Dean Cameron and the Dan Rather School of Education

 Senator Dean Cameron (R-Rupert) has a pressing question, based on how  an impeccable source of wisdom:

“I wonder how laptops will accomplish this important attribute of a teacher,” posts state Sen. Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, (co-chairman of the budget committee) on his Facebook wall after this quote from Dan Rather: “The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called ’truth.” 

One could ridicule the idea of quoting a noted liberal Democrat who disgraced himself by presenting an absurd forgery to the American people, but the thought by Cameron is absurd in itself, so a complete recounting of the comic escapades of Mr. Rather will be unnecessary.

First of all, no one is proposing we get rid of all teachers. Yes, there will be some teaching positions eliminated, but you will still plenty of teachers and with the end of teacher tenure, it will be in a more performanced based environment where the best teachers will survive and thrive.

Secondly, does everyone’s dream begin with a teacher? I know quite a few people whose dream began with parents who cared. Don’t get me wrong, good teachers are vitally important to educational success, and teacher quality is more important that socio-economic factors and class size to learning success. However, what this debate has revealed is that more than just respecting the important work of teachers, there’s a political segment that venerates teachers to almost demigod status. The Status Quo in education is considered sacred. And those who suggest changing it are heretics against the civil religion.

Read more at Adam’s Blog