*Video* The Shocking Truth About Public Schools

I feel that as a former teacher (who saw through the lies, indoctrination, politics, and backstabbing) I should comment.

I do truly believe that schools are nothing more than indoctrination centers, pushing one agenda or another. They reward teachers who follow this mold, and reject the ones that do not. Politics play a bigger factor in schools than they probably even do in our highest forms of government. The problem being that if a Superintendent doesn't like you, he can fire you with no just cause as long as you are before your tenure period. I quit before this happened.

Other teachers will backstab their colleagues for anything from talking to another teacher they don't like, to just eating the wrong thing at lunch, or actually connecting and reaching out to trouble students (because apparently, they aren't worth the time to teach or reach out to).

There are still teachers out there that are very good at what they do, aren't caught up in the bull$hit politics, and actually WANT to make a difference. The ones that aren't like that are in it for the money and the "false power" that being a teacher apparently gives them (or they aren't good at anything else, so they become teachers).

I won't even touch on the administration aspects of the education field, as most of them are the scum sucking garbage of the Earth. There are still a few good ones left, but most of them are there for the 6 figure income and the complete power over certain policies.

Anyway, those are my two cents from the experienced teaching side. Take 'em or leave 'em.

reply to post by truthseeker1984


Great first hand insight from someone who has been there.

How many years were you in "the system?" What grade level?
Are "private" schools any better?

Thanks...kk

Public Education is the downfall of our country! Excellent Thread! Everyone knows for a fact that all those people in third world countries who don't have the opportunity of public education are doing so much better and are so much more free! STAR AND FLAG!

reply to post by DimensionalDetective


this boy is very wise.

if you go deep within yourself to deprogram yourself from these very things that he is talking about you realize how serious of a thing this is. it is very much programmed into who how we identify with who we think we are and what we think we need to do in order to "be a proper member of society", "succeed" and "have a good life".

look at how you are programmed to view the world around you and you can easily see the truth in this. what is your first reaction (be honest) with somebody who did not graduate high school? how about somebody who got really bad grades versus somebody who got all A's? somebody who is not attending college? or who is attending harvard? somebody who is a VP at a big company? how we (as a society) view and label these types of things is exactly how we can identify the programs going on within ourselves.

Future ATS Moderator

Anyways... To some degree he is right, we do put our kids in a fact based environment where we reward kids with A+'s for writing down facts as the teachers explain them. But lack to give credit to kids who question their teachers or the facts...

Although I do thing that this has to do more with the Teachers than the Education System.

I do disagree with the Idea that Bankers wanted to control the masses by having a public education system, why not just have the dumb un-educated masses that couldn't read, write, or converse properly? if anything Education gave the tools necessary for the masses to educate themselves by doing their own research.

Fox

[edit on 3/1/2010 by FoxStriker]

The kid brings up some good points. The education system AND the teachers are to blame, to some degree. The fact is out there though, the school system really is only to further classify and divide society into control groups. Someone with a youtube account needs to invite this kid to ATS, lol.

Its all bull#. the kid dropped out because he couldn't handle the pressure and now he is justifying that decision by saying he did it because he couldn't be in that kind of environment anymore.

are schools brainwashing kids? yea, but it was never a secret.

open a history textbook from a public school, the same people that founded the system are the same people being shown as heroes.

Rockefeller, master of oil, not Rockefeller guy who killed an entire town because he wanted his railroad built.

stupid people will go through the system and come out as perfect little blue collar workers with no dreams.

people who have a sense of self will go through the system, take what they can from it and leave the same.

future ATS moderator AHHAAHHAHAAHHAHAHAHHA BEST COMMENT EVER


I think I didnt post anything .. but

nobody here will ever be free if you dont have enough money to enjoy some things ... so, you need to find a way to generate money ... so, thats why everybody should go to college if possible

if you tell me that money isnt important ... OK, but you need to be able to survive and everything costs ... so, if you dont want to live in the jungle alone, you need to find a way to get $$

so, I dont think we can do anything, we are treated as slaves but, its not like you are going to change that

we dont even know who is controlling everything, everybody here knows that countries presidents and politicians in general are all controlled and cant really do anything

the reality is that we feel that big corporation are controlling everything, but maybe its something else ...

the power of the people would be enough to change everything, but the reality is that since everybody is being manipulated since their birth, they just cant use their brain properly

the internet may be the last hope, but soon it may be over

[edit on 1-3-2010 by Faiol]

Originally posted by DJM8507
Public Education is the downfall of our country! Excellent Thread! Everyone knows for a fact that all those people in third world countries who don't have the opportunity of public education are doing so much better and are so much more free! STAR AND FLAG!

Yeah, starving to death or dieing from an infectious disease is my idea of freedom.

Ironically posted by a warm and cozy person with a computer and internet acces. Puleeeze.

'Scuse me, a fact? If I've told you once, I've told you a million times.....stop exaggerating.

To me, life offers two simple choices, sink or swim but don't curse the ocean.


[edit on 1-3-2010 by kinda kurious]

Originally posted by kinda kurious
reply to post by truthseeker1984

 

Great first hand insight from someone who has been there.

How many years were you in "the system?" What grade level?
Are "private" schools any better?

Thanks...kk

I was in the system for a combined total of 4 years between long term appointments and full time work. Without divulging too much information, I worked with grades 5-12 (public school) throughout these 4 years, and it's appalling to realize that these kids have absolutely no critical thinking skills anymore. The government has mandated standardized testing which, in my opinion, takes away from the real instruction that could be done in the classroom. The teachers cannot do anything but teach toward a test, because sometimes their jobs depend on it. And like I said in my previous post, the teachers that don't follow this doctrine soon find themselves watching Maury Povich at noon, because they will never be hired in another district. Much like other professional fields, word spreads like wildfire and you can and WILL be blacklisted if you don't follow the predetermined doctrine that individual schools follow. That personally happened to me, and I'm glad I got out before any permanent damage was done. I many times taught outside of my predetermined instructional role, meaning that I taught my students about the life skills that they would need to make it in the real world (which is something that I believe ALL teachers should be instructing). At my last appointment, word spread fast that I was "liberating" the thinking of many of my students, teaching them to question not only their own motives, but other instructors, and also to do their own research and homework into many of the issues that are addressed in many different classes. I told them that without questioning, no new answers can be sought out and found. I told them that those things further progress as an individual and as a community. Unfortunately the Superintendent (making $127,000 a year) did not agree with my instructional methods and threatened me with termination if I didn't "snap up and follow guidelines." I excused myself from the meeting and came back with a resignation letter which I gleefully slapped down on his desk. I respectfully gave him my views and informed him of his near-sighted and even obtuse views on how students should be instructed. I had accumulated enough time through sick days and personal days to take most of the rest of the year off, and I spent this time seeking out new lines of work. While I miss interacting with young minds, I do not miss the politics that go along with it.

As far as your question about private schools...

In my experience, they are only marginally better. They aren't governed by the same doctrines and practices that public schools are. After all, private schools don't receive state or federal money to stay in business. However, it also limits the amount of opportunities that students have, including the areas of physical education, technology education (shop class), and Fine Arts Education. As far as I understand, these students can only take the GED exam for a diploma, which is fine, but some employers will look down on those considering that they aren't governed by the same state agencies as certain other tests (such as Regents exams). I also have a problem in that many private schools are funded by some religious organization, and once again you have another case of indoctrination, just at a different level. I think the rise of charter schools around the US is a very good thing for the education system, as they make up their own constitutions, their own guidelines, and their own hiring/firing practices. They almost act as a Republic, as EVERY teacher has a say in the practices that the school follows. It gets right down to the purest form of education: teach the students what they need to know, but at the same time be a compass and guide them with that information. It's just too bad that many of them fold only after a few years, as the government sees them as a threat to their indoctrination practices.

If anybody else has any more questions, I'll keep contributing to this thread.

reply to post by truthseeker1984


Thank you for taking the time to share. Very informative. I value your insight.

Much appreciated although depressing.

Regards...kk

Look, I don't like the public school system...not because the concepts they attempt to teach, but because the teachers for the most part aren't intelligent enough to understand the concepts. They are probably the lowest paid college grad...we have morons teaching kids. I wasn't a "good" student. I got in trouble all the time for questioning teachers...but I questioned them on THEIR UNDERSTANDING of the subject matter...because I think I understood it better than they did.

reply to post by OutKast Searcher


Got to take exception with you here, Outkast....

Most teachers I work with have a master's degree or higher. Some of us even have doctorates.

With the new mandates from No Child Left Behind, teachers were required to be "highly qualified" in their subject area. Which means if you teach grade 7 or up, you must have a degree in that subject area. So someone teaching high school history has a degree in history.

Now, I can't watch the video at the moment, so I can't really address the video. But I will tell you the problem with public education as I see it.

I've got 23 kids in my classroom. Of these 23 kids, 17 come from a "broken" home....meaning they live with either mother, father, or other relative. Many of those 17 students travel back and forth to see parents.
Of my 23 students, 12 have family members in jail. Not necessarily mothers or fathers, but cousins, uncles, aunts, etc. And my students laud that fact.
Of my 23 fifth graders, four are active gang members.
Six have diagnosed learning disabilities. One was a victim of shaken baby syndrome, which of course has impaired his ability to learn.
Of my 23 students, 21 are on free/reduced lunch. Which means the school provides the meals for them because their parents can't afford to.
Of my 23 students, I have reported 5 possible abuse situations to DHS. Mainly for neglect, but I've also seen marks I found highly suspicious.
Of my 23 students, my school sends food home with four on the weekend, because we think they don't get enough to eat. You should see how some of those four remind me every ten minutes to not forget their bag of food.
Of my 23 students, 14 have parents who dropped out of school for whatever reason. Only 3 have gone on to college.
Out of those 23 students, how many do you honestly think are mentally prepared for school? Some are worried about going home and facing whatever horror they face there; some are wondering about where their next meal comes from, some are concerned because their parent who promised to visit the past weekend never showed up.

Now.....do you honestly expect those kids to pay attention to a lesson on fractions????

OK, so opinions are divided. But, I'm with those who see "public education" for what it is - pure indoctrination! My mother-in-law is a teacher, my sister is a teacher, my cousin is a teacher and I have several friends who are teachers and they all share a common outlook - that "Education" is no longer education, it is programming.

Yes, a well-rounded curriculum is important to the development of a well-rounded individual. However, some of the most critical skills are never discussed in public schools. Where is the coursework on logic and language? Where is the coursework on ethics? Where is the coursework on finances; like checkbook balancing, investing and saving? Where is the coursework on philosophy and critical thinking? These are foundational principles that lead people to learn how to THINK and critically evaluate the information that is fed to them - including the information they are taught at school. The people in power recognize and understand that people capable of mastering those foundational principles are, in fact DANGEROUS! Yes, DANGEROUS - because they are the ones most likely to not accept the "Norms" that have been crafted specifically for us, the great unwashed masses.

Today our children are brought up in an educational environment that teaches them to conform absoutely and to not question authority. "Zero Tolerance" is kind-speak for totalitarianism. Achievement testing is a mechanism used to get children used to the idea of being compartmentalized so that they readily accept being inserted into a paradigm that they have no control over. Report cards, a novel and noble idea on the surface, no longer report benchmarks on a child's progress with respect to coursework, but have become punitive/reward mechanisms to further segregate our children and make them more accepting of their "place" in the social order - hence, honor rolls, national honor society etc... versus "Failure".

These are simply my opinions. I care not if you disagree. BUT... those who completely and blindly support the public education system need to take a good hard look at the textbooks our children are "learning" from. Most of these books are EDITORIALS, not factual guides. Anyone who has reviewed an 8th grade history book will know EXACTLY what I am talking about!

I have seen and heard enough from people on the inside of this system to know that my child will NEVER set foot in a public school. I am fortunate enough to have acess to teachers who have illuminated these inner-workings. I am also blessed enough to have a mother-in-law who is retiring next year and who will be home-schooling my child and focusing on the critical-thinking aspects of education. I'll leave you with this to think about... "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, TEACH a man to fish and eats for a lifetime." Now transpose... "Give a child a lesson and they will learn what they are taught, Teach a child to learn and they will become more wise than their teachers". And THAT is precisely what they fear the most!

Where is the coursework on logic and language? Where is the coursework on ethics? Where is the coursework on finances; like checkbook balancing, investing and saving? Where is the coursework on philosophy and critical thinking?

reply to post by kozmo


Would you mind terribly running for Congress? Please?

This is EXACTLY what is missing from our school system. Why? Why don't we teach critical thinking anymore?

Simple: its not on the standardized tests at the end of the year.

Originally posted by smyleegrl

This is EXACTLY what is missing from our school system. Why? Why don't we teach critical thinking anymore?

Simple: its not on the standardized tests at the end of the year.

Well, yes... in a sense. It is not on the standardized test. But again, WHY is there even standardized testing? Believe me when I tell you that it has NOTHING to do with evaluating to "learning" achievements of a given grade-level in a given school district, Simple statistical models would reveal those results without administering a single test! Rather, they are designed to compartmentalize students and get them used to the idea of being categorized and desensitized into accpeting their place and role in the heirarchy.

Moving on to your question, why do they not teach the subjects I alluded to in my post? It is very elementary - students enabled with critical thinking skills would quickly reject the entire system that they are being programmed to accept - plain and simple. I am the product of private education where all of those disciplines were heavily integrated into the coursework and I reject OUTRIGHT this entire system of servitude! Why? Because I am able to apply learned and practised critical thinking techniques that allow me to dig deply enough to SEE the truth!

Moving on to your question, why do they not teach the subjects I alluded to in my post? It is very elementary - students enabled with critical thinking skills would quickly reject the entire system that they are being programmed to accept - plain and simple. I am the product of private education where all of those disciplines were heavily integrated into the coursework and I reject OUTRIGHT this entire system of servitude! Why? Because I am able to apply learned and practised critical thinking techniques that allow me to dig deply enough to SEE the truth!

reply to post by kozmo


I teach elementary school. Critical thinking skills typically develop a little later, around middle school.
However, I am constantly challenging my students to question, think, to reason, and to explain their reasoning.
The problem with standardized testing is the government applies funds based on how the students perform....so in order to get students to perform well the school in essence "teach to the test." Which means focusing solely on those subjects that are tested. So there goes philosophy, and all the other "thinking" subjects you described.
Personally, I agree with you. Our public education system is broken and needs repair. I just don't think blaming the entire thing on the teachers is the right course of action.

I would say subjects like math and science are the least useless things they teach in schools these days, mostly because those can't be twisted towards political agendas. I would venture to say that one of the most useless subjects in public schools is History, most of which you have to un-learn if you desire an actual understanding of history.

Take, for instance, what we're taught about Christopher Columbus, I'd say it's about 90% crap. From the idea that people thought the Earth was flat, to the concept that Columbus had no idea the Americas were there, to the idea that Spain would bankroll a "shot in the dark" expedition when they had only recently reunited the country (which they don't teach you lest it anger Muslims).

Of course, you would never be taught that Nordic explorers discovered and colonized the Americas at about the same time as the First Crusade (around 1000-1100 ad).

And you especially would not be taught that these Nordic voyages were only possible because the planet was in a warm phase and as it cooled and entered "The Little Ice Age" there was too much ice along the northern route through the Atlantic to support a colony that far away.

I apologize for going off like that, but it really does get to me when I realize how twisted many people's concept of history is thanks to their wonderful high school education.

reply to post by smyleegrl


Yes, I understand that. I hear the same from everyone I know that teaches. Reread your post - you answer your own questions and reinforce my statements. DO you not think that this waste of time regarding teaching to the test was a premediated attempt to further hinder the system??? Or worse, be used as a toll to condition? Think about it... the studetn's "Achievement" dictates the district's funding... Just stop and think your way through that one. Doesn't that sound just a little 'corporate" to you???

Finally, I also realize that critical thinking skills do not completely manifest until a child nears puberty. That said, shouldn't all of this coursework be seen in the Jr. High and HS levels? Where are they?

Yes, I understand that. I hear the same from everyone I know that teaches. Reread your post - you answer your own questions and reinforce my statements. DO you not think that this waste of time regarding teaching to the test was a premediated attempt to further hinder the system??? Or worse, be used as a toll to condition? Think about it... the studetn's "Achievement" dictates the district's funding... Just stop and think your way through that one. Doesn't that sound just a little 'corporate" to you???

reply to post by kozmo


YES YES YES YES YES! I agree with you in everything you say. Whereas its an 'agenda" or not I don't know....but it is a waste of time effort.

Schools cannot be run like a business model....and yet we try to do so anyway. Produce these perfect little machines for society, who don't think for themselves and never question anything.

Children aren't machines, school shouldn't be a factory.

Originally posted by kinda kurious

Yeah, starving to death or dieing from an infectious disease is my idea of freedom.

Ironically posted by a warm and cozy person with a computer and internet acces. Puleeeze.

'Scuse me, a fact? If I've told you once, I've told you a million times.....stop exaggerating.

To me, life offers two simple choices, sink or swim but don't curse the ocean.

[edit on 1-3-2010 by kinda kurious]

A-HA! I knew there was a sense of humor there somewhere
a wee bit 'o sarcasm 'n irony does add some spice to the conversation
(back on topic)

I feel complete affinity with the statement "sink or swim but don't curse the ocean." - it appears to me that the kid-in-th-video is doing the backstroke at a high rate of speed and needn't be bothered with having to stop for a license, ticket or "safety" check. Old souls already know how to swim and surf and do the watusi but unfortunately tend to stretch the boundaries of conforming behavior in some ways and may end up in less-than-appealing characterizations - college dropouts (like Bill Gates) - that really have nothing to do with their accomplishments, successes or contributions to society.


gj