Passed tense

Long piece in Frontpagemag (18 pages in pdf) by City Journal's Sol Stern on the "social justice" pedagogy that's taken over in American schools of education and the New York Collective of Radical Educators' (r68!) teaching of same in New York high schools. Reminded me of a piece of paper I found in the yard the other day, a note to "parent" from the principal of a (private) elementary school near here:


Illiterate, but socially just: "'. . . produce compassionate leaders working together for social change and responsibility for the world of tomorrow.'"

Is Vernita quoting herself or what? Why'd she start in the middle of the sentence? Also, who exactly is she ordering to "produce" in this vague and peremptory way? And which bloody "world of tomorrow" will these leaders be working together for, anyway? Yours or mine, Vernita? Yours or mine?

The note begins: "As some of you know Mr. ----- received a call yesterday letting him know that his brother had just past away . . .

It's signed, "In Peace and Justice."

(via City Journal)

Update: Almost forgot to mention: Frontpagemag columnist David Yeagley is a racist.

Update II: The letter asked for donations to help defray Mr. ------'s expenses in traveling to his brother's funeral in Hungary.

Update III: the NYCoRE curriculum, "An Unnatural Disaster: A Critical Guide for Addressing the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in the Classroom," suggested using the hurricane and its purportedly racist aftermath to teach:

the legacy of African slavery
• the criminalization of poor people of color
• media bias
• problems with the privatization of services
• the capitalist interests that govern public policy
• militarism
• global relationships and the many costs of war
• consumerism and related environmental degradation
• the racism and classism inherent in our current political system and more…

Goofs had a blog for teachers to "dialogue" about Katrina, and got some good comments.