Legislators Managing the Classroom

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Legislators Managing the Classroom


Governors are wrong by trying to manage the classroom. The class room is a unique job atmosphere where each teacher must pilot on very carefully. The legislators trying to increase class size by firing teachers will affect test scores, it is absurd. They are treating education from the sweatshop whipping strategy. Thus they are lowering the possibility of the US staying par with other industrialized nations’ education.

Our education is slipping even as is; now, the republicans want to guaranty the USA to be a third world country in a low education quality. Without proper education, crime will increase. So, the money saved now will not be enough for needed increased police force and more prisons built in a decade or two ahead.

According to major news reports, in the past decade 50% of high school students dropped out. Worse yet, only one in five of high school graduates are classified proficient. Of course much of this is because of low self-esteem created to bring boys in par with girls. Nevertheless, as a whole, only ten (10%) of high students who enter high school accomplish what they go there for—being educated enough to go on in life. If the Republicans go on making classrooms bigger, they will be contributing to the American education decay.

Teachers have to focus on each student as well as on the overall class planning. When a governor reduces teachers, the governor is punishing both the students and the teachers by forcing class size increases. Class size determines the level of education the students get. Also, class size determines how much work the teacher has to do at home, not counting extracurricular activities, and other imposed duties. Many devoted teachers get burned out, especially on the first few years of their teaching career.

It is expected for successful teachers to work 60 hours per week average to maintain their classes at an efficient learning level, by class-preps and homework checking. In contrast, other sate workers only work 40 hours. Forty-hours is the national working week. When comparing per hourly pay and level of education investment, the teachers are already underpaid by nearly 25%.

To check the Republic Governors’ and legislators’ sincerity on educational cuts and punishment for both the students and teachers, we need to ask each legislator where they send their own children to school. Are these Governors’ and legislators’ children or grandchildren affected by their own anti-education moves? Most likely not.

They normally don’t live where the bulk of the population lives with crowded schools. Lawmakers are not affected by what happens on the public school system, where class size is normally 25 to 30. Even if they are affected, the consequences are minor. Obama’s own children attend a private school—too good for public education.

Therefore, it appears that the republican legislators are still in the 1806 education mentality mode, when Patrick Colquhoun stated “It is not, however, proposed by this institution, that the children of the poor should be educated in a manner to elevate their minds above the rank they are destined to full in society. …”.

We are paying the lawmakers to serve us, but they appear to be serving themselves like in Libya. We can only achieve equality when we will vote for our peers, or when we get a direct say on the laws being passed.

We can do it, it takes on only to press a button. When our country was formed, representation was the best method of government, at that time; now we can have direct participation. No lobbying, no two levels of citizenship, no bribes, only honest laws. That is what we need. Meanwhile, we must vote for our peers, those that live like we live.

DFF Leonardo, thelionscribe.blogspot.com