http://ideas.time.com/2013/08/09/matt-damon-hypocrite-on-public-school-education/

“If none of those schools turn out to work for the Damons that’s still a powerful argument for the ideas he works against publicly: Letting parents and teachers come together to create new public schools that meet the diverse needs of students.”

When Dr. Howard Fuller, the respected educator and chair of Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO), spoke in Toronto at an SQE sponsored trip, he said:

“…Those of us with money have the capacity to choose and the great hypocrisy that operates are those individuals who would never put their own children in certain schools denying poor parents the capacity to do it.  We have teachers who teach in schools they would never put their own children in, demanding that other peoples’ children stay there.  I find that to be hypocritical.  We’ve got politicians running around talking about how important the public school structure is and then you ask them, ‘Well, where do your children go to school?’”

WELL?!

More examples:

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/more-families-seek-out-customized-public-school-programs-to-gain-competitive-edge/article14077476/?service=mobile

“But Annie Kidder, executive director of the Ontario advocacy group People for Education, worries that specialized programming can hurt neighbourhood schools as parents who are willing to go through the paperwork or testing required to access alternatives leave the mainstream. ‘The concern about this idea of choice is that the choice is open to those who have the capacity to choose,’ she said. ‘It’s the job of the education system to not divide kids along socioeconomic lines. It’s also the job of the education system to deal with all of the different kinds of students in it.’”

POSTED ON BEHALF OF DOUG

Nothing particularly wrong with going to a private school, Damon was angry that reformers had turned his public school options into test-prep factories. Rosedale Heights is hardly an elite school it is a TDSB school with arts options where other schools have tech options. Open to all.

Nothing particularly wrong with the Lewis’ sending Avi to UCC.

Here is the evil part. Asking the public to pay for your private choices. Public support for private elite or religious schools is what the public does not support and ought not to support.

This is OT, but, Doug, you talk as though it’s bad to direct publifc dollars to private schools.  With the voucher system, anyone can have a chance at going to any school they wish to, as long as there is a space—this means impoverished children whom you are concerned about!  Personally, I’d like to see the voucher system expanded (if and whenever it gets to Ontario) so that I could choose the school where I want my portion of education taxes spent.  I saw competition in Japanese and Singaporean public schools (public schools over there compete heavily with private schools because there are so many) and competition played heavily in the quality of education children got.  My husband and I had a hard time choosing a school because all were excellent.  finally, while in Singapore we chose a smaller school (kids were young) where the yearbook showed more kids smiling!  My son was adding fractions of different denominators at the age of eight, (over here a large number of high school kids think fractions are some great mystery) and had read the Tolkien trilogy, plus played piano and would practise for over 45 minutes/day.  He was worked hard, played sports with passion, and used to say to me ‘I’m so happy with my life’.  Children have wonderful minds, and Ontario needs to get serious about educating our youngsters and engage their excellent, agile minds—all kids, rich and poor.  Bring on the voucher system!!  The sooner the better, Ontario!

How Do You Spell ________ ?

There used to be a joke in the olden days — —

Question:  How do you spell RELIEF?

Answer:  X – L – A – X.

Today we ask:  How do you spell HYPOCRISY?

The answer would be:  Annie, Matt, etc.