Just how ignorant are we?

I just feel like complaining this morning, because there is much to complain about.  My friend at work yesterday had a coworker tell him that she was tired of that nigger Obama and that he was going to run this country into the ground.  Ah, words of wisdom from an educated woman.  And, this is why America is disliked so much, not because of our president, but rather because of what exists within. 

We don’t think, or at least we don’t think critically.   We are good at idle chatter and adopting the latest views of Bill O’Reilly, regardless of how racists or sexists they may be.  We turn on the television to whatever news channel we agree with and suddenly their words become our words, their thoughts become… well they aren’t really our thoughts, but what we speak verbatim.  No need for critical thinking, no need for a book or two on the subject, that would take work, right?

When I was on vacation last week, I overhead a conversation between a woman and her child in the bathroom.  They were from somewhere in South America I am certain.  The child was crying and he wanted to be carried through the harbor.  The mother refused, so he screamed.  Finally, the mother turned to the child and said in a stern voice, “you will not act like a lazy American child.”  At first I went on the defense, but a week later I realize she is right.  We are lazy and not just in the sense that we feed our kids McDonald’s  all too often and sit on the couch lazy, I am talking about mentally lazy. 

We don’t think things through enough.  We don’t put ourselves on the other side enough.  I have heard too many people complain about other countries having nuclear weapons.  But, who are we to complain?  We have more than any other country in the world.  Heck, one fourth of our collection could knock almost all known life forms off the face of the Earth.  Why don’t we get rid of ours first?  Well, it’s not safe, right?  Well, if I lived in another country, I wouldn’t think it’s safe for us to have them to begin with, since we are the only country that has ever used one.  If I lived in another country, and knew America had what they had, I would certainly want one of my own for protection.  And, I would be aggrevated at any country that owned enough for hundreds of planets, yet told me I couldn’t have one. 

We just don’t think.  We take swipes at people, without thinking.  Michael Jackson is the latest example.  Whether you think he did what he was accused of or not.  He was the target of a lot of cruel ridicule.  He had vilitigo.  If you look at the pictures through the years, it is obvious.  He tried to hide it.  But, doctors suggest at some point getting depigmatization, so that your skin is all one color.  I know someone who works in Jefferson County who was once black and is now all white, because she turned half white and hated the way it looked, so she just made herself completely white, since being completely black was no longer an option.  Yet, we roasted him on the news daily.  Why?  Because we didn’t take the time to study the facts, instead we beleived exactly what the news said, and then shortly thereafter we would head for the tanning bed, because clearly we are more in the right, right?

Ah, the craziness of it all.  The idea that we are always right.  We are the best country.  We are the smartest people.  Black people are inferior.  Our country is the big brother to all other countries.  We know what is right for the world.  If you don’t like our views, then you should get out of our FREE country.  This is a Christian nation.  Everyone should be a Christian or they are going to HELL.  Muslims are terrorists.  Communisim and Socialism are evil.  Obama is a socialist.  Other religions are all evil.  Isn’t this what so many believe, but why?  Because of rationalism or because of a television set?  Because we ask the simple how’s or because we dare to probe a little further for the why’s of the world?

60% of 8th Graders Didn’t Pass!

Almost 60 percent of the 8th graders at Myra Bradwell Elementary School on the southside of the Chicago did not pass to the 9th grade this year.   The school is reporting that 44 out of 77 students will not be going on to the 9th grade.  The school itself is located in one of the roughest neighborhoods in Chicago, which has high poverty. Now, everyone is debating who is at fault? Is it the school, the teachers or the parents?

The parents are all very angry stating that the school never contacted them to tell them that their children were in trouble.  But, there are two problems with what they are stating.  First, the school sent home a letter to all parents who had children who were failing in November and February.  In addition, the school offered Saturday School and extra credit to all students who were in need.  Finally, if the parents were so concerned about their children’s schooling, shouldn’t they have been checking on things themselves.  As a parent, you should always check to see if your child has homework, what their six week grade report is, etc.  Bad grades do not suddenly appear in May at the end of the school year. 

While I don’t know the whole story, I am strongly leaning towards the idea that the children lack the needed parental support to be successful. “The importance of parental involvement is well-documented. Research has shown that one of the most effective ways to boost student achievement is for parents to be actively involved in their child’s education. A 2002 study by the National Education Service indicates that when parents are involved, students tend to achieve more – regardless of their racial background, socio-economic status or their parent’s educational level. The National Center for School Engagement has a number of statistics and tips on how parents can get involved in their child’s education.”

Fickle, Fickle, Fickle

Upon learning of Michael Jackson’s death Thursday, a friend of mine began talking about how Michael was used by the media.  I have watched CNN for about an hour today and I have to agree.  I think the whole thing is actually a joke.  II, as most people, grew up a big fan of Michael Jackson’s music.  The media over the years has has had a love hate relationship with him.  In the past few years they have called him names “Wacko Jacko” and dehumanized him in every sense.  They all but crucified him daily for years.  Most Americans weren’t much better. 

Today, however, the media is speaking well of him, calling him the “King of Pop.”  People are out in the streets crying and talking fondly of him.  Stars who once said he was weird and crazy are now stating he is one of the greatest icon’s in American history.  How much more fickle can we and the media get?  Now everyone’s buying shirts . It’s the latest fad right?  It’s amazing how much people and the media sway our opinions from one extreme to the other in just hours!  If you don’t like someone that is fine, but to go back and forth without much thought because it’s popular is just nonsense.

Back from Vacation!

I am back, well actually I have been back for a few days.  I had a great trip with no major problems.  My favorite parts were visiting Ford’s Theatre and doing the moonlight tour of Washington.  It was beautiful.  I wish it could say it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, but that would be a lie considering I’ve been to Ireland and backpacked the Aran Islands, but it is memorable sight.  We also ventured over to the Baltimore Harbor, which wasn’t exactly all that it’s cracked up to be.  Basically, we ate at P.F Chang’s then rented what was suppose to be a small “what looked like a paddle boat” to take around the harbor.  It actually had a 12 volt battery which allowed us to go a half a mile an hour.  At one point I just turned the wheel completely to the left and we did donuts in the middle of the harbor, until my mother complained ”this is so embarassing” because a few people were staring.  I eventually gave into her request to steer us back to the port and go back to Washington.

The only crazy thing that happened while we were there was the metro crash.  It just so happened that the day it crashed I talked my mom out of taking the metro.  I was tired of riding it and we had rented a car, which wasn’t being used.  It’s funny in a sense, when I told people about us deciding not to take it for the day, they said that it was a blessing from God, but I just can’t see it that way.  In thinking this, I would also have to think that God didn’t bless the nine people who were killed or the 76 who were injured.  My mind just doesn’t work that way.  It was a good thing we didn’t take it, but it wasn’t ordained by God that we live and others die.  It just happened that way – at least that is my theological understanding of suffering and why bad things happen to good people…  Anyways, I am back and I am finishing up a major lesson plan for class.  As great as any trip is, it’s the best feeling in the world to be back in your own bed!

Washington, DC

We have been in Washington for three days now.  The trip, thankfully, has been pretty smooth.  Our flight was cancelled Thursday, so instead of arriving in DC at 1:15, we arrived at 6:30, but we got here, luggage and all! 

Friday we went to the Capital, the Air and Space Museum, the National Archives, the Museum of American History, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial and the White House.  We probably walked a good eight miles.

Today we went to the Holocaust Museum, the National Cathedral, Embassy Row and Arlington Cemetery. 

Out of all of this, I have enjoyed the Holocaust Museum the most.  Watching the videos, learning more about The Protocols of the Elders of Zion – and how this influenced Hitler’s thoughts and genocides today was very touching.  I was only let down that several groups were not mentioned, who have experienced a form of genocide or hate.  There was nothing dedicated to the millions of Africans who died on the Middle Passage.  I could go on, and I realize that it was primarily about the Holocaust, but there was an section about other groups who have experienced hate in the past or presently. 

Anyways, tomorrow we are off to see Old Town Alexandria, possibly Ford’s Theatre and then we are doing a night tour of Washington!

Vacation

I am packing.  We are flying to Washington, DC tomorrow for a week.  Our plans are to visit Baltimore and then spend the rest of the week in DC.  In DC we are definitely planning to visit Arlington Cemetery, Old Town Alexandria, all the monuments, the American History Museum, the American Art Museum, the National Cathedral and the Holocaust Museum, among other things.  Hopefully all will go well.  I will blog about it when I get back!

Spring Awakening

Last week I took my mother to see the Broadway production Spring Awakening.   I didn’t know what it was about because it was a part of a package deal that I bought my mother for Mother’s Day last year.  When I bought the package, we were really only interested in the other shows – The Color Purple, Wicked and Mama Mia. 

As we entered the building, I started to notice that most of the population was young, probably high school age.  Then as we were walking in to take our seats I noticed a sign that warned of nudity and explicit content.  This struck me as odd, but we proceeded to our seats anyways.  Now before I begin, let me say that I am very liberal.  I have seen Rent a hundred times and it is my all time favorite production and one of my top ten movies.  Rent was considered a little too over the edge for many, but I have never thought so… so I figured it was another Rent.

IT WAS NOT A RENT, nor can it compare.  It was about six sexually active teenagers.  My mother and I got a bird’s eye view (7 rows back from the stage) of several young actors doing some things that are too graphic to mention…  In addition to this, there were many, many graphic and discriptive songs.  I think the hardest part of this was sitting next to my mother.  It was an experience that I hope I never have to relive.  In fact, on the way home, there was complete silence in the car, at about the halfway mark I simply stated, “well that was really interesting.”  I am not stating that it was bad, a lot of people I know loved it.  It was just a bit much for me and it was definitely too much for a mother daughter outing!

Summer Birthdays

I was born on Christmas Day.  I always get a “well that must suck” response from individuals when they find out the day I emerged onto Earth.   The truth is, my birthday was usually a dreadful experience when I was younger.  I recall a birthday party when I was nine on Christmas eve that only four people came to.  I also recall the countless birthday/Christmas gifts that everyone said was wrapped into one.  And, one year, my family forgot and at the last minute wrapped my birthday gifts in inside out Christmas wrap. 

When I was a kid, I always admired those summer birthdays with large pool parties and grilled out food.  One Christmas, I even went as far as grilling out in a desperate attempt to pretend I didn’t have the same birthday meal every year – turkey and dressing.  Well, today I got my wish.  I opened my drawer to find a 50.00 gift card to Kohl’s as a birthday gift.  No my birthday hadn’t changed, but actually I forgot that my mother had given it to me last year.  I placed it in a drawer thinking I would go to Khols in a month or so and never went back to the drawer until today.  In short, today, June 12, I felt like I had my first summer birthday complete with a nice gift card and a meal at Max and Erma’s.

Summer Goals..

School ended today, for the kids at least.  My last day is Friday.  Then, of course, I have two months off.  In those two months, I have set some goals of things that I want to do.  1.) I plan on running five days a week.  I have gotten out of the habit of running regularly and I want to get back to one of the few healthy habits I have.  2.) I plan on taking a ton of professional develoment workshops this summer.  I am taking some classes for differentiated learning, IEP’s, CPR and Safety Management Training.  3.) I hope to finish the two classes I have this summer that start in two weeks, hopefully with an A!  4.) I want to make binders with all the lastest updates in the special education field, along with reading and math strategies.  These are the primary areas that my students struggle with.  5.) I want to have a good vacation!  No problems, no canceled flights, no lost baggage, no colds or illnesses that randomly appear, just a good problem free vacation.  We are planning on going to Philadelphia, Baltimore and then to end with three days in Washington, DC.

It is finished!

I just finished my last major assignment for this semster!  After this week, I will offically be 1/3 of the way through my program and by the end of the summer I will be 1/2 of the way through.  This all calls for a break, maybe an opportunity to read a book of my choosing, going to the park or a drink!!!!

Problems with Michelle Rhee’s Philosophy

I’ve been opposed to the use of standardized testing as accountability tools for a long time. The use of one time testing to determine the fate of schools and students isn’t the model of education to which I would ever subscribe.   Recently, and I know I am behind, I read the November article about Washington’s new Superintendent.  Unlike so many, I am unimpressed with her corporate approach to education, where it is strictly business.  The article features Washington’s chancellor of education, Michelle Rhee and her relentless efforts to improve schools. I admire her passion. But I am not at all impressed with her perspectives.

Rhee has fired a number of teachers and administrators who haven’t improved test scores. I don’t have a problem with firing teachers. I recognize that it’s very difficult in most areas to do this.  The idea of having the best possible teachers is not arguable in itself. What is arguable is how we find those teachers and how we determine who our best teachers are.

I’ve been in a number of schools of late and seen students whose reading scores are the least of their problems. If you’ve been in schools lately you know what I mean. 15 year olds, living on their own, coming to school high, 1st graders so full of anger they threaten classmates lives and the list goes on. These students do not need to see their reading scores meet or exceed grade level by the end of the year, they need “touch-feely” teachers. By “touchy-feely”, I mean teachers that have time, expertise and passion to help them function as human beings, never mind reading.  Yet “touchy-feely teachers” are exactly what Rhee seems to be against in the Time article.  Reading is priority number 236 in their list of needs. I spent many hours with at-risk students and no standardized test in the world could measure their worth that the test labels on paper.

I’ve also seen students who are so far above reading level and ability that the curriculum and classroom activities are laughable. They sit in their desks and hate it when teachers ask them to consider how they learn or what they want to learn, they just want to be told what to do because they’re good at it and have had years of success playing that game and are upset when a teacher wants to change the rules.  They need opportunity to show their creative side. They need to be teaching others. They might ace a standardized test and the teacher might be seen as successful, yet I’m not sure the teachers or students have done anything worthwhile.

These two diverse groups of students are the reason standardized tests and Rhee-like one-size-fits-all education isn’t valuable. Again I applaud the efforts to improve but the hard nose, testing attitudes may demonstrate short term gains and look excellent on a spreadsheet but is it really making a difference for kids? Modern education suffers from the simple problem that we are driven by multiple outcomes and agencies. Ask 10 people what schools are for and you’ll get 10 different answers. Teaching someone how to read and write, someone else how to create healthy relationships and someone else how to design a vehicle, requires vastly different skills and different measuring tools. Currently the same person is often asked to do the same thing and use the same measuring tool for all three. All three are equally important and while maybe not mutually exclusive, our schools are not currently structured to blend them.

Disrupting Class outlines the future and possibility of customized learning. It involves assessing students as individuals and designing customized learning for every student. Individualized instruction has been talked about for a while but today’s technology is making it more of a reality. Again, this is not just about technology but it is about reforming education and schools to meet the needs of students, not arbitrary tests on reading and math as if those are the two most important things in the world. Many have seen the Ken Robinson video and this quote says a lot:

But something strikes you when you move to America and when you travel around the world: every education system on earth has the same hierarchy of subjects. Every one, doesn’t matter where you go, you’d think it would be otherwise but it isn’t. At the top are mathematics and languages, then the humanities, and the bottom are the arts. Everywhere on earth.

And in pretty much every system too, there’s a hierarchy within the arts. Art and music are normally given a higher status in schools than drama and dance. There isn’t an education system on the planet that teaches dance every day to children the way we teach them mathematics. Why? Why not? I think this is rather important. I think math is very important but so is dance.

Is there anyone that disagrees with this? And in today’s world, I’d add character.As it stands right now, I’m not sure Washington is any further ahead with leadership like this. Is it better than doing nothing? Maybe, but we can do better and from what I see in schools, we need to do better.  But, as far as the Michelle Rhee article and all those who are applauding her efforts to reform a broken system.  I just can’t get behind her.  I am not so sure teachers are the major problem, maybe its the lack of creativity from those who are enforcing the rules and those who are mandating what teachers teach.

New Year’s Resolutions

Like a lot of people, I am an expert at making New Year’s Resolutions, but terrible at actually keeping them.  Twice a year I vow to change something and twice a year, New Year’s Day and Lent, I realize how terrible I am at change.  Last New Year’s I vowed to stop drinking soda, which went well for a week.  During lent a few years ago, I vowed to give up Television.  Little did I know that it would be Louisville’s year in basketball to go far in the NCAA tournament.  I suddenly decided God didn’t want me to give up TV at all, I only reached this conclusion, however,when Louisville made it to the Sweet Sixteen.  I’ve done this with chocolate, cursing and promising to give more to those in need and I have always failed terribly.

So another year approaches and another opportunity to decide I am going to change something and actually do it!  This year is different though.  The changes that I want to see are real changes, not just something I am deciding to do because everyone else has set goals.  This year I am excited about what the future holds.  I hope to be half way through my MA program at Georgetown College.  I am extremely optimistic about finding a job and working hard to make a difference.  In fact, today I started reading What Great Teachers Do Differently.  And, I have come to the conclusion that I am not a good teacher….. just yet.  But, with this acknowledgement of failure is hope of success if I work hard enough.  I want to make new friends in Louisville and I plan on joining a church here soon as well.  I have also decided to definitely attend either Sunday School or a Wednesday Night Bible Study and next week the church I am attending is offering a Faith in the White House Class on Wednesday nights. 

All of these things are attainable.  The specifics of these goals I will leave to myself, since I don’t want to tell the world my problem areas with teaching, but I feel like these are more desireable goals than just giving up soda for a year, for they not only affect myself but the larger community as well.  So, these are my resolutions and hopefully this time next year, I will be able to start off on a more positive note about what I did to change in 2009, instead of lamenting about what I didn’t do!

Interview with God

Should we pay students?

Below is a great article in Time about giving students cash incentives for attending school.  I am not sure where I stand on this…
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Back in the day, a good report card earned you a parental pat on the back, but now it could be money in your pocket. Experiments with cash incentives for students have been catching on in public-school districts across the country, and so has the debate over whether they are a brilliant tool for hard-to-motivate students or bribery that will destroy any chance of fostering a love of learning. Either way, a rigorous new study — one of relatively few on such pay-for-performance programs — found that the programs get results: cash incentives help low-income students stay in school and get better grades. (See TIME’s special report on paying for college.)

According to a study released today by the social-policy research group MDRC, a nonpartisan organization perhaps best known for evaluating state welfare-to-work programs, cash incentives combined with counseling offered “real hope” to low-income and nontraditional students at two Louisiana community colleges. The program for low-income parents, funded by the Louisiana Department of Social Services and the Louisiana Workforce Commission, was simple: enroll in college at least half-time, maintain at least a C average and earn $1,000 a semester for up to two terms. Participants, who were randomly selected, were 30% more likely to register for a second semester than were students who were not offered the supplemental financial aid. And the participants who were first offered cash incentives in spring 2004 — and thus whose progress was tracked for longer than that of subsequent groups before Hurricane Katrina abruptly forced researchers to suspend the survey for several months in August 2005 — were also more likely than their peers to be enrolled in college a year after they had finished the two-term program. (Read “Putting College Tuition on Plastic.”)

Students offered cash incentives in the Louisiana program didn’t just enroll in more classes; they earned more credits and were more likely to attain a C average than were nonparticipants. And they showed psychological benefits too, reporting more positive feelings about themselves and their abilities to accomplish their goals for the future. “It’s not very often that you see effects of this magnitude for anything that we test,” notes Thomas Brock, MDRC’s director for young adults and postsecondary-education policy.

Although U.S. college enrollment has climbed, college completion rates have not. Only a third of students who enroll in community colleges — which educate nearly half the undergraduates in the U.S. — get a degree within six years. Hence the interest in this study among such philanthropic powerhouses as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which helped fund the MDRC study. (MDRC, by the way, was created in 1974 by the Ford Foundation and a group of federal agencies; originally named the Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation, it now goes only by the abbreviation.)

Given that the follow-up study of the program was disrupted as the schools struggled to rebuild enrollment and facilities in the wake of Katrina, it’s difficult to draw any long-term conclusions about the effects that cash incentives will have on community-college students. However, there could soon be more data to parse: with a grant from the Gates Foundation, MDRC plans to test cash incentives at community and state colleges in California, New Mexico, New York and Ohio.

Despite the study’s impressive, albeit short-term results, some critics in higher education are concerned that cash incentives will encourage students to start taking easier courses to ensure they’ll do well enough to pocket the money. “Everyone knows what the gut classes are when you’re in college,” notes Kirabo Jackson, an assistant professor of labor economics at Cornell who has studied cash incentives for high school students. “By rewarding people for a GPA, you’re actually giving them an impetus to take an easier route through college.” Other critics note that students’ internal drive to learn may be sapped as they focus on getting an external reward.

But those involved with the study note that particularly in this economy, cash incentives could help part-time students devote more hours to their studies. Faced with soaring bills for tuition, books and housing, many college students need a job just to get by. In the Louisiana program, all the participants were low-income parents, three-quarters of whom were unmarried or living without a partner. “We’re talking about adults who have quite a number of other responsibilities,” says Brock. “When you’re talking about minors who are required by law to be in school, that’s a different situation.”

Arnel Cosey, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs and provost for the City Park Campus at New Orleans’ Delgado Community College, one of two schools in the study, says she understands why some people are concerned that cash incentives are nothing more than bribery. “But on the other hand, I think because I am involved with these students daily, I’m not sure that I’m opposed to bribing,” she says. “If that’s what we need to do for these people to reach these goals, which ultimately will lead to them having a better life, I wish I had more money to give.”

Besides, as Cosey adds, if all goes well, students will be getting cash incentives for their work soon after graduating — in the form of a paycheck. “Most of us wouldn’t turn up at work every day if we weren’t getting a check,” she says. “What’s wrong with starting the payment a little early?”

A Few Other Favorite Things…

A few months ago I blogged about a few of my favorite things.   Well, after looking back at old blogs, I realized I have left a few things out.   I love a good book, well not just good but great.  A book that challenges you to think for yourself and challenges the status quo.  I was always a reader growing up, but my love for reading didn’t begin until I read To Kill a Mockingbird in high school.  A short while later, I read 1984 by George Orwell.  I don’t think I have ever or will ever read a book that I enjoyed as much as this.  I thought about this book a month after reading it and how we allow society to control our minds and beliefs.  Since reading this book, I have always looked for books that challenged conventional thinking.  While 1984 will always be my favorite, many books have shaped the way I view the world, including: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Invisible Man, Utopia, Catch 22, East of Eden and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. 

I also love a great movie or production.  This week I have been blessed to see several great movies, which I believe is a rarity these days.  Today, there are too many low budget films and overpaid actors and actresses.  I always prefer movies that are based on politics or drama with unknown actors and actresses.  This week, I was able to see Frost/Nixon, which was great, and Gran Torino, which I think is the best movie of the year.  I left shocked by the ending and thinking about the youth in the movie.  I guess I thought about this movie for a while because many of my own kids face a similar kind of future.  They too feel that drugs and guns are their only options, and I see this primarily in my kids who are African Americans.  I am amazed that if you ask a fourth grader or younger what they want to be when they grow up, they state that they want to be the president or doctor, etc.  But, if you ask the majority of my African American kids in my class now who are in the sixth through the eighth grades, they will tell you they want to be a rapper, a ganster or an NBA player.  Why?  Because the reality is that there just isn’t that many minorites in the position that they dreamed about when they were kids, and they suddenly wake up to a world that isn’t always fair, that sometimes judges people by their skin color and almost always judges people by their pocket books.  So, Gran Torino definitely got me thinking…

I also got to go see the Broadway production of Wicked, which is now the best Broadway production that I have seen.  I found myself at the end rooting for the Wicked Witch instead of the Good Witch.  This production showed that things are always a matter of perception and there is always an unknown side to every story that is rarely heard.  It once again made me think about history and how we simply ignore the many inquities that America has committed when teaching our youth.  We rarely speak of the millions of Indians who were killed when we took over the land, the genocide on Africans on the middle passage or the suffering of women.  Instead we hear of the good deeds and ignore the cry of the poor and disenfranchised.   This show gave a different look at The Wizard of Oz. 

Finally, I have to admit that I love snow and I am currently looking out my window at what may be an inch… if only it was a school night!

Sharon Watkins to Preach at the Inauguration Service

The president and general minister, Sharon Watkins, of my denomination will be preaching the inauguration sermon. I am thankful that Obama has chosen her to lead this service. It is an honor to our denomination and to women everywhere, for she will be the first female to deliver the sermon.

If you want more information, click here http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/us/politics/11minister.html

Could Merit Pay Work?

Merit pay for teachers has been debated for well over 40 years.  While the National Education Association has always opposed merit pay, others have been an advocate for reforming teachers salaries in such a manner.  I believe if merit pay is going to happen in Kentucky, it will probably happen within the next eight years, considering that Barack Obama and his new pick for the department of education strongly favor this idea.  Many states have already started implementing it, and have found few setbacks, others have found many gliches.  I personally struggle with where I stand on this issue for multiple reasons.  It has its negatives and positives.

The Pros:
* Some teachers do not have any motivation to work harder.  The possibility of a little extra cash may be the incentive they need. 
* It may help with recruiting better teachers.  Many who would be wonderful at teaching, shy away from it because of the pay.
* Let’s face it, captialism is based upon rewarding results, why should teachers be treated any differently.

The Cons:
* My biggest fear is that teachers will start competing against each other.  In some areas where this has been adopted, teachers who once shared ideas started to withhold great ideas.
* Success is hard to define.  First, some schools face far more challenges than others.  Jefferson County faces far greater challenges than other counties in Kentucky.  What will be taken into consideration when determining who receives merit pay?  Will the children be taken into factor?  Their income level, their home lives and all the other variables that affect a child’s education?  What if a teacher isn’t raising schools, but is teaching the child social skills that will help the child significantly? What if the child doesn’t test well?
* Finally, it could become a mess, for who is going to decide who receives the pay?  The principal?  If it is the principal, then I am 100% against the idea for a multitude of reasons.  I have a wonderful principal who is fair, but I knew a principal in my last job who I know without a doubt wouldn’t be so fair.  If someone would ever question her judgement or make a negative statement, then I can guarantee that they would be out of the running.  I realize this isn’t a typical situation, but there are still bad bosses out there who play favorites or are simply unethical and I don’t think that pay should be left in these people’s hands at any cost. 

I am still open to the idea of merit pay, but I think there are still many questions that need to be answered on how it will work, for if the decisions on who will receive such pay are put in the wrong principal’s, or county for that matter, hands then it will never be successful.

Snow Days…

I remember as a child waking up at 6 am, looking out the window at a few inches of snow and then turning on the television to hear the dreaded news.  Jefferson County Public Schools would be open, but all other surrounding counties are closed.  Rarely does JCPS let students out of school, usually it has to be much more than snow, usually the roads must be extremely icy. 

Now that I am back in school, teaching that is, I still turn on the television every morning that it is suppose to snow to hear the all too familiar news that school is in session.  Today, however, was different.  This morning I woke to the news that JCPS was closed and peered out my window to spot three inches of snow.  Today was my first official snow day in a long time, and I find myself just as jubilant as I was in third grade. 

It’s not the same.  I don’t plan on making snow angels today, for if I did so my skin my dry out.  I don’t forsee myself getting in a snow fight, because I am worried about the damage I might do to my rotators cup.  And, I certainly don’t anticipate making a snow man.  I just don’t think that I could muster up the energy.  But, I do anticipate sleeping in on such days, getting caught up on graduate work, for once being ahead for the week with my lesson plans for my class and even catching a movie. 

Now that I am an adult, I enjoy other aspects of snow.  I love the look of fresh snow, before it is scrapped and turns gray due to cars and salt.  I love bundling up and going out for a drive.  And, at this age, I revel in going to the movies when it snows.  I always appreciate how everyone wears sweat pants to the theatre and many don’t bother to brush their hair, or at least they didn’t put too much work into fixing their hair.  Snow days are my favorite days of the year… even if they have to be made up in May!

Back to the Ice Ages

At the risk of sounding a tad bit bipolar considering my previous blog, I am going to go ahead and state that I officially hate snow days.  I prayed Monday night for a storm.  I wanted off a day so that I could get ahead in my work.  I wasn’t behind.  I can’t recall a day in my life that I have been behind in my classwork.  I just wanted to finish up projects that were due in March.  Well I have received my wish.  Not only did I get one day, but now it looks like five maybe six, who knows seven, the sky is the limit at this point.  The good thing about this ice storm is that I have finished up almost every project due this semester for my two classes at Georgetown, but the bad outweighs the good. 

Wednesday, I woke to no power.  Luckily, my mother had booked a hotel off of Blakenbaker Road, so we both have somewhere to stay, but it has been three official days now and there doesn’t seem to be an end to this mess.  It is almost 2 am and I am listening to my mothers loud snores.  My mothers snores have been considered ghastly to even the most sound sleepers.  I am a light sleeper and I am also someone who needs to be on the run constantly.  I hate being indoors.  I have even considered taking a drive up to Paoli Peaks to hit the slopes for the day, but I don’t know what the weather is like up there. 

In all, this isn’t terrible.  I am about fifty feet from Cracker Barrel.  I have a swimming pool and a weight room.  I know other people at the hotel.  My mom, my boss and I went shopping yesterday – at least the malls aren’t closed.  I don’t have it nearly as bad as many.  So many are trying to wait it out, because there are no open hotels or they simply can’t afford to pay for seven nights at a hotel.  I have electricity, running water and heat. So many are not getting paid for the days off, which luckily I am.  I know I should stop complaining, while this is just a minor setback for me, for some its a major fiasco.  But, it is bothersome to sit in a small room waiting for news that one’s power has been turned on.  I can say that I can’t wait to get back to work!

I’m finally home.

I officially have electricity. 
I have eaten at Cracker Barrel for Breakfast, Lunch and Supper three days in a row.  Today, I had Thai at Asian Moon.
I have my own bed back.
A plethora of clean underwear and socks.
Clean Clothes.
A razor.
Dove soap – not the cheap hotel kind.
Conditioner to go along with my shampoo.
Large Cotton towels.
My own pillows.
Wireless internet.
Q-tips.
And, Louisville won again.

Could things, for me at least, get any better?

Random Thoughts for the Day!

I will never understand why they cook on television.  I mean really, what is the purpose?  I can’t smell it.   I can’t eat it.  I can’t taste it.  To beat it all, at the end of the show, they hold the food up into the camera for the ultimate tease.  Well, here it is.  You can’t have any, but thanks for watching us eat it.  Goodbye and be sure to tune in tomorrow.

Friday the 13th.

Today, Friday the 13th, was actually a great day.  Today, I observed a class full of African American high school students who restored my faith in students who are at-risk.  These students while most in poverty, were very articulate.  At one point, during fishbowl, which is a time when students debate hot topics, poverty and racism came up.  The students debated heavily the causes of poverty and how it is directly related to racism, but then the discussion took an unexpected turn one of the students said that while yes, racism still exists, too many are using it as a clutch.  The student, who was wise beyond her years said that she couldn’t change anyone and no one could change her, but that they each needed to change themselves and start taking personal responsiblity for their choices. 

This was an excellent experience and I was thankful that I could sit in during this part of the class.  Sometimes as a teacher you become overwhelmed with the demands.  It challenging when you work with students below grade level, whose parents aren’t involved.  It is even more frustrating knowing that according to research, if a student isn’t reading on grade level by the third grade, they will never be reading on grade level.  It’s hard to help all your students reach grade level when they have so many factors that are affecting them negatively.  Today, needless to say, was needed!

Finally, my ex-landlord in Simpsonville has let me out of my lease.  Today, I received my check back for rent this month.  I was estatic to say the least!  Who says that Friday the 13th is a bad day?

A Good Poverty Plan?

Is there such a thing as a good poverty plan?  After reading about Harlem’s Children Zone, my faith is being restored that maybe we can put an end to the cycle of poverty.  I first read about it only a year, and it’s a pretty fascinating anti-poverty project headed by a man named Geoffrey Canada —  one that might well be the template for Barack Obama’s approach to inner-city poverty. In the current issue of MoJo, Paul Tough describes how it works:

Canada believes that many poor parents aren’t doing enough to prepare their kids for school — not because they don’t care, but because they simply don’t know the importance of early childhood stimulation. So the Zone starts with Baby College, nine weeks of parenting classes that focus on discipline and brain development. It continues with language-intensive prekindergarten, which feeds into a rigorous K-12 charter school with an extended day and an extended year. That academic “conveyor belt,” as Canada calls it, is supplemented by social programs: family counseling, a free health clinic, after-school tutoring, and a drop-in arts center for teenagers.

Canada’s early childhood programs are in many ways a response to research showing that the vocabularies of poor children usually lag significantly behind those of middle-class children. At the Harlem Gems prekindergarten, I watched as the four-year-olds were bombarded with books, stories, and flash cards—including some in French. The parents were enlisted, too; one morning, I went with a few families on a field trip to a local supermarket organized by the Harlem Children’s Zone. The point wasn’t to learn about nutrition, but rather about language—how to fill an everyday shopping trip with the kind of nonstop chatter that has become second nature to most upper-middle-class parents, full of questions about numbers and colors and letters and names. That chatter, social scientists have shown, has a huge effect on vocabulary and reading ability. And as we walked through the aisles, those conversations were going on everywhere: Is the carrot bumpy or smooth? What color is that apple? How many should we buy?

So far, Canada’s vision has yielded impressive results. Last year, the first conveyor-belt students reached the third grade and took their first statewide standardized tests. In reading, they scored above the New York City average, and in math they scored well above the state average.

Canada has gotten plenty of press already from Oprah and 60 Minutes, but our new president might be the biggest fan of all of them: Obama has proposed replicating the Harlem Children’s Zone in 20 cities across the country, an investment that he thinks will cost a “few billion” dollars.  While this sound costly, this is less than 1% of what it will take to bail out the gazillionaires of Wall Street.  To read the plan in detail click here: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/01/harlems-man-plan

Runny Noses, Sore Throats and Las Vegas

When I get sick, I typically start thinking about how short life is.  I contemplate how I want to die, hopefully in my late seventies by heart attack from playing tennis or hiking, and suddenly I decide that I want to do something when I start feeling better again.  I have a mild cold and have been off work for two days, but laying in my bed has energized me to schedule a vacation.  I had discussed going to Washington, DC, but last night while I was checking out vacation packages, I ran across a package to Las Vegas.  I have never been.  I’m not a big gambler.  Typically once every two years I go to Caesars and come back home with empty pockets, or if I go on a cruise I always find time to make my way to the slot machines while at sea.  Well, within minutes I booked a flight to Vegas, a hotel for four nights at Vegas, a fifteen hour tour of Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon and tickets to see the Phantom of the Opera. 

So over spring break, we are set.  I have officially made fifteen minute plans.  My point to all of this, is that having the flu or a cold isn’t always such a bad thing.  For me, it makes me do last minute things that if I was of sound mind, I would probably plan out a little better and think through, and then decide a week later to wait a few years.  I was going to use Spring Break to finish up all my projects for classes due the following week, but it looks like I am going to have to find some time to do so elsewhere.  Here’s to the cold or whatever random virus I have caught!

I know this much is true.

I am not one who typically makes big decisions quickly.  While I frequently decide to go on a vacation at a whim, I rarely make decisions such about my career or moving without giving it much thought.  In college I didn’t really have a clue what I wanted to be.  I became a Christian in college and was greatly influenced by the softball coach and the religion professor, so after college I decided to work on my Masters degree in Theology.  I really didn’t know what I was going to do with the degree, but I knew that I enjoyed studying theology. 

Something happened in Seminary.  I went in certain.  I knew God.  God knew me.  I was going to Heaven along with all other Christians.  I believed in a simply theology.  Really just a cliche, that I had never seriously gave critical thought to.  If you believe in Jesus Christ, you are saved and your sins forgiven, if not you will be forever punished.  Well, Seminary flipped my world on end.  I was taught to questions everything.  Suddenly nothing made since.  I was a youth director at the time trying to teach kids and I had absolutely no clue if I believed in much of anything.  Other issues were going on, so I decided to move out of the realm of ministry and into some other field.  But what?

Well, it’s been a long and winding road the last year, but I am now a teacher.  Something that I debated in college, but ultimately gave up on.  I could never be a teacher.  Having twenty-five plus students in a classroom every day was not for me.  But opportunities arose, and I soon discovered after working at another school that maybe teaching was the route for me. 

I now have a class full of 3rd graders, rambunctious 3rd graders, some days are more challenging than others, but I must admit that I love it.  I love scanning google for hours looking for some neat activity or game to teach the kids math or spelling.  I look forward to seeing my kids and especially the ones who so frequently misbehave.  Those are the ones I enjoy most, not because their misbehavior pleases me, but because I know their home lifes.  I know that for a few of them I may be the only love they experience.  It’s these moments that make the stress of all the demands of teaching worthwhile and make me appreciate everything I am going through right now.  Teaching is a great job.  There are unlimited opportunities to make a difference in the life of children, children who need something different.  As far as theology goes, I still don’t have a clue what I believe, but I believe that God has me were God wants me.  I believe in a God who values love and taking care of those who are without.  I don’t know much, but I know this much is true.

Correct me if I am wrong…

1.  The menu at Applebees is terrible.  I went out with some friends this Friday and had to look at the menu for ten minutes to find one item that appeared to be remotely appealing. 

2.  Nascar isn’t a sport.  It just isn’t.   And, I frequently find the fans the most annoying people in the world.  I am going to avoid going any further, but I hate that ESPN gives it air time. 

3.  Louisville should be at least considered for a number one seed.  Today, as two sports announcers were projecting the #1 seeds, the usual teams were mentioned – UConn, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Oklahoma.  Then one made mention of Memphis, but Louisville wasn’t even given consideration.  Seriously?  Memphis has yet to beat a ranked team.  Louisville has beaten four, including a #1 Pittsburgh.  How is Memphis given more attention than Louisville?

4.  Louisville’s public education is much better than the Courier Journal claims.  All they do is lambast local schools, but look at the schools that are always underfire.  They are schools that literally have a free and reduced percentage of over 90%.  Yes, teachers and administration matters, but I think we have some of the best.  A child’s home life is the number one predictor of whether a child will do well in school and life.  Jefferson County is far ahead of the curve compared to other counties in many areas.  I am especially amazed at where we stand when it comes to technology.  Almost every elementary school I have been in has Smart Boards, and every school offers something special be it technology, arts or a science and math magnet program.  Yes, we have some schools on the lower end of test scores, but we also have many on the upper end. 

5.  People should give Obama at least until the end of the year before they start tearing him apart.

Spring is in the Air!

Spring is finally here.  I love it.  Today, I got the chance for the first time in a long time, since fall, to go for a run. Following this, I went shopping for some running shoes and a couple of running tops.  I love getting out. I feel like I have been in a cave the last four months due to the weather.

I think I will spend the rest of the day cleaning and reading.  I recently purchased Into the Wild, which I haven’t read in five years, but is well worth a second read.  It’s one of those days when you know things are going in the right direction, the weather is improving and life is slowly making a little more sense.

Don’t give up, don’t ever give up….

While I was only three at the time, I have often heard about the year that the unlikely North Carolina State won the NCAA Championship. Ten years later Jimmy V, the coach died of cancer.   Below is one of my favorite speeches of all time, it was his acceptance of the ESPY award.

Weapons on the Playground.

Weapons on the playground.  In the last month, I have  seen a lot of stories about kids getting kicked out of school and/or arrested for such life-threatening behavior as texting, or for much less dangerous things like carrying weapons, sexually harassing classmates and assaulting teachers. When I was in Elementary school, there was always the rumor of “that one kid with the switchblade” who would stab you just as soon as look at you, but the reality was a bit farther from the truth.  Sure, the kid failed the 1st grade four times and had started a beard, but generally she was pretty harmless. 

Today, it seems like the kids getting kicked out of school are all 12 years old. When I was 12, yelling “You’re dead!” or “I’m gonna kill you!” was perfectly normal and fine, because we didn’t mean it literally like they do today.  Anotherwards, we didn’t come in with our dad’s .40 cal the next day and shoot the place up.  Most of the time, the worst thing that would happen is you’d get punched between the shoulder blades at recess and maybe have to eat a little dirt.  Now, some schools have opted for metal detectors at the entrances and if you piss off the wrong kid you might just end up face-down in the dirt — permanently.  I got thinking about what sort of things I’d get in trouble for when I was 12, and other than the time I stole my aunts false teeth out of pure meaness, it was pretty small stuff such as talking back or rolling my eyes. We really had very little to work with in the trouble-making department, so we had to improvise. The annoying things always seemed to go in phases. One year the teachers would have drawers full of confiscated butterfly yo-yos, another year it would be clackers, or god knows what else.

Spitballs were also an area of problems. Spitballs are timeless, and I’m pretty sure they’re universal.  I constantly saw kids shooting spitballs through straws, and more than enough times I was the unwilling recipient of a sloppy smack in the back of the head that had been destined for the black board but fell short. The problem, I surmised, was one of range.  An 11-year-old didn’t have enough lung power to create the pressure necessary to shoot a spitball very far with any sort of velocity.  Aiming was another issue, but after a while you’d get pretty good at it. As James Hetfield once said, “It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye. Then it’s just fun and games that you can’t see.” Truer words were never spoken.

Yes, when I was a child we annoyed the hell out of our teachers.  We were immature.  We talked when we should have been quiet.  We brought items to school that weren’t appropriate, and occassionally shot a spitball at someone, but never a gun, never true threats.  We never displayed the level of anger that so many youth are today.  This isn’t a blog talking about all that is wrong in the world, but I wonder why things have changed so much in the last fourteen years.

Disaster #276

Upon leaving Saturday for vacation, I finished Wallace Stegner’s book, The American West as Living Space.  I finished the book before embarking on my own journey westward with this quote by him, “It should not be denied that being footloose has always exhilarated us.  It is associated in our minds with escape from history and oppression and law and irksome obligations, with absolute freedom, and the road has always led west.”  Going westward, what could be better?  I have traveled quite extensively, but never that far westward. 

The west that I have read about in Jack London’s novels is long gone.  Now the west is a burgeoning stretch of land that is over commercialized, with paved roads, begrimed, caliginous casinos and flamboyant scenery made by man.  While I struggle with what all of this has laid the foundations for, I have desperately wanted to experience Vegas and the Grand Canyon for myself for a few years now, so I booked a trip for Spring Break.  Essentially, I too, like Stegner was just searching for escape and freedom from obligations, work and all that work entails, what I got was something else. 

DAY 1:

We left home on Saturday at 2:00 pm to the Louisville Airport for a flight that was leaving at 3:55 pm.  We arrived on time and waited patiently.  At 3:55 pm we were notified that there were some minor issues with the flight and we would be departing an hour later at 4:55 pm.  Some people were quite upset, but I didn’t mind since our next flight was in Charlotte at 7:30 pm, so we would have plenty of lay over time still left before catching our final flight.   After we finally boarded and departed we arrived in Charlotte at 6:15 pm, just in time to stop at Chili’s and go to our next gate for boarding at 7:25 pm.

We waited until about 7:50 pm and were finally notified that there were problems with this plane.   Finally, at 8:10 pm they announced that the flight was cancelled.  Several individuals had breakdowns, but at this point in my life all I could do was smile – I have seen much worse when traveling.  One attendant informed us that on the flight in the plane almost ran off the landing strip and they were worried something was wrong with the planes steering system.  Because of this, they were looking for another plane to take us to our final destination, Vegas.  At 8:50 pm they announced that they found two planes flying to Vegas from Philadelphia and Washington that were going to stop in Charlotte and pick up all the passengers of our flight.  This flight would leave at 10:05.  At 10:10 pm there wasn’t a plane in sight.  At 10:20 pm the plane we were suppose to board arrived.  They didn’t check our boarding pass or check to see which passengers got on, they simply allowed us on, which scared me a little for if there was a problem, no one would know who was on what plane. 

Well, we finally made our way to the back of the plane and was prepared for take off when suddenly it was announced over the intercom that there was some electrical issues with the plane and the mechanic was trying to fix it or find out if we could fly with the problems.  At 11:45 pm, the attendant announced that the flight would be taking off in about ten minutes, which would put us in Vegas at 2:05 am.  We were originally suppose to land in Vegas at 9:30 pm the day before.  When we finally arrived in Las Vegas, our shuttle service, assuming that we weren’t flying in, was no where to be found.  We waited about 50 minutes to finally catch the Grey line to the hotel.  At the hotel, under the assumption that we weren’t coming because we were six hours late, they gave away our room.  The only thing left was a smaller room with one bed and a couch, luckily the next day we got an upgrade. 

We finally made it to our room, exhausted at 3:45 am.  All I wanted to do was put on my pajamas and go to bed.  I opened my suitcase to find everything wet.  Obviously, they left my luggage out in the rain while they were waiting for another flight.  I then decided to simply jump into bed with my clothes on.

Day 2:

We woke to Louisville getting beat by Michigan State (ouch).  I also woke to a sore throat.  I was struggling to breath and talk, but didn’t want to lay in bed all day.  We had lunch at Margaritavilles and basically strolled along the Vegas strip in Awe of the sky-high buildings.  We went through the Venetian in amazement at the structure, stopped in at the Casinos at Caesars to play a few rounds and finished up the night at the Venetian, where we got tickets to see the Blue Man Group.  This was actually one of my favorite parts of the trip and I highly recommend it if you have kids!

Day 3:

We left at 6 am for the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon.   At the Dam, I got a Dam mug, a Dam shirt, some Dam food and a Dam Drink…. sorry I couldn’t resist.  Following this we headed out for the south rim of the canyon.  This experience was probably one of the most noetic experiences I have had in some time.  It was an expanse that is beyond words, so I will leave it at that.  We finally arrived back 10:30 that night just in time to get a late night snack at Denny’s.

Day 4:

We spent most of the day walking along the strip.  We found time to view the white tiger at the MGM hotel.  We saw the fountains of the gods (and goddess – my small attempt to be inclusive), the water fountain show at the Bellagio and the scenery at Luxor.  We gambled a little.  Technically, I had much more control than others, I only lost about 200.00.  I have never been a good gambler, but I could understand how so many get caught up in the moment and spend thousands of dollars believing that it is their lucky night.  We finished the night at the Venetian watching Phantom of the Opera, which while it wasn’t the best Broadway show I have seen, certainly had some amazing effects, such as a falling chandelier, amongst other things. 

Day 5: 

We left the hotel at 6 am to catch a taxi to the airport for an 8:00 am flight.  When we arrived at the airport there wasn’t any records of our flight back home.  They had sold our tickets to someone else because they didn’t have anything showing that we had ever actually arrived in Vegas to begin with.  I started to get a little panicky since I had been feeling worse throughout the week.  I was at the point I could barely talk or hear.  Finally, after several calls she had booked us for another flight at 9:45, which would put us in Louisville at 7:45 pm. 

So that was our trip.  It wasn’t the best, I went to the doctor today only to find out that I have strep throat, but it could have certainly have been much worse.  Plus it is something to laugh about and talk about with friends.   I plan on posting some pictures, when I actually get the film developed Sunday!  I plan on spending today and tomorrow in bed, getting better and just resting!

Next on my list of vacations, one of five places:  San Fransisco, Washington, Hawaii, San Juan or Italy.

Religulous

I just finished watching Religulous. I thought I would not like it, but it was actually pretty good. While I disagree with his view that religion must die, I do agree that all religions must contain a certain amount of doubt in order to be heatlhy. If you get a chance, I highly recommend it!

Random Thoughts

I have seen too many kids lately who just aren’t motivated. They are in Elementary school and they don’t do their work. They know they will pass and their parents don’t care if they do their work or not, so why try? I often wonder how many students who are so frequently labeled as having a behavior disorder, truely have such a disorder. Is it the child, or have they not received enough guidance to know how to act? The number of such cases is consistently growing.

And, what is the answer? Can the government force parents to not have any more children? Can they force parents to receive training along with their welfare checks? If a parent stops coming to the training sessions are they really going to make good on their word and cut off the money, which would mean no money for food for the kids? Could they really take the kids out of the home, considering in the end they would be taking millions and where would they put them? I strongly believe that we can’t simply do away with government funding because the innocent would suffer, but what is the answer?

With a growing national debt and homicides by teenagers who have dropped out of school skyrocketing, is there a viable solution? I just know that labeling every student who doesn’t have the best home life BD in the end won’t fix the problem.

US Airways…

As mentioned in a previous blog, my last flight with US Airways was a disaster.  Well, I mailed them after my Spring Break trip and a few days ago I received a letter responding to my complaint that also contained a $250.00 voucher for any flight.  The only stipulation is that I have to use it soon, or I will lose it.  This of course is very clever of the airlines.  Two people can’t fly hardly anywhere for $250.00, so I will essentially sink more money into their business. 

Well, I have been looking at places to visit, which can’t be anything too extravagant because I am taking four classes this summer.  I have decided to book a trip to Baltimore for June for myself and also for my mom for Mothers Day.  My mom likes Philadelphia, so I thought we could go there for a couple of days and I want to go to Washington for a couple of days, so I think this is the best option.  And, the flight is almost free!   Hopefully this time around things will go a little better.

The Soloist

Just got back from seeing The Soloist, and it is definitely the best film I have seen this year.   If you haven’t seen it, I would strongly recommend that you do.   It’s an amazing film without the feel good ending, a little more realistic, a little more in tune with real life!

Who’s googling me?

WordPress is a great place to blog, much better than myspace, facebook or bravenet, but I do hate that you can’t see who is viewing your information.  I started blogging a little over a year ago and switched to wordpress in July, because my other blog couldn’t store everything.  Today, I received an email that I have had over 5,000 hits on my website since I have joined WordPress, which is very puzzling.  I don’t know 5,000 people who would take the time to check out my website, let alone 500. 

Looking over what was searched to find my website I found out that twenty-seven people have googled “Staci Bowman, Lexington” and have reached this blog.

Eight people have typed in “Staci Bowman, Louisville” and reached my blog.

Thirty-three people have typed in “Staci Bowman, Shelbyville” and have reached my blog.

Four have typed in “Staci Bowman” and have reached my blog.

And about seventeen have typed in names of other people I have blog about and have visited. 

I am sharing these for no other reason than they were of interest to me this morning!

Patience

I am a closet golfer.  There I have set it.  I don’t admit to people that I golf because I am terrible.  My grandfather, aunt and uncle and mother golf frequently together and when I come along, people become annoyed because my ball slices far to the right.  If there is a river, lake or road in sight, I can guarantee that my ball will land near them.  So I keep my golfing a secret.

I have invested a lot of money into the sport.  I bought clubs, which are always expensive, I have spent many days practicing only to face the same problems.  The most irritating part of this is that is that I am a natural athlete.  I played softball in college on a scholarship.  I played basketball until high school and run regularly.  I have never failed at sports, so it annoys the hell out of me to be terrible at something. 

So two months ago I decided to get lessons.  I forked out 200.00 for lessons, and as of last week, it wasn’t showing.  Today, however for the first time I hit the ball well.  I still haven’t told family members I am taking lessons.  I am hoping to joing them in the middle of the summer and shock them!  I guess the lesson to all of this is that I am frequently impatient.  I expect change overnight.  I think just because I fork out money and get some words of wisdom I will become a professional, and to think just two weeks ago I was going to just throw in the towel altogether.

Safety Management

I am determined to take the nine hour safety management training classes offered by the school system.  Why?

Reason #1: Two weeks ago a kindergartner bit my hand, attempted to push me and said, “who do you think you are talkin to?”  This happened because I told her she needed to play nice, instead of kicking other students.

Reason #2:  Upon stopping a 1st grader from hitting another student a 3rd time, I stepped in front of him, only to be told to move and punched. 

Reason #3: I was head butted in the collar bone by a 1st grader who was getting ready to attack another student.  I put my arm around his waist to stop him from jumping on him and suddenly he leaned forward and then came back full force. 

Reason #4: On any given day I am kicked or hit.  While I am not the object of the child’s aggression, I do always seem to be the person the aggression is placed on.

Reason #5: This past week, the same Kindergartner bit my hand twice, this time breaking skin.

To start with, I actually work for a good school.  My district has approximately 100 elementary schools and this school is in the top twenty and has consistently scored in the 90’s on the CATS score.  It’s in the east end, but every school including those in wealthier neighborhoods have pockets of problems, due to a neighborhood in their district that is poverty stricken.  But this has got me thinking that if I am in a good school now, how could things get if I am ever placed in a school that is in a rougher area?

Currently the policy that I have been told the district has is that we don’t put our hands on students unless they are fixing to hurt each other.  So, I spend hours following kids in the hallway who think its a game to run around.  While I am a resource teacher that works with students who have learning disabilities, it seems that I work more when I am in another classroom with the students who have behavior issues, but the parents refuse to acknowledge their behavior and get them tested for a behavior disability.  With this is mind, a good portion of my time is spent helping the teacher get their students under control so they can teach the class.  I enjoy my job and I certainly don’t mind doing what I am doing, but if I am going to continue this, then I am going to have to learn how to restrain a child.  If you haven’t had the training then you aren’t suppose to do so. 

Initially, I thought I wouldn’t need it considering that my desire is to be an LBD Resource teacher who mostly works with students with learning disabilities, but the current situations that I face has proved me wrong.  I am going to have to take the training or else, I am going to be beaten up one day by a group of primary kids!  In addition, I hope one day the government and the school system can find a way to work together to do something about our current predicament.  Two many kids who are neglected or abused at home are coming to school and affecting the learning of all the students.  Until something major happens, the education of all students in America is going to continue to decline.

I didn’t vote for him!

This quote which is my dumb quote of the day, is from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnel, after meeting with Obama about his forthcoming judicial nomination:

“I didn’t recommend anyone, but I do believe that someone who is not a judicial activist would be best for the country. Someone who does take the law as written seriously. Someone who does not confuse the role with that of a legislator and hopefully the president will name someone along those lines,” said McConnell.

I know Obama had to be laughing, at least on the inside at this statement. He should have asked him to provide a coherent definition of a “judicial activist” for an additional chuckle!

Jesus Camp

I have just finished watching Jesus Camp.  I got home from church today and was channel flipping and came across this 2006 documentary about a Pentecostal Summer Camp for Kids.  I found it quite scary.  The adults were calling for a war against the government, the devil and all things evil.  There were hammers smashing glass, adults screaming, kids crying and all out chaos.  I can’t help but think this is a cult for kids. 

They claimed that they didn’t follow a creed, nor have a set of beliefs that the kids must follow, but by their sermons and prayers I beg to differ.  They were clearly saying the government was against Christianity, that the government was wrong for taking prayer out of the school system, and that America was evil.  I for one found everything about this documentary frightening, and this is why I struggle so much with organized religion.

I am a Christian because I believe that Christ’s life is the clearest way for me, but I also question everything about Christianity.  The only thing that I don’t doubt is that there is a higher power out there something that created this world, other than that, I am a little clueless.  With this in mind, I don’t understand how we can tell our kids that we know the answers.  When we do it seems we are coming dangerously close to brainwashing them about our beliefs rather than truth.

Ellen DeGeneres Commencement Speech at Tulane University

This is Hilarious!