The Land of Stupid People

I've lived in Boston, which is to say anywhere from the Habah to Route 128 (or may be 495 these days) a few times over the years.  One time was for a software company in Lexington.  One of my colleagues was Phil, who lived in Brockton.  The commute was not fun, but when he was in the mood buy a house (some years before then) interest rates were sky high.  In the event he ended up in Brockton.  We all have stock phrases we inject into both writing and conversation; one of Phil's favorites was his reference to Brockton:  "The land of Stupid People". 

Such was the widely held view by most folks, not just Phil.  Brockton was in the abandoned inner city, former manufacturing, desolatevilles class of city.  Newark, Detroit, and such.

Until today.

Here's the link to a Times story that demonstrates a number of factoids.  Here they are:
- as Napoleon is reputed to have said, "there are no bad soldiers, only bad generals"
- organizational failure, despite the blathering of Right Wingnuts, is caused by incompetent management, not workers
- the problem with education is The Teacher's Union
- small schools are the answer

That's a lot of factoids.  The story makes clear that the solution to the education problem, and we're talking here about a 4,100 student inner city high school, came not from management, but worker bees.  To its credit, management didn't stonewall.  To its credit, the union didn't either.  The impetus came from an informal (in the beginning) group of (as I read the story) *experienced* teachers.  I stress the experienced, because the Wifey at one time decided that she would be a teacher as a career change.  She went through the process, but became one of the majority of new teacher who leave rather than hang around for the cushy retirement (that's sarcasm, it isn't).

The main reason she left was that management set off on an explicit policy of shunting aside any teacher with experience, in favor of young girly girls.  They "relate" better to the students.  Yeah, right.  A good tight ass always helped me concentrate on calculus.  I know that sounds outrageous, but that's what happened.  Brockton lucked out; it still has experienced teachers who care about students and teaching.

The group developed teaching methods which are known to work by anyone who's over 40.  These methods were not the curriculum jujubees from consultants and central office.  It was clearheaded thought.