nowshera….

On the other hand, there are many devoted, inspirational teachers who demand excellence…and don’t bring their politics into the classroom. I value their presence enough to draw sharp distinctions between them and the rest whenever possible.

I believe that liberal propaganda should give parents even more reason to be totally hands-on in their kids’ education. More conservative and values-focused parents should speak up and confront teachers, administrators and school boards.

It is the school’s job to teach. It’s our job to hold them accountable.

@BKennedy,
You complain a lot about the schools, lazy teachers and teachers’ unions. Maybe I missed it, but what do you have to say about parents?

I hold parents responsible for teaching their children when it is clear that all their children recieve from the schools is hippie-dippy “diversity” crapola. I support homeschooling, private school (which must have at least SOME standards), and school vouchers. Parents have a duty to make sure their children are educated properly, but it’s tough for them to fight against the propaganda their children are given 7 hours a day 5 days a week in the few hours they get home from work. Why the heck is Johnny learning “Heather Has Two Mommies” in first grade when he can’t do addition and subtraction, and he can’t understand words with the vowel “u” in them because they haven’t progressed that far in the alphabet yet?

I’m sure that every single child can identify “different kinds of families (read: believe homosexual relationships are morally equivalent to heterosexual ones),” knows where to access condoms and birth control pills, and believes diversity only applies to skin color, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Proficiency in Math, English, Science, and History, though? Look elsewhere. Some schools are only teaching the politics of the teacher’s union, not the skills and knowledge children need to actually succeed.

As I said, when children are not achieving 90%+ proficiency in math and English in the (freaking) United States of America, there is something afoul in the school system itself.

saying please god tomorrow when it’s my turn to read please let me read.

doesn’t match the text from the link

‘please, God, tomorrow when it’s my turn to read please let me read.’

It’s minor, different punctuation and capitalization, but why?

We know it sucks. It’s only going to get worse. Illegal immigration will infect the nation well beyond our border states. Public education and health care are the first to suffer.

Public education breeds mediocrity unless you are a very attentive and motivated parent.

Back in the day SATs were all multiple choice. He simply chose “C” for every answer and ended up with 1300. (550 math, 750 verbal)

12thman on February 12, 2008 at 11:09 AM

The SAT deducts points for incorrect answers. What you are suggesting is ridiculous, albeit impossible.

@BKennedy,
You complain a lot about the schools, lazy teachers and teachers’ unions. Maybe I missed it, but what do you have to say about parents?

The fact of the matter is that many parents, most in some areas, do not prepare their kids for school. They want babysitters and complain when kids are given too much homework.

Here’s the deal, if you send your kid to school and he can’t wipe himself, recognize his or her own name, or recite the alphabet, you are the problem.

As far as John Corcoran goes, I can believe he slipped through the cracks. Much of his narrative details the “prison of illiteracy.” It sounds a little far-fetched and may be a bit exaggerated. But he has the trusted ear of many cities, states and corporations. Check out his client list.

Again, I blame the parents. If you don’t know your child can’t read, you don’t know your child.

And really all of these Republicans blaming the school districts strikes me as odd. I thought the Dems advocated for state-schooling. If you can’t pay for your kids’ education, maybe you should not be having kids. Home-schooling is also an option. Complaining about public schools however is like complaining about the USPS.

***
Good Republicans should teach their own damn kids to read…before they set foot on an elementary school campus.

Corcoran earned an athletic scholarship to Texas Western College

The above quoted line lends credibility to the story.

- The Cat

And why come out now, after all those lonely, frustrating years of not being able to read?

And people still ask “Why can’t Johnny read?” Because he is either being faked out by the clown, or being chased around the desk by the honey, and he hasn’t had the luck to wind up in the class that the underpaid schmuck is teaching in! Ya think?!!!

As for the license thing, illegals can get their license because nanny states like WI offer alternate language tests for people that dont speak english. So, if your spanish, you can take the test in spanish. But, you still have to READ.

B3 on February 12, 2008

I read a newspaper article a few years ago about Tennessee’s decision to stop giving driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. According to the article, one of the reasons they stopped was that state DMV offices were reporting that many non-English-speaking aliens were attempting (some successfully) to bribe DMV employees to give them passing grades on the written test (when the aliens had not actually taken the test).

There’s more than one way to skin a cat, as my granny used to say.

Jackie Chan, movie star was also a functional illiterate.

So it can be done, this whole getting by without being able to read.

A vote for Obama is a vote for Illiterate Teachers!

12thman on February 12, 2008 at 1:31 PM

Considering Obama is in the pocket of the NEA and all the other unions, I’d say you’ve finally caught on.

Welcome to the club 12thman :-D

Corcoran’s story is described in Chicken Soup for the Soul in 1993.

Even if you ignore the idea that he had to have pop quizes, SAT/ACT tests, the ASFAB and at some point probably sat on the second floor of his school so passing notes out the window would only work for his buddy Spiderman. It says he had a athletic ride, that is fine, but it wont excuse all the requirements. Even for those schools that do ‘excuse’ some for athletes, it isnt like he became the next NFL Superstar, nor did he have an injury that would have stopped him. So, no that doesn’t fly for me.

As for the license thing, illegals can get their license because nanny states like WI offer alternate language tests for people that dont speak english. So, if your spanish, you can take the test in spanish. But, you still have to READ.

He was passed ahead because there are many public schoolteachers who exist only to get a paycheck with immunity from dismissal via a powerful teacher’s union. They don’t want to put the effort in to recognize a problem, so they just pretend there isn’t one and just pass the kid to the next grade

More like he was passed ahead by public schoolteachers who had 40 kids per class and didn’t have the resources to help him. All the $$ we spend now is fairly recent, and I could have fairly easily got through HS without reading or writing much.

College, well…I went to Cal and had to write a lot, both in class and out of class.

BTW, I’ve known a few illiterate or barely literate individuals who have been successful by using similar coping skills to overcome limitations (rely on girlfriend/spouse, verbal rather than written communication, etc.) The “teacher” aspect does inspire skepticism, but I’d have to say it’s possible.

I have to offer the punchline of my favorite joke about a college athlete who fails a math test, only to have the coach advocate for him to get another chance. When the professor asks the athlete “what’s 2 + 2?” the athlete answers “4?” The coach cries out, “Give him another chance!”

BKennedy on February 12, 2008 at 12:25 PM

If you can’t see how jumping from a story about a man who cheated his way through college to become a teacher in 1956 to Barrack Obama is a bit deranged you’re further gone than I thought.

A vote for Obama is a vote for Illiterate Teachers!

If nothing else, how do you pass a real estate exam and work with contracts if you can’t read?

Buy Danish on February 12, 2008 at 1:19 PM

Most purchasers don’t read the contracts either.

“Uh…squared off shape, squiggly line, squiggly line with a hat…”

That caught me off guard. I snotted.