American Educational System

[old salt]

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/france-ban ... te-change/

France has banned short-haul domestic flights. How much it will help combat climate change is up in the air.

Paris - France has passed a law banning some domestic flights and encouraging travelers to take the train instead. Under the new law, flights that can be replaced by a train journey of under two-and-a-half hours should be scrapped.

The ban on short-hop flights became law on Tuesday. However, France's national airline had already canceled three routes that were deemed too high on carbon emissions. All three went from Paris' second airport, Orly, serving Bordeaux, Lyon and Nantes. Those three cities are all on the country's extensive high-speed rail network, and taking the train is also far faster than flying there.

Air France agreed to drop those direct routes in return for coronavirus financial assistance from the government in 2020.

Critics say the ban will have a negligible effect on carbon emissions. Laurent Donceel, interim head of industry group Airlines for Europe, which represents several airlines including Air France, KLM, Lufthansa and Ryanair, dismissed the law as a "symbolic ban." He told the Agence France-Presse news service that governments should instead support "real and significant solutions" to airline emissions.

While the ban sounds like a good idea to help combat climate change, in fact there are a number of caveats that severely limit its scope. The replacement train service must be frequent, timely and allow travelers to get to and from their starting point in the same day while allowing them a full eight hours at their destination.

The choice of train station designated as the departure point has also strangled plans to limit short-haul flights from Paris' main airport, Charles de Gaulle. The comparative train station is the one at the airport — which has a much more limited service than the seven mainline stations in Paris itself.

That has meant that while you can't fly from Orly to Bordeaux direct, you can fly to the southwestern wine city from CDG. In fact, the only routes that will be affected by the ban are the three from Orly that no longer operate.

An exception in the ban allows flights with a transfer to continue to operate, and that has led to some convoluted routes that take much longer than a direct flight or a train — and mean even more harmful emissions in takeoff and landing.

For example, the direct route from Paris to Lyon in eastern France, capital of gastronomy and a business hub, used to take under an hour from Orly. That route has been canceled as it was considered wasteful. You can still fly from Orly to Lyon — but you have to fly via Nice, in the south, changing planes to hop back up to Lyon, for a flight time of three hours, 15 minutes.

By contrast, a high-speed train from Paris will have you in central Lyon in just two hours. Or you can still fly direct in over an hour from de Gaulle. However, the total journey takes considerably longer when you add in the trip to and from the airports, checking in and going through security checkpoints.

The quest for lower emissions has led European airlines to examine a number of options. Air France recently announced plans to renew its fleet in an effort to cut carbon emissions. It says it will also increase its use of sustainable aviation fuel.

The airline already has a train and air partnership with France's national rail company SNCF in a bid to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. It allows travelers to combine plane and train reservations in one booking, essentially allowing people to quickly and easily compare methods of travel.

Aviation news website Runway Girl Network reports that Spanish airline Iberia is currently expanding its flight and train combination offer. Dutch airline KLM is buying up seats on high-speed trains from Schipol airport in Amsterdam to Brussels in a move to drop one of its daily flights between the two cities.

When the ban was first raised as part of France's 2021 Climate Act, Transport Minister Clément Beaune called it "a major step forward in the policy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions."

"I am proud that France is a pioneer in this area," he added.

[old salt]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-teachers ... 898?page=1

A Teachers Union Has Odd Taste in Books
The NEA’s ‘2023 Summer Reading List’ may make you regret that you ever learned to read.
By Dave Seminara, July 9, 2023

America’s largest teachers union, the National Education Association, issued its “2023 Summer Reading List” last month. Among its recommendations are “Gender Queer,” a graphic-novel memoir about “identifying outside the gender binary.” The book has been removed from many school libraries in Florida, where I live, but I checked it out at the public library.

I was shocked that a book marketed to young adults (12-18) has so much graphic content. Here’s a sexting dialogue from page 170: “I got a new strap-on harness today. I can’t wait to put it on you. I can’t wait to have your c— in my mouth—I’m going to give you the b— of your life. Then I want you inside me.” On the facing page, color sketches graphically depict this scene.

I posted that quote, with slightly less family-friendly redactions, in the comment section below the NEA reading list, alongside several other comments from other readers. Within an hour, all the comments were deleted and the comment section on the post was closed. The book is listed under the heading “Banned Books: Celebrate the Freedom to Read!” But the NEA doesn’t want people actually to read it.

A day after closing the comment section, the NEA deleted one of its original recommendations—“Milo and Marcos at the End of the World” by Kevin Christopher Snipes. Publisher’s Weekly calls that book an “emotional navigation of faith and queerness” about a boy named Milo who “becomes convinced God is punishing him for being gay.” A “super-religious, super-shy nerd” with “adamantly Republican Presbyterian” parents, Milo falls in love with a Cuban boy named Marcos and believes the world will end if he pursues this romance after a series of natural disasters occur during their courtship.

There are no classics on the list, but there are other edgy recommendations, including “Ready Player One,” which has explicit descriptions of blow-up sex dolls, online brothels and masturbation.

The union also recommends a pair of books by ideologues who argue that America is systemically racist: “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo and “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man” by Emmanuel Acho. These are listed under “Books to Celebrate or Understand Juneteenth.” Why not a history book about slavery or the Civil War?

Mr. Acho, a former professional football player and son of Nigerian immigrants, writes that “we will never achieve a post racial America as long as the gears of systemic racism continue to churn.” He lectures white people: “You’ve likely spent your whole life enjoying the fruits of systemic racism and never having to directly engage with its fallout.” Ms. DiAngelo sings a similar tune: “A racism-free upbringing is not possible, because racism is a social system embedded in the culture and its institutions. We are born into this system and have no say in whether we will be affected by it.”

In light of recent parent revolts against ideological indoctrination in schools, you’d think the unions would be at pains to reassure the public that they’re nonpartisan. Instead, they’re doubling down on politics. Then again, at some point the NEA added a disclaimer to its list: “The books here are not recommended for students.” On that we can all agree.

Mr. Seminara is a former diplomat and host of the “DeSantisland” podcast.

[MDlaxfan76]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-teachers ... 898?page=1

A Teachers Union Has Odd Taste in Books
The NEA’s ‘2023 Summer Reading List’ may make you regret that you ever learned to read.
By Dave Seminara, July 9, 2023

America’s largest teachers union, the National Education Association, issued its “2023 Summer Reading List” last month. Among its recommendations are “Gender Queer,” a graphic-novel memoir about “identifying outside the gender binary.” The book has been removed from many school libraries in Florida, where I live, but I checked it out at the public library.

I was shocked that a book marketed to young adults (12-18) has so much graphic content. Here’s a sexting dialogue from page 170: “I got a new strap-on harness today. I can’t wait to put it on you. I can’t wait to have your c— in my mouth—I’m going to give you the b— of your life. Then I want you inside me.” On the facing page, color sketches graphically depict this scene.

I posted that quote, with slightly less family-friendly redactions, in the comment section below the NEA reading list, alongside several other comments from other readers. Within an hour, all the comments were deleted and the comment section on the post was closed. The book is listed under the heading “Banned Books: Celebrate the Freedom to Read!” But the NEA doesn’t want people actually to read it.

A day after closing the comment section, the NEA deleted one of its original recommendations—“Milo and Marcos at the End of the World” by Kevin Christopher Snipes. Publisher’s Weekly calls that book an “emotional navigation of faith and queerness” about a boy named Milo who “becomes convinced God is punishing him for being gay.” A “super-religious, super-shy nerd” with “adamantly Republican Presbyterian” parents, Milo falls in love with a Cuban boy named Marcos and believes the world will end if he pursues this romance after a series of natural disasters occur during their courtship.

There are no classics on the list, but there are other edgy recommendations, including “Ready Player One,” which has explicit descriptions of blow-up sex dolls, online brothels and masturbation.

The union also recommends a pair of books by ideologues who argue that America is systemically racist: “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo and “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man” by Emmanuel Acho. These are listed under “Books to Celebrate or Understand Juneteenth.” Why not a history book about slavery or the Civil War?

Mr. Acho, a former professional football player and son of Nigerian immigrants, writes that “we will never achieve a post racial America as long as the gears of systemic racism continue to churn.” He lectures white people: “You’ve likely spent your whole life enjoying the fruits of systemic racism and never having to directly engage with its fallout.” Ms. DiAngelo sings a similar tune: “A racism-free upbringing is not possible, because racism is a social system embedded in the culture and its institutions. We are born into this system and have no say in whether we will be affected by it.”

In light of recent parent revolts against ideological indoctrination in schools, you’d think the unions would be at pains to reassure the public that they’re nonpartisan. Instead, they’re doubling down on politics. Then again, at some point the NEA added a disclaimer to its list: “The books here are not recommended for students.” On that we can all agree.

Mr. Seminara is a former diplomat and host of the “DeSantisland” podcast.

sheesh, this is summer reading for teachers, you know those folks who go into classrooms with all sorts of young people struggling with their identities. Controversial topics are important for these adults to confront, including the books that parents are screaming at them about.

Here's their staff's pick for all ages: https://sharemylesson.com/blog/2023-sta ... ding-lists

[youthathletics]

We are experiencing a growing commercial pilot shortage in the US caused by several factors, including the retirement of Vietnam era military trained pilots & a large increase in the flight hours based entry level requirement for an Airline Transport Pilot rating, resulting from the 2010 regional airliner crash in Buffalo. The airlines & flight training industry are collaborating & scrambling to meet this shortfall. More colleges & JuCos are developing programs. There have never been more pathways available, both civil, military or combined. I wish I were starting over. If anyone wants my advice, shoot me a PM.

https://www.ccbcmd.edu/Programs-and-Cou ... --airplane
https://polytechnic.purdue.edu/degrees/ ... nal-flight
https://und.edu/programs/commercial-avi ... index.html

The pay and hours must be really bad. There has to be 100’s of military pilots each year leaving the Service for civilian life. You’d think that’d be an easy transition opportunity.

It's never been this easy before. The 1500 flt hr rqmt for an ATP rating is reduced to 750 flt hrs for former military pilots.
The accredited BS degree programs reduce it to 1000 hrs, the AA degree programs to 1250 hrs.
Most military pilots fullfill their military service obligation by age 30-35. That leaves 30+ years for an airline career with mandatory retirement at age 65 (soon to be 67). Plenty of time to advance to Capt & gain the seniority necessary to better control your sched, reduce days away from domicile base, & enjoy the benefits of the job. Advancement is much faster now due to the increasing number of retirements. Many military pilots keep flying in the Reserves or National Guard, earning a second retirement. The military is scrambling, offering more bonuses & assignment perks to retain pilots.
It's not worth pursuing, unless you really love to fly.

Pay : https://atpflightschool.com/become-a-pi ... alary.html

I am confused, are you saying the shortage is in the military or the civilian commercial industry? I can say with some confidence that the military is log jammed with pilots and maybe that is the problem.....there are so many, they are getting burned out waiting their turn in line. Some waiting over a year+ to just to start flight school.

I will say, I have two neighbors, retired AF pilots...who now fly for private business owners, are gone a ton. It is a very challenging career on your family, unless you have great homecare for your children or a wife that wants you gone regularly.

[Farfromgeneva]

We are experiencing a growing commercial pilot shortage in the US caused by several factors, including the retirement of Vietnam era military trained pilots & a large increase in the flight hours based entry level requirement for an Airline Transport Pilot rating, resulting from the 2010 regional airliner crash in Buffalo. The airlines & flight training industry are collaborating & scrambling to meet this shortfall. More colleges & JuCos are developing programs. There have never been more pathways available, both civil, military or combined. I wish I were starting over. If anyone wants my advice, shoot me a PM.

https://www.ccbcmd.edu/Programs-and-Cou ... --airplane
https://polytechnic.purdue.edu/degrees/ ... nal-flight
https://und.edu/programs/commercial-avi ... index.html

The pay and hours must be really bad. There has to be 100’s of military pilots each year leaving the Service for civilian life. You’d think that’d be an easy transition opportunity.

It's never been this easy before. The 1500 flt hr rqmt for an ATP rating is reduced to 750 flt hrs for former military pilots.
The accredited BS degree programs reduce it to 1000 hrs, the AA degree programs to 1250 hrs.
Most military pilots fullfill their military service obligation by age 30-35. That leaves 30+ years for an airline career with mandatory retirement at age 65 (soon to be 67). Plenty of time to advance to Capt & gain the seniority necessary to better control your sched, reduce days away from domicile base, & enjoy the benefits of the job. Advancement is much faster now due to the increasing number of retirements. Many military pilots keep flying in the Reserves or National Guard, earning a second retirement. The military is scrambling, offering more bonuses & assignment perks to retain pilots.
It's not worth pursuing, unless you really love to fly.

Pay : https://atpflightschool.com/become-a-pi ... alary.html

I am confused, are you saying the shortage is in the military or the civilian commercial industry? I can say with some confidence that the military is log jammed with pilots and maybe that is the problem.....there are so many, they are getting burned out waiting their turn in line. Some waiting over a year+ to just to start flight school.

I will say, I have two neighbors, retired AF pilots...who now fly for private business owners, are gone a ton. It is a very challenging career on your family, unless you have great homecare for your children or a wife that wants you gone regularly.

I know two commercial pilots who served previously (one lived for a long time in Bel Air kind of near you) and both lost their second gigs in ten years after the first 10-15yrs being stable (the last round was Covid but as 55-60yr old guys with clean records and all of that are just not desirable for whatever reason and thigh they fly all over the hiring is hub driven strangely as well. They stitch together incomes form some private flying and instruction Etc but it’s somehow structurally changed post financial crisis for commercial pilots

[old salt]

Regarding airline layoffs, how often have you changed employers ? Like other industries, the airlines fluctuate with the economy.

ALPA pilots have the right of first recall over new hires, based on seniority when laid off.
Corporate pilots do not have the same structure, benefits & job protections as union airline pilots.
Many retired military pilots don't want or need to start at the bottom of the airline food chain, so they opt for a corp pilot job to supplement their pension. Faster path to the Capt's seat.

Post covid air travel demand, age demographics of the current pilot cohort, higher entry requirements & the limited opportunity to accrue entry level flt hrs, the coming increase in air traffic capacity as the FAA ATC shifts from ground based radar & navaids to GPS/datalink, fewer military pilots being trained & leaving the service -- all combine to reduce the chances & duration of future layoffs for new hires now.

Regarding delays in starting military flight training. Nothing new. There's a finite throughput capacity. The services stockpile qualified student pilots in case airline hiring increases, since the mandatory payback service does not begin until flight training is completed. The current backlog is probably due to short term increased military pilot retention/reduced airline hiring due to the covid air travel slowdown. There's a time lag delayed impact. If you prefer to fly rather than sit in a missile silo or drive a ship, you're happy to wait for your class date & have some fun in a post college cushy stash job.

[KI Dock Bar]

The union also recommends a pair of books by ideologues who argue that America is systemically racist: “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo and “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man” by Emmanuel Acho.

I have read White Fragility, I prefer White Guilt by Shelby Steele. All too often I believe our educational leaders push a narrative that is not in the best interest of our minority community.

[MDlaxfan76]

The union also recommends a pair of books by ideologues who argue that America is systemically racist: “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo and “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man” by Emmanuel Acho.

I have read White Fragility, I prefer White Guilt by Shelby Steele. All too often I believe our educational leaders push a narrative that is not in the best interest of our minority community.

Do you mean that you prefer your narrative to be pushed instead?

Seriously, teachers should be reading both those perspectives. There's at least some truth in each perspective.

Personally, I'm much more impressed with Shelby's twin brother Claude's work than his...Shelby allows himself, IMO, to be a pawn of racists, under the guise of "conservatism", though I don't think that's necessarily his intent, at least not consciously...but I think he's captured by the social and economic rewards he gets for being an erudite purveyor of an ideology that provides cover for ongoing systemic racism.

I think DiAngelo's assertion of persistent systemic racism is fundamentally correct, but I think she oversimplifies for effect.

Both are worth contending with as teachers.

[KI Dock Bar]

The union also recommends a pair of books by ideologues who argue that America is systemically racist: “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo and “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man” by Emmanuel Acho.

I have read White Fragility, I prefer White Guilt by Shelby Steele. All too often I believe our educational leaders push a narrative that is not in the best interest of our minority community.

Do you mean that you prefer your narrative to be pushed instead?

Seriously, teachers should be reading both those perspectives. There's at least some truth in each perspective.

Personally, I'm much more impressed with Shelby's twin brother Claude's work than his...Shelby allows himself, IMO, to be a pawn of racists, under the guise of "conservatism", though I don't think that's necessarily his intent, at least not consciously...but I think he's captured by the social and economic rewards he gets for being an erudite purveyor of an ideology that provides cover for ongoing systemic racism.

I think DiAngelo's assertion of persistent systemic racism is fundamentally correct, but I think she oversimplifies for effect.

Both are worth contending with as teachers.

As a life long educator who along with my wife, also a life long educator, who have raised 2 adopted bi-racial children (both have black birthfathers and white birthmothers) from birth to adulthood we have walked the walk, so we can talk the talk. I was a member of the "Equity Committee" a couple years ago at my school and frankly it was more than I could take. The leadership made it completely clear that "Equity" is not "Equal". So we need to tilt the playing field to make up for inequities in the black community rather than hold people responsible for their actions. Plenty of well meaning people who are missing the big picture.

[MDlaxfan76]

The union also recommends a pair of books by ideologues who argue that America is systemically racist: “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo and “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man” by Emmanuel Acho.

I have read White Fragility, I prefer White Guilt by Shelby Steele. All too often I believe our educational leaders push a narrative that is not in the best interest of our minority community.

Do you mean that you prefer your narrative to be pushed instead?

Seriously, teachers should be reading both those perspectives. There's at least some truth in each perspective.

Personally, I'm much more impressed with Shelby's twin brother Claude's work than his...Shelby allows himself, IMO, to be a pawn of racists, under the guise of "conservatism", though I don't think that's necessarily his intent, at least not consciously...but I think he's captured by the social and economic rewards he gets for being an erudite purveyor of an ideology that provides cover for ongoing systemic racism.

I think DiAngelo's assertion of persistent systemic racism is fundamentally correct, but I think she oversimplifies for effect.

Both are worth contending with as teachers.

As a life long educator who along with my wife, also a life long educator, who have raised 2 adopted bi-racial children (both have black birthfathers and white birthmothers) from birth to adulthood we have walked the walk, so we can talk the talk. I was a member of the "Equity Committee" a couple years ago at my school and frankly it was more than I could take. The leadership made it completely clear that "Equity" is not "Equal". So we need to tilt the playing field to make up for inequities in the black community rather than hold people responsible for their actions. Plenty of well meaning people who are missing the big picture.

well, that would indeed be a miss!
However, I'm not so sure we can't hold two thoughts at the same time.
IMO, we can both acknowledge systemic racism and the legacy of such AND hold individual people responsible for their actions.
These do not need to be in conflict.

In our polarized media and political environment, though, I think people come into such settings loaded for bear, so to speak, and often are more strident than actually would be necessary if we simply acknowledged that there are multiple ways to address past inequities and to move forward successfully.

Less blaming, and more solutions.

If you dropped out, sounds like the committee lost such a member who might well have been helpful in bridging some of the divide.

[PizzaSnake]

Student loan debt won’t be repaid.

Here’s the crux.

“You can imagine the stock of outstanding student debt as an overflowing bathtub: More students purchasing more undergraduate and advanced degrees at increasing tuition prices is the water gushing out of the faucet, and non-repayment is a blockage in the drain. The drain is blocked because despite what economists, policy-makers and educational administrators claim, a college degree doesn’t always “pay off.””

And frankly, the economy would be better off with people using that money to participate in other parts of the economic system.

Let me know if I should login on my craptop so I can post the entire article.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/202 ... esume.html

[Farfromgeneva]

Student loan debt won’t be repaid.

Here’s the crux.

“You can imagine the stock of outstanding student debt as an overflowing bathtub: More students purchasing more undergraduate and advanced degrees at increasing tuition prices is the water gushing out of the faucet, and non-repayment is a blockage in the drain. The drain is blocked because despite what economists, policy-makers and educational administrators claim, a college degree doesn’t always “pay off.””

And frankly, the economy would be better off with people using that money to participate in other parts of the economic system.

Let me know if I should login on my craptop so I can post the entire article.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/202 ... esume.html

But the administrators are blameless for operating costs and purely slaves to demand side attributes? Same with policy makers?

Of course policy makers have screwed up housing so much with their actions as well so no surprise there. Risk transference, take the net benefit. I really a struggle with the endowments over $1Bn being tax exempt at schools w less than 10,000 students.

[PizzaSnake]

Student loan debt won’t be repaid.

Here’s the crux.

“You can imagine the stock of outstanding student debt as an overflowing bathtub: More students purchasing more undergraduate and advanced degrees at increasing tuition prices is the water gushing out of the faucet, and non-repayment is a blockage in the drain. The drain is blocked because despite what economists, policy-makers and educational administrators claim, a college degree doesn’t always “pay off.””

And frankly, the economy would be better off with people using that money to participate in other parts of the economic system.

Let me know if I should login on my craptop so I can post the entire article.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/202 ... esume.html

But the administrators are blameless for operating costs and purely slaves to demand side attributes? Same with policy makers?

Of course policy makers have screwed up housing so much with their actions as well so no surprise there. Risk transference, take the net benefit. I really a struggle with the endowments over $1Bn being tax exempt at schools w less than 10,000 students.

Blame and its assignment are a different topic I will gladly entertain; I’m focused on the most probable outcome.

Personally, I’d rather people younger than me service SS than non-performing student loans. Of course, this is just my demographic speaking…

Somebody’s taking a haircut, questions are who and how much?

[KI Dock Bar]

My wife and I along with our son attended orientation at JMU today. As fate would have it, we met 2 other mothers who were public school teachers, one from New York and one from Virginia. Both of their incoming freshmen attended private school. We shared very similar stories about teachers leaving the profession. I fear that we are reaching a tipping point but I sure as hell hope not.

[Farfromgeneva]

Student loan debt won’t be repaid.

Here’s the crux.

“You can imagine the stock of outstanding student debt as an overflowing bathtub: More students purchasing more undergraduate and advanced degrees at increasing tuition prices is the water gushing out of the faucet, and non-repayment is a blockage in the drain. The drain is blocked because despite what economists, policy-makers and educational administrators claim, a college degree doesn’t always “pay off.””

And frankly, the economy would be better off with people using that money to participate in other parts of the economic system.

Let me know if I should login on my craptop so I can post the entire article.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/202 ... esume.html

But the administrators are blameless for operating costs and purely slaves to demand side attributes? Same with policy makers?

Of course policy makers have screwed up housing so much with their actions as well so no surprise there. Risk transference, take the net benefit. I really a struggle with the endowments over $1Bn being tax exempt at schools w less than 10,000 students.

Blame and its assignment are a different topic I will gladly entertain; I’m focused on the most probable outcome.

Personally, I’d rather people younger than me service SS than non-performing student loans. Of course, this is just my demographic speaking…

Somebody’s taking a haircut, questions are who and how much?

Fair enough. Reality is it's one of those "we are all to blame" situations anyways. Haricut was supposed to be the taxpayers by subsidizing the loans for the benefit of higher education of its citizenry. Literally a 4-7% difference between what stafford rates are and market which is 15% for stuff like this, or lets just say at least 700bps (7.00%) over SOFR (replaced Libor as adjustable rate index) which is 5.25% area now and likely creeping up a bit. And that's on 5-10yr term loans which would have higher constant payment amounts than the 20yrs of DOE/FFELP. We were supposed to have already paid for it but it sure seems like the higher ed industry extracted a healthy economic rent in the form of that subsidy if we have this issue today.

I'm not sure this is inusrmountable, my aging cohort doesn't see it as nearly as problematic as it's presented and all the arguments for unlocking cash flow of individuals? Well those are the same arguments used to "democratize banking, finance, real estate, etc." and made by rent seeking opportunists the same way it's used by the well meaning which should say a lot. If the folks who have a profit motive see margin in there it tells me there's also opportunity for the cohort the problem reportedly exists with to do better personally themselves. This isn't a structural problem to me, it's a temporal one. Just like this newer generation wasn't going to move to the suburbs and didn't want to own homes and cars...until they hit 28-30...

[a fan]

My wife and I along with our son attended orientation at JMU today. As fate would have it, we met 2 other mothers who were public school teachers, one from New York and one from Virginia. Both of their incoming freshmen attended private school. We shared very similar stories about teachers leaving the profession. I fear that we are reaching a tipping point but I sure as hell hope not.

Did they tell you why two public school teachers sent their own kids to private school?

Because that sounds like we're past the tipping point. That tells me that both those teachers are powerless to change their own schools system.

And what was it that the "Equity Board" did, specifically. Curious.

[Typical Lax Dad]

My wife and I along with our son attended orientation at JMU today. As fate would have it, we met 2 other mothers who were public school teachers, one from New York and one from Virginia. Both of their incoming freshmen attended private school. We shared very similar stories about teachers leaving the profession. I fear that we are reaching a tipping point but I sure as hell hope not.

Should we do away with public schools?

[KI Dock Bar]

My wife and I along with our son attended orientation at JMU today. As fate would have it, we met 2 other mothers who were public school teachers, one from New York and one from Virginia. Both of their incoming freshmen attended private school. We shared very similar stories about teachers leaving the profession. I fear that we are reaching a tipping point but I sure as hell hope not.

Did they tell you why two public school teachers sent their own kids to private school?

Because that sounds like we're past the tipping point. That tells me that both those teachers are powerless to change their own schools system.

And what was it that the "Equity Board" did, specifically. Curious.

By no means are my wife and I anti-public school. On the contrary, we have spent the majority of our careers in the public school system supporting our students to the fullest. The challenges of the the public school system have increased immeasurably over the past 20 years. Special education services have ramped up significantly during that time. These are needed services for many students that were not as much of a priority 20 years ago. These services are a result of a number of circumstances. Some of this can be attributed to students who do not receive the support at home that was once the norm. Meaning, when they enter the school system, they are not as prepared as they once were. Also, awareness on the part of parents, and the ability to better diagnose learning difficulties have ramped up. This is a BIG positive, but these programs cost money. So, where does the money come from? How is the pie divided? ESOL is the current challenge, students who do not speak or speak the English language in a limited fashion. Depending on the school district, this can be a significant drain on the resources of the school system. The public school system is all things to all people, as it should be. Along the way, some folks are willing to make the sacrifices, some more than others, to send their children to private schools. For me, in many ways, it is a simple as that.

[Typical Lax Dad]

My wife and I along with our son attended orientation at JMU today. As fate would have it, we met 2 other mothers who were public school teachers, one from New York and one from Virginia. Both of their incoming freshmen attended private school. We shared very similar stories about teachers leaving the profession. I fear that we are reaching a tipping point but I sure as hell hope not.

Did they tell you why two public school teachers sent their own kids to private school?

Because that sounds like we're past the tipping point. That tells me that both those teachers are powerless to change their own schools system.

And what was it that the "Equity Board" did, specifically. Curious.

By no means are my wife and I anti-public school. On the contrary, we have spent the majority of our careers in the public school system supporting our students to the fullest. The challenges of the the public school system have increased immeasurably over the past 20 years. Special education services have ramped up significantly during that time. These are needed services for many students that were not as much of a priority 20 years ago. These services are a result of a number of circumstances. Some of this can be attributed to students who do not receive the support at home that was once the norm. Meaning, when they enter the school system, they are not as prepared as they once were. Also, awareness on the part of parents, and the ability to better diagnose learning difficulties have ramped up. This is a BIG positive, but these programs cost money. So, where does the money come from? How is the pie divided? ESOL is the current challenge, students who do not speak or speak the English language in a limited fashion. Depending on the school district, this can be a significant drain on the resources of the school system. The public school system is all things to all people, as it should be. Along the way, some folks are willing to make the sacrifices, some more than others, to send their children to private schools. For me, in many ways, it is a simple as that.

Are you in a school district that’s primarily low to moderate income?

[a fan]

My wife and I along with our son attended orientation at JMU today. As fate would have it, we met 2 other mothers who were public school teachers, one from New York and one from Virginia. Both of their incoming freshmen attended private school. We shared very similar stories about teachers leaving the profession. I fear that we are reaching a tipping point but I sure as hell hope not.

Did they tell you why two public school teachers sent their own kids to private school?

Because that sounds like we're past the tipping point. That tells me that both those teachers are powerless to change their own schools system.

And what was it that the "Equity Board" did, specifically. Curious.

By no means are my wife and I anti-public school. On the contrary, we have spent the majority of our careers in the public school system supporting our students to the fullest.

Didn't mean to imply that you weren't supportive of education, and public education in particular. You have my utmost respect. And you've got 20+ years of public service on your CV. I don't have that. So.....thank you for your service and work for us taxpayers.

The challenges of the the public school system have increased immeasurably over the past 20 years

I agree. I'm asking you to share some examples, if you have the time.

What I was trying (poorly) to convey was that in the case of the two moms you met at JMU orientation.....clearly they weren't thrilled with their public school systems, so they chose to educate their kids via the private system.

This reflects my belief that teachers have little or no power in public schools anymore, and someone/something else is telling them what to do and what not to do.

Special education services have ramped up significantly during that time. These are needed services for many students that were not as much of a priority 20 years ago. These services are a result of a number of circumstances. Some of this can be attributed to students who do not receive the support at home that was once the norm. Meaning, when they enter the school system, they are not as prepared as they once were. Also, awareness on the part of parents, and the ability to better diagnose learning difficulties have ramped up. This is a BIG positive, but these programs cost money. So, where does the money come from? How is the pie divided? ESOL is the current challenge, students who do not speak or speak the English language in a limited fashion. Depending on the school district, this can be a significant drain on the resources of the school system. The public school system is all things to all people, as it should be.

This is another problem---not enough money to get the job done. Teachers are short of money, time, and resources. And the classroom sizes are

Along the way, some folks are willing to make the sacrifices, some more than others, to send their children to private schools. For me, in many ways, it is a simple as that.

I have NO problem with folks taking the private route. This is America. I'm simply pointing out that if public school teachers sends their kids to private school, it means that the public schools on hand aren't meeting the teacher's own standards. And that's a bad thing, on many levels.

I want to fix the problems. Which is why I'm asking you questions. Appreciate you taking the time to answer them.