[geeks] OLPCs for sale...

[Shannon Hendrix]

On Nov 16, 2007, at 7:31 PM, wa2egp at att.net wrote:

> I don't think they really represent teachers these days.  The NEA/NJEA
> has been going in strange directions these days.

These days?

The first time I met a "leader" in the NEA she was gleefully showing  
off a new textbook she had helped work on.  This was at a meeting at  
my college in 1986 in the library there, and some of them were talking  
about various ideas, projects, upcoming events, committees, etc.

The work was basically gutting a US history book of anything that  
remotely explained why America was created, what a republic was, and  
why we had one, and the addition of content that was promoting  
socialism and direct democracy, and the idea that we were a democracy.

She said this kind of improvement in textbook accuracy was essential  
for education and our future.  An alarming number of people agreed.

Since then most everyone I've met in the NEA was worse than that,  
including a few others at that same gathering.  Not basic members or  
teachers, but the ones that speak and represent them.

The other one that I remember was talking about the removal of the  
concept of winning, or at least she was a speaker at the meeting.  She  
might have been a hired mouth, but clearly the rest of them approved  
of what she said.

When were they not crazy?

The only good note was that some of my college professors were around  
at the time, and at least then, they were pretty alarmed too.

>> So... citing averages is a valid counter to that kind of argument.
>
> Bull.  This has been hashed over before and it's gotten to the point
> of being ridculous.  Homey don't play dat.

No, it isn't bull, you just don't agree with it.

It is an argument presented constantly, and citing their own arguments  
when they self conflict is not now nor has it ever been ridiculous.

If you don't make that argument, fine... then it shouldn't bother you  
to see it countered.

-- 
Shannon Hendrix
shannon at widomaker.com