Hello All! I hope you didn't miss me too much. Vacation was awesome. It was nice to get away and have very little interaction with the outside world! When I got back my friends Stephanie asked me "Why should she believe in fairy tales?" I reread the speech text and realized maybe I didn't elaborate enough, so I thought I would now.
First, fairy tales are about hope. It is believing that something is possible, something is better, or that you can do something. Hope gives us the ability to take one step forward and gets us to believe in our dreams. Hope is like a seed with the potential to grow into our hearts desires. It is hope that acts as a road map to turn a bad circumstance into a good one. It was hope that got Liz Murray from being a homeless teenager to a Harvard graduate.
Next fairy tales are about faith. It is about believing in yourself, a loved one, or some unseen source. Faith does not require physical proof, rather a mindset that what you believe is true.
Fairy tales are about overcoming adversity or your fears. We all face conflicts. Some of us avoid them, some of us charge at them, some of us find ways to overcome them and keep them behind us to never bother us again. We often get discouraged and feel like they are insurmountable, sometimes we give up completely. The choice is ours to make. The good thing is that they test our limits and can get us to push beyond our self imposed limitations or the limitations others have put on us. Regardless of the outcome, they are barriers that we either overcome or hold us back.
Imagination is another facet of fairy tales to believe in. It feeds our dreams. Imagination is limitless. It leads to innovation and invention. In our imagination nothing can hold us back other than our inability to imagine greater.
Another reason to believe in fairy tales love. Fairy tales give us an expectation of what we want from family, friends and a future mate. They help us see qualities that we admire and what we want to feel. There is no greater unifying force than love. It isn't always easy, it isn't always attainable, but it is out there and gives us something to strive for.
Finally, we should believe in fairy tales because we want to. We always have whether it is from a bedtime story read to us as kids or from the latest Disney animated masterpiece, we have all dreamed of being the hero or heroine. They have made us do the impossible. They have helped us through some sad and difficult times. The problem with the world today is that we all want some magical solution to all of our problems, yet we refuse to believe in magic.
Love me, hate me, everyone is entitled to my opinion!
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
I Still Believe
I am on vacation this week in Disney World with my family. Due to the magic of fantasy that brings the happiest place on Earth to life, I leave you with the transcript of a speech I wrote for a public speaking class. Enjoy!
A long, long time ago in a land far, far away, a young boy was born. This young boy grew up wanting to be a knight and go on a quest to fight dragons and rescue a beautiful princess. This young boy was a dreamer. My name is John Walls, and I am that dreamer! Fairy tales have been around for thousands of years. Many of the stories still exist to this day. Some of the first stories we have ever been told were these same fairy tales that have been told to generations before us. How many of you young ladies wanted to be a princess? How many of you young men wanted to go on an adventure and find treasures? Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, we forgot those dreams and stopped believing in these fairy tales we grew up with. I am here today to convince you that although you are older, you do not have to stop believing that fairy tales exist, and you can still experience it in your everyday life!
First we should define what a fairy tale is. Mirriam-Webster defines a fairy tale as a story (as for children) involving fantastic forces and beings (as faeries, wizards, and goblins), b. a story in which improbable events lead to a happy ending. Marcia Lane in her book Picturing a Rose: A Way of Looking at Fairy Tales says about fairy tales:
"My own definition of fairy tale goes something like this: A fairy tale is a story-literary or folk-that has a sense of the numinous, the feeling or sensation of the supernatural or the mysterious. But, and this is crucial, it is a story that happens in the past tense, and a story that is not tied to any specifics. If it happens "at the beginning of the world," then it is a myth. A story that names a specific "real" person is a legend (even if it contains a magical occurrence). A story that happens in the future is a fantasy. Fairy tales are sometimes spiritual, but never religious."
The use of fairy tales to tell a story is thousands of years old. Fairy tales have been told in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Fairy tales have origin with the Ancient Druids of the British Isles and the days of the great Chinese Dynasties. Fairy tales were passed on by word of mouth long before they were written down. The best thing about these fairy tales is we still hear these same stories today.
There are many themes that are prominent throughout the realm of fairy tales. The three big ones are love, magic and a quest. Love is the most common. It is seen in fairy tales from Cinderella through Little Red Riding Hood. Every woman of all ages dreams of a romance that is unconditional and sweeps them off their feet. For guys, though we never vocalize it, I believe it is the same thing. I for one, search for love that is pure. I want to be that knight in shining armor that sweeps a girl off her feet and can provide and receive that love through a lifetime. Many of us have seen that kind of love before. How many of you know a couple that has been married for 40 or 50 years? At my job recently we hosted a wedding for a young couple. They met when they were 7 years old. One day the bride was at his house. She was 10 at the time. She saw the groom’s father and said to him, “I am going to marry your son some day.” They started dating in 8th grade. They dated all through high school, college and grad school. On March 6th, her dream came true. They were married. Their fairy tale came true. This can be argued as true love. It is love that turns the beast back to a human. It is love that breaks the spell of death and eternal slumber. It is love that turns a wooden puppet into a boy.
The second prominent theme is magic. In many of the stories there is a fairy godmother or some other fairy that that uses magic to help the heroine or hero of the tale. The fairy godmother turns Cinderella into a princess so she can attend the ball. But fairies aren’t the only forms of magic. In Jack and the beanstalk magic beans grow into a stalk and take Jack to a castle in the clouds. In 1001 Arabian Nights a genie helps Aladdin in his quests. By clicking her ruby slippers together three times, Dorothy is transported home. Magic is not always benevolent in fairy tales. The spindle is cursed so that if Sleeping Beauty touches it she dies. A poisoned apple is presented to Snow White. The dark side of the Force, seduces the chosen one into killing all of the Jedi. I would argue that magic exists in our everyday life. Take for example the miracle of life. Creation of another human being, though it can be explained by science, is truly a magical event. The re-birth of a forest after a destructive fire, a rainbow after a storm, are all magical. We grow up believing that magic is in the form of spells cast by wizards and witches. Why can’t magic be something extraordinary that we can not explain? Think about the birth of religion. The ancient Greeks, Native Americans, and Egyptians to name a few, had a god that controlled everything. That was how they explained why the tides changed, why flowers bloomed in the spring, and what happened when you died. They couldn’t understand what was happening in nature, they accepted it as divine intervention. It wasn’t until advances in science that we have come to accept the things we do. Why does everything have to have a reason or scientific proof?
The third theme is a quest. Heroes are often sent on a quest, whether it is to save a damsel in distress, fight a dragon, or destroy evil. The heroes’s quest is often a journey to learn their own strengths and weaknesses. It involves a struggle to overcome adversity. King Arthur went on his quest for the Holy Grail. Frodo went on a quest to destroy the Ring of Power. Peter went to hunt the wolf that terrorized his village. We all go on our own quests. Some of us go to college, some join the military, some even hike cross-country. In all of this, it is important that we stay true to the ideal of the quest and that is finding our own strengths and weaknesses.
You may be asking yourself, “When is he going to get to the creatures in fairy tales, like dragons, dwarves and others?” The answer is now. Dragons may not be seen in their thick, scaly skin in winged flight breathing fire. In the story of fairy tales dragons represent an obstacle that gets in the way of a hero. In our lives we encounter many things and people that try to disrupt and derail us from accomplishing our goals. In essence we encounter dragon’s everyday and we must choose to stand and fight them or runaway from them. Dwarves are another creature we see. Dwarves are small humanoid creatures. Often consumed with work in caves as miners, dwarves often befriend and help the heroes. How many of you found help in an unexpected place? Has someone tutored you, coached you, or even befriended you in a difficult time? They are the dwarves of fairy tales.
I would be remiss of my duty if I didn’t tell you that not all fairy tales have happy endings. Many of us know the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Many of us however have never heard the real ending. In the original story Little Red Riding Hood is eaten by the wolf. It is only in later adaptations that the woodsman cuts her from the wolf’s belly. Though sad, one thing is certain, there was enough people who believed that fairy tales should have a happy ending, and did something about it. That gives me hope. The second thing I should tell you is that all fairy tales exist with some sort of condition. Cinderella could have everything she wanted as long as she left the ball by midnight. Sleeping Beauty needed to stay away from a spinning wheel to have a long life. Ariel could be with the prince as long as she made him fall in love with her within three days without use of her voice. In all of our fairy tales, be aware of our own limitations.
I came here to tell you why you should believe in fairy tales. We went through some of the main themes, we touched on magical creatures. We have seen similarities in our own lives. I want to conclude with this. I don’t know if true love or love at first sight exists, but I would hate to live in a world where it wasn’t possible!
Love me, hate me, everyone is entitled to my opinion!
A long, long time ago in a land far, far away, a young boy was born. This young boy grew up wanting to be a knight and go on a quest to fight dragons and rescue a beautiful princess. This young boy was a dreamer. My name is John Walls, and I am that dreamer! Fairy tales have been around for thousands of years. Many of the stories still exist to this day. Some of the first stories we have ever been told were these same fairy tales that have been told to generations before us. How many of you young ladies wanted to be a princess? How many of you young men wanted to go on an adventure and find treasures? Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, we forgot those dreams and stopped believing in these fairy tales we grew up with. I am here today to convince you that although you are older, you do not have to stop believing that fairy tales exist, and you can still experience it in your everyday life!
First we should define what a fairy tale is. Mirriam-Webster defines a fairy tale as a story (as for children) involving fantastic forces and beings (as faeries, wizards, and goblins), b. a story in which improbable events lead to a happy ending. Marcia Lane in her book Picturing a Rose: A Way of Looking at Fairy Tales says about fairy tales:
"My own definition of fairy tale goes something like this: A fairy tale is a story-literary or folk-that has a sense of the numinous, the feeling or sensation of the supernatural or the mysterious. But, and this is crucial, it is a story that happens in the past tense, and a story that is not tied to any specifics. If it happens "at the beginning of the world," then it is a myth. A story that names a specific "real" person is a legend (even if it contains a magical occurrence). A story that happens in the future is a fantasy. Fairy tales are sometimes spiritual, but never religious."
The use of fairy tales to tell a story is thousands of years old. Fairy tales have been told in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Fairy tales have origin with the Ancient Druids of the British Isles and the days of the great Chinese Dynasties. Fairy tales were passed on by word of mouth long before they were written down. The best thing about these fairy tales is we still hear these same stories today.
There are many themes that are prominent throughout the realm of fairy tales. The three big ones are love, magic and a quest. Love is the most common. It is seen in fairy tales from Cinderella through Little Red Riding Hood. Every woman of all ages dreams of a romance that is unconditional and sweeps them off their feet. For guys, though we never vocalize it, I believe it is the same thing. I for one, search for love that is pure. I want to be that knight in shining armor that sweeps a girl off her feet and can provide and receive that love through a lifetime. Many of us have seen that kind of love before. How many of you know a couple that has been married for 40 or 50 years? At my job recently we hosted a wedding for a young couple. They met when they were 7 years old. One day the bride was at his house. She was 10 at the time. She saw the groom’s father and said to him, “I am going to marry your son some day.” They started dating in 8th grade. They dated all through high school, college and grad school. On March 6th, her dream came true. They were married. Their fairy tale came true. This can be argued as true love. It is love that turns the beast back to a human. It is love that breaks the spell of death and eternal slumber. It is love that turns a wooden puppet into a boy.
The second prominent theme is magic. In many of the stories there is a fairy godmother or some other fairy that that uses magic to help the heroine or hero of the tale. The fairy godmother turns Cinderella into a princess so she can attend the ball. But fairies aren’t the only forms of magic. In Jack and the beanstalk magic beans grow into a stalk and take Jack to a castle in the clouds. In 1001 Arabian Nights a genie helps Aladdin in his quests. By clicking her ruby slippers together three times, Dorothy is transported home. Magic is not always benevolent in fairy tales. The spindle is cursed so that if Sleeping Beauty touches it she dies. A poisoned apple is presented to Snow White. The dark side of the Force, seduces the chosen one into killing all of the Jedi. I would argue that magic exists in our everyday life. Take for example the miracle of life. Creation of another human being, though it can be explained by science, is truly a magical event. The re-birth of a forest after a destructive fire, a rainbow after a storm, are all magical. We grow up believing that magic is in the form of spells cast by wizards and witches. Why can’t magic be something extraordinary that we can not explain? Think about the birth of religion. The ancient Greeks, Native Americans, and Egyptians to name a few, had a god that controlled everything. That was how they explained why the tides changed, why flowers bloomed in the spring, and what happened when you died. They couldn’t understand what was happening in nature, they accepted it as divine intervention. It wasn’t until advances in science that we have come to accept the things we do. Why does everything have to have a reason or scientific proof?
The third theme is a quest. Heroes are often sent on a quest, whether it is to save a damsel in distress, fight a dragon, or destroy evil. The heroes’s quest is often a journey to learn their own strengths and weaknesses. It involves a struggle to overcome adversity. King Arthur went on his quest for the Holy Grail. Frodo went on a quest to destroy the Ring of Power. Peter went to hunt the wolf that terrorized his village. We all go on our own quests. Some of us go to college, some join the military, some even hike cross-country. In all of this, it is important that we stay true to the ideal of the quest and that is finding our own strengths and weaknesses.
You may be asking yourself, “When is he going to get to the creatures in fairy tales, like dragons, dwarves and others?” The answer is now. Dragons may not be seen in their thick, scaly skin in winged flight breathing fire. In the story of fairy tales dragons represent an obstacle that gets in the way of a hero. In our lives we encounter many things and people that try to disrupt and derail us from accomplishing our goals. In essence we encounter dragon’s everyday and we must choose to stand and fight them or runaway from them. Dwarves are another creature we see. Dwarves are small humanoid creatures. Often consumed with work in caves as miners, dwarves often befriend and help the heroes. How many of you found help in an unexpected place? Has someone tutored you, coached you, or even befriended you in a difficult time? They are the dwarves of fairy tales.
I would be remiss of my duty if I didn’t tell you that not all fairy tales have happy endings. Many of us know the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Many of us however have never heard the real ending. In the original story Little Red Riding Hood is eaten by the wolf. It is only in later adaptations that the woodsman cuts her from the wolf’s belly. Though sad, one thing is certain, there was enough people who believed that fairy tales should have a happy ending, and did something about it. That gives me hope. The second thing I should tell you is that all fairy tales exist with some sort of condition. Cinderella could have everything she wanted as long as she left the ball by midnight. Sleeping Beauty needed to stay away from a spinning wheel to have a long life. Ariel could be with the prince as long as she made him fall in love with her within three days without use of her voice. In all of our fairy tales, be aware of our own limitations.
I came here to tell you why you should believe in fairy tales. We went through some of the main themes, we touched on magical creatures. We have seen similarities in our own lives. I want to conclude with this. I don’t know if true love or love at first sight exists, but I would hate to live in a world where it wasn’t possible!
Love me, hate me, everyone is entitled to my opinion!
Saving Columbus
Last night at dinner I asked my daughter a few questions regarding Christopher Columbus. I figured in Sixth Grade she should know something. She didn't know the answers. When I asked her why she didn't know anything about him she told me it was because her teacher said he isn't important anymore. WTF?!? Not important! There is definite reason to believe that his importance may be somewhat exaggerated, but to say he is not important is a much bigger exaggeration. There is definitely a need to teach about Columbus. The education system needs to be addressed. This is a paper I had written for a class a few years ago. I think that this is a good proposal, it may not be great, but perhaps this is the beginning of a way to fix education and give kids what they deserve! (I apologize that the sourcing did not attach due to using footnotes, it would not copy and paste with the original document. I will email the original to any who request it).
Introduction
The United States was the first country in the Western World to make public education free and mandatory. Billions of dollars are needed to build schools, pay teachers, buy books and supplies, and provide for underprivileged students. Unfortunately that money isn’t there. Both the national and state governments are diverting money from education to pay for other programs and fill budget downfalls. There is also a lack of national standards for all fifty states. States have to set a standard that at a minimum meets the criteria of No Child Left Behind. States can also opt out of No Child Left behind by proving that they have higher standards or who decline federal funds for No Child .
History
Education policy affects the national, state and local levels of government. Since President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in 1965, the federal government has attempted to give more money to the states to combat education gaps, and to make American students competitive with students from around the world. This was among the first times that all three levels of government, federal, state, and local took a joint approach to education.
ESEA was part of the Johnson Administrations war on poverty and came on the heels of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The original purpose of ESEA was to provide states with the necessary dollars to provide for underprivileged children and underprivileged schools. To receive the money states had to prove that they were adhering to the desegregation laws set forth in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Four billion dollars was authorized for ESEA and was split among five entities: Title I, which will be touched upon later, school libraries, supplemental services, research and state departments of education. The law further stated that it would have to be renewed every five years by Congress. Major changes were not made through subsequent votes until the 1990’s.
In 1993 The Clinton Administration signed into law, Goals 2000: Educate America Act. The purpose of Goals 2000 was to set minimum standards of education for students by grades 4, 8, and 12. The law stated among other things, that students will reach certain levels in reading, writing, science, foreign language, civics and government, art, economics, history and geography. Goals 2000 also wanted to increase the graduation rate for high school seniors to above ninety percent and completely eliminate the education gap among minority students. $105 million dollars was set aside for states to apply for these grants by submitting action plans on how they would meet these criteria. For the first time states would be held accountable in regards to a national education standard. They would be required to submit there action plans as well as a report card on state effort to an independent board.
In 1999 EASA was not reauthorized by Congress. No action would be taken again until 2002 when the Bush Administration signed into law the reauthorization of EASA as the No Child Left Behind Act(NLCB) . More standards were put in place and teachers were going to be held accountable as well for the failure and success of the students. The NLCB Act expired in 2008 and has yet to be renewed. The United States Department of Education still enforces the standards of NLCB, but has relaxed some requirements while awaiting reauthorization of NLCB. The Obama Administration has sent bills to Congress to consider and vote on to revamp NCLB. The Obama administration believes that the purpose of NLCB was correct but needs to be more structured. The three biggest changes proposed to NLCB include: defining student proficiency, evaluating and turning around struggling schools and adding more competition for federal dollars for unique programs that focus on improving schools and student performance.
The NCLB act was designed to hold teachers and schools accountable and set standards for student testing to gauge performance particularly in areas of reading and math. Major provisions of the act were increased accountability, more choices for parents and students, greater flexibility for states, school districts and schools, putting reading first, class size reduction, improving teacher quality state grants, help for limited English speaking children and drug and violence programs.
Increased accountability was the requirement of NLCB. Under NLCB states were required to submit plans to the U.S. Department of Education that showed how they would implement a statewide plan of accountability for all schools and school districts. There were three major factors of NCLB when it cam to accountability in that all states had to: 1) develop content standards to determine what students should know, 2) administer assessments to measure whether students are meeting those standards, and 3) institute accountability mechanisms to ensure all students attain the proficiency standards. Challenging state standards were to be set up for reading and mathematics and annual testing would be required for students from third to eighth grade. Assessment results were to be reported by poverty, race, ethnicity, disability, and limited English proficiency to ensure that all goals were met and “no child was left behind.
The second point of NCLB was greater choice for students and parents. This gave parents and students the ability to transfer out of schools that were rated as schools that need improvement or need to take corrective action under the 1994 ESEA reauthorization. This is to include the option of attending another public school or public charter school at the expense of the school district to include expenses associated with transportation. Another point of this clause was that schools that failed, needed corrective action or designated as needs improvement in 3 of the 4 proceeding assessment years were required to notify parents and obtain help for the student in either the public or private sector. This was to include tutors and mentors, and the option to attend other schools. A final provision of this clause was incentive awards for school grants to improve schools that were listed as failing, needed corrective action or designated as needs improvement in an attempt to give schools the opportunity to still improve though they lost the money associated with the students who transferred out because of the school listing. Schools that failed to meet improvement and standards criteria for five years would be designated for restructuring and possible closure.
The next major provision of NCLB is greater flexibility for states, school districts and schools. This gave states and school districts greater flexibility in how they would use and implement Federal dollars on education in exchange for stronger accountability and increased results. States were able to transfer up to fifty percent of their funds under one of four new major categories, Teacher Quality State Grants, Educational Technology, Innovative Programs, and Safe and Drug-Free Schools, or into Title I programs. As an experiment up to seven states would be able to consolidate all of their Federal funding for Title I and Title V funding if they would enter into up to 10 performance agreements with local school boards and develop a contract with the Secretary of Education.
The fourth critical point of NCLB is putting reading first. The initiative requires all students to have the ability to read by the third grade as part of the Early Reading First program. States were given six year grants to distribute grants to school districts to administer screening and diagnostic assessments of students in grades kindergarten through third grade to identify kids who are at risk of failure and to give teachers the education they need to implement reading enhancement programs.
Other initiatives were to decrease the size of classrooms by construction of new schools and higher better and more quality teachers. Improving Teacher Quality State Grants were set up to help states prepare train and recruit higher quality teachers. States were also given flexibility to develop strategies that best met their individual needs to develop teaching curriculums that increased or improved the quality of education in the core subject areas. Previously states that needed bilingual education assistance received funding directly from the U.S. Department of Education. Under NCLB the money was given to the states to develop statewide initiatives to address the problem of English as a Second Language due to increased immigrant youths in school who do not speak English outside of the school setting. This was designed to ensure that immigrant youths would still be able to meet the high standards for assessment in place with NCLB.
Finally money was to be spent on violence and drug education and prevention programs in schools. Students who go to schools labeled as persistently dangerous schools, or students who are victims of violent action in schools are permitted to transfer out to safer schools, again at the expense of the school districts.
The Obama administration has outlined a nine-point plan for revamping No Child Left Behind. The first step is to reform NCLB. To do this he wants to improve student assessment and focus on accountability. The second point is to invest in zero to five early child education, including directing more funds to Head Start. Point three is to recruit, prepare, retain, and reward America’s teachers. Point four is supporting quality school leaders focusing on principals. Point five is making science and math education a national priority. Point six is helping our most at risk children succeed in school. Point seven is to invest in what works. The eighth point is one of the most important, enlisting parents and communities to support teaching and learning. Point nine is a commitment to fiscal responsibility.
Problem
The first problem with NCLB is there is no national standard scoring index. The law states that students need to be able to read and do math by the third grade and that students will be assessed from the third to the eighth grade. It doesn’t address what scores they need to have to be considered at the appropriate level, or define what the appropriate level is other then at grade level.
Another problem with NCLB is that each state sets its own criteria for minimum grades to meet the students proficiency in reading and mathematics and sets up its own assessment system for testing their students. For example, North Carolina allows local education agencies, or LEA’s to set the requirements for testing scores and reported assessments. North Carolina will record the higher score of the original test or the retest in reporting to the U.S. department of education. On the other hand, the State of California states that a gain is 1 point or more over the previous year whereas a drop in scores is 1 point or less. LEA’s are required to submit a comprehensive plan that meets California’s criteria. The state then will grade and report the assessment scores as a proportion of those scoring at or above the criteria set forth. States can also change their criteria from year to year since there is no national standard.
A problem not addressed within NCLB is that at its implementation not all schools were playing with a level playing field. Many schools do not have the same resources, number of qualified teachers, and even lack the technical ability to improve scores. Schools, particularly those in urban and rural areas often lack the necessary textbooks or the ability to recruit teachers. These schools are often financially strapped and lack any technology in the classroom.
Another problem with NCLB is that it only accounts for testing in mathematics and reading, bit ignores all other subject areas like science, civics, geography, history and the arts. Many nations, particularly those in Asia, test in science. Science often helps math scores and vice-versa. Students proficient in history and civics get that way from reading and reading comprehension. Changing the focus to incorporate all aspects of education will truly gauge a students and schools performance and possibly help identify the strengths and weaknesses of both entities.
In some cases teachers are “teaching to test.” This presents the danger that teachers are just focusing on the areas of math and reading and neglecting other areas of instruction. Teachers and administrators may receive up to $1800 in annual bonuses for increased scores in those areas. Teachers do not have any incentive to teach beyond those to subjects and administrators have no incentive to force teachers to teach beyond those subjects either.
Finally a problem not addressed is the family, home and school environment characteristics for favorable high testing scores. The bottom line in these areas is that students need to have a positive and safe learning environment. Education does not simply end when the bell rings. Students often have homework that they need to complete. Personal and family culture has a huge impact on the ability of the student to learn outside the classroom. Students from impoverished and low-income homes are often at home alone after school due to parents working. In some cases students have to deal with many varieties of abuses, lack of proper nutrition, adequate housing, safe communities and health care. For some students the only contact with a dentist or doctor is annual fluoride treatments or seeing and hearing assessments in school. Children that do not have proper healthcare miss more school then those who can see a doctor when they are sick. Many students are left to their own devices after school. They have to cook and clean up after themselves and are also responsible for initiating homework. Students that have a parent at home after school tend to be of higher socio-economic status in safe communities with adequate nutrition and health care. These students will score better of assessments. The school is also a major factor in the quality of education. Schools that are positive, have many extra-curricular activities, high levels of parent-teacher involvement and even advanced technology see greater aptitude in their students. A culture of learning is being established that supports the student in all aspects of education. Teacher’s beliefs in student’s abilities may be the biggest factor in providing a positive educational experience. Unfortunately none of these issues were addressed in NCLB. This is not to say that students of low socio-economic status can not succeed. Studies have shown that some characteristics will help promote educational success, such as belief in self, determination, independence and cultural appreciation.
Solution
The question then turns to, “Is NCLB effective and if not what needs to be changed or does the whole thing need to be re-written?” Some studies show that the education improvement is on the rise in areas of math and reading. Others show that whereas overall state scores are up, the scores among minority and impoverished students are down. One study showed a 26-point difference on average between minorities and their white peers. This shows that some type of change needs to be addressed when the No Child Left Behind Act is voted on for reauthorization.
The first thing that needs to be addressed is funding. Unfortunately every government agency needs funding and is always trying to show why there needs are more important then the other agencies. Of a LEA’s education budget, only 8.3 percent of funding came from the Federal budget, 45.6 percent from state budgets, 37.1 percents from local governments and 8.9 percent from the private sector. How do we increase education dollars? My first idea would be a national lottery. Many states have lotteries already, but they don't all contribute the same way. For example, in Georgia lottery funds go for higher education tuition for students attending instate schools, teacher post-graduate education, pre-kindergarten programs, and technology grants. In North Carolina, the education lottery only allows for construction of new schools, purchase of land for new schools, and retiring school debt. A national lottery would allow for participating states to draw on funds for whatever purpose is stated. I would argue that the stated purpose of a national education lottery would be for college expenses for education majors, technology upgrades for schools, and new school construction. Current education dollars then could go for textbooks, school maintenance, etc. Another plan for funding that may increase math and reading scores would be to tie specialty programs for education to the defense budget. The US Department of Defense and NASA can be forced to fund science and math programs to schools that qualify for grants. This can help with technology upgrades in schools and take the burden of schools.
After the funding issues have been sorted out standards need to be put in place. Minimum scores on a national level need to be put into effect for students in all states that is uniform to all states. This will allow for accurate reporting in all testing scores to better gauge the proficiency of state programs in increasing the scores for students. The next step is to level the playing field. Larger amounts of money should be redirected to schools that serve kids from lower socio-economic areas, and less to higher socio-economic areas.
Finally teacher’s need to be given the means to succeed. Teacher’s need to be held responsible for teaching all aspects of education. Money needs to be provided for teacher’s to have further education on technology and new education trends and teachings. Many professions, such as medical, require continuing education and re-certification. Giving teacher’s the opportunity to succeed gives students the opportunity to succeed.
Conclusion
The education system is not perfect by any means, but has provided people who helped make the United States into a super-power. A re-structuring of the education system and focuses on all subject matter that hold students, parents, teacher’s and administrators accountable is desperately needed. To ensure this the NCLB Act has to be re-examined and changed to guide American kids through the 21st century.
Love me, hate me, everyone is entitled to my opinion!
Tashlik, Phyllis. "Changing the National Conversation on Assessment." Phi Delta Kappan 91.6 (2010): 55-59. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Apr. 2010.
Schmidt, William H., Wang Hsing Chi, and Curtis C. McKnight. "Curriculum coherence: an examination of US mathematics and science content standards from an international perspective." Journal of Curriculum Studies 37.5 (2005): 525-559. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Apr. 2010.
Lagana-Riordan, Christine, and Jemel P. Aguilar. "What's Missing from No Child Left Behind? A Policy Analysis from a Social Work Perspective." Children & Schools 31.3 (2009): 135-144. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Apr. 2010.
Consiglio, Anthony. "NERVOUS LAUGHTER AND THE HIGH COST OF EQUALITY: RENEWING "NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND" WILL SAFEGUARD A VIBRANT FEDERALISM AND A PATH TOWARD EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE." Brigham Young University Education & Law Journal 2 (2009): 365-397. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Apr. 2010.
Hopmann, Stefan Thomas. "No child, no school, no state left behind: schooling in the age of accountability." Journal of Curriculum Studies 40.4 (2008): 417-456. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Apr. 2010
Ravitch, Diane. "Time to Kill 'No Child Left Behind'." Education Digest 75.1 (2009): 4-6. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Apr. 2010.
Phillips, Gary W. "How to Fix No Child Left Behind." Education Week 28.31 (2009): 28-31. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Apr. 2010.
Great Schoold, Staff. "What the No Child Left Behind Law Means for Your Child." Great Schools. GreatSchools Inc., 2010. Web. 18 Apr 2010. <http://www.greatschools.org/improvement/quality-teaching/no-child-left-behind.gs?content=61&page=all>.
Department of Education, United States. "10 Facts about K-12 Education Funding". US Department of Education. April 18, 2010 < http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/fed/10facts/index.html>.
"Proceeds to education." Georgia Lottery. Georgia Lottery, 2010. Web. 18 Apr 2010. <http://www.galottery.com/education.>
"NC Lottery Fast Facts." NC Lottery Fast Facts. North Carolina Legislature, 2010. Web. 18 Apr 2010. <http://www.person.k12.nc.us/parentquickreference/NC%20Lottery%20Fast%20Facts%201.25.10.pdf>.
Rose, Garrett. "NCLB Reauthorization: The New Blueprint." Education.com Bringing education to Life. Education.com, Inc., 16 Mar 2010. Web. 18 Apr 2010. <http://www.education.com/magazine/article/new-nclb-blueprint/>.
Department of Education, North Carolina. "State Board of Education, State of North Carolina, Consolidated State Application Accountability Workbook". US Department of Education. April 18, 2010 <http://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/stateplans03/nccsa.pdf>.
Department of Education, California. "State of California Consolidated State Application Accountability Workbook". US Department of Education. April 18, 2010 <http://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/stateplans03/cacsa.pdf>.
GreatSchools, Staff. "What the No Child Left Behind Law Means for Your Child". Great Schools, Inc.. April 18, 2010 <http://www.greatschools.org/improvement/quality-teaching/no-child-left-behind.gs?content=61&page=all>.
"Public Education." The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965: From the War on Poverty to No Child Left Behind . 10 Aug 2007. Ohio Education Association, Web. 5 Mar 2010. <http://www.ohea.org/GD/Templates/Pages/OEA/OEADetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=170&Content=8038>.
Hanna , Julia. "News Features & Releases." The Elementary and Secondary Education Act 40 Years Later. 10 Feb 2010. Harvard graduate School of Education, Web. 5 Mar 2010. <http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news_events/features/2005/08/esea0819
Brown, Gary. "USMA Metric ." Goals 2000: Educate Ameica Act. 21 Feb 2003. United States Metric Association, Web. 5 Mar 2010. <http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news_events/features/2005/08/esea0819
"Public Education." The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965: From the War on Poverty to No Child Left Behind . 10 Aug 2007. Ohio Education Association, Web. 5 Mar 2010. <http://www.ohea.org/GD/Templates/Pages/OEA/OEADetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=170&Content=8038>.
Department of Education, United States. "No Child Left Behind Executive summary". US Department of Education. April 18, 2010 <http://www2.ed.gov/nclb/overview/intro/execsumm.html>.
"Obama/Biden." BARACK OBAMA AND JOE BIDEN’S PLAN FOR LIFETIME SUCCESS THROUGH EDUCATION. Obama for America, 2008. Web. 24 Apr 2010. <http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/issues/PreK-12EducationFactSheet.pdf>.
Love me, hate
Introduction
The United States was the first country in the Western World to make public education free and mandatory. Billions of dollars are needed to build schools, pay teachers, buy books and supplies, and provide for underprivileged students. Unfortunately that money isn’t there. Both the national and state governments are diverting money from education to pay for other programs and fill budget downfalls. There is also a lack of national standards for all fifty states. States have to set a standard that at a minimum meets the criteria of No Child Left Behind. States can also opt out of No Child Left behind by proving that they have higher standards or who decline federal funds for No Child .
History
Education policy affects the national, state and local levels of government. Since President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in 1965, the federal government has attempted to give more money to the states to combat education gaps, and to make American students competitive with students from around the world. This was among the first times that all three levels of government, federal, state, and local took a joint approach to education.
ESEA was part of the Johnson Administrations war on poverty and came on the heels of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The original purpose of ESEA was to provide states with the necessary dollars to provide for underprivileged children and underprivileged schools. To receive the money states had to prove that they were adhering to the desegregation laws set forth in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Four billion dollars was authorized for ESEA and was split among five entities: Title I, which will be touched upon later, school libraries, supplemental services, research and state departments of education. The law further stated that it would have to be renewed every five years by Congress. Major changes were not made through subsequent votes until the 1990’s.
In 1993 The Clinton Administration signed into law, Goals 2000: Educate America Act. The purpose of Goals 2000 was to set minimum standards of education for students by grades 4, 8, and 12. The law stated among other things, that students will reach certain levels in reading, writing, science, foreign language, civics and government, art, economics, history and geography. Goals 2000 also wanted to increase the graduation rate for high school seniors to above ninety percent and completely eliminate the education gap among minority students. $105 million dollars was set aside for states to apply for these grants by submitting action plans on how they would meet these criteria. For the first time states would be held accountable in regards to a national education standard. They would be required to submit there action plans as well as a report card on state effort to an independent board.
In 1999 EASA was not reauthorized by Congress. No action would be taken again until 2002 when the Bush Administration signed into law the reauthorization of EASA as the No Child Left Behind Act(NLCB) . More standards were put in place and teachers were going to be held accountable as well for the failure and success of the students. The NLCB Act expired in 2008 and has yet to be renewed. The United States Department of Education still enforces the standards of NLCB, but has relaxed some requirements while awaiting reauthorization of NLCB. The Obama Administration has sent bills to Congress to consider and vote on to revamp NCLB. The Obama administration believes that the purpose of NLCB was correct but needs to be more structured. The three biggest changes proposed to NLCB include: defining student proficiency, evaluating and turning around struggling schools and adding more competition for federal dollars for unique programs that focus on improving schools and student performance.
The NCLB act was designed to hold teachers and schools accountable and set standards for student testing to gauge performance particularly in areas of reading and math. Major provisions of the act were increased accountability, more choices for parents and students, greater flexibility for states, school districts and schools, putting reading first, class size reduction, improving teacher quality state grants, help for limited English speaking children and drug and violence programs.
Increased accountability was the requirement of NLCB. Under NLCB states were required to submit plans to the U.S. Department of Education that showed how they would implement a statewide plan of accountability for all schools and school districts. There were three major factors of NCLB when it cam to accountability in that all states had to: 1) develop content standards to determine what students should know, 2) administer assessments to measure whether students are meeting those standards, and 3) institute accountability mechanisms to ensure all students attain the proficiency standards. Challenging state standards were to be set up for reading and mathematics and annual testing would be required for students from third to eighth grade. Assessment results were to be reported by poverty, race, ethnicity, disability, and limited English proficiency to ensure that all goals were met and “no child was left behind.
The second point of NCLB was greater choice for students and parents. This gave parents and students the ability to transfer out of schools that were rated as schools that need improvement or need to take corrective action under the 1994 ESEA reauthorization. This is to include the option of attending another public school or public charter school at the expense of the school district to include expenses associated with transportation. Another point of this clause was that schools that failed, needed corrective action or designated as needs improvement in 3 of the 4 proceeding assessment years were required to notify parents and obtain help for the student in either the public or private sector. This was to include tutors and mentors, and the option to attend other schools. A final provision of this clause was incentive awards for school grants to improve schools that were listed as failing, needed corrective action or designated as needs improvement in an attempt to give schools the opportunity to still improve though they lost the money associated with the students who transferred out because of the school listing. Schools that failed to meet improvement and standards criteria for five years would be designated for restructuring and possible closure.
The next major provision of NCLB is greater flexibility for states, school districts and schools. This gave states and school districts greater flexibility in how they would use and implement Federal dollars on education in exchange for stronger accountability and increased results. States were able to transfer up to fifty percent of their funds under one of four new major categories, Teacher Quality State Grants, Educational Technology, Innovative Programs, and Safe and Drug-Free Schools, or into Title I programs. As an experiment up to seven states would be able to consolidate all of their Federal funding for Title I and Title V funding if they would enter into up to 10 performance agreements with local school boards and develop a contract with the Secretary of Education.
The fourth critical point of NCLB is putting reading first. The initiative requires all students to have the ability to read by the third grade as part of the Early Reading First program. States were given six year grants to distribute grants to school districts to administer screening and diagnostic assessments of students in grades kindergarten through third grade to identify kids who are at risk of failure and to give teachers the education they need to implement reading enhancement programs.
Other initiatives were to decrease the size of classrooms by construction of new schools and higher better and more quality teachers. Improving Teacher Quality State Grants were set up to help states prepare train and recruit higher quality teachers. States were also given flexibility to develop strategies that best met their individual needs to develop teaching curriculums that increased or improved the quality of education in the core subject areas. Previously states that needed bilingual education assistance received funding directly from the U.S. Department of Education. Under NCLB the money was given to the states to develop statewide initiatives to address the problem of English as a Second Language due to increased immigrant youths in school who do not speak English outside of the school setting. This was designed to ensure that immigrant youths would still be able to meet the high standards for assessment in place with NCLB.
Finally money was to be spent on violence and drug education and prevention programs in schools. Students who go to schools labeled as persistently dangerous schools, or students who are victims of violent action in schools are permitted to transfer out to safer schools, again at the expense of the school districts.
The Obama administration has outlined a nine-point plan for revamping No Child Left Behind. The first step is to reform NCLB. To do this he wants to improve student assessment and focus on accountability. The second point is to invest in zero to five early child education, including directing more funds to Head Start. Point three is to recruit, prepare, retain, and reward America’s teachers. Point four is supporting quality school leaders focusing on principals. Point five is making science and math education a national priority. Point six is helping our most at risk children succeed in school. Point seven is to invest in what works. The eighth point is one of the most important, enlisting parents and communities to support teaching and learning. Point nine is a commitment to fiscal responsibility.
Problem
The first problem with NCLB is there is no national standard scoring index. The law states that students need to be able to read and do math by the third grade and that students will be assessed from the third to the eighth grade. It doesn’t address what scores they need to have to be considered at the appropriate level, or define what the appropriate level is other then at grade level.
Another problem with NCLB is that each state sets its own criteria for minimum grades to meet the students proficiency in reading and mathematics and sets up its own assessment system for testing their students. For example, North Carolina allows local education agencies, or LEA’s to set the requirements for testing scores and reported assessments. North Carolina will record the higher score of the original test or the retest in reporting to the U.S. department of education. On the other hand, the State of California states that a gain is 1 point or more over the previous year whereas a drop in scores is 1 point or less. LEA’s are required to submit a comprehensive plan that meets California’s criteria. The state then will grade and report the assessment scores as a proportion of those scoring at or above the criteria set forth. States can also change their criteria from year to year since there is no national standard.
A problem not addressed within NCLB is that at its implementation not all schools were playing with a level playing field. Many schools do not have the same resources, number of qualified teachers, and even lack the technical ability to improve scores. Schools, particularly those in urban and rural areas often lack the necessary textbooks or the ability to recruit teachers. These schools are often financially strapped and lack any technology in the classroom.
Another problem with NCLB is that it only accounts for testing in mathematics and reading, bit ignores all other subject areas like science, civics, geography, history and the arts. Many nations, particularly those in Asia, test in science. Science often helps math scores and vice-versa. Students proficient in history and civics get that way from reading and reading comprehension. Changing the focus to incorporate all aspects of education will truly gauge a students and schools performance and possibly help identify the strengths and weaknesses of both entities.
In some cases teachers are “teaching to test.” This presents the danger that teachers are just focusing on the areas of math and reading and neglecting other areas of instruction. Teachers and administrators may receive up to $1800 in annual bonuses for increased scores in those areas. Teachers do not have any incentive to teach beyond those to subjects and administrators have no incentive to force teachers to teach beyond those subjects either.
Finally a problem not addressed is the family, home and school environment characteristics for favorable high testing scores. The bottom line in these areas is that students need to have a positive and safe learning environment. Education does not simply end when the bell rings. Students often have homework that they need to complete. Personal and family culture has a huge impact on the ability of the student to learn outside the classroom. Students from impoverished and low-income homes are often at home alone after school due to parents working. In some cases students have to deal with many varieties of abuses, lack of proper nutrition, adequate housing, safe communities and health care. For some students the only contact with a dentist or doctor is annual fluoride treatments or seeing and hearing assessments in school. Children that do not have proper healthcare miss more school then those who can see a doctor when they are sick. Many students are left to their own devices after school. They have to cook and clean up after themselves and are also responsible for initiating homework. Students that have a parent at home after school tend to be of higher socio-economic status in safe communities with adequate nutrition and health care. These students will score better of assessments. The school is also a major factor in the quality of education. Schools that are positive, have many extra-curricular activities, high levels of parent-teacher involvement and even advanced technology see greater aptitude in their students. A culture of learning is being established that supports the student in all aspects of education. Teacher’s beliefs in student’s abilities may be the biggest factor in providing a positive educational experience. Unfortunately none of these issues were addressed in NCLB. This is not to say that students of low socio-economic status can not succeed. Studies have shown that some characteristics will help promote educational success, such as belief in self, determination, independence and cultural appreciation.
Solution
The question then turns to, “Is NCLB effective and if not what needs to be changed or does the whole thing need to be re-written?” Some studies show that the education improvement is on the rise in areas of math and reading. Others show that whereas overall state scores are up, the scores among minority and impoverished students are down. One study showed a 26-point difference on average between minorities and their white peers. This shows that some type of change needs to be addressed when the No Child Left Behind Act is voted on for reauthorization.
The first thing that needs to be addressed is funding. Unfortunately every government agency needs funding and is always trying to show why there needs are more important then the other agencies. Of a LEA’s education budget, only 8.3 percent of funding came from the Federal budget, 45.6 percent from state budgets, 37.1 percents from local governments and 8.9 percent from the private sector. How do we increase education dollars? My first idea would be a national lottery. Many states have lotteries already, but they don't all contribute the same way. For example, in Georgia lottery funds go for higher education tuition for students attending instate schools, teacher post-graduate education, pre-kindergarten programs, and technology grants. In North Carolina, the education lottery only allows for construction of new schools, purchase of land for new schools, and retiring school debt. A national lottery would allow for participating states to draw on funds for whatever purpose is stated. I would argue that the stated purpose of a national education lottery would be for college expenses for education majors, technology upgrades for schools, and new school construction. Current education dollars then could go for textbooks, school maintenance, etc. Another plan for funding that may increase math and reading scores would be to tie specialty programs for education to the defense budget. The US Department of Defense and NASA can be forced to fund science and math programs to schools that qualify for grants. This can help with technology upgrades in schools and take the burden of schools.
After the funding issues have been sorted out standards need to be put in place. Minimum scores on a national level need to be put into effect for students in all states that is uniform to all states. This will allow for accurate reporting in all testing scores to better gauge the proficiency of state programs in increasing the scores for students. The next step is to level the playing field. Larger amounts of money should be redirected to schools that serve kids from lower socio-economic areas, and less to higher socio-economic areas.
Finally teacher’s need to be given the means to succeed. Teacher’s need to be held responsible for teaching all aspects of education. Money needs to be provided for teacher’s to have further education on technology and new education trends and teachings. Many professions, such as medical, require continuing education and re-certification. Giving teacher’s the opportunity to succeed gives students the opportunity to succeed.
Conclusion
The education system is not perfect by any means, but has provided people who helped make the United States into a super-power. A re-structuring of the education system and focuses on all subject matter that hold students, parents, teacher’s and administrators accountable is desperately needed. To ensure this the NCLB Act has to be re-examined and changed to guide American kids through the 21st century.
Love me, hate me, everyone is entitled to my opinion!
Tashlik, Phyllis. "Changing the National Conversation on Assessment." Phi Delta Kappan 91.6 (2010): 55-59. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Apr. 2010.
Schmidt, William H., Wang Hsing Chi, and Curtis C. McKnight. "Curriculum coherence: an examination of US mathematics and science content standards from an international perspective." Journal of Curriculum Studies 37.5 (2005): 525-559. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Apr. 2010.
Lagana-Riordan, Christine, and Jemel P. Aguilar. "What's Missing from No Child Left Behind? A Policy Analysis from a Social Work Perspective." Children & Schools 31.3 (2009): 135-144. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Apr. 2010.
Consiglio, Anthony. "NERVOUS LAUGHTER AND THE HIGH COST OF EQUALITY: RENEWING "NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND" WILL SAFEGUARD A VIBRANT FEDERALISM AND A PATH TOWARD EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE." Brigham Young University Education & Law Journal 2 (2009): 365-397. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Apr. 2010.
Hopmann, Stefan Thomas. "No child, no school, no state left behind: schooling in the age of accountability." Journal of Curriculum Studies 40.4 (2008): 417-456. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Apr. 2010
Ravitch, Diane. "Time to Kill 'No Child Left Behind'." Education Digest 75.1 (2009): 4-6. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Apr. 2010.
Phillips, Gary W. "How to Fix No Child Left Behind." Education Week 28.31 (2009): 28-31. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Apr. 2010.
Great Schoold, Staff. "What the No Child Left Behind Law Means for Your Child." Great Schools. GreatSchools Inc., 2010. Web. 18 Apr 2010. <http://www.greatschools.org/improvement/quality-teaching/no-child-left-behind.gs?content=61&page=all>.
Department of Education, United States. "10 Facts about K-12 Education Funding". US Department of Education. April 18, 2010 < http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/fed/10facts/index.html>.
"Proceeds to education." Georgia Lottery. Georgia Lottery, 2010. Web. 18 Apr 2010. <http://www.galottery.com/education.>
"NC Lottery Fast Facts." NC Lottery Fast Facts. North Carolina Legislature, 2010. Web. 18 Apr 2010. <http://www.person.k12.nc.us/parentquickreference/NC%20Lottery%20Fast%20Facts%201.25.10.pdf>.
Rose, Garrett. "NCLB Reauthorization: The New Blueprint." Education.com Bringing education to Life. Education.com, Inc., 16 Mar 2010. Web. 18 Apr 2010. <http://www.education.com/magazine/article/new-nclb-blueprint/>.
Department of Education, North Carolina. "State Board of Education, State of North Carolina, Consolidated State Application Accountability Workbook". US Department of Education. April 18, 2010 <http://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/stateplans03/nccsa.pdf>.
Department of Education, California. "State of California Consolidated State Application Accountability Workbook". US Department of Education. April 18, 2010 <http://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/stateplans03/cacsa.pdf>.
GreatSchools, Staff. "What the No Child Left Behind Law Means for Your Child". Great Schools, Inc.. April 18, 2010 <http://www.greatschools.org/improvement/quality-teaching/no-child-left-behind.gs?content=61&page=all>.
"Public Education." The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965: From the War on Poverty to No Child Left Behind . 10 Aug 2007. Ohio Education Association, Web. 5 Mar 2010. <http://www.ohea.org/GD/Templates/Pages/OEA/OEADetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=170&Content=8038>.
Hanna , Julia. "News Features & Releases." The Elementary and Secondary Education Act 40 Years Later. 10 Feb 2010. Harvard graduate School of Education, Web. 5 Mar 2010. <http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news_events/features/2005/08/esea0819
Brown, Gary. "USMA Metric ." Goals 2000: Educate Ameica Act. 21 Feb 2003. United States Metric Association, Web. 5 Mar 2010. <http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news_events/features/2005/08/esea0819
"Public Education." The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965: From the War on Poverty to No Child Left Behind . 10 Aug 2007. Ohio Education Association, Web. 5 Mar 2010. <http://www.ohea.org/GD/Templates/Pages/OEA/OEADetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=170&Content=8038>.
Department of Education, United States. "No Child Left Behind Executive summary". US Department of Education. April 18, 2010 <http://www2.ed.gov/nclb/overview/intro/execsumm.html>.
"Obama/Biden." BARACK OBAMA AND JOE BIDEN’S PLAN FOR LIFETIME SUCCESS THROUGH EDUCATION. Obama for America, 2008. Web. 24 Apr 2010. <http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/issues/PreK-12EducationFactSheet.pdf>.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
An Opiate for the Masses
As you, my loyal readers, have noticed, this blog started out as a commentary on current events but has evolved to reflect my observations on many things. This edition is no different. I am going to break one of the cardinal rules and talk about religion. This is not going to be about my beliefs or an attempt to force any one religion on anybody or anything in particular. This is merely my own personal beliefs and observations.
To be fair, full disclosure states I should let you know I am a Roman Catholic. I have been raised that way and believe in most teachings of the Catholic Church. Catholicism has its faults, it has its own hypocrisy and it has it merits, like all religions. Again, this is not an indictment on religion or any one religion.
Since I graduated from high school and went to college I found myself struggling with many questions of what I believe. Some of this a chalk up to growing pains and adolescent questioning of everything, some of this is laziness on my part too. I did not have a use for religion, it no longer was a priority for me on Sunday mornings. I discovered a new found freedom from being on my own for a change. I lived in a new city among some new friends, it was late nights, discovering alcohol, meeting a new girl. There was so many other things that I found to occupy my time, especially sleeping in. If I were to look at my fading faith, this would be where it began.
For a long time though I felt something was missing. Often times I felt this loneliness within myself that I could not explain. I would find myself talking to God in prayer, but for the first time in my life I felt like I was being ignored, as if no one was listening. Perhaps no one was, perhaps I forgot how to listen. There have been countless times over the years that not being able to hear God has led me to bouts of depression. A few of these times had made me suicidal. I would find myself searching anywhere I could for the right answer. I had read books on Native American and Celtic religions. I had read books on Wicca. I re-read the Bible, read from the Quran. I found passages from Buddhism and Hinduism. Through all of my readings I still could not find what I was looking for.
I reached out to an old teacher of mine, Sister Mary Meyers. We exchanged emails, she connected me with a priest here in Raleigh. She talked to me and helped me to answer the many questions I had. I continue to struggle everyday with my faith. There are so many religions out there and all of them have a similar theme. They revolve around a higher power with teachings that focus on a moral life. To the religious it is about striving to reach the afterlife or enlightenment or whatever you want to call it. To the skeptic it is about hiding behind something or attempting to avoid responsibility for our own lives.
For me it is about something bigger than me. It is about finding something to believe in when there is no explanation for the occurrence. For me it starts with that which defies logic or alternatives, or where the timing is perfect. Call them what you will, I call them miracles. When I was younger me and a bunch of friends were heading out from the camp I was working at. The car I was a passenger in was in a bad accident in which we flipped over. It was pretty bad, but we walked away from it. As we were waiting for emergency personnel, a man came from what seemed like no where. He talked to me and comforted me. A few days later I went back to the house nearest the accident to thank the man. He did not exist. No one knew the man I described. Is it possible that it was just another person passing by in another automobile, yes. Is it possible that it was an angel, yes.
A few years ago I was working at the Cardinal Club. We would do a family night where we would provide a babysitting service while parents ate or went to the theatre. The executive chef's daughter Tori would be the babysitter. Her and I became close. we would talk a lot. Her father got very sick and needed a liver transplant. One evening she was working at the club and we had some parents that were running longer than they should have. As we were waiting for the other parents, she got the phone call that her father was getting his transplant. Had she not been held up at the club she would have missed that phone call. Sure she would have found out when she got home, but her parents would already have been at the hospital. She was able to go right to the hospital from here to be with her family.
I am sure that many people have similar stories. I am sure that there are also many reasons that can be explained by science or some other logical explanation. It is these moments though that remind me of a quote from the movie Dogma Salma Hayek's character Serendipity says: "When are you people going to learn? It's not about who's right or wrong. No denomination's nailed it yet, because they're all too self-righteous to realize that it doesn't matter what you have faith in, just that you have faith. Your hearts are in the right place, but your brains gotta to wake up."
Love me, hate me, everyone is entitled to my opinion!
To be fair, full disclosure states I should let you know I am a Roman Catholic. I have been raised that way and believe in most teachings of the Catholic Church. Catholicism has its faults, it has its own hypocrisy and it has it merits, like all religions. Again, this is not an indictment on religion or any one religion.
Since I graduated from high school and went to college I found myself struggling with many questions of what I believe. Some of this a chalk up to growing pains and adolescent questioning of everything, some of this is laziness on my part too. I did not have a use for religion, it no longer was a priority for me on Sunday mornings. I discovered a new found freedom from being on my own for a change. I lived in a new city among some new friends, it was late nights, discovering alcohol, meeting a new girl. There was so many other things that I found to occupy my time, especially sleeping in. If I were to look at my fading faith, this would be where it began.
For a long time though I felt something was missing. Often times I felt this loneliness within myself that I could not explain. I would find myself talking to God in prayer, but for the first time in my life I felt like I was being ignored, as if no one was listening. Perhaps no one was, perhaps I forgot how to listen. There have been countless times over the years that not being able to hear God has led me to bouts of depression. A few of these times had made me suicidal. I would find myself searching anywhere I could for the right answer. I had read books on Native American and Celtic religions. I had read books on Wicca. I re-read the Bible, read from the Quran. I found passages from Buddhism and Hinduism. Through all of my readings I still could not find what I was looking for.
I reached out to an old teacher of mine, Sister Mary Meyers. We exchanged emails, she connected me with a priest here in Raleigh. She talked to me and helped me to answer the many questions I had. I continue to struggle everyday with my faith. There are so many religions out there and all of them have a similar theme. They revolve around a higher power with teachings that focus on a moral life. To the religious it is about striving to reach the afterlife or enlightenment or whatever you want to call it. To the skeptic it is about hiding behind something or attempting to avoid responsibility for our own lives.
For me it is about something bigger than me. It is about finding something to believe in when there is no explanation for the occurrence. For me it starts with that which defies logic or alternatives, or where the timing is perfect. Call them what you will, I call them miracles. When I was younger me and a bunch of friends were heading out from the camp I was working at. The car I was a passenger in was in a bad accident in which we flipped over. It was pretty bad, but we walked away from it. As we were waiting for emergency personnel, a man came from what seemed like no where. He talked to me and comforted me. A few days later I went back to the house nearest the accident to thank the man. He did not exist. No one knew the man I described. Is it possible that it was just another person passing by in another automobile, yes. Is it possible that it was an angel, yes.
A few years ago I was working at the Cardinal Club. We would do a family night where we would provide a babysitting service while parents ate or went to the theatre. The executive chef's daughter Tori would be the babysitter. Her and I became close. we would talk a lot. Her father got very sick and needed a liver transplant. One evening she was working at the club and we had some parents that were running longer than they should have. As we were waiting for the other parents, she got the phone call that her father was getting his transplant. Had she not been held up at the club she would have missed that phone call. Sure she would have found out when she got home, but her parents would already have been at the hospital. She was able to go right to the hospital from here to be with her family.
I am sure that many people have similar stories. I am sure that there are also many reasons that can be explained by science or some other logical explanation. It is these moments though that remind me of a quote from the movie Dogma Salma Hayek's character Serendipity says: "When are you people going to learn? It's not about who's right or wrong. No denomination's nailed it yet, because they're all too self-righteous to realize that it doesn't matter what you have faith in, just that you have faith. Your hearts are in the right place, but your brains gotta to wake up."
Love me, hate me, everyone is entitled to my opinion!
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Mr. Walls Goes to Washington
(Disclaimer, this story is fictional surrounded facts)
The government is shut down, thousands of families are disappointed they can't get into a national park, thousands of people are furloughed, veterans can't get their benefits and I am pissed. How hard is it to fund the government? I know that there is millions of working pieces that need to be taken into account from repair allocations all the way up to debt payments, but come on really?
I am going up there to figure this out. On the drive to DC I think of the many different aspects of the government that need to be funded, defense, education, NASA, etc. There are alot of things to consider, and unfortunately we are relying on 536 people to make all of this happen. 536 out of 300 million. A percentage so negligible yet so powerful. Some people blame the President, some blame Republican lawmakers, and others blame Democratic lawmakers. I blame them all. I blame the 300 million.
I arrive in DC and I gather the President and all of the Senators and Congressmen for a joint session. I immediately have the doors locked and the AC cut off. Why you ask, simple. The Constitutional Convention took place during the summer in Philadelphia. When things got of track, General (retired) Washington ordered the doors locked and windows closed until and impasse was reached. Maybe not the best solution, but effective. Everyone is seated looking at one another wondering what is going on. I like to make an entrance so I descend from the ceiling like Tom Cruise in Mission:Impossible. I get the desired affect as silence encompasses the gathered and all eyes turn to me. I approach the Speakers chair and take the gavel. I approach the podium and lock eyes on everyone in the room.
"My name is John Walls. I am an American. You ladies and gentlemen were sent here to do a job, and you are not getting it done. I have ordered the doors locked and the AC turned off. It is about to get hot and stinky in here from the smell of sweat that permeates the room, but we got stuff to do. Why am I doing this you ask yourself, here are some answers to sum it up. I am doing this for Johnny and Suzy Smith whose parents tried to take them to the Statue of Liberty on a rare day off they have together because both parents are working to pay the bills, just to find out the ferry isn't running today. I am doing this for Mrs. Johnson who is furloughed from her administrative assistant’s job at the Department of Agriculture because her job is non-essential. I am doing this for Lance Corporal Rodriguez who needs pain medication from having his leg blown off in Iraq and he can't get into the VA hospital. I am doing this for me because I have been blinded from seeing how petty politics are because of my belief that I live in the greatest country in all the world. I am going to spell some things out for you that may seem harsh, but you need to hear it. Some time’s tough love is the best love.
To start with, Mr. President, you and I do not agree on a lot of issues, but that is to be expected. One thing that we can agree on is that you are the President of the United States! Your position is bigger than you as an individual are. You are a symbol, and no not that logo of yours. Your position is the embodiment of everything we as Americans believe in. You are the elected heir of the greats like Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, both Roosevelt’s and Reagan. You need to lead. There is no time for indecision. Leadership is about convincing others that your ideas are the best. As a leader myself the one lesson that was the hardest to learn, sometimes you need to compromise for the greater good. I understand your point on enacting the Healthcare Law on time. Great make that issue non-negotiable, but in return agree to cut spending from somewhere like government agencies hosting these elaborate conferences in Vegas and Hawaii. I'm just saying every yin needs a yang. The bottom line though is you need to be respected by both friends and enemies.
To Republican lawmakers, you and I agree on a lot of issues. But for the love of all things good, have a Coke and a smile and shut the fuck up! I am a Republican. I even named my daughter after Ronald Reagan. I agree with you that government has gotten big and we waste a lot of money. On the other hand, the Supreme Court has already ruled that abortions are legal. They have already ruled Obamacare is constitutional. Quit trying to fight it. Accept it, or change it. You guys have the opportunity to expand a bad law. Allow for drug imports that meet FDA requirements, cap malpractice suits, truly make healthcare affordable. I can buy a box of Band-Aids at Wal-Mart for $3. Why is the doctor charging me $28 for one. Let's worry about high oil prices, making sure our military are living above the poverty line, find a cure for cancer.
To the Democratic lawmakers, you and I rarely agree on anything, but seriously, just because it moves, doesn't move, should move, won't move, does not mean you need to fund it. I mean really, not every kid deserves a trophy. People need to have some accountability for the decisions they make in life. We need to look out for those that truly can not, like children. We do not need to use welfare like it is a job opportunity. Grow some balls and tell people to act like adults. If they can not take the initiative to take advantage of the opportunities that are in front of them you can not hold their hand. Focus your attention on clearing out some of the backlog at these agencies to get help to those that truly need it.
To those "independent" Senators and Congressmen. Your not independent if you vote for the same thing with the same group of people. Dumbasses.
To the Tea Partier's, the party is over. You got elected on promises to do things to control government spending. You are costing so much more money by grandstanding. Either do something or get out of the limelight.
To the 300 million. You spend more time deciding who you are going to vote for on American Idol and Dancing with the Stars then you do researching who to send to Washington. Would it help if we put it on TV and allowed you to eliminate contestants weekly. I mean get your shit together. All you do is sit and whine about how all of this is unfair, these people in Washington suck, etc. Do something about it.
So here's the deal, you are going to pass a budget, your going to reopen the parks, you’re going to put people back to work, veterans will be taken care of. You are going to pass a balanced budget amendment, you are also going to pass an amendment that takes away your salary in the event of a government shutdown. All of this is going to happen or the doors will remain locked. I will have food and water sent in, and we will set up pots to piss in, but this is happening. We deserve better than what you have given us."
Love me, hate me, everyone is entitled to my opinion.
The government is shut down, thousands of families are disappointed they can't get into a national park, thousands of people are furloughed, veterans can't get their benefits and I am pissed. How hard is it to fund the government? I know that there is millions of working pieces that need to be taken into account from repair allocations all the way up to debt payments, but come on really?
I am going up there to figure this out. On the drive to DC I think of the many different aspects of the government that need to be funded, defense, education, NASA, etc. There are alot of things to consider, and unfortunately we are relying on 536 people to make all of this happen. 536 out of 300 million. A percentage so negligible yet so powerful. Some people blame the President, some blame Republican lawmakers, and others blame Democratic lawmakers. I blame them all. I blame the 300 million.
I arrive in DC and I gather the President and all of the Senators and Congressmen for a joint session. I immediately have the doors locked and the AC cut off. Why you ask, simple. The Constitutional Convention took place during the summer in Philadelphia. When things got of track, General (retired) Washington ordered the doors locked and windows closed until and impasse was reached. Maybe not the best solution, but effective. Everyone is seated looking at one another wondering what is going on. I like to make an entrance so I descend from the ceiling like Tom Cruise in Mission:Impossible. I get the desired affect as silence encompasses the gathered and all eyes turn to me. I approach the Speakers chair and take the gavel. I approach the podium and lock eyes on everyone in the room.
"My name is John Walls. I am an American. You ladies and gentlemen were sent here to do a job, and you are not getting it done. I have ordered the doors locked and the AC turned off. It is about to get hot and stinky in here from the smell of sweat that permeates the room, but we got stuff to do. Why am I doing this you ask yourself, here are some answers to sum it up. I am doing this for Johnny and Suzy Smith whose parents tried to take them to the Statue of Liberty on a rare day off they have together because both parents are working to pay the bills, just to find out the ferry isn't running today. I am doing this for Mrs. Johnson who is furloughed from her administrative assistant’s job at the Department of Agriculture because her job is non-essential. I am doing this for Lance Corporal Rodriguez who needs pain medication from having his leg blown off in Iraq and he can't get into the VA hospital. I am doing this for me because I have been blinded from seeing how petty politics are because of my belief that I live in the greatest country in all the world. I am going to spell some things out for you that may seem harsh, but you need to hear it. Some time’s tough love is the best love.
To start with, Mr. President, you and I do not agree on a lot of issues, but that is to be expected. One thing that we can agree on is that you are the President of the United States! Your position is bigger than you as an individual are. You are a symbol, and no not that logo of yours. Your position is the embodiment of everything we as Americans believe in. You are the elected heir of the greats like Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, both Roosevelt’s and Reagan. You need to lead. There is no time for indecision. Leadership is about convincing others that your ideas are the best. As a leader myself the one lesson that was the hardest to learn, sometimes you need to compromise for the greater good. I understand your point on enacting the Healthcare Law on time. Great make that issue non-negotiable, but in return agree to cut spending from somewhere like government agencies hosting these elaborate conferences in Vegas and Hawaii. I'm just saying every yin needs a yang. The bottom line though is you need to be respected by both friends and enemies.
To Republican lawmakers, you and I agree on a lot of issues. But for the love of all things good, have a Coke and a smile and shut the fuck up! I am a Republican. I even named my daughter after Ronald Reagan. I agree with you that government has gotten big and we waste a lot of money. On the other hand, the Supreme Court has already ruled that abortions are legal. They have already ruled Obamacare is constitutional. Quit trying to fight it. Accept it, or change it. You guys have the opportunity to expand a bad law. Allow for drug imports that meet FDA requirements, cap malpractice suits, truly make healthcare affordable. I can buy a box of Band-Aids at Wal-Mart for $3. Why is the doctor charging me $28 for one. Let's worry about high oil prices, making sure our military are living above the poverty line, find a cure for cancer.
To the Democratic lawmakers, you and I rarely agree on anything, but seriously, just because it moves, doesn't move, should move, won't move, does not mean you need to fund it. I mean really, not every kid deserves a trophy. People need to have some accountability for the decisions they make in life. We need to look out for those that truly can not, like children. We do not need to use welfare like it is a job opportunity. Grow some balls and tell people to act like adults. If they can not take the initiative to take advantage of the opportunities that are in front of them you can not hold their hand. Focus your attention on clearing out some of the backlog at these agencies to get help to those that truly need it.
To those "independent" Senators and Congressmen. Your not independent if you vote for the same thing with the same group of people. Dumbasses.
To the Tea Partier's, the party is over. You got elected on promises to do things to control government spending. You are costing so much more money by grandstanding. Either do something or get out of the limelight.
To the 300 million. You spend more time deciding who you are going to vote for on American Idol and Dancing with the Stars then you do researching who to send to Washington. Would it help if we put it on TV and allowed you to eliminate contestants weekly. I mean get your shit together. All you do is sit and whine about how all of this is unfair, these people in Washington suck, etc. Do something about it.
So here's the deal, you are going to pass a budget, your going to reopen the parks, you’re going to put people back to work, veterans will be taken care of. You are going to pass a balanced budget amendment, you are also going to pass an amendment that takes away your salary in the event of a government shutdown. All of this is going to happen or the doors will remain locked. I will have food and water sent in, and we will set up pots to piss in, but this is happening. We deserve better than what you have given us."
Love me, hate me, everyone is entitled to my opinion.
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