Furthering the already-abundant evidence that she is a repository of unrecognized genius, Joy Behar of TV’s “The View” took to Twitter last week to bestow upon the world her solution for the education crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of sending kids back to school in dangerous conditions (which studies have shown is somewhat of a myth), Behar said we should just flunk them all and give them a do-over when the virus passes!
“Sending kids back to school this year is so fraught with anxiety and uncertainty,” she wrote. “Why not just have everyone repeat the year? Is that such a far out idea?”
Hmm. Do you really want us to answer that question, Joy?
We’re not going to bother, but a whole lot of people on social media stepped up to patiently explain to Behar why she was wrong.
“Absolutely not. I’m a teacher and have busted my back teaching this year virtually and that is like telling all of us nothing we do right now matters, and it was all for nothing,” one user wrote.
“Living is so fraught with anxiety and uncertainty. Why not just have everyone stop living? Is that such a far out idea?” mocked another Twitter user.
“Yes, it is far out to punish the schools and students who have safely reopened by arbitrarily making them repeat the year,” another said.
At the same time as we mock Behar, we should note that she’s not alone in her thinking.
From TampaBay.com:
Suggesting that some students might need extra time to learn what they need to know, state Sen. Lori Berman, D-Boynton Beach, has proposed giving parents the authority to decide whether their child can repeat a grade next year.
Right now, state law leaves that decision up to school officials.
“We talk all the time in Tallahassee about how parents should have choices,” Berman said. “This is just following through on that.”
But see, what Democrats in Florida are proposing is in line with what Gov. Ron DeSantis has said: Basically, that parents should have the option of retaining their children if they deem it appropriate. And THAT, we’re all for. If you feel, for whatever reason, that your kid isn’t prepared to move on to the next grade because of e-learning or pandemic closures, then it should absolutely be within your authority to demand they be held back.
But to just wave your hand and say, eh, let’s just do it all over again? That’s not good.
Although, if this is the way Joy Behar thinks through complicated issues, we can see why she might be inclined to believe in repeating grades. She could’ve probably used more time in the classroom herself.
