The lead editorial in today's Arizona Daily Star bemoans state School Superintendent Tom Horne's initiative to promote new health standards for physical education and health classes in Arizona public schools. The Star's worry, in their own words:
"Horne is churning up a lot of activity - including public hearings next month - that is unlikely to produce anything of substance in Arizona classrooms...(whereas) we believe the state school superintendent should be using his bully pulpit to demand better education for Arizona children...(and) exploring innovative ways to engage students in those crucial STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) areas of study."
Let me see if I have this straight.
1. Arizona kids are developing unhealthy lifestyles, and the schools need to "fix" this by having "teachers instruct their students on the benefits of physical activity" because...the kids don't have parents? Because...students always respond correctly to such lectures (like "Just say no!")?
2. The state school superintendent can magically turn around Arizona public schools' lousy performance in reading and math by "using his bully pulpit." What will he do? Bang on it and shout, "Now, cut it out! I mean it!"?
And while we're on the subject, does the superintendent teach anybody anything? Could his salary buy four or five more teachers to handle first grade reading?
Clearly academic success is a mystery too difficult for Mr. Horne..or the legislature (and bright ideas like mandating certain curricular "additions") can actually accomplish. All I can say is, it's a good thing all those successful (non-certified) homeschooling moms didn't have him (or the legislature) supervising the excellent education they were (somehow?) able to provide their children.
With apologies to Shakespeare...government-guided, government-funded education is like a "tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."
2 comments:
Would you prefer private education, preferably we would assume Christian based? How about the Church of Joy in Glendale, AZ. There is a perfect example of how private industry chooses greed over public servitude and a lack of government oversight, as imperfect as it is, allows abuse of hopeful parents looking for an education alternative. Maybe they could get really creative, like banks, where the governments allows them to self-govern. After all, no one would really take advantage of parents and children for their own personal greed, right? Some Utopia. Maybe if we weren't such a greedy society, confusing a social conscience with 'socialism', we would pay appropriate taxes, pay our teachers better, fund our schools properly and make education a priority. Then everyone could quote Shakespeare.
Actually, you prove my very point. Since the Phoenix area newspapers are quick to hop on every alleged indiscretion by Joy Christian School, and you read and trust those newspapers, then you are acting responsibly within your own belief system by (I assume) not enrolling children there or recommending others to do so. Did you need the government to help you figure that out? And are government schools always free of indiscretions? Then why support and recommend them? Or are government institutions worthy of blind faith?
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