Teachers' Unions

So are the teachers' unions good for education or bad? Also is tenure a good practice or one that hurts education? In my opinion both of these institutions hurt education to some degree. Tenure, for example, allows bad teachers to continue to teach. I had a Spanish teacher in grade school who I thought was terrible. The only thing I learned was that her name rhymed with bell, shell, hell... But because this teacher had tenure it would have been very difficult to remove her just because her students performed poorly. In any other job if the result of your work is below expectations you can be expected to be disciplined and eventually fired. Not so with tenured teachers. Only when their behaviour is egregious do they get fired.

The teachers' unions are another matter. I have mixed feelings on unions. I believe they empower their employees to keep management from just exploiting them unfairly. However, they also have a tendency to treat hard workers the same as lazy ones. And as seen in Europe too much power concentrated in the hands of the unions can severely stunt growth. The teachers' unions go one step further by trying to advance their own agenda. Now as the union is paid for by the teachers it's primary responsibility is to look out for the teachers, not the students. Anything that may help students but harm teachers is fought. However, in their defense I have checked out the NEA's website and it does appear to have some very helpful information and lesson ideas on various subjects. Although I was a little worried when their Homepage poll asked if teachers should try to encourage a love of America in their students.

For the most part I think the majority of teachers and school faculty are trying to their best to teach our students. They try to walk a difficult line. Parents expect their kids to do well in school, but often don't spend time helping their kids with homework or even making sure they do it. Schools also have to try not to anger or insult any specific group of people, which is an impossible task given the vast diversity in our country today.

There are no easy answers or quick fixes to improving education in America. If there were it wouldn't be as controversial as it is. For me, I can only try to bring my son up to respect authority figures, at home, school or wherever, and to do the best he can. Otherwise I'll make him stand in the corner till he's 30!!!

Education in America Part II

As stated yesterday the federal government has no place dictating curriculum to local public schools. It becomes too controversial. However, this doesn't mean that without the Feds everybody agrees on what should be taught. For example any attempt to teach religion, sex ed or science becomes a battle between special interest groups. Nobody wants to give an inch. And so the students become the losers. They fail to learn important information that may help them in the future and parents lose confidence in the school systems.

Although these subjects may remain controversial if left to the state and local governments it would be much reduced. Special interest groups tend to concentrate on national issues in order to make the biggest impact. They are less likely to be effective if they have to try to fight in 50 states and thousands of localities than if they can just stalk the halls of Congress in DC. Also, because the populations of individual school systems and states tend to be more united than the country as a whole it is easier, I believe, to agree on a curriculum.

But what about the teaching of evolution being supplanted by religious idealogues in Southern States? Well, that may happen. Sex ed would probably be removed in those states as well. However, if that is what the people in those states want then let them do it and accept the consequences. Many are already seen as backward and ignorant. Let them start teaching Creationism and have their children ignorant of birth control and methods of protecting against STDs and you'll see a backlash against these views. As their rankings against the other states and other countries plummett their populations will be demanding reform or they will begin moving to states with better rankings. This kind of population migration can already be seen in real estate prices. Areas with better schools often have higher real estate prices compared to those with poorer performing schools. Sometimes even in the same city or county you will see this. It is sad to think it may come to this, but I believe in a free society we should empower people, not hold them back. Even if this means they make stupid decisions.

Education in America

I stated yesterday that I don't believe the Federal government should be involved in public education. Let me just take this opportunity to elaborate a bit.

In my opinion the majority of the funding for public education should come from local and state government, not the federal government. The federal government should provide funds for the building of new schools and upgrades of existing facilities. But they should not pay for teacher salaries or textbooks. When the federal government supplies money for these things they then have their foot in the door to start dictating curriculum requirements.

Take the No Child Left Behind legislation. In exchange for increased funding, schools are required to meet specific guidelines. Although this helps make sure all students throughout the country are learning the same general information it forces teachers to teach to the test rather than encourage their students to become leaders and independent thinkers.

This may seriously harm the American entrepeneurial spirit. Only by encouraging students to think outside the box and come up with new ways of looking at things can we maintain our preeminence in creating new industries. We need to improve our teaching of math and science, but also emphasize true history and grammar as well. This PC crap of trying to remake America's history based on a "multi-cultural" standpoint is stupid. The early formative years of this country were dominated and guided by primarily Western Protestant views. Teach history as it was and not how people may wish it had been. This is only one example of meddling with the curriculum in order to advance an agenda.

Tomorrow I will discuss some other subjects that have become controversial in American public schools. And later the role of the teachers' unions and how it has affected education.

Supreme Court Decision Gonzales v. Raich

Just a short word on the decision yesterday by the Supreme Court regarding medical marijuana laws. The Court shot down these state laws stating Federal law supercedes the states in regards to federally regulated drugs. Now let me just state for the record that I do NOT support making marijuana legal and personally believe a better dispensing method should be developed if there is a true medical use for marijuana. I can't believe the inhalation of smoke is ever the best method of taking a prescription. Perhaps a nebulizer type treatment or a more effective pill can be developed.

But this is beside the point. The real reason I disagree with the Court's decision is because I do not see where the Federal government has any jurisdiction. The State laws approve the use of medical marijuana only when prescribed by an in-state physician to a state citizen using marijuana either grown in the patient's home or from an in-state grower. There is no inter-state commerce taking place, and therefore the Federal government should not have jurisdiction. If the marijuana is taken across state lines then the Feds would have the right to govern and penalize. But this to me appears to be Federal overreach.

The Federal government was given specific responsibilities by the Constitution with all others reserved for the States. That should be the yard stick by which this type of law is reviewed. I'm also not a big fan of Federal involvement in public education, but that's a topic for another day.

The Yellow Line: The Centrist Reform Movement

The Yellow Line: The Centrist Reform Movement - This is an execellent post stating some of the important goals of Centrists. Read it...you may find yourself becoming a centrist too.

The Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has issued rulings this morning. I'm not going to review their rulings today, but I am going to discuss the proper role of the Supreme Court in this country. It seems everything that is controversial is ending up in the Supreme Court. The Court has ruled on all kinds of cases and has based its findings on various things, even including foreign law. What the Supreme Court is NOT basing its decisions on more frequently is the US Constitution. Now I believe the role of the court, as stated in the Constitution, is to determine the legality of laws passed by Congress in relation to the limitations imposed on the government by the Constitution. The only person currently on the Court who bases his vote on the actual wording of the Constitution is Justice Scalia. He is considered an "originalist". This means he bases his rulings on what the Constitution says. He correctly points out that if Congress or the American people don't like what the Constitution says they can amend it.

This is the beauty of the Constitution. It is a foundational document that can be amended, but not just by the whim of society. It takes a major effort to get the Constitution amended. This is so that as society goes through various fads and temporary flights of fancy the Constitution doesn't get weighed down by insignificant or unnecessary amendments. Contrast this with many state constitutions. In Virginia it seems every few years a new amendment is being voted on. They vary from guaranteeing the right to fish and hunt in Virginia to various tax issues. None of which deserves to be in a constitution. The Constitution, whether for the entire country or a single state, should only relate to foundational principles, rights and governmental organization...not fishing rights and car taxes.