Politics. 
One of my favorite subjects.
Especially when people don’t agree with me ….. providing, of course, that they can disagree without losing the plot.
I know, of course, that politics and religion are two no-no’s when it comes to polite company.
But hey, it’s my blog.
A discussion that took place during the final day of COETAIL Course One inspired me to look briefly at current political issues as they relate to education. The discussion in class involved the notion that the job of the teacher has changed from the imparter-of-knowledge to the critical-thinking-guide. This guide allows students the opportunity to question and contest commonly held beliefs and ideas.
I’d say that in most cases, teachers do a pretty good job with this.
Accept for one significant exception.
Politics.
I’ll explain later.
But first, what’s going on in the political-educational scene right now?
You have probably heard that Mark Zuckerberg recently pledged $100 million to revamp Newark schools, and promised an additional $100 million through fund raising. An interesting aspect of this gift is that it was given after several lengthy discussions with Newark’s Republican Governor and Democratic Mayor, both of whom support the proposal (to put it mildly). There were immediate accusations that perhaps the 26-year-old Zuckerberg (born in 1984…how does that make you feel?!) was trying to garner positive PR on the heels of a recently-released anti-Facebook movie. But surely he could have done that for $50 million or so and shared the remainder with me.
Newark has scored some of the lowest marks in the nation in terms of school performance and has coupled that with some of the highest per-student spending ($20,000 per student per year). The teachers unions are predictably unhappy with Zuckerberg’s gift, claiming that it is a veiled attempt to close public schools and encourage charter school attendance. This will be an interesting one to watch.
Speaking of teachers unions and recent releases, the movie Waiting for Superman is another great topic for discussion. The Harvard Political Review (Harvard = Better, right?) has an interesting article on the movie’s not-so-subtle blaming of teachers unions for most of the issues in public education. And remember, this movie was produced by the same man who produced “An Inconvenient Truth” as well as President Obama’s major campaign commercial. Not exactly from the anti-union side of the aisle, if you know what I mean. The NEA must be wondering whether it has squandered it’s time and money lobbying Democrat lawmakers for the last 30 years. The Harvard article ends with the following statement,
But such concerns draw our focus back to adults, and if there’s one lesson to draw from Guggenheim’s film, it’s that we need to keep the focus on the kids.
Great point.
I have the pleasure of talking with high school students on a daily basis, and in many of our discussions I get to hear their thoughts on things going on in the world..politically, educationally, even the mundane (Lady Gaga). In almost every case, I get to hear a talking-points bulletin that originates from one political spectrum. Then I walk the hallways and see bulletin boards covered in bumper stickers from, well, that’s odd..the same singular political spectrum.
That should concern us.
When 92% of our students vote in the mock (ironic word choice) elections for one political party, that should make all of us cringe. Chances are pretty good that the 92% does not reflect society at large, even among the enlightened educated masses.
Setting up and knocking down straw men has never resulted in students who actually know how to think for themselves. Inevitably they will encounter intelligent, educated individuals who (shock!) disagree with their political viewpoint. Without being taught to think through the differing perspectives, chances are good that they will bail on their “deeply held beliefs” when they don’t stand up to scrutiny.
Come to think of it, maybe that’s a good thing.
Relax, I’m kidding.
