Whenever I hear someone calling for cuts to education, I wanna scream at them

[Stinky The Clown]

Oh sure. Blame the teachers. That's the other tack. How about recognizing that our schools need MORE money, not less? How about acknowledging that there's a correlation between low test scores and poverty. Hungry kids can't learn. Kids who live in gang ridden neighborhoods can't learn as well. Kids who have working parents with no resources to buy after school care have kids more likely to get off track. Poorer schools have outdated text books - or none at all - and no spare finds for supplies. The teachers they threaten to cut have likely dug into their own pockets to buy supplies for a particularly needy kid if they haven't gone all the way and bought supplies for their class.

But sure. Every heartless genius in elected office wants to cut education and "hold teachers accountable". I hear these morons on teevee nooz and I want to scream at them. I DO scream at the teevee.

What the fuck is WRONG with you?

[Fumesucker]

1. They are either stupid or sociopaths..

Some days I think they're stupid, some days I think they're sociopaths..

[Captain Hilts]

2. Keep screamin'. nt

[Hannah Bell]

3. puts me in mind of one of the charter school supporters here, who also supported the

teacher firings in central falls.

she said all they needed was some good teachers & a good curriculum based on the work of dewey, piaget, etc.

she linked me to her children's $25K-per year private kindergarten.

lol. nah, money doesn't matter, that's why *your* school spends $25k/head on kindergarten.

[bluestateguy]

4. It's the dipshit parents we should be holding accountable

For every bad teacher who deserves to be fired, I'll show you ten parents who should be fired.

[Stinky The Clown]

6. I agree. Completely.

A lot of our troubles stem from uninvolved, uncaring, ill informed citizens made that way by a media hell bent on turning our brains to mush.

[Oregone]

5. Its necessary to hold these specific teachers accountable

Their union was not willing to bend over and get fucked by the administration--what kind of example would that of set for the nation?

[Initech]

7. Education is hurting enough as it is.

Hell I'm reminded of a scene from the Simpsons where Principal Skinner informs Superintendent Chalmers that the school is down to using grade F meat (mostly circus animals, some filler) and then you cut to a shot of Lunchlady Doris stuffing a gym mat into a meat grinder and saying "There's very little meat in these gym mats!"

In the same episode Mrs. Krabapple is yelling at Skinner saying that the only books they're allowed to teach are banned in other schools, Skinner replies "Well the children have to learn about Tekwar sooner or later."

The sad thing is I think that's where we're heading. Don't blame the teachers, blame the government.

[Zenlitened]

8. They will tell you that "throwing money at schools won't solve the problem."

I suggest responding to that with another question:

"Yeah? Then how come you're paying 30-grand a year to send your kid to private school?"

:shrug:

[The_Casual_Observer]

9. There is a very significant push to do away with any "non essential"

public services in order to not raise taxes on the ruling class.

[madrchsod]

10. i posted a link from the nyt in a reply to Hannah's earlier post

the writer brought up the this...who does duncan obama think is going to take the job?

obama does`t have a clue and worse he never did.

to bad we do`t have ayers as our secretary of education

[Stinky The Clown]

11. Don't get me started on Arne Duncan.