Distractions

Gee, I wonder what kind of pie that is?

Much of the discussions in the media are distractions, pretty ways to trim a pie crust.

I posit that a few of the latest significant distractions are Reading Wars and Woke vs. Anti-Woke.

I propose that the end of petty localism is long overdue. It is time for real nationwide action. I realize to recommend the actual federalizing of our education system flies in the face of current events. Still, we have historical precedence from the Sputnik Era:”…Indeed, while Congress may have been hesitant to expand the federal role in research and education before, the investments seemed inevitable, even vital, after the Soviets made their move toward the stars…”

Does the system of state education superintendents setting standards and local school boards adopting curricula continue to best serve our nation, especially against the following threats? 

1) Climate Crisis
The genuine possibility of a manmade extinction event eclipses any and all previous challenges. Could not a cohesive education system play a prominent role in fighting a threat tantamount to WWIII?

2) Class Wars

The relationship between class wars and “Wokeism” is a complex and multifaceted topic that can be approached from various perspectives; thus, the sound bites we get on the media cannot quickly address it. We are in the midst of a giant shell game.  The masses get distracted by false dichotomies; meanwhile, the top 1 percent owns over half of U.S. corporate stock, and the 9 percent — owns almost all the rest of U.S. corporate stock. The number of billionaires in the US has risen from 66 to 614 since 1990. Then there are the rest of us who seem to have the least power and increasingly fewer options. Although I must admit, I am a minor player in this system since my retirement plan makes investments in the same system. In addition, funding for our schools is often based on property values, a system with inherent inequities. Again, should not our education system be educating the 90% about this threat?

Instead, here are some of the ways our “system” is addressing these issues:

1. Defunding free public education; Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Miami, Ohio
2. So-called Anti-Woke legislation
3. Some of the top 10% get loans forgiven, but many with student loans are not
4. Climate Crisis not being taught
5. Reading Wars

Of course, I realize that these few websites cannot begin to address the multifaceted nature of this discourse, which is beyond my purpose: to promote the idea of a much more vital national role in education.

I’ll leave with a quote from George Bailey-It’s a Wonderful Life:

 "Now, we can get through this thing all right. We've got to stick together, though. We've got to have faith in each other."