Intimidation of teachers worries board member

Hi Maria,

Intimidation of teachers worries Pinellas County, FL board member. Students that intimidate teachers is something we do not like to talk about. We do not even want to admit that it is happening. Elementary and middle school student never intimidated me. However, some high school student did. I just thought it was a part of my character flaw until I met Paul Beverly. At the time he admitted to me that he intentionally intimidated a teacher was when he was in his 70's.

Paul was a large men who after graduating from high school became a Marine. He told me he hover around a certain high school teacher to make him feel uncomfortable. He was a small male teacher and Paul was a contemptuous student. I am sure that the teacher was afraid of Paul.

It is still happening. "We have had black students tell white teachers, 'We don't want youo here because this is a black school,'" Brown said. Source: St. Petersburg Times.

I feel fortunate that I do not need to deal with this problem.

Stephen

Cyberbullying on the Rise

Hi Maria,

This was in the St. Petersburg Times.

• 18 percent of students in Grades 6-8 said they've been cyberbullied at least once in the past two months.
• 11 percent of students in Grade 6-8 said they had cyberbullied another person at least once in the last two months.
• Almost one in five regular Internet users between 10 to 17 reported being involved in online aggression; 15 percent had been aggressors, 7 percent had been targets, and 3 percent were both aggressors and targets.
• 17 percent of the 6 to 11-year-olds and 36 percent of the 12 to 17-year-olds reported that someone said threatening or embarrassing things about them through e-mail, instant messages, Web sites, chat rooms or text messages.
• Girls were about twice as likely as boys to be victims and perpetrators of cyberbullying

Source: Health Resources and Service Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The Bipolar [manic-depressive] Personality

Maria,

Rush Limbaugh, Manny Pardy, Jim Walker, Mary White and Robin Williams, actor, have one thing in common. They are bipolar. One thing they routinely do is talk over others. They listen only long enough to get direction. They then talk intensely, loudly and rapidly until the listener is beaten into submission. At that point the listener exits or does something to rid themselve of the annoyance.

Two of the people on this list have been teachers. Listen to Rush on the AM band. Do it from the next room. While at your computer, have Rush in the background. You should not be able to understand what he is saying. That is important because what he is saying masks his mania. It is the cadence of his speech that reveals his bipolar personality.

Ned listened to Rush religiously for years and became a Rushite before his death. I find it interesting that someone with a mental health problem can rise to prominence. Rush is the respected spokesperson for the Republican Party. He has both wealth and fame. Perhaps I should include health. From his perspective, I am sure he thinks he is healthy. From my perspective, I think he is mentally sick.

Stephen

Should Science Be Fun?

Hi Maria,

In a recent interview with Professor Neil deGrosse Tyson, Charlie Rose asked him if science is fun. The implication was that it should be. Dr. Typson instantly went on the defensive. I cringed at the prospect of what would follow.

Far to often the science teacher plays the role of the fool that delight student with explosions and amazing events. These wild-eyed science teachers are even sometimes rewarded by being recognized as the teacher of the year and showered with undeserved accolades.

Science is not fun in the sense that Joy Land is fun. Science rewards the students with the satisfaction that comes from understand and knowing that is derived from discovery. It is freedom from ignorance. It is the satisfaction that comes from knowing that having mastered the scientific method, they can discovery the solutions to yet new problems.

Science is not fun. It is much more than that.

Stephen

What are your students doing tonight?

Young partygoers arrested for trashing a foreclosed Florida home

FEBRUARY 24--A group of young Floridians invaded a foreclosed home over the weekend and threw a raucous bash that caused about $75,000 in damage and resulted in the arrest of 17 partygoers. According to police, the trashed Fort Myers home, now owned by Wells Fargo Bank, was overrun Friday night by partygoers who broke windows, punched holes in the home's walls, and spray painted graffiti inside the residence. Deputies with the Lee County Sheriff's Office arrested 10 juveniles and 7 adults (aged 18 to 25) on loitering and prowling charges. The adult defendants are pictured in the below mug shots. The underage arrestees were also charged with possession of alcohol by a minor, while the adults were hit with contributing to the delinquency of a minor counts. According to a probable cause statement, sheriff's deputies found cans of Bud Light beer in the 4000-square-foot home, and party attendees acknowledged that they congregated together "for a party in which alcohol was being served." (3 pages)

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0224091house1.html

China is becoming the largest English speaking country.

Maria,

Sheriff Bob White told the middle school students that within 10 years that China will become the largest English speaking country. I can not confirm that. It seems incomprehensible that could happen.

Stephen

Pasco Sheriff Bob White said ....

Pasco Sheriff Bob White said, "He chose to go up against my SWAT team and lost." He said that when he was addressing middle school students at the annual Law Enforcement Parade in Holiday, FL.

You can read about this even in the St. Petersburg Times, Pasco section

re: http://www.tampabay.com
Times Staff Writers: Drew Harwell, Kmeel Stanley and Erin Sullivan

Law enforcement parade began at the middle school.

Maria,

Today Pasco County law enforcement made a show of force again with a parade. It began at the middle school with patriotic songs. Sheriff Bob White was the first speaker. He began by saying that we are here celebrating freedom. He said nothing in support of academics. He stressed karate [a marshal art], sports, military and law enforcement. He told us that last night that someone had chosen to challenge the SWAT team last night and suffered the consequences. This morning I read in the paper that the SWAT team killed 'FAT BOY' while serving a warrant. There was also in the same area a 40+ acre fire that destroyed multiple houses. The timing and proximity was near enough to wonder if these events should be connected.

I was intimidate by all the large men and their guns. If their intention was to intimidate me and everyone other then themselves, then they succeeded.

A parade has an effect. It is a psychological tool for causing a commitment to be made. One that provokes a choice. 'You are either with us or against us.'

The students and the parents may think the law enforcement parade is a fun event. It is something other than that. Think about it.

Stephen

The Preoperational Stage (Years 2-7)

(Pre)Operatory Thought in Piagetian theory is any procedure for mentally acting on objects. The hallmark of the preoperational stage is sparse and logically inadequate mental operations. During this stage the child learns to use and to represent objects by images and words, in other words they learn to use symbolic thinking. Thinking is still egocentric: The child has difficulty taking the viewpoint of others.

Is hyperinflation in our future?

Maria,

"In economics, hyperinflation is inflation that is "out of control", a condition in which prices increase rapidly as a currency loses its value. Definitions used by the media vary from a cumulative inflation rate over three years approaching 100% to "inflation exceeding 50% a month." In informal usage the term is often applied to much lower rates. As a rule of thumb, normal inflation is reported per year, but hyperinflation is often reported for much shorter intervals, often per month. " source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperinflation

I have experience as you have a large percentage increase in the price of fuel. Recently, I went to the Home Depot to buy fertilizer. A 40# bag of Scott's citrus fertilizer last year was $12, about 6 months later the price is $19.98. That is a 66% increase in about 6 months.

A near trillion dollar economic stimulus is about to effect us. We might be in the early stage of hyperinflation. I never had the unfortunate experience of living through hyperinflation. We might be about to know what it feels like. I wish I could tell you what you need to know to survive.

I am going to the Home Depot now to see if I can find more inflation symptoms. [I did. Yes! There are others.]

Stephen

p.s.

"We are confronted with a broader and deeper slowdown than has been experienced in decades," said U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

"We will work closely with our colleagues in the G7 and the G20 to build consensus on reforms that match the scope of the problem revealed by this crisis."

The Bipolar Teacher

Maria,

"We should not be speaking to, but with. That is second nature to any good teacher." source: Noam Chomsky

What Noam Chomsky wrote is the key to understanding why someone that is bipolar should not be teaching.

There are two halves to the bi-polar personality: manic and depression. Their medication levels the extremes. This makes it possible for them to function successfully in the classroom. They seldom do because the manic phase is euphoric and gives them a false sense of effectiveness.

During the manic phase thoughts race through their mind and speech is so rapid and loud that the teacher disconnects from their students resulting in a failure to understand what the teacher is talking about. The worse case is when this disconnect results in the majority of the students talking loudly and rapidly to no one.

It is my opinion that bipolars should not be teachers, because they can not be trusted to take their medication.

Stephen

When will it end? Never!

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0212091teacher1.html

The full story is at SmokingGun.com.

FEBRUARY 12--Meet Curtis Pickard. The Georgia student was arrested this week after he allegedly used his cell phone to take "upskirt" photos of a teacher, which he then showed to fellow high schoolers. According to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office report, Pickard, 17, surreptitiously snapped photos of Greenbrier High School teacher Ellen Hotchkiss on Monday. After several students on Tuesday told a school safety officer that he was showing the photos around, the officer seized Pickard's phone. The 33-year-old Hotchkiss, pictured at right, examined the images and "identified her legs and underwear from the previous day." Pickard was charged with unlawful eavesdropping or surveillance and booked into the Columbia County Detention Center, where the below mug shots were taken. He was released after posting $2600 bond on the felony rap.

Concrete Operational Stage

The Concrete operational stage is the third of four stages of cognitive development in Piaget's theory. This stage, which follows the Preoperational stage, occurs between the ages of 7 and 11 years and is characterized by the appropriate use of logic. Important processes during this stage are:
Seriation—the ability to sort objects in an order according to size, shape, or any other characteristic. For example, if given different-shaded objects they may make a color gradient.
Classification—the ability to name and identify sets of objects according to appearance, size or other characteristic, including the idea that one set of objects can include another.
Decentering—where the child takes into account multiple aspects of a problem to solve it. For example, the child will no longer perceive an exceptionally wide but short cup to contain less than a normally-wide, taller cup.
Reversibility—where the child understands that numbers or objects can be changed, then returned to their original state. For this reason, a child will be able to rapidly determine that if 4+4 equals 8, 8−4 will equal 4, the original quantity.
Conservation—understanding that quantity, length or number of items is unrelated to the arrangement or appearance of the object or items.
Elimination of Egocentrism—the ability to view things from another's perspective (even if they think incorrectly). For instance, show a child a comic in which Jane puts a doll under a box, leaves the room, and then Melissa moves the doll to a drawer, and Jane comes back. A child in the concrete operations stage will say that Jane will still think it's under the box even though the child knows it is in the drawer. (See also False-belief task).
Children in this stage can, however, only solve problems that apply to actual (concrete) objects or events, and not abstract concepts or hypothetical tasks.

Formal Operational Stage

The formal operational period is the fourth and final of the periods of cognitive development in Piaget's theory. This stage, which follows the Concrete Operational stage, commences at around 12 years of age (puberty) and continues into adulthood. It is characterized by acquisition of the ability to think abstractly, reason logically and draw conclusions from the information available, as well as apply all these processes to hypothetical situations. During this stage the young adult is able to understand such things as love, "shades of gray", logical proofs, and values.

The cognitive approach replaced the behavioral approach.

Hi Maria,

When I was teaching at Mid Michigan Community College, it was my responsibility to select textbooks for my department. At the time, every textbook had in the preface a statement disclosing that the text was a behavioral approach to the subject. There wasn't a choice.

I was then expected to spend a summer writing behavioral objectives. I told the Dean that I would not do that. It went so far that the legislators in Lansing passed a law requiring all teachers in Michigan to write behavioral objects. If they did not, state financial support would be cut.

I knew then there was something fundamentally wrong with Behaviorism. I just did not speak well enough to make the case against it.

I learned last week that behavioral approach has been replaced by the cognitive approach. The behavioral approach is dead. Yippee …

Behaviorism’s fundamental flaw is that it is based on the premise that thinking cannot be seen or measured, thus it is not important. It is only behavior that can be seen and measured that was thought at the time to be important. That proved to be the undoing of the behavioral approach.

Stephen

Behavioral approach

I recall when the all of the text book prefaces explained that the text was a behavioral approach to whatever the subject was. I'm pleased that it has been replaced by the cognitive approach.

Economic War

An Economic War has begun. If it hasn't effect you yet. It will.

Do your recall this adages? "Divide and conquer" or "Together we stand, divided we fall." This may go back to my high school years.

I now encounter indifference and denial. "If its not happening to me, then I don't care." "My belly is full." "That is your problem, not mine."

There is a story today on the front page of the St. Petersburg Times. State Farm will drop 1.2 million Florida property insurance policies. This too is causing a shock wave to pass though 1.2 million property owners. Some of you will think, "That is your problem, not mine."

The Economic War will find it's way into your life too via the phone, mail, or my someone standing on your front porch. It will come from all directions, even from foreign countries.

"Together we stand, divided we fall."

If you lose your teaching contract and ability to pay your Macy's card, then this is what is waiting for you.

Mike sent this to me. He works in credit and collection at Macy's. I would change his behavior, if I could.
__________________

People have to learn to not be lax & let their debts slide. A Due date means that the Date it is due it must be paid back . Companies are not in business to bankroll the public. When I have a due date, I pay it weeks earlier. I sent in a payment on my Master Card once that got there late. I didn't blame Master Card for my late fee. I told myself, that I had better do it right next time because I didn't like paying the late fee. People are habitually late. If my employer doesn't pay me on the date my paycheck is due, I'm pissed off. If you give a grace period, than the situation doesn't change. They think the due date id just 5 days later.
People are irresponsible. They give excuses like that they were out of town & couldn't pay the bill on time. Being out of town is no excuse for not paying your financial responsibilities. They could pay on the company web site, they could pay by phone, they could pay at a cash register at any Macy's store anywhere in the United States. They can mail a check from anywhere.
If I'm going on vacation, I pay my bills before I go, or accept that if I am late, I will have to pay the extra charge for being late.
Companies need to quit kissing customer's asses. If they are dead beats that don't take their responsibilities seriously, then cut them loose. Customers like that just cost a company money. Companies are stretched thin by these people that expect a free ride on the back of the corporations. The money lending game is tightening up. Late fees are going up, interest rates are going up, minimum payment requirements are going up, open to buys are shrinking & vanishing. The dead beats will be weeded out that way.

Consequences of Budget Cuts

There will be some of us that will lose our income because of budget cuts. We made financial commitments before we new that economic forces beyond our control would have a negative effect on us. The follow gives you a glimpse into what is looming in your near future.

I received this from Mike M. who works in credit and collections for Macy's.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This has nothing to do with me. It is about Macy's. My concern is that the transfer calls coming in from the Indian call centers are growing in number every day. The Indians now handle Visa too which they didn't a year ago the collections department has all but completely moved to India. I don't worry if they close their less profitable stores. They have over 800 stores and if they cut 20% of them, which are dead wood anyway, I don't worry. They have been around for over 150 years and are the strongest department store in existence. They have acquired too may stores too fast and have to close some. I'm not worried about them going out of business. I am worried that the part of their business I work in will not be in the United States for long.

Those Indians are intense and they really piss off customers. The company considers that business they lose to be mostly deadbeat customers that do not want to pay for what they buy.

Macy’s management thinks that the small cost of having collections done in India will offset the business lost by offending American customers.

The consequences of texting

The following post was copied from Macy's Yahoo message board.

my 40 staf where lawoff this week in short hills nj bloomd///they cutting all over and if this econimy starts,,this are the stocks that will move if dows goes up m will fallow

There are over 12 errors in this sentence.

It is not fair to conclude that these errors are the consequence of texting with a devise like a Blackberry. Some them would be. Others have another explanation.

This person appears to be a Macy's employee. Seems like they would not be qualified to be employed by Macy's. Whatever the case; something is seriously wrong.

President Barack Obama

Hi Shen,

I hope you watched Barack Obama's inauguration. It was an important event for all of us. Now there is hope that he will help us solve problems that were otherwise impossible to solve.

We are struggling here with problems caused by people who's decisions in the past created a predicament for us now living here in Holiday. Back 50 years ago my a community developer with a master plan. In the short run it created profits and cheap housing for the first wave retirees. Now the little houses are beyond their intended life span a the situation appears hopeless.

I'm sure you have your won set of problems that seem to be insurmountable. Without knowing the details, I can safely state that the probable are insurmountable. However, if you can comprehend the source of a problem, you can understand your predicament. That is some consolation.

President Obama will not likely help us at our level. It is up to us to do the best we can with cards we have be dealt.

Stephen

The Golden Rule

I began thinking about The Golden Rule a few days ago. It’s something that I was first taught when I was a Sunday school student in Edenville, MI. Later, it would occasionally be a subject of discussion on the long school bus ride to Midland High School. Then, it would gradually fade from my consciousness to resurface a few days ago.

The Golden Rule has been replaced with:

1. Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD)
2. Zero Tolerance (ZT)
3. Do unto others before they can do it to you. (Preemption)
4. It is better to be feared than loved.
5. Intimidate, Dominate and Control (IDC)
6. The Rule of Law

Perhaps the Law of the Jungle should be added to this list. This may be what is controlling the behavior of humans in a city like New York.

I did not explain The Golden Rule because those that understand it do not need an explanation. Those that do not, will wonder what it is.

Freedom of the Press

The Freedom of the Press is in jeopardy. Not because a political group wants to removed it; one that hates the press and wants to control it. If it were the case, it would be easy to point a finger at the threat and counter it. However, when it is the collective action of millions of non-readers and readers that will not buy a newspaper, it is almost impossible to counter.

Apparently, it is the collective unwillingness of readers to buy a newspaper that is destroying the publishers.

This link will give you the details. http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersEdge/idUSTRE4BU53T20081231?sp=true

Do you get a daily newspaper? If you don't, then you are part of the problem.

Donations and Free Classroom supplies.

I added links to Adopt-A-Classroom, DonorsChoose and iLoveSchools to Lessonplans.com's Education Resource Table. Just go there, click and you will be taken to your chosen website.

When I think about what they offer, I wonder if there isn't strings attached. Seems like we rarely get something for nothing from strangers without them wanting something in return.

I've heard it said, "There isn't any such thing as a free lunch". So be very careful. I'm not advising you to use any of these websites.

Benedict XVI warned the world ....

The Pope has addressed the economic gloom in his Christmas message.

Benedict XVI warned that the world was headed toward ruin if selfishness prevails over solidarity during tough times for both rich and poor nations.

'If people look only to their own interests, our world will certainly fall apart.' Read the remainder at this link.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1101582/Pope-warns-ruin-makes-Christmas-appeal-peace-Holy-Land.html

I agree with the Pope. George would not, he would only rationalize his lack of compassion and cause us to accept it. The Pope does not have to justify what he did. No rationalization is needed.
The world is fortunate to have a man like Benedict XVI.

The Times They Are a Changin by Dylan

Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin
'Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.

It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order isRapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.

Economic Darwanism: the loss of compassion

Hi Stephen,

Eventually those folks would find employment in more productive segments of the economy. There's no denying there will be some pain felt, but better to get it out of the way early, rather than having society subsidize a non-productive group of companies for who knows how many years. Toyota, Honda, Nissan, BMW and others aren't looking for a handout. Your company and my company aren't getting one, and as taxpayers we'd ultimately be footing the bill (the Ontario government here in Canada announced they'll spend up to $3.4 billion, conditional on the US doing the same).

If money is to be spent, I'd rather see it go for skills upgrading and retraining of the unemployed, so that they can fill the new types of jobs that are being created. That's an investment in "human capital"that will mean higher wages (and higher taxes for the government over their lifetime), because employees can better compete internationally and are more productive. Instead, politics is leading to a misallocation of precious resources.

The economy as a whole can't simply magically do better by throwing taxpayer money at the problem. The fundamentals that determine how well an economy performs are 1) the skills and education of its labour force and 2) the productiveness of its infrastructure (machinery,etc.). If they're going to give money to those automakers, they better have firm commitments on #1 and #2 (e.g. improving technology in cars,making them more fuel efficient, raising CAFE standards, etc.). But,frankly, they've been so mismanaged that it might just be better to let them face bankruptcy so that more productive companies (Japanese,Koreans, Germans, etc.) buy up their assets and redeploy them more effectively. In the past 10 years, people have been buying bigger houses (i.e. consumption goods), whereas others have been investing in productive capital goods (machinery, technology, factories, etc.).It's no surprise that the latter are now doing well (e.g. China),whereas the US has massive deficits that are paid for by foreign bondholders.

Happy holidays,

George
______________________________________________________________

Sometimes people are rejected not because of what they did, but because of what they might do or fail to do.

Solar minimum is ending,

On Lessonplans.com's homepage is a link to SpaceWeather.com. It is important and interesting to know what our Sun is doing. You can know by visiting SpaceWeather every time you visit Lessonplans.com. I do it.

It's too late now to study for the exam.

That is what I heard a teacher say she told all of her students before and exam. I never said that to my students. I expected them to study for my exams.

When I was a student, I always studied for my exams. Beginning a few days before the exam I would review my notes. They contained what the teacher had stressed was important. Some times the teacher said that you should know this because it's going to be on the exam. If that was said, then I would make a note of it and know before the exam what I was expected to know. I also high-lighted what was important in my text books. Before the exam I reviewed all high-lighted text. Consequently, I was on the Dean's list and Presidents list many times because I studied. I was also in class even if I was sick.

It is never too late to study for an exam.

Disney accused by Catholic cleric of corrupting children's minds

Disney accused by Catholic cleric of corrupting children's minds. Yes! Yes! Yes!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/3534960/Disney-accused-by-Catholic-cleric-of-corrupting-childrens-minds.html


A leading Catholic cleric has launched a fierce attack on Disney, claiming it has corrupted children and encouraged greed.

By Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Religious Affairs Correspondent

I witnessed several time when visitors from Michigan would be here. My effort to persuade them to go to MOSI [Museum of Science and Industry] was always superseded by Disney World. The person that made the decision to go to Disney World at the time was the director of Math for the Traverse City school system. Her husband was a member of the school board.

Art Appreciation and Social Class Assignment

Thesis: The appreciation of art or the lock of it is another indication of an individual’s social class.

Sociologist assign individuals to a social group based upon the individual’s characteristics: age, sex, race, education level obtained, University alma mater, profession, and income attainment method. Art appreciation could also be used to assign an individual to a social class.

Both George Inness and George Innes Jr. lived near me in the the winter. I appreciate and respect what they have created and would like to follow in their footsteps. Leepa also lives here and has one of his painting displayed at the Lime-N-Coconut here in Tarpon Springs. I think the painting looks like someone had given a monkey paint and a brush to splash on a board. Then Leepa sign it. It says alot about Leepa and also about the people that appreciate what he did.

SOHO - Solar and Heliopheric Observatory

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/

1. When are there many sun spots?
2. When are there few or no sun spots?
3. What is solar minimum?
4, What is solar maximum?
5. What effect does the Sun have on our weather?
6. Why is the Sun called a variable star?

These questions and their answers are important to all of us because they give us insight into the effect our star has on us. We are now frequently told about global warming and they want us to think that the primary cause is human activity. I'm not one to cause you to think that our human activities do not have a global effect. I'm sure that they do. However the effect of the Sun has a greater effect.

The lack of sunspots over many months or years indicate that we are in solar minimum. You cannot count sunspots without expensive technology, but you do have SOLO and you can get to SOLO quickly from Lessonplans.com. From there, you can safely see the Sun and count sunspots. I suggest that you and your students do it frequently and answer the about questions. These questions lead to other valuable insights.

I just saw it again.

I just saw a 10-12 year-old boy walk by my house with his parents following. "No problem" you would say until you know what I know about this situation. The boy is normal in his behavior and build. The problem is that the boy lives in Chicago and should be going to school in Chicago. Which he would be if his father valued being in Florida more than his son's education.

The father looks like someone in his 50's. However, he has the demeanor of a city street thug. He reminds me of a school bully. Making is stranger is the fact that he was the service manager in a Cadillac dealership. He may not be now considering his age and state of the auto industry unless he earned lots of time off from his job to travel to Florida.

The bottom line is this. The boy is not being educated and my school system doesn't care because the boy is considered to be a citizen of Illinois.

I'm not going any further then writing about this situation one time. To do any more would risk being told that it's none of my business.

Stephen@lessonplans.com

George Kirikos wrote this.

I agree, there are lots of terrible role models out there. I prefer the role model of Warren Buffett, who is very humble and not flashy.Paul Newman was wonderful too. I used to have a bunch of clients in the banking industry (as that's what my first company and my own academic training were focused), and indeed they didn't deserve any bailout -- they had only their own greed to blame for their downfall, and the taxpayers shouldn't pay for any part of their foibles.

Take care,

George

Your pants are falling down!

What to you say to your student who's pants are falling down? I saw a high school girl wear pants several sizes too large wear bright under wear under them. When she responds to your admonition to pull up your pant, will likely respond quickly by pulling up her pants. You know what gravity does moments later.

The most significant thing about this event was not that the student's pants were too large and likely to fall unexpectedly. It was that it was a girl copying boys behavior. Another part of this is that this was the second inadvertent observation of the same girl. Yesterday she and a friend were playing in the street. A pick-up passed. At that moment the girl yelled, "I want a baby." Add these two events together and what do you get?

The Nazis: A Warning from History

RE: The Nazis: A Warning from History, DVD, on 2 disks.

I learned from watching The Nazis: A Warning from History that Hitler mandated that Jews be prohibited from having a public school education. The purpose was to disenfranchise Jews from German society destined to become the under-class and then exterminated.

Here in America students exercise their free will and dropout of school. The rate is higher in different parts of America, exceeding 50% of the students that begin their public education path dropout before graduating. Yes, this set of citizens has inadvertently chosen to be disenfranchised and a member of the under-class, consequences for the individual and American society abound.

Yes, this is a somber time.

Stephen,

Yes, this is a somber time. Just in the past two weeks, I have been
told by my advertising agency contact that most of their clients have cut
back between 20%-75% of their spending on advertising. I guess companies
figure the consumer won't buy any products or services now, so why waste
money on advertising to an unwilling audience. Google is likely seeing the
same kind of cutbacks. With this will come more layoffs, more unemployed,
less consumer confidence, lower home prices and fewer people who can afford
anything? I saw a story on the news last night about dozens of workers in
Ohio who actually have a job, go to work each day, but then spend the night
in the street/camping as they can't afford housing!

I hope I'm wrong, but I believe no matter who gets elected President next
week; it will take many years to get the economy back to health!

Lorenzo

Give a special Christmas gift to a teenager.

The book should have a hardcover and be one that the teenager should read. Somewhere in the back 2/3 of the book tape a check for at least $20. Give the Christmas present and then wait for the check to clear. In the mean time, ask questions about their reading experience. Say nothing about the check to anyone.

When Christmas comes around next year and the check still hasn’t cleared, ask them if you can see the book. Tell them about the check if they can’t find the book. Christmas can be fun for you too.

Mike wrote this too.

It has come to pass. America marches forward.

Many years ago. I think it was 1965 in the Spring. A google search would tell me because it was the year of the civil rights march in Selma, Alabama. I was a freshman in college that year; that is how I personally remember the year. My American Literature professor was gone for a week to march in the voter registration drive in Selma, Alabama that has become a monumental time
in the coming of age of this great nation.

When he returned, he told us of the Right Wing resistance encountered by the Freedom Crusaders by the All American cretins they encountered. One story sticks in my mind. He said he needed to use a restroom as they marched through the area. He went into a bar where he was refused service (he was White, but Rednecks didn't like him helping to "rile up the N-gg-r") He needed to use the bathroom, so he lied and said he was with the FBI. The bartender let him use the bathroom. As he walked past, he heard a Redneck Southern American with a drawl say "Shit!!! Now they even have Jews in the FBI"

The American backwards thinking was that if you gave "N-gg-r" the right to vote, (as the Rednecks throwing rocks at the marchers yelled) "...we'll have N-gg-r mayors,
N-gg-r judges, N-gg-r Governors, etc." Well, now you backwards people can REALLY shove it up your asses.

We are about to have our first N-gg-r President. Somehow, I see the Freedom Marchers
that have left us smiling up there in Heaven.

by Mike Mirra

Mike, math teacher, voted early.

I am proud to say that this morning I exercised my
right as an American to cast my vote to move America
forward, to end the War Crime in Iraq, to resume the
War on Terror, to eliminate tax breaks for the wealthy,
to help insure that there is no extra drilling for oil
& destruction of what is left of Earth's natural treasures.
I voted to put science back into the schools. I voted to
have someone putting open minded judges with some
brains on the Supreme Court. I voted to help everyone
get adequate health care. I voted to help stamp out
the Godless nature of Conservatism with it's small
minded fanaticism against blacks, Arabs, Hispanics, gays,
people that think, etc.
I voted to bring America out of the dark ages.
I voted to move America into the 21st Century.
I voted to pass the torch to a new generation of
Americans.
I cast my vote this morning, proudly, for Barack Hussain Obama.

The financial crisis is not the student's fault.

The source of the financial crisis is adult decisions. They are adults who where educated by the American education system. A system that was evolving in the 70’s into a system that created the current adults that made the decisions that caused this massive problem. We thought we were creating a better education citizenry that would thrive during the 21 century. We didn’t.

What we created is a generation of religious effected adults who place a high priority on recreation. For many, religion is their highest priority. CNN reported: Maybe We Should Blame God for the Subprime Mess.

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1847053,00.html?cnn=yes

Then there is the set of adults that give organized religion a low priority, but still believe in God. You can see them setting in the stands on Saturday and Sunday. There millions of Joe six-packs can be seen with their friends. If not there, then they are home or in a bar with friends watching and drinking beer. It is the value system and decisions of these people that have caused this financial mess. And, it is professional eduators that failed to have a positive effect on their student’s value system that could have prevent the decisions that caused this crisis. Now that it has happened, the solution is the responsibility of the American education system to correct it.

I did my part. I brought it to your attention. I think very few educators will read this, fewer will discuss it with fellow members of the Eduation profession, and still fewer will do anything effective to correct this.

SOHO - Solar and Heliopheric Observatory

A link to SOHO from LessonPlans.com was added because of the importance that the Sun is to our existence. We would not be here without the Sun. Most of us are in denial mode regarding the Sun’s importance and its impact on us. That doesn’t work. Ignorance is not a solution however understanding based on scientific research is what we need.

To mention just one factor, each of us has a reflex that prevents us from looking directly at the Sun. Even a baby will look away or shut its eyes rather than look directly at the Sun and for good reason. Looking directly at the Sun for only a short time will damage the retina.

I’m not going into the importance of the Sun and its impact on us any further. It’s enough for me to reference its importance and to put a link to SOHO on LessonPlans.com. You do the rest.

Pornography on the Internet

Hi Stephen,

The way I understand it is this:

Porno sites want to get traffic and be found on search engines. In an attempt to increase their traffic they build links to respectable sites such as LessonPlans.com. When search engines index their sites, they find legitimate links and this helps them to get better rankings and therefore more traffic and revenue. Unfortunately search engines like Google still haven't implemented any time of full block on porn (although they do have some parental control preferences); I guess that would be a question of censorship. Even with parental filters, my kids occasionally end up finding inappropriate images. I remember a few years ago my daughter was doing a project and movies at school and she was looking for a picture of "Babe" (the family movie about a pig) - well you can imagine the type of images that came up under the term "babe".

You may be right about pornography though; in most European countries, regular TV has porno channels and they have a completely different view than most North Americans.

Regards,
Lorenzo


----- Original Message -----
From: Stephen Lyons
To: The Educators Network
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 9:31 AM
Subject: Re: Lessonplans.com's Weekly Statistics For Previous Week

Hi Lorenzo,

I did a Google search using keywords: anti-pornography. The only large institution taking a position against it is the Mormon church. That surprised me. Perhaps my first look at this has given me the wrong impression. I'm thinking that there isn't much social pressure against pornographers. I always thought there was until now.

Many years ago gambling was illegal in Florida. People were even being arrested for social gambling in their homes. Then gambling was legalized. Florida now has a lottery and a small percentage of the revenue is used to support education.

Do I understand this correctly? The porn referrers are directing visitors to Lessonplans.com. This doesn't seem like something they would do. It is more logical to me that they would be using Lessonplans.com to expose their sites to students, parents and educators. What do you think they are doing that causes them to be listed as a referrer?

Stephen@lessonplans.com


----- Original Message -----
From: The Educators Network
To: Stephen Lyons
Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2008 3:14 PM
Subject: Re: Lessonplans.com's Weekly Statistics For Previous Week
Hi Stephen,

Thanks for sending over the updates yesterday and today; I have spoken to a few of my contacts and their opinions are not overly positive. My one friend who works for a Broadband ISP company says that it is very difficult to track where the traffic is coming from if it is outside of Canada or the USA. Most of these sites are actually hosted in Asia and Africa, so that they are immune from the law. Even if you could track the location, they usually change servers every few months and relocate as well. Another contact involved in police work says that the FBI or Interpol would have to be involved, but they only do so at the request of local police and usually only if it involves Child Pornography. Finally, a lawyer friend of mine said that he knows of no lawyer that would take on this type of work, or would only do so once the police arrested someone and they could file a civil or business lawsuit.

I'll keep looking for options; a few years ago this happened to brampton.com, and it took about 18 months for it to stop. Since then, there have been no further attacks, so it could be they randomly pick sites that are legitimate to obtain traffic and profit for their illegal businesses.

Let me know if you have further suggestions.

Thanks,
Lorenzo
----- Original Message -----
From: Stephen Lyons
To: Lorenzo Salvalaggio
Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2008 9:45 AM
Subject: Lessonplans.com's Weekly Statistics For Previous Week
Hi Lorenzo,

The visitor count is continuing to increase.

The negative referrals are going to persist for a long time. I made two contacts here for legal service. One was with a legal referral service. There hasn't been a positive response yet. If I cannot find assistance here and you fail to find someone, then I'll present this situation to the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigations). However, if I do that, all punitive damages that we might receive will be forfeited.

I'm thinking that the nefarious referrals are having a negative effect on the visitor count and consequently advertising revenue. I'm also wonder what the nefarious referrer's motives might be.

We don't know if this is just annoying students, adults or organizations with an agenda: possible a combination representing many motives.

If we handle this correctly, this could be a financial windfall.

Keep me advised of your progress.

Stephen@lessonplan.com

Nefarious Referrals to LessonPlans.com

It has been brought to my attention that there are links that appear to be to LessonPlans.com from websites and email that contain a virus or pornography. You should not click on these links. If you want to go to Lessonplans.com, then go directly there using http//www.lessonplans.com or use any other trusted path.

Here are a few that I trust: Google, SavingTeachersMoney, TheEducatorsNetwork, AOL, MSN, Yahoo.

It is very important to have virus protection software. I use Norton and I keep it current.

A New School Year

Recently I was riding my bicycle near my home; coming toward me on a bicycle was a middle school boy. He was about 150 feet from me when this event happened. In a flash he kicked over a garbage can. I admonished him when he was next to me. Only about 2 seconds had pasted between the kick and my reaction. His response was, “What’s the problem?”

Boys like him are in your school, possible even in you classroom. Similar events will happen in your school and the only way you will be able to prove to a parent that it did happen is with a camera.

Such nefarious events that take only a fraction of a second will only be seen if you are looking and you cannot prove it happened without an image of the event. Such events have many factors. Here are some of them.

1. If you student is aware that you saw the event and you don’t respond then they may think that you are weak, you don’t care or they can get away with a similar event later regardless of your presence.
2. If you fail to respond, a similar event may follow.
3. If you do respond, then your must anticipate an escalation.
4. If the student’s behavior has been practiced by him for many years. He knows how to respond and can potentially be a major problem for you.

If the student is from your classroom, then be prepared to ask that the student be removed from your classroom. If you don’t, then potentially there will be further problems. A student should not be allowed to destroy your school year and possibly even your career.

Ask yourself this question. Why is this male behavior?

Children have lost touch with the natural world.

Children have lost touch with the natural world and are unable to identify common animals and plants, according to a survey.

Half of youngsters aged nine to 11 were unable to identify a daddy-long-legs, oak tree, blue tit or bluebell, in the poll by BBC Wildlife Magazine. The study also found that playing in the countryside was children's least popular way of spending their spare time, and that they would rather see friends or play on their computer than go for a walk or play outdoors.
The survey asked 700 children to identify pictured flora and fauna. Just over half could name bluebells, 54 per cent knew what blue tits were and 45 per cent could identify an oak. Less than two-thirds (62 per cent) identified frogs and 12 per cent knew what a primrose was.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/attenborough-alarmed-as-children-are-left-flummoxed-by-test-on-the-natural-world-882624.html

2006 survey of U.S. National Science Teachers Association members

You people still have not complete the 2006 survey; consequently, I can not publish the results at Lessonplans.com.

So much time has past that I think you will never complete the survey.

I'm wondering why you have neglected to complete the survey.

Adolescent Whimsy and Their Conjectures

During adolescent most children go though a stage that I call whimsy. It went unnoticed by me until I first witnessed it when playing with my grandchildren. I wonder what percentage of grade school and middle school teachers fail to realize that their students go though the same whimsical stage of life.

I recently watched a 6th grade math teacher ask a student, “What is your conjecture?” The student quickly answered the question. [I had a major problem with the word: conjecture. She could have asked, “What is your guess?”] The only conjecture that has any creditability in mathematics is one made by a Ph.D. mathematician. Not one made by a 6th grade math student who is likely in their whimsical state of life. I recall Charles M. making a helicopter in my shed and painting it with my spray cans. He was 11 at the time. He had it built, painted and doing a test flight within an hour. We should be teaching at their level and realize that their life likely can be described with one word: whimsy.

Watch Florida - Florida School Policy Onstage

Florida is No. 1 in the nation in vouches. It's No. 2 in charter school enrollment. It's No. 4 in the percentage of high school students passing college-level exams.

Numbers like these have made Florida the nation's most watched laboratory for education policy.

Now former Gov. Jeb Bush is holding up Florida as not just a lab, but a model.

Bush said, "Florida's education reforms have caught the attention of policymakers across the country because our students are making progress." Source: Times staff writer

Will this have an effect you? I think so. Will you care?

Academic freedom has been lost.

Read this and think about where we are in history, where we have been and where we are going.

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

Education standards are determined by education professionals.

It should not come as a surprise that education standards are determined by education professionals. However, not just any education professionals, they are those that are positioned so that they can get their standards accepted by the state board of education. That would exclude all new teachers that don't yet know how the system works.

You can learn more about what is happening in Florida by visiting the Florida Department of Education's website. http://www.fldoe.org/board

How am I suppose to know if I'll be in the 4th grade next year?

That question caused me to wonder about being in the next grade when school started in the fall. Two things always happened. School started in the fall and I would always be in the next grade with friends. Those were stress free years of my life.

On the front page of the Pasco Times is a news story: 910 Kids Might Repeat Grade 3. "Kathryn Rushe never looked forward to this time of year, when she has to tell parents that their third-graders might have to repeat the grade because of poor scores on the FCAT reading exam." Times have changed! I thank God that my Mom never got one of those letters.

2006 survey of U.S. National Science Teachers Association members

I have data from the 2005 survey of U.S. National Science Teachers Association members posted on Lessonplans.com's home page. I attempted to update this data with the results of the 2006 survey but could not find it. This is 2008, it seems to me that it should be completed by now; a reasonable person would think so. I discovered there are still many teachers that have not responded to the survey. I'm at the point where I think that some percentage of the teachers will never respond. If the percentage is too high [I don't know what that percentage is], then the survey data becomes invalid.

An unwillingness to respond says something about science teachers and I don't think it is positive.

Florida's FCAT Scores Still Bad On Retake

Source: St. Petersburg Times Staff Writer.

FCAT scores and other information about the test can be found at the following site.
http://fcat.fldoe.org/

FCAT scores for high school seniors who have to retake the test because they failed it in the past are never that good, and this year is no exception.

Statewide, 16 percent of them passed the reading portion of the test (up from 15 percent) while 32 percent passed the math portion (up from 26 percent) according to scores released Thursday by the Department of Education.

Twelfth-graders must pass both the reading and math portions of the 10th-grade FCAT to graduate. They also must earn enough course credits and a passing grade point average to earn the standard diploma. Many that fail the FCAT also fail to meet other graduation requirements. Students that fail the FCAT but meet other graduation requirements get a certificate of completion rather than a standard diploma.
______

I wonder if there is a correlation between testing and Florida's high dropout rate.

Maria's Response

It was a very astute vision of the future at least for that particular piece of property. I am hoping that with the change in leadership that is coming that things will start to turn around. But remember, it isn’t just the bad judgment of the political leaders we have to fight…it’s also the drug cartels that are infusing the community with their poison and encouraging a lot of the crime that goes on, hence the purpose for the chain link fences. It wasn’t until the drug dealers were everywhere that my high school finally had to put a chain link fence around it to stop the dealers from coming on the school grounds. And this was in the 60’s.

Not every school has the restrictions that you are viewing from that piece of property near you. A couple of weeks ago I walked right into the Curlew Elementary School and into the office to leave my envelope for the principal to read. No one stopped me and the receptionist was very friendly and helpful. About 3 weeks ago I walked into the Pinellas School Board building, and again no one stopped me or asked for my I.D. They directed me to the Personnel Office and the receptionist was also helpful. When was the last time you actually walked into a school and experienced the teaching that is going on? Maybe when we went to watch the program that was put on by Amber’s singing group. Su Maria

The Evolution of Public Schools in America

I was born in 1942 and entered the rural public school system in Edenville Michigan. It was at the beginning of the end of the one room school house era. The K-8 school consisted of 4 one room schools moved to one location in Edenville, attached and then referred to afterwards as the Edenville School. It has now since been removed from the property. A private residence is now there.

Local adults served on the school board, local adults maintained the school, and the parents of the students were actively involved in school life. There were Christmas parties. A local wood worker taught a shop class. Lonnie drove the school bus. Anna Mae and her friends prepared lunch for us. Carlos Page, the Methodist minister taught 7th and 8th grade. The Edenville School didn't have a telephone, radio, or a television. We had long recesses. There I became a very good softball player even though there were not enough students for two teams, the ball was soft [Yes! There was only one ball and one bat.]. It was a non-threatening environment free from intimidation. I look back fondly on those years. There were 7 students in my 8th grade class. Almost all of us went to college and graduated. One became a doctor, another an engineer, computer programmer, teachers and parents.

Control of what was taught, how it was taught and school administration was at a local level. The school board was staffed by parents. The teachers, cooks, bus driver and janitor lived locally. We saw each other in church and we knew each other's first and last names.

All students from Edenville School were bused to Midland, Michigan beginning at the 9th grade. That marked the end of parental involvement in my education. Control was now by strangers who lived 20 miles away and who some feared. My brother is 4 years older then me. By the time he was ready for Junior High the Edenville School had closed. That marked the end for meaningful parental involvement in local education.

The new Meridian School system replaced all schools north of Midland. The people that took control of education for Hope, Edenville and Sandford townships then controlled the Meridian School systems. These people were strangers from somewhere else but for a few exceptions. At that point parents had not been totally disenfranchised, yet. That would happen later.

The completion of Paul R. Smith Middle School prompted me to write this post. The school is located a short distance from my home. It’s on approximately 10 acres that is enclosed by a chain link fence. The entrances are gated and closed most of the time. Large stop signs order us to stop. A sign at each gate advises all who are about to enter, “Security Notice – Security cameras may be used to record events at this facility.” Another sign screams, “NO Trespassing.”

The future has been locked in concrete, steel and asphalt for the next 50-75 years. The school is staffed by professionals. Good people, but with more interest in the will of the administrators who administrate county and state laws than the will of the parents who have gradually become primarily procreators who house, feed and care for their students.

The only people welcome on the property are authorized school employees, law enforcement and students when permitted. The rest of us have become potential trespassers.

Bush pushes Congress on student loan bill

President Bush said Saturday [April 26, 2008] that the credit crunch is threatening the availability of student loans. He said his administration is doing what it can to help with emergency loans but prodded Congress for authority to do more.

"A slowdown in the economy shouldn't mean a downturn in educational opportunities," Bush said in his weekly radio address.

Go to the following link for more information.

http://www.finaid.org/loans/creditcrisis.phtml

Vouchers are back, coming to ballot

The debate over school vouchers is about to make a roaring comeback in Florida.

On Friday [April 25, 2008], a powerful citizen commission voted to put a measure on the Novermber ballot that would provide legal protection for vouchers and could pave the way for the return of the Opportunity Scholarships championed by former Gov. Bush.

I suggest that you monitor what is happening in your state and take corrective action.

Controlling Florida classrooms from the state Legislature

While you are focused on educating students, others at the state level, are focused on your classroom. Their intent is not about helping you, it's rather about controlling what you are teaching and how you teach.

End of Course Testing

State level End of Course Test will become a reality in Florida. Florida now has FCAT. Passing that test is a high school graduation requirement. Soon there will be a state level End of Course Test [ECT]. Passing that test will determine if the student passes a course. The reasoning used to justify ECT is the same as was used to justify the FCAT.

The young male Republican promoting this legislation appeared to be in his 20’s. He is supported by a Republican male that appeared to be in his 50’s. Do you want more testing? There will be more testing if we passively accept a law that mandate state required end of course tests.

Mags are making us dumber

April 15, 2008 -- JOAN Collins says we're turning into a world of idiots - and she thinks the celebrity magazines are partly to blame. "Our civilization has become extremely dumbed down, with shorter attention spans. All they want are sound bites," the 75-year-old diva, who famously played super-bitchy Alexis Carrington on "Dynasty," tells BlackBook's Steve Garbarino. "The tabloid magazines are the same every week. People has the same cover as InTouch, OK!, US Weekly and Star magazine. They're exactly the same! It must be 100 to 120 people you read about all the time." But why? "They are appealing to a young audience, or a rather dumb audience," Collins theorizes. She adds that the magazines "go after those girls who exhibit more outrageous behavior. And, believe me, those girls love it. They call in items themselves - that they were at Nobu, some nightclub in SoHo. I can't think of anything more horrible than that. Publicity can be a drug."

Anti-bully bill SB790 sailed through Senate hearing

I have witnessed the behavior of bullies. I have been the victim of bullies. And, I abhor their unacceptable behavior. However, I don’t think that Florida SB 790 is appropriate because I do not want students stigmatized. That is the worse consequence of SB790.

It’s now, here in Florida, too late to modify student behavior that is within the scope of SB790 without the student becoming a criminal. Students get on the bus in the morning. Some, before they get home, become caught up in Florida’s criminal justice system. SB790 increases the probability that this will happen

The Martin Lee Anderson Boot Camp Verdict

The drill instructors and nurse were acquitted: not guilty in the death of Martin Lee Anderson. Humm ... I saw the event many times on my TV and if you watch the news, you saw it also.

When I was a college student, not one prof told us that we should modify a student's behavior using methods that military drill instructors use on recruits. I supplemented my education with psychology books that I bought from the college book store. There was nothing there that justified using book camp methods either.

External to the University environment I would occasionally hear some one say "Spare the rod and spoil the child," and "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

There must be thought leaders somewhere that are propagating a philosophy that condones the behavior that resulted in the death of Martin Lee Anderson. What is the supporting philosophy called? Who is the thought leader that is the source of this philosophy? What group is promoting the boot camp method of behavioral modification? Why is the community where this happened called the Redneck Riviera?

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071013/D8S8B38O0.html This is the link to the AP story about this case.

You can see this method of behavioral modification being applied by watching the Steve Wilkos show. http://www.stevewilkos.com/index.php

Kid Nation

I'm watching Kid Nation and loving every moment of it. I'm just now seeing behavior I've read about and now I'm seeing it for the first time.

It's important that you watch Kid Nation. If you do, I'll be sharing the experience with you.

This is the link to the Kid Nation website. http://www.cbs.com/primetime/kid_nation/

Jesus Camp

Maria deBorbon wrote the following after watching the Jesus Camp video.

This female preacher was disturbing to me on many levels. First of all, it is so easy to manipulate children because they accept what any adult says as the truth. They have sensitive feelings because they’re innocent and haven’t been hardened yet by harsh reality. To use these innocent children to spout her own extremist view of how everyone should conduct themselves as far as their spirituality is concerned is criminal.

The fact that parents who see what is happening and condone this manner of teaching is mind boggling. I can only reason that they have a very low intelligence or they have a very narrow and one-sided view of the world.

The fact that the female preacher is collecting money from conducting the camps also disturbs me. I get the feeling that she is trying to build a cult where she is the dominant leader and intends to have total power over her followers. I’m glad that this video was made in order to expose her....hopefully she will be stopped in time before she does any more harm.

Dancing In School To Shed the Pounds

Schools all over the U.S. have finally figured out that dancing make you happy and keeps you in shape! In an effort to help rein in our obesity epidemic and introduce non-competitive physical activities into shcool, some geniuses have brought the interactive video game Dance Dance Revolution into schools! The New York Times reports that DDR shoud be in over 1,500 schools by the year 2010! Will it be in yours? Source: DanceSprit.com

Science - Religion

Science is a way of knowing system; whereas, religion is a belief system.

Who's More Fit? Dancers or Athletes

If you think athletes are more fit; you're wrong.

Here is the explanation.

Michael Leslie, physical therapist for the San Franciso Ballet, says that the specificity of dancer's training probably plays a big part in this adaptability. Athletes focus principally on their sport and train primarily with that in mind. Dancers, on the other hand, are taught a variety of skills. We have to balance on one leg while turning and go from moving very quickly to being completely still. This type of "cross-training" gives us, in Leslie's words, "the ability to do advanced things with a huge range of motion and extraordinary dexterity," which many athletes lack.

You can read more about this in September's issue of DanceSpirit; How Fit Are You? by Peter Brandenhoff.

Your Student's Bring Their Home Life Style Into Your Classroom.

You can gain insight into your student’s lives by watching reality TV programs. Trading Spaces, Wife Swap and Nanny 911 will give you a window into their lives. You will not be able to change what is happening at home, but you certainly will gain insight that will help you understand your students.

Watch enough reality programs and you will eventually see students like yours preparing for school in the morning from being awaken to being dropped off at school. You may even see their nightly activities before they go to bed. And, see them doing their homework, if any is being done as well as how they interrelate with their parents.

This window into the lives of students like yours will not be open long. Audiences get bored and producers will create something different. So, I suggest that you make the most of this opportunity while you have it.

South Park High

I got a note telling me that the Principal wanted to see me in his office. I had brought by class to assembly late and now I had to account for the error. His office had a large formal desk and windows facing the street that covered most of one wall. Mr. Burt was sitting behind his desk when I entered his office. He said, “You and your class were late for assembly.” I don’t recall much of what he had to say, perhaps because I was focused on the bullet hole in the window near his head. I wondered at the time if he had been sitting there when the shot was fired. Mr. Burt said, “My school doesn’t have any problems.” I didn’t ask, “How do you explain the bullet hole in your window?”

I watch only part of South Park High. It was too real and disturbing to watch all of it. I hope for your sake that you are not in a school like South Park High. If your are; well, then I wish you lots of luck and success in finding somewhere else to teach.

My first year teaching was in a school like South Park High. I did not return the following year.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

This was written by Mitchell A Fleisher, MD and published in Vitamin Research News.

ADHD is a syndrome characterized by inability to focus attention and/or periods of hyperactivity, more commonly exhibited in children, but also affecting adults as well. The term "attention deficit" may be misleading, in that the current theories suggest ADHD patients actually have difficulty: 1) regulating their attention spans; 2) inhibiting their attention to non-relevant stimuli; and/or, 3) focusing too intensely on specific stimuli to the exclusion of what is relevant. Rather than diminished attention ability, many individuals with ADHD may focus their attention upon too many things at once, i.e., not "see the forest 'fore the trees," resulting in poor concentration, erratic thought processes and decreased intellectual productivity.

Our Shrinking Attention Span

Developing post .....

I've been asked not to write this, even though the site statistics indicate that the average time you visit this page is only 8 seconds [July there was 60 visits] ; hardly enough time to read what has been written or post a response. Could it be that you are like a fly at a picnic? I will continue to collect statistical evidence and will later draw conclusions based upon the statistics.

Teacher Baiting

Teacher baiting is when students create a situation that is intended to humiliate their teacher and then record it with a cell phone camera. The movie clip is then uploaded to YouTube for others to see the incriminating clip.

The consequence of this is that you will be evaluated by school administration and perhaps be disciplined. Even if you don’t get disciplined, the event will be in your record and used as part of your performance review. If you were being considered for the Teacher of the Year award, forget about it. It’s not going to happen.

What will your students be doing? They will be flocking to YouTube to see the movie clip, laughing and telling their friends to see the clip too. Some of these students will be doing the same thing to other teachers. I became aware of this about a year ago. I see now that it is proliferating.

The best way to prevent teacher baiting in your class is to stop students from having a cell phone in your classroom. Cell phones are not the only devices that have cameras. All recording that isn't authorized by the teacher must be stopped.

Remember, there isn’t any way to undo the damage after it has happened. So prevent it from happening.

No Bookstores at the Mall

I was surprised to discover that a large local mall that had 2 bookstores now has none and the Science Store had been replaced by Spencer's. This sadly indicates to me that we are buying fewer books, reading less and have a decreased interest in science. I recently completed reading World Of Pain by Lillian Rubin. There is no way other than by reading to learn what is in this book.

Reading books and magazines such as Scientific American are a major source of knowledge for me. This knowledge makes my life more interesting, helps me understand what is happening and the information is background for my decisions. I'm on the Internet many hours a day too. That is just another source of information, but it does not replace books and journals.

Think about the cost of replacing the bookstores that have been lost at your local mall. Do you think a business person will open a bookstore at the mall if they cannot pay expenses and earn a profit from the sale of books? You may never see another book seller in the mall.

I recall that there was a book written titled Dumber and Dumber. Hummm .... Could be the author's thesis is coming true?

Dr. Winerman's Attempt to Teach Tampa, Fl High School Students Dance.

From: Stephen Lyons
Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2007 10:54 AM
To: Dr. Arline Winerman
Subject: Your High School Teaching Experience.

Dear Arline,

Your description of your high school teaching experience is like what I've witnessed at the WT. I don't know why this is happening. It may indicate something negative about the [Tampa, FL] public school system.

Even if we could determine the cause, there's likely nothing that could be done if the problem is systemic.

Stephen
_____________________________________________________________

Dr. Winerman wrote:

The kids this year were very different from last year. There were more blacks last year. There did not seem to be as many in total attending this year. They had lots of choices of things to do, so were busy running around. Just seemed like they did not want to dance - not even free style etc. I hate to think that young people do not love to do some kind of dancing. Times are sure different from when I grew up! I am glad I do not have kids or grandkids!!! See you Thurs. Regards - Arline

Could These Be Your Boys?

Mi Maria,

This morning I encountered 3 boys about the age of your blond hair boy when on the bike ride. I was riding in the lane required by law and each of the other boys crossed their lane and acted as if they were effecting a head-on collision with me. This testosterone driven behavior is one of the many reasons I would not go back into the classroom.

Your blond haired boy is the most likely person who destroyed your tire and dented my hood. Since he was not caught in the act nor has he admitted to it and apologized, it will always cloud any relationship that I have with him. We do have a relationship and it is negative.

He knows if he did it. Josh, my nephew took all my money from my wallet. I know he did it. When boys like this get away with thing like this, they use it to prove to themselves that they are of superior intelligence to adults. They think of us as being stupid. That is what happens when we are passive and forgiving. The boys should be aggressively confronted, then there is a base for moving forward that is best for the boys. But, there is seldom any positive payback for the adult. So, I avoid and minimize any contact I have with them.

Any aggressive confrontation with these boys without authorization from their parents or the legal system is personally destructive. The only course of action left to me is to collect evidence, call 911 and avoid them.

I think life is much better without these boys.

Your Stephen

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Mi Stephen,

It’s unfortunate that what should have been a pleasant bike ride was spoiled by the act of those 3 boys. When things like that happen to me I could do two things: Get angry about it.....or feel sorry for the boys who are going to have a lifetime of misery happen to them due to their aggressive behavior. They are possibly going to be the type of person who chooses to attain what they want in life through intimidation. In the end, they will elicit only fear and hate from the people they encounter throughout their life.
I’ve seen enough babies growing up to know that this is learned behavior. A person who grows up in a non-loving atmosphere with parents who don’t treat them with respect and kindness have a much more difficult time learning to give these two things to other people. Sometimes they can change if they encounter a role model that they respect who treats them well. I know that there are a lot of good role models in this world; it’s just that the media (newspapers and TV) tend to report only the stories that will sell newspapers. It would be wonderful if we could fix all the people who come from dysfunctional families, but there are only two of us. Maybe we should just try to make our own lives as serene and productive as we can.
I did send you a message earlier, hope you were able to bring it up. It was just my good morning note to you.

Su Maria

From: Stephen Lyons [mailto:Stephen@LessonPlans.com] Sent: Thursday, May 03, 2007 10:07 AMTo: Marie deBorbon RoundsSubject: Bicycle riding and blond hair boy.

13-Year-Old Arested In School For Writing On Desk

(CBS) NEW YORK In this day and age where young students are frequently charged for serious school offenses such as possessing weapons, dealing drugs, or assaulting other students on school property, one Brooklyn teen's arrest may come as a surprise. A 13-year-old girl was handcuffed and placed under arrest in front of her classmates in Dyker Heights after she wrote "Okay" on her desk.

The "suspect," Chelsea Fraser, says she's sorry for scribbling the word on her desk, but both she and her mother are shocked at the punishment.

"I'm appalled, because here we have rapists, murderers, and you're taking a 13-year-old kid? Wasting valuable manpower to arrest a child who wrote on a desk?" Fraser's mother Diana Silva told CBS 2.

Police confirm that that's exactly what's written on her arrest record and for the crime, she's been charged with criminal mischief and the making of graffiti. Fraser says the day she marked her desk, she was wrongly grouped together with troublemakers who had plastered stickers all over the classroom.

Fraser was arrested at the Dyker Heights Intermediate School on March 30 along with three other male students. She says she was made to empty her pockets and take off her belt. Then she was handcuffed and led out of the school in front of her classmates and placed in the back of a police car.

"It was really embarrassing because some of the kids, they talk, and they're going to label me as a bad kid. But I'm really not," Fraser said. "I didn't know writing 'Okay' would get me arrested."

"All the kids were ... watching these three boys and my daughter being marched out with four -- they had four police officers -- walking them out, handcuffed," Silva said. "She goes to me, 'Mommy, these hurt!'

"The students were taken to the 68th Precinct station house where Silva says they were separated for three hours. "MY child is 13-years-old -- doesn't it stand that I'm supposed to be present for any questioning?" Silva said. "I'm watching my daughter, she's handcuffed to the pole. I ask the officer has she been there the entire time? She says, 'Yes.'"

On her report card, under conduct, Fraser has earned all "satisfactory" marks and one "excellent" mark.

"My daughter just wrote something on a desk. I would have her scrub it with Soft Scrub on a Saturday morning when she should be out playing, and maybe a day of in-house and a formal apology to the principal," Silva said.

CBS 2 contacted both the NYPD and the Board of Education for a response. The police say the arrests followed a request by the school's principal. The Board of Education said the matter is under investigation, adding that graffiti was found on several desks.

The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil

In his preface, Philip Zimbardo stated that he didn’t want to write a book after his Stanford Prison experiment ended because he didn’t want to relive the negative emotions that the experiment caused. He agreed to write a book only after the nefarious events in the Abu Ghraib prison and being an expert witness for one of the Abu Ghraib guards. He didn’t want to write it, but he did. I didn’t want to read it, but I did.

I knew about the experiment. However, it has been so many years ago that I had forgotten where it happened and I knew none of the details. It happened when I was a graduate student at CMU. A professor may have talked about it. I only remembered that the experiment was important.

As I read the book, events that had happened in the education institution where I was either a student or a teacher flashed back. Some of the events that happened in the Stanford Prison experiment had happened in schools where I taught. Events then past by me without realizing what I had witnessed. Reading the Lucifer Effect opened my awareness: kind of late. Now I know what should have been stopped and what to avoid.

Philip wrote in detail about the behavior of an assistant that had been imprisoned and paroled prior to being made a part of the Stanford Prison experiment. I thought that he would have been sympathetic to the plight of the student prisoners. Empathy should have caused him to not do to them what was done to him [The Golden Rule]. That was not the case.

This is what I realized from reading what was written about the paroled prisoner that became the chairman of the Parole Board at the Stanford Prison. When roles are reversed after someone has had their self-esteem attacked by system authority figures, they will egregiously wage an attack on someone else’s self-esteem and then justify it with eloquent reasoning or defend themselves with anger. Knowing this is another reason why you should read The Lucifer Effect. You owe it to your students to understand how good people turn evil. The best way to do that is to read The Lucifer Effect.

Cops in Schools

Pinellas County Florida has uniformed cops flaunting weapons as they patrol the halls. They are stationed in the high schools where they operate out of an office that looks better than anything I ever had as a teacher. What I find most offensive about this is that they have usurped the responsibilities of the counselor.

When I was a high school student, we had hall monitors: not cops. When I was a teacher, there weren't cops in the schools. There should not be any now. Involving law enforcement into a behavioral problem was always the last resort. Bobby Todd brought a starter pistol to class, I sent for a counselor. The problem was quietly solved. It is usually that easy.

If you routinely allow law enforcement for function within your schools as counselors then there has to be negative long term consequences. They are not counselors any more then they are medical doctors. If a student has a personal problem, then that problem should be taken to a counselor, teacher or the school nurse. They will know if law enforcement should be involved. Otherwise, law enforcement should stay out of it.

Teacher or Educator?

According to a news report, a certain private school in Washington was recently faced with a unique problem. A number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine, but after they put on their lipstick, they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints. Every night the maintenance man would remove them and the next day the girls would put them back. Finally the principal decided that something had to be done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance man. She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors every night (you can just imagine the yawns from the little princesses). To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required. He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet and cleaned the mirror with it. Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.

There are teachers.... And then there are EDUCATORS

The War Prayer

Mike Mirra, teacher, wants you to think about this.

This is from "The War Prayer" by Mark Twain.

God sends an visitor to a church congregation that is praying for
victory. The visitor says that what they were really praying for
needed to be put into words. He does as written here.
He, in his way shows them how UnChrist like they are.
He then tells them "You have prayed it"

____________________________________________

O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broke! n in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it--for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen.

Christ said that he who lives by the sword shall perish by the
sword. He said that when the people live according to God's law
they would beat their swords into plowshares. He also said
that the peacemakers are to be called the children of God.
Even the old 'eye for an eye' old testament has God saying
"THOU SHALT NOT Kill"