Since
the turn of the 20th Century, the Progressive Movement has been
gradually taking control of public education in the United States. Abraham Lincoln is reported to have said, “The
philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of
government in the next.” *
Whether they were aware of Mr. Lincoln’s view or not, the idea has not been lost on the Progressives. To them, the schools are a “change agent” that they can use to convert a racially prejudiced, greedy, and ethically derelict America into a just, humane, and politically correct society (as they define it).
Teacher’s unions like the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers have been radicalized. The focus of their efforts now appears to be on becoming the point of the spear leading America into a socialist utopia, rather than representing the best interests of teachers in the workplace.
Since the Democratic Party recently gained control of the executive and legislative branches of the federal government, the situation has become infinitely worse. Americans with traditional values have been called racists and are portrayed as an impediment to social progress. Religious beliefs that are foundational to the American way of life have been described as bigotry and hate speech, and the present administration is empowering public education to implement that agenda.
For a thorough discussion of the failure of American public educational system to teach our children such basic competencies as Science, Mathematics, Reading, and Writing please refer to my July 17, 2020 post entitled, Education 2020.
As a reminder, let me say that, when compared to students in other countries (in 2012), American students' PISA test scores ranked 28th in Mathematics and 21st in Science. www.nsf.gov/nsb/spi/edTool/data/highschool-08.html Further, one source showed that (in 2015) our kids' PISA scores ranked 39th in Mathematics, 24th in Science, and 24th in Reading. www.pewsearch.org/fact-tank/2017/02/15/u-s-students-internationally-math-science/
Regrettably, more recent data was not immediately available. Now, the dismal failure of our public schools shown by these scores happened in spite of the fact that Americans paid over $12,000.00 in taxes per enrolled student every year.
I’m just a dumb guy, but it seems to me that our educational system is a failure. I would like it if our failed educators would focus on improving their professional performance, rather than trying to remake society by destroying the values parents want to teach their children. Failures should not presume to teach values to our children that most of us do not support, and in fact object to.
On her television show, Sovereign Nation, Michelle Malkin recently said something to the effect that we should emphasize our country’s accomplishments, rather than focus on its shortcomings. Take heed to this warning from Abraham Lincoln, “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”
* https://www.brainyquote.com/
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Just one more thing:
The above is not intended to disparage the thousands of rank and file teachers who do the best job they can every day, working in a broken system. It is not about the teachers who are good Americans at heart.
Edwards Deming is reported to have said that when there are problems, 85 percent of the fault lies with the system and 15 percent with people. The educational system needs to be restructured from the ground up. The people who are responsible for 15 percent of the problem are the leftist administrators, AOC wannabe teachers, union leaders, and politicians who are trying to ruin the country.
