Comments for Genuine Education Reform Today http://genuine-education-reform-today.org Choice in education - Stop uniformity Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:00:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on Frustrated Parents Expect Responsiveness & Results by Tunya http://genuine-education-reform-today.org/2012/01/26/frustrated-parents-expect-responsiveness-results/comment-page-1/#comment-1678 Tunya Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:00:43 +0000 http://genuine-education-reform-today.org/?p=298#comment-1678 After the New Westminster school board meeting I was inspired by write the following for our local newspaper: <span>Symbolic Use Of Parents In Public Schools Needs To End</span> <span>I think the "rancour" bubbling up in a number of school districts in BC is a natural release from serious long-term, pent-up oppression. Deep anger and resentment can be kept contained just for so long.</span> <span>Basically, the public school movement has usurped the role of parents and turned them into second class underlings.</span> <span>It is the school board structure that is mostly the problem. It is prone to corruption, capture by self-interest groups, and has become a bloated, costly, ponderous machine. This begs for radical revision. </span> <span>New Zealand abolished regional boards. Each school has its own board of parents, staff and students (in senior grades). Achievement equals Canada's.</span> <span>Because each school has been running its own show for over 20 years now, several generations of accountable self-management have now resulted in NZ being judged the least corrupt nation in the world.</span> After the New Westminster school board meeting I was inspired by write the following for our local newspaper:
Symbolic Use Of Parents In Public Schools Needs To End

I think the "rancour" bubbling up in a number of school districts in BC is a natural release from serious long-term, pent-up oppression. Deep anger and resentment can be kept contained just for so long.

Basically, the public school movement has usurped the role of parents and turned them into second class underlings.

It is the school board structure that is mostly the problem. It is prone to corruption, capture by self-interest groups, and has become a bloated, costly, ponderous machine. This begs for radical revision. 

New Zealand abolished regional boards. Each school has its own board of parents, staff and students (in senior grades). Achievement equals Canada's.

Because each school has been running its own show for over 20 years now, several generations of accountable self-management have now resulted in NZ being judged the least corrupt nation in the world.

]]> Comment on Transforming Communities Thru Teacher Strikes by Tunya http://genuine-education-reform-today.org/2011/09/02/transforming-communities-thru-teacher-strikes/comment-page-1/#comment-1436 Tunya Tue, 06 Sep 2011 03:58:00 +0000 http://genuine-education-reform-today.org/?p=268#comment-1436 <span>PUSHING POWER What if these BCTF power plays are simply a very sophisticated strategy to disguise the REAL agenda – to get revolutionary teacher activists trained and experienced in local leadership roles in each community? Imagine 60 little pugnacious BCTFs whipsawing away in every corner of BC! What if the $2.1 billion pay demand is just a BCTF front -- a cover for questionable activity, rhetoric -- simply to get regular members onside for any further “civil disobedience” later? Zero is Zero! What if the BCTF is just widening its 70s socialist ideological net? It has already snookered the LRB and BCPSEA to OK an ILLEGAL job action. NOT to prepare and send report cards to parents and guardians is illegal! What if elimination of the family from schools is a step toward fulfillment of more leftist goals from ancient times?</span> PUSHING POWER

What if these BCTF power plays are simply a very sophisticated strategy to disguise the REAL agenda – to get revolutionary teacher activists trained and experienced in local leadership roles in each community? Imagine 60 little pugnacious BCTFs whipsawing away in every corner of BC!

What if the $2.1 billion pay demand is just a BCTF front — a cover for questionable activity, rhetoric — simply to get regular members onside for any further “civil disobedience” later? Zero is Zero!

What if the BCTF is just widening its 70s socialist ideological net? It has already snookered the LRB and BCPSEA to OK an ILLEGAL job action. NOT to prepare and send report cards to parents and guardians is illegal! What if elimination of the family from schools is a step toward fulfillment of more leftist goals from ancient times?

]]> Comment on Parent Rights and Their Children’s Education by Jennifer http://genuine-education-reform-today.org/2010/04/06/parent-rights-and-their-childrens-education/comment-page-1/#comment-1089 Jennifer Wed, 09 Mar 2011 18:23:50 +0000 http://genuine-education-reform-today.org/?p=123#comment-1089 This is great info and I hope it is ok to share with parents. I have another link I like to share with parents from the Ministry of Education as well regarding appeals. Its called Sudent Appeals (not parents) which I think many parents would not be able to find. <a href="http://www.studentappeals.gov.bc.ca/pdf_files/sab_brochure_english.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.studentappeals.gov.bc.ca/pdf_files/sab_brochure_english.pdf</a> This is great info and I hope it is ok to share with parents. I have another link I like to share with parents from the Ministry of Education as well regarding appeals. Its called Sudent Appeals (not parents) which I think many parents would not be able to find. http://www.studentappeals.gov.bc.ca/pdf_files/sab_brochure_english.pdf

]]> Comment on BC Teacher Union and the Rest of Them by What is Phonemic Awareness http://genuine-education-reform-today.org/2010/05/10/bc-teacher-union-and-the-rest-of-them/comment-page-1/#comment-1066 What is Phonemic Awareness Sat, 26 Feb 2011 21:45:30 +0000 http://genuine-education-reform-today.org/?p=136#comment-1066 Hello, Very interesting data, thanks for sharing, I personally would like to put your text on my site, if it is allowed? Hope you'll have great articles like this again. Thanks! Parti Hello, Very interesting data, thanks for sharing, I personally would like to put your text on my site, if it is allowed? Hope you'll have great articles like this again. Thanks! Parti

]]> Comment on NeoMarxism in Public Schools by Frank Gue http://genuine-education-reform-today.org/2011/02/24/neomarxism-in-public-schools/comment-page-1/#comment-1050 Frank Gue Fri, 25 Feb 2011 15:56:42 +0000 http://genuine-education-reform-today.org/?p=216#comment-1050 From this cogent essay, one short sentence sprang out to hit me in the eye, vis: <b>"</b><span><b>There should be no one big system."</b></span> Schumacher said, "Small is beautiful."  The other side of that coin is, "Big is bad." Big oil, big pharma, big tobacco, big healthcare, big government, <b><i>and especially big schools.  </i><span style="font-weight: normal">I have statistical evidence that, in Burlington, even tho' mired in the public system, small schools have far better test results than large schools.  Same goes for large vs. small systems.</span></b> Ontario isn't as far gone as the Left Coast, but give us a year or two .....  Here are a couple of direct quotes that are not straws in the wind but more like trees in the typhoon: "Graduate literate, numerate students?  Why?" "We <b><i>will not </i><span style="font-weight: normal">use test results for comparison purposes."</span></b> "The Ministry should discontinue EQAO tests for two years (for which read: 'forever')." "We don't expect children to be able to regurgitate historical dates and names."  -which, of course, calls to mind <span><em>Santayana's</em> famous aphorism, "The one who does not remember <em>history</em> is bound to live through it again".  That is inscribed on, among other places, a plaque at the Auschwitz concentration camp where thousands of Jews and others were murdered - a fact of which most Canadian school children are unaware.</span> As I say, Tunya, give Ontario a year or two and we'll be up to your speed.  If not Washington, DC's or New York's, where the most money in the world is spent on an education which is the worst in the world, according to reports.   No cheers, mostly tears.   F.   Frank Gue.   From this cogent essay, one short sentence sprang out to hit me in the eye, vis:
"There should be no one big system."
Schumacher said, "Small is beautiful."  The other side of that coin is, "Big is bad."
Big oil, big pharma, big tobacco, big healthcare, big government, and especially big schools.  I have statistical evidence that, in Burlington, even tho' mired in the public system, small schools have far better test results than large schools.  Same goes for large vs. small systems.
Ontario isn't as far gone as the Left Coast, but give us a year or two …..  Here are a couple of direct quotes that are not straws in the wind but more like trees in the typhoon:
"Graduate literate, numerate students?  Why?"
"We will not use test results for comparison purposes."
"The Ministry should discontinue EQAO tests for two years (for which read: 'forever')."
"We don't expect children to be able to regurgitate historical dates and names."  -which, of course, calls to mind Santayana's famous aphorism, "The one who does not remember history is bound to live through it again".  That is inscribed on, among other places, a plaque at the Auschwitz concentration camp where thousands of Jews and others were murdered – a fact of which most Canadian school children are unaware.
As I say, Tunya, give Ontario a year or two and we'll be up to your speed.  If not Washington, DC's or New York's, where the most money in the world is spent on an education which is the worst in the world, according to reports.
 
No cheers, mostly tears.
 
F.
 
Frank Gue.
 

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