Steve Jobs: Break Teacher’s Union or No Hope for School Reform

[William Korach]

25 October 2011

By Bill Korach

In the new bio Steve Jobs,  by Walter Isaacson, Jobs says: ” Until teacher’s unions were broken, there was almost no hope for educational reform.” By any measurement, Jobs made Apple a phenomenal success. Apple’s market value is greater than any company on the face of the earth including Exxon. Apple’s products are hot and the Apple stores are packed even the middle of a sluggish economy. Apple has been a huge contributor to the public school usage of computers and access to the internet, millions of Mac’s have been distributed to public schools. So when Jobs attacks unions for protecting bad teachers and preventing principals from hiring good teachers, he speaks from profound experience. Jobs tended to support Democrats, but on this issue, he was pure Tea Party.

Since the founding of the teacher’s unions and the Department of Education in the 1970′s, a creature of the teacher’s unions, educational spending has skyrocketed, while student performance has plummeted. This year the DOE will spend $80 Billion, and not one cent will educate a single student. Instead, the DOE mandates politically correct textbooks, supports UN global mandates over the Constitution and provides political cover for the unions. Last year, high school seniors scored the lowest SAT’s in history. The performance of American students in math and science ranks 25th among developed nations according to a 2010 McKinsey study.

Textbooks that trash America’s Judeo-Christian Heritage, promote Islamic propaganda, a socialist welfare, and UN’s agenda 21 are a product of the unholy marriage of the DOE and the union. Break the union stranglehold on American schools or continue to watch the deterioration of our schools and our country. Steve Jobs was right about more than Apple, he was right about America’s schools. We should heed his advice. Read more about our failing schools in The Report Card

 

[chris vaca]

My kids got between 15 and 17 I don't know if that says any thing. Maybe they don't teach the same things anymore? I don't konw, but at least I can show I'm smater at some things then my kids are.

[Chuck Morrison]

That's a good quiz, thanks - we should all do really well or pick up more books. I got a 27 - finding the amendment questions tricky so back to the books for me!

[Steve Tikas]

I grew up saying the pledge every morning and we had our founding fathers and other important people on the walls and that was only about 14 years ago.  We did have AC at my school.  Pretty cool test you beat me I only got a 22.  The basic questions I was perfect on some of the history questions I screwed up.

[chris vaca]

I grew up pretty much the same way. Pledge every morning, pictures of our founding fathers around the room. Didn't hurt me none. I had a test e-mailed to me, see how much you know about America. Here's the link, it's fun. http://games.toast.net/independence/ I got a 25 on it. It takes 5 minutes.

[Chuck Morrison]

The real issue is the more we spend the worse the problem becomes as Mark Steyn so brilliantly pointed out in a recent column in reponse to Joe Bite Me's visit to a York, PA elementary school.  It is a system where nearly $13,000 per student per year is spent but it's not enough because of the usual deplorable test scores, dropout rates, etc.  I doubt if my schools spent $500 a year on me but I learned all the basics, did great on SATs and graduated with an AB degree.  My schools were not carpeted or air-conditioned but we had pictures of Washington and Lincoln and an American flag to face while saying the Pledge of Allegiance every morning.  I actually survived all that mistreatment to become a taxpaying patriotic citizen.  Should our government have any more of a goal than that?

[chris vaca]

Yea, it's like that old saying that there are 3 sides to every story. What you say happened, what I say happened, and what actually happened. And that's the way it will always be.

[Steve Tikas]

@Mrs. Parrett

 

I understand what you are saying but that logic does not get the kids ready for the real world which is supposed to be the point of school (I know it isn't anymore but it is supposed to be).  Unfortunately there isn't always a calculator handy for them to use and if they aren't able to do simple math in their head they are at a disadvantage with someone that can.   I don't think kids should be able to use calculators on the FCAT's either.  With this type of logic it is no wonder we are ranked so low in math scores by the time our children reach high school.

 

I think that logic is the same as saying well Ebonics is okay because so many other people are speaking it.  No it is horrible English and if you use it in a professional setting you will not get far in life.

[Steve Tikas]

For the most part you are right I have had a couple conversations with people that disagreed with me.  Most of them say the same thing about someone on the far right.  I think it comes down to what someone believes is viable and anything else they think is a waste of their time to even talk about.  Almost everyone can find a study or some 'scholarly person' that agrees with them that they will point to and try to say that you are wrong because you aren't a PHD in whatever the topic is.  Most people typically arrive at their ideas because of something that they are told or taught when they are young and many have not put any real thought into their views and position that they spout off about.  I have had quite a few people say well what would you suggest and when I do they say that won't work or typical Republican talking points.  Most people can't deal with their ideas being challenged and it makes it worse when they are shown that their ideas are wrong. 

 

I have been in many a fight with my wife because I challenged her idea about something she grew up thinking but once she calmed down she admitted I was right.  She has done it to me a few times but I don't like talking about those times.  In the face of glaring faulty logic people will typically opt for the defensive route which typically leads to an angry response and it is worse the more wrong they are.  It is actually kind of amusing to watch.

[chris vaca]

 It's impossible to have a civil conversation with some one on the far left. Believe me I tryed.

[JIM MC CORMACK]

I grew up saying the pledge in school.. on Nov.11 (Armastice Day ) at 11 o'clock the cities whistles blew

and we all stood and faced East toward Europe with a minute of silence to respect our dead vets from WWI...We had to memorize Lincoln's Gettysberg Address anf the poem "In Flanders Field" . I just missed WW II but got into Korea to learn about war...