Re: OT: Politics [Was:Social Contract]
On 2006-04-30, Roberto C. Sanchez penned:
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> Monique Y. Mudama wrote:
>> On 2006-04-29, Roberto C. Sanchez penned:
>>
>>>Mumia W wrote:
>>>
>>>>Yes, they are. I was educated in a public school.
>>>>
>>>
>>>As was I. That is exactly the reason why none of my children will
>>>*ever* go to a public school. I like to think that I am succeeding
>>>in life *in spite* of the fact that I went to public school.
>>
>>
>> Please note that just because *your* public school experience was
>> subpar doesn't mean everyone's was.
>>
> Umm, who said my experience was subpar? I went to the top school in
> my county. I had some of the best teachers in the state. My
> teachers took a personal interest in me. My parents were involved
> in my education (far more than most other parents). That does not
> change the fact that the system as a whole is broken.
It's the implication when you say that the fact that you were educated
in a public school is "exactly the reason why none of my children will
*ever* go to a public school. I like to think that I am succeeding in
life *in spite* of the fact that I went to public school."
Now, maybe you meant that you succeeded in life because your public
school was exceptional, but that's not the simplest, most obvious
interpretation of your statement.
>> A lot of "teenage troublemakers" went to the local Catholic school
>> (whether or not they were Catholic) in my neighborhood. All such
>> kids that I met learned much worse behavior by going to school
>> there (something like sending a first-time teen minor offender to
>> jail, I suppose).
>>
> I'm not sure what your point is here.
Just that private schools aren't inherently better than public
schools, either. And yes, you're absolutely right that it's a closed
system right now and that the current private school system might have
little in common with what we'd have if the school system were
privatized. (Does that word look weird to you? It "feels" wrong with
an "a".)
> I too learned a lot. I too learned a love of learning. In my case,
> neither of my parents went to college and they had to work hard.
> They didn't want to see me grow up to be in the same situation, so
> they emphasized the importance of education.
Yeah, I think a lot of people are in that boat. I'm actually finding
I wish my parents had emphasized it less, or at least differently.
Every reward I ever got was in the context of school. I think this
was slightly misguided. At least my parents did encourage me to get
enough sleep, and worried if they thought I was studying too much. I
had a friend, in a similar situation to what you describe, whose
parents would gripe at her if she didn't stay up till the wee hours of
the morning studying for tests. It's a wonder she made it through
high school at all, as little sleep as she got.
>> I do have some problems with the meritocracy concept*. Why should
>> I be rewarded for smarts, when I didn't really do anything to
>> deserve them? Why should some other guy do poorly in life because
>> he didn't luck out in the brain dept?
>>
>> * Not enough to give back the fun toys I've accumulated
>>
>
> "That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for
> he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth
> rain on the just and on the unjust." -- Matthew 5:45
He seems to send the dollars to those who got the good genes, though.
> If you are not good at something, you go and find someone who is and
> convince them (for pay or something else) to do it for you. This is
> a basic life skill.
If it's a basic life skill, then there are many people who shouldn't
be breathing right now, because they seem to lack it.
--
monique
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