This is exactly the kind of story that really makes me worry about America. It’s not a story of shadowy terrorists with suitcase bombs, nefarious spies, or foreign madmen plotting our destruction.
I honestly believe this is worse.
The Daily Caller reports:
If Education Secretary Arne Duncan has his way, kids would be spending a lot more time at school — and a three-month summer would be a thing of the past.
Duncan joked with attendees at a luncheon at the National Press Club Tuesday in Washington that he would like schools to stay open 13 months out of the year. Then he told the audience of over 100 that he seriously supports longer school hours.
“In all seriousness, I think schools should be open 12, 13, 14 hours a day, seven days a week, 11-12 months of the year,” Duncan said. “This is not just more of the same. There would be a whole variety of after-school programs. Obviously academics would be at the heart of that. But you top it off with dancing, art, drama, music, yearbook, robotics, activities for older siblings and parents, ESL classes.”
You have to ask yourself why? And the answer is so ridiculous that once you see through the smokescreen you see that this is about control of your children. They don’t trust you to raise your children. They know better.
So why does Mr. Duncan think we need longer school days and years?
Daily Caller reports:
“As you guys know, our world has changed, our economy has changed,” said Duncan. “The days of telling kids to go home at 2:30 and having mom there with a peanut butter sandwich, those days are gone. Whether it’s a single parent working one, two, three jobs or two parents working, the hours from 3 o’clock to 7 o’clock are a huge anxiety, and that’s why we have to keep our schools open longer.”
So let me get this straight. Many parents can’t be home with children when they come home at 2:30 and that’s bad so instead of giving parents tax breaks or incentives to stay home with their children they decide to spend more taxpayer money to keep schools open 12 months a year and 12 hours a day making it harder for parents to be able to afford to stay home because they have to pay for all these programs.
And didn’t you pick up the derisive tone to the whole “Mom there with a peanut butter sandwich” thing? To this administration Mom at home with the peanut butter sandwich is a mockable relic of a bygone era. Do they not realize that still happens in millions of homes across the country every single day. Actually, they do. They just don’t like it.
Here’s the thing – If you believe Duncan’s stated problem is that parents aren’t home with kids his solution actually makes no sense as it makes it harder for parents to stay home. So one must figure that the stated problem is not the actual problem. One can only surmise that the government wants less Mom and peanut butter and more government.
And they’re willing to use their power to get it.
Duncan explained that although he intends to use the leverage of the federal government to drive reform, he intends to give officials and teachers at the local level the flexibility to improve while also holding them accountable
Yeah, completely forget the second part of that statement because those holding the money have all the power. He’s telling the country in print that the federal government is going to muscle schools all over the country to extend school days and the school year. I pay him the respect to believe what he says. Too often we discount what big government types say because we figure they must not have meant what they said.
The question must be asked whether parents staying home with children is a societal good. And if so shouldn’t the federal government be doing more to encourage it, rather than making it harder.
But when they say more time at school, they actually mean less time with family.
This is their end game. Remember “It Takes a Village.” Well, the village looks an awful lot like the federal government. And a lot less like Mom with a peanut butter sandwich.
July 28, 2010 at 9:12 pm
Bloody hell.
The BOE is already having issues keeping the public school doors open in HI! Furloughs anyone? Wow.
It starts in the FAMILY. If mum and dad are on auto pilot, so will the kids be. Get involved and stay involved – be interested and act upon that interest in your children's educations. Sub-vet is spot on.
July 29, 2010 at 12:48 am
I'm waiting to see how this will affect charter, independent, and private schools… and find out just how "independent" and "private" they really are.
Also if schools weren't so concerned with wasting time and money as quickly as possible, we wouldn't HAVE to extend the school day or the school year. We have to fix the disease, not guess at treatment for the symptoms. I know that if my school days and/or school years had been any longer, I would have gone stark raving mad.
Finally, what is with this utter dissing of jelly? I think Mr. Duncan should address his palpable and unexcusable disdain towards preserved fruit.
July 29, 2010 at 2:41 am
Jimbo,
Would you rather have an ignorant parent teaching a child because they were "underschooled" or an ignorant person slamming homeschooling because they have no clue what they're talking about? I'll keep working on my education WHILE I enjoy the freedom of educating my kids. Why don't you find out more about homeschooling before presuming the worst upon us all?
Thanks.
July 29, 2010 at 3:19 am
Jonathan,
I think your irritation with John Hetman's statement rather..misguided. I too came from a public school K-6, followed by a parochial school 7-12, followed two two public schools for college.
True enough, you and I and many others are not semiliterate. BUT..
Are we fairly well educated because the schools insisted upon it? Or because our parents required it? Or because we sought it? Or some combination of the latter two?
Parents indeed make the difference.
But did you notice that the original article contained no suggestions about how the US Dept of Ed would enable parents to raise their kids?
I find it VERY interesting–and outrageous!–that Mr. Duncan, who by his post controls much funding to State Depts of Ed, thus what local schools CAN teach, doesn't seem interested in even consulting the parents of the nation. He simply believes he has the right to educate children as he sees fit.
Never mind that this severely abuses every couple's fundamental right as first educators of their own children!
I have long felt that if we wish to see the nation thrive, we'll need to dismantle the US Dept of Ed, including its funding lines, return those funds to the States at least, and preferably, to the localities where they've been collected–yes, that DOES mean reducing income taxes–and returning control of the education system to the States where it belongs.
July 29, 2010 at 12:10 pm
It's a general principle here: who is responsible for our kids? Parents/families or government? Public schools don't "deserve" to be considered the "norm".
See: newpoorzone.com/archives/category/education A Mom's view on the issue.
July 29, 2010 at 2:17 pm
The problem with the cutesy "get involved with the school board" suggestion is that it doesn't work. Catholic schools back in the '70s were inundated with parents upset over the dumbing down secularization of the parish schools. Mary Kay Clark writes about this time in her book, Catholic Home Schooling. No amount of parental involvement made one iota of difference to radical priests, bishops, and school principals. The only thing left for good knowledgeable Catholic parents was to take their children out, at least then they weren't financially supporting the rot. Public school parents should do the same now, vote with their children's feet (not enroll them).
July 29, 2010 at 2:54 pm
PattyinCT:
I don't pretend to be an expert in homeschooling but I did say that it was part of the ANSWER so, perhaps you misunderstood my post a bit? I certainly was not slamming it!
If I was going to slam something it would be the notion that homeschooling is the ONLY way. That is moronic and idiotic. It isn't the only way. Just as public/private schools are not the only way. One size does NOT fit all. Children can be well educated outside the home. (And I acknowledge that's getting harder and harder as our public schools have become a cesspool of immoral teaching. But there are still good Catholic and other private schools out there, despite what some people think)
My point about ignorant parents was that many are not qualified or are incapable of teaching. That is not a slam on them either, it is just a statement of fact. God gives us all different gifts… I would make a better ballerina than my wonderful wife would make a teacher, for instance. (And she would tell you that or I wouldn't say it.)
Then there are people whom I know – and I don't wish to be uncharitable, but I certainly wouldn't trust them to teach MY children so I sure as heck don't think they should be teaching their own children either – because, well, they are idiots.
The fact that not everyone has an excellent Catholic school down the street, and not everyone is cut out to teach their own children (or anyone else for that matter) just illustrates the point that this is a more complex issue than some make it out to be.
Now before everyone jumps on me here: This is NOT to deny that ALL parents do have a RESPONSIBILITY to teach their children certain things (such as right and wrong, how to behave, prayer, etc.) But we are talking about k-12 education here and there is much more to it than that. Nor would I suggest that any parent would NOT be ALLOWED TO TRY to teach their own kids. If they can get their kids to meet the standards (another issue again), great. I would fight for the right of any parent to teach their own children. (These folks would not be the idiots of whom I speak.) But we've all seen examples of parents who can't even handle their basic parental responsibility – let alone teach their kids Math and History!
The show "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" is a great example of how people can make it through the school system, become parents, be good people and yet still not know how many states there are, or what a fraction is, etc. Then there are the many good people out there who simply have a hard time learning for whatever reason – maybe they are just not as smart as you, have a learning OR OTHER disability (mentally or otherwise disabled) or who can learn but can not teach because they are just not effective communicators. And what about those parents who don't give a rat's or will spend their time teaching their kids about how to worship the earth…?
So again, if you CAN do it, then homeschooling is absolutely, positively a great idea and I AM FOR IT, not against it! But it is a gross oversimplification for some to suggest (not accusing you of this) that the ONLY solution, or even the BEST solution is that ALL kids be homeschooled. That is true for some and not true for others. I am sorry if my post was unclear or came across on a slam on anyone who homeschools. Far from it.
My overall point was that the economic and moral breakdown in our society means that there is less communal support which makes homeschooling harder and the nanny state bigger. Parents used to be able to help each other more. Families were bigger, etc. Now families are smaller, and people have to work harder and longer to make ends meet and have less time with and for their family, neighbors etc. so they eat more government cheese. (Also not denying that the cheese is quite scrumptious either.)
July 29, 2010 at 6:27 pm
Good luck with your Uptopian dream, Secretary Duncan. Here in CA, programs (and teachers) are being cut left and right and class sizes are ballooning to unmanageable numbers. With the economic situation does he really think folks are going to pay more taxes to take care of (often) other people's kids? And I can bet that any of that "extra" money is not going to go to schools, but to prisons. Not ever going to happen, Mr. Secretary – especially in CA.
July 29, 2010 at 10:04 pm
I can tell you now, if they extend the school-year, the children will become burnt-out. Maybe the extra curriculum would be something engaging like music or art, but being in the school will create an atmosphere that will make the class seem the same as if they were in a Math or Science class. Besides, we like sitting around, relaxing and having fun, being around our family and just enjoying our time-off while we have it before some of us work dead-end jobs day in and day out, wasting our life away just so we can eat and have a place to sleep.
July 30, 2010 at 12:51 am
This comment has been removed by the author.
July 30, 2010 at 12:54 am
Oh, so Duncan would like the schools open "13 months a year?" Well, do you know what made Greece go broke? Bureaucrats whose pay was for 14 months per year!!! Sounds like Duncan is just arguing for more jobs for bureaucrats. This has nothing to do with "the children," believe you me!
July 30, 2010 at 12:55 am
kat, comparing the Catholic schools of a few decades ago to the public schools of today is comparing apples and oranges.
Those bishops, priests, etc. you cite who wouldn't listen to the parents are in no way accountable to the general public as are school boards paid by John & Joan Q. Public.
As I stated, look at those stories making the news of outrageous events at public schools. THEN follow up on the story after the school staff has heard from irate parents. More often than not, whatever occasioned the outrage is stopped. When taxpayers started demanding their money's worth, public servants (locally at least) are prone to respond in a positive manner.
Calling parental involvement "cutesy" and dismissing it out of hand is symptomatic of a "I can't be bothered" mindset. I've run into it before and it's always indicative of sloth.
Please don't cite the fact that you homeschool your kids as evidence of concerned parental involvement. It's in your profile, I've read it. Just because you do it doesn't mean you're good at it.
As Jimbo says, one size doesn't fit all. As a parent whose children NEED daily interaction with their peers (my boys are autistic), it's to my kids' advantage to attend a public school. The oft cited advantage of social interaction applies to them. Thats the end of that story and neither you or anyone else should be opining on what you've no knowledge of. Therefore I recommend not voicing what you think other parents should be doing regarding their child's education.
July 30, 2010 at 3:34 pm
I wished I could have stayed home and had some more time with my son's. That was'nt an option I had to work and single moms that are lucky enough to have them in a good day care is worth the money, and the next thing ya know the children are having good play with new freinds. It helps with social skills. But I have to say that My dad would pick up my eldist son a least an hour after I had droped him off. lolo what great papa and dad…
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