Ted Bartelstone’s Post

I am glad to see someone now recognizes what I have seen for at least the past 10 years or so in teaching. Technology is, on balance, a negative not positive for education. In my classroom I generally replace the computer with the "word processor" I used when I was in high school - the No. 2 pencil. Students get a notebook and take notes (I teach the art of note taking). They get a grade for their notebooks and, as an obvious incentive, as long as the notebooks contain only their own handwritten notes, they get to bring them into all tests and exams. Many schools have for years advertised "one-to-one" computers for all students. It is, of course, the "21st Century" education. That's "progress" and "innovation" they say and who could be opposed to that? The answer is: anyone who thinks about it for more than a few minutes. Writing by hand is actually better for learning. "But such techno-optimism was misplaced. Radio, TVs, and even erasable writing utensils were all predicted to revolutionize education, and they didn’t. When calculators came around, for example, many argued that students would no longer need to memorize math facts. However, teachers soon discovered that to do more advanced math, students still had to memorize multiplication tables. It’s hard to do calculus when students are busy counting out on their fingers. This story is repeating itself. A steady stream of research has found, for example, that students learn better when they take notes by hand precisely because it is a slower, anachronistic process. We write slowly, so handwritten notes force students to think deeply about and synthesize information from the day’s lecture or reading. Also, writing information creates a tactile connection with new knowledge. Conversely, typing is so efficient that we can effectively transcribe everything in a lecture without thinking about it. Similarly, other research confirms that we better learn and retain information when reading on physical books and articles compared with screens, especially for youngsters." The students lose with technology. "Unfortunately, the technological takeover is likely to continue — first and foremost because it is easy. Screens lobotomize students, lessening the effort required for classroom management. Meanwhile, software can complete lesson planning, instructional delivery, and grading at a fraction of the effort for teachers and cost for district budgets. Moreover, technology initiatives and purchases allow district leaders and administrators to position themselves as innovators and forward-thinkers. Teachers get off easy. District leaders win favor. Silicon Valley cashes in as schools purchase their software and tens of thousands of computers. As with most things in education, all adults benefit. The only losers are the demographic that education is actually supposed to be about: the students." https://lnkd.in/gq-MYdyu

If one were to consider how best to destroy the opportunities for children, we need look no farther than Chicago, ruled by Democrat Brandon Johnson. He is ruled by the Chicago Teacher Union bosses who care not one wit about the children they are supposed to serve. "They say voters deserve what they get in a democracy, but no one deserves Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and certainly not Chicago school children. In seeking to reward his union benefactors, Hizzoner is having a political meltdown for the ages." "On Monday Mr. Johnson replaced the entire Chicago school board with his allies after the previous board resigned en masse last Friday. The previous board opposed the mayor’s plan to take a $300 million high-interest loan to hand raises to the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), which funded his election campaign. Asked about the opposition to his loan scheme, Mr. Johnson pulled out . . . wait for it . . . the slavery card." "Equating his opponents to slavery defenders is nasty and ahistorical, and the question should be who is really keeping Chicago’s children enslaved? The CTU contract Mr. Johnson is advocating won’t improve results for students. It will hand huge raises to his union pals who want to keep students trapped in their failing union-run schools. Only 25% of Chicago students are proficient in reading and only around 20% are proficient in math."

Real journalism is disappearing. CBS morning anchor Tony Dokoupil interviewed racial polemicist Ta-Nehisi Coates about Coates' new book. Coates is a strong advocate for Palestinian rights and is virulently anti-Israel. Dokoupil, who is Jewish, respectfully asked Coates about his admittedly one-sided views. For this act of real journalism, Dokoupil was later admonished by CBS executives "for his tone and body language during the interview." This criticism of Dokoupil was led by young CBS staffers who no longer believe in real journalism. They want, instead, to be advocates for their favored positions. "Young staffers at brand-name outlets have hooted at veteran colleagues for their commitment to the old-fashioned values of objectivity and neutrality. Many Gen Z and millennial reporters don’t think that’s what journalism is supposed to be. They don’t want to report on the world. They want to change it."

It takes courage these days to stand up for one's legal rights and sincerely held religious beliefs. Free speech returns to Virginia. A Virginia teacher has now won a $575,000 settlement of his lawsuit claiming his rights as a Christian were violated when the local school Board (5-0) fired him for failing to use a student's "preferred" pronouns even though the teacher used the student's new name and simply avoided the use of any pronouns. ""Peter’s Christian faith prevented him from lying to his students about biological reality by using pronouns inconsistent with a student’s sex," ADF attorney Waggoner told Fox News Digital. "Since his victory in court, we have seen overwhelming gratitude and support on social media from people who, like Peter, teach or work in places that might punish them for living according to their beliefs." "In addition to the cash settlement, Vlaming scored another win after the case. The settlement agreement authorized that Vlaming’s record be cleared, and that the West Point School Board’s policies to "respect free speech." https://lnkd.in/g228UjHN

Education is arguably the most important and effective way to bring people out of dire economic circumstances. It is not an instant solution but a long-term strategy that is demonstrably worth the wait. BUT, the left and Democrats have sold their souls to Teacher Union bosses. Here is a perfect example, the City of Chicago where current Mayor Johnson is battling with the School Board. "Any illusion that Mayor Brandon Johnson has a steady hand on the wheel in the Windy City was put to rest on Friday when all seven members of the Chicago Board of Education resigned amid a pressure campaign from City Hall. That’s a no-confidence vote, Chicago style." The Mayor wants to give the teachers a large raise that the City cannot afford. No problem says the Mayor, let's just borrow the money at high interest rates and worry about the consequences later. "Chicago is in the middle of negotiating what is likely to be a costly new contract with the Chicago Teachers Union, Mayor Johnson’s largest campaign contributor. Since the Chicago school district can’t afford the hefty raises and benefits CTU is demanding, the mayor has suggested that the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) take out a $300 million short-term, high-interest loan to cover the shortfall." "The power play has outraged even the progressive Chicago City Council. In a blistering letter on Saturday, 41 of the City Council’s 50 members called the mass resignation “unprecedented” and noted it “brings further instability to our school district.” The letter noted that Mr. Johnson’s emergency financing demands are especially rich since the city has spent more effort lobbying Springfield for $2 billion for a new stadium for the Chicago Bears than it has trying to shore up CPS finances. In other countries, this would be a crisis of corrupt governance. In Chicago it’s the CTU monopoly at work."

Harvard University - a disgrace to education. Instead of pursuing academic rigor, it pursues one-sided ideology. "The Harvard students cheering for [Middle East] dictatorships have exposed a deeper problem. As one faculty member was quoted in the audit, “Yes, students are under attack. But mainly, all of them should feel ripped off.” Another said: “The last place you will have a free, interesting discussion is a Harvard classroom.” In the early 20th century, the University of Vienna, founded in 1365, was one of the world’s academic giants, until it caved in to student groups and faculty who celebrated terrorists and tyrants. Today, U.S. News & World Report ranks it 215th in global universities, slightly below the University of Cincinnati. Harvard has been around for only about 400 years, which in Jewish historical time is about 15 minutes. Maybe in another 400 years, Jews will look back and see that Harvard followed the University of Vienna’s path, its buildings mere memorials to what was once the world’s best education." "This spring, a Harvard student told me that in one of his classes, the instructor taught about the Dreyfus Affair without mentioning antisemitism or that Alfred Dreyfus was Jewish. Imagine if a Harvard instructor taught about the causes of the Civil War without mentioning slavery or that enslaved people were black. This is academic malpractice at the price of $80,000 a year."

"Higher education" institutions have mostly failed in their obligations to teir students and society. For an example, look no further than how they deal with the "Jewish" question. After Oct 7, 2023, the deadliest day since the Holocaust for Jewish lives, universities have struggled in their response. Whatever one may think about the problems of the Muslin community, it is entirely appropriate, even necessary, that the Oct 7th response be solely about that day and the people affected. Yale University is failing in its obligation to its Jewish students and to society as a whole. "We wonder if we’ll soon be commemorating the Holocaust at a shared vigil for Nazi lives lost in World War II." "Yale University is preparing to mark a year since Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre in familiar fashion. The Chaplain’s Office will hold a silent vigil on Oct. 6 “to remember and mourn all Israeli and Palestinian lives lost and shattered over the past year.” The event is consistent with our university’s track record of handling antisemitism on campus. In the weeks after Hamas’s atrocities, Yale was awash in anti-Jewish hate. Once-unacceptable calls for an “intifada” became ubiquitous, as students chanted for a “free Palestine” “from the river to the sea.” "Yale has consistently addressed calls for Jewish death by condemning both “antisemitism and Islamophobia.” By our count, every related statement the university has released since Oct. 7 has included references to Muslims, Palestinians or Islamophobia. The implicit message is that Jewish and Arab students are both victimized. Yet only one group reaps the benefits of that oppressed status and uses it against the other." "This brings us to the upcoming silent vigil, so far as we can tell the university’s only commemoration of Oct. 7. By making the event one for both Palestinians and Israelis, Yale is asking Jewish students to mourn alongside the classmates who on Oct. 9 urged their peers to “celebrate the resistance’s success.” Yale dishonors the victims of Oct. 7 by equating Israel’s self-defense with Hamas’s horrific massacre. At this rate we wonder if we’ll soon be commemorating the Holocaust at a shared vigil for Nazi lives lost in World War II."

Quite apart from the upcoming election, the American people sold have accurate information from government agencies, particularly about crime. It is now obvious that FBI statistics on crime, showing a decline in crime, are incorrect. The FBI reports are wrong in part because they rely on state and local law enforcement agencies to report to it, BUT many of those agencies are now failing to report (such as Los Angeles). Without those numbers, the FBI reports are wrong. Fortunately, there is an alternative that is accurate. "Left-leaning commentators and advocates have insisted over the past year that crime rates are falling. ABC’s David Muir asserted so while rebutting Donald Trump during the recent presidential debate. The nation’s largest crime survey says otherwise: Crime rates haven’t been falling, and urban crime is far worse than it was in the pre-George Floyd era. The new findings were released this month by the National Crime Victimization Survey. Run by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and administered by the Census Bureau, the NCVS dates to the Nixon administration and is one of the largest federal surveys on any topic. It asks some 230,000 U.S. residents annually whether they’ve been the victims of crimes. It then asks about the nature of the crime, whether it was reported to the police, the demographics of the perpetrator and other particulars. The NCVS report for 2023 finds no statistically significant evidence that violent crime or property crime is dropping in America. Excluding simple assault—the type of violent crime least likely to be charged as a felony—the violent crime rate in 2023 was 19% higher than in 2019, the last year before the defund-the-police movement swept the country." "Since the summer of 2020, when many cities adopted lax law enforcement policies, the U.S. has experienced a huge urban crime spike. The newly released figures don’t show this urban crime spike abating. If we insist on rerunning the failed social experiments of the 1960s and ’70s, we should expect similar results. Thanks to the success of “broken windows” policing in the 1990s and 2000s, we know what works. When will our cities adopt such sensible policies in lieu of their current ones?"

Here is a voice of sanity and reason in a sea of dangerous, overblown claims. The left's criticisms of certain Supreme Court Justices is not only wrong it is dangerous. For some reason those criticized are only conservative and the criticism only began recently when a conservative, principled, originalist majority became a majority. For decades, when the left had their judges on the Court, no one really cared. Thus, today's criticism is purely political, and not reasoned. "“I believe that the criticisms of the Court’s legitimacy are unfounded,” said Kannon Shanmugam in a notable speech Monday at Duke Law School. “But more than that, I believe that attacks on the Court’s legitimacy are dangerous, undermining public confidence in the Court and imperiling the rule of law.” "Take the claims of unethical conduct. “Many of the allegations are transparently insubstantial,” Mr. Shanmugam said, citing as an example the recent news of a $900 gift on Justice Samuel Alito’s financial disclosure. “Just last week,” he said, “we had the claim that there was something nefarious about a Justice and his spouse attending a concert with a, quote, ‘eccentric German princess.’” The proliferation of immaterial complaints suggests some critics “are more concerned with targeting particular Justices.” "Mr. Shanmugam pointed to the protests at the Justices’ homes, the harassment of them in restaurants, the would-be assassin who stalked Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and the violent threats that apparently had Justice Amy Coney Barrett sent home with a bulletproof vest, as she revealed this month. He warned that such rhetoric could damage public respect for the law. “I believe we are not so far from a President saying, in the manner of Andrew Jackson, ‘John Roberts has made his decision; now let him enforce it,’” Mr. Shanmugam said. “Ask yourself this question: If the Court ever has to resolve another presidential election, how confident are you that either side would simply acquiesce in the Court’s decision?” Don’t forget, too, that today’s 6-3 majority isn’t permanent: “Today’s critics may rue tomorrow’s consequences.” Mr. Shanmugam is taking a personal risk in publicly defending the Court, because its enemies could soon make him a target as well. But he shouldn’t have to stand alone. Who else in the bar, the judiciary, and the law schools will have the courage to heed his call?"

This movie - "Am I a Racist?" - is a brilliant revelation of the DEI scam. Matt Walsh gets DEI "experts" such as Robin DeAngelo (who was paid $15,000 for a two hour discussion about "antiracism")- to reveal themselves as grifters. Read this article by Jason Riley and Go watch this movie! It is insightful and funny as well. You will learn a lot. "Robin DiAngelo, author of the bestselling “White Fragility” and a leading authority on diversity, equity and inclusion, doesn’t want you to see “Am I Racist?,” a new documentary about the DEI industry. If you see it anyway, which I strongly recommend, you’ll understand her objections. You’ll also laugh a lot. Before the film’s theatrical release last week, Ms. DiAngelo posted a statement on her website that accused the star, Daily Wire podcaster Matt Walsh, of promoting racism. But my guess is that her real objection to the movie is that it’s bad for business. Ms. DiAngelo has made a good living charging schools, government agencies and Fortune 500 companies tens of thousands of dollars to give speeches and host workshops on “antiracism.” "The objections of Ms. DiAngelo notwithstanding, however, Mr. Walsh’s movie is performing a public service. Of late, more companies have been willing to jettison their DEI policies, and more states are moving to restrict such initiatives at public colleges and universities." "An assessment of the DEI literature, published in the Harvard Business Review in 2012, was titled, “Diversity Training Doesn’t Work.” According to the article, one study of “829 companies over 31 years showed that diversity training had ‘no positive effects in the average workplace’ ” and that millions of dollars were spent annually on “training resulting in, well, nothing. Attitudes—and the diversity of the organizations—remained the same.” "But if your main focus isn’t ending racial bias but merely changing the color of the person on the receiving end, you aren’t seeking justice. You’re seeking payback. You’re prolonging racial tensions. And as Mr. Walsh’s timely documentary makes clear, you’re part of the problem."