Musings on Education

With school openings a month away, I have been thinking once again about what we as educators face. It is no secret that academia has for decades been co-opted by a liberal/leftest cabal. It remains the only place where bankrupt ideologies such as socialism and communism are still treated as both viable and preferred. I am struck by how many in this profession view themselves as the last bulwarks against what they see as the reactionary, fascist policies of capitalism and Republicanism. With a zeal akin to a religious fervor (a real irony there, given their hatred of religion), they decry the "assaults" against their ivory towers from the so-called christian right, pro-life advocates, etc.
As far as hiring new teachers goes, mastery of one's field is no longer a concern. What really matters to them is whether the prospective educator understands the "sensitivity" that must dominate their actions. A pseudo-therapeutic approach is necessary. Students must never be told they made a mistake or are simply incorrect. Oh no, they must be told they are good people, to be rewarded for trying. Not only has this garbage contributed to the decline in overall performance of American students, it has created a generation or two steeped in a culture of victimization. Education is no longer about acquiring skills and knowledge; it is about validation. This is why we place emphasis on worthless teaching degrees rather than subject-driven degrees when hiring teachers. The lack of subject knowledge on the part of so many educators is disgraceful. Our schools continue to be a joke.

Harry Reid's Rantings

Harry Reid, Senator (Democrat) from Nevada, and majority leader, claimed on Wednesday that the American public knows that George W. Bush is the worst president we have ever had. This assumption is based on the latest poll showing Bush having one of the lowest approval ratings ever. Well, if that is the guage, then I must conclude that Sen. Reid is the worst senator we have ever had, since his rating is below the president's!
This Democrat-controlled congress has been in power for 200 days and has accomplished nothing. All they can manage are a series of useless hearings, all designed to make their loony left fringe fans happy, none of which produces anything.
Reid is a disgrace.

Recent Supreme Court Decision

The most recent 5-4 decision from the Supreme Court striking down so-called voluntary desegregation plans for public schools is a welcome one. Of course, the predictable left bemoans the end of Brown as well as a return to racist schools in America. They never get it. Racism is ok as long as whites are targeted. They have no evidence that forced percentage-building of so-called diversity programs work. What works are better schools, ones with demanding and qualified teachers and parents who actually care about their children's schoolwork. I have seen how inner-city schools, ones whose populations are completely minority, fail. It has nothing to do with not having white students present but everything to do with having low standards and a total lack of concern for education from the community. Let's bring discipline back and we will have better schools.

Moore's at it again!

That bloviating bag of blubber Michael Moore has once more put out a film full of gross inaccuracies, this time about health care. The biased mainstream media, as usual, has fallen all over itself in praising it, following closely on the heels of the utterly predictable award for the film at Cannes. One knows the french never pass up an opportunity to praise anything that attacks the United States. The french have little else, since they are merely passe now, their culture and their position in the world meaningless.
Moore's rant proposes that America adopt the Canadian or , heavens, the Cuban health systems as models! One would have to agree, if one favored waiting lists of a minimum of 8 weeks for any surgical procedure. Elective surgery waits can take as long as three or more years. Many towns in Britain have no dentist. Anyone who can has private health insurance. Doctors are refusing to join the NHS in increasing numbers, preferring private practice. Hospitals are closing in greater numbers.In Cuba, there is no oversight of the system and doctors use untested drugs as well as theories to "treat" patients. Of course, we all know how wonderful life in Cuba is. Just ask the hundreds who risk their lives floating on cardboard to get out.