H1N1

What happened to all the concern about H1N1?  I  thought that when this began it might be a lot about something that was not that important.  It was superseded by the Tiger Wood's scandle. Something that apparently more important than death from H1N1 and a crazy bomber. What does it tell us about us as individuals and as a group?

I would wager that next fall we will focus on the flu again and then forget it again until the next year.

Do you remember the story about the little boy who yelled wolf?

I am now focused on learn Microsoft's Expression3.  So, I will not be posting very often until that is completed.

I wish everyone a better 2010.  For me personally, 2009 could not have been worse.

What do you want for Christmas? All I want for Christmas is a rodent!

Seems that they are on the top of the list. I was watching the Today Show this morning. It was about Christmas gifts for kids. There were 5 kids evaluating potential gifts. The gifts were guns, monster transformers and a rodent. The kids looked bewildered. There was nothing there they wanted only adults that thought they were something they should want.
When I was their age, I wanted a Chemistry set or an Erector set.  I didn't get either.  I got a Biology set that had a small microscope.  My uncle got the Chemistry and  an Erector set that Christmas. 

I was very interested in what was in the Chemistry set.  The little bottles of power and liquid, what where they and what could I do with them?  What all three of these had in common was the knowledge of the unknown.  Each one was a potential learning experience.  The Chemistry set didn't last long.  Tom and I mixed something and heated it causing a stink that resulted in a panic.  My uncle Jim was a Chemical Engineer.  He likely told Tom what to do. I was just an ignorant bystander.

These toys caused me to be interested in Science.  I later studied Chemistry in High School and Biology at Ferris State University.  What would I have studied and became if I had played with guns, monster transformers and a rodent?

What are you going to get your kids for Christmas?  You decision will effect them and everyone else.

Girl wins college scholarship at foot ball half-time from Pepsi.

The crowed cheered and so did I at first. After I thought about it, I wrote this.

There are several major problem with this event.  One of them was the amount.  It was for $130,000. Why does it take $130,000 to get a college degree?  If the child cannot win a contest at a sporting event and do not have parent that can pay $130,000 or if the child cannot get it some other way, then they don't get to graduate from  college?  If I had had to come up with that much money, I would not have the education I have now and would not have the ability to write this so you could read it.

Then there is the contest.  There are two girls competing for the scholarship. There are two large Pepsi cans. One for each girl.  At the top of each can there is a large hole.  The object of the contest is that the first girl to throw three footballs through their hole gets $130,000.  Within about 60 seconds one girl succeeded, the crowed roared and a very large check was given to the girl.  If you want to go to college. All you have to do is to be the first one to throw 3 footballs through a hole to pay for a college education.  Think about the message they are sending.

They are terrorizing our children.

Who is doing that and why?  They are saying that this is in their future.  I don't know if it is and I'm not predicting it.  I do know that children are the victims of circumstances they did not create.

The movies that are made for kids is frightening, toys are frightening, children's programming is frightening.  They are creating a generation of fearful people.  Who and why?  Is this just about selling products and the profit motive?

Food stamps are a disincentive to work?

This morning I heard on a news program that there are now over 32 millions Americans on food stamps. That was followed by the assertion that food stamps are a disincentive to work and marriage.  Marriage?  I have heard for many years that food stamps are a disincentive to work.  That is based on the assumption that hungry people are motivated by hunger to do what others want them to do in exchange for money that then presumable they will use to exchange for food. Those that don't want to pay or pay as little as possible for having something done follow by saying that they will just spend it on drugs.

I have always known that work begins with a demand for labor.  If the capitalist class does not want to do anything then the demand for labor does not exist. That has not happened.  What has happened is that the capitalist has transferred a high percentage of their demand for labor to other countries.  They are out-sourcing. What about marriage?

Food stamps are a disincentive to marriage. How could that be?  I can think of many reasons not to  marry. Food stamps are not on that list.  They must be thinking that women would be looking for a man to feed them if they were hungry.  Name me one man that wants a hungry woman?  Just one, please!

Good news for the Freedom of the Press!

Any one that thinks this is important should read this.  http://www.breitbart.com/article

"News is a public good," FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said. "We should be willing to take action if necessary to preserve the news that is vital to democracy."

"No one uses the phone book any more to look things up."

I just heard that on the Today show.  There were explaining how how to wrap Christmas gifts without spending money.  One of their was was to use only telephone book pages.  Why?  "No one uses the phone book any more to look things up."  Think about the consequences of that!

There will be a time in the near furture when the Freedom of the Press and Speech is lost.

Government leaders continue to move toward more control of the press and speech.

The effect of not sharing dinner on the family?

I've been thinking about what effect this would have on the children.


Diane raised the boys after my brother died. They did not have meals together. Food was put on the table, the boys took what they wanted and then went some where to eat it along. What effect did this have on their personality? The boys are now in their middle 20's and scattered to places unknown to me. They are unwelcome here.

This could be about the destruction of the family unity. Back when I was having supper with the family the parents stayed married. That is also a part of the destruction of the family. Back when the family unit was intact the male was able to support the family. Now it takes two, in most cases, to earn enough to support the family. Parents out of the house for 10 hours, 5-6 days a week turns having supper together an impossibility. It turns into stopping at the deli, bring it home, and putting the bags on the table: 'Come and get it!'

It is a mess.

Pop the pig ...

I happened into a kids program this morning and saw an ad for Pop The Pig.  Their must be a connection between this and obesity. It caused me to wonder about its effect on behavior.

The link to Pop The Pig

Thanksgiving is another opportunity to waste.

I prepared a Thanksgiving dinner and saved the left-overs. It was in the left-over phase that I realized that waste is happening on a grand scale. I senced something might be happening when I heard a flip news woman say that there will be a lot to go into the garbage. So, in the clean-up phase the left-overs are prepared for late night snacks, soap, lunch, student's sandwiches, etc or some percentage of it goes into the garbage. I remember my mom giving me a bag and telling me to put it in the garbage. It would be very heavy. The bag I put in the garbage this Thanksgiving contained turkey bones and it was small and light.

I recall my sister-in-law and the food waste in their house. I thought at the time that they should just put it directly into the garbage can and skip the cooking phase. Cooking was a waste of time. Order, have it delived and eat like wolves. I witnessed the behavior. They didn't even set down at the table togather. The food was in small bags. The boys grabbed what they wanted and went somewhere to eat by themselves.

It was a joy to share Thanksgiving with Brenda.

Ground zero or Flint, Michigan?

YouTube video

My grand mother lived in Owosso, Michigan and my uncle George worked for GM in Flint.  After his divorce he lived with his mother in Owosso.  When I would visit my grand mother I would pass by Flint.  Something really bad has happened in Flint. I now live in Holiday, Florida. Someone shot Dixie [my cat] in the eye.  I will take her to the doctor tomorrow.

What are we as a race of people?

Hunger in Flint.  Do you really care?

Al Gore on Saturday Night Live

There was Al Gore dressed in a suit holding his book: An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It . 

He was not allowed to speak a complete thought.  He was constantly interrupted by a black wearing what appeared to be an equivalent of a clowns suit, dancing and singing 'What's Up Now?".  The situation totally discounted Al Gore.

Does this represent the attitude of most college educated Americans?  If it does, then we are all in jeopardy.

What's up?

I am frequently asked that question and I'm uncertain how to answer it.  When it is dark and the sky is clear, I want to say the moon and stars.  When it's day time, I'm tempted to say the stock market.  Other times I'm tempted to say the price of gas. 

Ask your students this question.  What's up?  Maybe they know. Please post their answers.

Do what you were told and keep your mouth shut.

I witnessed this in the small towns near Midland, Michigan. Dow Chemical is located there. Dow needs highly educated employees in research and management. They got them from the University system. The hourly employees came from the small towns near Midland where most people only had a high school education from an inferior school system. Gradually Dow need for better educated hourly employees increased: they needed more than just someone with a strong back that would do what they were told and that would keep their mouth shut.


I had some of the Gladwin Michigan students in my classroom when I taught at Mid Michigan Community College. They refused to study, they were disinterested in what was being taught, some did not bath and were generally nasty people. They were not the type of people that Dow Chemical wanted. This is another reason why Dow management would out-source. It was not could just that it could be done cheaper else where.

Dow also learned how to do more with less people. That was obvious when I saw Dow's employee parking lots. When I was there, the parking lots would be almost full. When I visited there the parking lots were about one 10th full.

By the time I left Michigan, Gladwin had become a welfare town.

Teaching without purpose ....

That is what you are doing without a goal and lesson plans that will fullfil that goal.  Otherwise, just wing it. I hope you are not doing that.

You made the mess; you clean it up!

Have you ever said that?  What what would you think if you were told  'the Law does not require me to do that'.

Progress Energy employes pruned my oak tree and left behind the limbs.  I thought that someone would be back and remove them.  About 3 weeks have passed and they were still there.  So I thought that someone must have forgotten to finish what they had started.  So, I called Progress Energy to remind them to remove the limbs.  That is when I was told, "The Law does not require us to do that". I was shocked. Their mess had suddenly become my problem.

I knew that a Code Enforcement officer would soon be after me for what they did.  My next step was to use my lawn tractor to pull the limbs into the back yard where I can safely cut them into small pieces.  What does this have to do with education?  It is about students not being taught correct behavior.

When they become adults, they pass laws that allow them to make a mess and not clean it up! They have become good law abiding citizens. Or, have they become something other than that?

A message from Russia!

"If we don't take joint action, the consequences for the planet may be very distressing to the point that the Arctic and Antarctic ice can melt and change ocean levels," he said shortly before leaving Singapore.

"All of this will have catastrophic consequences."

I live about 2 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and at an elevation of 12 feet above sea level as do millions of us do who live in Florida. You may take the 'I don't care, it doesn't effect me attitude' as do many who live on higher ground.  I don't live where I do my choice.  My location was determined by my parents. You might think that I should just move.  I have thought about it.

I try to avoid indifferent people. I have gotten rid of most of them and I avoid the rest.

She took me to the hospital and then she took me home and beat me.

That is what Brenda told me her mother did to her after she touched a hot burner after her mother told her not to do it. Brenda ignored her mothers when she was about 9 and suffered the consquences. Today, Brenda and I installed a cook top in her kitchen and she recalled what had happened many years ago.  It sure was tempting to touch the cook top to see if it was hot.  We didn't do that.

If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.

Sir Isaac Newton gave credit to the knowledge of scientist that preceded him. He did that because he understood that he could not have understood physics and mathematics without them. They provided the foundation that he built upon as did people like Albert Einstein.

I frequently witness teachers encouraging their students who have not yet learned what they should know if they had first learned the knowledge of the Giants to draw a conclusion and expound upon that conclusion when they have not learned the fundamentals. I cringe when I witness this and think that they are creating the next generation of con men.

Here is the link to Wikipedia that explains  "... standing on the shoulders of Giant." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton

Freedom of the Press requires a Press!

I bought a Tampa Tribune today.  It was only 24 pages.  The pages were small and the paper was printed on cheap paper.  The price was .80 cents.  I have not reason to buy another Tampa Tribune.  With the Tampa Tribune gone, there will only be the St. Petersburg Times remaining. I read the Times at Ronald's this morning. There was not much left after Ronald removed the advertising.

The Freedom of the Press may remain for a while after newspapers have become an historical artifact. I sometimes wonder what others value. They do not seem to care about others and sometimes they do not even care about themselves.  I bought the Tampa Tribune at Greenbay.  The clerk ask me if I wanted it in a bag. I said, "No".  Then she put a sticker on it.  I said, "I don't want a sticker on it either."  She than said, "It is the store rule. If it isn't in a bag, then it must have a sticker."

Now you know what is important.

How schools stifle creativity

Sir Ken Robinson, Ph.D. presents a very important message to educators in this video. Link to video

I have thought some of the same thoughts but it was not for me to put it togather and present it.  I do have a blog from which I can pass it on to you.  I hope you do something constructive with what you will learn.

Eric Kandel: From Mind to Brain and Back Again

I discoved last night when reading Scientific American Mind, October/November 2009.  His profile begins on page 33.  He was award the Nobel Prize for his work that revealed the basic mechanisms of memory. It is something that all educators should know.  After all, our effort is futile if our students do not remember what they have been taught. 

I would summarize it for you, but then you would most likely not discover Eric Kandel.  Get to know Eric Kandel and then you will know why he was awarded the Nobel Prize.

Quote of the Week:

Science and technology multiply around us. To an increasing extent they dictate the languages in which we speak & think. Either we use those languages, or we remain mute.  ~James Ballard

Lessonplans.com will change in a few weeks.

Lessonplans.com will change in a few week and might be unavailable until after errors are corrected.

What is currently available at Lessonplans.com will be available sometime during the first of next year at the Lesson Plan Study.  The address will be http://www.lessonplansstudy.com/

Going, going , gone ....

The Freedom of the Press is being lost.

Here are the statistics.

Obama declares swine flu a national emergency

This thing is going from bad to worse.

Here is the link to the details. Swine flu

This is not Freedom of the Press when ...

... I control who and what gets published. It is as if I am Orwell's 'Big Brother'.  There has to be no one in control, then it is Freedom of the Press.
~
I get an email from Blogger before before a comment is posted. The follow is an example.

Babs has left a new comment on your post "Freedom of the Press has been lost too."

For anybody to deny this is not freedom of the press is too far up Obamas ass to admit any truth.

Publish this comment.

 Reject this comment.

Moderate comments for this blog.

Posted by Babs to The Educator's Blog at 7:25 AM

Freedom of the Press has been lost too.

White House boasts: We 'control' the news media.

Communications chief offers shocking confession to foreign government.  You can hear it at this link. 
Our governments shocking admission

Quote of the Week

Housework is a breeze. Cooking is a pleasant diversion. Putting up a retaining wall is a lark. But teaching is like climbing a mountain. ~ Fawn M. Brodie

Delay Undercuts H1N1 Vaccine Campaign: October 17, 2009

I found this in the Wall Street Journal this morning.
   ~
About 40 million doses of vaccine had been expected by the end of October, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Officials say now they expect between 28 million and 30 million doses instead, because the shots are taking longer to produce than they had hoped. The delay in vaccine production complicates efforts by state and local officials and health-care providers to schedule immunization clinics, because they don't know when shipments of doses will arrive.

Associated Press An employee at the Cleveland Clinic is vaccinated Thursday. The clinic has begun giving vaccine to front-line workers who provide direct patient care.

Officials know they are in a race against time: The delay comes as the new H1N1 flu has become widespread in 41 states. While most people get only mildly ill, the virus has claimed the lives of young people who were perfectly healthy until they were struck, and made others so sick they had to be rescued with special equipment in intensive care.  Source:  Wall Street Journal, October 17, 2009

You can read all of it at this link.  Wall Street Journal
  
Would people unknown to us really be toying with us for some reason; perhaps, for personal gain?

H1N1 continues to be a problem.

Ronald wrote, "I'll follow your advice, I will be vaccinated against flu.  In Canada, the government plans to vaccinate the entire population against H1N1 flu. I will be vaccinated."

Ronald Q. works for the Canadian government and will be returning to Florida in November. I wonder if what I hear on the telescreen about H1N1 is an exaggeration. Ronald is taking this seriously and will be vaccinated.  I'm still in my wait and see mode since I am not in the high risk catagory. However, I did have my yearly flu vaccination.

The November issue of Wired has an article about H1N1 that you should read.  It is not posted on their website yet: wired.com  So, you will have to read it at your local library or wherever it is available. It is titled: An Epidemic of Fear.

It seem impossible that this would happen!

A new study warns that the H1N1 flu may strike as many as 35 percent of Americans. A report by the non-profit group Trust for America's Health found that hospitals in more than a dozen states could run out of beds. Host Liane Hansen speaks to Dr. Robert Galvin, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health, about the measures he's taking to ensure there are hospital beds available in his state this winter.

It is funny and has an element of truth.

Source:  Mary Lou Croyton

The Dead Mule Raffle
Monday, October 5, 2009

Curtis & Leroy saw an ad in the Starkville Daily News Newspaper in Starkville, MS. and bought a mule for $100. The farmer agreed to deliver the mule the next day.

The next morning the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry, fellows, I have some bad news, the mule died last night." Curtis & Leroy replied, "Well, then just give us our money back."

The farmer said, "Can't do that. I went and spent it already."

They said, "OK then, just bring us the dead mule."

The farmer asked, "What in the world ya'll gonna do with a dead mule?"

Curtis said, "We gonna raffle him off."

The farmer said, "You can't raffle off a dead mule!"

Leroy said, "We shore can! Heck, we don't hafta tell nobody he's dead!"

A couple of weeks later, the farmer ran into Curtis & Leroy at the Piggly Wiggly grocery store and asked, "What'd you fellers ever do with that dead mule?"

They said,"We raffled him off like we said we wuz gonna do."

Leroy said,"Shucks, we sold 500 tickets fer two dollars apiece and made a profit of $898."

The farmer said, "My Lord, didn't anyone complain?"

Curtis said, "Well, the feller who won got upset. So we gave him his two dollars back."

Curtis and Leroy now work for the government. They're overseeing the Bailout Program.

Quote of the Week:

I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me. ~ Dudley Field Malone

Here is the classroom of the future? Hummmm ...

The founder of Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta thinks it is a school role model.  I question if it should be for multiple reasons.  The first reason is that the founder did not study education at the University level. They are many other reasons that should be obvious to you.  I decided not going to go into it.  It is enough for you to watch the video and draw your own conclusion.

This is a video of what may be the classroom of the future.

Pasco bullies will have to watch their step from now on.

In Pasco County there is now a way to report bullies anonymously on line as well as a toll free number 1-877-7BE-BRAVE.

I have witnessed the behavior of bullies first hand and have been a victim of bullies. When I was a middle school classroom teacher I intervened to stop a bully and was later bullied by his relatives. It was frightening event and there was no one to intervene for me. It was later twisted into events that were my fault for not accepting behavior that was considered by community standards as normal. As if a big kid jumping a smaller kid, knocking him to the ground and then getting on top of him while stuffing grass into his pants was normal. It was not normal by my standards. I almost kicked the big kid. But, the bell rang and that stopped it without me having to do anything. A few days latter I was attacked in the commons at Central Michigan University by one of the bully’s relatives.

Back then I could not defend myself. The rule was: It takes two to fight. It did not matter who started it. All involved were equally guilty.

The question was: What did you do to start that?

So, I responded by not talking about it. Hoping the event would be forgotten my others. However, I never forgot.

Follow me at Twitter.

http://twitter.com/Stephen__Lyons

(There are two underscores in the address.)

I admire what he has achieved.

However, there are lessons that Michael Moore obviously did not learn.

Could he really have been this bad?

Click here to see a George W. Bush video.

Quote of the Week:

Acquire new knowledge whilst thinking over the old, and you may become a teacher of others. ~ Confucius

U.S. Population Clock

Visit the U.S. Population Clock from Lessonplans.com.  Click the refresh key or press (F5) and you will see how much the clock incremented within seconds of your last visit.

Population growth is something you should be discussing with your students.

Two past my paper airplane intelligence test.

So far, I have found two people that passed my paper airplane intelligence test. The first speaks Chinese, he was born to Chinese parents in China, he is an Engineer and we take dance lessons from the same teacher. Then there is me. I passed my own airplane intelligence test.  There has to be more than two of us.  I should be able to find ten before the end of the year.

Most parents won't have kids get H1N1 flu shots, study finds ...

I got the usual flu shot yesterday and felt strange the following day. My lips and tongue felt like they were sunburned. That is not much to endure if I do not get the flu.

I doubt if I will get the HiNi flu vaccination for multiple reasons. I've heard too many contradicting statements from experts. It has not been tested long enough. The long-term consequences are not known. Fear has been used to cause us to think we should have it.

Our country is hated by countries that, given a chance, would damage to our civilization. Germ warfare is one way that they can silently attack us at a personal level. I have no evidence to support that this is the case. If I find out that it is, and they are using the H1N1 virus, then I'll be vaccinated.

H1N1 flu shot study

We have become an Orwellian police state.

Agents from the Ministry of Love

George Orwell's 1984 was a required read when I was a student at Delta. The year 1984 was a long way in the future at that time. What he predicted seem fantastic at the time.  As the year passed and 1984 approached, I didn't see his predictions becoming reality.  But then after year 2000 it became obvious that  George Orwell had  predicted the future.  This is 2009 and there is now a video that confirms it.  Orwell was wrong only about the date.  Students should again read George Orwell's dystopian novel, 1984.

A video of police behavior in Pittsburgh.

This is a video of the police state acting-out.

I searched my book shelves for 1984 and found it.  I have not read it since being a student at Delta College.  Now is the time to read it again.

On the Ministry of  Truth are these words: 

WAR IS PEACE

FREEDOM IS SLAVERY

IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH 

source:  George Orwell's 1984

A dystopia (from the Greek δυσ- and τόπος, alternatively, cacotopia,[1] kakotopia, cackotopia, or anti-utopia) is the vision of a society in which conditions of life are miserable and characterized by poverty, oppression, war, violence, disease, pollution, nuclear fallout and/or the abridgement of human rights, resulting in widespread unhappiness, suffering, and other kinds of pain.[2]

School kids taught to praise Obama to 'When the Saint Come Marching in.'

Is this over the limit?  Is this behavior appropriate?  When I was about their age we were expected to sing the Marine anthem.  I even learned most of the anthem's words.  I wondered later who required that first thing in the morning that we salute the flag, pledge alegance and sing the Marine anthem.

This is a video of kids praising Obama.

My Mother is Suing Me.

The lawyer doing it for her is:

Gary M. Ford
Attorney at Law
620-A Woodmere
Traverse City, Michigan  49686
(231) 941-8048

Students can't name first president.

This is a thought provoking CNN video.

Quote of the Week:

What you see and hear depends a great deal on where you are standing; it also depends on what sort of person you are.  ~ C. S. Lewis

Building a Paper Airplane Test

Hi Mike,

I'm amazed at how many people cannot make a paper airplane. That indicates something about the majority.

Tommy, dance teacher, told me that he learned how to make paper airplane when he was a kid. He said he already knew how and left the directions for building the plane behind. Tommy does not know how this airplane is made. I don't think he gives a damn.

He is an excellent dancer but he is also one that will not learn new dances. He just sets and watches. He is caught in the old world and time is marching on and it is leaving Tommy behind.

Stephen

Nancy Pelosi Chokes Up Warning Against Political "Violence"

Below is a link to a video where Nancy Pelosie warns against Political violence that will be the consequence of Americans exercising their Freedom of Speech.

Nancy Pelosi's warning is an education resource for teachers that need to discuss the Freedom of Speech with their students.

Will it happen?  We will know soon.

Quote of the Week:

Children have to be educated, but they have also to be left to educate themselves. ~ A Dimnet

Kids Acting Like Primates

This is the news story about kids fighting on a school bus.  The best video is in the upper right hand box.

RAW VIDEO: Bus Beating Caught on TapeFootage of Kids Fighting on a Bus
The event happened on this date: 09/15/2009 at 03:26am

I road on a school bus the first 12 years of my education.  Such an event never happened.  And, I never heard a rumor that it happened on another bus.  However, such events have recentlly happened on school buses here in the Tampa Bay, Florida area.  It hasn't happened yet this school year.

Last year I toyed with the thought of being a school bus driver. Then told myself, "You would be crazy to be a school bus driver."  I've made bad decisions before, but not that one.

Folding the Perfect Paper Airplane

This is the link to directions as to how to build a paper airplane.

September 2009 Wired magazine on page 28 has better instructions for building Sky King.

This is fun and your kids will love it.

Obama's Student Speech (video)

Obama urged students to work hard and stay in school.

obama.school.speech/Video

Student in the 5th grade watch and then respond to Obama's student speech.

5th grade students respond (Video)

President Obama's Student Speech

Read President Obama's student speech at this White House web site: 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/

How to Avoid Wounds

"Search for and find the skull of a hanged man or one broken on the wheel upon which moss has already sprouted.  Mark the place well and leave the skull untouched, return the next day and adjust the skull in such a manner that it should be easy to pick off the moss.  On the next Friday, before sunrise, go to the place again, scrape off the moss, gather it in a small piece of cloth and have it sewn into the lining of your jerkin, under your left armpit.  As long as you wear the jerkin, you are safe from ball, cut and thrust." 

source:  The History of Stupidity by Paul Tabori

More stupidity:  "When the Earth has passed into the House of Mars, reduce the chamois-stone to powder, take a pinch in malmsey wine, then start running until sweat pours from your body. Repeat it three times and your body shall become invlnerable."  LOL

Parents Against Obama.

This is a YouTube clip that shows parents protesting against Obama before his student speech.   YouTube clip link

A message sent to a principal regarding Obama's pending Speech.

Barbara sent this letter to HER kid’s school. The kids are just beginning Jr. High & she already has them marked as spawns of an idiot.

I thought I'd send you a copy of what she sent so you can see what I have to deal with day in & day out.

She even puts MY phone # on the frigging letter. I pay for the phone. My name & image is tied to the acct. I am not a happy camper.

---------------------------

Dear Mr. Dunning,

I am the parent of two children that attend Paul Smith School, they are in the 6th grade and today I got information that the President presently in power is going to speak to our children via school on Sept.8 . This is unacceptable to me and my children will remain home that day.

I am a staunch Republican and naturally my children share my views. I am an online activist doing everything I possibly can to alert and warn people of the threat to American on it's way to becoming a Socialist Country. My children will take no part in any classroom discussions on this President, no seat work, no homework, nothing . I want them removed from the classroom for any such subject matter. My children will not be indoctrinated / brainwashed into accepting the liberal agenda. No global warming scare tactic videos, no reading material portraying it is okay to be gay, no discussion on abortions as a choice in a future pregnancy.

Last year during the election, my son was subjected to names such as Nazi and Racist because he did not 'vote' for Obama in the classroom election and because he is German. I made known my feelings to the school like I am doing so now. We do not have to have respect for somebody we do not believe in and I am teaching my children to stand up for what they believe.

Thank you for your time,

B. O'Donnell

7*7-9*4-3**6

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/10582301/President-Obama’s-Address-to-Students-Across-America-September-8-2009

Walking Home from School

It is 4:15 p.m. and a junior high student is walking past my house slowly with his head down, as if he had been in the gulag all day. The first few days are when the students are told about rules and regulation. It is then that the principal stresses zero tolerance with large armed uniformed cops standing near him. You do what you are told, stay out of trouble and life will be good. You trip up once and your future is lost. All that is possible is gone. You will live a life of deprivation.

It cannot be that bad: can it? I heard similar word come from the mouth of Sheriff White earlier this summer when he was speaking to Jr. High students and their parents at the local Jr. High.

Mad World by Adam Lambert

All around are me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for the daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
And their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I wanna drown my sorrows
No tomorrow, no tomorrow

And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very very,
Mad world, Mad world

Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy birthday, happy birthday
May they feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me, look right through me

And I find it kind of funny,
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very very
Mad world, Mad world
Mad world, Mad world

I do not want to go to School!

This is the first week of the new school year. It is morning and the kids are walking to the bus stops. Their gate is slow and the expression on their faces indicates that they are going somewhere they do not want to go.

Florida has a 59% dropout rate. Florida is ranked number 3 in the nation and Pinellas County is ranked number 1 in the state.

A few years back, state leaders in a response to low achievement now require all students to take the FCAT. In theory, this was to increase student achievement. It may have in fact increased the dropout rate and gave the illusion that achievement was increased.

The expressions on students' faces and their gate indicates that they are not willing students. They acted like they are going to school under duress.

Flu Shot

The Kite Runners

Those of us that teach junior high and high school boys should see ‘The Kite Runners’.
It is available from NetFlix.com. If you think that what you will see doesn’t happen here; you are wrong. You must become aware of it before you can prevent it. After that, you need a plan and be willing to quickly execute it.

Begin by watching the movie or reading the book. The book is available from Amazon.  I hope you are not too busy or disinterested.

What you will see, IMO, is more about domination and control rather than sexuality.

Quote of the Week:

Courage is what it takes to stand up & speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. ~W. Churchill

Just Wondering

Did someone who controls what you teach, administrator college professor, tell you not to read this blog or visit Lessonplans.com? I have reason to think that his is the case.

Flu shots

This morning it was reported on Channel 10 that the regular flu vaccine is now available. Later the swine flu vaccine will be available. That vaccination will require 2 injections. The second 3 weeks after the first.

The report assured us that millions of injections were being quickly made and would soon be available. Has it been tested? NO! We have been assured that if there is a problem, injecting will stop. Will the stop before or after you are injected? Sometimes the effect is not known for months or even years.

They eject millions of us and afterwards some percentage of us gets a reaction that kills children, friends, and us. Is that the price we pay for being safe? This whole thing just isn’t right. There is something rotten and it stinks.

The Natural History of Stupidity, Paul Tabori

Only rarely does such a provocative theme, treated so daringly and written with outrageous wit, given to us. The author believes that the greatest enemy of mankind is man’s own stupidity. I agree with that and think that you should talk to your students about it.

Cash for Clunker

Did you take advantage of the clunker for cash offer? Did you get somewhere between $3,500 and $4,500? I’m wondering if you thought about the income tax consequence of accepting that offer. It wasn’t tax-free. Depending on your income tax bracket, that amount will be expected back April 15th by the IRS.

What happened to your critical thinking skill?

Quote of the Week

Perseverance is not a long race, it is many short races one after another. ~ Walter Elliott

Watching Football with Petros at the Lime-n-Coconut.

Saturday was a slow night.  Mainly just me and Petros watching a football game from the bar. Petro is a relative of the owner. A pleasant Greek boy.  I comment that the football players are stupid jocks. He then told me that they are rich. I agreed. Then followed by telling him that they are over paid stupid jocks.  Then he told me that since he cannot be a professional football player, he will settle for being smart. What blocks him from being that is that he has no formal education beyond high school.

Petros is intelligent with the potential of being smart.  However, he will never become that without studying for many years. I plan to talk to him about that.

Lime-n-Coconut Twitter

Swine Flu

I heard on the news a few days ago that the swine flu vaccination will require two injections. This morning I heard that only one injection will be required. A few weeks ago a creditable source stated that three injections would be required. Also, this morning it was reported that we should expect shortly an explosive increase in swine flu infections, lasting two to three weeks before leveling off. Then there is the preparations for swine flu riots in high schools. http://www.sunjournal.com/node/105339/

I have lived long enough and have ample education to be able to recognize, most of the time, what is true and what is not. Unfortunately, I'm bombarded with what is not true. My skepticism saves me.

What are our youth to do when they try to understand what they hear and act upon it? The reliable sources they should be able to rely on are their teachers. Hopefully, they have taught them to be skeptical.

Twitting in the Classroom.

What are you going to do about that?

Twitter is 40% ‘Pointless Babble’: Report

Twitter followers are more likely to hear about what people are having for their lunch than read anything actually interesting or worthwhile, according to Pear Analytics. Read the full report at this link. http://www.cnbc.com/id/32446935

I twit. I happen to think that my twits are worth ready if you are interested in me. I likely would not like your twits either. Think of me as being a twitter too. LOL

Swine Flu to a Fever Pitch

Every year since I moved to Florida back in the 70's flu has been an issue. There were many years when I skipped the flu shot. Now, I have been getting a yearly flu shot for a few years and there has never been a complication. This year the hype is more intense then it has ever been. I read that we will now be required to take a series of three shot rather than just one. At first, I didn't think that this would be a problem. It is, you have to take your child or your students somewhere three time at a predetermined interval that has not been disclosed yet. Think about it.

I have know about germ warfare for a very long time. Is this the source of this problem? Is this problem created the military or some federal agency that is distracting us from some problem they don't want us to think about? I don't know the answers. These answers are eventually disclosed over a beer with someone that wants to disclose when there isn't any consequences.

I over heard Paul B., retired CIA, tell Trevor that if he answered that question, he would have to kill him.

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1206807/Swine-flu-jab-link-killer-nerve-disease-Leaked-letter-reveals-concern-neurologists-25-deaths-America.html

Quote of the Week

I put the relation of a fine teacher to a student just below the relation of a mother to a son. ~Thomas Wolfe

How can you survive the end of the world?

A Jehova's Witnesses flyer asked that question. The answer is, "The world is not going to end for billions of years." The Jehova's Witnesses will be gone by then and so will I. Both will be a good thing.

If we were performing as educators effectively the Johova's Witnesses and other groups like them would fade away. They are not, that should give you something to think about or to be thankful for depending on your belief system or lack there of having one.

Could the people we thought we educated be this stupid?

Why our country is in trouble. A DC airport ticket agent offers some examples of 'why' our country is in trouble!

1. I had a New Hampshire Congresswoman (Carol Shea-Porter) ask for an aisle seat so that her hair wouldn't get messed up by being near the window. (On an airplane!)

2. I got a call from a Kansas Congressman's (Moore) staffer (Howard Bauleke), who wanted to go to Capetown. I started to explain the length of the flight and the passport information, and then he interrupted me with, ''I'm not trying to make you look stupid, but Capetown is in Massachusetts .'' Without trying to make him look stupid, I calmly explained, ''Cape Cod is in Massachusetts, Capetown is in Africa ''his response -- click.

3. A senior Vermont Congressman (Bernie Sanders) called, furious about a Florida package we did. I asked what was wrong with the vacation in Orlando . He said he was expecting an ocean-view room. I tried to explain that's not possible, since Orlando is in the middle of the state.He replied, 'don't lie to me, I looked on the map and Florida is a very thin state!'' (OMG)

4. I got a call from a lawmaker's wife (Landra Reid) who asked, ''Is it possible to see England from Canada ?''I said, ''No.''She said, ''But they look so close on the map.'' (OMG, again!)

5. An aide for a cabinet member (Janet Napolitano) once called and asked if he could rent a car in Dallas. I pulled up the reservation and noticed he had only a 1-hour layover in Dallas. When I asked him why he wanted to rent a car, he said, ''I heard Dallas was a big airport, and we will need a car to drive between gates to save time.'' (Aghhhh)

6. An Illinois Congresswoman (Jan Schakowsky) called last week. She needed to know how it was possible that her flight from Detroit left at 8:30 a..m., and got to Chicago at 8:33 a.m.I explained that Michigan was an hour ahead of Illinois, but she couldn't understand the concept of time zones. Finally, I told her the plane went very, very fast, and she bought that.

7. A New York lawmaker, (Jerrold Nadler) called and asked, ''Do airlines put your physical description on your bag so they know whose luggage belongs to whom?'' I said, 'No, why do you ask?'He replied, ''Well, when I checked in with the airline, they put a tag on my luggage that said (FAT), and I'm overweight. I think that's very rude!''After putting him on hold for a minute, while I looked into it. (I was dying laughing). I came back and explained the city code for Fresno, CA is (FAT - Fresno Air Terminal), and the airline was just putting a destination tag on his luggage.

8.. A Senator John Kerry aide (Lindsay Ross) called to inquire about a trip package to Hawaii. After going over all the cost info, she asked, ''Would it be cheaper to fly to California and then take the train to Hawaii ?''

9. I just got off the phone with a freshman Congressman, Bobby Bright (D) from Ala who asked, ''How do I know which plane to get on?''I asked him what exactly he meant, to which he replied, ''I was told my flight number is 823, but none of these planes have numbers on them.''

10. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D) called and said, ''I need to fly to Pepsi-Cola, Florida. Do I have to get on one of those little computer planes?''I asked if she meant fly to Pensacola, FL on a commuter plane. She said, ''Yeah, whatever, smarty!''

11. Mary Landrieu (D) La. Senator called and had a question about the documents she needed in order to fly to China. After a lengthy discussion about passports, I reminded her that she needed a visa. 'Oh, no I don't. I've been to China many times and never had to have one of those.'' I double checked and sure enough, her stay required a visa. When I told her this she said, ''Look, I've been to China four times and every time they have accepted my American Express!''

12. A New Jersey Congressman (John Adler) called to make reservations, ''I want to go from Chicago to Rhino, New York .''I was at a loss for words. Finally, I said, ''Are you sure that's the name of the town?'''Yes, what flights do you have?'' replied the man.After some searching, I came back with, ''I'm sorry, sir, I've looked up every airport code in the country and can't find a rhino anywhere."''The man retorted, ''Oh, don't be silly! Everyone knows where it is. Check your map!''So I scoured a map of the state of New York and finally offered, ''You don't mean Buffalo, do you?''The reply? ''Whatever! I knew it was a big animal.''Now you know why the Government is in the shape that it's in! Could anyone be this DUMB? YES, THEY WALK AMONG US, ARE IN POLITICS, AND THEY CONTINUE TO BREED. I don't write it, I just offer it for your consideration.

The History of Stupidity by Paul Tabori

It is important to read this book because we may be continuing our history. I was told that it is important to understand history, otherwise we are destined to repeat it. Read the book and judge for your self if we are repeating history. I think we are and I'm doing whatever I can to limit the damage to me personally. Perhaps, directing you toward the History of Stupidity will cause you to read it and benefit from the read. That is all I can do to ameliorate the predicament.

Transcendental Meditation

You should read what The Skeptic has to say about it. http://www.skepdic.com/tm.html

I got caught up in TM when I was a college student. I was introduced to it my the son of a Michigan State University professor's son when he recruited at Delta College. I was impress, joined the group and began meditating shortly after that. I did that for about 5 years. Then I connected with Dr. Richard Alpert, psychologist. He changed his name to Ram Dass and acted like a guru. I realized later that he was mentally sick and trashed everything that I had been taught.

I live about 15 miles form the Clearwater, FL Church of Scientology. Dr. Alpert and Al Ron Hubbard have much in common.

America's population now exceeds 307,000,000

America is on a population grow trajectory that will result in it population that will exceed 1,000,000,000 (one billion) in the near future. Learn the consequences of this by reading Juggernaut by Lindsey Grant.

U.S. Population Clock: http://www.census.gov/population/www/popclockus.html

Defective Planning

When my uncle Richard moved to Florida he bought a powerful 42" Sports Fisherman. It had two 427 motors and two fuel takes. Each could hold 500 gallons. It was at the time of the Cuban boat lift when he chartered his boat to rescue Cubans.

His plan was to charter the Sports Fisherman, collect a large amount of money and go only a short distance toward Cuba. He planned to make the ride so wild that the Cubans would want to quickly go to port. The money was nonrefundable, after all, the goal of the plan was to get and keep their money.

He anticipated that they would want their money back. That is why he had taken a hand gun. The trip to Cuban began and quickly ended in Clearwater. It was there that a confrontation over money began. Richard pull his gun. The Cubans called the cops and Richard was arrested and put in jail. What was wrong with his plan?

You don't need to plan for the future.

All you need to do is control the present. The future will only be another now that you control. So, it really isn't necessary to plan for the future. Have you noticed that this type of person talks fast and loud. They do that in an attempt to keep their life from unravelling.

Do you think I would have created LessonPlans.com if I didn't think that planning was important? I do live in the present and I do plan in the present. And, my life unfold based upon a plan; of course the unexpected happens. I knew it would, just didn't know what it would be.

I planned to go to college when I was in high school. I did and as a result, I was able to create Lessonplans.com.

You don't need to plan for the future but you should. How are you going to know what alternative to choose without a plan? I suppose you could pick one and live with the surprise.

Drawing a conclusion without knowing the reference and facts.

I needed to take grapes to share to Dancers Rendezvous but didn't have small disposable bowls. I got the grapes at one location and bowls at another. The problem developed at SweatBay. There I remembered that the cats needed food. So I pick-up a four pack of canned cat food and plastic bowls. That is all I took to checkout. On the surface it would appear that I was going to go somewhere and eat cat food. And, NO! I'm not going to serve it to anyone else.

Wednesday I'm going to be with Mike for a few hours. He without exception will jump to a conclusion with out knowing the reference and the fact and pursue it until I have to rudely challenge him. Mike has graduated from NYU with a major in Mathematics.

Mike isn't the only one that Jumps to a conclusion without knowing the reference and facts.

Hegemony

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hegemony

Hubris

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubris

My High School Chemistry Lab.

In Chemistry we were taught how to separate the water molecule into hydrogen and oxygen. We would then causes them to recombine into water with an electric spark. That caused a pop that could be heard by the Chemistry teacher. The pop made him angry and he threatened to close the lab if it happened again. It wasn't very long when it happened again and he closed the lab for the rest of the school year. I always thought he was afraid that someone would get hurt and he would be held personally responsible. I only realized recently what we had discovered.

In Astronomy the origin of water is a mystery. I live near the Gulf of Mexico and have wondered where all that water came from. One explanation that I have heard is comets during the early formation of Earth. I think that accounts for only a small percentage of our water.
This is its source. Look at the periodic table. Hydrogen is the first element and oxygen is number eight. Put them together and add a spark and you have water. Hydrogen happens to be the most plentiful element and oxygen is also plentiful. Earth is made up of all the elements. Hydrogen is here only because it combined with oxygen as water. Any hydrogen that didn't escaped into space because our gravity isn't strong enough to hold it leaving behind water. Now you know where all that water came from. It took me 35 years to figure it out. The Chemistry teacher slowed discovery, but he didn't stop it. If his intent was to do that, then he should have shot Stephen. It only took you about 60 seconds to read this.

First World Urban Elite

That just came onto my radar for the first time. I wonder what that is about.

The city way of life rules.

I'm a country kid that went to the University. I still remember the country life. Wixom like was near me and there the city people would move to their resort homes and play with their water toys. They had more money and felt superior to us. I over heard one of the girls say when she was asked, "What are you doing here?" She responded, "Watching the grease slide."

They likely didn't know the source of the food that they were eating. Hundreds of tons of beans, corn, and sugar beats at the time were being harvested from our fields. You likely took that for granted and thought that would continue for ever.

That generation is now living in houses on some of our best farm land. We sold it to land developers. They divided into lots and wrote deed restrictions that prohibit you from growing your own food.

Mike was you to watch this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKEZoY-TMG4

Humm .......

I thought that teachers would be a solution and then realized that most of them and their system are the source of the problem.

I asked 10-year-old Chris when he will learn to dance.

Chris answered, "NEVER!" Then he said, "Do you want to see me do the rock-n-roll dance. To that I said, "Yes." He stood and told me to think of him holding a guitar over his head and then he smashed it onto the floor. Chris then said, "That is my dance!"

This is the third year that Chris has watched us dance and take a lesson. He never participated. He would only be there and be preoccupied with his fantasy world.

I might introduce him to a few steps. Seems that he could learn to run, run, run counter clockwise 3/4 of a circle and then hitch. That is the last 8 counts of Mad World. What percentage chance to I have of him attempting to learn that? I think it is zero.

Ignorance is bliss?

Seems like there are schemes everywhere.

I just experienced CompUSA scheme. A few last week I got caught up in the Home Depots contest scheme. I can spot them within a few minutes. Sometimes I realize what happened when I'm setting in my car. All the people that are doing this have one thing in common. They were in some one's classroom.

What are you doing to create these people?

So your son wants to buy a Fuji touring bike.

A Fuji touring bike costs between $900 to $1,100. I bought a used one a few years ago for $299. A friend said I paid too much. I feel fortunate I bought it.

I just came back from a ride on the best bike I've ever owned.

Pinellas County, Florida was agricultural.

It's not agricultural now. The only thing that remains are roads such as Brian Dairy Road. Saul's Dairy is gone without leaving a trace. I know where it was because it is in my memory. Your first responds is likely that it has no consequence to you. And, you would likely be right. But it does to the students that drank milk from those dairies.

I live in what was an orange grove. A few of us have citrus trees in our back yards that create enough for me and a few friends. I tried to sell what I didn't want a few years ago and got cited by Code Enforcement. Giving them away is also a problem.

Zoning has restricted manufacturing. There are now few areas zoned for industry. However, there are still a few zones where clean manufacturing is allowed.

Manufacturing has traditionally been where your students could eventually earn a living and support a family. That has ended. What we have now is retailing, restaurants, medical services, pan handling, street walking and law enforcement. What kind of a future is that?

I was a kid from a farming community.

I helped grow the food you eat. The field in front of my house was over a mile long and a quarter mile wide. It was some times full of corn other times beans and sugar beats. We know the source of your food and the city kids really didn't care. FFA was not a positive label and most people know know the meaning of those letters.

Unfortunately the gap between those who raise your food and those that take it for a given that they will always have the food they need is not a certainty. The ignorance of students and their parents and teachers will cause a lot of pain in the not too distance future. Think about Maslow's Hierarchy of needs again.

This problem had begun when I was a high school student. It has only gotten worse since then.

Humm .... What do you think?

Visit: http://www.ffa.org/

Quotable

I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again. ~William Penn

We live like kings and queens.

Your first response to that is likely, no I don't. If you answer no to most of these questions, then you do.

1. Do you grow your own food?
2. Do you prepare your own food?
3. Do you can, dry or otherwise prepare your food for storage?
4. Do you weave your own cloth?
5. Do you make your own clothes?
6. Did you build your own house or living unit?
7. Do you maintain your own house or living unit?
8. Did you make your own transportation?
9. Do you maintain your own transportation?
10. Do you set while someone else entertains you? (A YES for this one is the same as a NO.)

If you answered no to most of these, then you live your live as a king or queen.

You might think that you could live your life differently. That is not the case. Laws, rules and regulations blocks much of what you would try to do. The other obstruction is the lack of specialized tools, knowledge and skills.

Your students are caught in the same predicament.

You know the economy is tanking when they think you are eating cat food.

My three cat were out of canned cat food and they were pestering me. So I thought it was best to go to the super market and buy cat food and a gallon of milk. I was out of that too. At the cash register a kind voice said, "Don't eat the cat food." Humm .... the milk was for me and the cat food was for KittyKat, Dixie and Pixie. The cashier likely visualized me putting the cat food in a bowl and pouring on milk.

A Twitter site for teachers you might want to follow.

http://twitter.com/SchooNoodle

Reserve you Twitter name NOW!

I attempted to reserve Stephen_Lyons and discovered that someone else now has it. I then tried Stephen__Lyons and that had not been taken. I have it now and I will not part with it.
http://twitter.com/Stephen__Lyons Visit mine and you will see what I did.

Twitter is great for announcements.

Your students will think highly of you if you are using Twitter. If you don't, you risk being thought of as being an outdated jerk. I would agree with them.

The last best hope!

Readers, writers, and books are fading away: Stephen@lessonplans.com. I doubt if I get an email from anyone. That will help confirm the premise.

Yesterday I got my issue of Wired. I found this on page 43. "A device like that [Kindle] is the last best hope paper-based companies have for coping with the reality that paper is doomed." I think that reading and writing books is doomed also. Your attention span has shrunk to the point where you are unable to read a book. Without readers of books, then what follows?

If I do get an email as a result of this post, it will likely be short and rude.

I got a surprise in my mailbox.

I ordered from Amazon.com Noam Chomsky's Failed States. It should be an enlightening read. What surprised me before getting past the cover was how cheaply made it is. I've handled a lot of books and I know what they should feel like. This one has the feel of a cheap paperback even though it has a suggested retail price of $16.

It has been a few years since I have bought a book. When was the last time you bought a book or read one. That it the problem. How many books are in your house? That is another problem.

Okay, so you and your friends don't like to read. What effect do you think that has on writers?

What happened to Junior Achievement?

I remember Junior Achievement. I was attending Midland High School at the time. After that, I lost contact with it for many years.

Junior Achievement wasn't in Saginaw High when I was there. I then taught in the Meridian school system. It wasn't there either. That may have been that Meridian was a rural school system and the people there didn't think that it was of any worth. There you were either a farmer or you worked by the hour for Dow Chemical or General Motors: you were an hourly or salary employee. One of the school board members wanted us to punch in and out with a time clock. If it was good enough for him, then it was good enough for teachers.

Junior Achievement had been in small town high schools. It see that it has now in the elementary and middle schools, if at all. It is now and that is another loss.

What happened to cause this to happen? There are multiple causes. Think about it.

Follow me with Twitter.

http://twitter.com/StephenLyons03

The fate of a high school dropout

Here in Florida there is a high dropout rate.

At this point in time, I don't want to think or write about it.

Get ready for the new school year.

Learn to use resources like TeacherPlanet and Lessonplans.com and your will be a more effective teacher.

http://www.teacherplanet.com/calendar/calendar.php?op=cal&month=7&year=2009

http://www.lessonplans.com

Thank you for reading the Educator's Blog

Tell me what you want me to write about. Stephen@lessonplans.com

A great loss of a 22 year-old.

It is with great sadness that I tell our class about the death of the Ballroom Instructor Stephan Matkowski (22), Tuesday night Inst before us, who died in a plane crash on Sunday in Virginia on the way home from competition in New York with one of his students and her husband the pilot (Checker's executive) and owner of the plane! It is so incredibly sad!
He will be greatly missed by myself for sure! He always had such a positive attitude about life and always made the transition of his class to ours very easy and fun! He was a huge part of the studio with his Ballroom background and will be really missed by the owners! Stephan was there before the new owners took over!
See you tomorrow!
Diane

Link to Michael Jackon's daugher speaking.

You can here the words spoken by Michael Jackson's daughter at his funeral. These are the most important words ever spoken.

http://www.breitbart.tv/i-love-him-michael-jacksons-daughter-gives-tearful-farewell-at-memorial/

We have become a nation of freaks.

Hi Ronald,

Those fat women next door and their kids in the pool are the continuation of nothing good. They should not be allowed to create more of their same kind. They are representative of a destructive force that is killing us and the source of our current problem.

We have become a nation of freaks.

Stephen

It's only a light bulb!

The light bulb in the attic needed to be replaced and the ceiling is very low. It is only a crawl space and little Ray enthusiastically wanted to do it. He's father thinks he is a genius. I'm sure you have experienced parents like that. Off little Ray went. When he got to the fixture, he didn't know what to do and he couldn't follow my directions but one. Ray, "Get out of there, I'll do it myself."

Remember this joke? How many ____ does it take to change a light bulb. Three: one to hold the bulb and two to turn the ladder.

It is seven times more likely that it is dad.

I was at the Green Bay grocery story and on the way out I looked at the front page of the Tampa Tribune. There I saw this headline: Child porn's dirty secret: Dads often behind lens.

Read all of it at this link.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jul/05/na-child-porns-dirtysecret-dads-often-behind-lens/news-metro/

A food binge at a restaurant

I took Nancy and Kyle (Nancy's son) out for breakfast. I thought I had enough money. Kyle was 20 at the time. He is a large boy, perhaps twice my size. Kyle ordered much more than I have ever ordered for breakfast. I thought at the time that I would let it pass because of his size. Nancy ordered very little and I cut back.

The food arrived and Kyle only ate a small percentage of what he ordered. There was enough left for Nancy and Kyle's lunch. I thought they would just take it home with them. Kyle would have none of that. He would not eat it and he would not take it home. I began doing a slow burn inside. I did not like what was happening. I paid the bill and that was the last time I took Kyle with us.

What Kyle did was execute a food binge. The consumption binge is everywhere and at all levels and it destroying us. It's happens when someone fills their Hummer. It happens when someone leaves lights on in the house so they will not have to turn them on when they come home. It happens when the obese shops at Sam's and fills their large cart with food. On and on it goes and it will eventually end. Kayle ended and so did Nancy.

Yes! There are dumb questions.

I was told by a University professor that there was no such thing as a dumb question. There is! I have just been ask by an 8-year-old more dumb questions than I can endure.

"Hungry! Will work for food."

That is what it said on his sign. There still isn't a law against begging at an intersection in Pasco county Florida.

Today a neighbor boy, about 8, hit on me for money to go to the Tarpon roller rink. I gave him a dollar. He said he needed $5 and I told him that he would have to get the rest somewhere else. The little boy doesn't know yet that the needs a permit to ask a householder for money. The only way here to beg without a permit is at an intersection. They usually do it where there is a stop light.

Wait until they post a sign. That is prohibited by code too. LOL

Twit me!

http://twitter.com/StephenLyons03

Some are already angry.

I didn't go to to the Boat Club last night because I felt threatened by angry people last Tuesday.
There I heard a long tragic story from a 52-year-old mother who was recently fired from the Home Depot.

I thought in the beginning that the arrival of the Home Depot was going to be tragic for many. It is a convenience for me. For the small independent retailers, it was the beginning of the end. My father thought that bigger was better. People like him bought from the biggest retailers. However, I continued to buy from Holiday Wholesale until it closed. It had been the source of income for a family, a few friend and a good neighbor. There I could write a check without producing a ID and get helpful advise regarding solving a plumbing problem.

The Home Depot not only caused small retailers to closed, it blocked others from starting. If you were not authorized by the Home Depot and willing to forfeit 10% of the sale, then you were not allowed into the Home Depot circle.

So if you cannot start a business, then you have to work for perhaps the Home Depot as an employee. You become wage slave. Is Junior achievement about becoming a wage slave?

Code Enforcement has gradually become a blocking factor. There is little that you can do that does not require a permit and a required license to get the permit. They both require money up-front. If you advertise and you are investigated. The result of that is usually a visit from a Code Enforcement officer. This has been extended to your own home. Yes, in most cases a permit is required to improve or repair even your own home.

Not long ago the desperate could take scrap to the Hobb's Junk yard. That now has been blocked. Every way they turn, their a source of income is blocked by rules, regulations and enforcers. This is not the end of the story. It is just that I have exceeded my willingness to write.

Their anger is justified.

Danny's Lawn & Landscaping

Daniel [14] gave me his flier today. In the past, I received one of these from a similar boy. At the time I thought it was a great idea and something I should support. It is what Jr. Achievement is all about. It is the free enterprise in action at its early beginning. Young boys providing a service that helps others and receiving money for meeting other's needs. There cannot possible be anything wrong with that or is there? There is and I'm not going to encourage Daniel.

The boys that began that path were arrested and put in a juvenile home for criminal boys. Their business venture was the beginning of the end for those boys. What happened was basically nothing. Not one of the retirees living here hired the boys to do anything. I hired them once to put out fliers. The problem occurred because I knew where not to leave a flier. All hell broke loose and I had to tell the boys to stop. That ended the money they had been receiving from me and no one else hired them to do anything. That made the boys angry. I think they were justified to be angry. They took out their anger on the club house. That act turned them into criminals.

Daniel is going down the same path. He hasn't become disillusioned yet. He will and then there is the high probability that he will become angry. Where and how he directs that anger will determine his future.If he lived in a nurturing society, he would have a bright future. Little does he know that Code Enforcement will soon visit him. They are never encouraging. They will ask him to produce a license and when he cannot do that, he will be ordered to stop. If he doesn't, then he will be ordered to appear in court. If he doesn't do that, he will be in contempt of court and there will be a warrant for his arrest. Daniel will have a good reason to be angry. I don't want to be around when he acts out.

The bottom line: When a child provides goods or services for money, they are in the the adult domain and potentially in jeopardy. In other words, when a child has to hustle for money as do many poor kids, the legal system will not be far behind. Fortunate are the kids from families where they are free from the hustle and can focus on learning, travel and socializing. All those things that are the birth right of the upper class.

My Son Died 30 Years Ago At Kent State

My Son Died 30 Years Ago At Kent State

by Elaine Holstein

Today is the 30th anniversary of the killing of four students - including my son Jeff Miller - at Kent State University by the Ohio National Guard.

At a few minutes past noon today, I am once again observing this anniversary - an anniversary that marks not only the most tragic event of my life but also one of the most disgraceful episodes in American history.

Thirty years! That's 10 years longer than Jeff's life. He had turned 20 just a month before he decided to attend the protest rally that ended in his death and the deaths of Allison Krause, Sandy Scheuer and Bill Schroeder, and the wounding of nine of their fellow students. That Jeff chose to attend that demonstration came as no surprise to me. Anyone who knew him in those days would have been shocked if he had decided to sit that one out.

There were markers along the way that led him inexorably to that campus protest. At the age of 8, Jeff wrote an article expressing his concern for the plight of black Americans. I learned of this only when I received a call from Ebony magazine, which assumed he was black and assured me he was bound to be a "future leader of the black community."

Shortly before his 16th birthday, Jeff composed a poem he called "Where Does It End?" In it, he expressed the horror he felt about "the War Without a Purpose." So when Jeff called me on the morning of May 4th and told me he planned to attend a rally to protest the "incursion" of U.S. military forces into Cambodia, I merely expressed my doubt as to the effectiveness of still another demonstration.

"Don't worry, Mom," he said. "I may get arrested, but I won't get my head busted." I laughed and assured him I wasn't worried.

The bullet that ended Jeff's life also destroyed the person I had been - a naive, politically unaware woman. Until the spring of 1970, I would have stated with absolute assurance that Americans have the right to dissent publicly from the policies pursued by their government. The Constitution says so.

And even if the dissent got noisy and disruptive, was it conceivable that an arm of the government would shoot at random into a crowd of unarmed students? With live ammunition? No way!

The myth of a benign America was one casualty of the shootings at Kent State. Another was my assumption that everyone shared my belief that we were engaged in a no-win situation in Vietnam and had to get out.

As the body count mounted and the footage of napalmed babies became a nightly television staple, I was certain that no one would want the war to go on. The hate mail that began arriving at my home after Jeff died showed me how wrong I was.

To most people, Kent State is just one of those traumatic events that occurred during a tumultuous time. To me, it's the one experience I will never recover from. It's also the one gap in my communication with my older son, Russ: Neither of us dares to talk about what happened at Kent State for fear that we'll open floodgates of emotion we can't deal with.

Whenever there is another death in the family, we not only mourn the elderly parent or grandparent or aunt who has passed away; we also experience again the loss of Jeff.Elaine Holstein lives in New York. She can be reached at pmproj@progressive.org[P.S. Two days after this incident, two black students at Jackson State University in Mississippi were also killed by the National Guard. These six students were peacefully and constitutionally protesting an unjust war and tragically became victims of it.]

Where would we be as a social group if ....

Where would we be as a social group if those of us who care were considered by the majority to be mentally sick? Teaching should be a caring profession. I have always thought it was. But, what if I have always been wrong?

I just got down from my roof where I had to deal with a roof problem. There I could hear the lyrics of a rap song. Repeated over and over were these words with a female voice: "He be gone crazy, he be gone crazy, he be gone crazy ...." Do you really care? These could be the words of a high school drop-out. The boy was doomed by the system. Do you really care?

Caring isn't dead ....

Caring isn't dead, but it sure has become rare. What can be done for someone that will not care for themself?

Michael expected us to be kind.

When Michael Jackson expected us to be kind, he was expecting too much. That should not be the case, but it is the majority of the time. Kind people are the exception.

This is what Warren Buffett said about our economic situation.

Tangela,

This is what Warren Buffett said about our situation. http://www.cnbc.com/id/31526130

Mike's step-son got out of jail a few days ago. His mom has negative expectation for him. The kid is doomed. Here the people, houses, and businesses are coming apart. You and James are the exception. Here, things are just going from bad to worse for most of us. We might drag everyone else down with us. 'Lawyer Bill' thinks it all just a big joke. So long as he is dunk or under the influence of something everything is cool. His wife should Baker Act him. There are always exceptions, I don't think that the excepts will save the day.

Stephen

My Twitter address has changed again.

https://twitter.com/StephenLyons03 Put this in you browser. When there, if you want to follow, click follow. Respond, if that is what you want to do.

Stephen
Editor-at-large

Twitter is being added to Lessonplans.com

This link will take you to our Twitter. http://twitter.com/Lessonplans_com (I thought it would, but it doesn't. You can get there by cutting and pasting the URL into your browser window.)

Teaching without purpose or meaning ....

... is pointless.

Speed-teaching

Speed-teaching

I watched an education segment on USF, Create. There a high school student was teaching how to write an equation that defines a slopping straight line. The teach took about 15 minutes. I was at first impressed. After I realized what had happened, I was greatly unimpressed by the disingenuous teach.

The presentation had been speeded digitally. What should have taken at least an hour spread over a few days was compressed into minutes. I learn fast, but not that fast. I think it was beyond anyone’s ability to learn. I could follow the student teacher because I had already learned what was being taught; for me, it was a review.

The speed reminded me of when I was in a speed-reading class at Midland High. We would scan down a page and flip it. Books would be read at an astronomic speeds and comprehension was supposedly high. I realized that it had been a fraud after I became an educated adult.

There are several factors that could be supporting speed-teaching:

1. Students are in a competitive environment where learning is a measure of intelligence. Those that learn the quickest and the most gain superiority. That reminds me of my nephews. Both of them went though a phase where they were encouraged to read books. They reasoned that reading more books was better than just reading a few. So they would announce periodically the number of books that they had read: 10, 32, 105 etc. They both were socially promoted and graduated from high school. (Mom was a math teacher and Dad was on the school board) One dropped out of community college the other graduated from a recreation college where he majored in mountain climbing.
2. Administrator can lower the cost of education an individual student if they can do it quicker with a non-certified student of about the same age that is paid usually nothing. And, student, parents and even Stephen will be impressed. I really was at first.
3. Most short attention span student would like it. Then they can get onto doing what they really want to do and that is not understanding how to write and algebraic equation. How many of them are interested in the ‘Y’ intercept?

The bottom line: I am not impressed with speed-teaching regardless of who is doing it.

Is this what is right about us as humans?

I wonder if this is what is right about us as humans. The following is a list of dances we have learned. I have learned only a small fraction of them, others have learned much more then I have and wonder why I am driven to learn a new dance before I have mastered the ones I already know.

It's great fun and it has a positive effect on my life.


CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNER AND THANKS, EVERYONE, FOR TAKING THE TIME TO VOTE!!

52 PokerFace/CraigBennett/intermediate43 Whiter Than White-Kim Ray/Intermediate-Advanced 29 Amame-Robbie/McGowan-Hickie/Int 29 Coochie coochie Bang Bang/Blevins/int29 Guantanamera-Kim Ray-Int25 Make My Day-Francien Sittrop-Beg/Int.24 Life Without You/Maggie Gallagher 24 Tango Cha/Thompson-Szymanski & Szekely/Int 22 Jesse James/Rachael McEnaney/Intermediate/Advanced 21 U Turn/Robbie McGowen Hickie/Beg/Int20 18 yellow Roses/Maria Tao/Intermediate20 Moonlight Kiss-Maggie Gallagher/Intermediate20 My Veronica-Peter Metelnick & Allison Biggs/ Beginner/Intermediate 20 Turn Me Loose-Simon Ward-Int 18 Hush Hush-Musk/Advanced17 Broken Glass/Scott Blevins/Int/Adv 17 Holding On To Yesterday/Peter Metelnick & Alison Biggs/int17 Insomnia/Walton/Intermediate 17 Roomba/Guyton Mundy/Int 16 Addicted-McEnaney/intermediate-Advanced16 Feel/ScottBlevins/Int 16 Here's Looking At You Kid/Steve Lescarbeau/Intermediate15 Beautiful/ShazWalton/intermediate15 Love Worth Waiting For/Maria Tao/Intermediate14 Born 2 Dance-Julia Ann Kennedy 14 Sting Me/Pamela Leader & Ray Crum/Intermediate13 Go Mama Go-Kate Sala & Robbie McGowan Hickie-Beg/Int13 Isolated-McLaughlin/Intermediate-Advanced13 Love Me Tomorrow/Peter Metelnick / Alison Biggs /Int12 human-dancer/alan birchall/intermediate 12 TOES/Rachel McEnaney 12 Wanna Be Elvis/Robbie Mcgowen-Hickie/Beg-int.11 Ease on Down/Rachael McEnaney/JP/Bracken Ellis Potter11 Halo/Neville&Julie/Int 9 And I like it/Maggie Gallagher/Int 9 Being lonely/kim Ray/int9 Go baby go/Rachel McEnaney/int9 My New Life/Offermans/Begin.8 Magic/Shaz Walton/Int-Adv 8 My Next Love/Poulsen/Intermediate 8 Never ending love/Maria Tao/Intermediate8 Not like that/Robbie McGowan Hickie/Intermediate8 Purple Rain-McEnaney/Intermediate8 Runaround Sue-Rachel McEnaney . 8 Sister Kate/Ria Vos/Intermediate7 Am I?/Cato Larsen/Intermediate7 Cha Cha/Peter Ng/Intermediate7 Cool Chick-Robbie McGowan Hickie7 Country As Can Be-Suzanne Wilson7 Downpour-Paul McAdam 7 Faith In Love/Junior Willis & Craig Bennett/Intermediate7 How Long -Jo Thompson 7 I Held Your Hand/Sevel & Poulsen/Advanced7 invisible-Junior Willis7 Mama said/Maria Tao/int7 Rio - Diana Lowery 7 Shattered/Tom Clemons/Intermediate7 Swing-N-Cha/Patrick Fleming & Zac Detweiller7 Why Did You Lie?/ Jo Thompson Szymanski & Debbie Szekely/ Intermediate6 1-2-3-Summertime/Verdonk&Bos/Intermediate6 Better In Time-Dancin' Terry/Int6 Bossy/Michele Perron/Int/Adv 6 Burning/Larsen/Intermediate6 Drop the Beat-John Robinson6 Fire On Ice/Sala/int 6 Food Chain/Scott Blevins/Int 6 Go with the Flow/Peter&Alison6 In Control/Cato Larsen/Intermediate6 In Your Backyard-Thomas Haynes 6 Just Dance/Peter Metelnick&Alison Biggs/Int-Adv 6 Just The Two of Us/Ruben Luna6 LA Secret/Robbie McGowan Hickie/Int 6 Like A Dream-Peter & Allison-Int6 Mystery Cha/Paul McAdams/int.6 Notice the Danger/Mundy/Int6 Searching/Kate Sara/Int6 Senseless Cha/Neville & Julie/Int6 Tennessee Waltz/Maria Tao/Intermediate 6 Zjozzy's Funk/Petra/Inter 5 All I Got/Robbie McGowan Hickie/Int 5 Amore Di Hielo/Ellis/int5 Boyfriend of the Year/Yvonne Anderson/Int 5 Caught in the act/Ann Wood/Int 5 Cha Cha With Me-Niels B. Poulsen 5 Charanga/Rachael McEngeny/Int 5 Crazy foot mambo/Paul McAdam/int5 Creepin’/Scott Blevins/Int5 Cuban Kiss/Poulsen/Int5 Four On The Floor/Matt Thomson & Michelle Ziminski/Intermediate 5 Galway Girls/Hodgson/Intermediate5 Gimme a chance/Maggie Gallerham/int 5 Good Time-Jenny Cain 5 It's Goin Round Round - Joey Warren/Inter 5 Lost In You-McEnaney-Int5 Miller Magic/Palmer/Simon/Cox 5 My Mamacita-Rep Ghazali-Intermediate5 My One Desire/Metelnick&Biggs/Int5 Oklahoma Wind/Teather/inter. 5 Spotlight/Musk/Int 4 1976 - Mike O'Brien 4 All Summer Long/Pim van Grootel & Daniel Trepat/Int 4 Bossy Boots / Robbie McGowan Hickie / Int 4 Cabo San Lucus/Rep Ghazali/Beginnger 4 Catch The Rain/Peter Metelnick & Alison Biggs4 Come dance with me/Jo Thompson/beg 4 Dance Off My Blues/Dan Albro/B-I 4 Earthquake - Susan Brooks4 Firecracker/Lindsay/int 4 Funkafied Blues/Jo Thompson/Int4 Girl/Craig Bennet/int 4 have fun go mad/scott blevins/intermediate 4 Headphones/Maggie Gallagher/Int4 Higher and Higher/Perry/Int 4 Hit the Lights/Sittrop/Int4 It's up to you/Kim Ray/int4 J Ho/ Maggie Gallagher/Int4 Jai Ho / Amy Christensen / Intermediate4 Jo 'N Jo Tango/ Jo Thompson Szymanski & Rita Jo Thompson/ Beginner 4 Keywest/Sala&Hickie/beg-inter.4 Little Red Book-Dee Musk (B) 4 Pacifico/Peter Metelnick & Alison Biggs/Int4 Rebel Amor/Roy Verdonk & Wil Bos/Beg-Int 4 Snowbird/Maria Tao/Int 4 Something Crazy, Neville Fitzgerald/Julie Harris4 Summer Wine/Winnie Yu/Beginner/Inter 4 T.O.P - Neville Fitzgerald/Julie Harris4 Thank You/Maggie Gallagher/Intermediate/Advanced4 Tumbling Rush/Peter Metelnick & Alison Biggs/Intermediate 3 Angel cha/Neils Poulsen/int 3 Angels on the Moon /Guyton Mundy / int/adv 3 Bad Boy/Robbie MH/Easy Int 3 Because - Neville Fitzgerald/Julie Harris3 Cruising - Neil Hale3 Did You Ever/Robbie McGown Hickie/Int3 Different Shoes/Christopher Petre/Beg Plus3 Do That Again/Scott, Buckley, Andrew &Sheila/Beg3 Don't Be Afraid Steve Lescarbeau Int 3 Fairytale/Cato Larson/ Beginner-Intermediate 3 Get Involved, Paul McAdam3 Hey! Hey! Goodbye! / Guyton Mundy 3 Hold Me Love Me/Alan Haywood/Beg/Intermediate 3 I Promise You - Craig Bennett 3 If I could Change / Ruben Luna / Inter.3 I'm Yours / Neils Poulson/Int 3 Island Girl/Peter & Alison/Beg/Int3 Lay It On the Line/Guy Dube/Inter.3 Leave the Boat/Rachael McEnaney/Int.3 Let Me Love You/Hazel Pace/Intermediate 3 Locomotion - Jo Thompson 3 No More Cloudy Days/Alan Birchall/Beg/Intermediate3 Ol Skool Company / Rona Kaye / Intermediate 3 Reach Out - Shaz Walton/Int 3 Respect/Daniel Trepat/Beg-Int3 Simplementa/Kate Sala/int3 Try To Remember/Maria Tao/Beg 3 When I Cry/Maria Hunt/Int2 All summer long/Paula Baker/int2 American Pop / Michael Barr and Michele Burton 2 Anticipation / Peter and Alison / Int2 Ay Amor/ria vos/beg.int.2 Bad Influence / Mark Furnell & Jo & John Kinser / Beginner/Intermediate 2 Bosa Nova/Phil Dennington/Int 2 Brazil/Frank Trace/Beg2 Butter Beans/Christopher Petre/BI 2 Cuckoo/McGowan Hickie/Intermediate2 Doctor's orders/Maggie Gallagher2 Don't Call Me Baby...Anymore/Barbara R.K. Wallace/Int2 Dreams Can Come True/Terri Alexander/Easy Intermediate 2 Duck Soup - Frank Trace2 Eat Mo' Grits/Dancin' Terry/Beg./Int. 2 Feed the fetish/Scott Blevins/int 2 Find A Way/Furnell & Kinser/Beg/Int 2 Hard to Breathe - Wes Smith - Intermediate Level2 Hippy Dippy Mambo - Sue Ann Ehmann - Beginner 2 How Do You Sleep?/Junior Willis/Jill Babinec/Int 2 I Dance Susan Puruleski Int 2 I Told You So/GYTAL/B 2 Inside Out/Kim Ray/I2 IRISH STEW/LOIS LIGHTFOOT 2 Kiss a Girl - Wes Smith - Intermediate Level2 Lady Gaga/Linedance N Smile/HB 2 Leaving Of Liverpool/Maggie Gallagher/Beg 2 Let's Honky Tonk/Peter Metelnick2 Lets Lie in the Sun/Cresdee/Beg Int2 Like I Never – Wood/Intermediate2 Love Sex Magic/Lawrence Allen/Beg-Int2 Make a memory/Michael Barr/int2 Miss California/Rachael McEnaney2 Nimby/Maggie Gallagher/int 2 No Need to Rush- Neville and Julie2 NuFlow/Masters in Line 2 Oh Babe!/ Johanna Barnes/ Inter 2 Partytown 4-10 / Rep Ghazali / Int2 POT OF GOLD/LIMA HRYCAN 2 Prison Break/Racheal McEnaney/Int 2 Red Dress / Peter Metelnick 2 Run Sue, Run!/Cato Larsen/Beg 2 Sag Drag & Fall/Frank Trace/B 2 Shake Yourself Loose by Kathy Hunyadi2 She believes/Kate Sala/int2 Sixty Minute Man-Dancin’ Terry 2 So Persausive - Dan McInerney/Int/Adv2 Speechless/Rachel McEnaney/int2 Stand Up Routine Jordan LLyod2 Strength in Numbers/Peter & Alison/int-adv2 Sweet Thing 2 Tempted Tonight/Michelle Burton/Intermediate 2 Thanks a lot/Robbie McGowan Hickie/int 2 The Climb / Shaz Walton / Intermediate 2 The Dance/Craig Bennett/Intermediate2 The LaLa Dance/Bos & Verdonk/Beg/Int2 The Smell of Your Sweet Perfume/Ward/I2 The way you look/Craig Bennett/int2 THE WAY/GERARD MURPHY 2 Time To Swing /Andrew Palmer & Sandra Cox / Int. 2 Under A Spell / Kate Sala / Intermediate 2 Vital Signs/Watson/Beginner Intermediate2 Viva La Fiesta(Garth Bock) 32Ct/4W/Int 2 WAVE ON WAVE/ALAN BIRCHALL2 What's the Deal (Bennet,Musk & Walton) High Int 2 WHERE WE'VE BEEN/LANA HARVEY WILSON 1 Sweet Mambo/Gytal/BI

Expectation

Just wondering about teachers' expectations for the future of their students. Do you see future caring professional people, the working class that will struggle on food stamps or do you see future prisoners? Perhaps you see a mix. Your expectations effect what they will become? Perhaps it will have no effect. We can not know with certainty if our expectations will be self-fulfilling. I think we should project a positive future for our youth.

Mike's step-son is now in jail. He wants him there and he wants him to be a career criminal. Mike has him mentally tracked in that direction. He even disclosed that he hoped the Jared would be sodomized. There is no law prohibiting having low expectations for someone, even if they are your student, child, or step-child. However, I am certain that there are ethical and hopefully religious grounds for condemning someone that does this.

"Annually, as many as 125,000 people with mental illnesses requiring immediate treatment are arrested and booked into Florida Jails" Did someone or some institution track them into that situtation?

Here is the young Jewish mind.

Watch it and weep.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1244371044168&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Nothing positive is going to come from people that think like this.

I do not feel safe with such behavior in my neighborhood.

Hi Mike,

I turned on the computer at 2:45 a.m. and witnessed a car being chased by a police car at a very fast speed. Soon there were several other police cars. I went out in the Ranger to see what was happening and discovered that one of the cars had crashed into a house on Holiday Lake Drive. The police car was likely faster and nudged the rear of the other car causing it to lose control.

I wonder what was so important that they would chase at what would have been at a speed greater than 100 mph and then cause an accident that resulted in great property damage and likely death.

I do not feel safe with such behavior in my neighborhood. I live on the same side of the street as the accident.

Stephen

I watched 'W' at the Lime-n-Coconut

Hi Mike:

I watched 'W' at the Lime-n-Coconut; yes, it is a movie. One that everyone should see because of the connection between one person's behavior [George W. Bush] and the consequences that we all now suffer. This would have all been prevent if Yale's admission officer and the President of Yale had denied 'W' admission to Yale. There was a novel written about those fate full days when George Bush senior was pressuring Yale administrators: A Man in Charge by Morris Philipson. They didn't stand their ground and here we are now.

You might think that this has not much to do with education. But it does. It is about high education's failure at the highest level. 'W' wanted us to think that he was the education president. If that was the case then the would be interested in financially supporting Lessonplans.com. My request for financial assistance resulted in being investigated and attacked by the IRS. It was six months of Hell.

'W' is a movie that we should all see; perhaps, several time over several years. We must learn that we should never elect someone like 'W' to be our president again.

Stephen

Preying on Teachers

I began thinking about this because of water restrictions that prohibits us from watering lawns and washing our cars. I like to keep my truck clean. Leo told me that the washing ban didn’t affect him because he never washes his car and his son refuses to do it. The son is the one that is a potential problem for us that want to wash our car. That gets me to Chris Elmore.

Chris when he was a freshman at Delta College wanted to be the sheriff of Midland County, at first, I was willing to help make that happen until I found out that he harbored a need to settle a vendetta against teachers. Chris had been the class clown when he was in high school; consequently, he was disciplined frequently and that created a need for revenge. Becoming a cop or the sheriff would give him the power to settle the score.

He disclosed to me that he planned to watch for teacher leaving school at the end of the day and arrest them for traffic infractions. After finding that out, I stopped assisting Chris. I didn’t want to be his friend and I didn’t want to help him succeed. I doubt if he graduated from Delta College and hopefully he did not become involved in law enforcement.

We like to think that our students love us or at least respect us. Perhaps 1-5 percent of them have negative memories about their school experience. The percentage could be higher. When they become adults and the table is turned, don’t expect anything positive from them.