“Mass public education is one of the great achievements of American society,” Noam Chomsky

In a recent article, Noam Chomsky discusses the ‘assault on public education’ and how the ‘failures’ in public education are bad for all of society–and not simply those who avail themselves (or can avail themselves) of that education–; but, also, that these failures are ‘failures by design’.

Here Chomsky is making reference to the Economic Policy Institute’s recent publication of the same title: Failure By Design.

For much of its history mass public education’s purpose was not to emancipate citizen’s rather, as Ralph Emerson noted, it was to give them enough education to “keep them from our [political leaders'] throats”; while, on the other hand, ensuring that this education duly “[l]imit[ed] their perspectives and understanding, discourage[d] free and independent thought, and train[ed] them for obedience.” Such an approach is what, in part, Adam Smith declared as a ‘vile maxim’.

Much to the conservative leaders’ chagrin, the 60′s and 70′s witnessed a period where citizens were clearly not satisfied with simply being trained for obedience. Instead, this ‘outbreak’ of liberalism caused so much concern that the 1% deemed it an ‘attack on their prized way of life’.

From however inauspicious beginnings, and irrespective of the colossal attempts of the 1% to keep the 99% in silent and obedient submission, public education flowered and, with it, we witnessed the rise of civil society, rights, autonomy, as well as the emancipation of a myriad of groups historically denied that very autonomy (and, of which, the 1% was intent on maintaining that status quo).

Unfortunately, for all its success–both south of our border and here at home in Canada–we may be witnessing a successful final assault by the 1% in their bid to keep us down and obedient.

The attack is occurring by governments on both sides of the border who have been consciously and willfully setting up public services in such a way as to be doomed to failure; that is ensuring ‘failure by design’ by de-funding, under-funding, union-busting, undermining collective bargaining (and often outright ignoring contracts they’ve signed off on in the past that do not suit their ulterior ends now), and/or by selling off what have been long standing public commons to the private sector–often under the guise of the private sectors fictitious ability to provide the same services, but more efficiently.

The private sectors favored trope–however wide-spread and uncritically received–has been re-soundly trounced. Although we’re constantly barraged with the narrative that this is simply the way things are, Chomsky and the EPI are quick to note (and substantiate) that “there have always been alternatives.”

As Chomsky notes what we really have is a “nanny state for the rich…called “the free market.”

In regards to education, Chomsky further notes that “The Enlightenment ideal of education was captured in the image of education as laying down a string that students follow in their own ways, developing their creativity and independence of mind.”

If their trope is accepted as uncritically as it has been, the 1% may well be feeding us–the 99%–enough ‘string’ to be hanged by.

Nero fiddles as Rome burns

The Current ‘Liberal’ government, much like Harper’s Conservative federally, has moved to radically change how politics is done in BC and in Canada. Much as Harper has hidden from public scrutiny, tried to control the press, and limit public discourse, so too has BC Premier, Christy Clark. It has become quite clear that Clark is not taking public concerns into account any more than she is speaking for British Columbian’s as a whole–let alone putting ‘Families First’.

The new spokesperson, Sara MacIntyre, previously affiliated with the right wing (and strategically, but disingenuously, named) Canadian Tax-Payers Federation (Stevie Harper’s old stomping grounds), can be seen in this video as absolutely dismissing the role of the press.

Irrespective of the problems with contemporary media, the reality is–warts and all–we need the media to be able to get information in a timely and balanced manner (again, warts and all).

Here we can see what the ‘media director’ is really: a block between the elected officials and the media (and public).

This is not surprising given that, in addition to her noted and continued absence from the public stage, Christy Clarke has been–quite recently, but also historically–dismissing the role of debate in democracy. When the teachers went on strike and when the NDP began debating Bill C-22, Clarke was on record as saying that she didn’t understand the purpose of all this debate and action because the Bill is a foregone conclusion.

If folks don’t understand how this is an affront to public debate and democracy, then we’re in more trouble than I had originally thought…

That such a radical turn of political attitude has occurred both federally, with Harper’s radical re-invention of the Conservatives, and provincially (it is important to note, too, that several Clark staffers have worked within Harper’s office as well); and, this has occurred so very quickly without a ground swell of popular dissent.

This is troubling, to say the least…what is great and good about Canada, and British Columbia, is slowly being eroded from right under our feet…Nero is fiddling….

Sign the Petition to the Lt. Gov.

There is a (official) petition put up by Dan Laidlaw (a teacher at South Kamloops Secondary School) aiming to ask the BC Lt. Gov. to deny Royal Assent to the Liberals Bill C-22.

 

Please consider singing this petition.

 

From the petition site:

 

“The Bill erodes democratic rights and due process, for educators but potentially for all labour negotiations. It puts the government beyond the jurisdiction of the courts and thus denies citizens the opportunity to pursue recourse and to negotiate fairly with employers. The bill is totalitarian, unnecessary, and does not belong in a democratic country.”

 

Timely Articles Regarding the (non) Necessity of the Liberal ‘Net Zero’ Policies and Why We’re Really ‘On Strike’

We’ve listened to the government, the media, and average walk-a-day folks on the street talk about how, in these fiscally lean times, BC cannot afford anything other than a ‘net zero’ approach to collective bargaining.

Many teachers, not surprisingly, have also accepted such statements as true. No doubt this is due, at least in part, to our being inundated over the past several years with apocalyptic news of the economic upheavals in the US. Add to this the last year or so upheaval, instability, and uncertainty in the Canadian economy and it should come as no surprise that people everywhere feel a bit shell-shocked.

However, a few analysts have looked closely at this received wisdom from the BC Liberals and found the economic evidence in support of such grandiose claims lacking.

Instead these researchers demonstrate–using the governments own data–that the current circumstances are politically motivated, not economically caused.

The Centre for Policy Alternatives’ Iglika Ivanova (Public Interest Researcher at the CCPA’s BC Office) has written an article entitled “The false economy of BC Budget 2012: deficit exaggerated to avoid spending on real problems.”

This is indeed a timely article. In it, she explains how the Liberal budget and the conclusions and policies drawn from it are based upon the Liberlas’ own political ideology and not on economic exigency or reality. In fact, at one point, responding to Premier Christy Clarke’s finance minister, Kevin Falcon’s, claims regarding the necessity of ‘fiscal prudence’, Ivanova demonstrates that the Liberals are “deliberately underestimating the amount of money the government has to work with to pre-empt the public debate on priorities.”

Will McMartin, a long time policy analyst, has recently written a similar article in the Tyee. It’s entitled, “The Era of Tax Cut Stupidity that Starved BC.”

In this article, McMartin adds to Ivanova’s numbers that the Liberal government not only had an opportunity to support real growth in BC, but, due to the same political ideology behind their ‘net zero’ mandate–they’ve acted to stymie that growth to the detriment of all but the wealthiest in BC.

Finally, the Conferance Board, an industry think tank (and, therefore, hardly to be accused of being ‘leftist’) recently released a report stating that the “Western provinces have been unfazed by an economic slowdown hitting the rest of the country.” Furthermore, the Western provinces “are a magnet for new Canadians, lured west by job prospects in the resources industries” (statistics also supported by Stats Can).

With increased immigration comes increased families and, then, one is left wondering about why the BC government is continually harping (or, perhaps, Harper-ing) on the citizens of BC about the need to reduce Vancouver schools due to declining enrollment (especially when we know that the population decline in Vancouver has plateaued and is expected to grow over the next years and decades).

Finally, although it should be evident that the major obstacle to bargaining a collective agreement has been due to the refusal of the Liberals (and their lapdog: the BCPSEA) to bargain reasonably or in good faith, it should also now be apparent that the real reason behind the strike teachers are participating in is not due to equal inability to reach a resolution, rather the governments refusal to be reasonable.

Again, the CCPA’s Iglika Ivanova has written an article–”BC isn’t broke: putting teacher bargaining in perspective”–explaining why this is the case.

Somewhat astonishingly, the Vancouver Sun’s ‘Inside Edge’ has also come out saying that if blame is to be laid it need be laid at the feet of this ‘Liberal’ government.

All of thee articles are, as I said, ‘timely’ because reading them will allow teachers to explain why ‘net zero’ is not necessary and why it is the approach of this Liberal government that has led us to this strike.

Many walk-a-day folks that we’ve talked to on even this first day of the strike are–however ill-informed–genuinely concerned about the economy. It may be that the media is partly to blame by exaggerating these times as dire, but these folks are–nonetheless–genuinely concerned.

now, armed with facts and figures, we on the line can help disabuse these otherwise earnest folks of these spoon-fed sound bytes that the media and this government have used to distract them from the truth.

 

The Internet or: How you can learn to stop worrying about and love the internet…

John Naughton, of the Guardian’s, Observer, will be releasing his his latest book in January 2012. Its entitled, What You Really Need to Know About the Internet: From Gutenberg to Zuckerberg.

This is an extended version of his excellent 2010 essay “The Internet: Everything You Ever Needed to Know.” The essay is an informative read for those unsure, unaware, insecure, or afraid of the internet…as well as those who believe the internet will fix education.

I’d also suggest that either those teachers who believe technology is the next phase of education as well as those teachers who still don’t have an email read Todd Oppenheimer’s article, “The Computer Delusion,” in conjunction with Naughton’s essay.

If interested, Oppenheimer’s essay became a highly informative and balanced expose regarding trends of technology and computers in classroom. Oppenheimer’s book, The Flickering Mind: Saving Education From the False Prophet of Technology is informative and packed with real-world examples and applications. Despite the title, Oppenheimer is not against technology, rather his is a cautious and informed approach.

A Google books preview is available here.

There’s also a good review–albeit leaning to the technology optimists’ side–here.

Because the book will not be available until the opening of 2012 here’s a few comments upon Naughton’s essay and forthcoming book:

From the byline of John Naughton’s Observer essay:

“In spite of all the answers the internet has given us, its full potential to transform our lives remains the great unknown. Here are the nine key steps to understanding the most powerful tool of our age – and where it’s taking us.”

From BoingBoing on John Naughton’s book:

“John Naughton’s latest book, From Gutenberg to Zuckerberg, What You Really Need to Know About the Internet, expands on his spectacular Observer feature article, “The internet: Everything you ever need to know”, which I [Corey Doctrow, of BoingBoing] described as “a marvel of economy, the kind of primer you want to slide under your boss’s door.”

Gutenberg to Zuckerberg fills an important gap in the published literature of the Internet: a fast, thoughtful, thought-provoking read for intelligent people who don’t quite get the Internet. We all know these sorts of people — often powerful and accomplished, but at a disadvantage in that they got their start before the net came along. These people struggle to put the Internet in perspective, buffeted on the one side by colleagues who reassure them by telling them that the transformative nature of the net is overstated; on the other by juniors, analysts and press who tell them that they’re doomed unless they rebuild their lives around the net.

Naughton, a seasoned business journalist, sums up the big, important effects that the Internet has in a very quick read, placing them in historical perspective, projecting to their plausible futures, warning of their imminent dangers. From copyright to collective action, from governance to e-commerce, Naughton’s book sets out, in reasonable, measured tones, the systemic underpinnings of the net’s disruptive power, and promises attentive readers the theoretical and practical grounding they need to separate hype from hope.”

Excellent Harper’s Article on Being a Teacher.

Garret Keizer recently wrote one of the most honest and insightful articles on being a teacher that I have ever read.

It is available in the most recent (September) Harper’s magazine and, because he is a free-lance writer, I would urge people to purchase the magazine ($8) to read it because this will support both Harper’s and writers like Keizer.

It is also available in pdf form here. Again, I would urge you to buy the magazine to support writers like Keizer.

Critical Thinking Resources

Here are a few resources regarding critical thinking that teachers might find useful.

First, Roland Case’s The Critical Thinking Consortium (TC2) is a BC based organization that has been around for some time. I’ve talked to Roland several times over the years and have been to several of his professional development workshops: both as a secondary teacher and as an adult educator. He’s a dynamic, experienced, approachable, and humble fellow, and he’s a wealth of practical knowledge.

His organization’s website is here–look for the free publication: The Thinking Teacher available here. Just follow the links for the archives.

Second, folks may be interested in following this new initiative by the editor of The Skeptical Inquirer, Michael Shermer, here.

Shermer is putting out a call for teachers–of all levels–to send in their syllabi for critical thinking courses. His is posted and you can download it here.

Shermer’s is meant for a university level, but I think over time you’ll see quite a wide variety of syllabi posted online (check some of the comments already on the blog).

Third, I’ve been associated with the Foundation for Critical Thinking for several years now and I’ve found them to be an incredible resource. They are a bit formulaic, but once you’ve gotten used to their approach you realize that it is quite an efficient and directly applicable one.

You can order their critical thinking guides. They are quite useful, informative, and cheap.

You can peruse sections of the pamphlets online.

The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking: Concepts and Tools

The Thinker’s Guide to Analytic Thinking

The Thinker’s Guide to Educational Fads Which is, I’d suggest, a must read for teachers!

Fourth, Carl Sagan’s “Baloney Detection Kit” is an invaluable and simple approach to understanding what we can do when we find ourselves–teachers and students alike–faced with overwhelming and often contradictory claims about the world and the products around us. It can be downloaded for free here.

This version is a re-presentation of Sagan’s from Michael Shermer’s TED lecture, available here.

Sagan’s original “Baloney Detection Kit” can be found either in his excellent book, Demon Haunted World, or you can find an edited version on Google Books here.

This is a book I cannot suggest strong enough to anyone interested in critical thinking.

Stephen Lewis’ Eulogy for Jack Layton

Stephen Lewis’ eulogyfor Jack Layton.

A fine tribute and who better to send Jack off than Stephen Lewis.

As Jack noted in his letter: “Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one – a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity. We can build a prosperous economy and a society that shares its benefits more fairly. We can look after our seniors. We can offer better futures for our children. We can do our part to save the world’s environment. We can restore our good name in the world…”

“We’re all shaken by grief,” Lewis stated, “but I believe we’re all being steadied by a new resolve, and I see that resolve in words written in chalk, and in a fresh determination on people’s faces; a resolve to honour Jack by bringing the politics of respect for all, respect for the earth, and respect for principle and generosity back to life.”

One of the most important messages in Mr. Lewis’ eulogy was, I believe, his referring to Canada specifically as a ‘social democracy’ as opposed to our now ill-fitting ‘constitutional monarchy’.

Lewis ends with this apt quote from Arundhati Roy: “‎Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”

Will Canadians stand to this resolve..? Will we listen for her breathing..?

Will the momentum–the message–build or will we let it dwindle…

Jack Layton’s Farewell ‘Letter to Canadians’

UPDATE: For folks in the GVRD area there’s a movement afoot to name the 10th Avenue bike lane “Jack Layton Way.” You can get more information here.

Today, Canada lost one of its most important political leaders.

Jack Layton, irrespective of political affiliations, was one of the few politicians Canadians felt inspired by–a rare thing in these days of cynicism and apathy.

His last “Letter to Canadians” is here.

On this website are also links to send condolences to his family.

The family has asked that, in lieu of flowers (etc) people consider supporting the fight against cancer, or donate to the Broadbent Institute opening this fall.

Jack Layton: 1950-2011

What Is Needed For Meaningful Educational Reform To Occur?

A two part opinion piece by Will Cullen.

Part One: The View From Within

Part Two: Schools As Reflections Of Society At Large