Personal Note 2: Gone to Germany for the holidays 14 December - 04 January. Happy Holidays!

Personal Note: Back home! ~ 03 December 2005

Boy: Parents made me stay in 'box'

Comment: The adoptive/foster parents claim that they forced kids to sleep in locked cages with alarms to protect the other children from harm. They are running a kennel, not a home for children. The children describe both physically and psychologically harmful methods of discipline, yet, they might be returned to these "parents." One boy says it all. When asked if he liked living with these folks better than living in a foster home, he replied, "'It doesn't matter... There's no sense getting comfortable at any place.'" These are some of our throw-away children. No child left behind, indeed.

09 December 2005

A Gold Star for Good Attendance? No. A New Car!, People, 10/17/05, 79-80

Comment: Do incentives reward or bribe? Should kids earn treats for doing what they should be doing anyway? In the real world, these are called perks and benefits. We all want them. And, it's good to see the community getting involved in motivating students to perform well in school.

09 December 2005

Bounced from Preschool, People, 12/05/2005, 119-120

Comment: Being kicked out of preschool?

"... with the ever-increasing pressure to achieve, some schools -- often at the behest of parents -- are imposing an overly academic curriculum on little ones at the expense of teaching such basic skills as coping with frustration or empathizing with classmates ... "

"... preschool teachers often lack the training to deal with many common toddler issues ..."

Comment continued: Too much emphasis on academics and too little emphasis on life skills and lack of teacher training result in poor student performance and increased behavior problems at all levels of education, now beginning in preschool.

07 December 2005

Schools limiting personal appliances

Comment: Everyone knows that many teachers spend lots of their personal money for classroom supplies. Now, some school districts are charging them a fee for powering appliances in their classrooms. The reason that I had a small hot water heater in my room was that I never had a chance for a "coffee/tea" break. Occasionally, a sick student needed a cup of tea to soothe a sore throat. I also had a small refrigerator for bottles of water, another drink that I needed when I worked non-stop from 7:45 AM - 3 PM. I stored my lunch there and some sodas for the classroom lottery system. I bought my own table lamp for better lighting at my desk and a radio to keep me company when I worked late into the night on lessons and writing IEP's. I'll pay the fee for power for these appliances WHEN I am paid over-time for hours worked beyond my contractual requirements.

07 December 2005

New P.E.: More fitness, less sports

Some schools are moving away from team sports where the less physically talented are picked last, and that embarrassing moment lasts a life-time, to PE that promotes fitness. The Miami-Dade school district's mission statement for PE: "Classes are undertaken in an active, caring, supportive and non-threatening atmosphere in which every student is challenged to grow. ... Every student, regardless of ability or ability level, is provided with a learning environment that is modified, when necessary, to allow for maximum participation."

Comment: Sounds like an excellent mission for all subjects!

07 December 2005

Behave or Else

A shop owner posts this sign, "Children of all ages have to behave and use their indoor voices."

Comment: Not too much to ask of anyone.

07 December 2005

Back to top

Commentary Archive