Wow! Something to watch for parents, teachers and education leaders. This video talks about the privatisation of education in the USA.
Public schools are IMPORTANT to a democratic society. We need inclusive classrooms that teach children/young-adults curriculum, life-skills and how to live in a diverse community. I get a bit worried about all of the changes in Education that seem to be coming from free-market principles that focuses on competition. We should be worried about this. What are we teaching our young citizens if we focus on competition, consumerism and numbers (money).
There are some wonderful comments made by inspiring teachers in this video, here’s one: “public school teacher….a way to change the world” Yes, this is a major motivation for my own teaching – even if I just help/change/reach-out to one student then I’ve succeeded.
elketeaches 
Elke, I enjoyed the book, as well. I agree public education is an important underpinning in a democratic society. What I am wondering about is “what does that mean?’ I don’t think many public school settings are bastions of democratic activity. The question then morphs into “What do we need to do find that again? Or did we really ever have it?” My sense is we are ready for a new conversation focused on new questions. I think we are not too late, but I have been told several times in the past few months “public education is on its death bed.” What do we do to start and sustain he new conversation? I think the emergent conversation can be foundational to democratic schools.
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Important questions. I don’t think we ever really had fully “democratic” classrooms, maybe it’s impossible, but it is something that we should strive for and in doing so come close to it. That’s got to be better than where education appears to be heading right now. Of course this depends on whether we practice democracy as individuals in schools, in classrooms, in communities and in our homes; to be democratic we need to be living it and practicing it. That’s not easy considering our largely market-driven, consumeristic and rewards-driven lifestyles that many of us live…..and that’s what is impacting education policy, so can we really question it? Is this just a natural progression?
This conversation needs to occur in communities between policy makers, educators, teachers AND students. I agree with you that “the emergent conversation can be foundational to democratic schools”.
Although curriculum is super important and I do want senior high school students to succeed and go on to University/Tafe if that’s what they want to do, I still wonder about what I am doing and will do as a teacher. What is important? Yes, the content is important and we want to give young adults a good head start. Yet, I can’t help think that the most important thing to foster, encourage and grow in a school is a well-rounded, critically thinking, socially responsible and ethically thinking citizen….can this occur in the current Educational environment? Do teachers have enough time to work on this type of thing with all of the pressures of curriculum, national testing etc? More and more questions and not enough answers!
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Yes, more questions than answers, which is good. It is probably the way we want it.
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