At least that's the "hey, it's no big deal" attitude displayed by the president of Detroit's public school board following the revelation that he cannot write a coherent sentence.
Yes, that's right. The man IN CHARGE of 90,000 public school students is now admitting he never really learned to read or write well, despite having passed through the public school system, attending college (!), getting his teaching credentials (!!), and finally attaining a seat on a school board (!!!).
My head is spinning. Oh, wait, I think I'm smelling smoke. Yeah, it's definitely smoke. It's COMING OUT OF THE TOP OF MY SPINNING HEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This would be funny if it wasn't so incredibly dire.
Otis Mathis, 56, told the Detroit Free Press he's had "difficulties with language" ever since the fourth grade where he spent time in special education classes.
He repeatedly failed English proficiency exams required for college graduation, thus holding up his diploma for TEN YEARS.
According to Fox News, Mathis also worked as a substitute teacher in some of Detroit's poorest schools -- you know, the ones that can least afford to have morons up at the blackboard.
So how does Mr. Mathis put a "kumbaya" feel-good spin on this latest education revelation?
"Instead of telling them that they can't write and won't be anything, I show that cannot stop you," Mathis told the paper. "If Detroit Public Schools can allow kids to dream, with whatever weakness they have, that's something. ... It's not about what you don't have. It's what you can do."
Seriously? You mean education really ISN'T about learning to read and write well so that you can access and use the ideas of those brilliant minds that have gone before you? You mean all we have to do to turn out well-educated citizens is just tell them they're educated?
Down here in Texas we call that "bullshit."
Seems to me that Mr. Mathis and those who promoted him from pillar to post did a little too much dreaming along the way with nary a reality check to keep them honest.
When WILL people whose children attend public schools rise up and demand their tax dollars be used for the actual education of their children as mandated by law?
Or better yet, when will people rise up and fight tooth and nail to teach their own?
When reading and writing aren't valued by those at the very top of the educational dog pile, it's time to give the taxpayers back their money and let alternatives to the status quo commence.
Shame on the teachers who didn't teach Mr. Mathis all those years ago. Shame on the university that finally gave him a degree. Shame on the Detroit Public Schools for hiring him into a position of authority as a teacher, and shame on Mr. Mathis himself for feeding from the public trough all these years even as he lived a lie.
Wordly discourse on everything from the sad state of public education, politics and world peace to vegetarianism, breast vs. bottle, religious persecution, bad media, and all manner of life's vagaries.
March 5, 2010
March 4, 2010
How I teach history
It took me a good two years as a homeschooling teacher to define my plan for teaching history. During that time my children received lessons in history, just not as coherently or completely as I would have liked.
My problem centered around competing methodologies for presenting the tremendous timeline of human events.
One perspective says to teach history chronologically, reviewing and adding detail as the student progresses through school.
Another says to start with the established biblical history and teach out from there.
Another says to start with the history of your community, then expand to your state, then your country and then to the world.
Another says to teach several different eras at the same time and leave it to the child to sort out what happened when.
I think there were a couple more variations on all these themes that I dismissed because they were too convoluted for me to decipher.
In the end, I chose the chronological method with occasional forays into American history as it seemed necessary, i.e. American Revolution, Geo. Washington, et al once we approached the Fourth of July or the Pilgrims as we got closer to Thanksgiving.
It seems to be working and the best part, to me, is that I'm less likely to leave any gaps. It's hard to avoid the history of, say, Africa when you have to contemplate the ancient Egyptians, early Christians, the rise of Islam, or the impact of black slavery on the New World following Columbus' expeditions.
The same goes for the history of pretty much any place else because, as I've learned, the histories of all the countries are intertwined to such an extent that we really can't teach about one or the other in isolation. I maintain the same is true for any group of people, i.e. Black History Month or Hispanic History Month.
Why can't the schools simply teach history warts and all and weave back together the incredible story of our species' time on earth? I think too many kids come away with a fragmented and possibly inaccurate understanding of how one culture impacted another and how those eventually impacted a third and so on. I know I did and after 12 years of public school and another 4.5 of college I still had a hard time placing major events and key figures in their proper order. I also lacked a deeper understanding of the consequences and their effects.
Context is everything, and unless or until we start teaching all children the circumstances in which historical figures lived and worked and created, until we tell the rich and colorful stories behind the people who made history, we're simply stuffing our kids full of trivia.
It might win them some money on a game show someday, but it won't do much to help them think intelligently about the deeper issues so desperately in need of thoughtful examination.
I'll post a list of my all-time favorite history resources for school-age students in an upcoming 'blog entry. Prepare to be thrilled!
My problem centered around competing methodologies for presenting the tremendous timeline of human events.
One perspective says to teach history chronologically, reviewing and adding detail as the student progresses through school.
Another says to start with the established biblical history and teach out from there.
Another says to start with the history of your community, then expand to your state, then your country and then to the world.
Another says to teach several different eras at the same time and leave it to the child to sort out what happened when.
I think there were a couple more variations on all these themes that I dismissed because they were too convoluted for me to decipher.
In the end, I chose the chronological method with occasional forays into American history as it seemed necessary, i.e. American Revolution, Geo. Washington, et al once we approached the Fourth of July or the Pilgrims as we got closer to Thanksgiving.
It seems to be working and the best part, to me, is that I'm less likely to leave any gaps. It's hard to avoid the history of, say, Africa when you have to contemplate the ancient Egyptians, early Christians, the rise of Islam, or the impact of black slavery on the New World following Columbus' expeditions.
The same goes for the history of pretty much any place else because, as I've learned, the histories of all the countries are intertwined to such an extent that we really can't teach about one or the other in isolation. I maintain the same is true for any group of people, i.e. Black History Month or Hispanic History Month.
Why can't the schools simply teach history warts and all and weave back together the incredible story of our species' time on earth? I think too many kids come away with a fragmented and possibly inaccurate understanding of how one culture impacted another and how those eventually impacted a third and so on. I know I did and after 12 years of public school and another 4.5 of college I still had a hard time placing major events and key figures in their proper order. I also lacked a deeper understanding of the consequences and their effects.
Context is everything, and unless or until we start teaching all children the circumstances in which historical figures lived and worked and created, until we tell the rich and colorful stories behind the people who made history, we're simply stuffing our kids full of trivia.
It might win them some money on a game show someday, but it won't do much to help them think intelligently about the deeper issues so desperately in need of thoughtful examination.
I'll post a list of my all-time favorite history resources for school-age students in an upcoming 'blog entry. Prepare to be thrilled!
Stupid, stupid, stupid
The "S" word, "stupid," is one I don't let my children get away with using. They're not allowed until they're older and can wield it wisely.
I, on the other hand, am *%$ years old and have earned the right to use the word as I see fit.
Nowhere does it seem more applicable than in situations involving public education and its repeated breaches of the public's trust.
Apparently I can now add three teachers in the Los Angeles public school system to my list of half-wits in academia.
The L.A. Times reports that three white, male teachers (yes, their race is relevant here) at an elementary school in south L.A. have been suspended following their incredibly STUPID choice of black American role models for study during Black History Month. The men teach 1st, 2nd and 4th grades respectively.
The teachers in question allegedly had their predominantly Hispanic students carrying photos of black Americans of questionable judgment or character in a BHM parade.
(Don't get me started on why I think having a parade of ANY sort during valuable school time is a ridiculous use of that time. And I won't bore you, here anyway, with my thoughts on how history ought to be taught to everyone, not just children of a particular race or religious background.)
The people these teachers thought worthy of further study and celebration? O.J. Simpson, RuPaul (a female impersonator), and basketball player Dennis Rodman.
Yeah, one look at Simpson's name was enough for me to conclude the teachers, in fact, lost their minds. RuPaul and Rodman are pretty benign in comparison.
It gets worse. These guys' names were actually on a list of prominent black Americans approved by the school!
I'm not black but even I can name off the top of my head a plethora of more logical choices: Harriet Tubman, George Washington Carver, Booker T. Washington, Maya Angelou, Texas politician Barbara Jordan, Martin Luther King (!), Oprah Winfrey, Madame C.J. Walker, Marian Anderson. What about dancers Alvin Ailey, Katherine Dunham or Lauren Anderson?
Heck, if I researched Google for about 20 minutes I could come up with a mile-long list of notable and awesome black Americans that any child of any race ought to be familiar with as part of their academic studies.
But then again I take education seriously, sort of like breathing oxygen. Just ask anyone who knows me.
Seems the moronic teachers at the L.A. elementary school would rather poke fun or make some sort of political or socially slanted point than actually spend time teaching their young charges about the finer qualities of famous Americans.
Wonder how much time they spent dreaming up the nonsense that rightfully got them suspended?
At the end of the day the only harm done is that kids who likely need every solid learning opportunity they could get instead got cheated by a handful of STUPID grownups.
Oh, and according to the newspaper, the school district sent out a "human relations and ethnic diversity team" to help the school prepare more appropriate BHM lessons.
(If a school and its administration have to have outside help to come up with appropriate lessons for a specialized history study what does THAT say about the rest of their offerings? BHM may be getting the scrutiny now, but what about the math, science or reading curricula used on a daily basis? Makes you wonder . . .)
I, on the other hand, am *%$ years old and have earned the right to use the word as I see fit.
Nowhere does it seem more applicable than in situations involving public education and its repeated breaches of the public's trust.
Apparently I can now add three teachers in the Los Angeles public school system to my list of half-wits in academia.
The L.A. Times reports that three white, male teachers (yes, their race is relevant here) at an elementary school in south L.A. have been suspended following their incredibly STUPID choice of black American role models for study during Black History Month. The men teach 1st, 2nd and 4th grades respectively.
The teachers in question allegedly had their predominantly Hispanic students carrying photos of black Americans of questionable judgment or character in a BHM parade.
(Don't get me started on why I think having a parade of ANY sort during valuable school time is a ridiculous use of that time. And I won't bore you, here anyway, with my thoughts on how history ought to be taught to everyone, not just children of a particular race or religious background.)
The people these teachers thought worthy of further study and celebration? O.J. Simpson, RuPaul (a female impersonator), and basketball player Dennis Rodman.
Yeah, one look at Simpson's name was enough for me to conclude the teachers, in fact, lost their minds. RuPaul and Rodman are pretty benign in comparison.
It gets worse. These guys' names were actually on a list of prominent black Americans approved by the school!
I'm not black but even I can name off the top of my head a plethora of more logical choices: Harriet Tubman, George Washington Carver, Booker T. Washington, Maya Angelou, Texas politician Barbara Jordan, Martin Luther King (!), Oprah Winfrey, Madame C.J. Walker, Marian Anderson. What about dancers Alvin Ailey, Katherine Dunham or Lauren Anderson?
Heck, if I researched Google for about 20 minutes I could come up with a mile-long list of notable and awesome black Americans that any child of any race ought to be familiar with as part of their academic studies.
But then again I take education seriously, sort of like breathing oxygen. Just ask anyone who knows me.
Seems the moronic teachers at the L.A. elementary school would rather poke fun or make some sort of political or socially slanted point than actually spend time teaching their young charges about the finer qualities of famous Americans.
Wonder how much time they spent dreaming up the nonsense that rightfully got them suspended?
At the end of the day the only harm done is that kids who likely need every solid learning opportunity they could get instead got cheated by a handful of STUPID grownups.
Oh, and according to the newspaper, the school district sent out a "human relations and ethnic diversity team" to help the school prepare more appropriate BHM lessons.
(If a school and its administration have to have outside help to come up with appropriate lessons for a specialized history study what does THAT say about the rest of their offerings? BHM may be getting the scrutiny now, but what about the math, science or reading curricula used on a daily basis? Makes you wonder . . .)
February 26, 2010
Reason #11568 why we homeschool
Now, before I begin my rant let me agree up front with any detractors that what's happening at the school in Indiana is not indicative of what's happening at every other public school across America.
My rant is based not on the specifics of what is happening but on the mentality of the adults who sit in positions of authority and power over children and their families.
I charge that similar mentalities -- that we know better than you how to teach and raise your children -- may be found in just about any other public school nationwide and it is for this reason parents would do well to consider alternatives to the free government schools.
And now for my rant:
Fox News reports tonight that a middle school in Elwood, IN is raising funds for its drama club using a special matchmaking website. After filling out a survey, students in grades 6 through 10 can pay money to be matched with a compatible mate.
Sort of like the Dating Game for adolescents.
The problem, as I see it, is twofold. (And we're not even to the part where the superintendent of the school district weighs in.)
First, that any public school in a nation that spends more per pupil and gets less in academic returns as measured by standardized tests would still need to raise funds begs the question, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH ALL THE LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL MONIES YOU ALREADY RECEIVE?"
Second, that a fundraiser with the potential to promote underage dating or sex would be considered suitable for a school is evidence the so-called professional educators in this case have lost their ever-lovin' minds and should be stripped of their so-called professional teaching credentials.
Oh, and did I mention that parents were NOT informed of the school's plan to raise funds by encouraging little Jimmy to hook up with little Sue? Or that the project could result in someone's sixth-grade daughter, for example, being matched up with someone else's tenth-grade son?
I know I'd want my 11 year old daughter sidling up to a 16 or 17 year old boy to flirt and possibly set up a date.
Not.
And now for the zinger, the coup de grace, the reason government schools cannot and should not be trusted with the minds and hearts of our children. Dear readers, I bring you the Elwood, IN Community Schools Superintendent Thomas Austin:
"I approved this fundraiser on February 1st, and I knew about the content of the survey, and it's just a good way for
I guess making it voluntary somehow relieves the school or the school district of any responsibility -- as if kids as young as 11 are already capable of making smart choices when it comes to raging hormones and members of the opposite sex.
Sometimes I wish I could go back and gather all the instances of overt stupidity that pass for public education projects, programs and initiatives and compile them into one big book for all to read.
I'd keep a copy with me to give to the next person who asked me, upon finding out I homeschool my kids, "Oh, don't you worry about all they're missing out on, not being in school with the other kids?"
After I finished choking back a laugh and restraining myself from listing all the instances in which my children spend lots of quality time with other children, I'd hand them my "Unbelievably Freakin' Big Fat Book of Reasons We Homeschool."
Later, I'd want to know exactly which of the sad, sorry experiences documented in my hefty tome would be the ones no child should miss.
My rant is based not on the specifics of what is happening but on the mentality of the adults who sit in positions of authority and power over children and their families.
I charge that similar mentalities -- that we know better than you how to teach and raise your children -- may be found in just about any other public school nationwide and it is for this reason parents would do well to consider alternatives to the free government schools.
And now for my rant:
Fox News reports tonight that a middle school in Elwood, IN is raising funds for its drama club using a special matchmaking website. After filling out a survey, students in grades 6 through 10 can pay money to be matched with a compatible mate.
Sort of like the Dating Game for adolescents.
The problem, as I see it, is twofold. (And we're not even to the part where the superintendent of the school district weighs in.)
First, that any public school in a nation that spends more per pupil and gets less in academic returns as measured by standardized tests would still need to raise funds begs the question, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH ALL THE LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL MONIES YOU ALREADY RECEIVE?"
Second, that a fundraiser with the potential to promote underage dating or sex would be considered suitable for a school is evidence the so-called professional educators in this case have lost their ever-lovin' minds and should be stripped of their so-called professional teaching credentials.
Oh, and did I mention that parents were NOT informed of the school's plan to raise funds by encouraging little Jimmy to hook up with little Sue? Or that the project could result in someone's sixth-grade daughter, for example, being matched up with someone else's tenth-grade son?
I know I'd want my 11 year old daughter sidling up to a 16 or 17 year old boy to flirt and possibly set up a date.
Not.
And now for the zinger, the coup de grace, the reason government schools cannot and should not be trusted with the minds and hearts of our children. Dear readers, I bring you the Elwood, IN Community Schools Superintendent Thomas Austin:
"I approved this fundraiser on February 1st, and I knew about the content of the survey, and it's just a good way for
I guess making it voluntary somehow relieves the school or the school district of any responsibility -- as if kids as young as 11 are already capable of making smart choices when it comes to raging hormones and members of the opposite sex.
Sometimes I wish I could go back and gather all the instances of overt stupidity that pass for public education projects, programs and initiatives and compile them into one big book for all to read.
I'd keep a copy with me to give to the next person who asked me, upon finding out I homeschool my kids, "Oh, don't you worry about all they're missing out on, not being in school with the other kids?"
After I finished choking back a laugh and restraining myself from listing all the instances in which my children spend lots of quality time with other children, I'd hand them my "Unbelievably Freakin' Big Fat Book of Reasons We Homeschool."
Later, I'd want to know exactly which of the sad, sorry experiences documented in my hefty tome would be the ones no child should miss.
February 12, 2010
Send Girl Scout cookies to U.S. soldiers
Anyone reading this 'blog has the opportunity to do a small but immensely powerful thing for American soldiers stationed in the Middle East and Afghanistan.
Send them Girl Scout cookies.
These tasty treats from home are so coveted by our troops that I'm told some soldiers actually offer to pay for them.
Locally, the organization Cypress Cares will collect your cookies and ship them to troops. If you don't live in or near the Houston area, you can STILL make sure cookies get to our soldiers by going online to www.cypress-cares.org and making a donation via Paypal. Specify that you want it to pay for postage to send Girl Scout cookies and you'll have done your part.
Flat-rate postage boxes to military personnel cost $12 to mail. Each box will hold roughly six boxes of GS cookies.
If you know of a soldier stationed overseas, or if you have a local program like Cypress Cares that coordinates regular mailings to U.S. troops, ask about donating GS cookies.
You'll be helping out some hard-working Girl Scouts and you'll be blessing the soldiers whose very existence reminds us daily that freedom isn't free.
Send them Girl Scout cookies.
These tasty treats from home are so coveted by our troops that I'm told some soldiers actually offer to pay for them.
Locally, the organization Cypress Cares will collect your cookies and ship them to troops. If you don't live in or near the Houston area, you can STILL make sure cookies get to our soldiers by going online to www.cypress-cares.org and making a donation via Paypal. Specify that you want it to pay for postage to send Girl Scout cookies and you'll have done your part.
Flat-rate postage boxes to military personnel cost $12 to mail. Each box will hold roughly six boxes of GS cookies.
If you know of a soldier stationed overseas, or if you have a local program like Cypress Cares that coordinates regular mailings to U.S. troops, ask about donating GS cookies.
You'll be helping out some hard-working Girl Scouts and you'll be blessing the soldiers whose very existence reminds us daily that freedom isn't free.
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