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Anthony
Guest
9/09/2002
20:54:24
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 Subject: Paleo Education Policy
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How would paleos prefer the business of education to be carried out? In a previous string, Mr. Kalb recommended limiting government involvement, but that still doesn't explain what should be taught, or how the school system should be set up and funded.
I think this is the most important issue we're facing right now. I recently graduated from the public school system, where twelve years of Black/Women's/etc.History Months, D.A.R.E., "family life" class (where we learned about the "evils" of sex-role differentation, how to apply birth control, and an explicit description of the 4 forms of sexual intercourse...), and other forms of Leftist social indoctrination left many of us with an intense hatred of Tradition itself and a refusal to even consider the conservative position. On top of that, we had Hollywood showing us the joys of fornication, adultery, violence, and organized crime. These are the values that today's youth are growing up with, values that demand destruction of the better things in life, all in the name of personal freedom.
It would seem that a reform (or an end to the reform) of the way children are brought up must be the first step before any other restoration or counter-revolution can take place. I believe that without the "benefits" of a modern education, people would invariably fall back on tradition and the natural order as a way of living, without thoughts of "breaking down barriers" (or "foundations", if you will). Nevertheless, education and literacy are obviously important to any industrialized nation, and there is the question of their provision.
I would imagine a simple training in the Three R's, with a dash of History would suffice at the lower levels, moving into the classic Liberal Arts at the middle/high levels, with maybe a little Law (very neglected subject in American schools) and Latin & Greek (as opposed to foriegn vernacular tongues), in schools that are independantly chartered by the communities whose children attend, maybe with government-supported grants to give to the poorer districts. The process should be streamlined; end redundencies in curricula, grade pupils based on achievement instead of effort, and pass them through as fast or as slow their skills progress (as opposed to keeping them grade levels based purely on age). Also, keep in mind that advanced training in the liberal arts may not be for everyone, and that there's no shame in leaving school to work or apprentice instead. Any other ideas?
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Jim Kalb
Administrator
9/10/2002
07:25:55
| RE: Paleo Education Policy
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Your ideas seem reasonable to me. I'd add some comments on organization of public education.
One basic problem with the education system today is that it's really the re-education system. It's consciously designed to bring about a new form of society. That effort would fall into disarray if education were less centralized. It would also help if there were more concentration on concrete subject matter.
So one reform would be de-professionalizing education. Specifically: teacher training should be abolished except informal apprenticeship or student teaching arrangements at the local level. The only teacher certification that should be required is subject-matter certification. A degree in education should disqualify someone from employment as a teacher or administrator.
Local control would help too. That means local funding, local choice of textbooks and curricula, etc. Organizationally, the principal should run the school and be answerable to an elected school board. Conceivably other arrangements could be made in the case of persistently failing districts but who knows maybe sink or swim is the best policy.
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