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<v Speaker 1>The reason July and August were established as the break

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<v Speaker 1>in the school year was not because of any academic test,

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<v Speaker 1>not because it would improve the children's ability to learn. No,

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<v Speaker 1>was so they could work on the farm. That's why

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<v Speaker 1>John D. Rockefeller designed the school the year to make

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<v Speaker 1>it possible for them to work on the farm without

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<v Speaker 1>any major distraction in the school year. July and August

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<v Speaker 1>work on that farm.

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<v Speaker 2>John D.

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<v Speaker 1>Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie had more to do with the

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<v Speaker 1>curriculum that your kids and my kids take than any

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<v Speaker 1>teacher you and I deal with today, the superintendent of

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<v Speaker 1>our school district, the Department of Education, which I thought

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<v Speaker 1>was decimated. Didn't they get rid of the Department of Education?

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<v Speaker 1>Why does that still exist? I thought we were promised

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<v Speaker 1>that that would go, and that would be a good

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<v Speaker 1>thing to go, because because it'd be possible, sorry, be

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<v Speaker 1>possible for you and I to imagine, the Department of

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<v Speaker 1>Education has been there one hundred years, a great tradition,

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of history. No, the Department of Education in

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<v Speaker 1>the United States of America was created by Jimmy Carter

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<v Speaker 1>as a way to bribe the Union, as a way

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<v Speaker 1>to control the situation so that there would be funds available.

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<v Speaker 1>There wasn't going to be the need for a strike

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<v Speaker 1>was and whatever it was, it was a gift to

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<v Speaker 1>the union, the teachers' union. He created the Department of Education.

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<v Speaker 1>That's why it exists because up until then it was

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<v Speaker 1>done almost the way it should be, which is by

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<v Speaker 1>each school district, each community setting up the school systems

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<v Speaker 1>the way they wanted. However, please consider the fact that

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<v Speaker 1>the way the school was structured, the curriculum was the

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<v Speaker 1>same when you were in school and I was in

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<v Speaker 1>school as it is today. I am shocked appalled that

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<v Speaker 1>when most parents walk into a classroom today they say

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<v Speaker 1>the following, Oh, it's just like it was when we

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<v Speaker 1>were here. It should be nothing like the way it

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<v Speaker 1>was when we were here. It should be nothing, should

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<v Speaker 1>bear no resemblance. Were iPhones in the phone? Were iPhones

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<v Speaker 1>in the phone? Were iPhones in the classroom when you

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<v Speaker 1>were a kid? No? In fact, do you know what

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<v Speaker 1>the biggest problem is today? When they take away iPhones

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<v Speaker 1>and they take away phones and they make the kids

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<v Speaker 1>turn in their phones before they go into the classroom,

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<v Speaker 1>you know what the biggest problem is? They don't know

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<v Speaker 1>how to tell time. The only way they've ever known

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<v Speaker 1>to tell time is the digital read out on their phone.

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<v Speaker 1>They look up at an analog clock. They have no

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<v Speaker 1>idea what that says. The dumbest thing I hear talk

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<v Speaker 1>show hosts and hosts on the radio say, is well,

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<v Speaker 1>it's at the bottom of the l at the bottom

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<v Speaker 1>of the hour. They have no idea what you're talking

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<v Speaker 1>about when we have younger listeners. You don't have younger

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<v Speaker 1>listeners because you're not even talking to them. You keep

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<v Speaker 1>saying the top of the hour, at the bottom of

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<v Speaker 1>the hour. They have no idea what you're talking about.

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<v Speaker 1>Get it. When a school district takes away your kid's phone,

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<v Speaker 1>they are stealing because that is not that kid's phone.

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<v Speaker 1>They're under eighteen. You gave them the phone. They may

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<v Speaker 1>carry it all day, they may say it's my phone,

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<v Speaker 1>they may play roadblocks minecraft on it endlessly, but it's

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<v Speaker 1>not their phone. You handed it to them, You gave

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<v Speaker 1>it to them. It's in your name. The bill is

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<v Speaker 1>in your name. You're paying the bill. You gave it

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<v Speaker 1>to your child for whatever reason. They do not have

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<v Speaker 1>the authority to take away your phone. That's what they've done.

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<v Speaker 1>You've asked this small person to carry it around for

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<v Speaker 1>you all day. That's what you've done. And you may

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<v Speaker 1>have safety reasons for it, social reasons for it. But

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<v Speaker 1>in many cases, special needs kids, special challenge kids need

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<v Speaker 1>that phone to stay calm. They needed to deal with

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<v Speaker 1>anxiety attacks, ADHD, a variety of issues that that phone

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<v Speaker 1>solves for them. Knowing they can be in touch with

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<v Speaker 1>mom or dad at any given time, they need that phone. Wow,

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<v Speaker 1>you know it's a big distraction. No, you know it's

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<v Speaker 1>a big distraction. The big distraction is that in most schools,

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<v Speaker 1>in most classrooms, they're dealing with a curriculum that was

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<v Speaker 1>created one hundred and twenty five years ago to create automatons,

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<v Speaker 1>to create people who would obey, who would be obedient,

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<v Speaker 1>come into the school the nasty bell rings. Stand in

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<v Speaker 1>a straight line. Don't speak. If you speak, you're going

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<v Speaker 1>to go to the office later. That would be called

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<v Speaker 1>the warden's office. Stand in a straight line. You go

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<v Speaker 1>to eat lunch at an assigned time, You eat lunch

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<v Speaker 1>in an assigned place. You eat from a prescribed menu

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<v Speaker 1>in the cafeteria unless you bring your own. Never ideal,

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<v Speaker 1>but there it is. It's the same as a prison,

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<v Speaker 1>and it is a prison. Worse than that, it's a

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<v Speaker 1>prison of ideas. Part of the public school curriculum created

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<v Speaker 1>by John D. Rockefeller, part of the public school curriculum

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<v Speaker 1>created by Andrew Carnegie, says, do not question, memorize. Our

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<v Speaker 1>whole system is set up on memorization, not on intellectual pursuit,

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<v Speaker 1>not on challenge the question, not on how do we

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<v Speaker 1>get to that conclusion? How does this thinking take place?

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<v Speaker 1>We don't teach kids to think, We teach them to memorize. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>that's a good factory worker. That's a good factory worker.

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<v Speaker 1>Show up, they obey. Often, they wear a uniform, don't

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<v Speaker 1>wear anything that isn't okay. You can't wear what you

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<v Speaker 1>want to public school. You can't wear what you want

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<v Speaker 1>to the factory. It's all in doctrination to working task

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<v Speaker 1>wrote jobs, assembly line, wrote jobs, workers, not thinkers. Workers.

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<v Speaker 1>Private schools usually don't do that. Private schools are very different.

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<v Speaker 1>They teach kids how to think for themselves, challenge authority,

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<v Speaker 1>challenge the idea, test the assumptions. The socratic method of

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<v Speaker 1>teaching is what happens in the private schools, but not

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<v Speaker 1>in the public schools. The worst thing I did, I'll

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<v Speaker 1>admit it to you. The worst thing I did is

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<v Speaker 1>I have an autistic kid. I have a kid with

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<v Speaker 1>a praxia, and we thought that in her public school

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<v Speaker 1>that her special needs were being met, had an Individual

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<v Speaker 1>Education Plan and IEP. We had an IEP in place.

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<v Speaker 1>We reviewed it several times a year, We met with

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<v Speaker 1>her teachers, reviewed it several times a year, when over

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<v Speaker 1>the curriculum, saw what extra support she was being given,

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<v Speaker 1>et cetera, et cetera, and we assumed good intention. Boy

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<v Speaker 1>was iron idiot? Boy was I an idiot? The first

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<v Speaker 1>thing to know about an IEP is you can challenge everything.

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<v Speaker 1>And when they say that's the most we can do

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<v Speaker 1>for your kid, that is not actually the legal answer.

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<v Speaker 1>When they say this is the support we can offer,

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<v Speaker 1>this is all we can offer. No, No, that's not

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<v Speaker 1>the legal answer. In an IEP. The correct answer is

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<v Speaker 1>this is what the kid needs, and you parent can

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<v Speaker 1>expect that it be met. Whether they think they have

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<v Speaker 1>the well, we can't do that. We don't have the

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<v Speaker 1>ability to teach. That doesn't matter. By law, they have

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<v Speaker 1>to teach it. By law. They have to make those accommodations.

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<v Speaker 1>Those accommodations aren't based on their resources. Those accommodations are

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<v Speaker 1>based on the needs of the child, and it is

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<v Speaker 1>the law that the that the school system has to

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<v Speaker 1>provide it, and if they can't provide it, they have

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<v Speaker 1>to fund it. That's right. They have to provide the

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<v Speaker 1>money to get the education that that child needs. That's

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<v Speaker 1>the law. It's not based on what options they have

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<v Speaker 1>to install in the car. And you must not be

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<v Speaker 1>reasonable because that child. You're the only advocate that that

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<v Speaker 1>kid gets and the only chance that you and I

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<v Speaker 1>have to get that kid the education she deserves. Where

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<v Speaker 1>it eight hundred eight four eight nine two two two

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<v Speaker 1>eight hundred eighty four eight nine two two two. I

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<v Speaker 1>assume good and tens on the part of any school

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<v Speaker 1>district I've worked with. I assume good intentions. What I

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<v Speaker 1>have found is that rather than making accommodations, rather than

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<v Speaker 1>saying we can't do this, and therefore, here's how we're

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<v Speaker 1>going to accommodate them, what I have found is they

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<v Speaker 1>say we can't do this, and it stops there. Most

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<v Speaker 1>parents accept it. Oh, they can't do anything about that.

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<v Speaker 1>They don't have that special needs teacher, they don't have

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<v Speaker 1>that classroom. No, no, no, Here's what I learned my

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<v Speaker 1>kid has a praxia severe speech delay, but it also

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<v Speaker 1>involves her hearing, and sounds come into her head much faster, harder,

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<v Speaker 1>and louder than they come into yours and mine. That's

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<v Speaker 1>what I learned about her. And sure enough, she wears

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<v Speaker 1>earphones all the time. When she walked through the school,

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<v Speaker 1>the hallways of the school, the earphones helped a lot. Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>then she was in music class playing the clarinet. This

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<v Speaker 1>was the dumbest idea ever in history. She can't play

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<v Speaker 1>the clarinet because she can't process those sounds. Those are random, scary,

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<v Speaker 1>super loud, super soft sounds. Imagine being in a small

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<v Speaker 1>room with fifth graders learning to play the clarinet. Fifteen

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<v Speaker 1>fifth graders in a small room learning to play the clarinet.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's just see that. Let's just see that in our minds.

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<v Speaker 1>You right now, at this age, with your good hearing.

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<v Speaker 1>Now you're in a classroom with fifteen fifth graders learning

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<v Speaker 1>to play the clarinet. And you could get up and leave.

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<v Speaker 1>But the kid can't get up and leave. The kids

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<v Speaker 1>stuck in that room. When we realized that the reason

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<v Speaker 1>that she was avoiding school was to avoid that room,

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<v Speaker 1>I sat her down one day and said, why don't

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<v Speaker 1>you want to go to school? Because it was day

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<v Speaker 1>after day she didn't want to go to school. Why

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<v Speaker 1>don't you want to go to school? And finally I

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<v Speaker 1>learned it was because of music room. It hurt her ears.

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<v Speaker 1>It was physically assaulting her. And I grabbed the assistant principle.

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<v Speaker 1>I said, you got to get her out of the

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<v Speaker 1>music class. She cannot be in that music class. Let's

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<v Speaker 1>get her extra reading. She reads like she's in kindergarten.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's get her reading extra reading.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh, one person can't decide to take her out of music.

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<v Speaker 2>That can't be Well, that's a team decision. What that's

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<v Speaker 2>a team decision.

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<v Speaker 1>Music's optional, it's not mandatory by the state. You're not

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<v Speaker 1>required to give music classes. That's the easiest thing to

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<v Speaker 1>take her out of.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, we have no more slots for more reading.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, And that's when I should have said, but that's

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<v Speaker 1>what we expect you to do, and by law, you

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<v Speaker 1>have to accommodate that, and you must give her more reading.

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<v Speaker 1>That's what I needed to say. And I didn't know

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<v Speaker 1>I could say that. I didn't know I could say that.

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<v Speaker 1>That's where an advocate would come in handy, right, an

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<v Speaker 1>IEP advocate. There's a whole world of IEP Individual Educational

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<v Speaker 1>Plan advocates. There are a whole slew of them that

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<v Speaker 1>you and I can engage in for free or for hire,

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<v Speaker 1>depending what you want to do. But that's what should

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<v Speaker 1>have happened. It took me months to get her out

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<v Speaker 1>of music class. Isn't that tragic? It took me months

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<v Speaker 1>to get her out of music class. And what I

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<v Speaker 1>finally had to do was go there twice a week.

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<v Speaker 1>She had music class twice a week, and I would

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<v Speaker 1>go there twice a week and pick her up from

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<v Speaker 1>that school and take her to a diner and we'd

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<v Speaker 1>have lunch in a nice chat. And that's the only

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<v Speaker 1>way I could protect my kid from the horrors of

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<v Speaker 1>fifth grade music class. That's our public school education today.

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<v Speaker 1>Now here's what we've done. First, we had a mediation

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<v Speaker 1>and we got her out of that school. We got

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<v Speaker 1>her into a special ed school, an autistic school, and

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<v Speaker 1>the school system agreed to pay for it for one semester,

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<v Speaker 1>but not the second semester of the same year. Second

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<v Speaker 1>semester they weren't going to pay for