Category Archives: Education

Public Education Fail

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Social studies education more specifically.

From the Independent:

“A quarter of Americans falsely believe federal law enforcement ‘probably’ or ‘definitely’ orchestrated the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, a claim at the centre of a persistent conspiracy theory promoted by right-wing media, Republican officials and former president Donald Trump.

The results of a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll also found that 34 per cent of Republicans and 44 per cent of Americans who voted for Mr Trump continue to believe that FBI operatives organised and encouraged the attack.”

Of course, when it comes to our collective mania, more is it at play than just social studies education, but no one seems to be saying the obvious that history and civics coursework is doing little to promote a critical thinking, media-literate citizenry.

I propose we start from absolute scratch with a complete rethinking of social studies education K-12. I’m too old, too worn down by the lecturing/memorizing status quo, and too cynical to be any more specific.

And yes, you’re right, that is one sad(sick) and deflating final sentence.

On Today’s Run

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I listened to Ezra Klein talk to Gloria Marks about her book,“Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness, and Productivity”. Marks is a professor at UC Irvine.

I probably wasn’t paying close enough attention, but I was underwhelmed by Marks who confirmed Klein’s view that we’re easily distracted these days and how helpful walks in nature are to our paying attention and well-being more generally. Despite Klein’s borderline annoying earnestness, Mark’s came across as “All hat and no cattle.”

And let’s not rule out the very real possibility that I’m just jelly that I don’t have a remotely similar platform for my own peabrain ideas.

Maybe if I did a deeper dive into Mark’s work, I’d be more impressed, but having been around the academic block a few times, I suspect her academic profile is the result of two things—focusing exclusively on a highly relevant topic and mastering the art of self promotion. Do note the slick personal website.

Often, there’s a weak correlation between the intelligence and importance of a person’s writing/speaking and their relative popularity. It’s rarely, if ever, what you see is what you get.

I prefer more original writers/thinkers that cast wider nets, blur the lines between disciplines, and challenge my preconceived assumptions about things.

On School Closures

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The Olympia, Washington School District has a $13.9 million budget deficit. A big number for a smallish community.

The talk has turned to school closures. Parents, students, and other community members are upset and pushing back.

Here are two sample public statements, the first mindlessly conspiratorial; the second, thoughtful and cogent.

“The superintendent and the board members who voted yes to start the 90-day process do not care about the concerns our community has voiced. It is clear that there is a biased agenda happening behind closed doors since the only option they are willing to present is school closures.”

“Our students are not a classroom, they are not data points, they are not funding dollars—they are children. And behind each one of our children, there is a family, there is a story, and there are emotions.”

Lots of emotions.

Most of the protesters say they want to work with the district to find alternatives to closures. That spirit is nice, but I don’t see any counterproposals that result in a sustainable, balanced budget.

I suspect there’s only one alternative to increasing efficiencies through school closures. Increasing property taxes.

And no one is talking about that.

Why Pedestrian Deaths Are Up In The (dis)United States

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There are a multiplicity of factors, but this analysis highlights the increase in pedestrian deaths at night as a result of walkers wearing dark clothes, crosswalks being poorly lit, and a rise in homelessness.

I live 4-5 miles from a perfect storm for ped deaths. Right now in Olympia, Washington it’s dark between 15-16 hours a day. Right off a main drag, there’s a Salvation Army that is a magnet for the homeless, whom I refer to as the “walking wounded”. But they’re not always walking. I’ve seen homeless people dressed entirely in black, suddenly shoot across the street on skateboards and bikes, between crosswalks. It’s human-powered transportation Russian Roulette.

There are accidents, sometimes even deaths, but I’m surprised there aren’t more.

Be Humble, Sit Down

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A fave PressingPauser of mine, well before he started calling me Kyrie Irving for not getting jabbed enough (and my ball handling skills prob), is a distinguished academic who has written extensively about the elite in the (dis)United States. He must be having a field day with the college Presidents’ Congressional testimony brouhaha, given the uber-elite law firm that prepped the Presidents before they testified; the Presidents themselves; and especially, the ultra-wealthy business titans like those on Wharton’s Advisory Board at the University of Pennsylvania. Money is leverage.

I look forward to his write up.

He hasn’t asked for my help yet, but the main take-away from Testimonygate is that Bill Ackman is a doofus who let his ego get the best of him.

Ackman, of course, is right that anti-semitism is wrong and that Jewish students should not be scapegoated for highly contentious U.S. foreign policies. They, like all Jewish citizens, should feel and be safe.

But, Ackman over clubbed big time. The New York Times explains:

“On Nov. 4, he (Ackman) wrote a four-page letter to Dr. Gay, outlining his concerns about antisemitism on campus and what he called double standards on campus for different racial and ethnic groups. He offered a detailed list of actions he wanted the university to take.”

The Times adds, “After sending that letter, he said he had minimal contact with Harvard.” What a shocker, Harvard didn’t want a wealthy alum to tell them exactly what to do. I’m sure Ackman wouldn’t mind if Harvard told him exactly how to run his business. How does someone so incapable of “reading the room” achieve Ackman’s level of business success?

Business success, of course, is relative. Ackman’s net worth is only a few billion. Dig this “paragraph to ponder” from the same story. 

“He (Ackman) has given tens of millions of dollars over the years to Harvard, but does not rank among the top donors at a school that has landed numerous nine-figure donations. His largest gift dates to 2014, when he and his former wife announced a $25 million donation to expand the economics department and endow three professorships.”

Note to Bill. With a $50 billion endowment, you have to give a lot more than $25 million to get a four-page letter read.

The Times says Ackman is acting from deep-seated resentments towards his alma mater that have built up in recent years. On Twitter, Ackman wrote a four page letter of sorts saying the underlying premise of the NYT’s story was wrong, that he harbors no resentment towards Harvard. Then he details all the things that have gone wrong between the U and him. What’s a synonym for “resentment”, bitterness, animosity, enmity?

The Harvard Board, and large numbers of its faculty, have backed Claudine Gay, Harvard’s newish President. In large part, I suspect, because they think she has what it takes to successfully lead the institution going forward. But also, no doubt, to stick it to Ackman and his egomaniac billionaire ilk.

One of my favorite parts of Succession was when Jeremy Strong as Kendall Roy would sit in the back of his driver’s car and lose himself in rap music in preparation for a big board meeting.

Ackman should channel Kendall Roy. With this Kendrick Lamar chorus.

Bitch, be humble (hol’ up, bitch)
Sit down (hol’ up, lil’, hol’ up, lil’ bitch)
Be humble (hol’ up, bitch)
Sit down (hol’ up, sit down, lil’, sit down, lil’ bitch)