Tag Archives: education

Teachers Strike, Students Lose

Posted by Tim on

After 18 months of teacher’s unions battling my Governor, Scott Walker, here in Wisconsin, I feel I’ve got a pretty good handle on exactly what is going on down in Chicago right now. In case you live under a rock, the Chicago Teacher’s Union (CTU) is on strike; refusing to work another day until their contracts with the city are adjusted to meet their demands. Just like Madison in 2011, the teachers are showing their true colors. This isn’t about the children; its about power.

What’s the big stink about? Teachers are upset because they feel their jobs will be in jeopardy when they are judged on their students’ standardized test scores. They’d rather be judged on… nothing. CTU complains that the tests are not a good representation of how well the teacher is doing their job. The tests are too uniform and don’t take into account socioeconomic factors.

The simple fact is that if we want equal quality education for all of our public schools, the standards need to be equal as well. High standards in some areas and low standards in others will only widen the gap of schools’ performances. In Chicago only 55% of students graduate high school (in the top 5 for worst graduation rates in America). Over 80% of 8th graders are below proficient in arithmetic. The teacher’s solution is to lower the standards so that more kids look like they’re doing a good job. Lowering standards does not produce better results.

CTU is also opposed to individual schools hiring and firing teachers; especially teachers who are not part of their union. Principles know best what their school needs. If one teacher is doing a lousy job, it should be the principle’s responsibility to fire that teacher and hire someone who is better. Some teachers argue that education shouldn’t be run like a business, but it is because schools are NOT run like businesses that their customers (students and parents) are left paying too much for a subpar product (education).

Also in the contract is the change of teachers having to contribute to their own health insurance and pensions; something most private sector employees already do. The contracts also guarantee a 15% pay raise over 3 years. Nothing to complain about there. The problem isn’t necessarily that teachers are getting a raw deal. 5% pay increases for 3 years, great pension and health benefits, an average salary of $75,000, and only 9 months of work. The issue is not money; it’s power.

If principles (who traditionally act more in favor of students and parents than unions) make the decisions of who to hire and fire, the unions have lost their strength. People join unions to help give them job security. If CTU can no longer deliver that security to their members, those members will drop out of the union. In Wisconsin after Scott Walker stripped unions of their collective bargaining privileges over 30,000 public sector workers opted out of unions.

The Chicago Teacher’s Union fears that the same thing may happen to them. The great thing about this is that the battle isn’t being fought between CTU and a conservative Governor like Scott Walker. This time the battle is being fought between CTU and Rahm Emanuel, the lefty mayor of Chicago and former advisor to Barack Obama. Even Democrats are realizing that real changes need to be made in order for public education to work. The momentum is in our favor.

All in all, this is a great sign. More people are listening up and seeing what teacher’s unions are all about. This is clearly not about giving students a better education. It’s about preserving the power unions have over our tax dollars. What was that famous Lord Acton saying? Oh yeah – “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” CTU’s power needs to be limited so that our education system can rid itself of the corruption that is hurting our next generation.

Rambling Autodidact

Posted by Tim on
Leonardo da Vinci - The Most Famous Autodidact

Leonardo da Vinci - The Most Famous Autodidact

Darn it. I got another ego boost the other day. Although a compliment can make me feel good, I also really try to be humble. I take pride in being that way. (I take pride in being humble? Huh?) But it happened. I’ll try to keep my ego in check, but the compliment inspired me to write this.

“Do you think about things before you say them?” She asked. “Like, do you think them out or, did you go to school for this? Cause you seem to know what you’re talking about.”
“No. I’m not in college.” I responded. “I’m what you’d call a nerd. I just get interested in something and then I learn everything I possibly can about it.”

Being an autodidact is fun, and kind of unusual, it seems. Its a new word for me – “autodidact”. It means someone who is self taught. Someone who has become knowledgable without having a formal education. Hey, that’s me. I have a fancy high school diploma, but that can hardly be described as “education”, much less “formal”. No, most of what I know I’ve learned by myself. I read a lot, I listen a lot, I watch a lot.

When I say “by myself” I don’t mean that I just sit alone at the library and read. I actually don’t go to the library, but I do sit alone and read a lot. But I also gather information from the people around me. I ask questions. I pick people’s brains. If I were to completely cut myself off from everyone I know, forget about my social life, and retreat to being a hermit, I might be able to read more, but I’m not sure I’d learn more. When I argue with people I learn. You can’t argue with a book. (Well, you can, but its kind of pointless.)

The older I get, the more I disagree with people. I’m not disagreeable. I’m not a jerk (at least I don’t think I am). But as we get older, and gain more and more ideas and beliefs we tend to become more separated from other people’s beliefs. No one’s influences are exactly the same, therefore we can’t expect to all have the same beliefs about everything. Someone who reads Noam Chomsky books isn’t going to have the same perspective as someone who reads Thomas Sowell. Someone who follows Joe Weider bodybuilding methods probably isn’t going to “get” someone who is into Mike Mentzer.

The more influences we have, the better we can make decisions about reality. Ironically, the more influences we have, the more original we become, and therefore our decisions will also be more original. Our lives will become more different from each other as we continue to learn and grow. Eh… I’m just rambling. Every once in a while we need a good “rambling post”.

The End of the Library

Posted by Tim on

I touched on this earlier – the fact that I personally don’t go to the library, and neither do any of my friends. I read. I read a lot. But I don’t spend any time at the library, and while I have my reasons which may be very valid, I’m still a little troubled by the lack of use of our nation’s public libraries.

Now, there are two issues at hand. The first is just the absolute stupidity of the majority of the youth in America. I’ve written on this before, but let me reiterate. The numbers of kids who read books is dropping. The numbers of kids who sit in front of a screen for half their day is rising. They’re screen time isn’t spent typing on a blog, by the way – it’s used on Facebook, usually. I wonder how many high school seniors have been to their local public library in the last four years of their education. I imagine it’s pretty few, and the ones who did go to the library did so for a single school project, not for fun.

No, the library is just not as fun as it used to be. Other forms of media have grabbed people’s attention, and since there are only 24 hours in a day, that means less attention goes to books, reading,  and learning. The radio, the TV, the personal computer, and now the cell phone. There are plenty of devices begging for our time, and books aren’t one of them. Libraries have noticed this. That’s why they’ve been trying to “change with the times.” Most libraries now offer CDs for rent, DVDs for rent, free internet and rows of computers to use, and often free WiFi. Some libraries even have little coffee bars.

It sounds like a good plan to get more people into the ever more unpopular reading facility. But last time I was in a library I was one of a handful of people actually looking for a book. Most people were sitting at a desk doing some “social networking”. (Which, by the way, ISN’T “social networking” if you’re just talking to the same people you talk to in real life.) This was over a year ago, and I doubt things have gotten any better. There are probably more computers, and more homeless people checking out 15 year old girls’ internet pages. This is what the library has turned into. A free internet cafe for homeless people.

The reading of books has shifted to bookstores, and that’s part of the problem for libraries. There was a time when giant megastores like Barnes and Noble didn’t exist, and your only chance of finding a book was going to the library. All that has changed with huge warehouses, huge inventories, and huge warehouse-style stores with huge inventories. The internet has changed everything too. Rarely do you need to pay full price for a book anymore. Amazon has used books for a couple dollars. If that’s the case, why bother going to the library to rent the book, when you could just buy it for the price of gas to get to the library? Megastores, the internet, and abundance of material has cost libraries their customers.

But these people were never really “customers”. They never bought anything. Even when the library was in it’s heyday the only revenue it saw was from late fees. But our government is becoming stingier and stingier. Wait – no it’s not. But it is becoming dumber. Some programs need to be cut, no doubt, but our government seems to have a pattern of cutting the wrong types of things. I really fear that libraries across America will soon be on the chopping block. The argument can be made that no one is using them, that the costs are too high, and that their contribution to society is minute in modern times. Are we set to see our libraries disappear?

Spreading Conservatism

Posted by Tim on

Unintentionally this is almost turning into a series on conservatism. First there was Conservative Self Education, then there was Breeding Conservatism, and now this – Spreading Conservatism. Fair enough. I suppose it’s just a topic I know a lot about, and also a topic I care about. I think “passion” is what they call it.

Being a conservative is great. For me it means that I don’t just vote Republican and tow the party line, but that I also know the issues, have strong beliefs about those issues, and understand why I have those beliefs. It’s not enough to just go into the booth and blindly fill in all the boxes marked Republican. I mean, come on. There are other issues at hand here. For one, not all Republicans are created equal. Some are social conservatives, with liberal stances on fiscal policy. Some are fiscal conservatives, but social liberals. Some are a jumble of all the issues, and some honestly don’t belong in the Republican party at all – we call those RINOs. (Republican In Name Only)

So in the end, being a conservative certainly sets you apart from any old Republican. The differences are important, but what else is important is the attitude a conservative should have towards evangelism. When most people hear the world evangelist they think of Evangelical Christians. It’s similar, just forget the Christian part. An evangelist is someone who “spreads the word”, so to speak. The word could be anything, whether it’s the gospel, or conservatism.

It’s not enough to have beliefs. It’s also crucial to instill those same beliefs in your family, friends, and coworkers. If you truly believe that small government, and greater personal responsibility is whats best for our country, isn’t it also important for our next generation to hold those same beliefs? We as conservatives can’t expect politicians to spread the word for us. Thinking that they should spread the word for us would be kind of hypocritical, would it not? We must do it in our own lives.

But how do we get started? The easiest way to get people on your team is to talk to them. None of us are so sheltered that politics never come up in conversation. The news is something we all talk about, whether it be in a positive or negative light. Next time the subject comes up, explain your beliefs, and explain why you believe them. Be calm, non-abrasive, and friendly. Too many of the conversations we have about politics are straight up arguments. I’ve never thought that the best way to convince someone of your way of thinking was to debate them. In the end, you’ll probably just push them further in the wrong direction, and keep them from ever talking to you about politics again.

Once you have people halfway on your side, don’t just let them go. Continue to drop little seeds of conservatism on them whenever you meet. Say things like, “Did you hear what Obama just did?” Then start a conversation discussing how Obama’s most recent unconstitutional executive order affects all of us. When you’re switching channels, stop on Fox News. I personally always leave the TV on Fox News, so when someone else turns it on – BAM! – Sean Hannity! I do the same thing with the radio. Once the car is turned on it’s immediately letting glorious talk radio permeate through the speakers.

Don’t forget to encourage people to continue their education away from you. Suggest websites to them, forward them links, loan them books, and then let them go for a while on their own. If you’re always looking over their shoulder they’re going to be turned off. Occasionally start small conversations about the news, but don’t come to them every day and ask, “Hey! So, did you read that book I told you to read?!?!” No matter what your belief, you’re going to scare people away by doing stuff like that. People need to come to their own conclusions. Otherwise we end up with a world of mini-mes, just repeating whatever I wrote in my most recent blog post. That’s not what I want. Really.

To restate the original thesis – being conservative is awesome. It stands for freedom, values, personal responsibility, and big guns. It’s a lot of fun being a conservative and we should strive to share the experience with other people. Start a conversation, nurture the beliefs you are trying to develop, and let the person grow on their own.

Recommended Reading (1/12/12)

Posted by Tim on

I try my hardest not to have an ego, or not a big one at least. Pride can be great when being proud of your country, for instance. But it’s also one of the seven deadly sins, so I try not to be too proud either. I tend to look at everything in my life – my job, talents, friends, health – as gifts and blessings and who in their right mind brags about gifts? Bragging is another thing I try not to do. All that being said, it’s getting really hard not to feel smarter than most in my generation.

I get a kick out of random “sociology” books. Books that talk about our society and how it’s changing. Being the fitness nerd I am I thoroughly enjoyed books like Fat Land by Greg Critser. I also loved the Super Size Me documentary. But I also like reading about the dumbing down of Americans, especially the young, and The Dumbest Generation by Mark Bauerlein has become a mainstay on my bookshelf.

This book is a striking assessment of America’s youth, and the outlook is rather grim. The books starts off by showing some startling statistics. For instance -

  • A 1998 survey of teenagers showed only 41% of them could name the 3 branches of government. The same survey showed that 59% knew the names of the Three Stooges.
  • A 2003 PISA test of 42 countries showed America falling being 26 of them in mathematics. Among the countries that beat us – Finland, Korea, Australia.
  • In 12 months, only one 1 in 10 18-24 year olds attended a jazz performance. Only 1 in 12 attended a classical music performance. Less than 1 in 4 stepped inside a museum or art gallery.

The book goes on the discuss the American youth’s lack of reading, addiction to screens (both TV and computer), and our sad excuse for an education system. All in all, it’s not a good story, but it’s the truth. The scary thing is that once these people are over the age of 18 they can vote. Worse yet – they don’t even need to be 18 to start giving birth to even dumber kids. And eventually, it’ll be these people who are the majority. Fat AND dumb. Is this what America will look like in 20 years? Well… I guess the zombies will get them first.