We have
followed with enthusiasm the work of Diane Ravitch since appointed by George W.
Bush as Assistant Secretary of Education she supported the ‘No child left
behind’ policy instituted by Bush’s administration. Ravitch became a sharp critique of holding
non-performing schools punitively accountable after she’s left her
public post. After reading the following comment a reader sent to me about in
Response to ‘Digest on Michelle Rhee’, I felt compelled to post about Diane
Ravitch’s changed views on Education Reform.
Here’s the reader’s response:
”Things are
difficult, in an inner city school, and the reformers are just making it
totally unbearable. It’s like being in an army at war - you're under fire, your
buddies are becoming casualties, you're undermanned, you're outgunned, yet, you
are still holding your position. But the
people back home say it’s entirely your fault.
You’re not on the offensive and over running the enemy country; the
soldiers are lazy, incompetent, etc. The
solution is to fire everybody who hasn't gotten enough kill stats; cut
salaries. And especially, you must get
rid of the most experienced soldiers.
Teachers
are undermanned (giant class sizes), having inferior weapons (textbooks falling
apart, AND, no kids can take textbooks home because the dropouts never bring
the $125 books back, PLUS I have to buy my own laptop-projector, the 600$
projector dies every 3 years).
Like a
teacher, Each soldiers kill statistics depend on situations outside of their
control. Did you give me a machine gun with 5000 rounds and place me in a
foxhole with miles of visibility, where there's nowhere for the enemy to hide?
Did you put me in a tank? Or did you throw me from a boat like D-Day onto a
heavily defended beach with no tanks and just said 'go get ‘em'?
And sure,
there probably are incompetent soldiers. They become casualties. Teachers who get axed by admins not related to
them, or quit within two of the worst years of their lives with classes they
don’t know how to control and can't teach. Think of all the middle class college
graduates in an inner city classroom where neither side understands each other....and
soon grows to loathe each other, and suddenly midyear, they have a sub or
another rookie for the rest of the year. THAT happens ALL THE TIME. The
incompetents weed themselves out. Only
the effective can survive. A lot of
crying twenty four year old women are involved in this process, miserable.”
The above
comment makes the need for education reform even more forceful. Again, that reinforces the need for a
Michelle Rhee. Diane Ravitch’s position
on tolerating incompetent teachers especially hurts the future of those in
inner city schools. We are competing
globally. Students and Teachers first please.
Jacques Moise Thimothee {Virginia and Maryland Commercial - Residential Real Estate}
Millionaire Match Verified
Maryland - Virginia Real Estate listing agent.
Jacques Moise Thimothee {Virginia and Maryland Commercial - Residential Real Estate}
Millionaire Match Verified
Maryland - Virginia Real Estate listing agent.