52 Comments

Yes! You make excellent points. Strict boundaries, defined goals and love make a powerful package. It works. The problem is the 'progressives'. How do you change their warped minds? They not only ruin education but the entire nation along with it.

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> Bureaucracy would admit just how disastrous their policies around school behaviour have been.

But fundamentalists always double down, don't they? If the faith-healing isn't working that's only because you need more faith.

> the Violence Reduction Units used by the Scottish Police.

If it works it works, but the pessimist in me is saying that many of these initiatives just waterbed the problem -- it doesn't really go away, it just moves around. Or not. The teaming up with ex cons sounds excellent.

> Brampton Manor Academy

I don't notice a single white face in the picture. Good. Segregation should be given another look. When whitey isn't there at all, the race baiters have less chance to do their mischief. An explicitly black school that achieves excellence can and should crow about it and if the *earned* pride there reflects back onto the race in general that's very good.

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Yes, the Basque people, interesting bunch. I was in their region once years ago and right away I felt I could easily live there. You are right, and I like your nuanced version of progressivism. Well done!

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Dec 4, 2021Liked by Geary Johansen

The recent school shooting shows how public schools keep bad students too long, as if the public interest is in ensuring the least capable should get the lion's share while holding back all those actually want an education.

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Dec 4, 2021Liked by Geary Johansen

I'm all for kindness bur kindness isn't necessarily the permissive style a lot of people think. Kindness is about structures - a recognition that discipline and standards make life better for people both within themselves and within society. It is not kind to pass a pupil who isn't working or producing on an assignment but it is kind to fail them. Failure is a very motivating lesson and a growth lesson more so than constant passes.

Like you say it's also important to provide a career path particularly in the crafts. It's skills like these which are still needed and always will be. Not everyone can be computer specialists just like not everyone can fix a burst pipe. What needs to change is the value allocated to craft/physical engineering tasks and the steering of young people into these roles.

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Oh the food! Yes, better than the French by far. Spain is my spiritual home for reasons unclear. Will alas never see it again...my days of flying to Europe every year are over. Lots of things seem to be over...

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A bit late to the party here, but good analysis. My dad went to Catholic school and he had a great deal of respect for the disciplinarian nuns and priests who taught him. It was strict, but not in a vindictive way.

There’s a Pro Publica article from November about a school district in Tennessee where a “law and order” judge transgressed laws to punish students (in many cases innocent) out of a vindictive belief that she was providing “tough love.” I’m all for tough love but that second word has to be there.

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