Now is it time for stupid?

Back to Stupid
Some time back I asked when we can start calling people stupid. I’m wondering, after reading several articles by and about education “reformers”, if the time might be now.
 
Teachers work hard. The few who don’t cannot be easily fired b/c of rules and policies established by school boards. The school boards are made up of elected persons, therefore we can blame the public for the school boards not enforcing reasonable policies regarding teacher quality. The unions operate only b/c school boards and administrators as well as, sadly, colleagues devise vicious and unfair practices against teachers. Who wants to pay union dues? Who wants to have to go to union meetings? Who wants to have to follow union rules? None of us. It’s the only protection we have against arbitrary decisions and practices.
 
What’s arbitrary? Putting a school board member’s friend in an administrative positon; elevating a relative to a coveted position; ignoring grievances; favoring programs like sports over academics; not bothering to provide needed materials to teachers; caving in to parent demands. Is there anyone in teaching who can seriously claim that these are not common happenings in education?
 
The school board determines who and how many will serve as administrators and that, in turn, determines how much and what kind of supervision teachers receive. Blaming unions, blaming teachers, blaming the culture, and so on doesn’t fly. The people themselves, in this country, determine how our schools are constituted. Right now, lots and lots of people want to disband public schools so they can either put their friends in a position to make billions from instituting private schools or put their favorite religion into the classroom. Both are stupid b/c such steps will result in millions of uneducated youth who will fill our streets and jails. Do you doubt that?
 
Look at one segment of the population whose education was deliberately sabotaged: African-Americans. What percentage of African-American youth is in jail or prison now? Case closed.

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