Comic for Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Posted: 6:22 am, Wednesday, March 10

We had a great ol' conversation on education going in the comments on Monday, which is why it's a drag I have nothing - and I mean nothing - to follow that up with. I've got the sweet-ass 8-bit map of NYC, and that's it.

This is the week and a half leading up to the Humanities Fair at my school - it's still worse than it sounds, and I still don't really want to get into it - which is about the worst week and a half of my year. I've got Friday's strip drawn, and the thing happens next Wednesday, but grades are due this week, too, and parent-teacher night is next Thursday and part of Friday. Basically what I'm saying is, please don't be disappointed if I miss a strip next week. It'll be made up, but I got home at about eight last night and still had a bunch of a work and planning to do. Considering I was wrangling 135 forces of nature during the day, it was a bit zonking.

God, that was glum. Quick, happy thoughts!

bullfrog

Bullfrog -- Wednesday, March 10 2010, 12:11 pm

Corey Haim is dead! Oh, man.

Wow, I missed a lot not checking back on Monday's strip. But to answer your original question about what the problem with education is (without taking over the entire page)...

We've (most Americans) been convinced (by politicians, business people, policy makers, and lots of other folks with vested interests, but not really teachers or scholars of education) that linking education with future economic success is how it works. I think, maybe, that is the core problem. It has led to bloated standards/testing regimes that suck time and money away from real education--billions of dollars and weeks of instructional time. It shifted the blame for failure onto individuals and away from the society--getting to the issue of endemic poverty). And there are other issues I won't delineate here.

Mainly, it helped us to forget that the foundations of our country are democracy, not the free-market economy. How you teach children to live in a democracy looks very different from teaching them to live in a free-market economy. One supports their development as forces for good in world who take on both rights and responsibilities to live in society. The other positions them as cogs in the great American economic machine that, as many folks have finally realized, isn't so great for everyone.

But we've gone so far down the rabbit hole of standards, testing, the economics of education, and the like that I'm not really sure if we can find a way out. I was hopeful with Obama during the campaign, but I was disappointed with his choice for Sec. of Ed. and little of what has happened in the last year has made me hopeful again.

This did nothing to improve the mood. Sorry.

I just received word that MJL and his (much) better half have had baby #3. Congrats!

Just found your site. A friend of mine sent me a link. Awesome work! You got my attention with the comic, which is phenomenal, but you hooked me with the discussion. My brother is a first year Special Ed teacher. You two seem a lot a like at first. He uses a lot of 21st century tools in his teaching. Lots of podcasts and he uses Skype to allow his kids to interview people. He has gotten a few authors to agree to talk to the kids this way. Something you might want to look into.

Anyway keep up the good work. Right now I'm pouring through the archives.

Cole ND Class of '07

Welcome aboard, Cole. Don't judge me on the first, oh, four years of artwork.

Where's your bro teach special ed? Don't be offended by my shorthand of sped ever, it's mostly a time-saver.

$75 for a Joanie Barbie doll?

http://www.avclub.com/articles/mattel-launches-mad-men-collectible-barbie-dolls,39079/

The 'God is *killing* in his first extended action back.

He teaches in Wisconsin. Did all his student teaching in inner city Milwaukee, then hit the jackpot and got a job at a small rural school.

Wait, why is Ron upset? His hot redhead girlfriend can fix his car? Where's the downside, exactly?

Irish basketball! Catch the fever!