Dude, it’s crazy what an impact you are making. We used to be far apart politically but I always enjoyed your writing, watching this transformation is heartening. I’m hoping many regular people can see the light. My favorite line when you testified in congress?? “So called journalist”
That "so-called Congresswoman" is mentally ill. I do not know the exact technical diagnosis that describes (at least some of) her problems. Any suggestions?
Brick stupid comes to mind. Plaskett's treatment of Matt in that hearing reflected very poorly on her and was abominable at best. After her "so-called" quip I would have responded as follows: "Say Congresswoman, let's play horsey … I'll play the front and you can play yourself".
A little birdie told me if one were to go digging in the right places, and deep enough, you’ll find she’s involved in the Epstein “fresh island girls project”. I don’t often mingle with birds, but have a few good ole pals that visit my neck of the woods on occasion.
Epstien Derangement Syndrome? The suffer's desire to protect themself from the consequences of involvement with Epstien produces the gradual onset of insanity.
She’s like the talentless member of a sports team whose job is to foul the best players on the other side so they get thrown out of the game. Actually, she’s worse, since she thinks she’s legit.
Thank you for covering this important topic - education has turned into leftist subversion and indoctrination of our children. Sam Harris just posted about fearing an IRS audit under Trump. Did he say anything to defend you when the Biden-Harris IRS came after you? https://substack.com/@yuribezmenov/note/c-76724649?utm_source=activity_item
I mean, seriously, Sam Harris is an "intelligent guy" and I think he tries to be objective in the way he knows how. But that's the problem. They don't know how.
They don't know that they don't know how.
And they don't know how to know how.
Jung wrote about this, very elegantly. So did Ionescu. So actually did Dostoevsky. So did Camus. So did the framers of the US Constitution, in their own way.
These so-called "intellectuals" who make money opining today are anything but that.
But they don't know.
There is no excuse for that. None. They should go on a retreat, go back to school, back to the library, back to the long walk in the woods, back to where a man goes when he finds out he has to find himself. (and women too!) Go.
He describes this phenomenon very, very well. I had a reaction, "bet Sam Harris can't work on a car", that vaguely captures this. It's a sense of disconnectedness, oversimplification (often describable in examples of The Ludic Fallacy), and lack of skin in the game, ie. a meaningful feedback loop.
That volume of Taleb's work is a bit snarky (I don't mind but it puts off some skeptical readers in my experience), but it's worth the read.
I challenge the "intelligent guy". He speaks with an old intelligent cadence. Take his words and overlay a southern drawl, Southie or Bronx accent, or best an Afrikaan accent and it becomes chilling.
...so did craazyman. And he knows how. Even if they don't know how they know craazyman knows how which is probably why they don't know how and also don't know how to know how and, quite frankly, don't really care to know how. Let alone consume valuable time and resources attempting to LEARN how to know how.
Is that the problem? No, that's not the problem. The problem is when a fella takes a long walk in the woods, back to where a man goes when he finds out he has to find himself and he can't find himself and has to shortly thereafter reemerge from the woods with suspicious looking stains on the front of his trousers. That's REALLY the problem.
Ever since the Meltdown the Sam Harris had on the trigonometry podcast a few years ago, I have wondered why he is still considered this great intellectual. To watch him completely lose his mind over Trump was all I needed to know that anything Sam Harris has to say to me is going to fall on deaf ears.
Sam Harris seems emblematic of a certain "smart-sounding" modern internet intellectual. These people are often "neuroscientists" (whatever the hell that actually means, as I see it used in ways that I wouldn't consider a definition of real neuroscience, but it's supposed to convey great smarts and importance) or life-hackers or just supposed to be somehow smarter and connected to Current Thing.
Harris seems blind in a compensated autistic way to me, and very much emotionally invested in his preconceptions (COVID was a great example). However he has the cadence and patter to cloak his prejudice (in the strict sense) in a veneer of "rationality" and proceeds to lecture those hungry for a feeling of being associated with intellectual circles.
I listened to him on a podcast and he insisted that the pandemic tyranny was just a series of mistakes from well intended and "good hearted" people, however, the "other side" does nothing but lie because they're bad people. Shocking that someone who is supposed to be so intelligent can make these errors. Last time I paid any attention to him.
This isn't as bad as it might sound. Beyond some basic pedagogy and psychology, there isn't too much that you really need to teach. People have taught without being part of The Credentialed Education System for millenia. And actual substantive domain-specific credentials (geology, physics, botany, etc) are being eroded by political selection filters.
It would probably be a favor to teachers to remove the system and rebuild it with some basic supporting structures. It really creates a bureaucratic mindset in all but the most independent-minded of teachers... many of them go to the private system for that reason.
Your sisters and your daughter are right. The worst part is that's what needs to happen to the entire US. Good luck with that because you have serious competition now and those who benefit from the system as it is "Think Trump" and just about everything outside Elon Musk needs to be torn down and rebuilt. Europe ain't much better. Trump's tarrifs are the answer for a poor undeveloped country, not a maldeveloped country like the US! I don't have a clue what the US can do but I do know it will be a multi generational project and the current generation is mostly hopeless.
I was a teacher a long time ago. The Department of Education is one more Federal Government intrusion on what should have remained under individual state control. It's been a boon for wastrels like Randi Weingarten who rule over the Teacher's Union. Look at the horrible mess she made during Covid. Kept schools closed and harmed millions of children with her lack of concern for their mental health. Let's undo as much of the Federal Government as we can!!
Its really about central control. When central is wrong, everyone becomes wrong. That is the problem. I heard something interesting about the D party being centralized. The US Military makes a point of DECENTRALIZATION on the battlefield. This allows local innovation at the point of contact (i.e. the classroom). Everyone wants schools to be good. So there is a lot of incentive. Of course it is always good to know how you are staking up. This is where the standardized tests come in.
I would like to know what might be done to help those kids whose high school experience was destroyed. My daughter was a sophomore when the schools were closed. Online classes didn’t work for her (she had an IEP) and when school reopened for her senior year between her anxiety and failures in the previous year and a half she quit school. Many have said oh just have her take the GED. Well, that kind of test isn’t going to be something she can pass (she tested at 4th grade level for math). Anyway, she had such a bad experience that she’s completely turned off to finishing high school. She has things she’s interested in studying but not having that diploma is a problem.
Cynthia, I am so sorry this happened to your daughter. Is there any way that you could home school for a year and issue a parent diploma? We can do that in PA - not sure where you are located. I know she was already a senior, but with the kids with an IEP can generally stay in school until 21.
I tried to get her to do that with me and looked into some alternatives both within the school and a private school in Ann Arbor but she wouldn’t do it. She’ll be 21 in January. She’s waiting tables at a local restaurant and got an apartment with a friend in a student neighborhood in Ypsilanti Mi but she’s barely scraping by. I told her to forget about her lack of a diploma and just apply for other jobs like at Costco or Amazon and just say she graduated. Her reading is 11 grade level (thankfully). I felt like a failure as a parent t but you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink… but it’s unfortunate that you can even apply to
Cosmetology school in Michigan without a HS diploma, I think she would and could do that kind of work.
Watching your child suffer is ten times worse than suffering yourself. I hope that she is able to find some alternate pathway to get into something like Cosmetology, or a place like Costco where she could move up through the ranks and make a decent life for herself. I will be praying for both of you.
Cynthia, one of my sons went the same way several years ago. Here in Iowa the community colleges do pre-screening for HiSET high school equivalency diplomas and give individualized instruction to bring students up to par for the parts of the exam they are deficient in. Then they administer the exams, issue the diplomas, and even put on a regular graduation ceremony each year. There’s nobody else in the program but young adults who didn’t make it through high school and are currently working full time. There’s no judgment, plenty of understanding, and lots of encouragement and flexibility. They end up with a diploma issued by the community college they will likely be attending if they want to pick up college credit or vocational training later. The cost was either zero or minuscule. See what’s available in your area. Good luck to you and your daughter.
Wow, that sounds like an amazing program! I’ll have to see if we have anything like that here in Michigan. I haven’t heard of anything quite like that but maybe I need to do some deeper research. Thank you for sharing and best wishes to your son!
I would suggest asking if she'd be willing to take community college classes in subjects she might be interested in, even less cerebral subjects like photography, yoga or communication. There is often a lot of help, like tutoring, if she should decide to go further into her education, once she gets used to being on a college campus. I don't think everyone needs to go to college to find their passion, but there are remedial classes in college that could be helpful, if she can get the bad taste of high school during COVID out of her mouth.
Very sorry to hear this, but it's unfortunately all too common. My daughter is now 17, and has struggled with dyslexia and other learning challenges for years. Covid and online learning were an absolute disaster, and we're only now starting to get her back on track to complete Grade 12. All I can say is it's a huge glimmer of hope if she's expressing interest in studying, and there are many alternative paths for her to be successful and happy.
I’m glad to hear that you’re getting your daughter back on track and I do agree with you. Covid was a disaster for so many children. Unfortunately, my daughter is so turned off to studying or taking classes that she refuses to try to get a GED, but she would take cosmetology courses for instance, but you have to have a diploma here in Michigan to do that. As far as I can tell the community colleges here require you to have a high school diploma in order to take any of their trade courses even the ones that are just a certificate a two year degree.
If it's any consolation, she is learning a lot by doing the waitressing job you mention below and living independently. This is far more than many college kids are able to do, and she is still very young. When she is ready to go back and get her GED, she'll have work and life experience, and probably a much clearer idea of what she wants to do than the average 17 or 18 year old who goes straight from high school to college or university. Even if she's 25 when she decides to go back to school, it's absolutely not too late. Also, for what it's worth, I look for life experience and work ethic when I hire people, and care far more about these attributes than specific qualifications. There are many others out there who feel the same way, and will see your daughter as someone who has overcome adversity in a positive way.
I also read your comments below and wanted to add that you're absolutely not a failure as a parent - you're actively trying to help your daughter and thinking of what's best for her. Hang in there.
Daniel, I so appreciate your comments. And you’re right about her being young, adult maturity really is about 25. I just keep loving her no matter what! I hope she’ll find her path, although if she chooses to stay in the restaurant business that’s ok too. Thanks again. 🙏🏽
I just feel like they should give these kids a chance without their high school diploma to take a couple of courses that they’re interested in if they do well they should be able to continue on and get a certificate. I feel like the longer she’s out of school - which now she should’ve graduated in 2022 she’s gonna be 21 in January - the harder it will be to get her to get back into taking any type of classes.
I think there's an analogy with physicians. People say "doctors are part of the problem; they just profit from sick people" etc. Same with teachers being "blue-haired indoctrinators who couldn't do anything themselves". There's a real conflation of systemic constraints, enforced doctrines and process, etc, that reflects badly on the people who care, do it well, and for the right reasons. I hope there are still young teachers out there motivated by something other than "social change".
I just got around to reading this. 21 years into this business and the level of disregard for the students is staggering (sadly , this includes all classes of parents). The children are monetized the moment they walk into the door. They start with their free breakfast (all students get this) which is chocolate skim milk and the second ingredient is liquid sugar. They will then pick up Little Debbie muffins, french toast on a stick or a toaster strudel. They will then pick up a package of corn syrup to dip their pancake, nugget, or whatever in which they all just drink right out of the packaging. Parents that made breakfast for their children have no idea they are being ushered in to get this as it is all about the money... plain and simple. The children will beg us for tests on paper but we will tell them no, it's all online. Many companies will be hired to test the same skills and students will spend a rediculous amount of instructional time making those companies rich. They will be online in front of a screen for a good chunk of the day, after all, you must have your 20th century learning to create Microsoft and Apple users. The apps they use are not engaging or low level fun. They will have their desks all facing each and touching each other in groups of 4 to 6 and be expected to work independently. I challenge any adult to push their desks together with friends and stay focused on work but this is the model that's forced on is. They will then get a similar lunch as the breakfast after the teachers have given out candy for good behavior and the parents bring in donuts, cookies ,etc. ( if you think I'm exaggerating, please volunteer in your local elementary lunchroom). By 1:45, my first graders will finally get reccess. Those students ( mostly boys) who can't sit down after this experience, will be told they should be on meds. Many parents will take this advice and be happy their children are now sitting quietly and performing. They will not realize the model is not for children, especially 5-11 year old boys. This is the beginning of addiction for some. It should be a rarity to need amphetamines but it's the good old USA. This is not what we teachers want and most of us try to work in what we know they need but the forces are strong. Parents have to put down their phones and really start to see what's being fed to their children both intellectually and dietarily. The Department of Education has nothing to do with children and it does nothing for teachers.
Thanks very much for your insights!! I agree having dated a 4th-grade teacher a bunch of years ago and seeing while over at her school in the mornings on several occasions the junk food breakfasts furnished to the students. It is just "junk-food city" which is sad. Having eaten school lunches for years (graduated H.S. in 1972) our school district had good-quality food for students. Would hate to go back and see what they're doing today.
Exactly. Has nothing to do with woke/anti-woke. Those concerns are secondary at best any anyone pushing that (on either side) are a big part of the problem....completely missing the point. Or...just not caring about actual children and actual education. Hmmmm
I was a teacher for 6 years--I found it a difficult job, with no downtime. Whatever pressure there was in business, it wasn't prep-for-4 different-classes-and grade-papers-afterward every day pressure. And I taught in private schools where discipline issues were non-existent.
But I also think there is a huge mindset virus among teachers at all levels today--teaching gender, climate change, settler-colonialism etc. It's hurting kids and their education.
I see no benefit to the DOE even though "abolishing" it may seem radical.
The DoE is just bureaucracy. It does nothing more than add overhead.
Dissolve it. Push the money down to the local level. It doesn’t guarantee results, but at least there are fewer hands out along the line - from Washington down to the Statehouse, to the Board of Ed. and then finally to the student.
the money starts local. it should remain there and never be taken to the federal level where you must beg, fight, bribe and commit all acts of skullduggery to get it back.
Def. go back to a point in which it worked well! My parents and grandparents were beneficiaries of NYC public schools. Their education was terrific. Take a look at some of the things kids were expected to know in 8th grade in 1930 or 40 or even 50. Compare it to today. We have allowed for dysfunction! Look into the "whole Language" debacle and grifter Lucy Calkins!
I think block grants would have to be for very specific programs and outcome data must be tied to it. Otherwise you have the Chicago Public school system who will use it for more dance videos during the next "pandemic". There is so much corruption in these large school systems that they should never get federal money again.
I would like to know what specific classes, schools and school districts are teaching these, especially settler-colonialism. They certainly are not being taught in my area.
Definitely being taught in districts in the Portland metro area. They also teach "genocide" for about a month in at least some local districts. The teachers' union was pushing a whole program of pro-Palestine stuff based on settler colonialism theory. Enough people complained that the program was pulled, (or walked back to a more covert approach).
I have every sympathy for teachers trying to repair the fraying fabric of society while being inundated with behaviour problems and increasing numbers of special needs.
Thank you so much for asking this question. I taught first year English to inner city kids at the university level for twenty years but since I’m retired I don’t think my opinions are relevant. Again thank you so much for asking.
Dude, it’s crazy what an impact you are making. We used to be far apart politically but I always enjoyed your writing, watching this transformation is heartening. I’m hoping many regular people can see the light. My favorite line when you testified in congress?? “So called journalist”
It still makes me belly laugh
What an amazing moment. Now, I refer to Delegate Plaskett as "So-called Congresswoman"
And that is being generous.
That "so-called Congresswoman" is mentally ill. I do not know the exact technical diagnosis that describes (at least some of) her problems. Any suggestions?
It begins with Re and ends with tard.
Brick stupid comes to mind. Plaskett's treatment of Matt in that hearing reflected very poorly on her and was abominable at best. After her "so-called" quip I would have responded as follows: "Say Congresswoman, let's play horsey … I'll play the front and you can play yourself".
Overheard at the local American Legion auxiliary?
A little birdie told me if one were to go digging in the right places, and deep enough, you’ll find she’s involved in the Epstein “fresh island girls project”. I don’t often mingle with birds, but have a few good ole pals that visit my neck of the woods on occasion.
Didn't Trump first fuck Melania on Epstein's private jet ("Lotlita Express"). I swear I read that somewhere.
At least he brought his own woman.
Jamie Raskin's blog.
You and I have birdies in common
“Cluster B poster politician” has a nice ring to it.
Epstien Derangement Syndrome? The suffer's desire to protect themself from the consequences of involvement with Epstien produces the gradual onset of insanity.
Manic Narcissist. :)
Someone more clever than I suggested that Cluster B should be renamed Cluster (D).
She is incredibly obnoxious. Every Democrat should see that piece of work in action. Foul.
She’s like the talentless member of a sports team whose job is to foul the best players on the other side so they get thrown out of the game. Actually, she’s worse, since she thinks she’s legit.
My favorite Matt line was at The Rally to Save the Republic:
"Motherfucker, I'm an AmERican!!"
Right up there with "Give me liberty or give me death," if somewhat less elegant.
I've come to understand "left" or "right" is not an especially useful categorization. The big one is pro-freedom versus pro-state power.
I would describe the MSM as pro- lies v. pro-truth.
And don’t forget “the threesome.”
Thank you for covering this important topic - education has turned into leftist subversion and indoctrination of our children. Sam Harris just posted about fearing an IRS audit under Trump. Did he say anything to defend you when the Biden-Harris IRS came after you? https://substack.com/@yuribezmenov/note/c-76724649?utm_source=activity_item
I mean, seriously, Sam Harris is an "intelligent guy" and I think he tries to be objective in the way he knows how. But that's the problem. They don't know how.
They don't know that they don't know how.
And they don't know how to know how.
Jung wrote about this, very elegantly. So did Ionescu. So actually did Dostoevsky. So did Camus. So did the framers of the US Constitution, in their own way.
These so-called "intellectuals" who make money opining today are anything but that.
But they don't know.
There is no excuse for that. None. They should go on a retreat, go back to school, back to the library, back to the long walk in the woods, back to where a man goes when he finds out he has to find himself. (and women too!) Go.
Exactly why hubris was listed 1st on the list of seven deadly sins (and I’m not religious).
They’ve been coddled by the paradigm.
Interesting statement. I wouldn't know what that feels like, i don't think.
It's a little less exciting than being fondled by the paradigm.
And less disturbing than being diddled by the paradigm, which is what most of us have experienced.
Sounds traumatic.
Taleb in “Skin in the Game” describes intellectual yet idiot (IYI). Definitely worth checking out.
He describes this phenomenon very, very well. I had a reaction, "bet Sam Harris can't work on a car", that vaguely captures this. It's a sense of disconnectedness, oversimplification (often describable in examples of The Ludic Fallacy), and lack of skin in the game, ie. a meaningful feedback loop.
That volume of Taleb's work is a bit snarky (I don't mind but it puts off some skeptical readers in my experience), but it's worth the read.
It gets harder and harder to do any of that as one gets older.
Sam Harris has disproven his great intelligence more times than I can count.
Harris has always been disconnected. He has a form of intelligence, but his emotional attachment to certain concepts interfere.
Real intelligence is open.
You're right.
I challenge the "intelligent guy". He speaks with an old intelligent cadence. Take his words and overlay a southern drawl, Southie or Bronx accent, or best an Afrikaan accent and it becomes chilling.
They belong to the Rationally-challenged community.
...so did craazyman. And he knows how. Even if they don't know how they know craazyman knows how which is probably why they don't know how and also don't know how to know how and, quite frankly, don't really care to know how. Let alone consume valuable time and resources attempting to LEARN how to know how.
Is that the problem? No, that's not the problem. The problem is when a fella takes a long walk in the woods, back to where a man goes when he finds out he has to find himself and he can't find himself and has to shortly thereafter reemerge from the woods with suspicious looking stains on the front of his trousers. That's REALLY the problem.
Ham Sarris’ inflated sense of importance on display.
Ever since the Meltdown the Sam Harris had on the trigonometry podcast a few years ago, I have wondered why he is still considered this great intellectual. To watch him completely lose his mind over Trump was all I needed to know that anything Sam Harris has to say to me is going to fall on deaf ears.
Yes--it borders on parody.
Sam Harris seems emblematic of a certain "smart-sounding" modern internet intellectual. These people are often "neuroscientists" (whatever the hell that actually means, as I see it used in ways that I wouldn't consider a definition of real neuroscience, but it's supposed to convey great smarts and importance) or life-hackers or just supposed to be somehow smarter and connected to Current Thing.
Harris seems blind in a compensated autistic way to me, and very much emotionally invested in his preconceptions (COVID was a great example). However he has the cadence and patter to cloak his prejudice (in the strict sense) in a veneer of "rationality" and proceeds to lecture those hungry for a feeling of being associated with intellectual circles.
ha haha hahahaha ahahahah ahahahahah ahahahahahah ahahahahahahahah
I listened to him on a podcast and he insisted that the pandemic tyranny was just a series of mistakes from well intended and "good hearted" people, however, the "other side" does nothing but lie because they're bad people. Shocking that someone who is supposed to be so intelligent can make these errors. Last time I paid any attention to him.
It’s going to be interesting to hear what you think of the replies you got. I have two sisters and a daughter who are teachers.
I asked my daughter what it’ll take to fix education. She just shook her head and said she thiought it had to melt down totally and be rebuilt.
Bleak!
This isn't as bad as it might sound. Beyond some basic pedagogy and psychology, there isn't too much that you really need to teach. People have taught without being part of The Credentialed Education System for millenia. And actual substantive domain-specific credentials (geology, physics, botany, etc) are being eroded by political selection filters.
It would probably be a favor to teachers to remove the system and rebuild it with some basic supporting structures. It really creates a bureaucratic mindset in all but the most independent-minded of teachers... many of them go to the private system for that reason.
Your sisters and your daughter are right. The worst part is that's what needs to happen to the entire US. Good luck with that because you have serious competition now and those who benefit from the system as it is "Think Trump" and just about everything outside Elon Musk needs to be torn down and rebuilt. Europe ain't much better. Trump's tarrifs are the answer for a poor undeveloped country, not a maldeveloped country like the US! I don't have a clue what the US can do but I do know it will be a multi generational project and the current generation is mostly hopeless.
I was a teacher a long time ago. The Department of Education is one more Federal Government intrusion on what should have remained under individual state control. It's been a boon for wastrels like Randi Weingarten who rule over the Teacher's Union. Look at the horrible mess she made during Covid. Kept schools closed and harmed millions of children with her lack of concern for their mental health. Let's undo as much of the Federal Government as we can!!
AND then brazenly LIED about what she had done!!!
Its really about central control. When central is wrong, everyone becomes wrong. That is the problem. I heard something interesting about the D party being centralized. The US Military makes a point of DECENTRALIZATION on the battlefield. This allows local innovation at the point of contact (i.e. the classroom). Everyone wants schools to be good. So there is a lot of incentive. Of course it is always good to know how you are staking up. This is where the standardized tests come in.
I would like to know what might be done to help those kids whose high school experience was destroyed. My daughter was a sophomore when the schools were closed. Online classes didn’t work for her (she had an IEP) and when school reopened for her senior year between her anxiety and failures in the previous year and a half she quit school. Many have said oh just have her take the GED. Well, that kind of test isn’t going to be something she can pass (she tested at 4th grade level for math). Anyway, she had such a bad experience that she’s completely turned off to finishing high school. She has things she’s interested in studying but not having that diploma is a problem.
How very unfortunate. The effect of the lockdowns on students was ENTIRELY predictable.
Destroyed during Covid that is*
Cynthia, I am so sorry this happened to your daughter. Is there any way that you could home school for a year and issue a parent diploma? We can do that in PA - not sure where you are located. I know she was already a senior, but with the kids with an IEP can generally stay in school until 21.
I tried to get her to do that with me and looked into some alternatives both within the school and a private school in Ann Arbor but she wouldn’t do it. She’ll be 21 in January. She’s waiting tables at a local restaurant and got an apartment with a friend in a student neighborhood in Ypsilanti Mi but she’s barely scraping by. I told her to forget about her lack of a diploma and just apply for other jobs like at Costco or Amazon and just say she graduated. Her reading is 11 grade level (thankfully). I felt like a failure as a parent t but you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink… but it’s unfortunate that you can even apply to
Cosmetology school in Michigan without a HS diploma, I think she would and could do that kind of work.
Watching your child suffer is ten times worse than suffering yourself. I hope that she is able to find some alternate pathway to get into something like Cosmetology, or a place like Costco where she could move up through the ranks and make a decent life for herself. I will be praying for both of you.
And thank you Erin.
Cynthia, one of my sons went the same way several years ago. Here in Iowa the community colleges do pre-screening for HiSET high school equivalency diplomas and give individualized instruction to bring students up to par for the parts of the exam they are deficient in. Then they administer the exams, issue the diplomas, and even put on a regular graduation ceremony each year. There’s nobody else in the program but young adults who didn’t make it through high school and are currently working full time. There’s no judgment, plenty of understanding, and lots of encouragement and flexibility. They end up with a diploma issued by the community college they will likely be attending if they want to pick up college credit or vocational training later. The cost was either zero or minuscule. See what’s available in your area. Good luck to you and your daughter.
Wow, that sounds like an amazing program! I’ll have to see if we have anything like that here in Michigan. I haven’t heard of anything quite like that but maybe I need to do some deeper research. Thank you for sharing and best wishes to your son!
I would suggest asking if she'd be willing to take community college classes in subjects she might be interested in, even less cerebral subjects like photography, yoga or communication. There is often a lot of help, like tutoring, if she should decide to go further into her education, once she gets used to being on a college campus. I don't think everyone needs to go to college to find their passion, but there are remedial classes in college that could be helpful, if she can get the bad taste of high school during COVID out of her mouth.
Very sorry to hear this, but it's unfortunately all too common. My daughter is now 17, and has struggled with dyslexia and other learning challenges for years. Covid and online learning were an absolute disaster, and we're only now starting to get her back on track to complete Grade 12. All I can say is it's a huge glimmer of hope if she's expressing interest in studying, and there are many alternative paths for her to be successful and happy.
I’m glad to hear that you’re getting your daughter back on track and I do agree with you. Covid was a disaster for so many children. Unfortunately, my daughter is so turned off to studying or taking classes that she refuses to try to get a GED, but she would take cosmetology courses for instance, but you have to have a diploma here in Michigan to do that. As far as I can tell the community colleges here require you to have a high school diploma in order to take any of their trade courses even the ones that are just a certificate a two year degree.
If it's any consolation, she is learning a lot by doing the waitressing job you mention below and living independently. This is far more than many college kids are able to do, and she is still very young. When she is ready to go back and get her GED, she'll have work and life experience, and probably a much clearer idea of what she wants to do than the average 17 or 18 year old who goes straight from high school to college or university. Even if she's 25 when she decides to go back to school, it's absolutely not too late. Also, for what it's worth, I look for life experience and work ethic when I hire people, and care far more about these attributes than specific qualifications. There are many others out there who feel the same way, and will see your daughter as someone who has overcome adversity in a positive way.
I also read your comments below and wanted to add that you're absolutely not a failure as a parent - you're actively trying to help your daughter and thinking of what's best for her. Hang in there.
Daniel, I so appreciate your comments. And you’re right about her being young, adult maturity really is about 25. I just keep loving her no matter what! I hope she’ll find her path, although if she chooses to stay in the restaurant business that’s ok too. Thanks again. 🙏🏽
I just feel like they should give these kids a chance without their high school diploma to take a couple of courses that they’re interested in if they do well they should be able to continue on and get a certificate. I feel like the longer she’s out of school - which now she should’ve graduated in 2022 she’s gonna be 21 in January - the harder it will be to get her to get back into taking any type of classes.
I hope Elon Must gives a few tips regarding firing of employees.
Recall he bought Twitter and cut about 80 percent of employees.
Some radical changes need to be made and painful as they may be temporarily,
government needs to be smaller and decentralized. I liked one idea of having the agency
departments in different states. Much healthier government.
I think there's an analogy with physicians. People say "doctors are part of the problem; they just profit from sick people" etc. Same with teachers being "blue-haired indoctrinators who couldn't do anything themselves". There's a real conflation of systemic constraints, enforced doctrines and process, etc, that reflects badly on the people who care, do it well, and for the right reasons. I hope there are still young teachers out there motivated by something other than "social change".
That’s an insult to wastrels.
You are the best source of news today. Thank you for challenging our thinking and for not giving up on the truth.
I just got around to reading this. 21 years into this business and the level of disregard for the students is staggering (sadly , this includes all classes of parents). The children are monetized the moment they walk into the door. They start with their free breakfast (all students get this) which is chocolate skim milk and the second ingredient is liquid sugar. They will then pick up Little Debbie muffins, french toast on a stick or a toaster strudel. They will then pick up a package of corn syrup to dip their pancake, nugget, or whatever in which they all just drink right out of the packaging. Parents that made breakfast for their children have no idea they are being ushered in to get this as it is all about the money... plain and simple. The children will beg us for tests on paper but we will tell them no, it's all online. Many companies will be hired to test the same skills and students will spend a rediculous amount of instructional time making those companies rich. They will be online in front of a screen for a good chunk of the day, after all, you must have your 20th century learning to create Microsoft and Apple users. The apps they use are not engaging or low level fun. They will have their desks all facing each and touching each other in groups of 4 to 6 and be expected to work independently. I challenge any adult to push their desks together with friends and stay focused on work but this is the model that's forced on is. They will then get a similar lunch as the breakfast after the teachers have given out candy for good behavior and the parents bring in donuts, cookies ,etc. ( if you think I'm exaggerating, please volunteer in your local elementary lunchroom). By 1:45, my first graders will finally get reccess. Those students ( mostly boys) who can't sit down after this experience, will be told they should be on meds. Many parents will take this advice and be happy their children are now sitting quietly and performing. They will not realize the model is not for children, especially 5-11 year old boys. This is the beginning of addiction for some. It should be a rarity to need amphetamines but it's the good old USA. This is not what we teachers want and most of us try to work in what we know they need but the forces are strong. Parents have to put down their phones and really start to see what's being fed to their children both intellectually and dietarily. The Department of Education has nothing to do with children and it does nothing for teachers.
Thank you for this.
maybe step 1 upon arriving at school is to milk the goats and gather the eggs
Thanks very much for your insights!! I agree having dated a 4th-grade teacher a bunch of years ago and seeing while over at her school in the mornings on several occasions the junk food breakfasts furnished to the students. It is just "junk-food city" which is sad. Having eaten school lunches for years (graduated H.S. in 1972) our school district had good-quality food for students. Would hate to go back and see what they're doing today.
So many good points Jennifer!
Exactly. Has nothing to do with woke/anti-woke. Those concerns are secondary at best any anyone pushing that (on either side) are a big part of the problem....completely missing the point. Or...just not caring about actual children and actual education. Hmmmm
The Jennifer above did not like herself; I, a different and I am sure much older one, am utterly shocked.
None of this has anything to do with the Department of Education.
I agree, which is one reason we should accept it does nothing useful. All this goes on without a word from that department.
I was a teacher for 6 years--I found it a difficult job, with no downtime. Whatever pressure there was in business, it wasn't prep-for-4 different-classes-and grade-papers-afterward every day pressure. And I taught in private schools where discipline issues were non-existent.
But I also think there is a huge mindset virus among teachers at all levels today--teaching gender, climate change, settler-colonialism etc. It's hurting kids and their education.
I see no benefit to the DOE even though "abolishing" it may seem radical.
But it was only started in the 1970's, wasn't it?
You don't think block grants to the states would work better?
I like that idea because the people in each state could have some input into whatever works best for them.
Oh no!!! Not Federalism.
;)
The DoE is just bureaucracy. It does nothing more than add overhead.
Dissolve it. Push the money down to the local level. It doesn’t guarantee results, but at least there are fewer hands out along the line - from Washington down to the Statehouse, to the Board of Ed. and then finally to the student.
the money starts local. it should remain there and never be taken to the federal level where you must beg, fight, bribe and commit all acts of skullduggery to get it back.
Def. go back to a point in which it worked well! My parents and grandparents were beneficiaries of NYC public schools. Their education was terrific. Take a look at some of the things kids were expected to know in 8th grade in 1930 or 40 or even 50. Compare it to today. We have allowed for dysfunction! Look into the "whole Language" debacle and grifter Lucy Calkins!
I think block grants would have to be for very specific programs and outcome data must be tied to it. Otherwise you have the Chicago Public school system who will use it for more dance videos during the next "pandemic". There is so much corruption in these large school systems that they should never get federal money again.
very good point!!
1980 by Carter.
I taught in private schools where discipline issues were non-existent.
Wow I never thought about that.
The parents actually have a monetary incentive to control their kids.
I wonder if vouchers will partially accomplish that as well.
I would like to know what specific classes, schools and school districts are teaching these, especially settler-colonialism. They certainly are not being taught in my area.
Definitely being taught in districts in the Portland metro area. They also teach "genocide" for about a month in at least some local districts. The teachers' union was pushing a whole program of pro-Palestine stuff based on settler colonialism theory. Enough people complained that the program was pulled, (or walked back to a more covert approach).
https://www.wweek.com/news/schools/2024/06/03/portland-teachers-union-publishes-handbook-on-teaching-and-organizing-for-palestine-in-the-classroom/
Next you can ask some parents ...
I'm not a teacher, but I'm ALL for abolishing the DOE and the teachers union and FIRE Randi Weingartner!
I have every sympathy for teachers trying to repair the fraying fabric of society while being inundated with behaviour problems and increasing numbers of special needs.
Thank you so much for asking this question. I taught first year English to inner city kids at the university level for twenty years but since I’m retired I don’t think my opinions are relevant. Again thank you so much for asking.
I am really looking forward to your stories Matt!!!
I'm going to guess...teacher unions suck...