KOG
Opinion Paper...
DONALD J. ASBRIDGE, ED.S., LEP, RSP
BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA, USA
Since Asbridge (DA) remains in fantasyland, it took awhile to find another fictional interviewer (FI) who would be willing to sit down and speak with him regarding compulsory education, high school graduation rates, NCLB, the draft, and a few other topics. It didn't take long for this shrink's paranoia and conspiratorial thinking to emerge.
FI: “Are you completely whacko?
What's up with this? Now you're trying to kick kids out of school?
Give me a break!”
DA: “Good morning! It's
nice to be speaking with you - thanks for inviting me here today.
This is a very important topic we're discussing… our children's education
and the future of American society.”
FI: “Yeah, right. So
why do you want to kick the kids out? Just tell me that.”
DA: “Well, let's start at the
beginning. Here's the deal… here in California the government decided
all kids have to attend school until age 18*… whether they want to be in
school or not… and now many of the students spend all day doing their best
- to get kicked out! In many ways it's just a huge waste of time
for many of the students, many of the parents, and many of the staff… not
to mention the waste of billions of dollars of taxpayers' money.”
CALIFORNIA EDUCATION CODE
SECTION 48260(a):
Any pupil subject to
compulsory full-time education or to compulsory continuation education
who is absent from school without valid excuse three days in one school
year or tardy or absent for more than any 30-minute period during the school
day without a valid excuse on three occasions in one school year, or any
combination thereof, is a truant and shall be reported to the attendance
supervisor or to the superintendent of the school district. Click
here to view the entire code (48260-48273).
FI: “So? Just discipline
them! This ain't rocket science, you know.”
DA: “We do discipline them.
In fact, we spend most of our time disciplining them - leaving very little
time to educate them.”
FI: “You educators are such
wimps… take the paddle to them… that'll get them in line.”
DA: “Um, we're not allowed to
'take the paddle' to them… that's against the law.”
FI: “Not against God's Law.”
DA: “We don't go by God's Law
in the public schools.”
FI: “Yeah, that's the real
problem, but we're diligently working on changing that.”
DA: “I've noticed.”
FI: “It's the law as written
that kids have to be in school… it's as simple as that.”
DA: “But it's not that simple.
I think that kids respond the same way that adults do when/if they're forced
to be somewhere doing something they don't want to do. If the government
put you in prison for seven hours a day for four years, would you be angry?”
FI: “Of course I would be angry…
but you're talking apples and oranges. I'm an adult.”
DA: “So are high school students
- they're young adults.”
FI: “Will you give it up?
You know high school students are too young to make capable and responsible
decisions.”
DA: “I thought you were the one
saying to hold high expectations.”
FI: “We are the ones holding
high expectations.”
DA: “I guess 'high expectations'
for one aren't necessarily 'high expectations' for another.”
FI: “Look, all you people in
the schools do is moan and groan. Why don't you just do your jobs
and babysit - I mean educate - the students? You're the shrink… if
the students are angry, why don't you provide anger management? Why
don't you diagnose them with oppositionality or something?”
DA: “Fine… I can help them manage
their anger, but as long as they remain in our present dysfunctional society,
they're going to remain angry. And I don't blame them - they should
be angry the way they're getting shafted. And as far as I can tell,
they've all already received some kind of diagnosis from someone and are
all already on some kind of magic pill.
FI: “Okay, okay, calm down,
you're out of control! Let's talk specifics. If a student isn't
required to be in school, won't she or he just be sitting home doing nothing?”
DA: “You mean just like now?”
FI: “You think too much."
DA: “I'd rather think too much
than not enough.”
FI: “Okay, obviously this is
one point - probably the only point - we can agree on. We all agree
there's a nationwide attendance problem… that's why there have to be attendance
officers, probation officers, truancy officers, security guards, juvenile
courts, laws, police, judges, lawyers, boot camps, SARBs, metal detectors,
counselors, shrinks, substance abuse programs, and special schools, etc.
Students don't want to go and parents don't want to send them… that's exactly
why we need to pass laws to make them attend.”
DA: “Please, please, please…
I beg you to think about what you just said.”
“Can you hear the sound of hysteria?”FI: “It all boils down to the fact that if a student doesn't get a high school diploma, then s/he won't ever be able to get a job.”
Billy Joe, Green Day
DA: “Not true. The student can go down the road and enroll in a community college if she or he wants - with or without a diploma. Or they can get their GED. Or they can sign up for an accredited internet diploma. Or they can drive trucks. Or have a lucrative career in sports. Or they can be a plumber, massage therapist, manicurist, or sell hot dogs. Or they can just continue to hang out in the hood with their homeys. In any event, they'll almost certainly make a lot more money than I do if they so choose.”
FI: “You know, until things
change, the military won't accept non-graduates for duty.”
DA: “Maybe that's why the students
choose not to graduate.”
FI: “Not so fast, there!
Billions of dollars of taxpayers' money go to providing a free and appropriate
education for all students. You have to educate them whether they
want to be educated or not!”
DA: “Billions of taxpayers' dollars
are spent on trying to track down students to drag them into school handcuffed
and kicking and screaming against their wills… as soon as they are here,
they act out until they get sent home, disrupting the education of many
other students in the process - sometimes risking the safety of other students.”
"Students are not sponges."FI: “George Bush has directed you not to leave any child behind.”
Don Asbridge, 2005
DA: “George Bush ain't my boss. In fact, I'm his boss. Isn't government 'by the people'?”
FI: “I'm not going to listen
to that liberal hocus-pocus… here's the bottom line: even if students
aren't learning and aren't attending and aren't graduating - they have
to be in school - that's the law whether it works or not and whether you
like it or not.”
DA: “Change the law. You
seem to be changing a lot of other laws. Why not this one?”
FI: “We only change the law
when it is to our advantage.”
DA: “I know.”
FI: “Come on, Don. Play
the game. You know the goal is to provide jobs for a lot of people.
If we - the legal system, the political system, and the educational system
can identify thirty percent of the public as “losers” or “criminals” or
“dropouts,” then the American way of life can continue. And wouldn't
it be great if we could get that number up to fifty to seventy-five percent?
Then we could increase the police force -- President Bush has already made
tremendous progress in expanding poverty, you know.”
DA: “I'm just saying I don't
want to be part of that anymore.”
"When fifty percent of the population is in the pen, they're no longer criminals... they're the norm."FI: “So, resign! We don't want people like you in the schools… shrinks who are anti-government… who won't slap a convenient label on a kid… who want to blame the president. We don't want you here.”
Bob Kerry, Former Nebraska Senator
DA: “Who are 'we,' anyway?”
FI: “Okay, I'm going to give
you a few more chances to answer correctly. I'm certainly not going
to leave children behind and, well, I don't want to be accused of leaving
you behind either. Big business has noted that graduates are ill-prepared
for the work force. What about that?”
DA: “They're right. A
high school degree is often worth less than one year to begin with.
Businesses are the ones with the money… why don't they start their own
[entry level, intern, apprentice] schools if it's so easy? Just remember,
if we're going to play that game, they have to take everyone who shows
up at their doorstep just like we do, and the students have to stay for
four years, whether they want to or not.”
“We have a program designed to keep the American public so dumb they'll never be able to figure things out… it's called 'Education'.”FI: “The cops have to track down these long-hairs, these juvenile delinquents, these truants, these bikers, these skaters, these punks whenever they're out of school. If it was just fine for students to be out 'walking the streets,' a lot of people would be out of work. It would be much more difficult to identify the losers and criminals. The primary purpose of public education is to identify the losers, criminals, and delinquents. Is that how you want the taxpayers' money spent - cops sitting around not being able to insure the delinquents are in school - not being able to punish them, not being able to throw kids in the slammer?”
Dick Gregory, Human Rights Activist
DA: “Um....”
FI: “You're really stupid,
Don. The Senate and the House, including Republicans and Democrats
all agreed that No Child Shall Be Left Behind.”
DA: “Then maybe they should start
their own school.”
FI: “You just don't get it.
I'm only going to say this one more time. George Bush mandated that
No Child Shall Be Left Behind, and he's tired of you educators being hypocrites
and bigots, and frankly, I'm tired of it too. Got it?”
DA: “George is in no position
to mandate anything. Maybe he should just start his own school -
oh, I forgot, he already has..."
FI: “All you want to do is
complain.”
DA: “Duh. There's a lot
to complain about. In your business, if someone doesn't perform,
they get fired. You advocate that if a teacher doesn't perform, s/he
should get fired (a concept with which I happen to fully agree, by the
way), but you're saying if a student chooses not to perform, we should
just let them stay for four or more years - whoops, I mean make them stay!”
“Everything wasn't meant to be all right.”FI: “So, all this you're saying is quite obviously a complete disaster for our nation. Martians like you who are anti-American want to leave children behind. Just for the record, I'll give you one more chance to explain yourself. What exactly are you proposing? And be specific! Enough of this Orwellian doublespeak with a forked tongue!”
Billy Joe, Green Day
DA: “That students, after their freshman year, who have proven over a long period of time they are choosing to not regularly attend, succeed, try, etc., shall be allowed the opportunity to experience success by serving in an existing one, two or three-year national program that helps the student and the country. There are great opportunities for these young adults to clean up the roads and environment, gain skills, get some structure, and help people, which is the most mentally healthy thing people can do. Think FDR! The Job Corps! AmeriCorps! These programs provide great alternatives for many. Boot camps might be beneficial for some. You might be surprised to hear me say this, but even the military might be an opportunity for some… of course the law would need to be changed to allow non-graduates to choose to enlist -- does it really take a high school diploma to learn how to drive a Jeep into a neighborhood in Iraq?
FI: “Heh, heh. You keep
using the word, 'choice.' Come on… you know we're making all efforts
to take away individual choice… you are way out of touch with reality.”
DA: “Well, either I am or you
are… time and history will tell, I guess.”
FI: “Well, that just figures.
You liberal pansies are always talking these billion-dollar, fat-cat, governmental,
social programs. This is what I would have expected. Why is
it always about that with you liberals?”
DA: “Just trying to find something
that might work.”
FI: “Besides, we have our own
new, billion-dollar, fat-cat government program already designed to identify
and then serve dropouts. Hah! We're way ahead of you!”
DA: “Really? Tell me about
it. What's it called?”
FI: “It's called the draft!
HR 3598 IH! The Universal Military Training and Service Act of 2001…
it was secretly introduced in the 107th Congress. Be sure to read
the section below specifically addressing education for high school dropouts
… and, of course, the rest of the bill. It's already been drawn up
and is ready to be implemented any time. We're very proud of it in
it's entirety and can't wait to proceed… not only does it discriminate
based on age and gender, but it's religious-based, too. Yeah!
A grand slam!"
DA: “Well, that's not exactly
what I had in mind… I was thinking of something a little less… uh,… horrible.”
HR 3598 IHFI: “So, you see, we have this all under control already. You don't need to worry your little self about this any more.”
Universal Military Training and Service Act of 2001
(Introduced in House)(b) EXTENDED TRAINING AND EDUCATIONAL SERVICES FOR HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUTS-
(a). The Secretary concerned shall assist such members in earning the equivalent of a high school diploma while receiving their basic military training and education.
(c) OTHER GROUNDS FOR EXTENSION- At the discretion of the Secretary, the period of basic military training and education for a member of the armed forces under this Act may be extended--
(1) with the consent of the member, for the purpose of furnishing hospitalization, medical, or surgical care for injury or illness incurred in line of duty; or
(2) for the purpose of requiring the member to compensate for any time lost to training for any cause.(d) TRANSFER TO NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAMS. The Secretary concerned may enter into a cooperative agreement with another Federal agency, a State or political subdivision of a State (including a State Commission on National and Community Service maintained by a State pursuant to section 178 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12638)), and other entities carrying out a national service program described in section 122 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 12572) to hhhhprovide for a transfer of a person receiving basic military training and education, upon completion of the initial military training component of the training, to complete the remainder of the person's required service in a national service program.
DA: “I guess you're right.”
FI: “Anything else?”
DA: “Um, no Sir.”
FI: “You're excused.”
DA: “Yes, Sir.”
“Merry Christmas, Happy New Year.”
John Lennon
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POSITIVE RECOMMENDATIONS:
Change the compulsory education law to age 14 and provide educational and vocational options for students at all ages so that no child is left behind.
Think of any option to address the dropout problem other than drafting them and providing them with a military training. Just giving up on them, brainwashing them, and putting them into the military is leaving every one of them behind.
*Some states maintain the compulsory age at 16.
There is a nationwide push to expand the compulsory education laws to 18 in many of the states where the existing age is 16… I wonder where that push is coming from? See the link below from www.ncrel.org
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LINKS & RESOURCES:
California Compulsory Education Code:
www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=edc&group=48001-49000&file=48260-48273
The Universal Military and Training and
Service Act of 2001
Just enter the above term into your favorite
search engine and you will see millions of returns.
Scare Tactic, Donald J. Asbridge, Ed.S, LEP. www.kernschoolpsych.org/scaretactic.htm
“Changing the compulsory attendance age
from 16 to 18 is one strategy states are employing in an attempt to reduce
dropout rates. Increasing the compulsory attendance age is a policy that
is garnering support across the country, and in 2002 six states made the
push to amend their laws.”
www.ncrel.org/policy/pubs/pdfs/mich.pdf
www.learningpt.org
Americorps www.americorps.org
Job Corps jobcorps.doleta.gov
NCLB… yeah, it's probably time to go ahead
and read it… and this time, read it carefully.
"High expectactions for one aren't necessarily high expectations for another."
Don Asbridge, 2005
Published Saturday, October 1st, 2005 as part of the October Monthly KOG.
The opinions expressed herein are opinion only and not necessarily (i.e., aren't) the opinions of the KASP Organization.
KOG Opinions © 2005-12. KASP. Kern County, California, USA. Some rights reserved.