Public schools

[graffic]

Ive been giving this alot of thought recently, how important are the destruction of public schools in the revolutionary lefts action plans?

Do you think it would improve society for the better in this day and age?

[Whitten]

When you say public schools, do you mean privatly owned schools?

[Demogorgon]

Are we discussing public schools in the British sense of being very elite private schools? If so get rid of them ASAP. I mean even before revolution we still want rid of them.

If you mean in the American sense of what we call state schools here, well obviously universal education is a good thing even if it needs improvement

[Psy]

I think it is in the sense that schools primary function is the manufacture obedient citizens.

[graffic]

Originally posted by [email protected] 06, 2007 03:52 pm
When you say public schools, do you mean privatly owned schools?
Yes

[Whitten]

Then they should be closed, in order to reduce the effect the differential in the quality of education places in the enforcement of existing class relations.

[graffic]

The thought came to mind last night when I babysat for a friend of a friend. He was a lawyer who went to the same school as Ian Hislop (editor of private eye), his wife was also a lawyer.

It was clear they had both come from similar upper class backgrounds and had been brought up in elite schools. They are clever people nonetheless, but it was clear that the schools they went to had shaped them into what they are. Something which i never had the chance to get - purely because i was brought up in a middle class home where there was no money to send me to a private school.

As much good work as the labour government has done to change this, the fact is still the same. If youve got Eton college on you CV it will make a huge difference in your life

[Fawkes]

The schools themselves (i.e., the physical structure(s)) will not be destroyed, they will just be made free. There curriculum would also most likely change very drastically as would the manner in which the school is organized and the entire grade system would most likely be abolished.

[Janus]

Originally posted by (Whitten @ May [email protected] 2007 03:52 pm)

When you say public schools, do you mean privatly owned schools?
Yes
That's just confusing. As far as private schools go, they wouldn't exist in a communist society simply because all schools will be public and administered by the community.

[Noah]

entire grade system would most likely be abolished

I'm guessing you mean in a communist society...Which is ridiculous because grades tend to show which are your best subject areas (and usually favourite) which then helps young people to join a particular field...If you took that away, which is unrealistic, then they would have nothing to guide them.

For example in communist society you are free to do what you want for a proffession...But there's no point being a doctor if you aren't good in the sciences, if you didn't get grades then you wouldn't really be able to tell how good you are. Unless you had a better system in mind?

Why abolish the grade system? It doesn't create inequality, it shows people's strengths and weaknesses.

[StartToday]

Originally posted by [email protected] 07, 2007 12:28 am
Why abolish the grade system?
This is an interesting question.

Grades can show you where your strengths are, and show others that you have learned a sufficient amount in a certain area.

However, to get such status, the existence of grades encourages kids to cheat rather than learn. Without grades, they would have to actually learn in order to show their intelligence or skill in a particular subject.

What do you guys think? Would grades stay, go, or be changed somehow?

[Dimentio]

Some kids are not so very active in classrooms. Grades are actually to most benefit for the students who are weak in some subjects since they show where they could improve.

[cenv]

Grades are actually to most benefit for the students who are weak in some subjects since they show where they could improve.
Students tend to be able to tell what they're good at and what they struggle with regardless of whether they receive grades. Grades just add pressure and detract from the learning experience.

[Fawkes]

Originally posted by [email protected] 06, 2007 07:28 pm

entire grade system would most likely be abolished

I'm guessing you mean in a communist society...Which is ridiculous because grades tend to show which are your best subject areas (and usually favourite) which then helps young people to join a particular field...If you took that away, which is unrealistic, then they would have nothing to guide them.

For example in communist society you are free to do what you want for a proffession...But there's no point being a doctor if you aren't good in the sciences, if you didn't get grades then you wouldn't really be able to tell how good you are. Unless you had a better system in mind?

Why abolish the grade system? It doesn't create inequality, it shows people's strengths and weaknesses.
There already are schools that operate very successfully without using the grade system (some examples of them in the U.S. are Sudbury Schools and Hampshire College). Students' obvious weaknesses and strengths would be shown, though instead of being given a letter grade, their performance would be evaluated individualy by their teacher(s). This would show the student's actual strengths and weaknesses as opposed to an arbitrary grade based off of a bunch of standardized tests and assignments.

[which doctor]

Teacher written narratives function far better than a simple arbitrary number or letter.

[bezdomni]

There already are schools that operate very successfully without using the grade system (some examples of them in the U.S. are Sudbury Schools and Hampshire College)

Hey, that is where I am going!

[Sparrow]

Grades on a whole are used to seperate people into classes, just as money therefore they should be abolished to the point where we create a system to fix the way we look at how people learn the material because everyone has the ability to learn it, but everyone learns at a different rate. Grades hold people back and dont show peoples true potential. :wacko:

[Fawkes]

Originally posted by [email protected] 09, 2007 07:59 pm

There already are schools that operate very successfully without using the grade system (some examples of them in the U.S. are Sudbury Schools and Hampshire College)

Hey, that is where I am going!
Nice, I live very close to there (Northern Connecticut), perhaps we could meet up sometime. I've been debating going there, but I think I want to go to a school in the city.

[redcannon]

i don't know what you mean by public schools, so i'll take it as the school system we have in the states. basically, it is to keep the status quo the same. my history teacher keeps talking about the differences between communism and democracy (which does not make sense) how the USSR was communist (which does not make sense) and a whole bunch of other shit that perpetuates the capitalist system but really just does not make sense. if it was up to be, schools would actually teach instead of spewing shit out of their mouths like right wing politicians (sorry for all the venting but this is a touchy subject)

[bezdomni]

Originally posted by Fawkes+May 12, 2007 09:17 pm--> (Fawkes @ May 12, 2007 09:17 pm)
[email protected] 09, 2007 07:59 pm

There already are schools that operate very successfully without using the grade system (some examples of them in the U.S. are Sudbury Schools and Hampshire College)

Hey, that is where I am going!
Nice, I live very close to there (Northern Connecticut), perhaps we could meet up sometime. I've been debating going there, but I think I want to go to a school in the city. [/b]
Cool man.

Amherst is a fucking great town. UMass is pretty much its own city and is just down the street...