Full day kindergarten was just the beginning. The next political push will be for universal pre-school. After that, they will want to get a hold of your children after birth.
All you have to do is google Common Core and Human Capital to see what this is all about. Your child is no longer an individual who needs to a quality education in an effort to allow that child to learn and become whatever they want to become in life. This is now about molding and shaping your child for the needs of the state.
The paradigm shift to workforce development that is taking place in New Hampshire’s schools changes the focus from a liberal arts education focused on academics to a dumbed down workforce training model. We already know from testimony by many parents that they’ve either pulled their kids out of the public schools or they are providing additional tutoring at home. The lucky kids have the parents who are willing to step in and fill in the gaps.
On April 4th, organizations that are interested in making sure toddlers in diapers are workforce ready, will be hosting an event at the Legislative Office Building in Concord. The details are as follows:
April 4, 2017, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Legislative Office Building Rooms 210-211
Email: fberrien@gmail.com * www.facebook.com/nhChildrensCaucus
These community organizations will explain why state interference is necessary in order to make sure babies are ready for the workforce. Community organizers, like NH Listens has been pushing for full day kindergarten. They will now shift their focus to babies and toddlers since it appears they may have won their battle for full day kindergarten in New Hampshire.
C.S. Lewis talked about the destruction of civilization if education became workforce training when he wrote: Our English Syllabus.
When education reformers speak in terms of workforce training, this isn’t about educating your child so they can learn and choose their own path in life. They are referring to providing the minimum standards and skills to meet the needs of the workforce.
I think most parents want their children to become productive citizens and that means educated for college, career and life. Expecting your child to receive a quality education so that they can qualify for a job after graduation is reasonable. However, there is more to a quality liberal arts education that educates your child their own good versus the needs of the State.
If an industry is shut down or a job becomes obsolete, the well educated worker has the ability to move into another industry. They also have a better chance to qualify for a promotion. More importantly, they have knowledge of history in order to understand how to avoid mistakes. They have the ability to walk into a bank, sit down with a Banker and understand what is in a loan document they will be required to sign. A well educated individual has freedom to choose their own path in life. A quality liberal arts education not only serves the student well, it serves society too. This is exactly why C.S. Lewis and people like Steve Jobs advocated for supporting a quality liberal arts education. This allows children born into poverty to have the same chance as one born into privilege.
Dumbed down workforce training begins at birth according to these community organizers. The path to workforce training now entails the state becoming involved in your child from the moment they are born. Instead of making sure your child’s school focuses on literacy and academic excellence, they want the State to step in because your child is now human capital. The declining enrollment in our public schools and the increase in home-schooling is just another reflection of why these education reforms are not wanted by parents.
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Ann Marie Banfield currently volunteers as the Education Liaison for Cornerstone Action in New Hampshire. She has been researching education reform for over a decade and actively supports parental rights, literacy and academic excellence in k-12 schools. You can contact her at: abanfield@nhcornerstone.org
