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‘Parent Tribal Memory’ Category

  1. Crafting the Servile Mind

    July 3, 2014 by Tunya

     

    Posted as comment on Jay P Greene blog, 20140703, Common Core Political Naivete and the Enemies List http://jaypgreene.com/2014/07/02/common-­‐core-­‐political-­‐naivete-­‐and-­‐the-­‐enemies-­‐list/

    Crafting The Servile Mind by Tunya Audain

    Common Core has its parallels in Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand. 21st Century “transformation” of education is the common theme. The projected paradigm shifts are similar — from sage on the stage to guide on the side — from content to competency skills of collaboration, critical thinking, creativity and community. Students are to work in groups. Throw in social emotional learning (SEL) and social justice and you have it.

    (Australia is due soon to release the findings of two reviews probing the “transformations” in the national curriculum and teacher training.)

    Concerning the CC the expectations and intentions are declared, even before standards or measurement and accountability criteria have been developed/tested/validated.

    It’s not necessarily the intention that sticks out as “ugly”, it’s the “authoritarian” style that sticks out; and sticks in the craw of many. AND now triggers a sober second look at the intention itself.

    Authoritarianism demands obedience and submission. It’s the stealth and coercion in implementation on top of the imposing curriculum details that are causing the backfire — across the political spectrum.

    If lockstep agreement was really expected, then the designers have misread their audience. Not all constituencies are falling into line. This overconfident bloodless coup may very well prove to be a supreme “teaching moment” that we should be grateful for. I hope researchers can chronicle and analyze how this could have happened practically behind our backs. Just how servile were the adopters to be? Just how servile are the “career and college ready” graduates to be after 12 years of CC schooling?

    Kenneth Minogue in the Preface to the paperback issue of his book (2012), “The Servile Mind” said: “Only profound changes in human nature can make possible many versions of justice. The individualist must, as we have seen, give way to the comrade.”

    And, in the home education movement we had John Holt, fearing fascist leanings within public education, say in the 80s: “Today freedom has different enemies. It must be fought for in different ways. It will take very different qualities of mind and heart to save it.” 

    Category Obstacles, Opinions in media, Parent Tribal Memory | Tags: | No Comments

  2. Reporting To Parents Legally Essential

    June 6, 2014 by Tunya

    [My comment to Vancouver Sun, June 6, 2014, to story "Province moves to make exams, report cards essential services —  

    Application to LRB asks for ruling to prevent ‘serious and immediate danger’ to affected students"

     http://www.vancouversun.com/business/moves+make+exams+report+cards+essential+services/9916083/story.html#Comments }

    Of Course, Progress Report Cards To Parents Are An Essential Service !


    After all, it is the parents who are ultimately responsible for the education of their children. If parents have chosen to send their kid to a government school, then said government school has to keep parents informed — parents then can choose to stay, advocate for more services, get supplementary tutoring, or choose an independent school or home educate. That’s how parents make “informed decisions” in the best interests of their child.

     

    What happened in the last teacher strike in 2011-2012 school year was lamentable and illegal. Report cards were withheld or blank ones were sent home by mail. Those that were withheld had the LRB to thank for granting BCTF teachers permission to do so. Those school districts that sent home blank report cards felt they were following the letter of the law, bizarre as it was to do so — and costly.

    There are to be three formal written student progress reports.

    See Student Progress Report Order http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/legislation/schoollaw/e/m191-94.pdf

     
     

     

     

    Category Obstacles, Opinions in media, Parent Tribal Memory | Tags: | No Comments

  3. Public Sector Unions As Dictators

    June 3, 2014 by Tunya

    [The Globe & Mail reported that during this Ontario election campaign the Police Union took out ads opposing a political party that promised to decrease public service employees — http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/the-police-get-political/article18952122/comments/#dashboard/follows/  My comment below]

    21st Century Despotism — Public Sector Unions 

    In the 17th Century Montesquieu evolved the principle of “separation of powers” so that governments could be set up “so that no man need be afraid of another”. The principle has become the basis for many governments to this day. 

    The three powers of government — legislative, executive and judicial — were to be clearly defined so that no one branch could usurp power. Checks and balances evolved. 

    However, the 21st Century has seen the emergence of a new absolute power in the form of public sector unions — a parallel fourth branch of government. They usurp power through aggressive collective bargaining and ongoing rent-seeking. Collective bargaining is hardly bargaining in any everyday sense because it is secretive and in the end amounts to appeasement for the sake of labor peace. Rent-seeking is a term rarely used due to its dual meanings, but in economics it means the privileges lobbies enjoy as they gain government favors, and consequently, government worker unions are extra privileged because of working within government itself. 

    I am sure someone else could say this much better and provide more analysis. But, in my view, it’s this fourth branch of government that is usurping power, bankrupting our societies, and distorting what good governance is about. 

    This despotism — actually, a non-violent invasion — should not be something we helplessly endure.The three powers of government — legislative, executive and judicial — were to be clearly defined so that no one branch could usurp power. Checks and balances evolved. 

    However, the 21st Century has seen the emergence of a new absolute power in the form of public sector unions — a parallel fourth branch of government. They usurp power through aggressive collective bargaining and ongoing rent-seeking. Collective bargaining is hardly bargaining in any everyday sense because it is secretive and in the end amounts to appeasement for the sake of labor peace. Rent-seeking is a term rarely used due to its dual meanings, but in economics it means the privileges lobbies enjoy as they gain government favors, and consequently, government worker unions are extra privileged because of working within government itself. 

    I am sure someone else could say this much better and provide more analysis. But, in my view, it’s this fourth branch of government that is usurping power, bankrupting our societies, and distorting what good governance is about. 

    This despotism — actually, a non-violent invasion — should not be something we helplessly endure.

    [3 replies — 1). . .  pretty much sums it up! Thank you! 2) Well said! 3)

    In the Eastern Bloc under Communism this phenomenon was called the Nomenklatura. Loses in the translation but equivalent to our public sector Sunshine List ! Beware of the socialist nanny state – those who claim to look after you will in fact look after themselves first – as exemplified by our public sector unions and the politicians they in effect control …. ]

    Category Opinions in media, Parent Tribal Memory, Teacher Unions | Tags: | No Comments

  4. Social Justice Teacher Unions

    May 24, 2014 by Tunya

    Social Justice Unionism Is The Agenda 

    Teacher unions are allied internationally with various militant groups who cheerlead local efforts. BC and Ontario teacher unions consider themselves campaigners for centrally directed egalitarianism. This is what I wrote yesterday about our BC crew. 

    Global Eyes On Our Teacher Strike?

    Is the whole world watching our teacher strike? Well, probably not.  However, you can be sure a certain sector of international culture is deeply interested.  I have seen our four-decades-long education struggles prominent on global socialist sites.  Our teacher union, the BCTF (BC Teachers’ Federation), is seen as a vanguard in “social justice unionism”. Reports from the battle lines are sent out regularly.

    Feedback is that “Lots of folks all over the world [are] taking notes from BCTF.”

    Fabian socialism is alive and well — into their 130th year — motto:  Educate, Agitate, Organize.  Their method — incrementalism, gradualism.  Their byword mouthed by their mascot, the tortoise — When I Strike, I Strike Hard. 

    A report just received by Rank & File (Canadian left labor website)— motto: Agitate, Educate, Organize — so similar to Fabianism — is here: The ABCs of the BC Teachers’ Fight http://rankandfile.ca/?p=2560

    Even if an arbitrator were to resolve this tumultuous faceoff between union and government there is no guarantee that our toxic “status quo” would ever end — harmful and tiresome for students, parents and taxpayers. No, it would just continue for another 40 years!

    What we do need is legislation to change the ball game.  This experiment in monopoly mass education is the lifeblood for such obsolete behaviors as we witness today.  Activists find fertile ground for their progressive political mission.

    We do need to increase the opportunities for choices and alternatives in education.  Already BC has quasi-charters — independent schools which operate with partial government funding and which must abide by contracts outside the rules of school boards and union agreements and which promise not to foster sedition. 

    We do need to move to a system where fully funded public charters are available, as in Alberta.  And, we should seriously explore the promising new funding model for personalized education via Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) as found in Arizona.

     

    Category Education Reform, Parent Tribal Memory | Tags: | No Comments

  5. Education Savings Accounts – It’s About Time !

    May 20, 2014 by Tunya

    Ontario Provincial Election — ESAs On Tap

    So far — the Ontario provincial election with just three weeks to go — has seen little said about the dismal education picture. The teacher unions and public service unions seem to have a lot at stake in this election and they do have a lot more to say than the major parties about their hopes and expectations in their industry: public education.  They are pouring considerable resources ($, spin & volunteers) into this critical election.

    School boards in the public school sector also have a lot at stake, and are planning a provincial EDUCATION DAY, May 27, when they plan to quiz candidates in all 107 ridings about education issues.  The OPSBA says they are “non-partisan” yet they are limiting participation to only 4 major parties (Lib, NDP, PC, Gr) – BUT there are more parties running, especially the Libertarian Party which aims to have candidates for all ridings. Will the OPSBA be fair?
    http://www.opsba.org/index.php?q=advocacy_and_action/EducationDay

    For parents and grandparents and guardians this election should be a prime opportunity to talk about education issues — choice, innovations, technology, reading priorities, reading failures, fuzzy math, special needs, genuine parent involvement, teacher recertification, assessments, accountability, 21st Century curriculum, basic skills, etc.  What’s happening so far regarding parent concerns?

    This election provides a cosmological opportunity to talk about Education Savings Accounts (ESA), a fantastic new way to get responsive education — responsive to the needs of students rather than industry dependents.  40 years ago home education became the rare opening for parents to take charge of their children’s’ education.  Now, choice mechanisms have evolved to the stage where the one-best-choice approach is undoubtedly the ESA.  The idea needs push from long-suffering citizens, from those fed up with “producer capture”, from those fatigued and frustrated with “pent-up demand”, appalled with political coercion, sick of put-downs, stone-walling, dumbing-down, excuses, excuses, excuses, etc., etc., etc.

    Ontario Election — June 12, 2014

    Five Major Political Parties Running for your Vote — Liberal, NDP, Progressive Conservative, Green and Libertarian

    107 Constituencies — The FIVE main parties expect to have candidates in each riding.

    Here are the links to their platforms:  SEARCH for “education”.

    Liberal — http://www.ontarioliberal.ca/  [see 2014 budget and search for “education”http://www.ontarioliberal.ca/newsblog/NewsDetails.aspx?id=Budget+2014+-+Building+Opportunity,+Securing+Our+Future ]

    NDP — http://www.ontariondp.ca/?COLLCC=3484805252& [see – Issues]

    PC — http://www.ontariopc.com/ [see platform http://ontariopc.com/millionjobsplan/plan.pdf ]

    Green — http://www.gpo.ca/  [ see platformhttp://www.gpo.ca/sites/gpo.ca/files/attachments/gpo_platform_2014_05_13_web.pdf  SEARCH for “education”]

    Libertarian — http://www.libertarian.on.ca/  [see Education Platform http://libertarian.on.ca/2013-2014-platform/education-smarter-inspiring ]

    Category GOOD NEWS, Parent Tribal Memory | Tags: | No Comments

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