A Dad’s Story
- on 07.14.05
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West suburban Dad and activist Dave Ziffer tells his experience with his school district. Below are some excerpts.
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Recently we’ve all been inundated with a lot of ed establishment propaganda suggesting that if only we would reduce class sizes and/or improve the “quality” of incoming teachers (whatever that means), then we would have better public schools. To that I say: hogwash.
When I approached my district authorities eight years ago to discuss the enormous problems that I preceived in my two daughters’ educations, I quickly discovered that my district’s concept of education and my concept of education had nothing to do with each other. Not only was I surprised that my district representatives did not share my views, but I was simply amazed at how brazenly and arrogantly they informed me that 1) my ideas were inappropriate and 2) there was no hope of my ever getting anything I wanted from the district. |
This is the attitude in most school districts. We had several issues with District 45 schools in Villa Park when my oldest was in Kindergarten and again in second grade with this same arrogance of “we know better than you the parent. We’re trained after all and you are biased because it is your kid.”
Mr Ziffer talks about how his wife tried first with the teachers and principal. He then started with the Superintendent and then on to the School Board. He got the following responses from the School Board members (emphasis mine):
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Her response was to tell me in an aggravated voice never to call her again.
After listening on the phone to my voicing of this same set of concerns and requests, my second school board member responded, quite simply, “Maybe the public schools aren’t for you.” The most receptive of the three board members I contacted actually went out to lunch with me a couple of times to discuss my concerns. At the end of the second meeting, he informed me that the district would never go along with my concept of education, and that I was “up against one of the most powerful unions in the country.” Translation? The district is going to do whatever the teachers damn well please, and to hell with me and my needs. |
He ends with the following:
| What my district wants is more teachers who’ve spent more years of their lives immersed in the study of Multiple Intelligences, group work, amateur psychology, “democratic classrooms”, whole language, and left-wing political philosophy (in order to strengthen support for their union). And I’ll bet your district wants the same things. |
I am sure our district has been exactly like this under the reign of Dr. Anderson. I understand he was a fan of Deming. If you don’t know who he is visit this site and know that he has a 14 point plan for Total Quality Management. Here are some of the ways his theories and its off chutes are used in regards to education (Source – Looking For Renewal Ideas In Education by N. Davies):
- Deming shifted the focus away from the individual and towards the system.
- Throw behaviorism out
- Get rid of punishments and rewards
- Forget grades – ‘quality’ is what matters
- Work is ‘passed’ upon reaching a standard
- abolish failure
- Competition is the past, the future is co-operation
- Stop demeaning them
- Understand how systems behave. Learn to manage them
| What we really need is an entirely new system where a variety of competing service providers can align themselves closely with the desires of their respective customer niches. Until my education service provider agrees with me about what constitutes a good education, discussions of all other topics are immaterial. |
Mr. Ziffer gets it. We need to fund the child so the parents can choose the best school for their child. Parents still have the right to educate their children the way they believe is best. They know the child the best. They know them better than any teacher or Educrat will ever know them.
You want funding reform, tell you legislator to fund the children and not the district. You’ll see dramatic changes in the education system. You’ll also see Big Ed fight you every step of the way. Try telling a long time Educrat that you think funding the child would be a great idea and it’s for the kids. Just watch their reaction. I’ll bet most Educrats will go into this long diatribe about how it will hurt the school system overall and that they don’t agree with that type of funding. If they react that way, you’ll know that they are protecting the system and not interested in what is best for the kids. They’re fine with helping the kids as long as it preserves the status quo of their power inside the Government/Education complex.
“I am sure our district has been exactly like this under the reign of Dr. Anderson.”
and just how much time did you actually spend in the system to experience this. lennie? i believe you’ve been here a year or 2, spent maybe a year in the system? as one who is actually proactive in CCSD46, i can tell you you are way off base on this one; well, most every one for that matter.
anything to say about you and your wife’s little prank on the d46.info board? bruno…i mean cat still got your tounge?