Capitalism is not a model for learning - that is what this kind of competition is. Schools shouldn't have to compete with each other - ALL KIDS SHOULD HAVE EQUAL ACCESS TO EQUALLY GOOD EDUCATION REGARDLESS OF WHERE THEY LIVE OR INCOME.

And no school should have the right to ban literature and impose religious beliefs or practices. That's what private and charter schools give unprecedented room for.

Maybe if anyone had ever TRIED to improve the education system instead of immediately trying to treat it apart with unnecessary options that aren't accessible to everyone, the government WOULD have done better. But I guess people with money to drive their kids across districts, board them elsewhere or just pay it out of pocket don't want the"poors" to ACTUALLY be able to compete in the world. Someone has to clean toilets so why bother giving them equal opportunities, right? 🙄

It is super muddy everywhere here. And we just had an avalanche bury someone last week on Mt Washington, so be wary of where you go hiking. Of you don't mind the mud and are a conscientious hiker, you should be fine.

No, I think those are fair points. And yes, the wording on progressive education is definitely one that in this climate can spark fierce responses from any angle.

I, personally, have been against school vouchers since the mainstream discussion really took off in the 90s. I whole heartedly back it when the local district can not adjusted provide for a child's needs (largely disabilities of all sorts) but I have had a problem with money being taken out of districts to go toward other schools based on parental choice alone. I have always just seen it as something that should be used for the NEEDS of a child, not the preference of the parent.

There is a lot of wiggle room allowed by the department of education among private and charter schools and while I understand fully privately funded schools, I do think it makes great education much more difficult for those who come from lower income access excellent education.

It isn't about the people running schools necessarily - I do believe the intentions are often well meaning. The problem, for me personally, is leaving kids whose parents do not have the means financially to pay for the school itself, or the transportation or boarding (when that is a factor).

All kids should have full and free access to excellent education, and the more private and charter schools that pop up, the families who are just getting by, or even just a little comfortably get by, have less access to quality education. That isn't the private institutions fault necessarily - but if public schools didn't essentially require their teachers to pay for supplies on their own, while offering salaries far below those at private - the quality of educator will inherently lower in there public sector.

We should have never allowed vouchers that weren't bad in need to begin with is my real issue - but if you are trying to f found a school that teaches truly thorough curriculum and is accessible to any child that wants to go, I wouldn't say it's the worst thing. I just think what the education system has become with not just the de-emphasis on public schooling, but also financially punishing schools that do not do as well on standardized tests. These are the places that need MORE funding, and instead the municipal/state/department of education takes money away from "failing schools". They have become a place of Calvinist indoctrination instead of true learning - and that I DO blame on alternative school options.

But reality is, there is no turning back. We already have irreparably fucked up the public school system so I guess all you can do is try to provide somewhere for any child to be taught how to learn and think critically, and not just rote memorization and how to follow orders.

Agreed on charter schools - my problem with private schools stems primarily from making good education accessible only to those who can afford it.

Private and charter schools are the reason for public education quality decline. Be an advocate for better curriculum for the families that can't afford private school instead of sapping away more money from the state for more bullshit politically founded schools. **I am a democratic socialist, not a republican, and a serious progressive and my entire issue with our education is this idea of if you don't like what they teach, go somewhere that let's you teach anything with minimal regulations because it is"private".

Invest in our schools we already have, change the curriculum there, change minds there instead of making money grabs for places that teach only what you think they should.

Hah! Well, that's pretty good - too.

I shall enlighten - it's from the book "Infinite Jest". Quick blurb from its wiki (it's pretty funny, I think).

>Les Assassins en Fauteuils Roulants (A.F.R.), known in English as the Wheelchair Assassins, are a Quebecois separatist group.... The A.F.R. has its roots in a childhood game in which miners' sons line up alongside a train track and compete to be the last one to jump across the path of an oncoming train, an activity in which many were killed or maimed.

The group is one of many separatist groups that are all trying to get their hands on "Infinite Jest"

>...the missing master copy of a film cartridge, titled Infinite Jest and referred to in the novel as "the Entertainment" or "the samizdat". The film is so entertaining to its viewers that they become lifeless, losing all interest in anything other than endless viewings of the film. Quebec separatists are interested in acquiring a Master, redistributable copy of the work.

...The book is a bajillion pages, it took me like 5 attempts over several years before making it through, it doesn't make sense 47% of the time, there is no real ending or resolution and it's fucking brilliant.

There is a herd of feral hamsters that roams New England, which is now part of Quebec. If I were in that universe, I 100% would be one of the Wheelchair Assassins, or the AFR. I'd attempt to explain the plot, but there is none, really, because it's just about life and life has no point - it's just a never-ending joke....thus, the Infinite Jest.

If you ever really want to get brave and settle in for a 981 pg (single-spaced, size 10 typeface) book that will twist your brain into pretzels trying to figure out what the fuck is happening, all the while laughing wildly at what is happening because it's all so outrageously absurd - I highly recommend! Honestly, though, it's a War and Peace kind of book. Everyone wants to, many try, few succeed. I'm not sure how I am one. Seriously. Anyway....That's the Wheelchair Assassins. :)

Imaginary internet points if you know the origin.

Local here... My husband and I are picky. I used to be fine with food up here, then lived in southern cities for several years and came back with him and, well, there is no comparison. We eat at home or from Five Guys because after 15 years, you are bound to discover the local businesses weaknesses. Mostly I'm just not a fan of how all the food tastes the same or is unreasonably overpriced, even when food prices aren't soaring, and few able to deliver in a well done steak/burger.

HOWEVER, Caribbean Spice Cafe, where the Blueberry Muffin used to be. Doesn't even look open, but I would order from them again and again just to wait and hang out with the owner and staff because they are so much fun. It helps their food is incredible.

Best real actual fried chicken I have had since moving back from my time south of the Mason-Dixon line. Get the rice and beans as your side, too. Delish!

Agreed - on a clear super sunny day in the fall when foliage is at its peak it is out of this world.

Needs cargo shorts. And that does not appear to be a Sox or Pats hat. Or a woman taking the trash out to the shed in uggs, pajama pants and a bathrobe.

These days there are too many "pedos deserve to be recognized as a legit sexuality" types in libertarianism for me to consider them legitimate anywhere. Libertarians of the OG, anti gov, anti tax type are long gone that I've seen.. now it's just about MAGA and anarchism - fuck the government types. Not for me in any universe.