Dana Goldstein and the Teacher Wars Discussion Topics Essay

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Teacher Wars: Questions

On page 32 at the end of chapter 1, Goldstein (2014) notes that both Beecher and Mann viewed morality as "the end of public education." Goldstein suggests that this view evolved into one that would later prioritize academic learning over morality, or what Goldstein calls faith.

How connected would you say are faith and morality, and can morality/ethics be pursued in the public classroom in a way that is academic? For example, Socrates pursued a moral/ethical line of inquiry in his dialogues and the schools of Plato and Aristotle acted similarly. While faith may have played a role in their society at the time, it did not act as an obstacle to their students academic learning but rather as an instrument by which their ability to reason could gain higher ground in the metaphysical/philosophical spheres. Thus, there is the assertion that faith rests upon reason as the medieval scholastics suggested, which contrasts with the modern assertion that reason rests upon faith. But the latter is not the directive of the Socratic thinkers or the medieval scholastics. Do you think that the modern association is misguided? Might there not be some utility to what Beecher and Mann were doing? Or would you argue that their view of morality was based less on reason and more on their Protestant ideology?

2.

In chapter two, Goldstein shows that public schools benefited from trailblazing feminist teachers, who brought talent and vision to the public schools. But she notes that oftentimes these women went on to brighter careers outside the school system, becoming advocates, lawyers, etc. Goldstein asserts that while this is understandable there is a certain amount of regret to be had because even as the individual women prospered, the schools suffered as a result of their moving on.

What do you think should be the attitude of the school teacher who has eyes on a much bigger prize? Should the school teacher give up those ambitions and devote his or her life to bettering the schools in which they serve? Or is it okay for such persons to move on and hope that someone else will step in and fill their shoes?

It appears that there must be a certain amount of selflessness in any teaching role, as the role is not glamorous and not very high-paying. Therefore, one's ambitions probably should not soar to highly but should concentrate and focus on bettering the student body and adding to that part of society. Nonetheless, there are probably not many people willing and/or capable of doing this. What is the solution if any?

3.

In chapter 3, Goldstein describes the efforts of Charlotte Forten in the movement to educate freed slaves following the Civil War. What do you find remarkable about her efforts and the reasons for her inspiration?

Considering that in the aftermath of the Civil War there were a lot of individuals looking to take advantage of the chaos in the South during the "Reconstruction" era, do you suppose that there were some dangers that Forten faced as a result of her position, her method and her desire to uplift the freed slaves? What do you think those dangers were and how were they manifested?

4.

What do you think of Snyder's patriotism agenda in chapter 5? Was it fair for him to punish the Latin teaching McDowell for refusing to participate in this agenda and saying that her job was to teach Latin and that in doing that she was fulfilling her civic duty?

Obviously, Snyder was reform-minded and had a lot of reasons for why he wanted to push a "patriotically" driven reform agenda -- but could there not have been a better or more diplomatic way of doing this without offending one of the school's best teachers? It often appears that individuals with a lot of spirit and gusto barrel into a new place and start dictating orders that run completely diametrically to the established order and thus throw many into turmoil. In hindsight, one could argue that Snyder really was out of line for expecting everyone, especially McDowell, to fall in line with his new approach to scholastics. Such top-down methods where superiors want total control in a way that lacks empathy, sympathy and real care for those underneath appears to be more detrimental to the cause of education than it is a boon. Why, then, would Snyder interact with the school in this manner if his main objective were not simply to boost numbers and make the records "look" better than they were.

What do you think is Goldstein's point in describing this scene? What does it say about reformers in general? Should McDowell have gone along with the demands of Snyder in order to keep her position and continue teaching what she wanted, or do you think she was well aware that the new direction of the school's program would mean that there was no real room or reason to have someone like McDowell on staff? School, it seems, was no longer a place of learning but rather all about business -- that is, the business of boosting numbers of graduates rather than the business of providing an academic education.

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5.

What is your opinion of the Great Society program under Lyndon Johnson and its affect on public education? Was this a good program for students and teachers or was it more of the same sort of official, standardized "reform" that had caused problems in the past and now was simply refurbished and passed off as being new and progressive?

Goldstein notes that in some cases, the reforms were actually good and she highlights the case of Washington, D.C. principal Anna Cooper, who reformed the M Street school by adopting "sympathetic methods" which incorporated a "wraparound" program that included checking in on students at their homes and providing social and emotional support for the teens and their families. In short, her program was cohesive, total, and whole and encompassed more than just life inside the classroom: it went outside the classroom to locate students in their homes and make sure all their needs were being met. Cooper's school, therefore, was more than just a school -- and it was far more than the type of business that Snyder attempted to inculcate: it was like a family and she was the matron.

Therefore, would you not agree that Cooper's methods of total focus on the lives of her students is an example of how effective teachers and principals can be when they devote themselves and all their energy to improving the lives of their students and the families within their community?

6.

In chapter 7, Goldstein identifies the racism that was inherent in the education system that led the Black Power movement to call for black teachers to replace the racist teachers who were responsible for continuing to segregate in different ways within the school system of Brooklyn. However, there was opposition in the form of Shanker who viewed this community control as a violation of the collective bargaining aspect of the contracts of the school's white teachers. Nonetheless, the white teachers were fired and replaced by other whites who were not part of the union and who identified with the agenda of the community control: black teachers also joined the ranks of the school's teaching system. However, Shanker had the law on his side and by calling attention to the violation of the union contract, he subverted the intentions of the community control and reestablished control for the union. Thus, black community control fell to pieces in New York.

Do you think there is any way for a community to fight back against the powers that be in an instance such as this? On the one hand, the powers that be have the law and the courts in their favor: they have erected a system that they know how to control and manipulate and that they can enforce -- whereas any group of outsiders, such as the Black Power movement, may rally for a while but in the end, they do not have the structure to facilitate an established beach head or actual revolution within the system. In other words, it appears that short of an all-out war between the two camps -- the possessing and the dispossessed, no real fundamental change can occur. Do you agree or disagree with this analysis, and why? What would you recommend?

7.

In chapter 8, Goldstein discusses how teacher accountability led to the end of desegregation. It appears that this process of holding teacher's accountable to a system that did not actually want equality in the classroom but wanted rather to maintain a tradition of segregation was what actually led to real reform being muted and mitigated. Thus, it appears again and again in the book that the system is inherently racist and classist and that every effort to change the system of public education runs into problems whenever the elites have their ways and reorient….....

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