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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Jeb Bush is the Villian of the story! Calls for an American Ubermensch.

Who does Jeb Bush really care about?

Jeb Bush really wants us to be more like China, ironic because technically it is still a communist country and I can’t imagine that being a great campaign slogan for his 2016 presidential run. And yes that is the same China that has suicide nets around some of its factories to prevent their workers from jumping to their deaths.

From the Miami Herald: Bush has repeatedly explained the standards, implemented and controlled by the states, are designed to make the United States more competitive with the rest of the world. He said those who oppose the standards support the “status quo,” oppose testing and are worried too much about children’s self-esteem.

“Let me tell you something. In Asia today, they don’t care about children’s self esteem. They care about math, whether they can read – in English – whether they understand why science is important, whether they have the grit and determination to be successful,” Bush said.

“You tell me which society is going to be the winner in this 21st Century: The one that worries about how they feel, or the one that worries about making sure the next generation has the capacity to eat everybody’s lunch?”

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2014/03/from-common-core-to-immigration-jeb-bush-shows-hes-the-eat-your-broccoli-republican.html

You see friends he doesn’t think we have a poverty problem, despite the fact when poverty is factored out our international rankings zoom to the top, he thinks we have a kid coddling problem.

Self esteem-shelmf meshteem, right, what does that matter when a kid, all be it though a miserable kid who has the joy of learning physical drained from his body, if he can do algebra.

Jeb Bush paints a picture of a dystopian future where Terminators (American school children) go around eating everybody’s lunch, where America is the master race, The Übermensch and he thinks standardized testing is the way to get it.

Jeb Bush was in charge of education in Florida for 8 years. During that time he decided to fail third graders, enact the A-F grading system which has been more punitive than helpful and was also in charge of our standards. He had an iron glove around the throat of education.

This is something Jeb said a few months ago: I understand there are those opposed to the standards. But what I want to hear from them is more than just opposition. I want to hear their solutions for the hodgepodge of dumbed-down state standards that have created group mediocrity in our schools.

At least some of those “dumbed down state standards” must have come from Florida right? Does he mean despite all his efforts Florida schools are mediocre too? Remember he was in charge in Florida for 8 years.
It sounds like he is saying oops, if only I would have come up with common core when I was governor then things would have been a lot better in Florida, and now he wants a do-over.

More likely he wants to make him, his family members and supporters money.

He then went on to slam teachers, this guy really can’t help himself, by saying, Delay is a strategy designed for the comfort of adults, not the progress of children.

Who does he think is providing instruction, staying late, spending what little money they have on their children and classrooms? He obviously thinks he is better able to decide what teachers and students need despite the fact he never spent one day in a classroom.

He is asking for solutions, well I have one, get of education Jeb you are doing much more harm than good.


If you want more solutions how about more trade, skills and arts programs that play to student’s strengths instead of continuing to stuff them all into a one size fits all curriculum. Not every kid is going to go to college and that is okay.

How about we stop ignoring poverty or calling it an excuse.Yeah kind of the way gravity is just an excuse that we don't float off into space. More and more academic research is coming out showing how debilitating it actual is.

New research suggests that children who experience poverty early on in their lives may suffer negative brain changes that can lead to lifelong problems, such as learning difficulties, depression and the inability to cope with stress. This is according to a study published in JAMA Pediatrics.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/268066.php

Also does common core take care of hungry children’s bellies, or make neighborhoods safer. Does it give parents to worried about how they are going to put food on the table the time and energy to help their children out? Does it give kids more time to learn material and put our best teachers in our struggling schools? Does it put into place social workers and mental health counselors because why a kid acts up or does poorly in school often has nothing to do with school? But then again according to Jeb kids can overcome those things as long as they understand science is important.

The truth is Jeb Bush isn’t out their shilling for poor mostly minority kids. He could care less about them and nowhere is that more evidence than his support of vouchers. He wants kids to go to private schools so they can escape their failing public schools, just not the type of private schools where he sent his children to. You know the ones with the professional teachers, well rounded curriculums, numerous extra-curricular events, small classes and who don’t over-depend on standardized tests. Abandoned strip malls, teachers with associates degrees and curriculums that don’t pass muster are okay for our kids though.

No Jeb Bush is only concerned with protecting legacy despite the fact in reality it is nothing but a house of cards.

When I think about Bush’s education reforms I am reminded of a commercial from a few years back. A few friends were sitting around and one told the story about how he made the winning kick in a high school game from 10 yards out. The next time he told the story he was 35 yards away and it was raining. Then every time he told the story the game got bigger, the kick got further away and the weather conditions got worse until finally he was in a snow storm from 60 yards away in the biggest game ever. He gleefully and without conscious announced he nailed it.

That describes what Bush wants people to believe about his education reforms accept he goes right to the longest kick, in the biggest game, under the worst conditions. Jeb Bush gleefully and without conscious announces he nailed it to anybody willing to listen and sadly that number includes a lot of influential politicians. Governors Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Bob MacDonald of Virginia have bought what he is selling hook line and sinker but they aren’t the only ones.

Jeb Bush has been touring the nation telling people that his A-F school grading system has led to massive improvements in Florida’s schools and his evidence is schools receiving an A grade increased nearly fourfold in a six year period, 1999-2005. What Mr. Bush doesn’t mention is Florida changed the rules several times, in effect moving the goal post closer, making it easier for schools to get A grades.

Matt DiCarlo in the Shanker blog details Bush’s shenanigans masterfully, http://shankerblog.org/?p=7642 he writes how two changes to the A-F grading system in 2000 and 2002 led to much but not all of the improvement.

Friends this is another example of corporate reformers cherry picking stats and overstating accomplishments, charter schools and vouchers anyone? Jeb Bush was the governor of Florida; I can’t imagine that he is a dumb man which begs the question why would he do this? If he is on the right side of the argument why doesn’t he let the evidence speak for itself? The answer is he can’t because the evidence paints a picture that is contrary to what he is selling.

The truth is Florida has seen some modest improvement that has corresponded with both the grading measures and the class size initiative. Former Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson admitted last summer that they both had played a role. The truth is there is no Jeb Bush inspired Florida miracle.

Governor Bob MacDonald of Virginia which is thought to have one of the best school systems around was so taken with Bush he recently introduced and passed a similar A-F grading system. This prompted outrage by the Virginia Association of School Superintendents, who asked why are we copying reforms from states whose schools systems aren’t doing as well as ours, but hey what do they know?* After all they are just educators. You know, part of that that group that because of Jeb Bush went from being dedicated, and respected to being money hungry, stick-in-the-muds whose sole focus is to protect bad teachers.

Jeb Bush’s education reforms can be summed up thusly, create a controversy by saying our schools are failing and by demonizing teachers, put in place a measure that confirms his initial concerns which allows him to handicap the teaching profession and begin the process to privatize, amend the initial grading system so it appears as if things have improved, thus validating the changes in the first place, repeat.

Evidence, facts, even common decency and a genuine concern for our children don’t factor into what he is selling. He is a fanatic on a mission that not so coincidently has also lined the pockets of his family and supporters. He is not a miracle worker; instead he is a well paid charlatan and woe to those who think he is anything different.

* http://wydaily.com/2013/02/12/superintendents-question-need-for-a-f-school-grading-system/

Let’s sum up his greatest hits

Poor kids should have vouchers to go to private schools, just not the private schools his children went to.
Educating children should be like shopping for milk.

Florida’s state colleges of education should be blown up, Taliban style. Okay I added those last two words.
The class size amendment is a failure and who cares if its initiation corresponds with the modest improvements in Florida schools.

Experience and education for teachers doesn’t matter, that’s right education doesn’t matter in education.

We need to rescue education from the tyranny of unions. You know those all powerful unions assuring teacher’s opulent lifestyles.

We need to be student centered. Um, I don’t know any student who wanted to be tested to death, put in a one track fits all curriculum and not be able to go to any classes they might actually enjoy. You know what happened in Florida because of him. 

His man crush for common core. The untested common core that doesn’t address poverty and if you can believe it, calls for even more testing. 


And now we can add his call for ignoring children’s self-esteem, as if it is a nuisance and his call for an American Übermensch.

I also have no doubt that when Bush’s education apartheid/destroy the teaching profession movement has finally run its course, when people realize his ideas have failed propped up by billions of dollars; people will consider Jeb Bush the villain of the story.

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