Under Florida SB 6 (Passed Senate, pending in House)

Teachers would serve a five year probationary period and then get single-year contracts, with pay based on evaluations.  Half of their pay wuld be linked to student test results.

Bonuses now given to teachers with National Board certification would be eliminated in 2014.

All studnets must take geometry, two years of algebra, biology, chemistry or physics and an additional "rigorous" science course.

Phase out the FCAT in hight schools by 2014 and replace it with an end-of-course tests. Students who fail the tests can move to the next grade, but graduation depends on passing.

Florida's Senate is still punishing teachers.

The Senate is poised to vote on SB 6, which envisions a future where any teacher hired after July 1 has no gaurantee of a job year-to-year. That would make it easier to get rid of a teacher without having to endure a laborious discipline proceeding.  It would also make the teachers even more insecure than they are now.

SB 6 will also do away with tenure.

Playing A Musical Instrument Makes You Smarter

Many studies have been conducted on the effects of music to the brain. Scientists say that children who are exposed to music, or those who play an instrument, do better in school than those who don’t. Recent research suggests exposure to music may benefit a child’s reading age, IQ and the development of certain parts of the brain. Adults can benefit from learning to play an instrument too because it helps the mind to be alert and remain active eventually helping to sharpen the memory.

Fixing schools requires all to pitch in .... Bill Maxwell

I have heard since I got involved in education about fixing schools.  This now sounds like a mantra that insinuates that it is broke.  At this point in my life, it lacks sincerity.  It seems to me that it is more of an evolutionary process.  Fixed?  I doubt it.  Schools changing gradually over time and becoming something different?  Yes!

U.S. science literacy has increased to 28%.

Miller concedes that some of the rapid increase in U.S. science literacy may reflect self-education by adults, aided by the Internet.

Over the past two decades, science literacy has nearly tripled in the U.S. to a meager 28%.  Source: Science news, March 13, 2010.

Rowdy protester target funding cuts at US campuses

BERKELEY, Calif. – Students carried out raucous rallies on college campuses nationwide Thursday in protests against deep education cuts that turned violent as demonstrators threw punches and ice chunks in Wisconsin and blocked university gates and smashed car windows in California.

Link To News Story

Brawls disrupt middle school

"We have no control, " says a teacher at John Hopkins in St. Petersburg, FL, with 60 arrested since fall.

Bill Maxwell wrote:

"Becasue people are low income, it doesn't mean they don't care about their children and don't want them to get a good education. These parents care about their kids.  They want them to have the best education.  And, tax credit scholarship affords them the opportunity."

Proof of health insurance as a condition to being a college student

The state of Florida is now at the highest level of government discussing  health insurance as being a condition for being a Florida college student. Apparently, some states already require their students to maintain health insurance at their expense as a condition for being a student.  From what I heard, I am caused to think that it will soon be a Florida student requirement. How to administer it is now their focus of attention.

I would not have a college education if I had to pay the current cost of a college education. I am from a working class family that did not value education beyond high school.  Having it proved to be a social negative. 

So, now they are going to make it even more difficult for the working class to be educated.  If doing everything that the college teachers required wasn't already enough.

What is the pay-off for the working class student that does everything requires by the University.  In my case, it was rejection.

New Brain Cells

Fresh neurons arise in the adult brain every day.  New research suggest that the cells ultimately help with learning complex tasks and the more they are challenged, the more they flourish.  Reported in Scientific American.

Source Tracy J. Shors, professor in the department of psychology and the Center for Collaborative Neuroscience at Rutgers.

What will become of homo sapiens?

Contrary to popular belief, humans continue to evolve.  Our bodies and brains are not the same as our ancestors' were - or as our decendants'will be.   source:  Beter Ward of Scientific American

Legal limit as to how far school can go.

The 3rd. U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in a finding that Justin Layshock's First Amendment rights were violated, "It would be an unseemly and dangerous preedent to allow the state in the guise of school authorities to reach into a child's home and control his/her actions" to the extent it can exert control in school.

"It makes pedagogic sense for the First Amendment to allow school officials some say over the tenor of speech in  school.  But by unleashing that power to anywhere a student is, school authorities would essentially get to control the speech of the general population under 18.  That is too much discretion for schools and not enough freedom for young people."  Source:  Robyn Blumner  rblummer@sptimes.com

School spied on students via laptops ....

This happened in Philadelphia and was reported by the Associated Press on February 19, 2010.

Lower Merion School District officials actived the student's webcam when the school laptops were in the privacy of the student's home and  used them to recorded private moments.  This is a scenario from George Orwell's 1984.  Orwell wrote 1984 to warn us about the possibility of this happening.

If you are a teacher or administrator. Do not do this.  If you are a parent. Do not allow a school computer into your home that has a webcam.  If you think the laptop is being used to monitor your home: get a lawyer.

You can get the details with a Google search.

Afraid of a new idea?

There's so much power in a new idea taking shape and changing the way people live and act.  Often the rest of us are in awe or we are even afraid of a new idea and sometimes our fears spur us to learn more about it.

Souce: John Houtz, Scientific American Mind

What should I conclude if ....

What should I conclude, if after 6 months elapes; I discover that only a small percentage of teachers participate in a form or blog and even fewer have their own blog or forum?  It is going to indicate something and I cannot imagine that it will be positive.

Asperger's to be categorized as autism

The details are available at http://www.dsm5.org/

Welcome to The Educator's Forum.

Today I patched most of the broken links and added a link to my Twitter. It is now ready for you.

Forums and blogs are what you make of them.  If you ignore them or worse condemn them with your words, then you will not benefit nor will others.  If you read and publish,  we will all benefit providing what you publish is not malicious.

The Educator's Forum

This morning I upload the first version of the Educator's Forum. The path that lead to this began in December after I upgraded to a new computer system, bought Expression Web 3 and learned how to use it.  You likely were told some time in the past about prerequisite knowledge. I cannot over stress the importance of that.  It became obvious to me that I could not have learned Expression Web without first knowing HTML.

Do we learn when we are sleeping?

The answer is YES!  I noticed when I was a student at Delta College that I would be very sleepy.  I would drink coffee and NoDoze to counteract the sleepiness  Delta did not provide any place to nap nor was there any encouragement to take a nap. Occasionally, I would see Chuck sleeping in the library.  I reasoned at the time that Chuck could not be learning if he was sleeping. 

I discovered when I was a computer programmer at Dow Chemical that I would know the answer to a problem after I took a nap.  Something was obviously happening that I was unaware of.  Now, there is scientific evidence supporting the Scientific hypothesis that during sleep our brain at a cellular level completes the learning process as well as solveing problems needed during our waking state. 

I'm now teaching myself  Expression Web 3.  I noticed that occasionally I would be overcome by drowsiness.  I know now it is just my brain tell me that I need to take nap so it can do what it needs to do. Now, I don't have a boss to tell me that I cannot take a nap. I don't need permission to nap.  There is no one that can punish me for napping.  Consequently, I nap when I am overcome with drowsiness. 
I am 67 and most of you think that what has happened is an impossibility.  (The number of people that read this can likely be counted on one hand.  I could be wrong.  Prove me wrong by sending a message to StefenL@EarthLink.net  )

The details can be found with a Google search from the Educator's Forum.

This is going to have a major effect on the Freedom of the Press

Hi Ronald,

I went to Books A Million to buy a book that would help me learn Expression Web and found nothing to buy. Expression appears to be too new for a writer to have had time to write and publish.

A few night ago I listened to Charlie Rose interview a leader in the publishing industry. He said that books will not be published like they were in the past. There will be on demand publishing for those willing and able to pay the price. The books of the future will mostly be published for the Kindle or something like that. Amazons- Kindle-Wireless-generation   There will not be paper back books. Their time is over. I was looking around in Books A Million wonder if that is going to happen and what will happen to all the books and the book stores.

Stephen

Microsoft's Expression Web 3

I am continuing to learn how to use Expression Web 3.  I found these videos that are very helpful.  link to videos  I gave myself a month to learn Expression.  But, it might be another month before I'm productive. 

There is a lot to learn and if you are not already able to ready html, you are at a disadvantage.  If you are going to learn Expression Web, I suggest that you first learn basic html. Otherwise, the code that Expression Web creates will look like Greek.

It just faded away.

I watched a football game from the Lime-n-Coconut on New Years and realized that it was as phony as professional wrestling.  This morning on WUSF I saw an ad promoting a special about a pandemic: The Anamomy of a Pandemic: It Just Faded Away.  Was it ever really here?  Could H1M1 be a manifestation of the minds of people like those that created professional wrestling and NFL football.?  Hummm ...  What have be become?

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.