A Teacher’s Advice to Bill Gates
An awesome letter to the one of the biggest financial backers of the corporate take over of public education.
I dont know many business leaders who are satisfied with Americas schools. In fact, just about every CEO I know is worried that this country simply isnt producing enough graduates with the skills they need to compete globally. Bill Gates
I find it ironic that you opened your notes with this remark just prior to a story was published about two hundred wealthy and famous Wall Street figures to the Kappa Beta Phi dinner in New York City. It consisted of a group of wealthy and powerful financiers making homophobic jokes, making light of the financial crisis, and bragging about their business conquests at Main Streets expense. The reporter who witnessed this dinner didnt mention any CEOs worried about the plight of the American schools.
As a 7th grade middle school Social Studies teacher in Carmel, NY, I never thought about the need to satisfy business leaders. I focus on teaching students to value American History and to question the choices that have been made in the past. Since the Industrial Revolution, business leaders have been given enormous opportunities in this country and throughout the world. The technology has made American lives remarkably more convenient but certainly at a price to our environment and to economic equality.
As a teacher, I am worried that this country simply isnt producing enough CEOs with the moral and ethical skills they need to create a sustainable future. The news is constantly reporting on chemicals being leaked into drinking water or how the CEO of McDonalds makes $8 million a year compared to his employers making minimum wage and yet nothing gets done to make it better. The Common Core Standards do not address how our future CEOs will be prepared to make compassionate and ethical decisions that will benefit all of humanity.
The public is skeptical about Common Core because they see the individuals who are backing this privatization of education. The public views the standardized testing and modules being produced by Pearson Corporation as products that Americans are being forced to purchase. These tests will not produce the leaders with the collaborative and innovative skills to solve the problems of the 21st century. The public views Common Core as a marketing scheme designed to make a few CEOs and the shareholders billions of dollars. Your foundation money has bought off our elected officials and teacher unions but the public outcry remains.
http://dianeravitch.net/2014/02/23/a-teachers-advice-to-bill-gates/
phantom power
(25,966 posts)on point
(2,506 posts)You provide a disincentive to study for the technical degrees you say you need every time you outsource those jobs or bring in an h1b1 resource at less than the going rate just because you don't want to hire existing unemployed engineers
It is all a big corp scam
Chef Eric
(1,024 posts)demigoddess
(6,640 posts)eom.
MyOwnPeace
(16,925 posts)I'd be sure to proof something that I was going to send out to the public:
the CEO of McDonalds makes $8 million a year compared to his employers making minimum wage and yet nothing gets done to make it better.
That should be "employees."
Mr.Bill
(24,273 posts)on a Microsoft program of some kind to automatically correct the grammar errors.
magical thyme
(14,881 posts)"just prior to a story that? was published"
I turned off my inner proofreader after that. But was relieved the letter is from a history teacher as opposed to, say, English.
ooooh, noooo...I just read the whole letter. On 2 occasions, the writer uses an apostrophe with a plural 's,' e.g. CEO's.
Luckily he hasn't sent it to Mr. Gates, but instead hopes that somebody on the internet will send it to him. Hopefully whoever forwards it along will first give it a final pass proofreading and edit.
Hoppy
(3,595 posts)is to watch teachers who were happy to be in classrooms and now, can't wait for retirement.
The school day consists of meetings, meetings, tests, meeting to discuss the tests, tests, more tests, meetings.
I got to retire when this bullshit was escalating under McChimp. Can anyone figure out how the dumbest person in the country was supposed to lead us to educational excellence? But then came Arnie Duncan.
I was labeled "Highly Proficient" in conjunction with the labels applied to teachers by Bush's program so it wasn't sour grapes. But it still was and is, bullshit.
yurbud
(39,405 posts)companies.
If it doesn't profit the copper bracelet, magnet in the shoes, or healing crystals company, you can't do it.
LuvNewcastle
(16,843 posts)DamnYankeeInHouston
(1,365 posts)I had to retire from the public schools to teach. I now have the world's smallest preschool at my house. I am in heaven, but I am scared about the future of America's schools, the future of an uneducated America and the future of my pension.
abelenkpe
(9,933 posts)Oh, baloney. That lie was started to give corporations an excuse to lobby for more visas and offshore more work, both done to undermine workers in the US and bring down the cost of labor. Then corporations get to profit on the other side too getting paid to 'reform" our schools according to their standards. Are we supposed to believe if we create enough engineers those jobs will return to the US?
yurbud
(39,405 posts)Jake2413
(226 posts)raccoon
(31,107 posts)markpkessinger
(8,392 posts)Education is for life, not for livelihood.
yurbud
(39,405 posts)clg311
(119 posts)Every teacher I know is concerned about pretentious "reformers" who know nothing about teaching.