Thursday, January 31, 2008
I'm just sayin'.
"How dare our politicians give their blessing to an Afro-centric school that caters to a specific demographic and social perspective?", quoth the winguts from the safety and comfort of their publicly-funded Catholic school system.
It's called an "analogy," in case you don't recognize it.
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9 comments:
Hey, I'm a product of the "publicly-funded Catholic school system". Hmmmm. Maybe that's not the best example. Carry on.
Seems like a step backwards to me.
That's a little facile, Red. It's a complicated issue that addresses a lot things, one of which is the screaming from parents that something be done.
Frankly, I tend to view a lot of educational under-achievement as a reflection of what value we currently place on education, and the narrow, technocratic, marketable skills focus that's now entrenched even in the lower grades just doesn't work for all kinds of kids.
OT:
"I'm not quitting. I believe in miracles."
-- Mike Huckabee, quoted by the Orange County Register.
Ti-Guy — Granted. That's just my initial impression. I realize it's a complicated issue and "something" needs to be done. I'm just not sure this is the right solution to what's ailing the education system, especially with respect to kids of certain ethnicities. It strikes me as a bad precedent. CC has suggested that it's analogous to the Catholic system and while there are some points of comparison, there are also significant differences. This idea just seems fraught with potential problems to me.
I'm just not sure this is the right solution to what's ailing the education system, especially with respect to kids of certain ethnicities.
In this particular situation, in Toronto, beset by two decades of civic inertia, the underfunding of public institutions and burdened by really bad urban planning from the 60's in the newer areas, (high-rise low-income housing and malls as public places are the soul-destroying ghetto of tomorrow) it's worth a shot.
There's certainly something to be said for running it as an experiment provided all concerned are willing participants.
In any case, the racialist critique is going to be counter-productive. So far, the issue hasn't been, at least overtly, systemic racism, but if KKKate has her way, it soon will be.
Well, I can fault Kate for many things, but certainly not for seizing on the obvious. While it may not have been a concern expressed overtly, it was definitely implicit in a proposition of this nature. You'd almost have to make a determined effort to avoid raising that particular aspect of the issue. Now, the way in which she does it and her intent in doing so... That's another matter.
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