(Source: jorrdannloveee, via bad-dominicana)
dear internet, let me tell you some things about my public-school-in-georgia sex education.
pictured above is my abstinence til marriage card, given to me in my eighth grade health class. as you can see, i did not sign it, so it is non-binding. they were “optional” but the teacher placed the basket at the front of the class and stared us down. my 13-year-old self had a very brief dilemma between 1. making a stand and not getting one or 2. getting one because it’s fucking hilarious. i am very glad i chose the latter, because as i predicted, this is now something hilarious to show everyone.
that year in health we also learned “how to spot the identifying features of a crack baby” which is literally nothing but lies. we had a system of anonymous questions, and once someone asked “how do i know if i’m a lesbian?” our teacher looked disgusted and she replied “how would i know? i’m not a lesbian!”
EDIT i forgot to mention when she gave these to us she suggested we “cut up our cards together with our husbands on our wedding day” and i remember thinking, fuck if i marry someone from my middle school
the next time i had sex ed in high school it was taught by a dude gym coach who spent the whole time talking about his daughters. the book we were learning from listed “low self-esteem” “stunted social growth” and “depression,” among others, as consequences of premarital sex. at one point, it asked us to fill in the disadvantages of having an abortion. our teacher went, “well, i’m personally against abortion, so we’re just going to skip this section,” which confused me, because it was explicitly asking for an argument against abortion.
the last time i had sex ed it was pretty good and there were free condoms and we got little bottles of lube every time we answered questions, but i don’t think that counts cause it was in an intro to women’s studies class.
(via blackempressofthesea)
There are those who advocate on behalf of the education for profit system as the solution to our education needs; this of course – is the scariest and most ridiculous thing that I have ever heard in my life. Having an “education for profit” system would essentially put America back where it was pre-public school; in fact – one of the reasons that America became a dominant force in the world and a “global power” was due to the improvement in education and skills for American workers all courtesy of public schools.
We currently have a sufficient supply of “for profit” and public schools to pull empirical data to determine what is working and what is not working. Private or “for profit” schools have their place in society and if you can afford them – it can be one of the best educations in the world; unfortunately – most people do not have 5k a month to pay for a private school to ensure their kids can get a top notch education. And costs to taxpayers go up with “for profit” education just like they do with “for profit” prison systems and “for profit” healthcare systems….
From InTheseTimes:
In recent years, major studies suggest that, on the whole, charter schools are producing worse educational achievement results than traditional public schools. For example, a landmark study from Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes discovered that while 17 percent of charter schools “provide superior education opportunities for their students,” a whopping “37 percent deliver learning results that are significantly worse than their students would have realized had they remained in traditional public schools.” Likewise, the National Center for Education Statistics found that charter school students performed significantly worse on academic assessments than their peers in traditional public schools.
The current “separate but unequal” status of the school system is already unacceptable….and moving to a completely “for profit” education system would be a death knell to communities around the United States. We’ve written about the huge gap in inequality in the education system in our piece: American Education: The Modern Feudal System.
For a history lesson on the public education system – PBS has more.
Source: US News
I just had a debate about this the other day. I went to charter school (KIPP)…and even though I excelled, I would of excelled if I went to public school too. My mom was also a huge factor in my education as well.
I’ve seen people my age who are struggling and are worse off then kids I know who didn’t go to a charter school. It really all depends on the upbringing you have and who you surround yourself with. Because even with the support of the teachers and staff, kids still fall through the cracks unfortunately.
(Source: abookinthehand, via tyece)
“Of course, it’s not enough for us to increase student aid. We can’t just keep subsidizing skyrocketing tuition; we’ll run out of money. States also need to do their part, by making higher education a higher priority in their budgets. And colleges and universities have to do their part by working to keep costs down. Recently, I spoke with a group of college presidents who’ve done just that. Some schools re-design courses to help students finish more quickly. Some use better technology. The point is, it’s possible. So let me put colleges and universities on notice: If you can’t stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down.
Higher education can’t be a luxury – it’s an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.” - President Obama
Mostly reblogging this for the graphic on student loan vs. credit card debt.
(via purplegem)
(via michelle-my-belle)
(Source: thefuturewillbeheresoon, via thefingerfucker)
Occupy the universities?
With the costs of a college education astonishingly high and youth job prospects incredibly dim in this economy, is going to college worth it anymore?
“The students in Zuccotti Park are right to focus on the injustices of student debt: Many of them are indentured to the very banks that destroyed the economy and along with it the jobs students need to pay their loans back. The banks were bailed out for their trouble, while students are left with debt that, thanks to financial industry lobbying, can’t be discharged in bankruptcy. Outstanding student loans in the United States are projected to reach $1 trillion this year, a larger sum than credit card debt.”
- Kevin Carey “Why Obama Should Pay Attention To Occupy Wall Street’s Critique of Higher Education”
Photo courtesy of Andy Wibbels.
(via ausetkmt)
@MsTerryMcMillan on education
Terry McMillan (@MsTerryMcMillan) 9/22/11 1:00 AM Going to college (and getting educated) can help open a door that you can walk through. Instead of trying to pick the lock.
