Yes, teachers are important but so are good journalists. My night school English teacher wanted me to become one. I have written but not as a profession. I have finished one of three books. Anyway, Dan is the best.
I too remember all of my teachers names but my high school Spanish teacher had the biggest impact . That Spanish took me many places and I still remember everything he taught after more than half a century. He was a Cuban refugee and how I wish I could tell him the lasting effect he had on my life.
I’ve written letters to the teachers in my life (if still living) over the last 20 years. I tell them how much their words, wisdom and dedication contributed to my life. I became a public teacher, then counselor. My students taught me as much as I them. Teaching is a life well spent, and I couldn’t be prouder to have a VP like Tim Walz.
I went to public school, then to a public college, then taught in a public school for twenty-six years and finally was an athletic administrator in a public school for twenty-three more years. Public schools are a national treasure. Only fools (MAGA) would not recognize that fact. They want to create a two level society; them and us. The THEM are right-wing anti-democracy forces aimed at controlling our freedoms. US are those who support freedom for all. I grew up in an Eisenhower Republican family that believed people control their own destiny. MAGA folks want government to control what freedoms are available to We the People. Project 2025 is their game plan for destroying our freedoms. Vote Harris/Walz. Keep your freedoms!
The "them" are also people who have probably never read a book, and they are angry they haven't done anything with their lives, so they call anyone who has an "elite," equating that word with an educated person.
Listening to some of the Cult 45 members speak it's almost as if they never finished the third grade. I'm not saying that to be mean, I'm saying that because they sound illiterate.
I have to agree. I have been building a profile of the typical MAGA chirps since 2016, and "uneducated" definitely defines most of them. White, rural, and angry are three more characteristics. For some reason, they keep electing people who couldn't care less about them.
I'm convinced that if they had a better education, they might make better decisions. It seems that TRump supporters don't value the benefit of public education.
I taught freshman composition and research in the first year writing program at a conservative university. By the end of the second semester, most of my students identified as Democrats. Education (and the truth) have a liberal bias. : ) This is why Republicans don't like it.
Oh, I think many of them do, which is why Trump is attempting to distance himself from project 2025 at the moment.
I think an important aspect of the typical MAGA person, mentioned above, is anger. Or, more specifically, rage. Voting for Trump is an act of rage for many. They've become so convinced, largely through right-wing propaganda and rhetoric, that the current government is so evil and so corrupt that it's worth anything, including electing someone like Trump, in order to overthrow it or at least straighten it out.
Rousing strong emotion in people is a very effective tool in politics. Strong emotion, especially anger, tends to switch people's thinking brain off; puts them more in a reactive state. And this seems to be true no matter how intelligent we are. It seems the reaction they want from people is "Just vote for Trump to really stick it to the government, and we'll figure everything else out later. "
And they predominantly identify as fundamentalist Christian. One can not over exagerate the damage christian fundamentalism training "brainwashing" does to a person.
They do not appear to be candidates for Harvard Law, do they? They think they are LIONS who are going to eat up the liberals that are standing in the way of the MAGA goal of making men, men once again. The kind of men who believe in White Supremacy, second class citizenship for women, people of color, and new immigrants to our nation. However, their reality is they are SHEEP, blindly following the neutered ram? DJT. It could not be any clearer. MAGA fools best wake up and get their noses out of DJT’s backside before you end up without the freedoms you claim to love so dearly!
Elite to some MAGA folks is constructing a complete sentence. What’s so sad, it’s these people who Trump cons the most. He’s the last person on earth that gives two sh*T’s about their welfare. He tricks them with false promises, ignorant statements, cultural warfare messsges, and white supremacy. P. T. Barnum said it best … “There’s a sucker born every day.”
IIRC, Betsy DeVos, the disgraceful former Sec of Education for T💩p, Zoomed her resignation after Jan 6th in front of a bookshelf … with no books in sight. Then she went for a cruise on on of her family’s 10 yachts.
Trump said he “loved the uneducated.” Do you know why? Don the Con Man can more easily manipulate their untrained minds. Education teaches you to think for yourself. MAGA wants to teach you to let DJT and his cronies think for you. And when it’s all
melted down it’s about money, power, and control. Why does DJT so admire Putin? Putin has become the world’s richest man. He did so by hijacking Russia’s government and thus control of the economy. Oligarchs are people Putin set up to control elements of the Russian economy. They get rich and pay him to operate their businesses. Now do you see what DJT is after? Do you see why Elon Musk and other billionaires have thrown in with Trump? Project 2025 sets the stage for all this to happen. If Trump is distancing himself from the project, guess why? Yep, his plan is being exposed.
You cannot be a third and fourth generation loading dock worker any longer. Trump’s elite class has moved those jobs overseas where they can take advantage of extremely low wages and benefits. Today, you need intelligence, understanding, flexibility, and decision making skills - along with job skills, experience, advanced education in tech school or colleges, and a work ethic. Electricians, plumbers, carpenters, heavy equipment operators, over the road drivers, train engineers, etc., are highly skilled workers. Teachers, bankers, engineers, accountants, nurses, business owners, etc., also need all of the skills listed and, normally, a degree to open doors. Only politicians seem not to need any of these attributes. If you’re mad at the world and want to go backwards to the good ole days because you can’t adjust to the labor situations, are narrow minded, and blame others for your problems, Trump will prey on you .., yes that’s prey on you, not pray for you. And Project 2025 will not give you any advantage, it will take advantage of your predicament and take away the freedoms you profess to love. Time for you to get a clue.
In addition to the changes in labor, multi-national chains like Walmart have ended Main Street and eliminated the unique small businesses that used to fill every small town and create jobs for locals.
Hear hear! Thank you for your dedication to our public school system. As a kid of two public school teachers, I very much appreciate your insight. #VoteBlue!!!
I am a public education advocate. I've been doing this for about 20 years. Public education needs, and has not had, actual stewardship of public education. I have never been excited about a ticket like this one. I am thrilled VP Harris chose Walz. He lived it. He gets it. And I know we're never going to have beg them to stop expanding the charter school fund and to not make vouchers universal in this country. It's a relief.
Kamala Harris' VP pick came in the nick of time for America's schools and societal attitudes in general; the nation owes her a debt of gratitude. I worked in the public education system for decades before my recent retirement and witnessed much teacher burnout and low moral since the trump era. (Yes, the Pandemic didn't help either.) Now, we have in Harris and Walz the admirable example of lives of service to country and community. Due to the inspiring speeches of Harris and Walz , I can sense a realigment in people's sense of priorities. Too much of the country has been lost in a dark spiral of celebrating trumpian cruelty, selfishness, and disloyalty. The ideas and actions of giving and helping are beginnig to be respected again. It's that Joy thing beginning to rise up. It comes from hope. The country has taken a turn toward light again. I can't thank Presient Biden, Kamala Harris, and Tim Walz enough.
Public education is vital to a strong vibrant democracy. Thanks for pointing it out, Dan! It is supposed to be the great equalizer but Rs have turned it into the haves and have nots with culture wars and by gutting funding via redirecting tax dollars to private “charter schools” and the like. Let us make no mistake about the effects: it has re segregated schools by race and socioeconomic status. Returning public education to its intended purpose is key to restoring the strength of our democracy.
As a teacher in public schools for 37 years in three different states, Mississippi, Virginia and Maryland, it terrifies me that there’s a plan to cripple schools and children in the ways described here! The restrictions are cruel! No other word is strong enough. Please do NOT sentence millions of children to hunger and limits to how far their education can take them. The system isn’t perfect, but the measures listed here show it is trying to give every child a more fair chance to succeed.
We desperately need to beef up the public schools to find the kids who are not doing well and get them whatever resources they need to compete. All kids should be reading at or above their grade level. They cannot do this if they are hungry, cold, sick, or God forfend, homeless. We need to do better.
Tim Walz instituted breakfast and lunch programs in Minnesota public schools when he was the governor. He knows that hungry kids have problems learning and did something about it.
Somehow we have to convince a certain part of the polity that it is a good thing to take care of the next generation. Wealthy old people don't see this.
I am jaded I lived on the edge of an enclave of the super rich for 37 years and I came to loathe the ultra rich. You are right though- Bloomberg and Bezos’ ex (can’t remember her name) have done good things with their wealth. Others as well.
It has long been proven that hungry children not only can't learn very well, but that prolonged malnourishment can bring about irreversible brain damage. And it positively hurts my heart to know that in 10 Republican states, the money to fund school breakfast and lunch programs has been refused. Offered, and REFUSED. That is, in my opinion, craven behavior. These guys simply have no morals at all.
I learned in public education from 1st grade through graduate school and then spent 42 years as a public school teacher. You cannot tell me a flaw in public education I do not know more intimately than you do. And I dare you to persuade me that the promise and possibilities of public education are limited. The only thing that prevents those flaws from being remedied and that promise from being fulfilled is the commitment of the American people through digging deep into their wallets to make them happen. Project 2025 is a dark, ugly stab to the heart of what is intended to prepare every child to succeed.
Thank you for this excellent article. And now - I will preach to the choir. Supporting public education is the difference between looking backwards and looking forwards - gutting our public educational system will take us back to the Post Revolution era, before this country had public education. There is a reason why the US fostered public education. Human resources are our most valuable resource to be nurtured not abandoned. Education is the very backbone that made this country great and more than anything will make it great into the future. With Tim Walz on the ramparts we still have a chance. Yay for History Teachers!
It is important to teach kids and more importantly to feed the kids in school too. My mother used to say, kids can’t study on an empty stomach.
About Trump and his project 2025. He and his thinking—- rotten to the core. Need we say or anything more.
All his henchmen, reminds me of All the President’s Men, the movie. More importantly, Bob Haldeman and Ehrlichman, the crooks who caused a lot of problems.
Trump and his “” men”, Jason Miller, Stephen Miller, the my pillow guy— joker will do the same if not more. Of course, how can we forget Bannon and Mike Flynn.
45th has to lose and lose big.
Nothing fancy we have to do except vote on November, 5th.
It will be the best karma we would all do, voting him out.
Thanks Dan great and on point for this election. The republicans (koch group and heritage foundation have focused on local elections including school boards for decades. This influence should alarm everyone They have successfully redirected $billions annually from public schools to private schools. All the while public schools are deteriorating and children are hungry from lack of funds. This is terrible in my view. Public schools have standards while some private schools have little to no oversight and some don’t even exist. Some have good results many do not. Some private schools teach religion and nothing else. Some teach division and hate. No public money for private education. It is an abomination. It has already done way too much damage to public education. Parents who would have their children learn half the truth are in foolish.
Hoping Harris/Walz bring some common sense to our schools. It is so important to the country.
It is the same phenomenon all over the world. The rich and the powerful are out to screw the little guys. The government, which is all bought and paid for by these rich and powerful people, is sleeping at the switch.
We all are caught up in our daily routine and it seems like a helpless state of affairs. We just can’t take it anymore. Quite frankly very sad and equally disgusting.
We should never forget that we have the power of the ballot. We can and should throw the rascals out.
Another thought....education is NOT the great equalizer BY ITSELF. And until we address the outside factors that influence a child's ability to show up, ready to learn, we will not close the "opportunity gaps" we have in this country.
You are so correct! Stability is a critical factor - stable family relationships, living conditions, food, safety, health care access, early childhood education experiences and positive neighborhood experiences! When we bring them into the world let’s be sure we give them a chance to succeed!
Don't forget good jobs for the parents so that they can be parents and not have to spend almost all of their waking hours working multiple jobs, worrying about the next layoff, or how to pay for basic human needs.
Parenting and home life. Very big factors. Unfortunately many teachers have to try to be parent and teacher, as there are so many parents unable or unwilling to do their role.
Media education needs to be added to the curriculum at various levels in various ways so that we can begin to at least teach the children if the grown ups don't already know how to do that at home. With AI upon us it is even more essential to understand how it's used, what it does how it can be guided and reigned in. Another problem is the education of the adults about what the kids themselves are learning and to urge them to support their kids this way. Because sometimes adults can be less than helpful if they don't themselves understand what's going on and the importance of their kids getting perhaps a better education than they themselves did, without the holding back and the jealousy or lack of confidence. Not every adult is adult.
The attack on our public educational system is unconscionable. The banning of books compounds the damage being done in some states. The deliberate confusion of teaching history in elementary and high schools with a college graduate course of critical race theory is another example of far right ideology.
Look no further than the current Far Right chaos in the UK. Yes, it can happen here.
Public education has been a cornerstone of social and economic ascent. To damage this would be to the bane of us all.
Thanks, Dan. As a retired educator of history, English, and public speaking, I applaud your comments, and applaud Tim Walz for his exemplary service!
And of course we thank you profusely for your service as an educator.
Thank you
Yes, teachers are important but so are good journalists. My night school English teacher wanted me to become one. I have written but not as a profession. I have finished one of three books. Anyway, Dan is the best.
Yes, Bill, Dan is the best. You can say that again.
I am 68, and I still remember all my teachers from Kindergarten to Eleventh grade.
I miss them all
Thank you
And I, Mr. Bahl. One of them lends her name as a "security question" in sites that require them because she had such a powerful impact on me.
I can understand.
I remember those formative years. And now when I think back, the teachers were paid chicken feed, for a great service in society. What shame.
Thank you
I too remember all of my teachers names but my high school Spanish teacher had the biggest impact . That Spanish took me many places and I still remember everything he taught after more than half a century. He was a Cuban refugee and how I wish I could tell him the lasting effect he had on my life.
I’ve written letters to the teachers in my life (if still living) over the last 20 years. I tell them how much their words, wisdom and dedication contributed to my life. I became a public teacher, then counselor. My students taught me as much as I them. Teaching is a life well spent, and I couldn’t be prouder to have a VP like Tim Walz.
Amazing, very good for you. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
He surely is one of the best .
As the daughter of two Public School teachers I applaud you!
I cannot improve on that statement. It says it all.
Too bad, Gail, you couldn’t teach this nincompoop, any public speaking, lol. No worries, he is incorrigible, lol.
Thank you
I went to public school, then to a public college, then taught in a public school for twenty-six years and finally was an athletic administrator in a public school for twenty-three more years. Public schools are a national treasure. Only fools (MAGA) would not recognize that fact. They want to create a two level society; them and us. The THEM are right-wing anti-democracy forces aimed at controlling our freedoms. US are those who support freedom for all. I grew up in an Eisenhower Republican family that believed people control their own destiny. MAGA folks want government to control what freedoms are available to We the People. Project 2025 is their game plan for destroying our freedoms. Vote Harris/Walz. Keep your freedoms!
The "them" are also people who have probably never read a book, and they are angry they haven't done anything with their lives, so they call anyone who has an "elite," equating that word with an educated person.
Listening to some of the Cult 45 members speak it's almost as if they never finished the third grade. I'm not saying that to be mean, I'm saying that because they sound illiterate.
I have to agree. I have been building a profile of the typical MAGA chirps since 2016, and "uneducated" definitely defines most of them. White, rural, and angry are three more characteristics. For some reason, they keep electing people who couldn't care less about them.
I'm convinced that if they had a better education, they might make better decisions. It seems that TRump supporters don't value the benefit of public education.
I taught freshman composition and research in the first year writing program at a conservative university. By the end of the second semester, most of my students identified as Democrats. Education (and the truth) have a liberal bias. : ) This is why Republicans don't like it.
Extremely well said, debra. I sgree completely.
Oh, I think many of them do, which is why Trump is attempting to distance himself from project 2025 at the moment.
I think an important aspect of the typical MAGA person, mentioned above, is anger. Or, more specifically, rage. Voting for Trump is an act of rage for many. They've become so convinced, largely through right-wing propaganda and rhetoric, that the current government is so evil and so corrupt that it's worth anything, including electing someone like Trump, in order to overthrow it or at least straighten it out.
Rousing strong emotion in people is a very effective tool in politics. Strong emotion, especially anger, tends to switch people's thinking brain off; puts them more in a reactive state. And this seems to be true no matter how intelligent we are. It seems the reaction they want from people is "Just vote for Trump to really stick it to the government, and we'll figure everything else out later. "
And they predominantly identify as fundamentalist Christian. One can not over exagerate the damage christian fundamentalism training "brainwashing" does to a person.
They do not appear to be candidates for Harvard Law, do they? They think they are LIONS who are going to eat up the liberals that are standing in the way of the MAGA goal of making men, men once again. The kind of men who believe in White Supremacy, second class citizenship for women, people of color, and new immigrants to our nation. However, their reality is they are SHEEP, blindly following the neutered ram? DJT. It could not be any clearer. MAGA fools best wake up and get their noses out of DJT’s backside before you end up without the freedoms you claim to love so dearly!
Elite to some MAGA folks is constructing a complete sentence. What’s so sad, it’s these people who Trump cons the most. He’s the last person on earth that gives two sh*T’s about their welfare. He tricks them with false promises, ignorant statements, cultural warfare messsges, and white supremacy. P. T. Barnum said it best … “There’s a sucker born every day.”
Actually, the quote is "a sucker is born every minute." But I agree with your premise.
Do not trust people who have a TV screen larger than their bookshelf.
IIRC, Betsy DeVos, the disgraceful former Sec of Education for T💩p, Zoomed her resignation after Jan 6th in front of a bookshelf … with no books in sight. Then she went for a cruise on on of her family’s 10 yachts.
LOVE that, Steve!
Thank you!
Trump said he “loved the uneducated.” Do you know why? Don the Con Man can more easily manipulate their untrained minds. Education teaches you to think for yourself. MAGA wants to teach you to let DJT and his cronies think for you. And when it’s all
melted down it’s about money, power, and control. Why does DJT so admire Putin? Putin has become the world’s richest man. He did so by hijacking Russia’s government and thus control of the economy. Oligarchs are people Putin set up to control elements of the Russian economy. They get rich and pay him to operate their businesses. Now do you see what DJT is after? Do you see why Elon Musk and other billionaires have thrown in with Trump? Project 2025 sets the stage for all this to happen. If Trump is distancing himself from the project, guess why? Yep, his plan is being exposed.
You cannot be a third and fourth generation loading dock worker any longer. Trump’s elite class has moved those jobs overseas where they can take advantage of extremely low wages and benefits. Today, you need intelligence, understanding, flexibility, and decision making skills - along with job skills, experience, advanced education in tech school or colleges, and a work ethic. Electricians, plumbers, carpenters, heavy equipment operators, over the road drivers, train engineers, etc., are highly skilled workers. Teachers, bankers, engineers, accountants, nurses, business owners, etc., also need all of the skills listed and, normally, a degree to open doors. Only politicians seem not to need any of these attributes. If you’re mad at the world and want to go backwards to the good ole days because you can’t adjust to the labor situations, are narrow minded, and blame others for your problems, Trump will prey on you .., yes that’s prey on you, not pray for you. And Project 2025 will not give you any advantage, it will take advantage of your predicament and take away the freedoms you profess to love. Time for you to get a clue.
In addition to the changes in labor, multi-national chains like Walmart have ended Main Street and eliminated the unique small businesses that used to fill every small town and create jobs for locals.
Hear hear! Thank you for your dedication to our public school system. As a kid of two public school teachers, I very much appreciate your insight. #VoteBlue!!!
I 🇨🇦emphasize the word vote. Do you think I could drive down from AB to Montana to help campaign😊?
Why not? Putin is campaigning for Trump!
That’s hilarious🤣
Good for you. Eugene.
(MAGA)>Make America Ghastly Again?
I am a public education advocate. I've been doing this for about 20 years. Public education needs, and has not had, actual stewardship of public education. I have never been excited about a ticket like this one. I am thrilled VP Harris chose Walz. He lived it. He gets it. And I know we're never going to have beg them to stop expanding the charter school fund and to not make vouchers universal in this country. It's a relief.
Kamala Harris' VP pick came in the nick of time for America's schools and societal attitudes in general; the nation owes her a debt of gratitude. I worked in the public education system for decades before my recent retirement and witnessed much teacher burnout and low moral since the trump era. (Yes, the Pandemic didn't help either.) Now, we have in Harris and Walz the admirable example of lives of service to country and community. Due to the inspiring speeches of Harris and Walz , I can sense a realigment in people's sense of priorities. Too much of the country has been lost in a dark spiral of celebrating trumpian cruelty, selfishness, and disloyalty. The ideas and actions of giving and helping are beginnig to be respected again. It's that Joy thing beginning to rise up. It comes from hope. The country has taken a turn toward light again. I can't thank Presient Biden, Kamala Harris, and Tim Walz enough.
Public education is vital to a strong vibrant democracy. Thanks for pointing it out, Dan! It is supposed to be the great equalizer but Rs have turned it into the haves and have nots with culture wars and by gutting funding via redirecting tax dollars to private “charter schools” and the like. Let us make no mistake about the effects: it has re segregated schools by race and socioeconomic status. Returning public education to its intended purpose is key to restoring the strength of our democracy.
"great equalizer" indeed!
As a teacher in public schools for 37 years in three different states, Mississippi, Virginia and Maryland, it terrifies me that there’s a plan to cripple schools and children in the ways described here! The restrictions are cruel! No other word is strong enough. Please do NOT sentence millions of children to hunger and limits to how far their education can take them. The system isn’t perfect, but the measures listed here show it is trying to give every child a more fair chance to succeed.
We desperately need to beef up the public schools to find the kids who are not doing well and get them whatever resources they need to compete. All kids should be reading at or above their grade level. They cannot do this if they are hungry, cold, sick, or God forfend, homeless. We need to do better.
Tim Walz instituted breakfast and lunch programs in Minnesota public schools when he was the governor. He knows that hungry kids have problems learning and did something about it.
Somehow we have to convince a certain part of the polity that it is a good thing to take care of the next generation. Wealthy old people don't see this.
Please don't paint with too wide a brush. Some wealthy people contribute signifcantly, especially to school scholarship and endowment programs.
True enough a certain part do need more encouragement to perform.
I am jaded I lived on the edge of an enclave of the super rich for 37 years and I came to loathe the ultra rich. You are right though- Bloomberg and Bezos’ ex (can’t remember her name) have done good things with their wealth. Others as well.
It's perfectly understandable: some of them are deplorable in their parsimonious behavior.
The poor will give the shirt off of their backs; the rich will ask "what's in it for me?"
It has long been proven that hungry children not only can't learn very well, but that prolonged malnourishment can bring about irreversible brain damage. And it positively hurts my heart to know that in 10 Republican states, the money to fund school breakfast and lunch programs has been refused. Offered, and REFUSED. That is, in my opinion, craven behavior. These guys simply have no morals at all.
I learned in public education from 1st grade through graduate school and then spent 42 years as a public school teacher. You cannot tell me a flaw in public education I do not know more intimately than you do. And I dare you to persuade me that the promise and possibilities of public education are limited. The only thing that prevents those flaws from being remedied and that promise from being fulfilled is the commitment of the American people through digging deep into their wallets to make them happen. Project 2025 is a dark, ugly stab to the heart of what is intended to prepare every child to succeed.
Republicans no longer exist. This cult is a dangerous disgrace and needs to be stopped.
VOTE!
Mr Ratherr you always state it perfectly. Thank you so very much for being who You are
How easy it is to fall in love with Governor Walz sight unseen!!
Thank you for this excellent article. And now - I will preach to the choir. Supporting public education is the difference between looking backwards and looking forwards - gutting our public educational system will take us back to the Post Revolution era, before this country had public education. There is a reason why the US fostered public education. Human resources are our most valuable resource to be nurtured not abandoned. Education is the very backbone that made this country great and more than anything will make it great into the future. With Tim Walz on the ramparts we still have a chance. Yay for History Teachers!
Thank you, for the brilliant essay, Dan Rather.
It is important to teach kids and more importantly to feed the kids in school too. My mother used to say, kids can’t study on an empty stomach.
About Trump and his project 2025. He and his thinking—- rotten to the core. Need we say or anything more.
All his henchmen, reminds me of All the President’s Men, the movie. More importantly, Bob Haldeman and Ehrlichman, the crooks who caused a lot of problems.
Trump and his “” men”, Jason Miller, Stephen Miller, the my pillow guy— joker will do the same if not more. Of course, how can we forget Bannon and Mike Flynn.
45th has to lose and lose big.
Nothing fancy we have to do except vote on November, 5th.
It will be the best karma we would all do, voting him out.
We need to save the country we all grew up in.
My two cents
Thank you
You forgot the latest mouthpiece Hyuen Stephen Cheung.
Sure thing, Steve, trust me the list is endless.
But there are more good people in the world than bad.
Thanks Dan great and on point for this election. The republicans (koch group and heritage foundation have focused on local elections including school boards for decades. This influence should alarm everyone They have successfully redirected $billions annually from public schools to private schools. All the while public schools are deteriorating and children are hungry from lack of funds. This is terrible in my view. Public schools have standards while some private schools have little to no oversight and some don’t even exist. Some have good results many do not. Some private schools teach religion and nothing else. Some teach division and hate. No public money for private education. It is an abomination. It has already done way too much damage to public education. Parents who would have their children learn half the truth are in foolish.
Hoping Harris/Walz bring some common sense to our schools. It is so important to the country.
Nothing uncommon, Mike.
It is the same phenomenon all over the world. The rich and the powerful are out to screw the little guys. The government, which is all bought and paid for by these rich and powerful people, is sleeping at the switch.
We all are caught up in our daily routine and it seems like a helpless state of affairs. We just can’t take it anymore. Quite frankly very sad and equally disgusting.
We should never forget that we have the power of the ballot. We can and should throw the rascals out.
Thank you
Gov Tim Walz is a great VP choice. I feel hope and inspiration about our future President Harris and Vice President Walz!! Riding with Harris.
Another thought....education is NOT the great equalizer BY ITSELF. And until we address the outside factors that influence a child's ability to show up, ready to learn, we will not close the "opportunity gaps" we have in this country.
You are so correct! Stability is a critical factor - stable family relationships, living conditions, food, safety, health care access, early childhood education experiences and positive neighborhood experiences! When we bring them into the world let’s be sure we give them a chance to succeed!
Don't forget good jobs for the parents so that they can be parents and not have to spend almost all of their waking hours working multiple jobs, worrying about the next layoff, or how to pay for basic human needs.
Parenting and home life. Very big factors. Unfortunately many teachers have to try to be parent and teacher, as there are so many parents unable or unwilling to do their role.
Media education needs to be added to the curriculum at various levels in various ways so that we can begin to at least teach the children if the grown ups don't already know how to do that at home. With AI upon us it is even more essential to understand how it's used, what it does how it can be guided and reigned in. Another problem is the education of the adults about what the kids themselves are learning and to urge them to support their kids this way. Because sometimes adults can be less than helpful if they don't themselves understand what's going on and the importance of their kids getting perhaps a better education than they themselves did, without the holding back and the jealousy or lack of confidence. Not every adult is adult.
The attack on our public educational system is unconscionable. The banning of books compounds the damage being done in some states. The deliberate confusion of teaching history in elementary and high schools with a college graduate course of critical race theory is another example of far right ideology.
Look no further than the current Far Right chaos in the UK. Yes, it can happen here.
Public education has been a cornerstone of social and economic ascent. To damage this would be to the bane of us all.
Education is the key to a good future for everyone. Education is a right as much as food, clothing and shelter.