By James Allen
Sunday, September 01, 2013
A new cornerstone piece on public education by Allison
Benedikton on Slate.com titled, "If You Send Your Kid to Private School,
You Are a Bad Person," was shocking but consistent and clearly revealed
that liberals value the word “education,” as long as the word “public,”
precedes it. According to the author, public schools continue to fail because
parents are sending their children to private schools, instead of public
schools. Parents who spend their hard earned money to send their children to
private schools are in fact destroying the fabric of America’s public
education: which is immoral. For liberals, abortion is not a moral issue but
rather an issue of liberty and choice. Education whether public, private or
charter, should have the same application of liberty and personal choice.
Unfortunately, allowing freedom and choice in education would require an
admission of failure and for liberals to turn their back on a core government
institution.
This is because liberals value community more than the
first and primary institution, which is “The Family.” Liberals believe that
public education equals strong community and that all people have an obligation
to community before family. Since community is more important than family, we
are therefore obligated to send our children to public schools that are
failing. Liberals would also suggest that we invest our time and other
resources to improve the failing schools, as if other options did not exist.
Truthfully, I feel no such obligation to public education nor can I
intellectually rationalize sentencing my child to state education for the sake
of the greater good. Public schools need good students and good parents and I
understand that, but not at the cost of my child’s future.
So in applying this blind allegiance, if I live near a
failing public school –which many people do – I have an obligation to send my
children to that school. I also by implication of this argument have an
obligation to fight for what my child needs as in new computers, AP classes,
and specialized education. Liberals believe that property taxes are not enough,
even for parents who pay for public education and do not use it and also pay
for private education. Liberals want more than our money they want our flesh
and blood and for us to sacrifice our children on the public school alter no
matter the cost. Instead, I would rather send my child to a school where I
believe they will be educated, instead of learning how to be busy worker bees
producing widgets. It is my belief that classes in formal logic, centered in a
classical education, will provide my child with an ancient forgotten skill: the
ability to think and reason properly.
In my opinion, public education is as bad as public
restrooms or public swimming pools. People become accustomed to free stuff and
then develop a sense of entitlement believing they deserve community pools and
free lunches. Feeling that we have certain natural rights and actually having
them are two completely different things. I feel I have a natural right to dunk
a basketball and play in the NBA, but no matter how hard I practice, playing in
the NBA is not possible because I am a 170-pound short white guy. The
government does not give rights to people and our constitution only protects
our natural rights from the threat of government. Liberals and progressives in
the Democratic Party have an agenda that is connected to a misguided worldview
and it starts in public education.
Liberals value equality and so do conservatives, but the
definition of that word is used very differently between conservatives and
liberals. I believe human beings have natural rights by the very nature of
being human, whereas liberals believe their rights come from government.
Conservatives believe in equality of opportunity, as all men and women being
equal before God. Liberals on the other hand believe in equality of outcomes,
where everyone becomes so equal that no one really has anything at all.
Applying the equality of outcomes to education is not
only foolish but also dangerous. I will send my child to a school where their
talent will be cultivated and they will learn how to think. In short, any
school that is in line with my values is where I want my child to attend.
Leave the public schools to liberals and to people who do
not care and wish to die on the hill of public education reform. The longer we
suffer the fools of government the longer they can pretend their grand ideas
are working. I do believe in community and in the importance of education. What
we are missing is not the want or desire for community and better education,
but an actual foundation for community to exist.
No comments:
Post a Comment