Blog Comment of the Week: Which Candidate is Out of Touch When It Comes to Education?
Friday October 24, 2008
This week's Blog Comment of the Week is in response to Obama and McCain's comments on Education from the final presidential debate. I excerpted and highlighted each candidate's comments for easy comparison, and Diane has this to say about the issue:
"I personally do not [think that] either candidate is “out of touch” when it comes to education. We (America) need to improve and it is obvious.... Children are being raised by schools all over this country, by overworked underpaid, teachers that easily feel the burn out. Until we have an economy that will allow the average parent (not the wealthy) to actually be a parent this problem is not likely to go away. In my opinion McCain is out of touch with what the average US citizen encounters on a daily basis and what they need in terms of educating their children."With the election just a week or so away, what final judgments are solidifying in your mind about how teachers' lives will be in an Obama administration vs. a McCain administration? With the current economic meltdown, will Education even be near the top of the next president's domestic agenda?
Comments
… and the Democrats who have been in charge of education for the past 50 years have done what? At least with McCain we see a chance of more choice in the education of our children and less political activism for positions that we do not espouse. From two teachers with a combined 89 years of experience.
Sadly, the majority of people out there in the wide country, place the promise of the future on this or that candidate, and utter the mantra “My chosen candidate will do this for ME!, And yours will not”
Neither Obams, nor Macaine can, or will do much to enhance the educational landscape for our kids. For the most part, the pay that teachers recieve is set by YOU and the local education board, and is directly funded through your local taxes. Washington can, will, and does toss a bone our way every now and then, but it remains that you pay the tab. The quality and quantity of educaton is in your (the voter-tax payer’s) hands. want better schools in your area? VOTE them into existance through local millages. WANT BETTER TEACHERS? Pay them a better salery, but see that they are doing thier jobs. Weed out the poor ones. All the promises from the political wanna-be group will not buy a single brick or sheet of paper for the school system. Look to your selves, not ‘Big Brother’
Education will change when parents stop leaving it up the government to educate their children. Take the responsibility and raise your children yourself. Obama is more likely to take away even more parental rights and responsibility, leaving a greater hole in the education of our children. I am for parents doing what they should be doing for their children. I have five children and have been a stay at home mom for over 26 years. We have done well on one income and I have homeschooled my children who are now college graduates and responsible citizens. It is not our economy that keeps parents from doing what they should do for their children but their own selfishness to satisfy their own desires while they let someone else raise their children.
I agree – parents need to take more responsibility for the education of their own children, but they need to have choices, and that’s McCain’s strength. I get tired of our teachers’ unions pushing Obama and the democratic candidates down our throats. I’m a teacher, but I’m also a tax payer, and who will pay for the pie in the sky promises of more wealth for all and fewer taxes??? WE WILL – it appears that Obama would let Bush’s tax cuts expire in two years and not renew them, so we will have a tax increase. You can’t legislate involved parents but you can’t overtax the middle class, either….
I believe that Senator Obama understands the difficulty of our educational system – perhaps even moreso than (McCain) or Governor Palin. It is our obligation to provide a globally competitive education to ALL OF OUR Children. We owe it to them! Because of single parent families and busy schedules, we as parents, do not have the time, resources or energy that is sometimes required – and therefore our children are shortchanged.
I also believe Senator Obama will be more likely to review the National Testing requirements – No child left behind, etc. and provide resources for our teachers and schools that will enhance their ability to learn.
Do we not all share the common goal for our children? That they be equally equipped to compete in a global economy?
I think Obama / Biden will provide for our educational system more fairly. I’ve heard Senator McCain announce “no new spending” and freeze on Governmental programs – that would include the educational system.
Bottom line- Go Vote! Teach your children that it matters and lead by example!
Generally speaking, Democrats have been better for public education than Republicans. They have provided more support intellectually and financially for public schools. Obama seems to be more in touch with the realities of teaching in our public schools and has some ideas worth pursuing. McCain’s ideas will actually weaken our public schools. Please consider the following points in making your decision to support Obama or McCain this November.
One, Obama wants incentives for young teachers just out of college to seek jobs in districts that have more challenges and students who are more difficult to teach. Incentives could be tax breaks or forgiving college loans for so many years of teaching in those schools.
Two, he wants to review the No Child Left Behind Law and take a second look at the pros and cons of testing. Both of these are great ideas. Many parents and teachers report that we have entirely too much testing. We know what the problems our. We just need the will to attack those problems. Thinking that we can improve schools by merely giving more tests makes as much sense as saying we can fatten a calf by weighing it more often. Three, he has questions about the advisability of public ally financed vouchers for private schools. McCain is a strong advocate for vouchers for private schools and for charter schools. Obama is not. He seems some possibility but he still has questions. While vouchers seem like a good idea on the surface, there are several problems with them.
One, parents using vouchers appear to have more choice in that they theoretically can select the school of their choice for their children. However, the private school may not allow them to enroll. Private schools set their own enrollment standards and will not accept those students who do not meet their standards. This fact limits the choice of those parents who want to use vouchers when they choose a particular school but that school does not choose to enroll their children.
Two, vouchers do not pay the full cost of tuition for attending a private school. Hence, once again, they give the appearance of providing choice. While they may provide some financial assistance, they do not cover the full cost of a private education. Parents would have to make up the difference from their own pocketbooks. Thus, the promise of choice becomes an illusion of choice. As such, it presents a false hope.
Three, providing public money to parents to pursue private education weakens the system of public education. Financing public education is already in trouble, especially in large cities with a declining tax base. Using public monies for private schools weakens our public schools and undermines our democracy. We need a strong system public education to maintain our system of democracy.
For these reasons, and there are many others, voting for Democrats in general and Obama in particular, is a better choice for Americans to make in the voting booths this November 4. Most educators know this. Sadly, however, many do not.
Correction to posting # 6. The next to the last paragraph did not come through on this web site system. So, here it is preseented below. GEL
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Three, providing public money to parents to pursue private education weakens the system of public education. Financing public education is already in trouble, especially in large cities with a declining tax base. Using public monies for private schools weakens our public schools and undermines our democracy. We need a strong system public education to maintain our system of democracy.
I agree that parents need to realize teachers cannot do anything except present concepts, but the concept of practicing at home, or HOMEWORK, is almost extinct in our homes. Only a few DO the homework, kids whine and complain until the parents blame the TEACHERS for the assignments, as though it was a disfavor to the family that we DARE send homework! How do we DARE interfere with video game time?!?..or TV watching at night. Parents need to take FULL responsibility, and USE the trained teachers as resources, and PRAISE the fact we even still have public schools to help them. We shouldn’t be teaching sex, social life, habits like tying shoes even – but we ARE. No wonder academics are down – it is due to POOR PARENTING as a whole.
I’ve been a teacher for a years at the elementary, secondary, and college level. I think both candidates want the “best: for all students overall. The issue I have with Obama is what I see as the wrong focus for education policy. I don’t believe that young people should be left open to be indoctrinated or politicized at a young age. Education is a time for learning many ideas, not being pushed to support one political candidate/position in lieu of another.
Ayers, Obama’s colleague at the Annenberg foundation, has stated openly that the purpose of education is not to deiver skills, but to use education for social justics and radical political change. Children need to learn solid basic skills to become productive citizens. They do not need to be pawns for ANY political agenda. Schools should be apolitical. Period.
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