Misguided Notions: The Birth, Death, and Resurrection of Publicly Funded Education in America - Softcover

Williams, Garrett

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1450295142 ISBN 13: 9781450295147

Verlag: iUniverse, 2011

Inhaltsangabe

America's public schools are in decline and in need of urgent reform. Once the envy of the entire world, the American public school system now struggles to keep pace with other industrialized nations and is falling further behind with each passing decade. This disturbing trend raises two important questions: Why did our schools decline? What must we do to make our schools great again? To answer these questions, Misguided Notions goes back to the roots of human civilization and retraces the development of education over the last ten thousand years. Along the way, a wise reformer offers warnings based on his eyewitness accounts of the collapses of history's greatest civilizations. The evidence is clear: when schools discard tried and proven principles of education and when society abandons its core values, both will collapse. The commonsense solutions offered in Misguided Notions combine proven old-school educational principles with the advantages of modern technology. Teachers, principals, school board members, parents, community leaders, and politicians perplexed by the lack of answers to the current dilemma in public education can find enlightenment in Misguided Notions.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Garrett Williams, aka John Ed Garrett, was born and nurtured in Springfield, Tennessee, and has lived most of his adult years in the Madison Community of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee. He was a four-decade career educator with the Metro Nashville Public School District as a special needs classroom teacher, coach, guidance counselor, supervisor, and H.R. Director for the Secondary Schools. He married his high school sweetheart, the former Jo Ann Adams, and they have two children and six grandchildren. Ed's talents beyond the classroom have awarded him U.S. patents and copyrights for intellectual property creations including a public television multi-media production, two personal books, and ghost writings resulting in four additional published books and numerous magazine and newspaper articles. His pseudonym as a writer is Garrett Williams, the surnames in honor of his father and mother. I have known him in diverse roles for over 50 years and have utilized his knowledge and skills along with that of the forthcoming Nancy Arnold in the publishing of two books, viz. A Journey to Remember and Unstable Times-Unlikely Outcomes. With admiration, I call Ed a "wordsmith." You will enjoy his clever imagination and creative contributions to this book. -author Jack Van Hooser

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MISGUIDED NOTIONS

The Birth, Death, and Resurrection of Publicly Funded Education in AmericaBy Garrett Williams

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2011 Garrett Williams
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4502-9514-7

Contents

Acknowledgments...................................................viiAbout the Author..................................................xiA Personal Note to the Reader.....................................xvIntroduction......................................................xixPrologue..........................................................1I. The Grot.......................................................3II. The Tribe's Organizational Structure..........................6III. The Chief Speaks.............................................10IV. Sagacious the Omniscient......................................12V. The Transition.................................................19VI. A Perplexing Problem..........................................21VII. The First Public School......................................29VIII. Sagacious Reacts............................................33IX. The Slaves....................................................39X. The Emancipation of the Slaves.................................44XI. The Dawn of a New Era.........................................51XII. The Teacher..................................................54XIII. The Candidates..............................................58XIV. The Winner and Loser.........................................62XV. The Plan......................................................65XVI. The Aide.....................................................70XVII. First Day of School.........................................73XVIII. The First Semester.........................................82XIX. The Second Semester..........................................86XX. It Ain't Broke................................................90XXI. The Neighboring Tribes.......................................95XXII. The Agreement...............................................98XXIII. The New Students...........................................101XXIV. A Perplexing Discovery......................................103XXV. Disparaging Words............................................107XXVI. A Decade Later..............................................112XXVII. Back to the Future.........................................116XXVIII. Sagacious Arrives in Colonial America.....................125XXIX. The One-Room Schoolhouse....................................130XXX. 2011, A Time of Reckoning....................................136XXXI. The Game-Changer............................................155XXXII. A Shocking Reality.........................................160XXXIII. The Final Reformation.....................................166XXXIV. The Fixes..................................................182XXXV. The Intermission............................................221XXXVI. The Demonstration School...................................225XXXVII. Sagacious's Closing Remarks...............................239XXXVIII. Sagacious's Last Days in the Future......................242Epilogue..........................................................246Compilations......................................................248Credits-Citations.................................................252Credits-Images....................................................266

Chapter One

The Grot

It is a faraway place in parts unknown to modern civilizations. Caves, caverns, and rivers along with bountiful natural resources inundate the area. In the context of the time, it is a paradise. The Great Creator of the universe lives and lurks in and all around the Grot. Evidence of his presence appears and abounds throughout his handiwork. He gave the inhabitants pristine streams and forests full of all the food, clothing, and shelter they could ever want or need.

He speaks to them constantly through the wind, rain, sun, moon, stars, chirps, warbles, howls, tweets, chatters, and even the ripples of cascading streams. He loves and protects them by their reasoning; otherwise, he would not be so good in providing for their every need.

Certain things they know naturally—these first inhabitants, the Alphas. Seemingly, it was born in them as an inherent part of their nature. The need for food clearly is a primary drive because the first activity we observe is their reaction when prompted by hunger. They start searching all around to find food. Quickly, they find certain berries and roots that they have learned are palatable. They avoid other choices, having learned by experience or taught that they are not suitable to eat.

We notice when the cold winds blow, the people wrap themselves in hides or cover themselves with leaves. When the heavens send the drenching rain, they scurry to the protection and dryness of their cave home.

Nature drives them intuitively and their nurturing refines their pursuits to fill their primary basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter. It will be thousands of years before Maslow will write about their hierarchy of needs. His compilation would serve no purpose for the Alphas anyway; they are thoroughly familiar with what he will have to say.

As far as the Alphas know, their ancestors had lived here since the beginning of time. Artifacts, etchings, and paintings on the walls are constant reminders of their heritage and bring them comfort, connectivity, and peace of mind. This is where they belong, and they feel it to the depths of their souls. We can see contentment in their faces and manner. Their understanding of human nature and natural law—along with their use of common sense—has served them well.

Chapter Two

The Tribe's Organizational Structure

Throughout the history of the Alpha Tribe, there always has been a chief as leader in a role similar to a modern-day chairperson or mayor. Although women are not excluded, typically the oldest male member occupies the position so long as he possesses his physical and mental faculties. He is a figurehead of sorts who calls and conducts tribal discussions and leads the governing council in decision-making sessions. He has minimal input and power in his role, other than as a tiebreaker when the ruling council is deadlocked on a decision. The Alphas mirror a loosely structured democracy, unlike most of the other tribes that are ruled autocratically.

All other adult tribe members, including women and children above the age of twelve, have roles that involve specific tasks and duties according to their rank or job classification. Twelve of the members are ranked as rulers and serve on the tribal council accordingly. Other than for the chief, longevity does not establish a person's rank. One must demonstrate exceptional ability to perform certain tasks and duties before being determined qualified to serve in the respective roles. The tribe refers to these demonstrated strengths as tendencies.

Council members require the highest overall qualifications. It is the most revered and powerful position one can hold in the tribe's leadership. Positions are acquired on the council by a simple majority vote cast in secret by every member above the age of twelve. It is the only role filled totally by subjective judgment. Council members are expected to possess exceptional general knowledge of all the job classifications within the tribe; have a thorough understanding of human nature and natural law; and exercise good judgment and common sense in all matters....

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: iUniverse
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2011
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1450295142
• ISBN 13: 9781450295147
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 308
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
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