Lean Production: Inside the war on public education

[SunSeeker]

15. Charter schools? I thought you wanted videos replacing teachers.

"It is no doubt unsatisfied customers (like myself) who are trying to bring about the charter schools..."

Much has been said about charter schools on this board by folks with way more experience than me with the subject, and from what I can tell, charter schools are a disaster. You have even less control over a charter school than you do a public school. The public schools in my school district DO allow you to "take your business down the street" in the sense that you can pick any elementary school in the district to enroll your kid. So the schools do compete with one another and are among the best in CA. People pay a premium for houses around here just so their kids can be in the school district. And no, teachers are not "laboring under the misconception that technology can't improve learning in the classroom." My kid's elementary school is constantly putting on fundraisers trying to raise money for more Smartboards, ipads, and computers in every classroom. Fortunately, we live in an upper middle class area where the parents can afford to donate a lot of money to the schools. Kids in poor neighborhoods are generally not so lucky.

But sticking to the point at hand, I can't believe you are seriously suggesting that the very important human interaction needed for effective teaching can be accomplished through a video screen. Of course videos like "Schoolhouse Rock" make a nice addition to reinforce what a teacher is presenting, but they cannot replace the teacher, especially for the very labor-intensive teaching needs of the young.

I am very sorry that you have never had a teacher who inspired you. But the reason our schools are failing is because we are starving them for resources, not because "teachers heap too much praise on one another."