Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 15, 1993 TAG: 9307150437
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-14 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ANDERSON
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Isn't it amazing that a politician becomes a knowledgeable planner by virtue of election, sort of a political Pentecost, with attendant miracles. In Montgomery County, we have the same geniuses carried over to the Public Service Commission, infused with the elective fire of engineering wisdom and all kinds of specialty knowledge necessary for perfect function on that board. Woe be unto us!
The cost of water and sewage is going up, and we are patted on the head and quieted by assurances that our new costs are "in line" with the surrounding areas. What would an efficient operation cost? Taxes are scaring people and impacting economic viability, but we know they need more for all of the good and worthy causes. One may well ask, "Such as?"
How about abortions on demand, gays' rights to marriage benefits, more for AIDS research than on heart research, even though bad hearts kill more people than does AIDS? Police our schools to be sure no word of moral teaching ever invades that sanctum of liberalism. Subvert discipline that makes an atmosphere conducive to learning. After all, informing kids of perverted practices is ever so much more rewarding than teaching and enforcing discipline. And forget not that all of the above requires ever more tax dollars to produce a product of declining quality.
The new catch phrase is "Global Education," which is semantic for another wild-hair scheme to pour more tax dollars into educational theory. Educrats roll their educratese over their palates, savoring it as if it were very fine old brandy, and become intoxicated with the grandeur of their words that mean virtually nothing. The Japanese and Germans must become apoplectic from laughing. Haven't we been promised educational primacy by the inmates of the system before - with new math, open classes and self-pacing? How many dollars ago was that?
John C. LeDoux's July 3 letter ("Public schools need basic, not `outcome-based,' education") succinctly states the cause and cure of illiterate and ignorant secondary-school products. While a person such as he is in a perfect position to objectively evaluate the Montgomery school system's product, both our old and new school superintendents are glibly telling us what a fine system we have, and more funds will completely solve the problem.
Look the problem in the eye. Our earlier schools didn't have certified techers in many cases. They were in drafty, wood-stove-heated buildings with students sometimes sharing texts, or no texts at all. The teacher had control over the class and over each student, and the parents supported the teacher, as did the principal. The product was literate and informed for levels accomplished. They had abused kids and, to be fair, had less split families. But performance was rewarded, and discipline problems were isolated from the mainstream. Teachers spent their time on the class, as a whole, spreading effort as needed to slower people. They didn't ignore the mass under the bell curve and concentrate on the ends of the curve.
Today, we have better facilities, more teachers per student, books, tapes, videos, computers, directors, coordinators, supervisors, principals, aides, remedial reading, first aid, free lunches and breakfasts, cafeterias, gyms, theaters, psychologists, lawyers, counselors, sex-ed, contraceptives and everything but common sense. Any wonder people have little faith in government?
The solution is not more money and new programs, but to go back to basics, dislodge the educrats and assume local control over the system.
Bob Anderson of Blacksburg is a former member of the Montgomery County School Board and is a retired professional engineer.
by CNB