thomas leverett weblog

Annals of Public Education part III

I am outraged that a president would order everyone to go back to school, without providing the funds to make it possible. It's what they used to call an unfunded mandate, but it more strongly represents the gas chambers, in the sense that it's Russian roulette for older teachers, or older parents of school-aged children, like us. People are going to die here. The schools don't have a way to keep everyone safe, or deal with the inevitable infected student walking through the front door. By nature, schools are supposed to take these kids in during the day. When teachers, entire classrooms, and support staff are testing positive, what's supposed to happen?

I think there will be significant chaos, and it will take a few years before anyone gets a good education. I think that as half the parents turn to homeschooling, the quality of education may improve simply because of smaller class sizes, but the fear and disruption will play a heavy role and make it impossible for people to really concentrate. They are already worried about the gun situation. I think parents would have to be crazy to want to put their kids into a situation like that.

So I have two possible solutions. The first is the one-room schoolhouse model. We live way out in the country and would actually be better off if we didn't have to drive twenty miles in every day. There aren't many kids in this valley, but I'd be glad to take what there are, split duties with local parents, and start there. It's like homeschooling except you get the benefit of other parents' input and you as parents put significantly more time into it than we used to.

The other is to lean into online a little more. I could see grassroots online homeschooling actually working - people teach on zoom, kids learn to learn on zoom, the best teachers rise to the top, everything happens online. We could actually do it now, and lots of people would be way better off. We would have to start fast, though. Many people are way behind, thinking we will all just go back in a month. We will not all just go back in a month. We will not jump off a cliff either.

For many of us it's a life or death issue. I've got three still in school, but I'm 66 and not eager for them to bring home whatever the locals pick up from the Texas tourist trade. I think the schools do a pretty good job with the kids overall and I trust them in the big picture although I think their curriculum could probably be improved. But there is a definite value to having other good, responsible adults in their lives, so given the choice between my deciding what constitutes fifth grade math, and their deciding it, I think I'll stick with them. I'm busy. But if it's organized, I can help with the teaching. I think that parents in small groups have to start doing the organizing. We have to provide for our own. Those who think the government is just going to drop it in our laps, well, they used to, but they can't anymore. Not without threatening your life.

Labels: public education

posted by tom @ 9:02 PM