7 August 2010 Old textbooks but a new stadium

7 August 2010 Old textbooks but a new stadium




“Putting Our Brains on Hold

By BOB HERBERT

Published: August 6, 2010

The world leadership qualities of the United States, once so prevalent, are fading faster than the polar ice caps.

Go to Columnist Page »http://topics.nytimes.com/top/opinion/editorialsandoped/oped/columnists/bobherbert/index.html

We once set the standard for industrial might, for the advanced state of our physical infrastructure, and for the quality of our citizens’ lives. All are experiencing significant decline.

The latest dismal news on the leadership front comes from the College Board, which tells us that the U.S., once the world’s leader in the percentage of young people with college degrees, has fallen to 12th among 36 developed nations.

At a time when a college education is needed more than ever to establish and maintain a middle-class standard of living, America’s young people are moving in exactly the wrong direction. A well-educated population also is crucially important if the U.S. is to succeed in an increasingly competitive global environment. “

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/07/opinion/07herbert.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

This should be required reading. Herbert repeatedly homes in on the real needs that our nation refuses to address.

For instance, the emphasis of football and basketball by school systems. The article below appeared in our morning paper today. Roads and waste management are somehow found to be of less importance than running a training camp for national athletic franchise holders.



http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/article.php?ID=79695

“Schools’ athletic programs may be saved

By Heather Richardson

Press Staff Writer

hrichardson@johnsoncitypress.com

Several athletic programs in the Washington County school system may have been saved Friday morning as the Washington County Budget Committee voted to offer approximately $250,000 to the school system.

If approved by the full commission about $101,000 will come from the highway and solid waste departments’ budgets. The remaining will come from $275,000 to be taken out of the general fund — 44 percent of which, in compliance with state law, will go to Johnson City schools.

Last month the school board presented to the committee a budget $1.8 million out of balance. After hearing pleas from Director of Schools Ron Dykes, the committee approved giving the system an additional $564,500. Dykes returned to the committee Friday morning with a list of board-approved cuts and a balanced budget but was still pleading for more money.

“One more time mayor, as futile as it may sound, I’m going to plead on behalf of the Washington County School District. We need a little more money. On behalf of the faculty, the citizens, on behalf of economic development, on behalf of the children, we need just a little more money if you can find any way to do so.”

Part of the cuts presented to the budget committee included $200,000 from athletic departments across the system that did not financially support themselves. The cut would do away with pay supplements for coaches in baseball, softball, track, cross country, volleyball, soccer, wrestling and golf. Dykes said without those pay supplements coaches for those sports would be available on a voluntary basis only — a fact that could bring an end to any sport that couldn’t find a coach.

Mayor George Jaynes asked Dykes what he would do about the athletic pay supplements slated to be cut if additional funding was provided.

“It would be my recommendation to implement them,” Dykes said. “Nothing tops academics in my philosophy. But just as crucial and just as important to a child’s development, their creativity, their character building are the arts and athletics. They are crucial to a well-rounded curriculum.”

Telford resident Teresa Johnson agreed. Johnson gave a stirring speech to the committee and others in the room about how important the county’s children are.

“We need highways. We do. But you’re talking about kids and if you don’t take care of these kids — (with) textbooks, teachers, people to be there to take care of them when they get sick ... and these sports programs that will keep them in schools and out of drugs and out of courts ... you ain’t going to have to worry about your roads. You are going to build another prison. They’re not going to learn to read. We’re not going to have the textbooks that’s got the modern stuff in them. We are going to be so behind that we are going to be the East Tennessee people think we are.”

Johnson went on to say she understood that what the schools needed was a lot of money but she believed the children were worth it.

“My property taxes doubled on me a couple years ago, but I pay them just like every other citizen does. Yeah, we fuss about it, but we pay them. The biggest investment this county’s got is the kids. Take care of them.”

Immediately following Johnson’s remarks was a round of applause and a motion from Jaynes to provide the additional funds to the school system.

“Its not that much but at least it’s a start,” Jaynes said.”

I fail to understand the importance of football and basketball in any public school system. The concept of a “student athlete” derives from English public schools, where academic programs were the primary concern rather than athletics. The “sportsmanship” and “character building” which emanated from the fields of Eton failed to immigrate to American schools and universities. Sportsmanship is a myth in the U.S. Any coach who assures equal playing time to all who show up at practices and at games, in lieu of playing only the most aggressive and accomplished players in order to amplify the number of games one, will not have his contract renewed. Character building is another myth. Our students are, all too often, provided with assistance and with cheating aids in order to remain marginally academically qualified to play. Unless we are hoping to graduate corrupt lobbyists and used-car salesmen, there is no purpose to pretending we are educating “student-athletes.”

Our school systems have been conned into providing and paying for training camps for national franchise holders. Parents and others, who want to continually relive their youth through the efforts of their children and those of other families, have been convinced to support local gladiatorial contests.

The school system in the article above just built a new football stadium at public expense. The old one was “out of date.” So is the practice of soaking the public to pay for training a new and continuing crop of gladiators at the expense of education.

The local citizenry would never have lined up to demand that the money being shifted from the county’s budget be used to buy new textbooks. After all, no one wants to read about history and learn all those complicated rules about spelling and grammar. There’s no local glory in being a good student.