Posts Tagged ‘Education’

What Schools Must Have

Friday, December 3rd, 2010

As insane as it might seem, when times are tough, economically, it’s always education — the future of our society, our country, even our species — that seems to get cut first.  School nurses get laid off, along with librarians and counselors.  Art classes are pretty much gone, as are the band and orchestras of our youth.  There’s no money for after school activities and lunches are made off-site and trucked in like military MREs.  Now, however, a California court has ruled that there is one part of the school day that simply can’t be cut, regardless of how bad a fiscal crisis a school district is facing.

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Books in the Classroom: Text or Note?

Monday, November 15th, 2010

There’s nothing like curling up with a good book on a delightfully dreary fall day, watching the grey skies while keeping cozy warm by the fire.  On the other hand, I love getting on the computer and catching up on the latest news or finding the answer to some question one of my kids asked.  Luckily for me, I can choose either option — or, rather, I could if I had that kind of free time.  But what if one had to choose?  Many schools can’t afford both technology and textbooks, so which would teachers rather have?

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Facebook for First Graders

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

Facebook has become such an integral part of our culture that it is as familiar to the average person as the horseless carriage (cars) and the magic picture box (television).  Of course, it is the younger generation that is primarily driving acceptance, but it is increasingly popular with seniors as well, as they discover how easy it is to keep in touch with family members living elsewhere.  Even as it is becoming a way of life for teens and adults, however, what about the elementary school crowd?

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Coming Together With Kids

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

Yesterday, I took a long lunch and joined more than a million others Downtown for a parade honoring the San Francisco Giants baseball team that beat the Texas Rangers to win the World Series.  I wasn’t there alone, however; I, like many others, pulled my kids out of school to join the throngs of screaming fans.  Now, why would I, one who is known for dismissing team sports, choose such an event over my kids’ education, especially since I value learning and knowledge as much as I shun sports?

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Religion In Schools, Fingers In Ears

Monday, October 25th, 2010

A Facebook Friend posted just the other day that he was shocked that his daughter’s teacher had given the class a list of the five pillars of Islam as part of a unit on the Middle East.  He felt that not only was this teaching the students about Islam but it was also teaching them how to convert.  He believed this was an inappropriate violation of the doctrine of separation of church and state.  To further complicate matters, the teacher had informed the students that she was a Muslim.  So a call was made to the school principal and a meeting has been scheduled to discuss the matter.

Well, Rhonda Thurman, a member of the Hamilton County Board of Education in Tennessee, has a solution.  If the teacher begins teaching the students about Islam or praying with them, my friend’s daughter and any other offended students can simply “put their fingers in their ears.”  Yep, she actually said that.

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Student Teacher Fired For Hanging Out With Guys

Tuesday, October 12th, 2010

Teachers teach their students a lot more than just the three Rs of reading, writing, and ‘rithmatic.  They teach kids to have confidence and to try new things.  They get kids to strive for excellence and accept loss gracefully.  Teachers teach kids how to interact with others, both by telling them directly and by setting an example.  In short, teachers teach kids about the real world.  Except, perhaps, in Beaverton, Oregon where the real world apparently must be cleaned up and sanitized before telling the precious little snowflakes about it.

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Job Description for Parents

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

So what if, instead of being something you do because you want to or because you have kids, parenting was something you did for a living?  What if it were your career, something you trained for and then looked for just the right situation?  You’d have to read job listings, check the online websites, network with friends and colleagues.  You’d have to go through a lot of job postings to find the one that was just right for you.  But what exactly would that position look like?  How would the job description read?  Perhaps it would look something like this: (more…)

Teaching The Bible In School

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

There’s no doubt that the bible has had a significant impact on human history.  The bible has inspired artists such as Michelangelo and Botticelli, composers like Bach and Vivaldi, and even authors like C.S. Lewis.  Although not strictly Christian concepts, we have the bible to thank for the popularity of Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.  Of course, we also have the bible and related works to thank for the atrocities of the crusades, the Middle East conflicts and even, yes, the holocaust.  But should the bible be something taught in schools or is it best left for parents and priests to discuss?  One California school district thinks the bible’s influence is substantial enough to warrant teaching about it.
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Kansas City To Return To The One-Room Classroom

Monday, July 5th, 2010

So they’re not exactly reinstating the idea of the one-room classroom but the Kansas City, Missouri School District is eliminating grade levels.  Instead of placing students in a specific grade according to their age, students will work on topics according to their abilities, beginning next fall.  This is good in that kids who learn quickly are not sitting around waiting for the rest of the class to catch up and kids that need extra time to master a skill can do so.

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Court Rules: A Promise Is A Promise

Sunday, July 4th, 2010

Be careful what you promise your kids — you may have to follow through.  When I was a young adult, my father told me that if I lost enough weight to fit into size 30 jeans, he would buy me a car.  I got close, but never made it before he passed away.  Someday, though, I will lose the weight and then I’ll visit my father’s grave and say “you owe me a car!”  Of course, I realize that it would take a miracle to get him to pony up my new ride.  For Dana Soderberg, on the other hand, all it took was a lawyer.

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