In the same spirit as JMG says “it's also time to begin thinking about what might be possible as the existing medical industry reels under the impact of its own self-inflicted injuries,” I would like to share my imaginings as to what might be possible in a contracting economy and declining population base with regard to ensuring an educated citizenry for the U.S. I cannot speak to other nations, of course, but I think we as a collection of special interest groups could profitably discuss what compromises can be worked out for the allocation of public money to the industry of education. If this is not the proper space for such a discussion, then so be it.
If this topic is allowed, let me begin by asking for factual information. Does anyone know where to find exact figures on the amount of Federal tax money that goes to the States for primary and secondary education? I am not interested in colleges here, just insuring that most kids get an adequate basic education at the best price.
Here are the issues I am examining and consider a problem for which a solution needs to be worked out with others who are better informed.
1) Centralized schooling and constant bond issues to build new school buildings.
2) Use of schools as baby-sitting and socialization pressure cookers for creating conformity
3) Abysmal pay for teachers
4) Disparity between resources in rich urban areas vs inner city and rural areas
My position on the first two issues is that centralized, Prussian-style graded schools are currently a total mess and they need to be defunded.
I know this cannot happen instantly, and understand that the poorest and middle class parents rely on the schools to provide day care while the parents have to work at two or more jobs per family to stay solvent.
Nevertheless, I think it is not the business of the State or the nation to ‘integrate’ children into society. The use of the schools to break the spine of Jim Crow laws was, I think, justified in the long run. But it has served its purpose and now we should be considering ways to ‘integrate’ children into the workforce instead.
If wages are going to be kept low and lower –as they will– and jobs are going to be fewer and fewer –as they will– then women who are single, even more underpaid than they are now, and cannot afford to homeschool will need day care at their places of employment.
Daycare should be available as a benefit, or as wages paid in kind. Employers also need to stop discriminating against having children on site and excluding them from the places where people learn HOW TO WORK at jobs that matter.
Work needs to be a significant component in every child’s education. It is past time to try to herd every child off to college just because that is where the clerisy dump their non-barracuda offspring, like the British aristocrats dumped their younger sons into the clergy 200 years ago.
Centralized schooling is also long past its pull date. I think the truancy laws need to be substantially revised so that the States and the Feds do not have the power to force children to be herded into a quasi-concentration camp situation. Forcing all children to congregate in compounds like we do know is the best possible way to ensure that disease vectors will have the quickest and more complete access to the whole population.
It is, in my opinion, slightly crazy to compact people into schools and hospitals for the sake of industrial ‘efficiency’ instead of having hundreds of widely dispersed clinics and scores of neighborhood locales for classroom activities.
In a contracting economy as gang activity and warlordism go on the rise, centralized schools make a poor defensive position for people to permit. It is tailor-made for some gangland kingpin to hold a lot of children hostage in a semi-fortress, semi-prison to obtain anything he wants: money drugs, releasing his good buddies from jail, etc.
The constant tax and bond pressure to build more and more school buildings is simply another scam imposed on the public to benefit the corrupt and Mafia-riddled construction industries. Classes can be held perfectly well in existing structures which can be made even more habitable by the children themselves taking part in upgrades and renovation. Learning the trades as part of a basic education is long overdue. In my opinion.
Employers and employees can both contribute to the wages of well-staffed, on-site day care centers. Teachers in a day care center instruct kids in the most basic skills: how to read, write, cypher, draw, play music, use tools, grow plants, survive in a crisis outside in nature.
Older children who need more than the basics can be given some choice in their own education. If a voucher system is approved for the disbursement of public tax money, the children and their single parent can choose either a tutor who specializes in a topic, or a general ed class where many teachers and assistants work in a one-room schoolhouse manner, without grading and school sports and other costly add-ons. Neighborhoods, churches, groups of employees, granges, lodge, and any other type of organization can club together to hire teachers and provide class rooms.
If truancy becomes a real problem for teens, it becomes a police matter, with a whole battery of psyche team/social workers employed by the police to process juveniles.
If a problem kid refuses to either stay put and learn or show up for a job and work all day, then actual jail and ankle-bracelet tracking devices can be an alternative to the systems we have now.
I would appreciate practical-minded experienced people‘s feedback on this preliminary outline of ways to restructure and lower the costs of public education.
no subject
If this topic is allowed, let me begin by asking for factual information. Does anyone know where to find exact figures on the amount of Federal tax money that goes to the States for primary and secondary education? I am not interested in colleges here, just insuring that most kids get an adequate basic education at the best price.
Here are the issues I am examining and consider a problem for which a solution needs to be worked out with others who are better informed.
1) Centralized schooling and constant bond issues to build new school buildings.
2) Use of schools as baby-sitting and socialization pressure cookers for creating conformity
3) Abysmal pay for teachers
4) Disparity between resources in rich urban areas vs inner city and rural areas
My position on the first two issues is that centralized, Prussian-style graded schools are currently a total mess and they need to be defunded.
I know this cannot happen instantly, and understand that the poorest and middle class parents rely on the schools to provide day care while the parents have to work at two or more jobs per family to stay solvent.
Nevertheless, I think it is not the business of the State or the nation to ‘integrate’ children into society. The use of the schools to break the spine of Jim Crow laws was, I think, justified in the long run. But it has served its purpose and now we should be considering ways to ‘integrate’ children into the workforce instead.
If wages are going to be kept low and lower –as they will– and jobs are going to be fewer and fewer –as they will– then women who are single, even more underpaid than they are now, and cannot afford to homeschool will need day care at their places of employment.
Daycare should be available as a benefit, or as wages paid in kind. Employers also need to stop discriminating against having children on site and excluding them from the places where people learn HOW TO WORK at jobs that matter.
Work needs to be a significant component in every child’s education. It is past time to try to herd every child off to college just because that is where the clerisy dump their non-barracuda offspring, like the British aristocrats dumped their younger sons into the clergy 200 years ago.
Centralized schooling is also long past its pull date. I think the truancy laws need to be substantially revised so that the States and the Feds do not have the power to force children to be herded into a quasi-concentration camp situation. Forcing all children to congregate in compounds like we do know is the best possible way to ensure that disease vectors will have the quickest and more complete access to the whole population.
It is, in my opinion, slightly crazy to compact people into schools and hospitals for the sake of industrial ‘efficiency’ instead of having hundreds of widely dispersed clinics and scores of neighborhood locales for classroom activities.
In a contracting economy as gang activity and warlordism go on the rise, centralized schools make a poor defensive position for people to permit. It is tailor-made for some gangland kingpin to hold a lot of children hostage in a semi-fortress, semi-prison to obtain anything he wants: money drugs, releasing his good buddies from jail, etc.
The constant tax and bond pressure to build more and more school buildings is simply another scam imposed on the public to benefit the corrupt and Mafia-riddled construction industries. Classes can be held perfectly well in existing structures which can be made even more habitable by the children themselves taking part in upgrades and renovation. Learning the trades as part of a basic education is long overdue. In my opinion.
Employers and employees can both contribute to the wages of well-staffed, on-site day care centers. Teachers in a day care center instruct kids in the most basic skills: how to read, write, cypher, draw, play music, use tools, grow plants, survive in a crisis outside in nature.
Older children who need more than the basics can be given some choice in their own education. If a voucher system is approved for the disbursement of public tax money, the children and their single parent can choose either a tutor who specializes in a topic, or a general ed class where many teachers and assistants work in a one-room schoolhouse manner, without grading and school sports and other costly add-ons.
Neighborhoods, churches, groups of employees, granges, lodge, and any other type of organization can club together to hire teachers and provide class rooms.
If truancy becomes a real problem for teens, it becomes a police matter, with a whole battery of psyche team/social workers employed by the police to process juveniles.
If a problem kid refuses to either stay put and learn or show up for a job and work all day, then actual jail and ankle-bracelet tracking devices can be an alternative to the systems we have now.
I would appreciate practical-minded experienced people‘s feedback on this preliminary outline of ways to restructure and lower the costs of public education.