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The Tragicomedy of Public Education:
Laughing and Crying Thinking and Fixing by James M. Kauffman Full Court Press
book review by Wendy Thomas
"Thought provoking and honest look at public education in America and how it became nothing short of a joke."
This is a book that should initiate important long over-due discussions on why our public education system is failing so many of its students. Topics covered include such thought-provoking points as:
- How Poor thinking drove us off track creating a tragicomic train wreck of ideas
- How Slogan and trite phrases sabotage common sense and contribute to the tragicomedy of education.
- How we can group students most effectively for instruction
Written with plenty of folksy language, including an entire discussion on truth vs. truthiness (a made-up term by the comedienne Stephen Colbert) this book makes for some enjoyable reading. "Beware that we might not recognize 'success' if it jumped up and bit us on our hind parts. Watch out for self-contradictions. Look at denials for what they are. Keep non-sequiturs out of education. Don't push analogies too far. Success, like failure, can be hidden by poor thinking or mistaken because of it."
Although the premise is right on target and one to which we should all be aware, the ideas are sometimes lost in the dense paragraphs and at times circuitous writing. "Many contemporary Americans seem to consider it rancorous—bad form, mean-spirited, ill tempered, offensive—to question the meaning of a statement directly."
The basic argument—Public Education is broken and needs to be fixed—is a point that many of us can accept and to which we desperately want answers with concrete steps on how to fix. While the points of discussion are well thought out and nicely defended, what seems to be lacking in this discourse is a plan of action from which you can go forward to create a change or difference in the school system.
Kauffman is Professor Emeritus of Education at the University of Virginia and a former teacher in both general elementary and special education for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. There is enough in this book to justify reading it. It brings up some important points of failure in the educational system. After reading this book, one should find ones-self outraged. The author has great points. We are awaiting for direct answers.