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It seems that you can't pick up a newspaper today (yes, I still get one) without reading a story about the sorry state of education in the United States. Why has the quality of our educational system slipped? Why can't Johnny read? Here are my thoughts inspired by the proliferation of back-to-school ads that come out every year at this time.
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Back when my generation was preparing to return to school, back in the Dark Ages, we only needed a couple of items on the first day. Our list consisted of a Duo-tang folder, a pencil case, a #2 lead pencil, and maybe a protractor. Other than that, the schools provided the necessary materials for us to matriculate. And if we took our lunch, it was in a brown paper bag. Or maybe we had a Lone Ranger or Green Lantern metal lunch box with a thermos. Unfortunately, back then the thermos bottle was glass lined so we went through a number of bottles during the year if it was dropped. And of course, any books we might have taken home at day end, were secured with a rope or belt.
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Education
Bill: One other little detail that has changed since you were in school ... no matter how fancy the cutlery peanut butter sandwiches are not allowed. Or peanut butter cookies or anything with nuts for that matter. Parents now have to find other quick, reasonably priced yet healthy meal choices for their kids -- which is another whole dilemma for the US!
Schools need more money!
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Bill, always enjoy your articles.
My 9 year old attends the local elementary school. A budget report was sent home last summer
with much detail. If you do the
calculations, the school spends $11,000 per student annually - give or
take. Additionally, looking at the staff
listing, only a little under half are actually teachers. This means over half the staff are
Principals, Vice Principals, Assistant Vice Principals, Assistant to the
Assistant Vice Principal, and a bunch of other titles that I have no idea what
they could possibly do. Keep in mind
this is not the main location for the school district. I’m assuming the administration at that
school probably exceeds 75% of the staff.
If my company were run that way, we’d be out of business
inside of a year. Presumably, the
purpose of a school is to teach children.
If this is true, it seems that the majority of staff should be
teachers. Considering that the majority
of staff are not teachers, I can only conclude that the purpose of the school
is something other than teaching children.
At $11,000 apiece, that’s a pretty expensive whatever-it-is they do.
School Funding
Perhaps the teachers need more money and fewer administrators. That might even lower total expenditures.
Although I am probably qualified to teach at Princeton, I am not qualified to teach in my local high school - and why would I want to? Even in my highly regarded school district, starting salaries and terminal salaries are fairly dismal. How many valedictorians from Yale go into elementary or secondary education? Heck, how many from East Podunk U. do?
Although there are signs in some states that this is changing, there has always, at least in my lifetime, been a separation between teachers and everyone else. Degrees in education are needed to teach physics, while degrees in physics do not qualify you. I know many physicists who are excellent teachers, even of little children, but they are frozen out of doing that because the college-level Schools of Education are responsible for producing physics teachers, not the Physics Department.
I also would prefer not to work where my success or failure is (1) rarely measured properly and (2) is only slightly under my control. Teachers grade students but shy away from being graded themselves (or at least their unions do). But teachers understand better than anyone that home environments that are detrimental to learning can undo even the best teacher's work.
I suspect that there are quite a few people who would not only relish the employment but also be quite good at it. It's too bad there are so many system-imposed barriers to matching potential good teachers with teaching positions.
Great Article
Bill,
I always enjoy your musings from the hammock, but this one really hit a sore point with me! Our education system has deteriorated so much since I was in school, and I am of your generation, it has gone from World Class, everyone wanted to be educated in the U.S., to not even in the top 20.
I hope you don't mind, but I have sent this article to my U.S. Senators and Representatives, and am encouraging everyone that read it to do the same. It is time to stop throwing our money away by sending it to unappreciative nations and invest in our own future through better funding of education.
Bravo,
Gordon
School funding
Great comments Bill. My wife is a retired teacher and I'm taking a copy of your article home for her to read. As far as funding for education and politicians go, if it were up to me, I'd be tackling the tough subjects - entitlement and transfer payments - Social Security & Medicare. We are eventually have to slow the flow of payments to these programs to keep them solvent. The budget debates in D.C. are about programs we should be funding - education, energy, infrastructure improvements, R&D. These are the future. In order to come up with funding, we have to curtail the big programs. Sacrifice now for the future. I'd throw tax reform and election financing to the mix, but perhaps you can address these in a future column and I will comment later.
So forget shopping list. Will it obviate problem or write off..
On the onset, I was serious to see the real problem and seek the possible solution!..
But alas!
Well! Lem'me attempt some causes to the problem.?.
The technology gave us gadgets and gizmo's
The intent to do things double time added some more load.
the parents were in a haste to see their child is worth putting into a leadership/ earning position fast.
and we started loading her with laden weight....
As a result...
Her health suffered!
Her brain choked
Her patience stroked
and her character got bold! with tons of knowledge Load!..
..and the culture/ social values freezing Cold...
This kind a education was euphorically sold
with a big promise of granting them 24 carats gold!
But who hides the Right Mold?
Priyavrat Thareja
www.thareja.com
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