Friday 23 August 2013

WHO WANTS SUCCESS IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS??

A Helena school board trustee recently said at a school board meeting that " Those anti-public school people are starting to show up at education interim committees testifying against Common Core".REALLY? Is he sure that HE is for public schools but THOSE THAT DISAGREE WITH TOTAL ABANDONMENT OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND WORLD SOCIALIST GOALS are not? This fellow is a member and big champion of the Montana School Boards Association (MSBA). The MSBA feeds off of the public schools- they live on taxpayer money that is given to school boards to run our schools. That's right- our tax dollars are going to this lobbying organization in the form of dues from the school boards.

Is the MSBA in favor of public schools because they want the best education for our children, OR are they for our public schools because they want the money? What do you think? In thirty years of teaching I never saw an MSBA bureaucrat in my class or my school working with children. I have seen them at the legislature indefatigably arguing for whatever new program is being promoted by the Federal Government and the Office of Public Instruction.They do not research these programs and make independent decisions that they feel will be best for the CHILDREN- they defend the programs for the power cartel so that they will continue to get their PAYOLA. SO,WHO REALLY CARES ABOUT THE CHILDREN AND OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS- THOSE WHO RECEIVE NO DOLLARS AT ALL, BUT IN FACT GET SCORNED AND DEMONIZED FOR GOING AGAINST THE POWER CARTEL- OR THOSE WHOSE VERY EXISTENCE DEPENDS ON THE MONEY THEY CAN GET FROM THE CARTEL? You be the judge.

One program you can ALWAYS count on the MSBA opposing is SCHOOL CHOICE. Whether it is vouchers or charter schools the MSBA wants no part of FREEDOM AND COMPETITION IN OUR SCHOOLS- THEY WANT NO PART OF POWER GOING TO THE PARENTS- THE VERY PEOPLE WHO LOVE AND CARE FOR THE CHILDREN THE MOST. Tell me, is this caring for public education? MSBA will tell you that vouchers and charter schools will take away MONEY(oh my) from the public schools.Maybe it will- but not from public EDUCATION. The MSBA can ALWAYS be counted on to support the teachers union. Let's see who is taking money from the public schools.

Remember, unions get a cut of EVERY school district salary. When I started teaching in 1975 our school district had three administrators (not including principals) and teachers were paid about $11,000.00 a year to start. When I left teaching in 2005 we had two buildings of administrators including data collectors and many other positions to manage all the Federal programs. Starting teacher salaries were around $30,000.00 and top salaries about $52,000.00. Today top teacher salaries are at about $75,000.00.The Helena school district spends 91% of its budget on salaries- leaving very little money for anything for children- in fact- students have to pay for activities. The schools have to have a foundation that shakes down every business in town to get money to buy the things the district should be buying out of its general fund. As mentioned on this blog before- our schools are in terrible shape- there isn't even money to maintain the buildings! Tell me, DO THE UNIONS AND THE MSBA FIGHT FOR OUR CHILDREN OR FOR THE MONEY THAT PAYS THEIR SALARIES?

Those valiant individuals that actually do the research and actually get NO MONEY but just WANT GOOD EDUCATION should not be labeled as against public schools, ACTUALLY- these are the people who want the programs that will bring real success to our schools. They want students in there seats learning instead of gardening, they want literature to be taught in English classes instead of gotten rid of as Common Core will do, they want real research - not wild and vague promises of "21st century college and career ready". They want competition that will allow the parents to choose the education that works best. They know, that as in the free market, the best product will get the buyers. Special Education students and behavior problems etc. can have their own vouchers and charter schools- so that's not an excuse not to offer CHOICE. Where there is a market there will be a product.THE REAL ADVOCATES FOR OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE NOT THOSE CARTEL MEMBERS BEGGING FOR MONEY, THEY ARE THOSE PEOPLE WHO VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME AND ENERGY TO FIGHT FOR THE RIGHTS OF PARENTS AND CHILDREN.

Friday 16 August 2013

CRITICAL THINKING

I read Google Alerts everyday on Common Core. I even read articles that people send me. One excellent article from the Missouri Education Watchdog, written by a teacher, knocked me right off my chair. The teacher said, " If teachers are supposed to teach critical thinking, I guess they should be able to THINK CRITICALLY."YES!! YES!! YES!! But are they thinking CRITICALLY about Common Core? Not much. Why not? Essentially CRITICAL THINKING is not paying their paycheck- going along pays the big dividends.

But let's talk about CRITICAL THINKING just for a moment. I was at a town hall in Big Sandy on Common Core. The Office of Public Instruction had sent their stooges. These young teachers were absolutely convinced that they had written Montana's Common Core Standards!! They were absolutely convinced that this was a states initiative.Well ladies, let's bring in some of the CRITICAL THINKING you write so much about - a VERY SIMPLE QUESTION- if, as you say,every school in America (and even the WORLD) will be teaching the same things at the same time so that military families that move won't have any adjustments to make - how could you have written it? Come on ladies- admit it- you aligned Montana Standards to what you were told to do- you put Montana in the Common Core box- you created nothing. And Yet, these young teachers were totally convinced that they had written individual standards for Montana- you have to wonder how people can be so utterly blind- and at the same time they are speaking loftily of all this CRITICAL THINKING they will be teaching!!!

Let's look at the societal breakdown. Schools are having unbelievable problems with behavior these days. Let's do some CRITICAL THINKING about what could actually be causing this. If you teach children to "QUESTION AUTHORITY" do you think they will RESPECT AUTHORITY? Seriously now,don't you think, teaching very young children with the cognitive abilities of a young child,to think that they are the same as adults, might cause some frustration, confusion, and disarray? Don't you think giving these children GUIDANCE so that they respect authority and learn some morality might be a better way to go? I'm just saying.

The lack of CRITICAL THINKING among the liberal left that wants us all to be critical thinkers, IS STAGGERING!! I was treated to the report from the rapacious school lunch program director at the last school board meeting. He's tracking which kids eat lunch and breakfast at school and then calling parents of kids who qualify for free and reduced lunch if their kids don't buy meals at school!! He's not going to miss any dollars. He grabs kids in the high school parking lot and tries to force them to buy breakfast!! Imagine- soliciting in the school parking lot!!THEN THERE'S THE SUMMER PROGRAM. As reported by the director- kids who eat at school come up to him and wonder how they will eat in the summer!! Talk to any person on the liberal left- they are totally convinced these poor kids are HUNGRY!!-- EVEN STARVING!!Well, he started his program this year with 360 kids- they had games and gave out free books to attract participants. Let's start the CRITICAL THINKING- if you were STARVING, if you had NO FOOD, would you need free books and games to attract you to food give aways?I'm guessing not. But, let's go on. Did the food director's numbers stay at 360- sadly for his business, absolutely not. In August he's having trouble just getting ONE HUNDRED and sixty. His reason for this? THE KIDS ARE ON VACATION!!! Come on now - let's CRITICALLY THINK- if the kids families can afford to go on vacation do you think they can afford a sandwich?? Think real hard- hmmm.And my all time favorite- liberals will say if put in a corner- that well, maybe families do have food- BUT THEY JUST WON'T FEED THEIR CHILDREN!! CRITICAL THINKING AGAIN- think real hard- just a question- HOW DID THEY MAKE IT TO FIVE YEARS OF AGE WITHOUT BEING FED?!!Seriously- do you trust that these individuals know how to critical think and that they will teach it to YOUR CHILDREN?

Liberals will buy into anything-they still think the DARE program that was supposed to stop or at least decrease drug usage, and has actually overseen increased drug usage for thirty years, is working!!These are the people who want to drag your children around the "community" doing community service and "connectivity" events and garden and work in groups to get an education.CRITICAL THINKING AGAIN- do you think if kids stayed in school and on the task of reading and individual LEARNING OF FACTS that our schools might start doing better? Just a thought.

Seriously, one response to the teacher's blog was spot on. With Common Core the big money interests (Bill Gates) and the Federal Government have partnered up and this is a scary scenario for any kind of freedom or local control. AMERICA- START DOING SOME CRITICAL THINKING- DON'T BE AFRAID TO BE AN INDIVIDUAL AND TO THINK AS THIS TEACHER HAS DONE, SAVE YOURSELF AND YOUR COUNTRY BY FIGHTING BACK INSTEAD OF PUTTING YOUR HEAD IN THE SAND. WE CAN ALL DO THE CRITICAL THINKING I HAVE POINTED OUT HERE- DON'T BE A FOLLOWER ANYMORE- BE A CRITICAL THINKER!!

Thursday 8 August 2013

THE "EXPERT" STATE AND CULTURAL IMPLOSION

For a long time now, across America, and the world, progressives have tried to remake society. They have condemned the state of the culture, calling for relativism in its place. These progressives have been known to have relative values "If it feels good do it!". As they have sought to tear down the culture that said you should go to church,or dress modestly and appropriately for occasions,or save sex for marriage, they have tried to "fix" society- to erase all poverty and struggle.That's where the EXPERTS come in. If you are going to "fix" society you have to have EXPERTS who know what perfect is.These experts give us political correctness- they know what we can say and what we can not. They know what we should eat and how we should raise our children. They come into our homes on home visits. They make laws governing our relations with people,how we use our land, how we run our businesses, how much water can come out of our shower head or go down our toilet, what kind of light bulbs we have to use, and how we and our children MUST sit in our cars. How do you think the "EXPERTS" are doing so far in creating the perfect society? I personally think the society is experiencing a CULTURAL IMPLOSION.

Our forefathers believed in the individual, they believed in human nature, they believed people had free will and could make their own choices, they believed people should have the OPPORTUNITY to pursue their happiness.Government was there to provide a civil society and keep people and property safe by basically enforcing the Ten Commandments "thou shalt not steal", "thou shalt not kill" and so on. The federal government in the constitution has the right of "coinage"- making money, and the COMMON defense- not your personal defense but the defense of the country and its borders. I always shake my head in wonder when progressives say " If you don't like our idea what is yours?". CONSERVATIVE IDEAS ARE THE IDEAS THAT WORKED!! THE IDEAS THAT GAVE US GOOD HEALTHCARE, GOOD SCHOOLS, A CIVIL SOCIETY, A PROSPEROUS ECONOMY, LOW UNWED BIRTHS AND DIVORCE, AND DID NOT BURN DOWN OUR FORESTS EVERY AUGUST- WE COULD BREATHE OUTSIDE!! This blog is about the schools- so let's just explore for a minute what the "EXPERTS" have done to our schools.

I usually watch a bit of news in the morning when I wake up- not such a peaceful way to start the day- but I do it. This morning I was treated to the video of the most brutal attack (outside of the movies) that I have ever seen on a child. Three African American males were kicking and punching a 13 year old white boy on a school bus (no racial motivation noted- hmmm). Apparently the 13 year old had outed them for selling marijuana at school - so this was his punishment- fortunately the boy did live. What makes kids sell marijuana in school? What makes kids so angry and vicious? How do teachers teach these angry and law averse students?

Let's start with question #1- Where do the students get the marijuana and why are they encouraged to sell it? Progressives love control- but not control of marijuana or our nations borders. The marijuana comes in from Mexico across our open southern borders for the most part. Why shouldn't kids want to sell it when they are told it should be LEGAL?!!Another point of wonder from the "EXPERTS"- smoking is bad ALL THE TIME AND EVERYWHERE- but Marijuana should be legal!!Question #2 What makes kids so angry and vicious? You can thank Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton for some of this- they don't teach peace and love as Martin Luther King did- they teach anger. You can thank the liberal left relativist moral society as well. These "EXPERTS" don't like modesty- they like open sexuality and even sexualizing young children in school with sex education programs. Naturally unwed births have sky rocketed and these boys that did the beating- more than likely- don't have their mother and father in their home. This makes kids real mad. Add to that no church, no patriotism and very little morals- voila! unhappy angry kids with an entitlement attitude. Question #3- How do teachers teach these angry and law averse students? They don't. Everything's not O.K. and these types of students need to be taught away from students who are there to learn.They need to be taught in a structured setting with real rules and morals- they need to start the road to success by learning they really can achieve on their own, they are not a victim and they really are responsible for their actions. Something to believe in like their country and their heritage might help too.

Our Helena School District thinks "EXPERTS" ( Social workers from a federal grant) can fix families. They are taking away accredited counselors that are needed to determine learning difficulties and replacing them with social workers who will do home visits and "talk" to the families.These families that are in trouble will not be "fixed" by a social worker and I am quite confident that none of them have, though without proof, our superintendent is claiming they have saved all the students on the outer edges (sometimes the lying makes me breathless).

When we finally admit that "EXPERTS" from the government are not going to save us and get back to believing in ourselves and the principles of our founding we will find our way to success once again. Putting children in groups to discuss their opinions on global warming is not going to get us there. The Common Core "EXPERTS" need to go away and local schools need to go back to direct instruction and expectations from students in every category. We know this will succeed because it always has- who do you think built this wonderful country and the healthcare and technology that you enjoy today? We know the recipe for success and we know the recipe for disaster- think Detroit and America's faltering society and seventeen trillion dollar debt. If you are a liberal I hope you will finally admit the failings of your "EXPERTS" and begin to understand the success of the past.Please help us stop our countries CULTURAL IMPLOSION.