The notice announcing the Information Night for a new alternative junior high school arrived today, and I don't think I've ever read a more laughable advertisement for a public school or government sponsored program in my life. I suppose if you're somewhat left of center socially or politically, this will sound wonderful. To the rest of us, all I can say is oh my God!
It's called "The Renaissance School of Art and Reasoning" and will be located within Eastlake High School. I'm not kidding. But if you think putting 7th and 8th graders (9th graders starting in 2007) into a high school doesn't sound bad enough, here is the description of the school provided on the meeting notice.
"At Renaissance School students develop in an environment of artistry, rigor, and warmth; learn to think and act using multiple approaches and perspectives; are known and nurtured as important individuals who have an active concern for their community and society. The school's program integrates reasoning, artistic, and community building skills to support the learning of important content."I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I know, though, that if the cirriculum lives up to the impression left by this description, that the left can never complain again about home schooling or vouchers. This publicly funded school for liberal education should provide ample evidence to counter any complaints.
2 comments:
Go for it. I try and keep up to date but sometimes life gets in the way.
Liberals don't complain about home schooling. And this concept of choice schools has nothing to do with vouchers. The parents who will send their kids to these schools will not get any tax breaks. Their tax money will not be taken out of the system and the Choice schools are open to every child in the district on the basis of a lottery system.
I know the right doesn't want kids to be able to use anything as arcane as reasoning, but I don't know what you have against the philosophy of the school. Could you "enlighten" me?
Liberals oppose home schooling, and everyone knows it. It challenges the credibility of public education and shows it to be flawed with every test score.
Nothing to do with vouchers? It sure does. If the Left is going to oppose vouchers out of fear that the right will develop a school system using taxpayer dollars that doesn't rely on a leftist curriculum, then the right certainly has argument that the left shouldn't use tax dollars to create a liberal indoctrination system either.
If I can't use my tax dollars to send my kids to the school of my choice, then I don't want my tax dollars used to create liberal arts schools so Liberals can send their kids there on my dime. If a parent wants to send their kids to this liberal school, then let them pay for it above and beyond what they pay in taxes, just like all the other parents who choose to send their kids to private schools. Then we'll see just how long this curriculum will survive and not waste taxpayer dollars on liberal experiments in brainwashing.
I have nothing against a school that promotes a program of "artistry, rigor, and warmth", whatever that means, just as the left should have nothing against a school that promotes religion, values and morality. I just don't think that the taxpayer should have to fund one with their taxes while the other must be funded on top of the taxes we all pay for our public education system. And the suggestion that a choice school is the choice if you want your child to learn how to reason is more of a criticism of our public education system than any argument I've made.
Choice schools, in my humble opinion, demonstrate the public education establishment's bias towards alternatives to our public schools that focus on reading, writing and mathematics. As far as I'm concerned, that is what public education should focus on, and leave the alternatives to the private sector that will fill the gaps as parents demand. And if government is going to get into the business of providing alternatives to basic public education, then they better support all the alternatives and not just the environments that breed Democrats.
"I know the right doesn't want kids to be able to use anything as arcane as reasoning."
That's funny. I'll remember that the next time the left gleefully reports their latest death scorecard in Iraq or argues against Social Security reform.
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