Lifestyle > Train of Thought
We Should Cut Special Education
Russell Bell:
Everyone knows that education is getting fucked in this economy, meaning bigger classes, teachers getting laid off, teachers can't find jobs, etc. No news here.
Special education compared to other "regular" education is fucking expensive. For example, here in california, 1 autistic kid costs about 45k a yr (source a local newspaper).
Now Im not saying cut EVERYTHING, i'm just saying this: let the schools make reasonable decisions, ditch the federal laws that require all special ed kids to be mainstreamed (if the parents choose) into regular classes (which ends up bad for kids who dont get proper education and bad for teachers who arent equipped to deal with the special ed kid), and end this idea that every special ed kid needs to be educated; meaning the classes that essentially serve as day care centers for kids who literally cant talk and cant do anything shouldnt be at a public school (a LEARNING institution) - this would primarily apply to severly handicapped that will never be able to do anything on their own anyway and not the slightly slow kid who will at least end up working at the neighborhood pizza hut.
I realize this will not happen, but if people were serious about reform and improving our education system and budget, etc, this would be a talking point.
Sounds harsh, yes. But to me, this is common sense. So, am I a heartless bastard or do I have a point here?
virtuoso:
The finnish model is perhaps a good one to follow no? This is more in respect of broadly improving education.
Essentially the finnish model is shorter school hours
only those with a masters degree can teach
The most able are put in with the least able so it provides the opportunity for mentoring towards their peers
However being home schooled is probably the best option but how many can really afford that.
Russell Bell:
--- Quote from: virtuoso on June 20, 2011, 11:13:02 AM ---
The finnish model is perhaps a good one to follow no? This is more in respect of broadly improving education.
Essentially the finnish model is shorter school hours
only those with a masters degree can teach
The most able are put in with the least able so it provides the opportunity for mentoring towards their peers
However being home schooled is probably the best option but how many can really afford that.
--- End quote ---
I see your point.
But I dont know, and i doubt seriously, what the real strength of correlation is between more years of school and actual teacher/student success. In my experience, the parents are the biggest factor in this process, which means that if there are things like crime, drugs, poverty (which happen to be prevalent in california in areas where the test scores are low) the students either arent properly guided at home or have such bad home lives that their success is basically impossible.
Sure there are shitty teachers, but students failing are still STUDENTS failing, which like i said, a lot of the time theres a shitty parent in the background somewhere.
Also, the Finns dont have to worry about students whos parents dont attempt to learn their language and dont reinforce their kids to do so, HUUUUGE roadblock.
I was speaking to the special ed thing more financially and to me, not everyone is cut out to be a special ed teacher so mainstreaming these kids, regardless of more teacher training, is a bad idea a lot of the time. But of course, since we are America, we have to be "fair", which really ironically ends up making things unfair.
virtuoso:
I don't mean to be patronising, but you are being suckered into the game, first they inflate, then they deflate, then they inflate, maybe causing hyper inflation and instead of cutting out the route of the problem, we ask whose throat should I slit?
Should I slit the throat of the mum on welfare?
Should I slit the throat of the unemployed?
Should we have a minimum wage?
It goes on and on on, yet meanwhile a few are sitting pretty, and consolidating their power, watching one turn on another and incrementally lowering their living standards and so the wealth transfer creates an even wider disparity.
Russell Bell:
--- Quote from: virtuoso on June 20, 2011, 03:30:08 PM ---
I don't mean to be patronising, but you are being suckered into the game, first they inflate, then they deflate, then they inflate, maybe causing hyper inflation and instead of cutting out the route of the problem, we ask whose throat should I slit?
Should I slit the throat of the mum on welfare?
Should I slit the throat of the unemployed?
Should we have a minimum wage?
It goes on and on on, yet meanwhile a few are sitting pretty, and consolidating their power, watching one turn on another and incrementally lowering their living standards and so the wealth transfer creates an even wider disparity.
--- End quote ---
Actually, the ones who get lower living standards are everyone else as the wagon of those who need this and that gets more full. The small percentage of those who need expensive extras is getting bigger, and the majority suffers. All I'm saying is we need to re-evaluate how we do special ed, i mean the kids who are never going to do anything and cant do anything, i feel sorry for them but public schools cant afford them! Why are kids who will never be productive in the least ever being rolled (lol, bad taste) to these schools like its some fucking convalescent home? This isnt some generalized abstract bullshit and its not pulling some mom who needs welfare off of it, its the truth and its quite specific.
And if you think this is a deteriorating process which has been slowly eroding at our society, its not. Our care "net" is cast out wider than it ever was, which is the fucking problem. ADD and autism are new, not old. And the ones sitting pretty are no one in this situation, cause normal kids get fucked w bigger classes and overworked teachers, unemployed teachers cant get work, and the special ed kids who cant wipe their own ass still cant wipe their own ass at the end of a costly (to the taxpayers) day. So you tell me who stands to benefit from my plan? The small minority pulling strings from behind a curtain or regular folks like me and you, who dont have a voice because they arent "different" enough?
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