Teach Choice

DOPA=Censorship

Fri, 28 Jul 2006 10:41:14 -0500

Check it the latest scary tactic the government is using to help keep children "safe." The idea behind Resolution 5329 Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA) is to force public schools and libraries to block social networking sites, chat rooms and blogs. Their reasoning? Children are continually stalked when logged into such sites. If passed this will be a scary precedent indeed. Schools and libraries that don't comply will be in danger of losing federal funding. Putting the money issue aside, the real danger is the impact it will have on classrooms. If DOPA is passed, important educational forums for students and teachers will no longer be accessible through classroom and library computers. Blocking wikis, blogs and chat rooms will not eliminate the predator issue. What keeps kids safe is educating them about certain online dangers thus enabling them to use the internet safely.

Bang for the Buck

Wed, 26 Jul 2006 08:37:02 -0500

On hot summer days, the teacher in me goes crazy. I feel the need to organize, boss people around and fix everything. So what form did this manic personality trait take yesterday? I'll tell you. I became obsessed with finding a new apartment. So I grabed my friend and went looking at places that were the top of my price range (cause there is jack-shit in my real price range) and discovered that for $2,000 bucks a month I can get a small apartment with warped floors and a stinky hallway in an old walk-up. Ummm...that's what I have now and I pay a lot less. Ok my apt doesn't have a door beside the front door but I pay a lot less. God damnit. I've been forced to see the bright side: my apt may have no doors, the hallway may have windows that have been busted for MONTHS and I may have neighbors right below me that are bonified idiots, but overall it's not a bad place to live. After several hours of celebrating rent stabilization with my neighbor, my husband, threw up a blog for us, 112suffolkstreet.That's the address of my building but since you don't know my apt number you can't kill me. There's not much on it right now, but go read it anyway. Go on...read it!

Daze

Wed, 19 Jul 2006 08:49:12 -0500

Yesterday I was walking around Brooklyn with my friend Honor. We had gone to the movies to escape the heat. On some street that I can't remember the name of, we found a kind hearted animal lover. If only there was somebody who was giving out cold water to humans for free I wouldn't have had to carry Honor on my back.

King of the World

Mon, 17 Jul 2006 13:34:04 -0500

Last Saturday two friends and I went on an epic hike. Actually the hike itself was not the epic part, it was the getting there from NYC that proved to be difficult. We left Brooklyn at 11:00 AM and drove for what seemed to be hours to get to High Point, the highest elevation in NJ. Carsick and sick of cars we looked with wide eyes as the mountain rose before us. But the second we pulled up to the trail head, the skies opened up , dumping a hell of a lot of rain on our heads. Ever optimistic (and bored of complaining by that point) we jumped back into the car and drove another hour to Bear Mountain. It wasn't raining when we got there so we popped out of the car, laced up our boots and trotted happily into the woods only to encounter...more rain. And lots of it. With brave hearts pumping, we forged ahead. On top of the mountain we found some excellent blueberries which I did not take a picture of. But I found this little guy sitting in a pool at the bottom of a tiny waterfall. If truth be told, I almost stepped on him. If you look closely you can see the terrified expression on his face.

It's Here...

Mon, 17 Jul 2006 12:52:38 -0500

Well, the first heat wave of the summer has hit. I have to say, with all the rain and thunder that's been shaking the city, I'm not too upset. However, I do wonder about the welfare of my little plot in the 6th and B Garden, a favorite city oasis. Took a little breakfast break there the other morning with my good friend, John. I forgot to take my camera along with me so an older one is gonna have to do. No matter, it looks pretty much the same.

Thailand

Tue, 31 Jan 2006 06:09:56 -0500

Teachers continue to be targeted...

Run for the hills

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 17:49:23 -0500

Well...it's been quite a day. Alito is all but confirmed, Halliburton has been accused of sending contaminated water to Iraq, the march to end choice decended upon DC, and Bush fields some tough questions all on his own.

Phaideia Anyone?

Mon, 23 Jan 2006 15:41:13 -0500

It's always entertaining stumble across another deluded and repressive voice on the subject of eduction. Pastor Doug Wilson, part-time thinker and full-time destroyer of choice shares his crusade to bring back the rod to education. I hear his book sales are down...

The Truth is Out There

Mon, 23 Jan 2006 15:16:39 -0500

Another reasonable entity weighs in on the Intelligent Design debate. I know, I know--almost everyone and her mother has seen this site but it's still worth to post for the one vistor that comes to mine.

Catholics Kick Intelligent Design

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 06:15:22 -0500

I almost knocked my tea over this morning when I saw this article in the NY Times. It seems the Vatican has given a subtle nod to the theory of evolution, dismissing the preposterous theory of intelligent design.

David and Gollith

Wed, 18 Jan 2006 19:06:12 -0500

Teaching kids is funny. Where else can you get the one-two combination of unfortunate smells and dead pan humor rolled into one on a given day? If you want to experience it for yourself, walk into any elementary classroom. If you're lucky you'll get hit in the head with a piece of clay. Speakig of which, I mediated a fight today between an on-again off-again 4th grade bully and a small 5th grader. It was David & Gollith come to life in the hallway. The fight, as far as I can tell, was over a basketball and the ever changing foul line. When the bully tried to flex his muscle by slapping he ended up getting popped with a jab and upper cut by a kid 1/2 his size. When I confronted all involved the bully broke down and cried saying anything to get out of trouble. David, on the other hand, owned up to his talent for punching and apologized with a true heart.

Afte many tears and a long conversation I asked the wanna-be bully what he learned from the whole experience. At first he came up with some regurgitated line about making better choices. When I said,"Uh huh...what did you really learn?" he said, "That kids littler than you can really hit hard."

Red Alert: Public Schools Waste $$$

Wed, 18 Jan 2006 17:38:02 -0500

A recent article by by ABC commentator John Stossel solved the crisis in public education. Stossel maintains that public schools should stop crying poverty, that they are, in fact, rolling in dough and throw money out the window quicker than President Bush can mis-pronounce "nuclear." He says schools should buy more textbooks and spend less money on "extras" like computers and foreign language programs. Stimulating kids' minds through hands-on experiences be damned! Let's teach everyone by rote to increase those test scores which are a true reflection of what kids know and how they learn. I think I can say with a fair amount of cetainity that Stossel has probably spent 1 hour or less in a k-12 classroom in the past 15 years.

Backdoor Jesus

Wed, 11 Jan 2006 06:12:21 -0500

Parents in a small school in northern CA are suing their high school to block a philosophy course designed to teach creationism and intelligent design along with a dabbling of evolution. Proponents say this will foster healthy debate. Opponents say evolution is being used as a loophole to get ID into the curriculum.

Confirmation Hearings

Tue, 10 Jan 2006 06:24:17 -0500

Confirmation Hearings began for Judge Samuel Alito yesterday. Alito claims a "good judge is one with no agenda" and maintains he will aprroach all cases with objectivitiy. But considering his conservative stance on issues such as a woman's right to choose, education, the extension of presidential powers and civil rights, Alito's words and assurances fall flat on their asses.

Impeachment Process Begin?

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 12:24:19 -0500

The Bush administrations obvious disregard for civil liberties has gone far enough. Representive John Conyers is calling for a full investigation. CensureBush.org
has a great recap of Bush's lawlessness and what can be done about it. Read the Constitution Crisis.