It's unfortunate...

[Weltall]

Originally posted by A Black Falcon
I've already responded to exactly that question.

By saying that most kids won't get vouchers and will be left behind? No. That has nothing to do with the question I asked.

You underestimate the effect of better funding. Its not just a building. Its having enough teachers. Better curriculums. After-school programs. Extracurricular activities and encouraging people to participate in them. And working to fight atmospheres of drugs and violence. None of that can be done with Republican funding levels.

How will extra funding eliminate, or even help to abate the largest problem in poor, urban schools: The violence and drugs? The lack of discipline? What could money buy that will change this?

I'm all for better curriculums and better teachers, but funding never seems to go this route...

Think about it: Why is it that back in the 50's, even when public school had funding issues (or in the 30s when there were REAL funding issues), why were public schools not even remotely half as bad as they are now? Why were grades so much higher, and behavior so much better then?

The answer: Higher standards and more discipline. Less attention to teaching sex and more attention to teaching the three Rs. It's not about the money and never has been.

Slightly, but its hardly a big problem.

That you really believe that frightens me. It's a much larger problem than you care to admit.

'but'? That should be 'because'...

And school isn't just for what will immediately become useful in life. Its for learning things, important and less important to your work or life... its for LEARNING.

No. School is for learning about skills that will help you make a living. It should NOT be a new-age cultural enlightenment center or a sexual therapy studio. We don't have the time to waste on this garbage when increasing numbers of high-school seniors can barely read.

Oh, what do you mean by "multiculturalism"? I don't really understand what you mean by it...

Classes for Native-American studies or Tribal African history. Revision of American and European history to include more references to other cultures, and to demonize Anglo-Saxony. Preaching diversity instead of assimilation. Worthless, and ultimately harmful. When people like Stalin and Malcolm X are considered heroes in history is when we have a problem.

As for sex ed, its a very important class. Sure it might not help a lot, but its VERY important to have the class... and it doesn't just teach you how to use condoms.

You admit it's not very helpful, yet you consder it important... VERY important. How important can it be if, as you admit, it doesn't help much?

You're right. It doesn't help much, and you're wrong, it's not important at all. It's not up to the government to teach this sort of thing to children.

Sure everyone hates it but that doesn't mean it should go away, or that it has no use. It does.

You just said it doesn't.

Uh... yeah. Right.



*backs away slowly*

The nice men in the padded van will be here soon...

This in lieu of an actual intelligent response. Let's give the boy a hand!

Ever heard of the idea that public education should be free? I think it makes some sense... saying that people have to PAY for their children go to school -- and if this is private school the bills could be quite high -- is both insane and would be a disasterous idea to implement.

Again, you're obviously not reading what I'm typing. You don't think public school is free, do you? Everyone pays for it, even if they never have children to use it.

As would be turning over all schooling to private schools, for all the reasons that we have mentioned... most of which you don't address... probably because you have no answer.

Do you know the relationship between supply and demand? Obviously not.

Parents? Do you live on Earth or Fantasy-land? That's absurd. Parents should do something but usually don't do enough early enough... it makes sense since its a touchy topic...

No, you can't rely on parents. The schools must do something. Sure kids don't take a lot out of it but if they didn't have that they'd have ONLY rumors to go on, and that'd be a even bigger disaster than the current state of the issue! THINK!

So then it becomes the government's responsibility? Bullshit. People are more sexually irresponsible now than in the times when government did not teach sex ed, so how on earth can you say it's REQUIRED? Are you stupid? This was never a problem when it was up to parents to teach their children about sexuality. I mean, you just come out with the most asanine things sometimes.

What morals? Most of the ones you're probably thinking of adding to curriculums aren't universal...

I'm not talking about adding moral instrution to curriculum. I mean basic morals that you practice in social interaction: Respecting authority, respecting those around you, being polite, work hard... basic tenets of human interaction that are slowly being deleted from society as it has become more liberal.

Sure it could/should be better but its many, many times better than your non-solution to the problem.

History says otherwise. Explain why teenage pregnancy is eponentially higher now than in the days when sexual education was exclusively the parents' duty. Explain how sexual education in school has in the slightest bit done anything to stop it. If having sex-ed taught in schools is "many, many times better" than having parents teach it, why is it that since the implementation of school-taught sexual education have minors become so much more irresponsible sexually?