been reflecting on the sad state of education here in texas...it can be hard not to think about it when there is something in the paper nearly every day after all...things are in a rather sad state(no pun intended) here these days...between trying to find a superintendant of schools and teachers being in shorter demand than water in the desert, and a bit of violence, some intoxication, a few other minor transgressions and of course TAAS, the lessons being taught in school are not the ones i think were intended...i was trying to figure out the problem and i came to the conclusion it is the damned "new math"
new math is very interesting stuff...how else do you explain spending over $250,000 in a district where teachers earn well below the national average in wages...where the school board is a bit late in renewing their contract with the HMO resulting in drastically higher premiums for these same underpaid teachers...where the important thing is that TAAS scores are higher as are college entrance scores, although strangely they have not improved in relation to the national average...wherethere is always enough money for more prisons, but never enough for more quality education
but they get a good education you say(ok the politicians say)...look at the scores...well you know scores don't make an education...after all it is much easier to study a test than to learn how to think(if you don't believe me just look at the large number of MCSE's who don't understand computers)...see new math dictates that quantity beats quality any day...new math says that there is no class size too large...after all if the average student teacher ratio should be 15 to 1, why then 30 to one is twice as good and 45 to one is 4 times as good(oops 3 times)...makes perfect sense...why waste time teaching those boring old basic foundations...forget training students to think...we can teach them to pass a standardized exam for less
oh yes let us not forget discipline...we dont need that either...just make the rules simpler and tell the teachers to enforce them, but don't upset any parent while doing it, because junior is always right(as long as they leave their gun at home)...new math even seems to say that you can rewrite history if it offends someone(must be politically correct after all)...forget those difficult literature assignments, because we have banned all those books anyway(besides who needs books, when you have a computer), after all reading is a waste of time anyway, TV is much better...new math even teaches civics...break a rule(NO TOLERANCE) and get sent to remedial school(unless you can afford to sue), because we must fill those slots we paid for
hell new math has even redefined the constitution and the dictionary...yes really...under new math it is now ok to hold prayer before a school football game, as long as it is led by a student and is spontanious(that is what they call students organizing it beforehand here)...discrimination now means not being able to opress the few with out being critisized(so says sante fe)...what a wonderful state we live in...well at least new math hasnt' rewritten science(creationism as valid scientific theory) here yet, but i'm sure it is only a matter of time
maybe everyone will figure it out(oops that requires old math skills) before it is too late...if not, who knows, they may legislate learning back into school...you might have to earn a diploma...we may even elect an honest president...peace might break out...you never know
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