Public Education

Now, I write this with a little knowledge about teaching kids. My wife was an elementary school teacher for 30 years. Son 1 graduated from West Point and has Masters Degree from Harvard. Son 2 graduated from a state college with a degree in Accounting (finished a 5 year program in 4 years), and daughter graduated from West Point and went on to get an MBA and a Masters in Computer Science from Boston U. And don’t think they were blessed with exceptional talents. Nope. They attended public schools but had old style teaching. And like all kids they were dumb as rocks. But mom and dad pushed their schooling – and they had old style teachers. My kids grew up being told (and they still hate me when they hear it) that they had three priorities: Church, Family, and School in that order. That was their job. Their responsibility was to take the family higher. To be better, smarter, faster, and nicer than their parents.

It took a pandemic (Covid) to expose what was going on in our schools. Parents finally saw what was being taught and how it was being taught. And many didn’t like what they saw. Evidence is the increase in private school enrollment and the rise in home schooling. We see a renewed interest in vouchers and charter schools. And boy the teachers’ unions had no answers except close the schools during the pandemic.

And please don’t tell me that money is the answer. When I walk into a classroom, as in one (1) classroom, I see 20 kids and a teacher. And almost $300,000 per year. Yep. In my small school district of 3200 kids. In a school of 15 classrooms $300 K each room. Look, in the public elementary school I attended there were 4 people in the office, counting secretary, principal, and nurse. In my high school there were 8 people counting principal, 4 guidance counselors, and nurse. Check out school offices today. And check out the school district and staff! BTW: how does a superintendent warrant $200 or $300 K per year? We spend more money per kid than any other country on the planet – and are falling behind? Nope. More money ain’t the answer.

So how do we fix it? Well I have a couple of ideas (you knew the Old Guy would):

First, teacher education. All teachers need a bachelors degree in a real field. No math teacher should be teaching math in junior high or high school without a degree in math. History teachers should have a degree in history. English teaches should have a degree in English. Today my state requires a teacher have a degree in “Education.” What? My wife has a degree in Education. She got certified K (kindergarten) through grade 12! She was qualified to teach high school math? Trust me, no she wasn’t. Teachers need a degree with a minor in education. And no degree in gender studies (Men are bad, Women are good, and there is no such thing as a man or woman) or Race Studies (White guys are bad, Black guys are good, Brown guys are OK, Red guys are OK, Yellow guys are IFFY, but Kumbaya my Lord). No. Real majors with a minor in Education. Mr. Bartlett, my old teacher challenged us to give him a math problem he couldn’t solve and he won every time. He had the degree.

Second, Parents. Parents are to blame as much as unqualified teachers. You can’t drop off your kids at school and expect the school to educate your kids. The pandemic showed the problems. Look, I understand the world has changed. No longer do we we have one bread winner leaving the other to take care of the kids. Where one parent can be involved in the school while one parent works. Forget the fact that while my kids were growing up the family took one vacation (and my kids are in their 40’s). But we knew what our kids were doing in school. We “dropped in to observe” our kids. We were in the PTA. We called the teacher. We tracked what the kids were studying and we added to it. Our kids read out loud to us. We gave the kids math problems at home. And if our kids got out of line one of us was there – and we didn’t sue. Today parents are not involved. Parents should seek a partnership with the teacher. And if the teacher is lacking or unresponsive – get that teacher fired.

Third, text books. Yes books. You know, those things made out of paper with printing on the pages. Bring them back. Make kids use them. Reading? Make the kid read out loud. Math? Assign the problems. History – read the pages. And writing. As in pencil, paper, notebooks. Make kids write essays and themes. Make them spell correctly. If they see the written word they will spell better. I also vote for the weekly spelling test. You know, where words are assigned each week and then you have a test to see if you can spell them – with a definition of each word thrown in. In this way parents can see what is being taught and help add to it. Partnership. You can’t look over a kid’s shoulder while he/she is on a phone and see what they are reading – or playing.

Next, Cell Phones. Not in school. Cells are distractors. They are gimmicks to allow kids to text each other. When a kid walks in the school building the cell goes off. And stays off until school lets out. It is still there if there is an emergency. If mommy needs to contact Johnny then she waits. After all, Johnny is at work – school.

Fifth, Computers. I am not against computers in class. Great tool. But today the teacher cannot control the computers. My wife complained that when her kids were using computers she spent most of her time helping get them boot up and then more time getting kids on the right subject/screen – and keeping them there. You see, computers and cells are a source of entertainment to 10 year olds. they are not a source of education. To use the computer for research in the older grades is great. But for the younger kids the the teacher has to be able to control the screens and results from her computer-and record those results. Districts spend millions on hardware and 0 on the appropriate system in the classroom. Hence, more books!

Next, homework. More homework. You can’t learn to spell without practice. You can’t learn to read without practice. You can’t learn to add without practice. I am not advocating 3 hours of homework each day for a 9 year old. But homework is vital. It is called practice. And the teacher needs to check it. And parents need to monitor and help their kid (and follow what is being taught). Why did homework become a bad word? I tracked my kids’ progress by watching their homework – and reading their text books. My district forbids homework? OK Mom and Dad – belly up!

Finally, Grades. Bring them back. Life is not fair. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. When we lose we learn. When I went to a teacher conference the teacher pulled out a folder with my kid’s name on it. In that folder was every test result and every episode of misconduct. It made the conference easy. I saw what my kid knew and where he needed work. Partnership. So give tests! Let’s gauge where a kid stands each week. And stop promoting every kid to the next grade. I know little Johnny’s feelings will be hurt if he doesn’t go up with his buds – but better then than become a high school graduate who can’t read.

Ok, this piece is longer than I normally like. But I could go on forever. I recommend going back to the basics. Reading, writing, and arithmetic. No more of this garbage of sex education in the first grade (my state), or gender crap, or LGBTXYZAL etc. crap (with drag queens), or transgender crap, or race relations (math is not racist) crap, etc. Let’s get rid of teacher unions. Besides, morals are the responsibility of parents. Let’s get back to the basics with accountability and standards. Let’s bring back the old tools like books and chalk and tests and reading aloud and Times Tables! Our kids will be better for it.

But then again, I’m an old guy and I don’t get it……