{"id":1095,"date":"2010-03-13T18:27:43","date_gmt":"2010-03-13T23:27:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stager.tv\/?p=1095"},"modified":"2010-03-14T18:07:01","modified_gmt":"2010-03-14T23:07:01","slug":"thank-you-bill-maher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/stager.tv\/?p=1095","title":{"rendered":"Thank You Bill Maher!"},"content":{"rendered":"

On last night’s edition of Real Time with Bill Maher<\/a>, the political comedian took on the recent rash of teacher firings as a solution to all of our nation’s education problems. (Read complete text)<\/a><\/p>\n

While I disagree with some of Maher’s conclusions and the “evidence” he cites,<\/a> he must be applauded for challenging the “magical thinking” required to believe that firing “bad” teachers will magically transform the system.<\/p>\n

The free market is not going to solve our educational issues, especially when poverty is the single greatest predictor of educational attainment!<\/p>\n

Where are all of the “great” teachers to come from? There are major US cities without a supermarkets or movie theater. Who is going to build all of the fabulous private, I mean charter, schools to occupy those communities and rescue the children who don’t look like us from the grasps of the evil teachers who are deliberately suppressing standardized testing scores?<\/p>\n

Who wishes to teach in joyless schools jerked around by political whim or in which the curriculum is scripted and interactions with students are micromanaged?<\/p>\n

Yes, America has found its new boogeyman to blame for our crumbling educational system. It’s just too easy to blame the teachers, what with their cushy teachers’ lounges, their fat-cat salaries, and their absolute authority in deciding who gets a hall pass. We all remember high school – canning the entire faculty is a nationwide revenge fantasy. Take that, Mrs. Crabtree! And guess what? We’re chewing gum and no, we didn’t bring enough for everybody…<\/p>\n

…Firing all the teachers may feel good – we’re Americans, kicking people when they’re down is what we do – but it’s not really their fault.<\/p>\n

Bill Maher, March 12, 2010<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Fast forward to the 2:27 mark in the YouTube video below to hear what Maher has to say about the despicable recent Newsweek<\/em> cover<\/a> urging the wholesale firing of American public school teachers. The video is a lot more entertaining than the text AND it’s may not be suitable for children or the workplace.<\/p>\n

<\/object><\/p>\n

If the video above doesn’t work, try this clip below. The teacher stuff starts immediately.
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