Friday, February 29, 2008

What's Wrong With Teacher Education, You Ask?

I'm glad you did.

I received a newsletter today from the College of Education at CSU, Sacramento. The message from the Dean, prominently displayed on the front page of the newsletter, had a few points that merit some negative attention. I now quote from the Dean's message:

There are four main goals that we have and will continue to focus on in the College, which are expressed in the acronym TEACH:

Transformative Leadership
Equity and Social Justice
Action
Collaboration
Human Differences and Diversity

1. Which four are the main goals?
2. I've posted enough on this blog about so-called equity and social justice, and the lack of logic from which those code words spring, that I probably shouldn't repeat myself.
3. Somehow, I'm more inclined to believe that the Dean's view of "human differences and diversity" is more in line with "disabled lesbians of color" than with anyone or anything that might be considered "conservative". I'd like to be proven wrong on that, but I doubt I will be.

Honestly, I despise most teacher education programs. What you read above encapsulates why.

11 comments:

Matthew K. Tabor said...

Hopefully the fifth extra goal will be "Action." The less they do, the better.

Social justice! Cotton candy! Unicorns! ACROSTICS!

I'm sold.

DADvocate said...

Not only can the dean not count as well as my daughter could at the age two, none of those "goals" seem to have anything to do with educating.

Darren said...

Ah, then you see my concern.

Anonymous said...

Darren,

Remember:

There are three kinds of people: Those who can count, and those who can't.

:-)

-Mark Roulo

Fritz J. said...

The Dean is obviously a product of the new math.

Quincy said...

Mark, considering the stupidity of the dean and his goals, permit me to rephrase that a little:


There are three kinds of people: Those who can count, and those who don't.

In a perfect society, this pinhead would be relegated to tending the lettuce crisper at his local Fresh Choice. Instead, he's running a teacher's college. Great.

Linda Fox said...

There are 10 kinds of people in this world - those who understand binary, and those who don't.

Unknown said...

Amen, brotha!

loonyhiker said...

I'm sorry but I needed a good laff this morning! Hubby and I both got a kick out of the "four" goals. I think I would prefer to attend a univ. that has teachers who can count.

Anonymous said...

I suppose you'd consider me a lefty (although in the Midwest)-- just curious- what's wrong with the equity and social justice goal? I'm honestly asking; I don't understand why that would be offensive to anyone? I assume you disapprove on free market grounds? You say you've explained it elsewhere-- but could you quickly explain your thoughts? I'm honestly just curious...

Darren said...

Honestly, I'd rather not go over that ground again. My label "social justice", at the end of this post and in the "Labels" column at the left, currently contains 32 posts on the topic.

In summary, though, social justice is a leftie "code word" for any number of amorphous beliefs that I don't share--affirmative action and equality of outcomes (instead of equality of opportunity) for starters.

You don't think lefties know what these code words "really" mean? I don't really see "illegal immigration" or the Willie Horton commercial as code for "we don't like dark-skinned people", but some pin those views on those of us on the right.