvements but if you look at the average graduating High School Student today and compare their writing, math, reading, etc. skills with their counterparts of the 1940's and 1950's, you would be shocked at how much it has dipped.
@Pitgull (1522)
• United States
26 Feb 09
Yes, but what I am saying is schools need more focus and more attention. It seems like some areas are more deprived than others, and I am disgusted at the performance rate of many Americans. I was a good student, still am, but in my high school there was corruption that students should be protected from. It is sad that students need to fight for the tenures of good teachers, all because a school cannot or is not willing to pay....