Laura Waterman wrote: > Just a couple of reminders about 1910: > > Women did not have the right to vote. > Racial segregation was in place. Ethnic segregation > (Jews, other Eastern and Southern Europeans) was in place. > American Indians were not citizens and thus could not vote. > Immigration laws prevented Africans, Asians, (including South > Asia and the Middle East), Mexicans, Central and South Americans > from immigrating whereas Western Europeans were welcome. > 19th Century Minnesota handbills printed to recruit > immigrants were in German.
So you are arguing that the Minnesota of the early 1900s was not as diverse as we are now? I think that many people fail to realize that the Scottish, English, Irish, Welsh, French Canadians, Germans, Prussians, Bavarians, Rhinelanders, Swedes, Finns, Dakota, Ojibwa, Yankees, Danes, Norwegians, Italians, etc. who resided in Minnesota at the turn of the century were just as different from each other as the Somalis, Hispanics, and Hmong are from today's "Yankees." People fail to see that what makes us blind to these facts is that our ancestors and their progeny are Americans, that their differences have been overwhelmed by their similarities and that this is a very good thing. And, as you look back into history through mud colored glasses you should keep in mind that there are still immigration regulations limiting Africans, Asians, (including South Asia and the Middle East), Mexicans, Central and South Americans from entering the United States. > "Not quite as diverse" is an understatement. Minnesota fixed > it to be that way. It is safe to say that Minnesota has never > had the diversity challenge it is now experiencing and the > Minneapolis public schools are at a most critical period of change. I don't believe that the challenges facing the public schools are any greater now than they were then. Think back on the changes occurring within one lifetime from 1880 and 1940. > 19th Century education has got to give way. It will give way. > It has given way to some degree. I think that this is a fallacy. 19th Century education does not exist in public schools any more, although 20th century education might. > The number one lesson in all of this is that public education > cannot be done on the cheap. Well this is certainly what public school administrators and teachers unions would like you to believe, but I'm not sure that it's true. > When all we had to do was turn out kids to factory or farm > work, big classrooms, less than a full year of school, no > technology, and minimally prepared teachers were > okay. (well, probably not okay, but that is what we did). I would argue that many teachers at the beginning of the 20th century were probably better prepared (by the standards of their day) to teach their students than today's teachers. > We now have to turn kids to information work, knowledge work, and > service work. How does having crowded classrooms, nine months of > school, and teacher front, kids in rows make that happen? It > doesn't. Major system reform is needed and that costs money. Having kids in rows has very little to do with the quality of the education they receive. Cooperative group education can be done just as poorly as kids-in-rows education. The same is true of class size. > We at the top of the global society in order to maintain our > position have to educate our young (all of them) to assume the > summit. That includes learning sharing, kindness, generosity, > tolerance, and helpfulness. I would argue that about the only thing we are at the top of globally is military power. I would agree that we have a lot of work to do, but I don't agree that learning sharing, kindness, generosity, tolerance, and helpfulness are the only components necessary. I would add discipline, structure, and competition. > Get the picture? Not really. I think that your picture is incomplete. Michael Atherton Prospect Park REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
