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- Salty Ginger Talk Newsletter
Congressman Ro Khanna hammers the school district for eliminating Honors Biology
Our take: One of the things that has risen in public consciousness in the past few years is the push for “equality” rather than “equity. Equality is giving everyone access to the same opportunities. Equity is ensuring identical outcomes. Any sane person knows that ensuring identical outcomes is not possible without disenfranchising some group of people.
One California school district has lost the plot in a misguided attempt to make everyone feel warm and fuzzy. In middle and high schools, high-achieving students have had access to more rigorous classes through the AP and Honors offerings in several subjects. If kids are advanced beyond the average student in their grade level, these classes provide an opportunity to continue to challenge students. It’s not a commentary on students in the normal curriculum.
Not good enough for the administrators in Palo Alto, California. They had already eliminated Honors English and are now doing away with Honors Biology. They code-named it “de-laning” the curriculum to “reduce stigma” and “broaden access” for students.
These positions have largely been associated with Democratic platforms. Ro Khanna is the Democratic Congressman who represents the district. He is having none of this nonsense.
Democratic California Rep. Ro Khanna said Monday that the school district’s decision to remove the honors biology program was “absurd.” The school district had already done away with its honors English program, Khanna added.
“They call it de-laning,” he said of the reason the school district adduced. “I call it an assault on excellence. I took many honors classes at Council Rock High in PA.”
Kudos to Khanna for calling out a galactically stupid plan despite sharing many other positions with the school district administrators. You cannot lift someone up by dragging others down. Disenfranchising students who want to push and excel is a terrible idea. It is shocking that professional educators would take this approach. Hopefully the decision gets reversed quickly and these kids get access to the classes they want to take.
COURTESY: MSN
A woman learns that you can’t have everything in life while making her “work from home” argument
Our take: This article is a long read, so we will boil it down to its essence for you. A woman who has worked a flexible schedule (2 days in the office, 3 days she can choose where to work) is worried she may be forced to go back to a full-time office role. She has 3 young children and another on the way.
She states in the article that women are disenfranchised by a full-time office requirement since they are “expected” to be the primary caregivers. She states she is “owed the right” to work from home so she does not have to choose between a career and raising children. She also states her husband is an architect that earns more than her and goes to the office 5 days a week.
OK, where do we start? Let’s just list some thoughts out:
Why does she not ask for her husband to have a flexible schedule so he can stay home? She states he earns more than her and is an owner of the firm he works at. I guess he is expected to be the primary bread winner and sacrifice his time as a parent to provide for his family.
Who in the workforce is “owed” anything?
No one can have everything. When people say men can “have it all,” they are dead wrong. Men are expected to do backbreaking, sometimes life-threatening work to provide for their families. They are looked down upon if they want to spend more time at home or won’t sacrifice their time, health, and mental well-being to be the primary caregiver for their family.
We support flexible schedules in jobs where it is possible and believe, in general, the world is a better place when men are providing for their families and women act as the primary giver. That said, this woman’s sense of entitlement is outrageous. The world doesn’t owe anyone anything. Any adult who has not figured out that life is not fair yet has a way to go.
COURTESY: MSN
Republicans push for mothers to stay home with their children. Liberals protest
Our take: I know I am a dinosaur. I also know there are centuries of empirical evidence that support my position on this. While many people do a great job under various circumstances, even when they don’t have a choice, kids are better off when they are in a 2-parent home with both a mother and father. Further, in most situations, it works best for all when the father provides for the family and the mother acts as the primary caregiver.
I know it’s not popular or politically correct to maintain this position, but many times being popular is less important than doing what is right for kids, for the country, and for society.
Our society has created an expectation where everyone thinks they should have 2 cars (we have one despite being able to afford 2), expensive cell phones (our family owns all our cell phones outright, and our total bill for 5 lines with unlimited data is $140 a month), and should take extravagant vacations every year (our kids went to Disneyland one time when they were young).
All these things are luxuries, not necessities. The cost of childcare is sky-high, both parents working creates stress and disconnection in families, and wages remain compressed because companies can attract workers with lower wages because people are willing to sacrifice their family’s future in the name of more stuff.
Although we have never been a registered member of either political party, and never will be, we are firmly in the Republican camp on this one.
COURTESY: MSN
Tip of the Day
The culture we live in and identify with powerfully shapes just about every aspect of our being. If you want to be grittier, find a gritty culture and join it. The hard way is to do it by yourself. For example, you could swim on the Ann Arbor Master’s Swim team which requires getting up at 5 AM and swimming 3,000-4,000 yards per practice. Would you do it alone? Never! But when there are 40 others showing up before dawn, it seems like the most normal thing to do!
Quote of the Day
“The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.” - Will Rogers