Is This President Bush's Fault, Too?

Europe's economy contracts at rates not seen since 1930s

Interviewing

I haven't posted much about my own situation, but for about a year now I haven't been happy where I teach. In the last couple months the unhappy curve has been getting steeper and steeper.

This afternoon I interviewed for a position at another school in our district. The new semester starts in 10 days, and that's when I'd start if I get the job. I'm not an underhanded kind of person, so my principal is well aware that I've been "looking".

Whether or not I get the job, my own outlook and demeanor have improved markedly. Instead of playing the victim, feeling "woe is me", I've taken some action and now feel like I have a little bit of control over my situation. If I don't get this position, I know that others will come along.

Here's to hoping that things continue to look up!

Is This Really Necessary?

It's bad enough that our state Superduperintendent of Public Instruction has said that blacks and Hispanics don't do well in school because our teachers don't understand them. Now add this:

The California State Board of Education voted Wednesday to create an African American Advisory Committee to better understand issues concerning the achievement gap between African American students and their counterparts.

What part of culture do these politicians not understand? An outreach program to help people understand how to support their children's education is one thing, spending money on silly advisory committees that ignore the actual problem is quite another.

Mathematician

I'm not too happy in my current work environment. Perhaps I should consider trying my hand at something else. Mathematician looks good.

Nineteen years ago, Jennifer Courter set out on a career path that has since provided her with a steady stream of lucrative, low-stress jobs. Now, her occupation -- mathematician -- has landed at the top spot on a new study ranking the best and worst jobs in the U.S.

Still Liking Michelle Rhee

What's not to like?

At the heart of Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee's vision for transforming D.C. schools is a dramatic overhaul of its 4,000-member teacher corps that would remove a "significant share" of instructors and launch an ambitious plan to foster professional growth for those who remain...

Rhee plans to move the District away from the regimen of courses and workshops that have defined continuing education for teachers. Borrowing from best practices in surrounding suburban districts, she is building a system of school-based mentors and coaches to help instructors raise the quality of their work. She also wants to import a nationally prominent Massachusetts consulting firm with a reputation for improving teachers' skills.

But budget uncertainties, labor tensions and the timetable for the program's rollout have sparked questions from teachers' advocates about its effectiveness. At the same time, Rhee has dropped the school system's direct support for instructors seeking certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, a rigorous one- to three-year teacher development program, citing a lack of evidence that the training improves student achievement.

She's stepping on a lot of toes, perhaps some unnecessarily. At least she has a laser-like focus on student achievement.

Big Brother? Oh, Brother.

Those of you who gladly give up your liberty to the government should pay attention to what's happening to those who have already done so. Do you really want the feds (or any other government, for that matter) to have this much control over your personal life?

Imagine a country where the government regularly checks the waistlines of citizens over age 40. Anyone deemed too fat would be required to undergo diet counseling. Those who fail to lose sufficient weight could face further "reeducation" and their communities subject to stiff fines.

Is this some nightmarish dystopia?

No, this is contemporary Japan.

The Japanese government argues that it must regulate citizens' lifestyles because it is paying their health costs. This highlights one of the greatly underappreciated dangers of "universal healthcare." Any government that attempts to guarantee healthcare must also control its costs. The inevitable next step will be to seek to control citizens' health and their behavior. Hence, Americans should beware that if we adopt universal healthcare, we also risk creating a "nanny state on steroids" antithetical to core American principles.

Other countries with universal healthcare are already restricting individual freedoms in the name of controlling health costs. For example, the British government has banned some television ads for eggs on the grounds that they were promoting an unhealthy lifestyle. This is a blatant infringement of egg sellers' rights to advertise their products...

Just as universal healthcare will further fuel the nanny state, the nanny state mind-set helps fuel the drive toward universal healthcare. Individuals aren't regarded as competent to decide how to manage their lives and their health.

If this is what you want, you can't regard yourself as someone who values the Constitution, American values, or personal liberty and responsiblity.

Illegal Fees--Not Just For California Anymore

Click on my illegal fees label to see the posts I've written about the illegal fees we charge in our schools. I don't make such claims lightly, either; I quote ed code, court cases, and the opinion of the state attorney general. I was the driving force behind my district's new policy, approved by the school board last year, clarifying which fees can be charged and which cannot. I'm not convinced we follow that policy all that much, but at least it's in black and white should I ever decide to push the issue.

Parents in Maryland are fighting a similar fight.

This past August, WTOP first brought to light the issue of a group of parents pushing Montgomery County Schools to dump the fees they charged for everything - from dictionaries and workbooks to towel and locker fees for gym class.

Now, after months of review, Montgomery County School Superintendent Dr. Jerry Weast has issued a 17-page memo outlining a policy shift.

Parents will still have to pay for some items, but the fees will be cut by 60 percent to 70 percent.

In California, just about any fee charged at a school is illegal--whether or not the class is required for graduation. That we allow schools and school boards to get away with such illegality is a travesty.

Candid Camera

Word out on TeacherNet is that students at our school are endeavoring to surreptitiously record teachers saying or doing something that, when posted on YouTube, might appear to be inappropriate. Some of these snippets have already been posted.

I wonder if, in doing so, students might not be breaking a law. I know that we are not allowed to record classes, except from behind, unless we get parental permission.

They're definitely violating a school rule by having a phone or other recording device out and in use.

Union Rules

This came to me in an email today, and I can't help but post it.


A dedicated Teamsters union worker was attending a convention in Las Vegas and decided to check out the local brothels. When he got to the first one, he asked the Madam, 'Is this a union house?'

'No,' she replied, 'I'm sorry it isn't.'

'Well, if I pay you $100, what cut do the girls get?'

'The house gets $80 and the girls get $20,' she answered.

Offended at such unfair dealings, the union man stomped off down the street in search of a more equitable, hopefully unionized shop.

His search continued until finally he reached a brothel where the Madam responded, 'Why yes sir, this is a union house. We observe all union rules.'

The man asked, 'And if I pay you $100, what cut do the girls get?'

'The girls get $80 and the house gets $20.'

'That's more like it!' , the union man said.

He handed the Madam $100, looked around the room, then pointed to a stunningly attractive blonde.

'I'd like her,' he said.

'I'm sure you would, sir,' said the Madam.

Then she gestured to a 92-year old woman in the corner, 'but Ethel here has 67 years of seniority and, according to union rules, she's next.'

Eagle Scouts

Last night I attended the Eagle Court for a former student of mine. He's the 5th student who's invited me to the ceremony at which he receives his Eagle Scout rank, and it was the 4th one I've attended (read here about the one I missed).

It's always an honor to be invited to attend these ceremonies. As I've said in other posts, I enjoy seeing my students outside of the classroom environment--especially when they're doing something so worthy.

Carnival of Education

This week's is posted over at RightWingNation (a daily read for me) and includes my post about California's upcoming budget cuts.

Government Can Legally Hack Into Home Computers Without A Warrant!

Yes, it's true.

But this new power isn't one of George Bush's attacks on the Constitution, on American civil liberties, on humanity as a whole, etc. etc. etc. No, this power comes from our European betters.

THE Home Office has quietly adopted a new plan to allow police across Britain routinely to hack into people’s personal computers without a warrant.

The move, which follows a decision by the European Union’s council of ministers in Brussels, has angered civil liberties groups and opposition MPs. They described it as a sinister extension of the surveillance state which drives “a coach and horses” through privacy laws.

The hacking is known as “remote searching”...

Under the Brussels edict, police across the EU have been given the green light to expand the implementation of a rarely used power involving warrantless intrusive surveillance of private property. The strategy will allow French, German and other EU forces to ask British officers to hack into someone’s UK computer and pass over any material gleaned.

A remote search can be granted if a senior officer says he “believes” that it is “proportionate” and necessary to prevent or detect serious crime — defined as any offence attracting a jail sentence of more than three years.

If you believe that civil liberties are a cornerstone of our American way of life, and you support Democrats and other leftists, I wonder how you can believe that giving more power to government is a good thing. Do you think that incoming President Hopenchange would like this kind of power? Of course he would. George Bush would have, too.

People in power like power. What was it that Webster said?

“Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of authority. It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters.”

A benevolent dictator is still a dictator.

Some people think Europe has all the answers we need. I'm not so sure.

Where's The Sea Ice Going?

Nowhere.

Thanks to a rapid rebound in recent months, global sea ice levels now equal those seen 29 years ago, when the year 1979 also drew to a close.

Ice levels had been tracking lower throughout much of 2008, but rapidly recovered in the last quarter. In fact, the rate of increase from September onward is the fastest rate of change on record, either upwards or downwards.

The data is being reported by the University of Illinois's Arctic Climate Research Center, and is derived from satellite observations of the Northern and Southern hemisphere polar regions.

Not that such facts will affect the climate change faithful, of course.

(Hat tip to KauaiMark.)

How Many Recounts Does It Take?

How many recounts were we going to suffer through in Florida in 2000 before the US and Florida Supreme Courts put an end to them, halting Democrat Al Gore's efforts to steal the election?

How many recounts did it take before Democrat Christine Gregoire was (finally) declared the winner in the Washington governor's race in 2004? (ans: 2)

How many recounts will it take before Democrat Al Franken is declared the winner of Minnesota's senate seat?

Can anyone show me an example of recounts that keep occurring until a Republican wins?

Updated Post

If you liked the post about Oregon's consideration of "mileage taxes" instead of "gas taxes", in part because people are not using as much gasoline (and hence, gas tax revenue is declining), you'll love the update I just added!

Why Was This Math Teacher Really Fired?

It's stories like this that make me wonder about the wisdom of having local school boards. Of course, the same thing could happen on a bigger scale, I guess, but would be more likely to attract attention.

This did, however, make the LA Times, so I guess that's something. Considering their readership, that means at least 7 people saw this story!

So, let's see what happened:

When the school board in this rural community voted to get rid of popular math teacher Ryan Dutton in September, the students at Tioga High School were so upset, the entire school boycotted class the next day. Then they decided to save his job.

What started as a civics class project soon became much more: a campaign to remove all five board members of Big Oak Flat-Groveland Unified School District.

Interesting! Why did he get fired?

Dutton, 31, a former professional football player, lost his job over allegations that he cheated in a course he took last spring at Cal State Fresno. The university cleared him and apologized for "any misunderstanding," but the board has refused to reinstate him.

OK, so we still don't have an answer to our question. Why did he get fired? Well, you have to read through page 2 to find out. There are implications of a principal/superintendent (same person) on a power trip, shady dealings on the part of the school board, and definite WASC accreditation issues.

This place is dysfunctional. Go take a read--you may feel better about your own school and district!

Is Anything That Happens In California The Fault of the Legislature?

Or is everything the fault of President Bush?

And was that about the worse article ever, devoid of even a shred of cause/effect, logic, or irony?

Talk about bitter partisanship. That reporter must be seriously puckered.

More On The So-called "Stimulus Package"

I wonder if anyone in positions of authority will listen to her. I wonder if she'll listen to herself:

Second, as multiple studies have shown, government spending has little stimulative value. One of those studies was done by Obama’s new chief economic advisor, Christina Romer of UC Berkeley, who found $3 in increased Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for every $1 in tax cuts. Increased spending generates at best a mere 40 cents of GDP growth on the dollar. Third, that 40 cents actually goes to special interests like labor unions, politically influential contractors in favored industries and state and local political allies of the party in power.

We'll see what the "reality-based community" has to say about this one.

Anthropogenic Climate Change A "Myth"?

Don't you love how arrogant the Europeans are, how hypocritical the press?

The European Union's new figurehead believes that climate change is a dangerous myth and has compared the union to a Communist state.

He's only a "figurehead" when he doesn't toe the elitist European line. On any other topic he's the leader of one of the world's largest integrated economies, etc. etc. etc.

Employer-Provided Health Insurance

I ask this simple question: why, in a logical world, would employers be responsible for employee health insurance? Employers are not responsible for employee automobile insurance, sustenance, or living space; why is health insurance such a political hot potato?

And why would employee mobility in the absence of an "employer mandate" be a bad thing?

Which enumerated power allows Congress to require employers to provide health insurance?