Re: Preaching or Teaching?

Glenn wrote:
On Wed, 15 Mar 2006 04:32:27 -0600, Harlow Wilcox wrote:



Preaching instead of teaching might go a long way toward explaining why
in civics, math, reading, writing and geography, nearly a quarter of all
students leave high school with academic skills that are "Below Basic,"
the category the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) uses
for students unable to display even partial mastery of knowledge and
skills fundamental for proficient work at their grade level.

In science, 47 percent leave high school with skills Below Basic, and in
American history, it's 57 percent. I'd like for Jay Bennish's supporters
to explain how his indoctrination will help that.


Such a sorry attack demands that I defend Jay. The purpose of education
is first to defend democracy, second to provide the equality promised by
the Declaration of Independence, third to protect all citizens from the
demigods, confidence men, politicians, and other who make their way by
the lie, fourth to provide the training needed for the future.

Wrong, as usual, Pooler. The purpose of education, at least in our democratic society, is the produce critically thinking individuals who can evaluate for themselves each issue and thus THEY, not the system are what defends democracy. Even still, you don't even realize that your assertion above infers contradiction. By asserting a negative impact against politicians who are ideologues of the best order, you SUPPORT an ideologue teacher. Tell us, Pooler, why is being an ideologue as a politician BAD, while being an ideologue as a teacher, GOOD?

Simple fact, Pooler is that you don't understand what teaching is. Teaching is presenting ALL issues( academic freedom ) in an impartial manner so that individuals may critically evaluate them for themselves. THAT, pooler is the hallmark of our society, and one in which you sadly don't understand. Preaching is promoting one view and only one view. Preaching's goals are contradictory to those of teaching. Preaching from the lectern is just the same as preaching from the pulpit. Only one side is given with NO effort to promote critical evaluation. THAT, Pooler is why Bennish's activities were unprofessional and an abuse of academic freedom. Academic freedom does NOT give one the right to turn the lectern into a pulpit. Bennish is free to go get a soap box in the park and rant to his heart's content. THAT speech is protected as free. What he is NOT free do is claim that a classroom is the same thing as his soap box in the park. It isn't, and when he enters a classroom, he has a responsibility to teach the curriculum in an impartial manner. Bennish clearly violated that.

This is
accomplished by argument, not just by rote learning or teaching the test.

No, Pooler. Before one can form an intelligent opinion, one must first have an impartial understanding of what it is that one forms an opinion about. Then, using one's own values, personal circumstances, one can form an opinion. In most of the social studies, which opinion is best is not clear cut, as it would be if the subject were objective, as a science.

To involve the students, the topics must be selected to challenge the
common view; politics, sex, and religion are such subjects.

Wrong, Pooler. To involve students, a teacher must be engaging, motivating and creative. Has little to do with the subject matter. You do not understand that schools are NOT the place to teach values; that's the job of the home. The school's job is to educate, not moralize. That's for the kids' parents.

To the
uneducated, those who don't question authority, think for themselves, or
read or analyze critically, this appear so foreign to what they have
been taught, that they mistake it for preaching. Reference: Socrates.


There is a time and a place for everything. A classroom is not that time and place. Perhaps Socrates overlooked that.

People will question authority as per their own decisions. They don't need an ideologue to do that for them.

The above claim that education causes poor scores is rebutted by the
results of Minnesota schools where education still comes before creative
accounting.

Pooler, you can't be as stupid as you come off. Results of international competitions, clearly indicate that as a Nation, we're falling behind. Wilcox is correct, but he really doesn't understand why. Neither do you, but you're so spaced out that you don't even recognize what the data says. At least he acknowledges that.


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