voiceofsandiego.org: Letters... An Historical Error

Monday, August 4, 2008 | There are a great many premises and assertions made within this interview that are quite troubling. The one that bothers me most is the fact that you are asking someone who really seems to have no credentials or experience to give our society advice as to how we should improve education. It reminds me of the John Rocker interview that was published in Sports Illustrated in January of 2000. Speaking about New York City he said "It's the most hectic, nerve-racking city. Imagine having to take the 7 train to the ballpark, looking like you're riding through Beirut next to some kid with purple hair, next to some queer with AIDS, right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time, right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids. It's depressing." John Rocker is not a social historian. To ask John Rocker about our social situation in the United States and to publish his thoughts on the pages of a nationally distributed publication is highly irresponsible. I hold your publishing of this man's ideas regarding education to be similarly irresponsible.

Mr. Spathas, in a few quick brushstrokes, creates a dire image of our schools. He says that our classrooms look like prisons. My classroom at the Language Academy does not look like a prison. He wants our schools to look like Starbucks. I don't. Starbucks is currently going through some hard times and is closing down over 600 of its retail outlets.

What troubles me most in his set of responses is where he says, "We've got to refresh what we are teaching our kids. Probably less history and more future." That is just as incendiary as the John Rocker comments. Mr. Spathas apparently has no background in history. I have a bachelor's degree in Anthropology, a master's in Latin American studies and wrote a book on the image of the Brazilian indigene as depicted on the pages of a Brazilian journal between 1839 and 1850. You can look it up in the PAC at San Diego State University under my name -- Raymond Scott Mullin. I have studied history extensively. History is not about a bunch of factoids. It is about our past, our present, and how the two inform our future.

I have no problem with the fact that Mr. Spathas holds these views. I do have a problem with the fact that a journalist would publish these views in a high-circulation internet news Web site. He characterizes education and, consequently, teachers in the U.S. as people who simply have kids remember a bunch of factoids. Ms. Alpert, I do not teach factoids. Every classroom is about making meaning in the world for children who will hopefully grow up to become critical thinkers and make informed decisions about their community and personal lives. If Mr. Spathas really knew what he was talking about he would be alarmed at lack of history being taught in our schools.

We do need to be aware of details (I like to call them details and not factoids) in order to make sense of our world. Would we want a plumber to come to our home and try to fix our leaky pipes not knowing what tools would work, not paying attention to any details? The plumber comes to your house with a set of tools and a set of conceptual knowledge that allows him to successfully repair what needs to be repaired.

Mr. Spathas is not qualified to make recommendations as to how to repair our educational system. We do not live in a perfect world. Every teacher is doing the best he or she can do with what our society is providing them with.

I hope that in the future you will think long and hard before publishing quick-fix experts like Mr. Spathas. His off-the-cuff remedial advice is not what our society needs. Would you like to interview me about how real estate firms and the banks they work with need to be reformed? Enough of the education bashing. I hope your site does not become another news provider that uses education as society's whipping boy.

I appreciate your having considered my thoughts. I hope you are more careful in the future with whose ideas you choose to use in creating images of our public school system.

Thank you for all of your reporting on San Diego Unified School District.

Only about 50% of students in the District are proficient in English and Math. The high schools in this District have a 20+% drop out rate. About fifty percent of the students are bused to Point Loma because their neighborhood schools are unsafe. Credentialed educators in the District socially promote failing students. So Mr Mullin as a parent, what bothers me the most is people with education credentials who are failing our children and not open to new ideas. Try technology, try project orienting learning, dump the dated text books, and dump the lectures.

Posted by RB in Pt Loma | reply to this comment
August 4, 2008 3:40 pm

Thanks for the excellent response to the most horrifying I have read in Voice. Much is wrong with what Spathas thinks, but even more is wrong with the attention given to him by Alpert. Who brought this person to the attention of the Voice? I'm just as qualified to pass judgment on the real estate industry as Spathas is qualified to judge education. Perhaps Alpert would like to interview me on what is wrong with the realty industry. To Spathas I would simply say that what is wrong with his "savvy real estate" outlook is that it is realtor driven as opposed to buyer empowering.

Posted by Past is prologue | reply to this comment
August 4, 2008 3:50 pm

Scott, Great response to the article on Mr. Spathas. What a lot of people don't realize is that this is all an effort to privatize public education, to reduce our children to being widgets in a for profit educational system. 1/3 of all Charter Schools in San Diego Unified have failed, the most common reason is fraud and mismanagement of money.The grand scheme is to outsource all government functions to the private sector, with education being the Golden Goose.Not teaching history is done to make way for the Oligarchy type of government run by the multi-national cooperations. It is happening right now. Outsourcing government functions starts at the local level and goes all the way to DC.Speaking of History, when was the last time a private army fought our wars and trained our troops?

Posted by zollner | reply to this comment
August 4, 2008 5:01 pm

My only comment would be one of the "useless factoids" that Mr. Spathas would rather our children not be taught. A famous quote from Sir Winston Churchill: "A nation that forgets its past is doomed to repeat it."

Posted by SDUSD Employee | reply to this comment
August 4, 2008 6:05 pm

By studying history, we might not keep making mistakes over and over again. The Internet is the hot medium today. Who knows what will be dominant in 20 years from now. The building blocks of learning should not change. Kids need to read, write, and do math. History should be part of the curriculum. Sounds like he is selling hi-tech equipment. Hopefully we will not rewrite history and mislead students.

Posted by lee | reply to this comment
August 4, 2008 6:37 pm

Mr. Spathas is completely out of touch with the world of Public Education. We're a not for profit entity things just don't happen over night like that do in the private industry. That being said, is the constant upheaval and rapid change of the private industry a good thing, for children on the brink of failure. I agree we need more technology, but what we really need first is a curriculum that uses the technology we currently have before throwing away more money into the schools. I see it every day technology dumped into a corner of the classroom to just sit collect dust. Technology cannot replace the slow failure of family unit in our society. You would be better off going door to door and educating/informing the parents on how and why they should support their childrens learning habbits.

Posted by A Different SDUSD Employee | reply to this comment
August 4, 2008 8:30 pm

"Those who control the past, control the future"

Posted by Rage Against the Machine | reply to this comment
August 5, 2008 9:38 am

Mr. Mullin: rarely have I encountered such defensiveness in these emails. I suggest you cool off for a few days, then apologize to Mr. Spathas.

Posted by Mark Schaeffer | reply to this comment
August 5, 2008 12:37 pm

As long as technology is seen as a means to an end and not as an end in itself, Mr. Spathas' ideas make sense. The issue is in the application of the principles - as long as technology is seen as a tool and not as a solution, it will work. Just as social problems cannot be solved through technological means but must be solved through social means, educational problems must be solved through educational means. Such is the paradigm shift he advocates. If we continue to do what we've always done, we'll continue to get what we've always gotten - this is true for students, parents, teachers and the public at large.

Posted by Mr. Middleton | reply to this comment
August 5, 2008 12:56 pm

George Santayana wrote that, not Churchill. Those who control interpretation of the past do control the future. History has to be taught from many perspectives, otherwise it becomes propaganda.

Posted by Mark Schaeffer | reply to this comment
August 5, 2008 1:02 pm

Thank you, Emily Alpert, for stimulating a terrific discussion about what's important in education.

Posted by Teacher | reply to this comment
August 5, 2008 2:30 pm

Dear Mr. Shaeffer, I'm not afraid of non-experts. I just don't like their off-the-cuff advice creating a negative image of what thousands of teachers are doing every day to try to help children grow intellectually in our society. I'm not sure what you mean by defensiveness. If you are referring to me as a teacher trying to set the record straight regarding what it is we do in the face of misguided portrayals then yes, I am being defensive. I am not here to apologize to anyone. I have not offended anyone. I am sharing my ideas regarding how journalism is taking part in our corporate community's onslaught of negativity regarding public education. I'm sorry if you don't understand my message.

Posted by Scott Mullin | reply to this comment
August 5, 2008 3:41 pm

Scott: "I hold your publishing of this man's ideas regarding education to be similarly irresponsible" is defensive. Scott: "My classroom at the Language Academy does not look like a prison." This is also defensive, and misses the point; it's not appearance, but function, that counts. On that count, most schools are prisons. Scott: "He wants our schools to look like Starbucks." From the interview: "Schools of the future will look more like a Starbucks -- collaborative and creative and comfortable." Scott: "Starbucks is currently going through some hard times and is closing down over 600 of its retail outlets." Not relevant (nor is the Rocker quote). Scott: "That is just as incendiary as the John Rocker comments." This is the job of an activist -- stir things up.

Posted by Mark Schaeffer | reply to this comment
August 5, 2008 4:33 pm

Scott: "History is not about a bunch of factoids." Of course not, but so often, it's taught that way. Scott: " I do have a problem with the fact that a journalist would publish these views in a high-circulation internet news Web site." That is also defensive. Scott: " Ms. Alpert, I do not teach factoids." Good for you! I wish there were more of you. Scott: "Mr. Spathas is not qualified to make recommendations as to how to repair our educational system." However, qualified experts have been saying these things for years. My knowledge comes from reading education literature, including Leonard, Kohn, and Postman. Scott: "We do not live in a perfect world." Defensive excuse-making. Scott: "Enough of the education bashing." Defensive; further, no one is bashing education, just shaking things up, as good adult debate does.

Posted by Mark Schaeffer | reply to this comment
August 5, 2008 5:06 pm

Okay, Mr. Shaeffer . . . . I hope your efforts to improve our public educational system are successful. If it makes you feel better expressing your opinion that I am being defensive that is fine. I, as a teacher, am frustrated with the media, both print and television, tooting the corporate horn. I am not going to continue a tit for tat with you. I put John Rocker and Matt Spathas in the same letter because they are both ripping, in rapid fire fashion, insults at people they know very little about. We need less of this type of invective on the pages of our daily news outlet's publications. That's all I have for now . . . tomorrow I'll get back to the classroom and start getting it ready for next year. Thank you, Mr. Shaeffer for your responses.

Posted by Scott Mullin | reply to this comment
August 5, 2008 6:36 pm

The reporter did a lousy job on this story. I worked at San Diego Unified and don't really know Mr Spathas, but I do know he is not an educator and doesn't know the first thing about curriculum. The reporter leaves the impression that he is some sort of genius. He started a program at Correia Middle and yet over 70% of Correia's students were not at grade level in math in 2007. And over 80% were not at great level in science. So Mr Spatas, the reporter should have asked, when will your program relate to better test schools. Mr. Spathas may be a techie, but he has no idea how to take the technology and put it into the classroom. Not many people do. Let's not just do a profile of some guy who is in tight with the board and superintendent. Let's asks some tough questions.

Posted by School Watcher | reply to this comment
August 5, 2008 10:10 pm

It isn't a question of feeling better, it's about setting limits in civil discourse. I'm not a corporate apologist; I can and do critque them. I am an analyst by training (MS Computer Engineering, UCSB, and Ph.D. Chemistry, UCLA), looking to make systems work better for people. That sometimes means speaking out when an expert tries to intimidate non-experts.

Posted by Mark Schaeffer | reply to this comment
August 6, 2008 7:05 am

School Watcher: I'm all for asking tough questions. I'm also for an ongoing series on education, showing all points of view. In fact, check out today's story "In Tough Times, a Bold Bid by Teachers Union" for more on this ongoing story.

Posted by Mark Schaeffer | reply to this comment
August 6, 2008 7:42 am

I am a firm believer in teaching critical thinking. I also believe in order to get kids to critically think I have to teach them skills and content like Social Studies ir reading maps. How will kids understand what they read if they don't know the continents or cultures of other countries or the way government works? We need both but not all teachers know how to teach or inspire both. We must improve the way students apply what they learn and provide more opportunities for them to think! But how can one think if there is no background knowledge or understanding of academic terms through content instruction.

Posted by sd tchr | reply to this comment
August 6, 2008 8:35 am

Mark Schaeffer from Florida: My point is that the reporter who usually does an excellent job of reporting education news, on this story she did not live up to her standards. It was a fluff piece on a guy who has NO background on education. SDUSD also just hired a new IT guy from a district of just 8 schools and 4,200 students to manage a district with 130,000 students and 200 school sites. I am sure he will have great ideas without the means and ability to implement them. Her story on this change was about what a whiz this man is, but there was no questioning of the move or why they hired him with such little managing experience. The reporter seems to be getting soft on us. Ask the tough questions. Please. That is all I am asking.

Posted by School Watcher | reply to this comment
August 6, 2008 9:12 am

Someday 'School Watcher', the teacher's union and the educational bureaucracy will stop running a jobs program and start running a customer focused educational program. It will start when Mr. Spathas' ideas and ideas of other parents and customers are received professionally. Remember, some of us parents with advanced degrees in mathematics, science, finance, music and history taught as graduate students the dumbed down general education, fluff classes aimed at the university's departments of education. It is the school responsibility to provide the appropriate education to my children and it is my responsible as a parent to demand they do their job. I loved this article on new ideas in education. I am tired of the articles on failed bus programs, money not getting to the classrooms, poor test scores, and employees who work too hard....NINE MONTHS A YEAR.

Posted by RB in Pt Loma | reply to this comment
August 6, 2008 1:40 pm

School Watcher: Count me as a Poway ex-pat. :)

Posted by Mark Schaeffer | reply to this comment
August 6, 2008 2:10 pm

Well, I see this article sparked some debate. I want to tell RB Pt. Loma that 50% of the students that are bused to Point Loma do not go there because their neighborhoods are unsafe. They usually go there because their parents think that an education North of Freeway 8 would be better for their children. I am here to tell parents that they need to demand that the quality of education in their neighborhood schools has to be top notch just like those schools North of 8. Many times our high performing students are recruited by schools North of 8 so that they can get the money for their daily attendance. Some of the high performing schools North of 8 tend to have parents with more than a college education, thus educated parents who can help their children succeed. Help all students succeed!

Posted by Valentina Hernandez | reply to this comment
August 7, 2008 6:05 pm

Valentina, I agree with most of your post. Neighborhood schools are important for both the students and the community. I don't know of any study, with the correct controls, that shows bused students do better than those who applied for the program but were not bused. I believe good magnet programs, good Gate/Seminar programs, art and music programs could keep the best and brightest students in their neighborhood schools. I would never let my child spend two hours a day on the bus instead of reading, doing homework or playing sports. The $36 million this District spends on busing is a waste of money that should be used in the neighborhood schools. But Valentina, the unsafe school argument was made during the last budget crisis to protect the busing budget. And Valentina...Point Loma is SOUTH OF 8.

Posted by RB in Point Loma | reply to this comment
August 8, 2008 11:14 am

An Historical Error

By R. Scott Mullin, San Diego