I’ve been considering submitting this title as a keynote session at the next AERO Conference (Alternative Education Resource Organization, Jim) – but it’s not much of a keynote if the intention of the event is instead to ask an audience of youth to answer the question.
The word “How” is chosen specifically instead of the word “What” – not just for fun.
Asking “What” implies a focus on the outcome, while asking “How” is inclusive of the requirement for a mechanism of action to create the outcome.
Like many others may think, there are many things one could wish to see change in how we educate our youth.
Since the Presidency isn’t a dictatorship, thankfully, one can’t wave a magic wand to transform the Universe to their liking, nor to yours.
That being awkwardly said, the goal of the workshop is to hear directly from young people what they want to see.
The best I can do is offer what I’d like to see, which is inherently influenced by what I’ve seen and heard in our schools and outside them (::cough:: why can’t unschooling or self-directed education be mentioned here without breathing that cursed word “homeschooling,” Jim? ::fuck::)
I just don’t want to waste your time, I’m sorry, what I actually feel moved to write about and speak about here without being distracted by things that are actually related to learning, is security in schools.
I just don’t know what to tell you without being shot at, then again, what can we do, that’s basically everything we write, isn’t it?
“If you dream of a world where we have armed guards accompanying the already superfluous security cameras that capture what metal detectors can’t while wasting valuable hard disk space since most of the doors are locked nearly all the time already, then your imagination isn’t developed enough.”
I guess I said it.
Why do you wish to see a future that looks like this when we’ve had lifetimes without them?
What changed?
I’m sorry to say it, but the guns haven’t changed nearly enough to blame them.
And if it is true that school shootings are happening enough to warrant a military response, then where is an equally funded effort to prevent rather than react?
Who is this to protect against, again?
“We put the cameras in to stop kids from smoking cigarettes, we locked the doors to keep the perverts out, and when the kids had no places to make friends and started resentful attacks, we put in armed guards.”
That’s the story as I know it.
Perhaps it is only the case that for hundreds of thousands of years, we tolerated cigarettes and perverts and somehow avoided peer-to-peer violence that led to death, and, dare I say it, forget it, I’ve said enough.
To circle back to the beginning, if you want to end school shootings so that we can focus our attention on improving learning, *how* can the next President of these United States facilitate that change?
Facilitate?
What word would you dare use their, nigga?
Speaking out loud?
These are separate categories entirely, Jim, they deserve their own attention – how do we do that?
Maybe retitling this thing to something other than improving education because this doesn’t even scratch the surface on what can be done to improve young people’s experience as learners.
Wow.
There will always be the question, Jim, of what the President can actually do within their power to help.
That’s what I’m saying – just vote for Jim Flannery and you don’t have to worry about who the next President is going to be because he’s such an ass hole he’s already promising to veto every single bill and refuses to issue executive orders since he thinks it’s an abuse of power and thus that just leaves Congress, so we can just stop worrying about the President since it’s already going to be Jim Flannery and just find some decent fucking people to run for Congress in your state and trust them to carry out your wishes.
Trust them?
Then run yourself!
Independent?
For fuck sake, I’m a person, nigga, not a party nor a platform, just a fucking person.
Human being?
Yes, I’m a human fucking being whatever it is I am right now.
Being what?
Being pretty angry but, yes, this is almost amusing, thanks for ending the essay on school shootings with something to stop being miserable about because I almost forgot too that we started with that.
Wow, Jim, is this supposed to be educational?
I’m always learning, just like you too.