Morris Dovey wrote:

Tim Daneliuk wrote:
Morris Dovey wrote:
Tim Daneliuk wrote:
SNIP

Do I actually hear Tim Daneliuk advocating /for/ force and coersion? You
can't have it both ways.

Uh, yes I can. *Initiating* force is always wrong. Fraud is always
wrong. In the case of minor children, parents are by default presumed
to be the proper caretakers. When they fail to see to their children's
education, this is an initiation of at least fraud, and arguably
force, because they are condemning their children to fail. The
children - as minors - are legally presumed to be incapable of caring
for themselves and thus the state does have the right to interdict on
their behalf, no different than a policeman arresting someone trying
to break into your house.

As far as "making" teacher earn the respect of parents, I mean this
in a noncoerive way - there should be a marketplace for schools
and teachers as there is anything else. Parents would choose from
that pool based on their perception of the fitness of the school/teacher,
the amount they were willing to pay for it, and how that school
environment mapped to their personal values and ambitions for their
child.

I don't think you'll achieve much traction pushing this issue - not
because I have anything against private education, but because I don't
see any practical means of implementation due to cost.

In a most fortunate twist of fate (I lived in a country with /no/ high
schools, and my stepfather's employer paid for dependents' education at
any accredited boarding school), I got to make my own choice of private
schools (subject to parental veto for cause) high school. My first two
choices (ACS in Beirut and a boarding school in England) were vetoed for
what seemed good reasons, and my third choice was where I went.

I dug around to find a web page with some cost info and came up with:

http://www.boardingschoolreview.com/.../school_id/201

and if you scroll down to "Finances" you'll get the same reality check I
just did. Education at retail is bloody awful expensive!


It all depends upon the school. Our Lutheran elementary school charges on
the order of $4200 per year, our area Lutheran High School in Phoenix is
approximately $6500 per year. The quality of education is high, the
teacher student ratio is low and the environment much more conducive to
learning.




... snip

--
If you're going to be dumb, you better be tough