As long as I can remember being a conscious, thinking human being our schools have been subjected to criticism. In the age of Sputnik it was the failure of American schools that put us in jeopardy of losing the space race. I am sure I do not need to remind you that we are the only nation to put men on the moon.
In the 1980s the Japanese were clearly clobbering us economically, in one year accumulating enough of our dollars to buy all the farmland in Iowa, if they chose so. Who was at fault? America’s schools. U.S. citizens even predicted our next war would be with Japan. However, in the 1990s our economy grew at a remarkable rate while Japan’s was stagnant. Perhaps producing robots who have memorized answers to tests is not the way to promote creative thinking.
Bill Denham, in his angry, rambling essay of March 24 continues this tradition of blaming our schools for many social ills, even using the blanket condemnation of “educational malpractice,” and citing the findings of various conservative think tanks to reinforce this criticism. But Mr. Denham and the think tanks he quotes fail to take into account some errors in their thinking.
Cross-cultural comparisons of academic achievement are difficult to make. In many countries some students have left the public schools by age 14 for an apprenticeship in a trade. In some nations these tests determine your future economic life, a situation that motivates students to focus intently on achieving the very best results. In the U.S. students are not so driven to succeed on one test.
Many of these countries have school systems that do not attempt to keep everyone in school. We often look weak in international comparisons since we have a goal of keeping our youngsters in school longer, of educating everyone, and sending a larger proportion to college.
It is true that Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT) scores have fallen since 1965, but most of that drop was from 1965 to 1975. Since then scores have been creeping back up. And there are many who think we should celebrate this drop as it is due to the fact that more are taking the test and going on to higher education.
American public schools do remarkably well when they are provided with the human and economic resources to succeed. Each year more students take and pass the Advanced Placement test and the increase has been particularly evident among minority students. Also, each year more American high school pupils are taking at least three years of math and four years of English.
The Program for International Assessment (PISA) that Mr. Denham refers to is given to 15 year olds in about 60 nations, and many experts consider it a poor measure of what schools are teaching.
It seems as if Mr. Denham saves his most venomous attacks for the teaching profession. Now why are we heaping abuse on a profession that is not known as being mercenary? He seems to think all of our social ills are due to teachers, tenure and teaching organizations.
I started teaching in the Vigo County schools in 1964 (and retired in 2010), but I remember small school systems around here where trustees ran their school districts as virtual fiefdoms. Teachers were told where they had to live, where they were supposed to go to church, and they were fired when they got a few years of experience and their pay was increasing. Low tax rates seemed much more important to the trustees than quality education.
If we judge teaching skill based on tests alone, those tests will become all important, and will be all that is taught. Some of the best teaching I received was from little stories, meandering asides, often not even related to the subject matter, that my teachers told. And don’t we want our students to also have an appreciation for art, music, literature, as well as becoming good citizens? Our public schools have also been charged with the job of assimilating immigrants, being on the forefront of racial integration, and providing the primary means of upward social mobility — Herculean tasks I think all would agree.
Mr. Denham’s criticism of Dr. Bakken, which then spread to America’s university system, was particularly malicious. America’s university is the envy of the world. The United States is ranked number one in the world by UNESCO, with seven of the world’s top 10 colleges being in the U.S. and with a higher percentage of Americans going to post-secondary education than any nation except Canada.
The “Golden Age” of education that people imagine once existed, when the biggest problem teachers had was students chewing gum and passing notes, never really existed. Instead most students then quit school after the eighth grade, special education students were excluded from the public schools, and malcontents were whipped with hickory sticks. I do not think we seriously want to return to those days.
Mr. Denham’s criticism of Superintendent Tanoos also struck me as excessive. I am thankful that we have a superintendent who backs up his teachers, rather than taking a negative, adversarial attitude toward his workforce. Incidentally, I was at that rally and I didn’t see any teachers “whining and crying.” I saw teachers encouraged by the fellowship and solidarity, glad to have it clarified who is for the public schools and who is against them.
Those of you who are critical of teachers — you try standing in front of 36 youngsters, many who don’t want to be there, and who are acutely aware of generational differences. Given that the number one fear of American adults is not tornadoes, not terrorists, not even cancer, but is instead speaking in public — you try it! Prepare a presentation, about an hour long, and see how it holds students’ attention. And then do this four or five times a day, five days a week. First, of course, you have to acquire some expertise in an area of knowledge.
Teachers, I know how easy it is to be overly sensitive to criticism. Don’t let these annoying nags of negativism denigrate your efforts. Continue doing a good job, and strive to be the teacher you wish you would have had when you were in school.
— James A. Eslinger
Terre Haute
Flashpoint
FLASHPOINT: Teachers, don’t let negativity denigrate your efforts
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FLASHPOINT: A legislative session of missed opportunities
Given the nature of politicians, grand claims of accomplishments and overblown rhetoric about “historic” efforts are to be expected at the close of any legislative session.
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FLASHPOINT: Again in 2013 General Assembly, middle class generally ignored
Last year, the people of Indiana entrusted the Republican Party with some of their most precious possessions.
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FLASHPOINT: Indiana lawmakers reinforced school safety mechanisms
Nothing is more important to me than the safety of my children. Every parent has felt that instant, apprehensive rush when their child plays too close to the street or falls down while playing soccer and it is our responsibility as parents to implement every safety mechanism we can muster to protect our kids.
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FLASHPOINT: Lessons from the legacy media — get it right, first
Enough mistakes and maybe we’ll learn: When in doubt, leave it out.
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FLASHPOINT: Hoosiers got steady hand in recent session
As the General Assembly began its work last November, as Speaker of the House, I pledged a renewed spirit of bipartisanship with legislators working together to solve our state’s most pressing challenges. As this year’s legislative session concludes, representatives from throughout the state — Republican and Democrat — have joined together to address those issues at the forefront of Hoosier minds: maintaining our state’s fiscal integrity, spurring job creation and expanding education opportunities for every Hoosier family.
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FLASHPOINT: Time has arrived for overhaul of TV news
Former FCC Chairman Alfred Sikes gave an address in 1992 in which he claimed television news was too superficial and too focused on visuals.
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FLASHPOINT: Fiscal cliff, Obamacare have already raised taxes enough
Our history is rich with stories of people who have immigrated to the United States for a chance at the American Dream. The American Dream, in its truest form, is the opportunity to achieve success by working hard and playing by the rules; to make it on your own and to say, “I earned this.”
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FLASHPOINT: Expanding Medicaid coverage makes sense for Indiana
Since last summer’s U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act effectively gave states the option to expand Medicaid, policymakers across the country have debated if and how to extend health programs to millions of uninsured Americans.
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FLASHPOINT: Improve public education, stop experimenting with it
In January, the four of us who serve as the Democrats on the House Education Committee outlined our hopes for the 2013 session of the Indiana General Assembly, particularly in joining with Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz to offer common sense solutions to improve the quality of education for our children. With the halfway point of this session past us, we remain optimistic that positive steps can be taken … but that optimism is tempered by the reality that education policies are being directed by a legislative majority that has a radically different agenda.
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Healthcare law anniversary no reason for celebration
March 23 marked three years since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law, yet this is not an anniversary that deserves celebration.
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FLASHPOINT: Defending state’s authority is attorney general’s obligation
The law of the land recognizes the authority of states to license marriage.
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FLASHPOINT: Stability key for state’s future
Hoosiers have the unique luxury of being the fiscal envy of the nation due to the sound fiscal policies of the last eight years.
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FLASHPOINT: House budget offers Medicaid solution for Indiana
This week, my U.S. House Budget Committee colleagues and I introduced a federal budget resolution for fiscal year 2014. Our budget is a responsible plan that stops spending money and balances in 10 years — largely through making key reforms to drivers of our debt like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
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FLASHPOINT: Problem gambling in Indiana: A new understanding of community concern
The week of March 3 was designated as National Problem Gambling Awareness Week.
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FLASHPOINT: Eastern time in Indiana defies common sense
Nobody complains more than Hoosiers about changing their clocks. And there’s a valid reason — daylight-savings time in Indiana’s Eastern Time Zone is painful.
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Praying for civil resolution to debate over gun control
Guns are lively ammunition for passionate debate these days.
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FLASHPOINT: It’s not too late to expand health services
This week, state leaders euthanized the biggest, boldest Hoosier jobs proposal of the 2013 session of the Indiana General Assembly.
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FLASHPOINT: You can’t go back again — and that’s OK
Our progressive colleagues have been telling us for years that the 1950s were a horrid time.
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FLASHPOINT: The fierce urgency of now — nation needs to protect youth
The alcohol-fueled alleged serial rape of a 16-year-old Ohio girl by two of her similarly impaired classmates — not to mention the drunken videotaped commentary of others — points yet again to the imperative that adult America renews its commitment to address as a true national community those issues that most threaten the health, safety and forward development of youth.
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FLASHPOINT: A pastor speaks out against Sullivan’s ‘traditional prom’
I am a pastor in Sullivan, Ind., and I am outraged.
Recently, two young students applied to walk the Grand March together in the school prom in Sullivan. -
FLASHPOINT: 0wning firearms is a First Amendment exercise, too
Following the hysteria generated by gun prohibitionists in the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy, a nationwide rush on gun stores began as citizens bought semiautomatic modern sporting rifles, handguns and ammunition, in effect “making a political statement” about proposals to ban such firearms.
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FLASHPOINT: Maintaining the priority
Recently a newspaper article has been written about a change in the by-laws of the Indiana High School Athletic Association which speaks directly to attempted undue influence exerted upon students below the level of grade nine and their parents.
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FLASHPOINT: The fairness of marriage
What is the current Indiana law concerning marriage? Our state defines marriage in a singular way — between a man and a woman.
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FLASHPOINT: We ask state legislators to abide by their oath of office
All of us relish giving unsolicited advice to our elected representatives.
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FLASHPOINT: Mentoring is having major impact on public education
While managing local utility services, Mike Martin found a new way to energize his community, and students are starting to benefit.
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FLASHPOINT: Common Core standards should be common sense
Years ago, when state officials and education experts came together to create new model standards for schools, they probably never expected it to be controversial.
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FLASHPOINT: Milestone year for Rose-Hulman
The Rose-Hulman campus traditionally quiets down this time of year, yet for me I sense a renewed energy from the phenomenal year just closing.
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FLASHPOINT: ISU’s reasoning flawed in flight school planning
ISU and the taxpayers of Indiana and Vigo County are being led down a path of deception once again.
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FLASHPOINT: Incessant attacks on Christianity by the ACLU
It is obviously apparent that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is continuing its onslaught against religious freedom in the United States.
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FLASHPOINT: Americans deserve more value for their tax dollars
While traveling the 8th District and listening to fellow Hoosiers during my first term in Congress, I have reached the conclusion that many constituents do not believe they are getting value for the tax dollars that come out of their paychecks and are sent to Washington, D.C.
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