Elementary education is devoid of discipline. The basic routines in language and mathematics have been dropped or corrupted. Memory is not cultivated. Social studies, current events, manual arts and games occupy the major time. Secondary or collegiate education fails even more, though in part the failure is due to the inadequate preparation given in the elementary schools. Our Bachelors of Arts cannot read, write, or speak their own language well; neither they nor, for that matter, our Masters of Arts, are acquainted with the liberal arts. They cannot read and they have not read the great books in all fields. They do not possess the leading ideas or understand the basic problems, which are permanently human. They have been fed for years on textbooks and lecture courses, which hand out predigested materials; and, as a result, they are chaotically informed and viciously indoctrinated with the local prejudices of professors and their textbooks. As a final consequence, education at the graduate and professional level has been necessarily debased. Law schools must teach reading; graduate schools struggle to get Ph.D. candidates to write simple, clear English.An insightful view of the end product of government education. Ironically, Adler -- philosopher, former editor of Encyclopædia Britannica, and all-around socialist -- wrote those words in 1939. 1939?!? And we are still expecting the beast to serve future generations. A fool's errand, indeed.
Of course, just like today's unionized collectivists, Adler saw public education as the means to an end. According to Adler: We are viewing a race between two revolutions—a violent one by fire and sword and a peaceful one by education and reason—to end the iniquitous capitalistic system and the rotten bourgeois culture of our times.
So, the purpose of education is to guide this nation toward a peaceful transition to socialism. That is the very same goal sought by today's educators, yet these folks plan to bring about socialism by destroying the minds of our youth.
In the end, this we know: government schools have never risen to any level achievement; and the goal, the only sought after outcome, is future generations more dependent on the state. It is as simple as that.
16 comments:
Mortimer Adler. Was he not one of the two who were responsible for THE JR. GREAT BOOKS PROGRAM, the other being Robert M. Hutchins? That is an offshoot of THE GREAT BOOKS PROGRAM. THE JR. GREAT BOOKS FOUNDATION is used in many government schools to clarify the values and views of students. The teacher is a facilitator, trained by the Foundation to facilitate a Dialectic discussion among the naive students. It was a lone JR. GREAT BOOK that made it home to our house that first put me onto a problem with "gifted" classes. I read the stories in the books and was aware that some were not appropriate. I asked the teacher about it and made her very uncomfortable. Facilitated book discussions such as JGB have teachers who are trained to facilitate discussions with the aid of manuals that help them guide the discussions in the direction that is pre-planned. The stories are chosen for the purpose of initiating very specific discussions. The stories and the questions are often set-ups. The purpose is DIAPRAX which is:
A diverse group of people
Dialoguing to consensus
Over a social issue
With a pre-determined outcome
And the use of a Facilitator.
It is used to change values, beliefs and attitudes. Of children AND adults. It is used when government workers want the people to accept changes in store for them. If you've ever seen those "community group meetings" with a bunch of people divided up into little groups, each group with a facilitator or leader, "brain-storming" together, with large pads of paper on easels, etc., being told they are there to advise their government about their views, then you have seen DIAPRAX in action. It is complete manipulation.
As usual, your basic premise is wrong. The GOAL of public education is not to make the next generation more dependent upon government. I am a product of the system, and I have been successful in life. I have my own successful business, and I am not at all dependent upon government for my wellbeing or the wellbeing of my family. I have taught my children to be self sufficient. None of us have ever relied upon govenrment programs to help us make it through life.
There are certainly problems with public education, but I don't think you can fix those problems if you don't understand the basic premise of what they are trying to do. While our schools have problems, I firmly believe that the fundamental problem with society is that parents have not properly educated the youth in morlas, values and work ethic. I do not entrust the schools with teaching these values. That is the job of the adult community.
In a lot of ways, the schools have one hand tied behind their back: garbage in - garbage out. You will never fix a problem by barking up the wrong tree, and you will never fix a problem by being inflamatory and criticizing everything. Tough and focused criticism is far more effective than blanket cynicism. Only small minded people assume that the entire world, except them, has it all wrong.
8:09 --
In your ignorance and arrogance, you proved my point.
To folks like you, parents are the problem. Your solution, stronger government schools.
You are certainly the product of public education, yet you are too dull to notice. And you are the progeny of Adlerite ideology -- an agent for socialism.
Sounds like its time for your next dose of Soma.
And, by the way, the difference between us is that you call your family, friends, and neighbors the "garbage in," a very nasty blanket statement.
I, on the other hand, believe that parents do what's best for their children.
My issue is government -- the same spoken by the majority of our Founding Fathers -- not the folks across the street.
Lastly ...
None of us have ever relied upon govenrment programs to help us make it through life.
You relied on government schools and my tax dollars. And you likely told your kids that theft at the ballot box is the right thing to do.
I've made a point of attending some of those community meetings to see the game in action. During one, I sat around a table with others and when the facilitator/leader started doing her thing I pointed out to the others what was going on. She got quite upset and left our table. The electric co-op people in our area were pulled into the game also so I called management at their office and expressed my anger that they were involving themselves in this attempt to manipulate the public. Since we are "owners" of this electric co-op I felt quite justified in taking them on. Before that, I took part in another DIAPRAX session in our county when the Library was in trouble for making porno available to minors. The Library people and their cronies in the area, including government employees, pulled out all the stops. They held several public meetings, imported comrades from out of State, brought in ACLU people, hired professional facilitators from out of town, etc. During the facilitated meeting we were divided up into small groups and sent to different rooms of the school where we had gathered. The facilitators assigned to each room were paid by the Library (taxes) to get the job done. They did. Additionally, I signed on to an adult Great Books Discussion Group to see how this stuff works with adults. It was very educational. I saw how easy it is to control groups of people. I took part in another Diaprax session a decade ago in Columbus when the Rob Reiner I AM YOUR CHILD scam was introduced around the country. The guy put in charge of the local effort was a trained facilitator who worked for the State. The Columbus Dispatch was the organ used to collect the suckers. The facilitator (he now hires himself out to government and private entities as a facilitator) presented himself as just a private citizen inspired to do good for humanity. He held his Diaprax meetings at local libraries. When I attended the first library gathering I sat at a table with a man who I am quite sure was a "spotter" who worked with the facilitator. The three "experts" brought in that evening to help us "clarify" our views were: a woman from the OSU lab (rat) school for little children, a woman from the government PARENTS AS TEACHERS program (insidious) and an employee from Children's Hospital. They were there to wash our brains. I later learned that the I AM YOUR CHILD/BALANCED BEGINNINGS material came from the Robert Muller School in Arlington, Texas which is based on the writings of Theosophist Alice Bailey which were channeled to her by her invisible spirit guide Djwal Khul. I carried on an email correspondence with the head of the school, Gloria, for some weeks. It is a scary thing to know the people who are really behind all this stuff being used on us and our children.
Don't people understand yet that Benjamin Bloom, The Father of Mastery Learning (what government schools use) taught that the purpose of schools and teachers is to change the values and beliefs of students? That's why the government wants your kids at younger and younger ages. The better to influence their attitudes and beliefs.
The real crisis is ownership of educational content, financial budgets, and school policy.
Do the district administrators and teachers union own this?
OR
Do the tax payers / community own this?
Ask any public shchool admininistrator and they will say they do.
I neglected to add that there is a term for the technique used to manipulate groups of people. It is called the Delphi Technique. The internet has articles describing the technique and ways to disrupt it when it's being used by government people or others to get people to go along with them.
I was also a witness to its use in a State Board of Education meeting a few years ago. One member was refusing to go along with the group and she was being pressured by all the others. My spouse and I were the only witnesses to this. During a break a male board member came over to us and tried repeatedly to get me to identify myself. I did not.
I see that you don't post all comments submitted. I responded to your irrational rant this morning, but I guess you are more interested in a monologue than a dialogue.
It's too bad that you can't allow opinions other than yours stand without just attacking the sender. If you disagree with the message; great! That's what debate is about. However, to dismiss comments as coming from arrogant and ignorant socialists just demonstrates that you don't have the capacity to debate. Smear away. little man.
Prediction: you will never achive any of your objectives...thank God. If you can't be rational you will fail. I would rather be ignorant and arrogant than nuts. To each his own.
9:14 --
All comments are here. Sometimes you have to use the scroll bar ... duh.
I like the "little man" comment coming from one who hides behind the mother's skirt of "anonymous."
Anyway, one thing I can say is that I've never indicted someone else's children as the "garbage in." If that isn't the height of ignorance and arrogance, I don't know what is.
Take your spite and nonsense elsewhere.
I did use the scroll bar (duh) and my earlier response to you is not posted. As far as hiding behind the anonymous "skirt", I see that many of your friends do the same. Scroll away and you will see.
I've enjoyed our little exchange, and I'll be checking in from time to time. If nothing else, you're fairly entertaining.
Deftly handled, Jim.
11:29 --
If your comment is not on this post, that means you put it somewhere else.
I can lead a horse to water ...
Yes, it is probably true that we who oppose the evil that is government "education" will never achieve our objectives. Things are too far gone. The Marxists have had control for so many generations that there are few who escape the mind meld. It's kind of mysterious how a few are spared. Speaking for myself, I had an aversion to group-think from a very early age. I only know I have to speak the truth whether anyone will listen or not.
The arrogant and ignorant socialist puzzles me. What does he/she hope to accomplish? She/he does not deal in facts. All that emotionalism probably works in most situations, such as a school board meeting, but couldn't possibly work at this blog.
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