Laura Bornfreund for the New America Foundation: Picture this: A 4-year-old is in a sandbox, running sand and pebbles through a sieve. An adult is at his side, asking him to describe the speed of the moving sand, prompting him to compare the sizes of pebbles, and introducing words like “filter,” “capture” and “sort.” She is closely observing his language development, assessing his abilities, bringing math and science into their conversations — and doing the same with 12 other children under her watch that day. By every indication, she is a teacher.
But in American society, she isn’t treated like one. Terms such as “babysitter,” “caregiver” or “daycare provider” are too often the words that pop into people’s heads when they think of an adult who teaches very young children. And their pay is too often at the bottom of the income ladder, with salaries near $10 per hour. In fact, many adults working in childcare centers and other early childhood programs make about $1 more than fast food cooks and less than animal caretakers. …
If teachers of young children living in poverty are to help repair the damaging effects of poverty and stress on the young minds of their students, even as they enrich them, we need to ensure that at the very least they do not have to worry about whether or not they can feed their families. States and the federal government must make it a priority to provide good pay and benefits to workers from whom they require degrees and other credentials.
SEATTLE’S HOMELESSNESS PROBLEM IS IN TENTS
Alan Pyke for ThinkProgress: Plenty of cities tear them down, but Seattle Mayor Ed Murray wants his city to build three new tent encampments for the homeless.
Murray proposed the camps Wednesday, about a year after a local one-night census of people without shelter found that homelessness had spiked by almost 15 percent from early 2013 to early 2014. The measure is a down-scale version of a proposal from the working group Murray assembled in October to make policy recommendations on homelessness. That body suggested creating seven new camps instead of three, and did not include the prohibition on camps in residential neighborhoods, which appears in Murray’s legislation.
“Permitted encampments are not, in my view, a long-term strategy to end homelessness,” Murray said in announcing the measure. “But planned, organized encampments have less impact on our neighborhoods and provide a safer environment than what we see on our streets today.”
Permanent housing, not temporary tent camps, are the foundation of ending homelessness in American cities. The camps are at best a first step toward such a long-term solution, and at worst a lateral move for a city undergoing a major spike in homelessness.
BANNING ANIMAL FARM
Michael Rubin for the American Enterprise Institute: So, Oxford University Press — eager to grab the ridiculous self-censorship mantle from their Yale University Press colleagues — has put out a directive banning the mere mention of pigs, pork or sausage from its pages.
“Our materials are sold in nearly 200 countries, and as such, and without compromising our commitment in any way, we encourage some authors of educational materials respectfully to consider cultural differences and sensitivities,” an OUP spokesman explained.
Well, let’s embrace that logic and consider a book including the children’s nursery rhyme “Old MacDonald’s Farm.” Of course, Old MacDonald can no longer own pigs. That would be insensitive to Jews and Muslims. He probably doesn’t need to worry about the Jews — they’re leaving Europe anyway — but the good farmer probably doesn’t want to be beheaded on video. A shameless and unfair stereotype of Muslims? Absolutely. But that’s exactly what OUP is doing, assuming that Muslims can’t deal with even the mere mention of bacon.
Now, MacDonald (let’s not call him old — that is ageist; OUP might consider further sensitivity training) probably should get rid of his cows as well. Wouldn’t want to antagonize the Hindus. Mongols believe that takhi, spirits, reside in wild horses, so let’s stop talking about horses. After all, radical Muslims might behead a journalist here and there, but the last time the world [angered] the Mongols, they built literal pyramids out of human skulls and laid waste to much of Eurasia. Chickens? Well, followers of Santeria have been known to sacrifice them, and Haiti has enough problems without OUP gratuitously insulting their religion.
So what does MacDonald have left? Lambs and ducks. But some Christians embrace the symbolism of the lamb, Agnus Dei and all, and while Christianity is out of vogue among many Europeans, we wouldn’t want to be culturally insensitive.
Compiled by Joseph Lawler from think tank reports
