Update to my comment on mediocre hires

I wrote earlier about a national organization hiring into senior positions two people I knew and who I knew to be mediocre. Well, there is an update. Two really. The first concerns their performance, the second concerns me.

We need schools

I had dinner last night with a former parent. When I say former, he is still a parent but his children are no longer my students. He is a self-described "conservative" so of course I had to ask. What does that mean in terms of school? His first response was that education is a private family matter and so schools should either be fee-paying for-profit or not-for-profit, or free provided by charities or religious organizations. He argued there should be no public schools and therefore no taxes to pay for them. I disagreed.

Schools and choosing cookies

The other day I saw a meme. I don't remember the exact wording, but the metaphor represented stuck in my mind. In essence, at a school PTA meeting (for example) a plate of cookies has been placed by the door. One parent takes one cookie, in case the cookies run out. Another parent takes three cookies, in case the cookies run out. The next day our local Costco imposed limits on certain items.