I’m watching Jamie Oliver’s “Food Revolution” right now. His battle to transform school lunches reminds me of the battle we’ve been fighting here in Montana for SCHOOL CHOICE.
The attitudes and resistance from the Edu-Crats seem to be the same regardless of the topic. And it all comes down to this question:
WHO CONTROLS THE KIDS?
I’ve been emailing the two dissenting senators on HB 603. Senator Zinke was kind enough to send me a personal reply. He says he supports charter schools but finds too many flaws in the bill. And he’d like this provision:
If we can allow for either a 51 percent of the district electorate or a school board majority to be the driver to form a charter school, I am for it. I believe the Board of Public Education should have oversight of the program as I strongly support accountability and transparency in taxpayer expenditures.
My interpretation, with all due respect: You parents are too stupid and uneducated to make decisions regarding your kids’ education. The Board of Public Education knows what’s best for your children (including their lunch, too, btw.) And even though the Helena school district is looking for yet another mill levy to pay for a curriculum they did not budget for (and one that the lion’s share of parents objected to,) they are responsible stewards of your tax dollars. Yeah, that’s right. They’re responsible. Trust us.
I’m not throwing rocks at Senator Zinke. I would imagine he’s repeating the party line that the Status Quo have been shouting from the rooftops.
My reply to him was that this approach is having the fox guard the hen house. And the egregious violation of trust by the Helena School district in particular underscores the urgency of having greater autonomy.
Please forgive my snarky tone. I’ve had more than a belly full of the patronizing arrogance that has assaulted a bill that gives parents a modicum of choice when it comes to school. Like Jamie Oliver, I’m pissed that kids are fed crap in cafeterias and pissed that single moms have no other options than to send their kid who’s been diagnosed with ADHD to the large public school down the street where they will be labeled and drugged into compliance. I’m pissed when I see my friends working two jobs each so they can enroll their four kids into a costly private school, they are so appalled at what’s going on here in Helena. And while I’m at it… I’m pissed that teachers are pissed too. (I talked to yet another one this morning.)
As of right now, the bill has been tabled. But it ain’t over yet. I urge you to take action before the session ends.
Please email AND call the following two legislators: Senator Zinke
>> Primary ph: (406) 862-0823 ryanzinke@yahoo.com and Senator Essman
>> Primary ph: (406) 534-3345 jessmann@mt.gov
And now…I’m tuning back to Jamie Oliver’s program and cheer him in his battle. Go, Jamie, Go!
Filed under: Public schooling Tagged: | jamie Oliver, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, Montana HB 603, Montana parents for school choice
And I’M pissed that I had to move out of the U.S. because idiot bureaucrats, and ignorant people, are trashing my country. “The people” whom the founding fathers tried to empower are LOSING THE WAR waged against them. Bless you for stading up for what is good and right!
Oh, you KNOW I hear ya, Chelsea! I heard one guy put it this way today- the liberal ducks are just nibbling away at our freedoms. I’m learning to pick my battles because there is only so much one person can do and life is too short to be pissed all the time. But yeah, this one really gets me because we’re talking about our kids.
With my first client this morning I had to keep apologizing for my language. I was pissed off myself. She began our conversation by telling me of the struggle her 15 year old granddaughter is having with school because she is having anxiety attacks. Theresa, you knowing personally what we are going through right now with our 15 year and anxiety can understand why this client’s story and pain got me going in regards to there being something terribly wrong. The number of 15 year olds with anxiety shouldn’t be happening.
Yeah, this stuff really sends my vocabulary into the gutter at times. You are so right. So very right. And yet the old guard will continue to insist that the Emperor has a lovely set of clothes while our kids are lining up to be drugged because “they” have a problem. Breaks my heart. And pisses me off.
I hate it when the government wants more control. What else are they going to screw up? I saw the “no lunch boxes” allowed so the school can feed them more nutritious food- I want to see the menu and ingredients! Parents are mandated by God to educate their children and they should be able to choose how their tax dollars will do that job- whatever happened to the voucher idea? That’s what I would like to see! Let the parents choose what is best for each individual child!
Angel, I too read that article in the Chicago Tribune. I thought one of the key points in there was a statement in the middle of the article that said something like, “The parents expect the school to watch over them.” Too many parents are asleep at the wheel with their kids and consequently, we’re all forfeiting our parental authority to Big Brother. The wake up calls are increasing in frequency and volume!
I am a product of the Montana school system. Some say I turned out all right (many don’t think so) but, I do know it is flawed. Seriously flawed in keeping students that are above the curve at a lower level and students that are below the level are diagnosed with “something”. People are not all equal, kids of all ages are people too and the one size fits all does not work. We are becoming a society where mediocrity is okay so someone else doesn’t feel bad. The government is NOT the guardian of the children, parents are. Choices and responsibilities for the education, discipline, and values belong to parents, not teachers or government.
Theresa,
I hope those with power in this country start thinking about our children and stop short changing them with all their politics and money grabbing. Also, looking back at the way things used to be done back in the old days is not a bad idea. They keep proposing changes for the changes that were supposed to make things better, and they end up making things worse.
I’m blessed to be able to home educate but a lot of parents can’t and so having a choice is necessary. There are parents in this country that want to make the choice for themselves, that don’t want the government to dictate what their children learn and how they do it. This country is about freedom and parents should be given that freedom and the opportunity to choose what is best for their families. Keep fighting! We’ll keep praying for you and those involved in the decision making process.
Blessings,
Linda
Theresa wrote: ” I heard one guy put it this way today- the liberal ducks are just nibbling away at our freedoms.” I’ll agree that Democrats tend to be against alternatives to public schools, but the hands down WORST experience that we’ve ever had (and the reason that we started homeschooling) was in Texas, at the hands of Republicans who were more than happy to threaten families with court action if they didn’t give up complete control of their children. My point is – *both* sides want control, whether they say they do or not. Control is where the power lies, contol is where the money is, and the reason that they have control is because we’ve given in to them.
Does the state have tight control over the private schools and home schools? If not, are there major failings coming from these environments? Are the kids receiving sub-standard education, dropping out, or not continuing on to college? If not, why would charter schools be different? The parents of children in private schools are paying double for their children’s education: once to the state and again to the schools. I don’t hear any concern about this from politicians or educators, yet private schools are, basically, a perk only the wealthy or those able to make great sacrifices can afford. Charter schools level the playing ground and allow personalized education for ALL children.
The sad thing about public “service” is that the “servants” often earn more than their “masters” and tell their “masters” what they may or may not do. Legislators need to be wary that they don’t become rulers under the guise of service; dictatorship is neither a noble cause nor an honorable position.
Child rearing has been pulled from the hands of parents through a series of rules and regulations by the state and the educational system. Sadly, parents have allowed this to happen, and now many parents assume schools will raise their children and the schools complain that the parent’s aren’t involved enough. However, when parents try to be involved, the school chastises them and the state forbids them. The state dictates where the child will be taught and HOW they will be taught, and in the case of Chicago, even what the child will eat!
As for the academicians, I can vouch for the pomposity after working for 15 years in the academic realm of higher education. Unfortunately there’s a lot of intellectual inbreeding in academics, and self-perceived importance is part of the culture. Big words are used in part to fool the fool, and in part because they speak their own language, much like lawyers and IT professionals. It’s goes with the territory, so don’t take it to heart.
Hold fast, Theresa. There are many in both the legislature and in the academic world who understand the importance of a healthy learning environment for all kids; who recognize that the state system, while adequate for many, is not able to support all; and who are willing to collaborate on this to make a great charter school system, once it’s approved. There are too many successful examples from other states to deny this fact.
I strongly encourage your representatives to support the formation of a charter school system without undue authoritarianism and to open their minds to new ideas. And I encourage you to be patient. Remember that these naysayers probably were educated in the state system, so their creativity may be a bit rusty. God bless!
I’m pretty liberal, in the true meaning of the word, which is exact why I’m whole-heartedly in favor of homeschooling, charters, and private schools. Children are not widgets, not interchangeable parts, that can fit into each and every school system of which they might find themselves.
Without multiple forms of education available for children, parents that cannot afford to send their children to private schools and/or do not feel they can homeschool their child are trapped – and I do mean trapped – using whichever form or quality of traditional public schooling is available. As someone that has lived in two different (but neither terribly good) inter-city school districts, this is an affront to me both as a parent and as a citizen.
Let FREEDOM ring!
If parents believe God holds them responsible for the choices they make in raising the children He gives them to raise, why do they then ask ANYONE’S permission to make those choices?
Thanks for all you are doing, Theresa! Please know that it is greatly appreciated.
I have but one question…why is it that those who are ‘pro-choice’ and shout the loudest for tolerance and diversity are the same ones that demand that we support the decisions they (the ‘experts’) make for the rest of us? Where is their tolerance and support of diversity? Just saying…
Linda- So very true! Thank you for your encouragement!
I truly believe that freedom or the lack there of is at the heart of these debates. So amen to your words!
Firefly mom- Couldn’t have said it better myself! And yeah, the republicans can be just as bad. School choice is very much a bipartisan issue but yeah, I suspect much of the agenda IS driven by money!
Sheri- as always, I value your input. Your experience and insight are invaluable! I love your “intellectual inbreeding” comment; that made me howl.
OBK- My republican friends wonder about my leanings anymore….I’ve gotten more liberal in my old age.
Chris-So very true. My heart aches for people too who may not have *any* religious convictions on the matter but are watching their kids get eaten up by the cruelty of the system.
Blessed Mama- I love how a few of my “liberal” friends have chimed in on this. IMHO, this is a bipartisan issue. It’s ironic too that the two dissenting votes on this charter school bills are republican! I think the biggger issue behind the power wielding politicians is the amount of parents asleep at the wheel. Like those stupid nodding dog figures found in the back of cars, people keep turning over the reins to the ‘experts.”
Thank you so much everyone for your part of the conversation. This inspires me!
I’m shocked at the opposition of homeschooling and charter schooling by your state government. We have several charter schools in our small town of 10,000 people. They work. They work WELL! It is time for the government that expects us to fall into line and do what they determine is best to actually stop and look at what our education system has become. A rat race………prodding students from Pre School – 12th without actually considering that these children, our future, will need so much more when they step into the “Real World”. It is very scary to me the lack of RELATIVE education that is given to our children. So many wonderful teachers are bound within the restrictions of “academic testing and placements” and “mandatory curriculum”. I find it odd that the people whom determine what my child will learn and be tested on are people whom don’t teach, possibly don’t have children and whom have not themselves been subjected to this testing. Who better to know what my child should be learning than a gifted teacher and myself? It is time that we as parents and our committed teachers play a role in the Academic Blueprint. At least that’s my stand.
Thank you.
Sarah
And you’re absolutely right, Sarah! And I’m a wee bit jealous of all the charters in your small town! I know in Arizona, I felt like a kid in a candy shop with the options. Charters just make so much sense for so many reasons….not the least of which is what you point out…parents and committed teachers need to play a role in the academic blueprint.
Wow! Good job, Theresa. I home schooled my kids when home schooling wasn’t so acceptable and was often a battle with the state government to “allow” me to teach my own kids. I am so very thankful I did. Because I took my own ADD/dyslexic son out of the public school realm I was able to help him get his high school diploma and learn how to function in this world of “putting every child in the same box” education. I have no doubts he would not have been a high school graduate had I not taken matters into my own hands. Now he is changing the world with KEZA.com and speaking at universities and colleges who would never have accepted him as a student. I highly commend you on fighting this system. Parents need to take back their right to protect and educated their families in the way that suits them best. You are on the right track and I applaud you!