Don’t Trust the Education Blob

 

In my state, the Republican-dominated legislature is moving toward a vote on two anti-CRT bills. Here, as in other places where similar bills are being considered, the state edu-blob is wringing its gelatinous nubs and screeching about censorship. Not long ago, Indiana teachers warned that a “CRT-inspired bill” could “drive them from the classrooms.” We can only hope! The College Board is threatening to withhold AP credit from schools in communities that adopt anti-woke policies. As bills like Ohio’s make it onto statehouse floors, I expect the controversy to ramp up.

Local media is behaving as you’d expect — holding a microphone up to the edu-blob’s mouth, publishing outraged op-eds written by professors, non-profit leaders, and “experts” on racism, sexism, ableism, disestablishmentarianism, and every other -ism under the sun. A typical example of the reaction is today’s episode of Today in Ohio, a news podcast produced by the Cleveland Plain Dealer. What do the hosts think of Republican anti-CRT bills? Here’s editor Chris Quinn:

[W]hat these legislators really want to do is take away higher-level thinking from our schools they don’t want. And, and you know, you want to take that one step further. This is what Vladimir Putin is doing in Russia. He’s shutting down any other perspective, but the one he wants people to see, which turns out to be totally false. This is what our legislators are doing. They want the kids in this school to only see the perspective they have and deprive them of things that can help lead to higher levels of thought.

Ah, yes. Wokeness is “higher-level thinking,” you see, and Republicans are basically Putin. There’s nothing profound or new in this quote, but it is revelatory. It reveals the central conceit of the American cultural elite: It is the job of sophisticated urban people — you know, the kind of people who post on local subreddits, live in impeccably restored Victorian mansions (built by dead white males, I hasten to add), and listen to NPR in their Mini Coopers — to rescue children from their clueless, bigoted families and shepherd them into a brighter, more equal, more inclusive future.

I don’t doubt that many of these anti-CRT laws are badly written. But they’re part of a desperate effort to reimpose neutrality on an institution that is (and has long been) anything but. Indeed, the Chris Quinns of the world understand their own moral ideology as neutral. They genuinely cannot fathom why anyone would oppose their activism or interpret their woke virtue-signaling as a political act. And that’s the root of the problem: Any institution in which 90 percent of people agree with each other is going to function as a propaganda mill, no matter how facially tolerant. You can have the strongest, robustiest FIRE-approved free-speech protections on planet Earth, and it won’t matter if everyone starts on the same page.

There is only one solution: Destroy the system, and let a new one grow in its place. Have two kinds of school for the two Americas: woke ones and non-woke ones. Dispense with the pipe dream of “neutrality.” Kill the teacher’s unions. Get rid of education-degree requirements for teachers. But don’t think that wagging your finger and saying “No divisive concepts!” can save you.

Published in Education
This post was promoted to the Main Feed by a Ricochet Editor at the recommendation of Ricochet members. Like this post? Want to comment? Join Ricochet’s community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Join Ricochet for Free.

There are 29 comments.

Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.
  1. DrewInWisconsin, Ope! Member
    DrewInWisconsin, Ope!
    @DrewInWisconsin

    Kephalithos: There is only one solution: Destroy the system, and let a new one grow in its place.

    This applies to so many systems besides education.

    • #1
  2. MarciN Member
    MarciN
    @MarciN

    Kephalithos: The College Board is threatening to withhold AP credit from schools in communities which adopt anti-woke policies.

    Is there any stronger evidence that the educational establishment is trying to brainwash American students? 

    That is truly appalling, although not surprising, I guess. 

    I’ve often wondered how the home-schooled kids get around the College Board’s tests. 

    I’m guessing that these kids are so smart that they can anticipate the answers the College Board is looking for, even minus having been brainwashed to get there.  

     

    • #2
  3. DonG (CAGW is a Hoax) Coolidge
    DonG (CAGW is a Hoax)
    @DonG

    Kephalithos: Not long ago, Indiana teachers warned that a “CRT-inspired bill” could “drive them from the classrooms.” We can only hope! The College Board is threatening to withhold AP credit from schools in communities which adopt anti-woke policies

    As Steve Deace likes to say, “Let’s find out.”    Call their bluff.  Is Disney going to leave Florida, because of that anti-grooming bill?   Let’s find out.

    • #3
  4. DaveSchmidt Coolidge
    DaveSchmidt
    @DaveSchmidt

    MarciN (View Comment):

    Kephalithos: The College Board is threatening to withhold AP credit from schools in communities which adopt anti-woke policies.

    Is there any stronger evidence that the educational establishment is trying to brainwash American students?

    That is truly appalling, although not surprising, I guess.

    I’ve often wondered how the home-schooled kids get around the College Board’s tests.

    I’m guessing that these kids are so smart that they can anticipate the answers the College Board is looking for, even minus having been brainwashed to get there.

     

    The College Board is past its sell-by date.  Best serves credit-grubbing families. 

    • #4
  5. Chatlee Coolidge
    Chatlee
    @Chatlee

    What is appalling is the media will defend the abstract CRT, but not the concrete teachings of CRT.  Why would we want to teach children that race defines them, they must pick a race, and the different races are in perpetual conflict?  If the system is racist, then what system should replace it?  Why is it white people (who can) are trying to pass as being of a different race if white people are privileged?  Instead of meeting the argument they natter on about higher level thinking without doing any.

    • #5
  6. EODmom Coolidge
    EODmom
    @EODmom

    MarciN (View Comment):

    Kephalithos: The College Board is threatening to withhold AP credit from schools in communities which adopt anti-woke policies.

    Is there any stronger evidence that the educational establishment is trying to brainwash American students?

    That is truly appalling, although not surprising, I guess.

    I’ve often wondered how the home-schooled kids get around the College Board’s tests.

    I’m guessing that these kids are so smart that they can anticipate the answers the College Board is looking for, even minus having been brainwashed to get there.

     

    It is so supremely self-serving and cynical of the College Board because colleges have stopped granting credit for these so-called college level courses because the kids are too young to really process the content in a functional way: it doesn’t prepare them for the next level college level class. And – the courses aren’t equivalent to the classes taught at college level. The content is just enough to qualify as introductory. Yet the College Board continues to market the courses and the testing. 

    • #6
  7. MarciN Member
    MarciN
    @MarciN

    EODmom (View Comment):

    MarciN (View Comment):

    Kephalithos: The College Board is threatening to withhold AP credit from schools in communities which adopt anti-woke policies.

    Is there any stronger evidence that the educational establishment is trying to brainwash American students?

    That is truly appalling, although not surprising, I guess.

    I’ve often wondered how the home-schooled kids get around the College Board’s tests.

    I’m guessing that these kids are so smart that they can anticipate the answers the College Board is looking for, even minus having been brainwashed to get there.

    It is so supremely self-serving and cynical of the College Board because colleges have stopped granting credit for these so-called college level courses because the kids are too young to really process the content in a functional way: it doesn’t prepare them for the next level college level class. And – the courses aren’t equivalent to the classes taught at college level. The content is just enough to qualify as introductory. Yet the College Board continues to market the courses and the testing.

    I know. So true. I watched documentary on the Left’s own NPR in which chemistry professors quizzed several students who had scored a perfect score on the AP chemistry exam. The professors asked each one of the students a simple question. Which is heavier: a cubic foot of water, a cubic foot of ice, or a cubic foot of steam? Naturally, none of the students chose the steam, but all of them chose the water. The professors were dumbfounded. Mass is the most basic building block of chemistry.***

    This happened partly because the College Board, in order to sell the AP courses, used many high school teachers as their authors rather than relying exclusively on college professors. I think the kids who took such courses at local community colleges fared better in gaining some true understanding of the subjects. Although there are countless gifted high school teachers in the sciences, math, and foreign languages, not nearly enough to teach the AP courses.

    ***As readers will see in the conversation that follows, I completely screwed up the story by giving wrong chemistry information here. My apologies.

    • #7
  8. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Chatlee (View Comment):

    What is appalling is the media will defend the abstract CRT, but not the concrete teachings of CRT. Why would we want to teach children that race defines them, they must pick a race, and the different races are in perpetual conflict? If the system is racist, then what system should replace it? Why is it white people (who can) are trying to pass as being of a different race if white people are privileged? Instead of meeting the argument they natter on about higher level thinking without doing any.

    Affirmative action, preferences, quotas, etc are where the action is now.

    • #8
  9. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    MarciN (View Comment):

    EODmom (View Comment):

    MarciN (View Comment):

    Kephalithos: The College Board is threatening to withhold AP credit from schools in communities which adopt anti-woke policies.

    Is there any stronger evidence that the educational establishment is trying to brainwash American students?

    That is truly appalling, although not surprising, I guess.

    I’ve often wondered how the home-schooled kids get around the College Board’s tests.

    I’m guessing that these kids are so smart that they can anticipate the answers the College Board is looking for, even minus having been brainwashed to get there.

    It is so supremely self-serving and cynical of the College Board because colleges have stopped granting credit for these so-called college level courses because the kids are too young to really process the content in a functional way: it doesn’t prepare them for the next level college level class. And – the courses aren’t equivalent to the classes taught at college level. The content is just enough to qualify as introductory. Yet the College Board continues to market the courses and the testing.

    I know. So true. I watched documentary on the Left’s own NPR in which chemistry professors quizzed several students who had scored a perfect score on the AP chemistry exam. The professors asked each one of the students a simple question. Which is heavier: a cubic foot of water, a cubic foot of ice, or a cubic foot of steam? Naturally, none of the students chose the steam, but all of them chose the water. The professors were dumbfounded. Mass is the most basic building block of chemistry.

    This happened partly because the College Board, in order to sell the AP courses, used many high school teachers as their authors rather than relying exclusively on college professors. I think the kids who took such courses as local community colleges fared better in gaining some true understanding of the subjects. Although there are countless gifted high school teachers in the sciences (and foreign languages as well), not nearly enough to teach the AP courses.

    I might be surprised if they even got the right answer on “which is heavier, a ton of feathers, a ton of wood, or a ton of lead?”

    • #9
  10. Clifford A. Brown Member
    Clifford A. Brown
    @CliffordBrown

    Desantis is showing how to win legislatively and in the PR arena. His social media manager is savage:

    • #10
  11. DaveSchmidt Coolidge
    DaveSchmidt
    @DaveSchmidt

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Chatlee (View Comment):

    What is appalling is the media will defend the abstract CRT, but not the concrete teachings of CRT. Why would we want to teach children that race defines them, they must pick a race, and the different races are in perpetual conflict? If the system is racist, then what system should replace it? Why is it white people (who can) are trying to pass as being of a different race if white people are privileged? Instead of meeting the argument they natter on about higher level thinking without doing any.

    Affirmative action, preferences, quotas, etc are where the action is now.

    It is where the money is.  Grifting consultants are a scourge upon our educational institutions.  

    • #11
  12. Kephalithos Member
    Kephalithos
    @Kephalithos

    Clifford A. Brown (View Comment): Desantis is showing how to win legislatively and in the PR arena. His social media manager is savage:

    I just hope he can stand up to Disney.

    • #12
  13. GLDIII Purveyor of Splendid Malpropisms Reagan
    GLDIII Purveyor of Splendid Malpropisms
    @GLDIII

    MarciN (View Comment):

    EODmom (View Comment):

    MarciN (View Comment):

    Kephalithos: The College Board is threatening to withhold AP credit from schools in communities which adopt anti-woke policies.

    Is there any stronger evidence that the educational establishment is trying to brainwash American students?

    That is truly appalling, although not surprising, I guess.

    I’ve often wondered how the home-schooled kids get around the College Board’s tests.

    I’m guessing that these kids are so smart that they can anticipate the answers the College Board is looking for, even minus having been brainwashed to get there.

    It is so supremely self-serving and cynical of the College Board because colleges have stopped granting credit for these so-called college level courses because the kids are too young to really process the content in a functional way: it doesn’t prepare them for the next level college level class. And – the courses aren’t equivalent to the classes taught at college level. The content is just enough to qualify as introductory. Yet the College Board continues to market the courses and the testing.

    I know. So true. I watched documentary on the Left’s own NPR in which chemistry professors quizzed several students who had scored a perfect score on the AP chemistry exam. The professors asked each one of the students a simple question. Which is heavier: a cubic foot of water, a cubic foot of ice, or a cubic foot of steam? Naturally, none of the students chose the steam, but all of them chose the water. The professors were dumbfounded. Mass is the most basic building block of chemistry.

    This happened partly because the College Board, in order to sell the AP courses, used many high school teachers as their authors rather than relying exclusively on college professors. I think the kids who took such courses at local community colleges fared better in gaining some true understanding of the subjects. Although there are countless gifted high school teachers in the sciences, math, and foreign languages, not nearly enough to teach the AP courses.

    Marci

    If I put a couple of ice cubes in a glass a water does it not float? Therefore the ice is less dense than water in the liquid state, and it is one of the few substances that is actually less dense in the solid state than the liquid state. So for an equivalent volumes of H2O the liquid state will have the greatest mass.

    Density of ice is ~0.92 gm/cc, the density of water is 1 gm/cc. (for pure water and standard atm pressures)

    That is why ~10% of an iceberg is visible above the water line.

    What is more worrisome is why the professors were dumbfounded.

    • #13
  14. MarciN Member
    MarciN
    @MarciN

    GLDIII Purveyor of Splendid Ma… (View Comment):

    MarciN (View Comment):

    EODmom (View Comment):

    MarciN (View Comment):

    Kephalithos: The College Board is threatening to withhold AP credit from schools in communities which adopt anti-woke policies.

     

    It is so supremely self-serving and cynical of the College Board because colleges have stopped granting credit for these so-called college level courses because the kids are too young to really process the content in a functional way: it doesn’t prepare them for the next level college level class. And – the courses aren’t equivalent to the classes taught at college level. The content is just enough to qualify as introductory. Yet the College Board continues to market the courses and the testing.

    I know. So true. I watched documentary on the Left’s own NPR in which chemistry professors quizzed several students who had scored a perfect score on the AP chemistry exam. The professors asked each one of the students a simple question. Which is heavier: a cubic foot of water, a cubic foot of ice, or a cubic foot of steam? Naturally, none of the students chose the steam, but all of them chose the water. The professors were dumbfounded. Mass is the most basic building block of chemistry.

    This happened partly because the College Board, in order to sell the AP courses, used many high school teachers as their authors rather than relying exclusively on college professors. I think the kids who took such courses at local community colleges fared better in gaining some true understanding of the subjects. Although there are countless gifted high school teachers in the sciences, math, and foreign languages, not nearly enough to teach the AP courses.

    Marci

    If I put a couple of ice cubes in a glass a water does it not float? Therefore the ice is less dense than water in the liquid state, and it is one of the few substances that is actually less dense in the solid state than the liquid state. So for an equivalent volumes of H2O the liquid state will have the greatest mass.

    Density of ice is ~0.92 gm/cc, the density of water is 1 gm/cc. (for pure water and standard atm pressures)

    That is why ~10% of an iceberg is visible above the water line.

    What is more worrisome is why the professors were dumbfounded.

    I got it backward. The professors didn’t.  :-)  

    I’m sorry. :-)  I was working from memory of something I saw twenty years ago. 

    And obviously, it’s been a while since I had to think about chemistry. :-)

    • #14
  15. Saint Augustine Member
    Saint Augustine
    @SaintAugustine

    MarciN (View Comment):

    GLDIII Purveyor of Splendid Ma… (View Comment):

    MarciN (View Comment):

    EODmom (View Comment):

    MarciN (View Comment):

    Kephalithos: The College Board is threatening to withhold AP credit from schools in communities which adopt anti-woke policies.

     

    It is so supremely self-serving and cynical of the College Board because colleges have stopped granting credit for these so-called college level courses because the kids are too young to really process the content in a functional way: it doesn’t prepare them for the next level college level class. And – the courses aren’t equivalent to the classes taught at college level. The content is just enough to qualify as introductory. Yet the College Board continues to market the courses and the testing.

    I know. So true. I watched documentary on the Left’s own NPR in which chemistry professors quizzed several students who had scored a perfect score on the AP chemistry exam. The professors asked each one of the students a simple question. Which is heavier: a cubic foot of water, a cubic foot of ice, or a cubic foot of steam? Naturally, none of the students chose the steam, but all of them chose the water. The professors were dumbfounded. Mass is the most basic building block of chemistry.

    This happened partly because the College Board, in order to sell the AP courses, used many high school teachers as their authors rather than relying exclusively on college professors. I think the kids who took such courses at local community colleges fared better in gaining some true understanding of the subjects. Although there are countless gifted high school teachers in the sciences, math, and foreign languages, not nearly enough to teach the AP courses.

    Marci

    If I put a couple of ice cubes in a glass a water does it not float? Therefore the ice is less dense than water in the liquid state, and it is one of the few substances that is actually less dense in the solid state than the liquid state. So for an equivalent volumes of H2O the liquid state will have the greatest mass.

    Density of ice is ~0.92 gm/cc, the density of water is 1 gm/cc. (for pure water and standard atm pressures)

    That is why ~10% of an iceberg is visible above the water line.

    What is more worrisome is why the professors were dumbfounded.

    I got it backward. The professors didn’t. :-)

    I’m sorry. :-) I was working from memory of something I saw twenty years ago.

    And obviously, it’s been a while since I had to think about chemistry. :-)

    So the students thought a cubic foot of ice was heavier, but they were supposed to think a cubic foot of water was heavier, right?

    • #15
  16. MarciN Member
    MarciN
    @MarciN

    Saint Augustine (View Comment):
    So the students thought a cubic foot of ice was heavier, but they were supposed to think a cubic foot of water was heavier, right?

    From what GLDIII wrote, I think so. 

    I remember the footage of one of the interviews between a student and a chemistry professor (I can picture them in my mind), I remember the room and flipchart where the professor had drawn representations of the cubes of steam, water, and ice. And I remember the professor speaking after her interview with the student. She was in a room with two other professors. My recollection was which of the three had the greatest weight. But it must have been density. I’m sorry I got that wrong.   

    • #16
  17. Saint Augustine Member
    Saint Augustine
    @SaintAugustine

    MarciN (View Comment):

    Saint Augustine (View Comment):
    So the students thought a cubic foot of ice was heavier, but they were supposed to think a cubic foot of water was heavier, right?

    From what GLDIII wrote, I think so.

    I remember the footage of one of the interviews between a student and a chemistry professor (I can picture them in my mind), I remember the room and flipchart where the professor had drawn representations of the cubes of steam, water, and ice. And I remember the professor speaking after her interview with the student. She was in a room with two other professors. My recollection was which of the three had the greatest weight. But it must have been density. I’m sorry I got that wrong.

    Oh, ok. Cool.

    • #17
  18. Steven Seward Member
    Steven Seward
    @StevenSeward

    GLDIII Purveyor of Splendid Ma… (View Comment):

    MarciN (View Comment):

    EODmom (View Comment):

     

    I know. So true. I watched documentary on the Left’s own NPR in which chemistry professors quizzed several students who had scored a perfect score on the AP chemistry exam. The professors asked each one of the students a simple question. Which is heavier: a cubic foot of water, a cubic foot of ice, or a cubic foot of steam? Naturally, none of the students chose the steam, but all of them chose the water. The professors were dumbfounded. Mass is the most basic building block of chemistry.

    This happened partly because the College Board, in order to sell the AP courses, used many high school teachers as their authors rather than relying exclusively on college professors. I think the kids who took such courses at local community colleges fared better in gaining some true understanding of the subjects. Although there are countless gifted high school teachers in the sciences, math, and foreign languages, not nearly enough to teach the AP courses.

    Marci

    If I put a couple of ice cubes in a glass a water does it not float? Therefore the ice is less dense than water in the liquid state, and it is one of the few substances that is actually less dense in the solid state than the liquid state. So for an equivalent volumes of H2O the liquid state will have the greatest mass.

    Density of ice is ~0.92 gm/cc, the density of water is 1 gm/cc. (for pure water and standard atm pressures)

    That is why ~10% of an iceberg is visible above the water line.

    What is more worrisome is why the professors were dumbfounded.

    Thanks!  I was going to challenge that one, too, thinking, What am I missing?

    • #18
  19. MarciN Member
    MarciN
    @MarciN

    Steven Seward (View Comment):

    GLDIII Purveyor of Splendid Ma… (View Comment):

    MarciN (View Comment):

    EODmom (View Comment):

     

    I know. So true. I watched documentary on the Left’s own NPR in which chemistry professors quizzed several students who had scored a perfect score on the AP chemistry exam. The professors asked each one of the students a simple question. Which is heavier: a cubic foot of water, a cubic foot of ice, or a cubic foot of steam? Naturally, none of the students chose the steam, but all of them chose the water. The professors were dumbfounded. Mass is the most basic building block of chemistry.

    This happened partly because the College Board, in order to sell the AP courses, used many high school teachers as their authors rather than relying exclusively on college professors. I think the kids who took such courses at local community colleges fared better in gaining some true understanding of the subjects. Although there are countless gifted high school teachers in the sciences, math, and foreign languages, not nearly enough to teach the AP courses.

    Marci

    If I put a couple of ice cubes in a glass a water does it not float? Therefore the ice is less dense than water in the liquid state, and it is one of the few substances that is actually less dense in the solid state than the liquid state. So for an equivalent volumes of H2O the liquid state will have the greatest mass.

    Density of ice is ~0.92 gm/cc, the density of water is 1 gm/cc. (for pure water and standard atm pressures)

    That is why ~10% of an iceberg is visible above the water line.

    What is more worrisome is why the professors were dumbfounded.

    Thanks! I was going to challenge that one, too, thinking, What am I missing?

    I would fix it, but none of the rest of this conversation would make any sense at all. :-)

    • #19
  20. GLDIII Purveyor of Splendid Malpropisms Reagan
    GLDIII Purveyor of Splendid Malpropisms
    @GLDIII

    MarciN (View Comment):

    Saint Augustine (View Comment):
    So the students thought a cubic foot of ice was heavier, but they were supposed to think a cubic foot of water was heavier, right?

    From what GLDIII wrote, I think so.

    I remember the footage of one of the interviews between a student and a chemistry professor (I can picture them in my mind), I remember the room and flipchart where the professor had drawn representations of the cubes of steam, water, and ice. And I remember the professor speaking after her interview with the student. She was in a room with two other professors. My recollection was which of the three had the greatest weight. But it must have been density. I’m sorry I got that wrong.

    If you fix the volume for each state then it is the same because density= mass/volume, the reason this is a “trick question” is that water is one of the few molecules that are in fact less dense in the solid state.

    That little bit of chemical/physics nuance is responsible for life on earth. Otherwise things that lived in the oceans would have been frozen and died during the several global ice ages we had during the history of earth’s climate. The top freezes while the water underneath remains liquid and still supporting life.

    • #20
  21. MarciN Member
    MarciN
    @MarciN

    MarciN (View Comment):

    What is more worrisome is why the professors were dumbfounded.

    Thanks! I was going to challenge that one, too, thinking, What am I missing?

    I would fix it, but none of the rest of this conversation would make any sense at all. :-)

    I do want to add though that I got the problem answer backward. But the point the professors made was valid. I just reported it incorrectly. It was their opinion that the kids were really smart, but they thought the kids had memorized the material successfully in terms of passing the test while they didn’t under what they were reading.

    Another really good example of this kind of difference is how the kids learn to drive. They memorize the learner’s permit book inside and out, but their understanding of how to drive based on that work is minimal at best. Most kids need to see in real life what “800 feet behind a fire truck” actually looks like.

    It is not surprising how many college professors are disappointed in their AP students’ ability to skip the basic-level introductory courses.

    • #21
  22. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    MarciN (View Comment):

    MarciN (View Comment):

    What is more worrisome is why the professors were dumbfounded.

    Thanks! I was going to challenge that one, too, thinking, What am I missing?

    I would fix it, but none of the rest of this conversation would make any sense at all. :-)

    I do want to add though that I got the problem answer backward. But the point the professors made was valid. I just reported it incorrectly. It was their opinion that the kids were really smart, but they thought the kids had memorized the material successfully in terms of passing the test while they didn’t under what they were reading.

    I am one of the few people who can understand that, not because I have a fantastic memory (I don’t :-), obviously), but I do read a lot. And I have a very superficial understanding of what I’m reading. I made another editor laugh once when I said we make the best cocktail party guests. We can talk intelligently on any subject. :-)

    Another really good example of this kind of difference is how the kids learn to drive. They memorize the learner’s permit book inside and out, but their understanding of how to drive based on that work is minimal at best. Most kids need to see in real life what “800 feet behind a fire truck” actually looks like.

    Of course, there’s a lot more to driving that doesn’t really sink in until they’ve actually done it.

    I gave driving lessons (informally, not as a paid instructor) to a couple girls who had played a lot of early arcade driving games.  You know, the type where you turn the wheel to turn the car, but you don’t have to turn the wheel back to center to STOP turning?  It took them a while to really get over that difference.

    They also had a tendency to have left foot on brake and right foot on “gas” all the time.  To break that habit, I had them sit on their left foot and use just the right.

    • #22
  23. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    I have no idea why anybody on the right makes any excuses for the Education Edifice. It serves no constructive purpose. If you just gave the money to the parents, the aggregate value would go straight up.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    • #23
  24. genferei Member
    genferei
    @genferei

    Abolish compulsory education. In what other important area of life do we put up with state mandates?

    • #24
  25. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    Kephalithos: The College Board is threatening to withhold AP credit from schools in communities that adopt anti-woke policies.

    An empty threat.  If kids are smart enough to be taking AP classes in the first place, they’ll likely make easy As and Bs in the freshman college equivalent courses.  Parents may end up spending a little more money if their children have to take all the classes, but their biggest worry should be the liberal indoctrination at the college . . .

    • #25
  26. DrewInWisconsin, Ope! Member
    DrewInWisconsin, Ope!
    @DrewInWisconsin

    genferei (View Comment):

    Abolish compulsory education.

    That was the subject of one of my early posts on Ricochet. Much water over the dam since then, so I think today my view would be closer to “burn it all to the ground.” Yet I think the reasoning behind the proposal I wrote about is still valid.

     

    • #26
  27. Kephalithos Member
    Kephalithos
    @Kephalithos

    DrewInWisconsin, Ope! (View Comment): That was the subject of one of my early posts on Ricochet. Much water over the dam since then, so I think today my view would be closer to “burn it all to the ground.” Yet I think the reasoning behind the proposal I wrote about is still valid.

    My aunt teaches at a middle school. She said her kids this year don’t know how to use a stapler, don’t know how to use paper clips, can’t glue, and, of course, can’t read or write cursive. Evidently, they’ve spent their whole lives staring at iPads and stewing in the ideological cesspool of social media. Students are declaring themselves “non-binary” left and right, and at least one parent has personally contacted her to demand pronoun compliance. And this is in a red-leaning, semi-rural part of the Midwest.

    We know the current system is producing garbage, so how could burning it down be any worse?

    • #27
  28. DaveSchmidt Coolidge
    DaveSchmidt
    @DaveSchmidt

    Stad (View Comment):

    Kephalithos: The College Board is threatening to withhold AP credit from schools in communities that adopt anti-woke policies.

    An empty threat. If kids are smart enough to be taking AP classes in the first place, they’ll likely make easy As and Bs in the freshman college equivalent courses. Parents may end up spending a little more money if their children have to take all the classes, but their biggest worry should be the liberal indoctrination at the college . . .

    Choose the college wisely and, perhaps even more importantly, carefully choose the instructors.  

    • #28
  29. genferei Member
    genferei
    @genferei

    DrewInWisconsin, Ope! (View Comment):

    genferei (View Comment):

    Abolish compulsory education.

    That was the subject of one of my early posts on Ricochet. Much water over the dam since then, so I think today my view would be closer to “burn it all to the ground.” Yet I think the reasoning behind the proposal I wrote about is still valid.

    I agreed (only a year later…): Compulsory Education: An Idea Whose Time Has Gone . (And how about How Many Universities Does America Need? I’m Thinking About Five.)

    What, me predictable?

    • #29
Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.