The library assistant (not even a trained librarian) had such a huge impact on the culture of my high school. He wasn’t particularly well-liked, as he was the rule enforcer (no playing Flash games on the computers during lunch – I think you could play before school), but he’d put a stack of photocopied NYT crosswords out on his desk at the entrance to the library every morning and so many kids did the crossword.
It’s not just steering kids to books like the quoted parent said; at the schools I went to, it was often non-teaching staff who you felt were looking out for you as an individual, often because you interacted with them mostly one-on-one. Certainly, there were teachers who played a huge role in my life, but I will remember the name of the custodian at my primary school for far longer than I’ll remember the names of some classroom teachers. (I already don’t remember the name of my 2nd or 5th grade teachers, now that I’m thinking about it.) The library is basically the only place you can stash a kid “to do an independent study” (aka let the smart kid amuse themselves), or take a make up test, or hang out when the school elevator is busted and they can’t get upstairs. I guess you can use a “disciplinary center”, but let’s be real.
Well…OK kinda depends on where you are, who you associate with, and what your expectations are. In cities we’re pretty ok. I feel bad for people stuck in rural areas. Went to a party last night at a friend of a friend’s house. Hour drive. Made a contingency plan on the way - if there’s a trump flag, we’ll text and say something came up. If there’s one bumper sticker, we’ll go in and feel it out. If either of us gets uncomfortable, we leave.
Read a little about this HISD thing. Apparently 28 schools (8 high schools and the middle and elementary schools in their feeder patterns) chose to participate in this NESA (new education system aligned) plan. Teachers get extra help in their classrooms and follow standardized lesson plans. In those 28 schools, libraries will remain open and will have books/resources, but apparently will not have librarians. That seems stupid. HISD has 274 schools, so we’re taking about 10 percent of them doing this trial. i hope it’s in the bitchy, entitled, super-sensitive areas where they believe gay doesn’t exist and they say ‘Canadian’ because they can’t openly say N— anymore.
Apparently this guy is going to have a cage match with Houston’s mayor. He’s also basically the worst candidate for a superintendent of public schools ever- he owns a charter school company. Not “started and divested”- no, the corrupt Greg Abbott state government didn’t consider it a conflict of interest, it’s a qualification!
Republicans everywhere are trying to ruin public education, and they’re making great strides in single party dictatorships like Florida and Texas. We need solidarity with public school kids the South.
Calling him a candidate implies democracy, but the superintendent was appointed by the governor with no input from the people of Houston. The move to turn libraries into juvenile detention centers seems to me like an attempt to persecute the children of his political opposition.
A republican governor is seeking to rule, not to govern and used the excuse of one school that wasn’t meeting state standards as an excuse to strip democratic control of the Houston Schoolboard from his political opposition. Houston ISD is not controlled by the people of Houston anymore, this is the State Government being authoritarian.
It was falling 4 years ago and isn’t anymore. The takeover was blocked in courts, and this year, the state legislature passed a new law allowing the takeover of the whole district.
Easier to control your populace if they just have a 4th grade education and are directly dependent on the government to eat. But don’t worry about the Texan economy, they’ll be more than happy to siphon unearned money from blue states that actually create something of value instead of more culture war bullshit
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