On Wednesday, September 22, 2004, at 02:11 PM, Victoria Heller wrote:
1. How many male teachers are employed by MPS? What is the ratio of male
teachers to female teachers?
I ask this for several reasons: 1) the best teachers that I had in Jr. and
Sr. high school were men, 2) based on my limited exposure to current
teachers, many of them are women who don't like boys, or men for that matter
(nothing to do with sexual preference by the way), 3) wondering if there is
a link between the increasing number of horrible, violent crimes being
committed by adolescent males.
I believe you when you say that the best teachers you had were men. However, to say many women teachers don't like boys or men is quite astounding.
Is there a link between the increasing number of crimes by adolescent males? Well, the number is decreasing. This is a function of demographics primarily. Why it happens is more a result of capitalism than women teachers who don't like boys.
3. Do young boys these days really choose "music and art" over rough and
tumble physical activities. The boys I knew would jump out of second story
windows to avoid the piano teacher. I'm also wondering if we have "drugged"
children into submission with Riddlin and the like. How many MPS students
are taking prescription medications for "behavior" problems.
My ten year old grandson is on his elementary school's chess team. His team placed third and second in successive years at the city wide school tournaments. He reads a lot and is very familiar with art and classical music. After school he plays football and basketball and soccer. I don't think there is anything wrong with him. But on the other hand, I don't extrapolate his profile on to all boys in Minneapolis public schools.
Ritalin and Adderal are serious drugs and very controversial. They are stimulants, which if given to normal children would over stimulate them, not drug them into submission.
6. Milton Friedman said that public schools are structured as "socialist
organisms" and therefore incapable of teaching "capitalist values." Agree
or disagree?
Friedman is one of my favorite punching bags. What an ultramaroon, as Bugs Bunny would say. He is so irrelevant to today's economic issues. Here's the deal. Think of musical chairs. Imagine all the little elementary school children around the country. Have them in a big stadium with 20% fewer chairs than children. Start the music. When it stops, all the children have to find a seat for their future. Well, you know what, according to Uncle Miltie, 20% of the children will not find a seat and he will say it is their fault. Just not quick enough.
So do we teach capitalist values in schools? You bet we do.
7. At today's cost, if constant, MPS will spend nearly $200,000 per child
K-12. What should society expect in return for that expenditure?
If constant. If constant. If constant.
Best wishes,
Laura Wittstock Southeast Minneapolis
Laura Waterman Wittstock MIGIZI Communications, Inc. 3123 East Lake Street Minneapolis, MN 55406 612.721.6631 ext 219 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.migizi.org http://laurawatermanwittstock.blogspot.com/
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