mcgeer@ucbvax.ARPA (Rick McGeer) (09/10/85)
If ever there was a strong advertisement for the voucher system for
public schools, it's this discussion. Secular humanists don't want their kids
to pray in school, or learn creationism on an equal footing with evolution,
and they do want their kids to read classic literature, whether or not it's
risque. Religionists want their kids to pray in school, learn creationism
with or without evolution, and not read Lady Chatterley's Lover.
Oh, no doubt there are finer gradations than this, and I've
misrepresented dozens of people's point of view, and I'll get flamed at ("I
don't mind my kid reading Chatterley, but I draw the line at Catcher In The
Rye..."). But if we were talking about any other commodity, the answer would
be simple. If we were talking about cars, for example, then everyone would
immediately see that the discussion was ludicrous. People don't debate whether
cars should have whitewalls or not: those that want whitewalls buy them, those
that want blackwalls buy those.
Hey, what an idea. Why don't the Creationists send their kids to the
William Jennings Bryan High School, and the Secular Humanists send
their kids to the Darrow-Scopes High School? And everybody's happy.
In short, my friends, the real trouble is not what the public schools
teach, it's that there are public schools. It's absurd to expect that a
homogenous institution can faithfully serve a diverse society. Why not
permit people to send kids to the school of their choice, within certain
(rudimentary) guidelines, and give them vouchers that can be redeemed by the
school for a (fixed) amount of cash? If the school wants to charge more, that
comes out of the parent's pocket. But this way, every kid gets educated, at
the school of his parent's choice. And you people can choose the school that's
right for you instead of fighting over the shape of the one you have.
Rick.jjm@pecnos.UUCP (Jim Moseman) (09/11/85)
In article <10334@ucbvax.ARPA> mcgeer@ucbvax.UUCP (Rick McGeer) writes: > > In short, my friends, the real trouble is not what the public schools >teach, it's that there are public schools. It's absurd to expect that a >homogenous institution can faithfully serve a diverse society. Why not >permit people to send kids to the school of their choice, within certain >(rudimentary) guidelines, and give them vouchers that can be redeemed by the >school for a (fixed) amount of cash? If the school wants to charge more, that >comes out of the parent's pocket. But this way, every kid gets educated, at >the school of his parent's choice. And you people can choose the school that's >right for you instead of fighting over the shape of the one you have. > > Rick. The trick is in establishing the guidelines (rudimentary or not). This is what the controversy over public school curricula is about. You seem to imply that basic science such as the theory of evolution should fall outside the guidelines - I disagree. How about teaching that the earth is round? Is it not required since it might offend members of the Flat Earth Society? What about reading? (The "Television Is The Only Truth" sect doesn't beleive in it.) If we could agree on the guidelines, it becomes a relatively simple matter to have the publice school system implement them. -- Jim Moseman @ Perkin-Elmer, Tinton Falls, N.J. ...!vax135!petsd!jjm