Re: From Thom Hartmann

[qcao009@aol.com]

Thanks, Susan.  As far as I can tell, you and I and many others on this listserv continue to work to improve our public schools.  Even George which was forced out in Chicago continues to do so from the outside.  So let the Arts of the world cast stone and call names and beat their chests.  Courage is as courage does.  Their hypocrisy shows more and more every day.  The only delusion and the only scandal I see is the money we spend on bombing and torturing while our children and families are deprived of their most basic needs.  Today they kill an Iraqui, tomorrow they test another American and push them into the military.  
 
We are all collateral damage and we are all victims if we choose to be.  I am glad members of this listserv have the intelligence and the imagination to know better and to do more.
 
Quan 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Skotansky@aol.com
To: arn-l@interversity.org
Sent: Thu, 12 Oct 2006 1:10 PM
Subject: Re: [arn-l] From Thom Hartmann


I am far from hopelessly naive and I daresay I am not the least bit deluded.  I actually work in the  NYC public school system and can attest to Thom Hartmann's assessment as being absolutely, tragically right on. Education has been reduced to measurable outcomes that work well in an industry producing items for consumption. In fact, I would be ecstatic if I believed that our food supply were tested and measured in the same way as our poor children.  
I work in the South Bronx where education is strictly about raising test scores- we've even added 
37 1/2 minutes to the work day four times a week to continue to pressure already frustrated children to guarantee that test scores improve. When I recently attended a high school evening outside of the city where my daughter attends- I was appalled to hear each and every one of her teachers talk exclusively about Regents exams.  I never once heard any one of them discuss education.  
We need to return to the question of how to improve our teaching- simply funding schools for more test score improvement will only  lead to what Mr. Hartmann is saying ie an emerging, literate ruling class who will succeed simply because they have had the good fortune to be born into a family where a solid language foundation is provided and trips, vacations, museums, plays,  music, art, dance, athletic lessons etc.are all givens. It has nothing to whatsoever to do with their schooling. It's just gravy.  What we need to do is provide a middle class education for ALL students from the earliest years on.  Let ALL our students learn to play an instrument, be in theatrical productions, garden, go to concerts and museums, take exciting, educational excursions into nature etc etc etc
Yeah, maybe I am delusional. It makes too much sense in the educational climate of today- therefore forget about it.
Susan K. 
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