Posted by
James Burns on Wednesday, December 24, 2008 9:20:51 AM
Well I wrote my first multi story piece yesterday. Two of the stories I have some updated information that I would like to share.
First, let's talk about Obama's Blagogate involvement report. Amazingly no one in the "Orifice of The President Elect" was found to have committed any wrong doing. Go figure. We were pretty well sure that a self conducted investigation by the One's staffers on the staffers would find that out. Second seems that he has alluded any tough questions on it. He is impecable with his timing. Obamessiah decided to release the report while he was on vacation in Hawaii and his Chief of Staff Rhambo was out of the country. Who released the report? None other than Joe "The Gaff" Biden, who was totally clueless on the dealings I am sure. That's becasue he is too busy reserving his vacated seat for his son. Allowing his Chief of Staff to keep the seat warm until Biden's son returns from Iraq in two years.
The other update is to the elimination of grade levels in a Colorado school district. Seems that the problem with the school district is that too many students have below grade level skills when being promoted. The reports I heard today stated that many high school gradutes need remedial classes before they can go onto college. They said under the new system children would be kept back if they didn't meet standards for advancement. Isn't this the way it is today? If you don't pass the third grade you can't go to fourth. Oh what I forgot this would hurt the child's self asteem we can't have that. So what makes them think this will work, just sound to anti p.c. for me. Second if that many kids are doing that badly maybe we should look at the ones giving the education. The only union with more power than the UAW are the teachers unions. Can't fire a bad teacher because he as tenure. B.S. if I don' t do my job, I get fired. Same accountability if not greater should be held over the heads of these teachers. But again that is just anti p.c. and can't happen.
I have also concluded that if we go back to the old ways of teaching rather than these new weird methods, we probably would have better results for our children. I have four children of my own. Three are grown one is a freshman in high school. All graduated high school, but one thing stands out in my mind. When they were in grade school they would ask me to help with their math home work. I said ok like any good father would. My problem was it was like reading Greek. these new methods of teaching math are so out in left field even some of the teachers can't figure them out. This comes from one of my children's past teachers. Graphing, x and y axises, lines, to teach basic addition, subtraction and mutiplication and division. What happened to the 3 apples plus 4 apples equals 7 apples? That is tangable and easily explained. I remember memorizing multiplication tables. My kids never did that. Maybe that's why kids are failing, we are getting to techincal with why it is like that, not it is just that way and that's it. Too much theorizing and not enough facts. So in essence when it came time to help them I was as lost as they were. Leading to everyones frustration and kids losing interest. Good thing is my son the oldest is a math wiz and helped his sisters.
Living in Florida, I also have witnessed that too much time is spent on preparing for these stupid standardized tests. Basically prepping them for what is on the test and not enough time is spent teaching them the subject matter. Schools are spending too much time just getting children to pass the tests rather than educating them and when it does become test time, the students know the material. The students are taught what is on the test just enough to pass and thats it. So real teaching time is cut short. I say get rid of standardized test like the FCAT which is what we have in Florida, and just teach our kids. Millions of people have been educated before these tests and have gotten a better education without them. It is since the adoption of standardized testing and these off the wall teaching methods have our students began to suffer.
Put some accountability into the education system. Both on the student and the teachers. IF a teacher is not doing their job fire them. Screw the union. Second if a kid is screwing up in school, make every effort to get the kid on track. If the kid is still having trouble, then keep the student back another year. So what if all his or her buddies are ahead of them. so what if little Johnnie's feelings are hurt if he is held back. If he can't do the work due to learning issues or behavior issues he needs to be kept back. We can't afford to allow little Johnnie to leave school not knowing how to read or add. We are too coddling to our youth, holding them to no standards and accountablility all in for the sake of self asteem. BUt if you take a close look at our youth today, and look at the ones who were socially advanced through school, not on their grades. You will see that the majority of those children have trouble with the law or authority issues, anger issues or both. So really we have done real justice to their self asteem by the coddling. I am sure drug problems legal issues such as jail works great for the self asteem of the child.
Parents, work with your children. Make sure they are doing what they need to. It can't all be done in six hours of school. It needs to happen at home. If you can't be bothered then don't go on Dr Phil and complain about your kids. It is your fault. Stop being the BFF and be mom or dad.
The political correct movement, towards our youth must stop we are causing more damage than good.