Education? Educators?

Walter Williams recently cited an article by Larry Sand, "No Wonder Johnny (Still) Can't Read." Sand blamed schools of education for the decline in education in America.

The article went on to say that professors tell future teachers in their classes that they should not "drill and kill," or be the "sage on the stage." They should be the "guide on the side," facilitating "student discovery." My, aren't those catchy phrases?

Multiculturism is another villain. Sands, during his own teacher education experience, found that teachers had to learn "Culturally Responsive Education." Ethnicity, economic circumstances, sexual orientation, for instance, were to be considered when covering subject-matter.

Walter Williams listed the following questions, which came from prospective teacher tests.
1. Which of the following is equal to a quarter-million? a) 40,000, b) 250,000, c) 2,500,000,
     d) 1/4,000,000 or e) 4/1,000,000.
2.  Martin Luther King, Jr.(insert the correct choice) for the poor of all races - a) spoke out passionately,
     b) spoke out passionate, c) did spoke out passionately, d) has spoke out passionately or e) had spoken 
     out passionate.
3.  What would you do if your student sprained an ankle? a) put a Band-Aid on it, b) Ice it, or c) Rinse it
     with water.

The third question is from a teacher certification test in Illinois. 5,243 Illinois teachers failed their tests. The   Chicago Sun Times reported that one teacher "failed 24 of 25 teacher tests - including 11 of 12 Basic Skills Tests and all 12 tests on teaching learning-disabled children." That same teacher was assigned to teach learning-disabled children in Chicago.

Textbooks for teachers in schools of education contain such things as "We cannot afford to become so bogged down in grammar and spelling that we forget the whole story...the onslaught of antihuman practices that this nation and other nations are facing today: racism, and sexism, and the greed for money and human labor that disguises itself as 'globalization.' " (Beyond Heroes and Holidays by Enid Lee et al). Amazing!
"There is no place for requiring students to practice tedious calculations that are more efficiently and accurately done by using calculators." (About Teaching Mathematics by Marilyn Burns).

There are other outrageous passages from equally outrageous textbooks stating that teachers need not be subject-matter experts, "content knowledge" is not as important as knowing ones students - re" community, personal abilities, feelings! Standardized tests are dismissed as existing "to justify the distribution of certain goodies to certain people."  We see the results of such thinking every day, and this has been going on for decades.

One of my daughters, probably 20 years ago, received a note from one of her 14 year old son's high school teachers about his need to improve. My daughter sent the note back to the teacher full of red pencil corrections to the teacher's grammar and punctuation errors.

Watch the youtube videos of those union protestors, including teachers, in Wisconsin. Would you believe that they have the nerve to demand their "rights," when they should not be allowed in the classroom?

Again, look at the signs held up by "Occupiers." Listen to the men (women, teens, college students) in off the cuff street interviews. The lack of education in our citizens is embarrassing. Grammar, punctuation and math are not the only victims of sloppy teaching. History, geography, civics, economics - the ignorance is appalling and there for all the world to see.  Worse, these people probably vote.

The title of Walter William's column was "Reform Education by Retraining Teachers." Who, exactly is going to accomplish that Herculean labor, when the Department of Education is the culprit? Eliminate that department. Put education within the purvue of individual states, which have a vested interest in producting the best educated citizens. Competition will advance the cause.