Times Record headline 8/27/17 “Progress made on strategic plan”

How to put this in plain English without writing a book? The “Plan” is a 5 year plan…remember the USSR? It is being devised starting with a “25 person advisory team after 2 ½ days of meetings”. The team is comprised of “students, educators, & community members”. There will also be 7 action teams of 20-25 people yet to be chosen to be assigned topics for education improvement. Yes, Virginia, it does take a village.

It appears that the Education Establishment no longer knows how to teach students and requires complete overhauling…which it does, but not by a collective, no matter how well-intentioned, with no clue as to the acquisition of knowledge.

Wading through the newspeak, educanto gibberish, one would conclude that schools are to take the place of parents as to the “needs of all children & families (physical/mental/emotional/academic/social/etc.)” Now that is quite an undertaking…arrogance & ignorance on parade. Independence is never mentioned.

Long story short—these people are going to collaborate to bring about an Egalitarian Utopia. While they are making sure that everyone is treated the same, attain the same results, have equitable resources, they say diversity is an asset. In a sane world “diversity” by itself is divisive, not an asset.

They believe “all students have the potential to become successful, productive citizens in our diverse rapidly changing world”. What happened to scientific data such as DNA, IQ, Gene differences, let alone individual’s ambitions, drive, intellectual curiosity—all of which vary from person to person via Mother Nature and environment?

Now here is a particularly asinine statement “Everyone should embrace change in order to achieve at their highest potential”. No explanation or definition of what that “change” might be. What if it is something horrific such as Fascism or Totalitarianism?

Let us compare “education” today to education of back in the day of the one room schoolhouse. Elementary school children back then were taught geography, real mathematics, English & Grammar, how to diagram a sentence, the parts of speech, how to write in cursive, how to find foreign places on a map, what the history was of our country (although already revised), science, how to read classic works of literature including poetry, ad infinitum. Today we constantly see examples of college students who cannot accomplish any, much less all these subjects. Why?

In this article there is no mention of proper discipline in the classroom, schoolyard, etc. which is a known problem, often severe. No talk of improving curricula or returning to more challenging teaching methods. No subject matter is discussed. No Latin, chemistry, literature, et al, just providing the tools with which everyone can be the same. Which by the way is impossible; unless you lower everyone to the lowest common denominator…remember Mother Nature & environment? Denial of facts won’t change them.

Numerous books have been written on the deliberate dumbing down of students in government schools, evidently none of this myriad of planners has read one or comprehends the subject. Don’t they wonder why Johnny can’t read, write or cypher? Do they really believe that more computers, bigger buildings, better stadiums, prettier surroundings, lack of discipline & more love are the answers?

Obviously so. This country has fallen academically behind many other countries when once it was on top…why? You just read why. Academics is out, diversity & inclusion are in, ergo ignorant pupils lacking authentic self-esteem & pride…who act on emotions rather than reason, who are incapable of “critical thinking” which is so lauded. How do you learn to think critically when you’re not exposed to logic and reason? You don’t.

So goes the schools, so goes our country. This was/is by design…it is no accident…but that is another very unpleasant subject.

Pity the young.

~Barbara McCutchen
arkansasfreedom.net