Caveat Emptor

I sometimes engage in lengthy discussions on other blogs, especially about Progressive education and politics. This entry came from http://www.amptoons.com/blog/archives/2008/01/07/a-dangerous-distraction/#comment-315177, a site that I am having a great deal of fun at:

I think what Barack Obama represents is a new sense of connectedness to politics that many Americans are experiencing. It’s as if he offers a bit of a reprieve from the learned helplessness we’ve experienced under Bush. (I’m not convinced I’ll vote for him, mind you.) The actual changes he can make are uncertain.

Boy, I couldn't agree with you more. People forget that politics is more about feeling sometimes (JFK) and less about how someone can operate the system (LBJ). It's the beauty of Obama's candidacy and the danger of it. We are all waiting to be inspired and each of last week's Iowa Caucus winning candidates, Obama and Huckabee, are raising people's pulse rates a bit. Of course, we need to put both men through the fire, so to speak. Not even Progressives should be let off the hook. We should also avoid sound-bite politics and try to understand what they are saying and who are behind them. Who is Obama's Karl Rove? David Axelrod. I think that David Axelrod has a very checkered past in Chicago's politics. Caveat Emptor, my friends. Caveat Emptor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Axelrod_(political_consultant)

Starting Now: My Least Favorite Time of the Year

Although the middle of January generally marks the half year point in most schools, coming back from Christmas Break feels so much like the mid-way point. It isn't.

Additionally, the mid-winter to mid-spring time also feels like the toughest slog during the school year to me, especially February, which has to be the cruelest month of the year.

Over the last ten years or so as an educator, now being an administrator with hiring and firing decision-making, this time of the year is the most nerve-wracking. Yet, nothing compares with the unexpected loss. Seven years ago, I lost my first student at a school to suicide, which is the toughest blow of all. Losing a child to his or her own hand is devastating, which acts in a way to pull one's mind always back to that day.

I'm interested in other people's experiences of the ebb and flow of the school year. If you have a favorite time of the year or least favorite, please comment below.

To Sir With Love

Even before "A Nice White Lady," Sidney Portier defined the inspirational teacher in To Sir With Love.



Artist: Lulu
Song: To Sir With Love
Album: Best Of-From Crayons To Perfu

Those schoolgirl days, of telling tales and biting nails are gone,
But in my mind,
I know they will still live on and on,
But how do you thank someone, who has taken you from crayons to perfume?
It isn't easy, but I'll try,

If you wanted the sky I would write across the sky in letters,
That would soar a thousand feet high,
To Sir, with Love

The time has come,
For closing books and long last looks must end,
And as I leave,
I know that I am leaving my best friend,
A friend who taught me right from wrong,
And weak from strong,
That's a lot to learn,
What, what can I give you in return?

If you wanted the moon I would try to make a start,
But I, would rather you let me give my heart,
To Sir, with Love.

US Presidential Candidates On Education: Fred Thompson

In addition to being an actor who has played presidents in two films, Fred Thompson is trying to act his way into the White House. Thompson held out to the very last minute before announcing his candidacy to see if he can gain some momentum and save a little dough for the role errr... road ahead. Thompson voted for No Child Left Behind in 2001 but feels that charter schools are the answer. They aren't. According to USA Today, here's where Thompson stands on NCLB and other educational issues:

Fred Thompson on education

On No Child Left Behind law
When he was a U.S. senator representing Tennessee, Fred Thompson voted in 2001 for the No Child Left Behind education law. The law, signed by President Bush in 2002, requires states to test students annually. Schools failing to make academic progress over several years could be closed or have their faculty replaced.

Thompson has said he believes it is appropriate for the federal government to provide money if states meet certain goals but thinks implementation of the law has gone too far. “The most encouraging reforms in education are occurring at the local level, with options like charter schools,” he said on his campaign website. “And often the best thing Washington can do is let the states, school districts, teachers and parents set their own policies and run their own schools.”

On making college affordable
Thompson has yet to unveil a higher-education platform. In the past, he has supported education savings accounts that allow parents to sock money away for college tuition and let it grow tax-free.

Other education priorities
Thompson said on his campaign website that he supports giving parents more choices in where they send their children to school, including vouchers that would allow them to pay for private-school tuition. He wants to reduce federal education mandates and emphasize science and math instruction.

US Presidential Candidates On Education: Bill Richardson

Bill Richardson is another marginalized presidential candidate who has the right ida about No Child Left Behind. Catch his other stands on the issues, according to USA Today, before he's out of the race:

Bill Richardson on education

On No Child Left Behind law
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat, says he wants to scrap the education law known as No Child Left Behind, which requires states to test students annually. It was signed by President Bush in 2002. “Our students are suffering under this failed policy,” Richardson said on his campaign website. He wants to beef up education funding and replace the current system of sanctions for chronically low-performing schools with one that provides more assistance.

On making college affordable
Richardson wants to make college available to “every high school graduate who wants to attend.” He supports expanding college grants and loan options but has not provided many specifics.

Other education priorities
Richardson wants to raise pay for new teachers (to $40,000 nationally) and establish a pre-kindergarten program for all 4-year-olds. He is opposed to vouchers that would allow families to pay for tuition at private schools. Richardson also says he wants to give schools money to expand outreach to parents.

US Presidential Candidates On Education: Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney is the only presidential candidate willing to admit, however implicitly, that the No Child Left Behind and the current US Department of education is a way to neutralize the powerful teachers' unions. So, the smoking gun is in the hands of a presidential candidate who has flip-flopped (that is a pretty cool word) on educational issues.

Here is where Romney sits on the other issues, inluding NCLB:

Mitt Romney on education

On No Child Left Behind law
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has talked about how his views on federal involvement in education have evolved. Romney said during a May 2007 debate in South Carolina that he supported abolishing the Department of Education during his 1994 U.S. Senate bid because "it was very popular with the (GOP) base.”

As governor from January 2003 to January 2007, he said he saw the impact the agency had in “holding down the interests of the teachers union.” He said that is why he embraced the No Child Left Behind education law, which requires states to test students annually. “I find the testing of our kids to be a good thing, to find out which schools are succeeding and which ones are failing,” he said at a New Hampshire town meeting in August 2007.

On making college affordable
As governor, Romney established a scholarship program to reward the top 25% of Massachusetts high school students with a four-year, tuition-free scholarship to any state public university or college.

Other education priorities
Romney supports vouchers that would allow students from low-income areas pay for private-school tuition. As governor, he advocated merit pay for teachers, English immersion classes for foreign-speaking students, and increased math and science requirements. He told a New Hampshire crowd in August 2007 that the failure of inner-city schools is “the great civil rights issue of our time.”