Lloyd Lofthouse

The Obvious Threat of Public Education to the One Percent

Crazy Normal – the Classroom Exposé

In a recent online discussion, it was argued by one voice that the public schools have failed, because they don’t teach independent thinking.

However, I disagreed.

Evidence that the public schools work well—just not the way the one percent wants—comes from several surveys where the opinions of the top one percent are not included, because they can’t be reached.

I mean, if you wanted to call Bill Gates, Eli Broad, the Walton family or the Koch brothers, and ask them questions to a survey, how easy would that be? It’s obvious that the responses to surveys do not come from the one percent but from the 99 percent who are easier to reach.

Therefore, if anyone really want to know if the public schools do the job they are supposed to do, stop looking at standardized test results and look at the product of the public schools—that product…

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Lloyd Lofthouse

2 responses to “The Obvious Threat of Public Education to the One Percent”

  1. Marilyn Armstrong Avatar
    Marilyn Armstrong

    Like you and everyone else I know, I’m a product of the public school system — in my case, New York. I suspect that all this miserable self-defeating standardized testing is part of the current dissatisfaction with the schools. Most teachers hate it too … but if they want to keep their jobs, they walk the walk and talk the talk. Rote memorization is not going to improve education for anyone. Since you already agree., I’m preaching to the choir.

    Reply
    1. Lloyd Lofthouse Avatar
      Lloyd Lofthouse

      My trouble was that most of the time I refused to “walk the walk” expected of teachers by just about everyone but most teachers, and that meant I was pretty much at war with someone in administration and a few hateful parents–who thought they would blame teachers for everything that’s wrong with their kids (because of their dysfunction as a parent)—for most of the thirty years I was a teacher.

      I’m currently reading an advanced galley proof of “The Teacher Wars, A History of America’s Most Embattled Profession” by Dana Goldstein. I reached page 77 last night with 200 pages to go. Her subtitle is perfect and she clearly makes the case that teachers have been under attack and abused in America for about two hundred years. Goldstein’s book will be out September 2014, and because Doubleday is the publisher, it will probably be priced high. I’ll review it when I finish reading.

      I find it interesting how so many Americans can believe they live in real freedom when there are more people in prison in the United States than any country in the world, and the country with the second largest prison population is China with about half the number locked up in the U.S.

      And China has almost five times the people.

      If the U.S. is such a fantastic place to live, why don’t we end up in the top five for happiness:

      The report identifies the countries with the highest levels of happiness:

      Denmark
      Norway
      Switzerland
      Netherlands
      Sweden

      http://www.earth.columbia.edu/articles/view/2960

      And why does the U.S. have more poverty than any other developed country. UNICEF says the US among highest child poverty rates in developed countries.

      https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/05/30-6

      And if the U.S. is so great, why isn’t the U.S. listed among the ten most peaceful countries in the world:

      According to the GPI, the ten most peaceful countries, in order, from 2013 to 2014 were Iceland, Denmark, Austria, New Zealand, Switzerland, Finland, Canada, Japan, Belgium, and Norway.

      Of 162 countries listed, the U.S. landed #101 while Canada was ranked #7 (#1 being the best).

      Click to access 2014%20Global%20Peace%20Index%20REPORT_0.pdf

      Reply

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