Stop Learning So Fast

by John Hawkins | June 5, 2003 2:44 pm

Stop Learning So Fast Children!: If we had a real voucher system set-up, any parent with a gifted kid at Mt. Diablo high school could move their kids to a decent school that actually meets their needs. But instead, they’re being forced to put up with this[1]…

“In a 3-2 vote, the Mt. Diablo school board on May 27 decided against offering a pre-honors English course for freshmen. Board president Gary Eberhart and trustees Bill Leal and April Treece voted against the course, saying they did not agree with separating students based on academic abilities. Trustees Dick Allen and Linda Mayo supported the proposed class, which would have been an elective for students seeking more advanced instruction.”

They don’t, “agree with separating students based on academic abilities.” So they think the kids with genius level IQs and the kids who can barely write their own names should be taking the same English classes?!? It just boggles the mind that people with sort of mentality are sitting on a school board making decisions that effect how children are educated. Here’s some of the brilliant reasoning behind that decision…

“Eberhart said he is concerned about offering advanced English courses when a significant number of high school students are not meeting basic proficiency standards and cannot pass the high-school exit exam.

“I think that our first priority has to be ensuring that our students can attain a level of competency. And once we’ve accomplished that, then we can look at expanding,” he said.

“It’s kind of a horse-before-the-cart kind of thing.”

So in other words, since the school is failing to educate a lot of the average students, it wouldn’t be fair to let the students who are excelling get the education they deserve. Instead, they’ll just drag the most successful students down to everyone else’s level — is that the idea?

If only we had a real voucher program in this country those parents would have gotten the pre-honors English course for freshmen that they wanted or they could have voted with their feet. With the exorbitant amount of money we spend on education in this country, there is absolutely no reason that only wealthy parents should be able to say, “to heck with this, we’re getting our kids out of Mt. Diablo and sending them to a private school”. Maybe that’s something Bush can try to get passed if he wins a second term…

Hat Tip to Daily Pundit[2] for finding this one.

Endnotes:
  1. put up with this: http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/news/local/states/california/counties/contra_costa_county/cities_neighborhoods/concord/6018731.htm
  2. Daily Pundit: http://www.dailypundit.com/

Source URL: https://rightwingnews.com/uncategorized/stop-learning-so-fast/