Sacramento

I went to school in New York and lived for three years in Colorado. I know what it means to live somewhere that has four distinct seasons.

Here in the Central Valley of California, we really only have two seasons. One is The Season Where Rain Is Possible, the other is The Season Where Rain Is Not Likely. Here, rain is possible from about November to about April or May. There's usually one rain about the first week of June, and then we don't see any again until near fall. If I remember correctly, we had rain the last week of May this year, and then not again until a few weeks ago, where one storm dropped about a third of an inch on the capital.

It was beautiful out today, enough to draw a couple of beads of sweat on the forehead while walking about in the sun downtown.

I found some pictures I took of a swollen Sacramento River earlier this year, late in the winter or early in spring, and I thought it would be fun to contrast those views with the views of today, so here goes.

Old Sacramento is the "Gold Rush" part of downtown, on the Sacramento River between the Tower Bridge (to the south) and the I Street Bridge (to the north). It's probably less than a half-mile between the two bridges.

Here's the Tower Bridge in the rainy season:



And here it is today. Sorry the sun is so low in the sky; it was about 3:30.


Here's the depth marker today; compare it to what you can see in the rainy season picture. They're the white markers in the river below the two towers.



Trees across the river in the rainy season:


And that part of the riverbank today (partially blocked by a barge):


Looking north, here's the I Street Bridge in the rainy season:



And today. For perspective, notice the Amtrak train on the lower deck of the bridge and the car on the upper deck:



Now here's something cool. We have two riverboats that take tourists cruising up and down the Sacramento. They can't get under either of the two bridges. The center span of the Tower Bridge rises between the two towers, but the I Street Bridge turns 90 degrees clockwise to let the boats pass.



Here's the Spirit of Sacramento as it goes by the I Street Bridge heading south towards Old Town.





Directly across the river from Old Sacramento is the former Money Store ziggurat. I think the state leases it for office space now.



After passing the ziggurat, the two riverboats have to turn about 160 degrees to the left in the middle of the river, and then "skootch" into their spots at the dock. Here's the Spirit of Sacramento pulling this maneuver.




Right next to the waterfront is the tourist train, decorated at this time of the year as The Ghost Train.



OK, I'd taken more pictures of the water than I'd planned to, so it's time to head back to the car. On the way I stop in at Candy Heaven, where you're always invited to sample the salt water taffy. I like the red licorice, huckleberry, and banana cream pie flavors. But look what I found there on this trip! Did you ever eat these as a kid? I did! I loved opening the end of the package and pouring some out, for some reason.



This isn't the greatest picture, but if I'm going to show you pictures of my hometown, I've got to show you the Capitol. This is the view from the Tower Bridge, with one of Sacramento's men in blue on horseback in the foreground.
By the way, today's October 22nd. Look how the ladies in the crosswalk are dressed.


And for those of you who live in areas already in the throes of autumn, here's a picture showing that most of our trees haven't even started to turn color yet.



I hope you've enjoyed your tour of Old Sacramento. Come back again some time.

California Teachers Empowerment Network

This week the California Teachers Empowerment Network will begin a direct-mailing campaign to inform teachers about its existence. If you'd like to get an introductory email, please click here to contact the organization.

You Get What You Pay For?

Last night at Best Buy I bought a collection of the 4 Airport movies from the 70's: Airport, Airport 75 (the best by far!), Airport 77, and Airport 79. Total price? $15!!!

I think I'll watch Airport 75 tonight. That's the one where the 747 (Columbia 409, if memory serves) gets struck in the flight deck by a private aircraft, killing the captain and first officer. A flight attendant takes over temporarily, but there's no way she can land the crippled aircraft. The powers that be then try to lower Charleton Heston (from a helicopter or another plane, I don't remember which) through the hole in the flight deck into the damaged 747 so he can land it. Now that's drama!

Airport 77 involved a 747 being 200 feet underwater in the Bermuda Triangle. Airport 79 involved the Concorde. As I recall, it was so bad that there were actually two different landings in that movie; apparently they couldn't stretch the story out long enough so that there was only one major plot. Those of you who remember this movie, did you catch my pun? Stretch? Remember, the 2nd time they had to stop the Concorde with huge rubber bands. Get it? Sometimes I slay myself.

Food Stamps For The Amish

I'm not usually a fan of Joseph Farah, for personal reasons I'll keep to myself (but that apply to my occupation, for those of you who will be nosey enough to ask!), but I think he's got it exactly right in this column:

Taylor remains under orders to try to seduce the Amish into dependency on government. His job is to persuade them to take accept money from outside the community, money, the Amish understand, that has been forcibly taken from others – stolen, in other words...

But think about the moral bankruptcy of a system that desperately seeks to entrap an independent people into dependency. I mean, even if you believe in food stamps and other wealth redistribution programs, shouldn't government's primary job be trying to get people off the dole?

...

Instead of looking at the Amish community as a success story and public assistance as a necessary evil, these Ohio state officials look at self-sufficiency, independence and a good work ethic as diseases that need treatment...

The state requires the counties to lift participation rates. They see communities not accepting food stamps as failure. They've got it exactly backwards, of course. So, poor Taylor plans to resort to small-scale advertising campaigns – maybe billboards – to reach the Amish. He's also going to suggest they use the food stamps to buy seeds and plants for gardens...

You mean people really don't need the government to help them? You mean there are really self-sufficient communities in 21st century America? You mean it's possible to live a good life without national health care? Do they know about this in Washington?

Say it ain't so, Joe.


Hat tip to Mr. Chanman of Buckhorn Road (see blogroll at left).

Some Universities Don't Care about the SAT?

That's what the major Sacramento newspaper reports:

At a college fair this month at the Courtyard Marriott in Sacramento, an uneasy chuckle drifted through the hotel conference room when the issue of SAT scores came up -- or rather, when it didn't come up.

More than 200 students and parents had crowded into seats and lined the walls to hear admissions representatives from Northwestern and Emory universities and two top public schools -- the University of Virginia and the University of North Carolina, which are those states' equivalent of University of California, Berkeley. Out-of-state students face intense competition to get in.

When a parent asked the school officials to cite the top admissions factors, the admissions reps generally agreed: Good grades and a compelling essay were key.

The University of Virginia representative teased the audience that it was odd how none of the admissions directors mentioned the dreaded admissions tests.

"It's the least important part," said Lee Morgan of the University of Virginia. "That's why we forget about it."

Parachutist Plummets To Death Off Bridge

You've all seen this bridge before--it's the one on the reverse of the West Virginia quarter from 2005.

Interestingly enough, this happened in front of a large crowd which had gathered for Bridge Day, the topic of one of the designs submitted for the West Virginia quarter.

Are They All As Good-looking As I Am?

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 407 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

BBC Execs Admit They're Biased

Finally, at least people in one news organization can admit it.

Oh wait, several have admitted it before.

But anyway, courtesy of Britain's Daily Mail:

It was the day that a host of BBC executives and star presenters admitted what critics have been telling them for years: the BBC is dominated by trendy, Left-leaning liberals who are biased against Christianity and in favour of multiculturalism.

A leaked account of an 'impartiality summit' called by BBC chairman Michael Grade, is certain to lead to a new row about the BBC and its reporting on key issues, especially concerning Muslims and the war on terror.

It reveals that executives would let the Bible be thrown into a dustbin on a TV comedy show, but not the Koran, and that they would broadcast an interview with Osama Bin Laden if given the opportunity. Further, it discloses that the BBC's 'diversity tsar', wants Muslim women newsreaders to be allowed to wear veils when on air.

At the secret meeting in London last month, which was hosted by veteran broadcaster Sue Lawley, BBC executives admitted the corporation is dominated by homosexuals and people from ethnic minorities, deliberately promotes multiculturalism, is anti-American, anti-countryside and more sensitive to the feelings of Muslims than Christians.

One veteran BBC executive said: 'There was widespread acknowledgement that we may have gone too far in the direction of political correctness.

Reformist Principal Gone, Obstructionist Teacher Reinstated

Who's responsible for running a school, the teachers or the principal?

I know it's heresy for a teacher to say, but I want principals to run a school. If they do something stupid, there are ways to address it. And a good leader will solicit ideas and opinions from his (or her--see the previous blog post, directly below this one) staff anyway. But "The Buck Stops Here", and I want principals to run their schools. Of course, I also want principals held responsible if, while running their schools, they run them into the ground. I don't want a "Dance of the Lemons" for administrators any more than I want one for teachers.

Apparently, my ideal little world would crash head-first into reality in LA Mummified, where the following has happened:

Under intense pressure from the teachers union, Los Angeles Unified School District officials reversed themselves Friday and agreed to reinstate a teacher who was transferred from Crenshaw High for allegedly blocking reform efforts by the school administration.

History teacher Alex Caputo-Pearl had been the union's chapter chairman at Crenshaw until his transfer to Emerson Middle School in late August, just before the start of the school year.

He will return to his old job at Crenshaw High by the beginning of the spring semester in February, if not sooner, according to the agreement worked out between the union and the school district...

Schools Supt. Roy Romer had accused the teacher of driving out a highly regarded principal, Charles Didinger, at a time when Crenshaw was struggling to regain its long-term accreditation.

Didinger had said he left the school primarily for health reasons, but had been worn down by constant haggling with teachers — largely meaning Caputo-Pearl, who represented the teaching staff...

"Through the negotiations, I think the district came to a realization that what they did and the way they went about doing it was less than fair and equitable, and having the district come to that conclusion is a good thing. We are ecstatic," the union president said...

Still, school board member David Tokofsky was hesitant to join the backslapping. He noted that Crenshaw is up for re-accreditation in February after having lost it in 2005. The accreditation was restored last February, but only for one year — essentially putting the school on probation.

The school has a temporary accreditation and, by mutual agreement, this Caputo-Pearl person is allowed to return and continue obstructing needed reforms. Is it any wonder that that district is known as a cesspool in California education circles?

No "Indecent Exposure" For Women in Riverside County

Because a judge is obviously too stupid to know that in formal English, "his" refers to both men and women, a case against a Riverside County woman who "disrobed" in front of a 14 year old boy has been dismissed.

Superior Court Judge Robert W. Armstrong said this week that the law mentions a person who "exposes his person."

"Usually when a section proscribes conduct, it's 'his or her.' This one is not," Armstrong said. "It's gender specific."

Send this judge back to English class. And common sense class, if anyone still teaches that.

What's that rushing sound I hear? Probably all my male students high-tailing it to Riverside County for a cheap peek!

Greenhouses in Gaza

Remember those high-tech greenhouses Israeli settlers built in Gaza, that provided employment for Palestinians and produced an amazing assortment of fruits and vegetables in the midst of barren desert? The ones that rich Westerners (like Bill Gates) bought and presented to the Palestinian Authority when Israel withdrew from Gaza?

Go read this post at Little Green Footballs, complete with Reuters picture, to see these lush gardens.

As I said in this post, these people are barbarians.

Stupid Suspension Rescinded

Joanne (see blogroll at left) has the story of a Concord, CA girl who was suspended for--what? Bringing a knife to school? Bringing a metal fingernail file? Bringing bullets but no firearm to school? Bringing bullets and a firearm to school?

No--for bringing hot sauce to school. Apparently the administrative stupid-pills wore off and the suspension was revoked.

Proportional Racial Representation at Universities?

John at Discriminations (see blogroll at left) excerpts an interesting report.

Chicks Can't Do Math

At least, they can't if they're told there are innate biological differences in math ability between men and women, according to Canadian researchers.

Canada Cans Kyoto?

No! Not the pristine Canuckians! Say it ain't so, Joe.

I wonder how the other signatories are doing....

Ed Koch Makes Sense Here

There are those who believe that the Western countries should withdraw from Iraq and that such capitulation will somehow end Islamist terror or at least seriously reduce its intensity in the world outside the Middle East. Can we or should we abandon the Middle East? Should we leave our allies, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia to the tender mercies of Islamic terrorists? There were many before World War II who would have left the Jews, England, France and Russia to fend for themselves in the face of the annihilation sought by Hitler, his Nazi armies, the SS, the Gestapo and the final solution.

As I have repeatedly written, take Islamic radicals at their word -- they want to convert us or kill us.

I wish more Democrats were as clear-headed as Koch.

It's The Economy, Stupid

As someone recently said, that's so 90s. Today the stock market closed above 12,000 for the first time ever--usually we call that a record. Here's a little more information about our economy.

The Cases For US Intervention in Darfur and Iraq

"BUT, and it is a big BUT, I am also just as equally convinced that George Bush would be attacked the minute he put a soldier on the ground by the very humanitarians who are calling him to now act on the implicit premise that since there are no American economic or security interests in Darfur, we therefore should intervene."
http://victordavishanson.pajamasmedia.com/2006/10/18/darfurthe_good_iraq.php

More Fun at UC Santa Cruz

I'm all for cutting off all federal money, to include Pell grants, to UC Santa Cruz for its violation of the Solomon Amendment. Its students are nutjobs. (Not you, Spencer, unless you took part in this.)

Free Speech at Marquette University

Somehow, I'm thinking that most of the PhD candidates in the Philosophy Department hallway are not conservatives.

Politics (and a little education)

Four articles from today's major Sacramento newspaper:

Nancy Pelosi and governor-wannabe Phil Angelides work at a phone bank where? Oh yes, the offices of the Sac City Teachers Association, the teachers union for the Sac City Unified School District. Well isn't that special.

Black leaders thought they were going to get to harass the governor, but got really ticked when they only got to harass one of his black senior aides instead. I've met Margaret Fortune (her parents ran my teacher credentialing program, which she was also involved in at the time); she's a good person, an intelligent person, a strong person. If she was reduced to tears by these people, well 1) shame on them, and 2) how belligerent and cruel they had to have been. Why on God's green Earth should the Governor even try to deal with such people? And many of them were ministers? Let them wander in the damned wilderness for 40 years, then maybe they'll learn some of those Christian principles that they should be teaching to others.

In another story we find out why we should shell out 10 billion more dollars to repair schools, even though it seems like we have school bonds on the ballot every 2 years.

And this last story discusses the legal maneuvers of some Republicans who want to have former-governor Moonbeam removed from the ballot for Attorney General because, they say, he doesn't meet the legal requirements to hold the position. Interesting.

My Views on Math--Validated Again

Joanne (see blogroll at left) writes about math achievement, student happiness, and "relevance".

Apparently It's OK To Shoot Your Principal

Right Wing Nation (see blogroll at left) lets us in on the excuse-making of the left:

Why should we support him? Because in his own way, Eric had the courage to fight back against a school system that psychologically molests us every day, deprives us of autonomy and freedom, runs our spirits through a conveyor belt of discipline and coercion to spit out obedient workers and slaves. Eric followed his heart's fiery anger and struck back with the desperation of caged animal, against the system that confined him and dominated his life.

Right Wing Nation responds to this idiot with appropriate condescension.

I Habla Muy Bueno Es-pan-yole

My current and former students will surely understand the joke in the title (it's kind of an inside joke).

Apparently, some people don't speak foreign languages as well as I do.

Writing About Something Other Than Your Own Feelings

Apparently, the ability of high school students to write about anything other than themselves and their feeeeeeelings is slipping. I don't get the impression that we worry about that so much where I teach--it's a fairly high-performing school--but it's definitely something we should be aware of, like grade inflation and course title inflation.

Will Fitzhugh of the Concord Review wrote about the topic, and EdNews.org carried the column. It's entertaining, informative, and somewhat distressing reading.

In 2005, comedian Stephen Colbert introduced the idea of "truthiness" into the English language. The term characterizes speech or writing that appears to be accurate and serious, but is, in fact, false or comical. In college, I learned that one of the tasks of thought is to help us distinguish appearance from reality. The goal of "truthiness" is to blur that distinction. On satirical news programs, like The Daily Show this dubious practice brings the relief of laughter, but on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning—in which students are told that it's OK to make things up and to invent experts and "quote" them—it just brings confusion, even to the task of writing of "nonfiction." Postmodernists and deconstructionists at the university level have long been claiming that there is no such thing as truth, but here we have high school students being told, on a state assessment, that when writing nonfiction, it is OK just to make things up, for instance to invent an expert, and then "quote" him in support of an argument they are making.


The danger is that practices like these can lead high school students to believe that they don't need to seek information about anything outside of their own feelings and experiences. However, college students are still expected to read nonfiction books, which obviously deal with topics other than their personal lives. Students also have to write research papers in which they must organize their thinking and present material coherently. Too many students are not prepared to do this, and many end up dropping out of college. What a terrible waste of hopes and opportunity!

I'm Not Much of a Car Guy, But...

Who wouldn't do a double-take if an amphibious car drove by--either on the road or on the river?

Liberal Private School Sued By Fellow Libs

Inviting a conservative speaker as part of a distinguished lecture series is one of many complaints about the "hostile work environment" of this hoidy-toidy Seattle school.

Go read the whole thing over at Discriminations, proudly displayed on the blogroll at left.

Schwarzenegger Cowed By Teachers Union?

From the Chron:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vowed Wednesday to pursue some of the "good ideas" rejected by voters in last year's special election but promised that he will not revive controversial efforts to control union dues or change the state's voter-approved education funding formula.

The "control union dues" initiative that failed last year would have required public employee unions to get members' permission before spending that member's dues on political causes. The teachers union tried to play it as stifling the First Amendment rights of teachers (as a group)--whereas we conservatives, outnumbered here in California, saw it as supporting the First Amendment rights of individual teachers.

Let me say it again: the Left wants rights and privileges for groups, the Right wants them for individuals.

Anyway, looks like the governor isn't interested in getting bruised again. Girlie man.

Superintendent Sounds Like A Grown-up...

...teachers union does not.

We all received the following email from the superintendent this morning:

Good Morning Staff,

I was disappointed to learn that {the district's teachers union} is encouraging their members to boycott the staff forums related to Redesign II. They have also indicated that they are asking teachers to picket today’s staff event. Because I do not want to place staff in the position of crossing a picket line I have decided to cancel the staff forums until further notice. To hold the staff forum today could be terribly divisive to the district, and cause unnecessary hurt and strife...

Who sounds grown-up here, and who sounds like whiny children? I, too, want more of a raise than the district is offering, but this kind of "no!" doesn't strike me as the way to get it.

Brain Science and Education

I get a kick out of attending in-services in which some speaker tells me what the latest advances in "brain science" tell me about how I should teach my students. Well, I'd get a kick out of it if I weren't compelled to sit through hours of such drivel, over and over and over again, year after freakin' year. This article kinda explains why:

Educators should be aware that cognitive science--the behavioral science of the mind--is not the same as neuroscience--the biological science of the brain. Most cognitive theories are formulated without regard for how the brain might implement or execute mental processes. Nonetheless these cognitive theories are most useful to educators (Bruer, 1993: McGilly, 1994). When "brain-based" curricula do provide sound advice, they might better be called "mind-based," because they often draw from cognitive rather than brain research. Most ether claims found in the emerging brain and education literature are vague, outdated, metaphorical, or based on misconceptions. This article will address some of those misconceptions.

Might I suggest reading that article to divest yourself of those misconceptions.

Great Quote From An Educator

Do we categorize this prognosticating genius as an educator or a bureaucrat? Via EIA's 10/16 communique:

Quote of the Week. "Although you are always hearing that each up-coming election is 'the most important one in your lifetime,' I believe this one really is." – Maine Education Association President Chris Galgay.

Global Warming and Free Speech

Interesting essay. I suggest reading it.

Barack Obama and the Teachers Unions

The current issue of Time Magazine shows first-term senator Barack Obama along with the subtitle Why Barack Obaba Could Be The Next President.

No doubt the teachers unions love the Illinois senator. But as NewsAlert points out:

No word yet on why Time never has cover stories about first term Republicans as Presidential candidates.Also no word yet on why Barak (sic) Obama doesn't send his kids to public schools. (boldface mine--Darren)

Indeed. The Gores, Clintons, and Kerrys didn't send their kids to public schools, and the teachers unions had multiple orgasms over those Democrats. Sadly, hypocrisy is a strong suit of the American left.

Cool Idea Provides Nuclear Energy for Coastal Areas

The Russians want to put two nuclear reactors on a barge and tow it wherever it's needed to provide electricity. It's actually an American idea from the 1970s! Imagine if we'd had a couple of those ready to go off the Gulf Coast after last year's hurricanes....

Principal Shoots Kittens

It's true!

He argues reasonably that they couldn't care for themselves and he put them out of their misery. Others argue reasonably that he shouldn't have killed them, that there are services available to care for strays.

What's unreasonable, though, is the group of people who claim that their children's safety is at risk because of this incident. Fortunately, the people in charge in this situation have all acted reasonably:

John Mastin, acting sheriff in Koochiching County, said Pilloud could be charged with felony possession of a firearm on school property and reckless discharge of a firearm, a misdemeanor.

County Attorney Jennifer Hasbargen said Friday that the case was under review.

Mastin said the shooting put no one in danger but said Pilloud used "poor discretion and poor timing," especially amid the growing fear of gun violence in schools.

The district put Pilloud on administrative leave after the incident. Flynn said Pilloud agreed to an undisclosed settlement and resigned.

By the way, what kind of people name a county "Koochiching"??? =)

(Please, spare me the name-calling. I recognize it's probably American Indian. To my used-to-English ears, it just sounds funny.)

Another School Bans Dances

Quit feigning sex acts, and you can have your school dances. It's truly that simple.

Graphic “freak dancing,” problems with alcohol, and even reports of students stripping off their clothes prompted Principal Patricia Law to cross all up-coming dances off the school calendar.

Good call, Ms. Law.

November Elections

Glenn of Instapundit (see blogroll at left) says it best:

The GOP richly deserves to lose its majority in Congress. I just wish the Democrats deserved to win one.

Christmas in October! September's California Educator Magazine Arrives

"NCLB Gets an F. Punitive Law Fails To Get Results." So says the front cover of the union rag, and for the umpteenth time, I feel compelled to set the record straight.

But first, let's remember that the National Education Association has spent beaucoup dinero to discredit the law; perhaps CTA is just playing its proper role of lapdog. Now, let's see the intelligence contained within the pages of California Educator:

Page 7:

No Child Left Behind was supposed to close the achievement gap and help every child succeed. But on both fronts, President Bush's 2002 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) has failed abysmally.

In the four years since NCLB went into effect, the gaps between rich and poor, white and nonwhite have actually widened in California, says a report from the Washington-based Education Trust.

NCLB caused this widening? California's STAR testing predates and is more extensive than NCLB requirements. In fact, as far as testing goes, NCLB has next to no impact on California--as I said, we do more testing, more frequently, than NCLB requires, and we've done it since before NCLB became law.

Additionally, the purpose of the test is to ensure students are taught to some recognized standards--standards that the state is supposed to create. The idea is that requiring states to teach everyone to standards, and to ensure that all subgroups of students are taught to standards, will give all students the opportunity to succeed. The testing itself is not designed to help students succeed, it can only measure if they are succeeding. CTA, our students aren't succeeding. That's partially the fault of California's teachers, not NCLB. NCLB is merely pointing it out.

If you keep getting your cholesterol tested and it's high, the problem isn't the test. Frequent cholesterol testing isn't designed to lower your cholesterol. You freakin' idiots.

I didn't read most of this issue--can't stomach it. Still, it's amazing the stupidity I can find with just a cursory glance.

Page 22:

Ultimately, said (CTA President Babs) Kerr, her goal is to send the current governor back to Hollywood and bring back the joy of teaching and learning.

What, and roll back the state testing that has been with us since the days of Governors Wilson and Davis? Those guys predate NCLB. Oh well, as it stands now, Babs is sending your union money to fill the coffers of soon-to-be-losing-governor-candidate Phil Angelides, who trails so far in the polls that his victory dance seems to be only a distant dream.

Page 23:

...Proposition 89 on the November ballot is a poorly crafted initiative that is full of unintended consequences, one of which is possibly silencing California teachers' political voices...

As they'd say in the software business, Babs--that's not a bug, that's a feature! California's teachers should not be another "special interest" of the type their union always decries. The u-bots always say that "the union is nothing more than the members". If that's true, let the members vote individually. The union should only be dealing with the pay, benefits, and working conditions of teachers, not the left-wing political causes of the union higher-ups.

Page 24

Vote NO on Prop. 85

Prop 85 requires parental notification before a minor can have an abortion. Notice it says notification, not necessarily permission. Why does a teachers union have any position on this at all? What interest do teachers have in minors' getting abortions?

Some will trot out the time-worn argument that some parents might hurt their pregnant daughter or put her out on the streets--then what? Yeah, and monkeys might fly out of my butt. We can't craft laws around what 7 crazy parents in California might do. We need to craft laws that work for the vast majority of Californians, and deal with the outliers as outliers. Why the teachers union would say it wants parents involved in schools, but not in the medical decisions of their children, is a position that I cannot understand.

NEUTRAL on Prop. 88. Parcel Tax Initiative...CTA cannot support Prop. 88 and has taken a neutral position.

Let me get this straight. You can't support a property tax and take no position on it, but you want children to have medical procedures performed without parental knowledge? And you're freakin' teachers? CTA, you disgust me.

Page 27:

"Barring speech simply because it is political speech is prohibited as a content-based restriction," said Judge Winifred Smith when she ruled that the district cannot censor SLTA's political speech. The said the use of school mailboxes for fliers that happen to contain political endorsements does not violate the education code.

The judge added that the school mailbox is a forum open to SLTA because of its status as the exclusive representative. The union's special access to the mailboxes does not extend to third parties.

Welcome to California, folks. This is why California is a "fair share" state and not a "right to work" state--idiot judges that pull decisions out of their rectums that simultaneously grant access to existing unions while denying that same access to anyone outside the unions. Talk about a sweet deal for the union. I wonder how many gift baskets they sent old Winifred.

Page 30:

And many of the new teachers are scared to stick up for their rights.

Might that include the right not to be a union member? Teachers who would prefer not to be union members can get more information on opting out at the web site of the California Teachers Empowerment Network, of which I am a proud member.

The great fun, though, was back on page 24. There were "CTA's Recommendations" for the November 7th election. I notice they don't put a (D) or an (R) by any of the names; I wonder why? Well, let's see. Of the eight statewide offices, I recognize one name as that of a Republican and seven as Democrats. Of the several dozen recommendations for the US House of Representatives, I don't recognize one name as a Republican, but I do recognize 14 as Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi, Barbara Lee (only person to vote against the use of force after September 11th), Henry Waxman, and Maxine Waters. Of the 11 recommendations for State Senate, I recognize 2 Democrats and no Republicans. Out of several dozen recommendations for State Assembly, I recognize 4 Democrats and no Republicans. My guess: the vast majority of those US House and state legislature recommendations are for Democrats. In fact, I dare say that the number of Republicans on that entire list could probably be counted on the fingers of one hand.

Balanced? Reasoned? Or just another special interest group? You decide.

Imagine what else I'd have found if I'd have read all the articles.

Only The Left Is Allowed To Dissent

Peggy Noonan pens a great column for OpinionJournal.com in which she points out, as so many of us have for so long, that the Left stifles the very free speech they claim to promote. How else do you explain so-called "hate speech" as well as the four recent incidents she points out?

They are always saying they want debate, but they don't. They want their vision imposed. They want to win. And if the win doesn't come quickly, they'll rush the stage, curse you out, attempt to intimidate.

And they don't always recognize themselves to be bullying. So full of their righteousness are they that they have lost the ability to judge themselves and their manner.

And all this continues to come more from the left than the right in America.

The column ends thusly:

What is most missing from the left in America is an element of grace--of civic grace, democratic grace, the kind that assumes disagreements are part of the fabric, but we can make the fabric hold together. The Democratic Party hasn't had enough of this kind of thing since Bobby Kennedy died. What also seems missing is the courage to ask a question. Conservatives these days are asking themselves very many questions, but I wonder if the left could tolerate asking itself even a few. Such as: Why are we producing so many adherents who defy the old liberal virtues of free and open inquiry, free and open speech? Why are we producing so many bullies? And dim dullard ones, at that.

You don't have to be intelligent to be a leftie, just overly emotional.

Update: Further commentary on the topic here.

How I Spent My Friday Evening

Since part of my 10-year-old's homework (why elementary students need homework is far beyond me) is to read for 20 minutes each night and write a few sentences summarizing what he's read, I've made reading together an every-evening event. He grabs his book, I grab mine, and we go somewhere in the house--lately it's been the living room--and we read silently. Every once in awhile he'll tell me what's going on in his story, but that's ok. In fact, it's even better.

What am I currently reading, you may ask? Well, I have two teacher's aides. Both are former pre-calculus students of mine from last year, and both are taking AP Calculus this year. It's been a couple of decades since I've been in a calculus class, and when the day comes that they start asking me questions about their homework, I don't want to have to spend 5 minutes reviewing the section they're studying before I'm able to explain to them what's going on.

So I've been studying my calculus book from 1983.

Continuity. Limits. Differentiability. Tonight I even worked some "homework" problems, including finding derivatives of functions directly from the definition. Quite fun, in some respects.

Those students may be my aides, but I'm still a teacher. Their teacher.

Oh, and after reading tonight? Hot tub. Life is good.

Local High School Student Questioned By Secret Service

Your First Amendment rights to self expression apparently don't include making threats against the US President, an offense under federal law. A Sacramento student was pulled out of biology class and questioned about comments and pictures on a Myspace page. Of course, count on the ACLU to say that it wasn't a real threat so it's protected speech under the First Amendment.

At least her parents admit that what the child did was wrong--then they screw it all up by saying the Secret Service overreacted by even interviewing their cherub.

Nobel Committee Has No Credibility At All

Terrorist Yasser Arafat. Accomodationist/Collaborator Jimmy Carter. Liar Rigoberta Menchu. Potentially Cindy Sheehan.

Have these people no decency?

Update, 10/13/06: The fact that they didn't pick Mama Moonbat changes nothing. The fact that she was even considered shows they have no moral compass.

President Hillary Clinton?

If she governs the way she's been talking, the left won't like her very much. Then again, she'll govern however she thinks will be best for Hillary.

Instapundit (see blogroll at left) has two very recent posts:

Hillary isn't necessarily a nutjob when it comes to Iraq

Hillary thinks torture should be safe, legal, and rare

Affirmative Action For Gays in College Admissions?

In a two-fer tonight, John at Discriminations (see blogroll at left) gets yet another link here at Right On The Left Coast:

I’ve argued here a number of times that many people oppose gay demands for “equal rights” because they saw similar demands from blacks and women, whick they supported, morph into demands for preferential treatment, which they oppose. I’m surprised it took this long to happen, but now affirmative action for gays in college admissions has being seriously proposed at the annual meeting of National Association for College Admission Counseling. And Middlebury College has just begun

giving students who identify themselves as gay in the admissions process an “attribute” — the same flagging of an application that members of ethnic minority groups, athletes, alumni children and others receive, according to Shawn Rae Passalacqua, assistant director of admissions at Middlebury....

Passalacqua said that gay students bring “a unique quality” to the college, which he said tries hard not “to be too homogeneous.”

At least the proposer, Greg McCandless, associate director of admission at Harvey Mudd College, recognized that his proposal was “tricky.” For example, do only gay students who are “out” bring that “unique quality” to campus?

Of course there's more, if you go read it....

Too Many Asians Trying To Get Into College

John at Discriminations (see blogroll at left) calls it as he sees it:

Fearing that a student body is, or is at risk of becoming, “too Asian” is no more (or no less) racist that fearing that it is not black or Latino enough, and the discrimination against Asians that occurs is the inevitable, predictable result of the discrimination in favor of blacks and Latinos.

I'd recommend reading his entire piece.

This Week's Carnival of Education

It's back home here, but will be on the road again next week. My post introducing the California Teachers Empowerment Network is linked.

Columbia University's Teachers College Still Has Ideological Litmus Test For Prospective Teachers

Joanne's (see blogroll at left) got the story, and her commenters do a pretty good job on the follow-up.

One commenter points out that the Teachers College "conceptual framework" is very clear and blunt about what they're looking for:

We see teaching as an ethical and political act.

At least they're honest, but wow.

Another Open Letter In Support of California's K-12 Academic Content Standards

On July 7th, 2006, California's two most recent former governors signed a joint letter in support of California's content standards. On July 21st, I posted about an open letter by California professors in support of the governors' letter and the state's academic content standards.

Here's another link to that letter by the academics. It's got a few new names, some of them very well known and respected in their fields.

Because the school at which I teach is in an upscale area and many students go on to college/university, many of the teachers at my school (especially the old-timers) like to think of our school as a "college prep" school. Yet, at the same time, they deplore the very state standards that all these university professors think are critical for our K-12 students.

Quite the disconnect.

Being Good At Being Bad

I like this observation from a story at Joanne's site (see blogroll at left):

The teachers in both videos were extremely good at what they were doing, which brought home an unsettling realization to me: You can be very good at doing something that is absolutely horrible.

So what was going on that was horrible? Discovery learning, in which teachers spend an inordinate amount of time trying to get students to "discover", or figure out, what it took the best minds the human race has to offer several centuries to figure out.

An in another indictment of ed schools:

Mr. NCTM moved on to the next comment from another woman who in all seriousness and with no sarcasm intended said “The teacher was very good at not answering the students’ questions.” There was unanimous agreement.

The mind boggles.

Universities Revoke Admissions For High Schoolers With "Senioritis"

Posted in the Chron:

High school seniors applying to college this fall had better follow through on academic promises and avoid "senioritis" because more schools are revoking admission for students who slack off.

Colleges and universities from coast to coast are cutting students whose senior grades drop dramatically or who do not complete the rigorous course of study they promised in their application.

California universities have rescinded hundreds of offers for this fall.

I like this comment from a University of Washington official:

"When they say, 'I'm taking a fourth year of language, I'm taking AP (Advanced Placement) this and AP that,' and when you see their final transcripts, it is underwater basket weaving and intro to breathing ... you wonder if you are on the same planet," said Admissions Director Philip Ballinger. "They don't look the same. You were duped."

You don't say.

And if some students think they can safely get away with senioritis, think again:

Although the University of California, California State University and Stanford University have been revoking admissions for decades, they are becoming even more aggressive about demanding that students be ready for college work when they arrive.

"We want the students to be prepared. The biggest reason students fail in college is their preparation in secondary school," said Jim Blackburn, a CSU enrollment director whose 23 campuses have been trying to reduce the number of freshmen needing remedial courses.

I'm against remedial courses at universities. That's what God invented community colleges for. But no one's consulted me on this matter.

Manufacturers Praise John Stossel Regarding Education...

...or the lack thereof for some students!

My blogroll at left includes the blog for the National Association of Manufacturers (ShopFloor.org), a page I visit several times a week. As a former manufacturing manager and projects manager in three small Silicon Valley companies, I'm interested in manufacturing as a field and welcome the views expressed on that blog.

When they write about education, my ears perk up. Two of my three career choices, together in one blog! When they write about John Stossel and his recent issues regarding education, I'm even more interested. They did so recently, and one sentence really caught my eye:

And yes, we know there are plenty of dedicated teachers out there who are quite competent, thank you. But as the biggest end users of the products they crank out, manufacturers have a special concern for the quality of teachers. (boldface mine--Darren)

Manufacturers are the biggest end users of students? I wouldn't have guessed that, as much as we hear about the erosion of our manufacturing base, the outsourcing of jobs, and the primacy of the information economy. Did they make a mistake here, or do they know something that isn't being reported at all?

Either way, they agree with Stossel--go find out why.

North Korea's Nuke

Dictators don't worry about talk talk talk. They use talk talk talk to buy time for themselves. And it's worked, time and time again--this time in Korea.

The reality is that the international nonproliferation regime has failed again, because although people are willing to talk, nobody's willing to actually do anything significant when a country appears close to going nuclear. See also Iran.

Some will blame President Bush for this. I'm sure these same people will now advocate an invasion of Iran.

How Students Look Today Vs. The 80s

The first inkling I had that the 80s might be returning was last year, when I started seeing a number of boys wearing their hair long and combed (but not quite feathered) back. Some are sporting the Spicoli surfer look. It is my sincere hope that women's hair styles from the early/mid 80s remain in the fashion magazines of the time, as they truly were an abomination!

There's a certain group of people today who have been wearing mullets for some time. They are not the topic of this post.

Last night I had duty/guard/supervision at our school's Homecoming Dance. 80s observation: I saw more pink on the boys (shirts and/or ties) than I did on the girls! Remember wearing pink, guys? Of course you don't! We didn't call it pink back then. We called it salmon. But it was freakin' pink.

Still, no one at school dresses today as nicely as we did in the 80s. When I look in my yearbooks, I see students walking down the hall with their hair looking combed (and there was a lot of it to comb!) and wearing nice-looking clothing. I don't see athletic shorts, sweat pants, or ill-fitting clothes in the pages of my yearbooks. Granted, some of the styles are hideous by today's standards, but at least we looked nice in them at the time. No one would have been ashamed to take us anywhere dressed as we were. I can't imagine the same is true today.

Guarding the back door as I was at the dance last night, I watched how the students were dressed. For the most part, the boys looked nice. Yes, some undid their ties and opened their shirts and walked around looking like scrubs after awhile, but at least they showed up looking nice for the most part. Seriously.

The attire of the girls came in three categories:

The first was ultra-formal. I'm sorry, I just can't take it seriously when I see a 16-year-old in ultra-formal wear. They're kids, and they're only playing dress-up. It doesn't look real at all. And walking through the breezeway between the two gyms wearing a long gown and a wrap is kinda comical.

The second group was the ones who looked exceedingly nice. Their dresses (as opposed to the former group's gowns) were attractive, stylish, and appropriate. Kudos to them for knowing the right mix. Fortunately, this group was the majority.

The third group was dressed as skanks. I know that we had people watching for that at the door, and I assume that at least some students were turned away before they ever got in, but I can only imagine what they were wearing after seeing some of the lingerie that passed for clothing that was allowed inside. Parents, please. She's 16. She doesn't look hot, and you're not going to live vicariously through her. She looks like a skank, and you should be ashamed of yourselves not only for letting her leave her bedroom dressed like that, but also for thinking for even the slightest moment that she looks good or that you're the cool parents for having a daughter who could be compared to Paris Hilton in every possible way except money--and folks, money is Paris Hilton's only admirable quality.

I feel better. I think for this post you can call me Professor von Holier-Than-Thou, or maybe Judgie McJudge. But I had to get it out.

Achieving Standards

I applaud Dan of The Exponential Curve for being honest in answering a question I asked of him. But I encourage you to read his post and see if you share my concern that he's participating in "course title inflation".

I know that this is a touchy subject, and I don't create this post to pick a fight, point fingers, or criticize. My concern is genuine, and I would like other input on the topic. While I won't speak for Dan, I'm sure he would welcome such input as well.

The Result of Progessive "Compassion"

Robert Taylor Homes. AKA "The Projects."

"I saw so many kids get killed, … and I didn’t want that to happen to my child,” Sistrunk says. Four of her 13 children were shot at Taylor. She calmly details the arm and leg wounds they suffered and the exact spot each was injured – the playground, the elevator, the streets. The lesson was clear: No place was safe.

Probably George Bush's fault.

Excellent Commentary on the Recent Events at Columbia University

If you haven't heard, or have been living under a rock (relative to the blogosphere), the leader of the Minuteman Project was to speak at Columbia University--when leftie students created such pandemonium and violence that...well, you get the idea.

RightWingProf (see blogroll at left) says it all. He points out, as we conservatives (and centrists!) often do, that the left has no tolerance for views it doesn't like.

It should surprise nobody that these idiots felt entitled to shut up Gilchrist; it's hardly a secret that "progressives" have no respect for the Constitution or the right of conservatives to speak. It also should surprise nobody that Columbia is reacting as if they disapprove, when they and their left-wing policies are solely to blame for creating this situation. Nor should anyone be surprised that Columbia is trying to white-wash this by calling it a violation of free speech, when it was a physical asssault.

If that is what it means to be progressive, I'm even more proud to be a just-right-of-center moderate.

California Legislature Passes Bill Teachers Unions Don't Like

No word yet on whether Governor Schwarzenegger will sign it. From the major Sacramento newspaper:

Senate Bill 1655 may be the first in the nation to alter union contracts that protect experienced teachers but don't give low-performing schools enough freedom to hire the people they want.

The bill, introduced by state Sen. Jack Scott, D-Pasadena, would help districts snag promising new teachers early in the year. It also would give struggling schools the right to refuse bad teachers whose seniority otherwise might guarantee them a spot on the faculty...

The bill contains the seeds of drastic change. For one, all districts would be allowed to hire new candidates as early as mid-April without considering their seniority.

Currently, many urban districts must give their tenured teachers the first crack at vacancies well into the summer. By that point, many of the best novices have received job offers from suburban districts with less restrictive contracts, proponents say...

The bill also would give principals in very low-performing schools -- schools that are ranked 1, 2 or 3 on the state's 10-point scale -- the ability to turn down teachers who want to transfer from elsewhere in the district....

No analysis exists showing how many districts would be affected. But large, urban districts such as San Diego, Los Angeles and Fresno would see changes in some of the hiring policies spelled out in union contracts, Rhee said.

Locally, both Sacramento City Unified and San Juan Unified school districts have teacher labor contracts providing schools limited choice in hiring, with some priority given to candidates with experience in the district. The bill would allow those provisions to last only until April each year. The legislation would take effect as existing union contracts expire.

It'll be interesting to see if this has any effect at all on student performance at low-performing schools. Regrettably, it may take a few years to generate any data worth analyzing.

This story is over a week old. I guess I've got to navigate a few web sites to find out if it was signed or vetoed.

Sacramento Icon Going Away For Good

So long, Tower Records. You were very good to me during my teenage years.

In the 1940s, Russ Solomon began selling records from the back of his father's drugstore in the Tower Theatre building on Broadway. He opened the first Tower store on Watt Avenue in 1960, and really put Tower on the cultural map when his San Francisco store opened in 1968...

The legendary music retailer, born in the rear of a Sacramento drugstore but brought to its knees by the Internet and discount chains, was sold Friday to a liquidating firm after a court-supervised bankruptcy auction that spilled over two days.

The liquidator, Great American Group of Woodland Hills, agreed to pay about $134.3 million for Tower's inventory, money that will go to Tower's creditors...

Solomon's family still owns 15 percent of Tower but will walk away with nothing from the bankruptcy. Solomon could not be reached for additional comment.

That's the price of progress.

Snack Food Ban Might Make For An Interesting Debate

Or maybe it wouldn't.

From CNN.com:

Snacks sold in schools will have less fat, sugar and salt under the latest crackdown on junk food won by former President Clinton.

Just five months after a similar agreement targeting the sale of sodas in schools, Clinton and the American Heart Association announced a deal Friday with several major food companies to make school snacks healthier -- the latest assault on the nation's childhood obesity epidemic.

I think the idea behind the debate is to get a political conservative and a political liberal to shoot it out at the OK Corral, not to talk about something as mundane (yet directly applicable to students) as snack foods at school.

Does it take me to ask if Clinton's popularity as President would have suffered among teenagers had he tried to get this through during his time in office? And wasn't he especially fond of Big Macs?

What gives here?

Deaf Students Take Over College Building

My thoughts on this are somewhat jumbled. I admit I've never understood this whole "deaf culture" thing, and in fact the deaf often seem to have a real chip on their shoulder regarding those of us who can hear.

I used to live on a Gallaudet Drive (although not in DC), across the street from a school for the deaf. A close friend was learning sign language and volunteered to help the students at the school--field trips, things like that. He said it was brutal what those students would try to get away with regarding those who weren't fluent in ASL.

I've read about deaf parents not wanting their children to have cochlear implants (or other technologies) because hearing would take the child out of "deaf culture". I know they value their culture, but they shouldn't be surprised when the rest of us view their condition as a disability. That doesn't make them terrible people, it just means that they can't do something most people on the planet can do--they can't hear. To deprive a child of hearing because of your culture--well, seems selfish to me. I certainly wouldn't entertain having government force them to accede to the surgery, but neither do I celebrate their decision not to allow it.

So back to the story. These deaf students took over a college building because they don't like the fact that the new university president isn't "deaf enough". She didn't learn ASL until her 20s and they don't consider her fluent in the language. Apparently, only someone who's been steeped in the deaf culture since birth can effectively run this university.

These particular students are showing exactly the type of intolerance that I bet they accuse the hearing world of showing towards them.

Fasting During Ramadan

I figure I'm staying focused on this blog if 60-70% of my most recent posts are related to education. If 2/3 of my posts are related to education, that's pretty good. In the last few days, though, I'm dropping precipitously below that threshold.

Like with this post. I was scanning the news sites and blogosphere, looking for something about education that I felt strongly enough to comment on, and this is what shows up on my computer screen:

Deliberate masturbation during the month of Ramadan renders a fast invalid, Iranian Supreme Leader Sayyid Ali Khameini has ruled.

Sorry. I'll keep looking.

Hat tip to Miller's Time (no relation, and see blogroll at left).

The Great Debate At School

For the second year in a row, a student has come to me and asked me to debate one of our uber-lib teachers at lunchtime. To be honest, I'm lukewarm about doing this. If I'm going to give up my (sacred) lunchtime for something, it needs to be something big. The question becomes, what would we debate that would be of value to our students?

Some students say the obvious topic is the Iraq War. Yawn. There's nothing to debate. I can't imagine that disinterested students would walk by on the quad, hear the debate on this topic, and decide to stop and pay attention. My guess is that most people, even students, already have their minds made up on this topic. There would be no point in debating it.

Last spring when I was first approached about this, my colleague and I tossed a few topics back and forth. Neither of us liked what the other came up with. Well, except for one. He emailed "How about gay marriage?" I replied, "No problem. I get the 'pro' side." That ended that topic.

I really don't know what we could debate that's genuinely open for debate and would interest students during lunch. Suggestions?

The Foley Story

I've been asked to discuss the ex-Congressman Foley story. I'd prefer not to, as I doubt I'd add much that hasn't been said by someone else in the 24/7 coverage we've had over the last week. I did, however, find something succinct that summarizes, exactly, my take on the whole thing:

The Mark Foley scandal is emblematic of everything that reeks about modern US politics. This story has it all: scummy politicians abusing positions of power, cover-ups, overheated accusations, political grandstanding by outrageous hypocrites, and wall to wall salacious coverage from the drooling mainstream media.

Democrats have nothing to say that isn't hypocritical. The few times I've heard House Speaker Hastert on what should be friendly (right-leaning) radio talk shows, he's hemmin' and hawwin' and sounding like he has something to hide. I wonder what the gay press is saying about all this--do they bash a fellow gay "daddy", at their own expense, because he's a Republican, or do they remain silent and not help the Democrats on this one?

This is ugly, it's out of control, and I'm sick of it.

The Name of *This* Education-Related Web Site Took Me Aback

Kill Your Teacher.

"Kill Your Teacher" examines, exposes, and places the blame for corruption and racism in Los Angeles City Schools. This is a terrifying narrative about an orthodox Jewish rabbi's fight for civility and academic standards in the classroom- all in a climate of death threats, assaults, and verbal abuse. Scholars and researchers are welcome to request specific memoranda and letters from Dorsey High School administrators and UTLA union representatives in the most egregious instances of harassment and "cultural diversity."

It is hoped that exposing the ugly side of the playing of the race card in today's inner city schools will contribute, finally, to a truly open dialog about race relations, the value of education, and the type of America that will endure and rise to the tremendous challenges facing her in the future.

Kill Your Teacher is the title of a book--written by a rabbi. How surprised can I be, when we learn about this?

Teacher Meme

I saw this over at Coach Brown's (see A Passion for Teaching and Opinions in the blogroll at left) and decided to try it here myself. My guess is that some of my answers will surprise some people--because I'm honest.

1. I am a good teacher because: I'm competent in the material and can convey it to most students in a reasonably efficient manner.

2. If I weren't a teacher I would be: in manufacturing again, probably. I've been a manufacturing manager and a projects manager, and I was pretty good at those jobs. May as well play to your strengths, I say.

3. My teaching style is: relaxed, but authoritative (as opposed to authoritarian). I have rules, I enforce them, and I don't think there's any doubt who's in charge in the classroom (that would be me!), but the atmosphere is fairly relaxed. There's joking and needling overlayed on a veneer of calmness. You don't have to be tense (or intense) to learn math, and I'd rather we all got the mission accomplished while enjoying ourselves in the process.

4. My classroom is: an island at school. Only one wall has any student work on it, another wall has some math-oriented comics on it, there are non-math-related quotes on different walls, rules exist there that don't exist in any other classroom, and the politics are right-leaning. Even though there are desks in rows as there are in every other classroom, that's where the similarity ends.

5. My lesson plans: are copied from last year's and modified where needed (I made notes on them last year to guide me this year). I know that's anathema to some people, but why reinvent the wheel? If a lesson went wrong last year, I already know what to do to fix it this year. If it worked last year, why do something different?

6. One of my teaching goals is: to cover all the state math standards. That can be difficult in Algebra II, as the standards are fairly ambitious, but it's what I'm paid to do. I take standards and accountability seriously; considering those to be hallmarks of a professional. Helping students achieve the standards they're supposed to achieve makes me more professional.

7. The toughest part of teaching is: trying to figure out how to teach students who don't "get it". When the vast majority of students understands a topic, and I've exhausted all the different ways I know of to get information across, what do I do with the kid who still doesn't understand? Speak louder and more slowly, like many Americans would to a foreigner? Or just repeat what I've already taught, hoping that this time they'll understand, if only through repetition? The toughest part of being a teacher is admitting that there are no silver bullets, no sure-fire ways to guarantee that everyone will learn what you're trying to teach. Some methods are clearly more effective than others, but that only increases your odds--it doesn't ensure a win.

8. The thing I love most about teaching is: the time it gives me to spend with my own son. In fact, that's why I became a teacher. As I tell parents at Back To School Night, my child is my first priority--their's is my second. I like having time off to take him places and do special things.

Now that I've had some time to reflect, that answer above is more like the answer to "The thing I love most about being a teacher is...." Question #8 is about teaching, not being a teacher, so I'll answer the actual question now. Honestly, I like seeing students at that moment when they understand something new, when they know something that they didn't know moments before--and knowing I had a part in creating that moment. Because I care about students and their success, I can share with them the joy of their own accomplishments.

9. A common misconception about teaching is: that teachers are dumb. Who among us hasn't heard the tired saying, "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach"? Granted, I've encountered a couple of dumb teachers. Honestly, seriously, dim bulbs. A couple of them. On the other hand, I've been overjoyed with the quality of the people I've worked with over the last 9 years. I recognize that not everyone can be a 9/9 Genius =) , but I've worked with some quality people. Politically, many are dumb as rocks (those would be the lefties)--but non-politically, I've encountered too many intellectually-gifted teachers to accept that we're all dumb. There are dim bulbs in every profession, and for some reason people like to point fingers at teachers--probably out of jealousy that we get "all that time off" for which we don't get paid! Fortunately, I just haven't seen that many of these rocks if they do, in fact, exist.

Just remember: Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. Those who can't teach, teach P.E.!

P.S. Even some of those rocks may make good teachers, depending on how much they know about their subject matter. The rocks I've known, I don't know if they were competent teachers or not. They were/are just dumb in general, but perhaps they knew/know enough to teach students. Again, though, the number of these people is extremely small in my experience.

10. The most important thing I've learned since I started teaching is: that rapport can be as important as content knowledge. The smartest kids are going to learn whether they like or respect you or not, but the not-so-bright ones need a reason to keep struggling. Some distant "you may need this someday" isn't good enough, they need something more immediate. That something is respect for the teacher, whom they don't want to let down. Be that teacher, and the student will work hard for you. Having been in charge of people my entire adult life, I don't know why it came as a surprise to me that children operate the same way as adults do in this regard. Thankfully I relearned that lesson quickly. Had I not, my answers to numbers 1 and 3 above would be very different.

So that's my teacher meme. As you can see, I'm no SuperTeacher; my approach is very practical. Honestly, I hope I haven't disappointed anyone.

Carnival of Education

This week's is here.

How Smart Am I?`

OK, I admit that I guessed on a couple. But still!

9/9 Genius

You are 85% knowledgable and 96% intellectual. Amazing! You have an incredible brain (intellect) and a powerhouse of information (knowledge)! Keep up the impressive work-- we all bow to you.

To show how smart I am, I'm not cutting/pasting the code they gave me at the end of the quiz--that created a lot of trouble on the last one, which is why I had to cut a bunch of it out (and thereby lost the URL).

The Knowledge vs. Intellect Test

Free Speech

I like this post about free speech.

CBS apparently has a 30-second segment in which they allow someone to speak his or her mind. In one particular such segment, a father of a Columbine victim spoke.

Lots and lots of comments being left at CBS, and aside from a few people who appreciate that “free speech” means that controversial and unpopular views get aired, and that such an airing is useful in promoting dialogue, most of the comments fall into the “left” and “right” camp. Folks on the religious right are beside themselves to finally hear their views espoused in a network broadcast, folks on the left seem like they can’t quite grasp the concept of “free speech” and are making noises that such a man shouldn’t be allowed to talk on network television. They are simply not as accustomed as folks on the right are to hearing speech (on a network newscast) that offends their sensibilities.

I'd recommend reading the whole thing, including the comments.

See? I *AM* A Centrist!

Of course you lefties don't want to believe it, but I took this official internet quiz and the results are clear.

Neo-Conservative
You scored 36% Personal Liberty and 52% Economic Liberty! A neo-conservative believes in moderate to high government intervention on personal matters and moderate government intervention on economic matters. Unlike most other conservatives, they may tend to support a social safety net, though to a lesser extent then most leftists. Others are more capitalistically inclined. They tend to support war, police powers, foreign intervention and laws restricting personal liberty. Neo-conservatives tend to emphasize foreign policy. Neo-conservatism is the result of "fusion" between "old left" and "new right" tendencies.



I admit that both scores are lower than I thought they'd be, but I'm not surprised that I fall in the "centrist" category. My detractors refuse to accept it, but it's true. Here in California they think I'm a right-wing zealot, and in Utah they think I'm a flaming lib. As I've said before, I should just move to Nevada =)

My Childhood Hero Didn't Screw Up After All

Growing up I always idolized Neil Armstrong. How could I not--I wanted to be an astronaut, and he was the most astronaut-y of them all.

So imagine my disdain when, many years later, I learned about the controvery regarding his first transmitted words after stepping on the moon. Did he say "one small step for a man", or "one small step for man"? If the former, there's no problem; if the latter, his comment makes no sense.

Listen to the tapes, however, and it seems he didn't say "a man". Or did he?

Now, after almost four decades, the spaceman has been vindicated. Using high-tech sound analysis techniques, an Australian computer expert has rediscovered the missing “a” in Mr Armstrong’s famous quote. Peter Shann Ford ran the Nasa recording through sound-editing software and clearly picked up an acoustic wave from the word “a”, finding that Mr Armstrong spoke it at a rate of 35 milliseconds — ten times too fast for it to be audible.

Mr Ford’s findings have been presented to Nasa officials in Washington and to a relieved Mr Armstrong, who issued a statement saying: “I find the technology interesting and useful. I also find his conclusion persuasive....”

Officials at Nasa have met Mr Ford to discuss his findings. They have now instructed their own analysts to run in-house tests.

I hope the Australian's right. And don't you just love the British construct of not capitalizing the entire acronym for NASA?

CTEN Press Release

As an addition to the previous post, here is CTEN's initial press release:











FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Larry Sand
PHONE: 888-290-8471
EMAIL: lsand@ctenhome.org

California Teachers Launch Website to Counter Information Monopoly

(Los Angeles – October 2, 2006) Reliable information is coming to California educators, thanks to a group of fellow teachers who are determined to balance the heavily biased information they receive from their unions and school districts. Today, the California Teachers Empowerment Network launches a first-of-a-kind website for California Teachers, www.ctenhome.org, providing detailed information about educational issues and reform, options pertaining to union membership and professional liability insurance, the effect of unionism on teacher pay and strategies to affect union policy.

“Teachers are unfortunately not getting the whole picture, primarily because it comes from a single viewpoint: their union or district,” said Larry Sand, a California teacher and president of CTEN. “For example, unions take a large sum of money from their members in the form of dues, but never fully disclose where this money is spent. In fact, a significant portion of union dues goes to political causes having little or nothing to do with education. Our website intends to help empower teachers by giving them information that is difficult to come by elsewhere.”

CTEN does not advocate teachers joining or leaving the union. Instead, the website was created to inform teachers about the choices that they have, including alternative sources of legal protection and professional liability insurance, and ways to use the union’s own mechanisms to influence union policy and hold their leadership accountable for how dues are spent.

“As teachers ourselves, we know that it is very difficult to navigate the complex maze of data, especially when we are given incomplete and biased information,” said Mr. Sand.

Founded by working California teachers, the California Teachers Empowerment Network is a non-profit, non-partisan organization. In addition to providing teachers with reliable and balanced information about their profession, CTEN also seeks to provide peer support for teachers of like mind who may adopt dissenting views or make decisions that could invite criticism and strained relationships in the workplace.

California Teachers Empowerment Network

I'm happy to help announce the existence of a new organization, the California Teachers Empowerment Network. CTEN is a grassroots organization, founded by and for teachers, with the express purpose of providing all sides of the issues for teachers.

Usually teachers get only one side--from their union, or perhaps their school district. Apparently, teachers aren't trusted by their "betters" to make the right choices, so they're given only one side of the issue. CTEN plans to serve as a clearinghouse of information--a one-stop shop, as it were--where teachers can learn about all sides of an issue. We at CTEN are teachers, and we trust our fellow teachers to make their own choices, subject to their own good conscience, when they are fully informed on the issues.

What issues? Union membership is a big one, although that's not CTEN's only purpose. There are also ballot issues, and even other, single issues--like the LA teachers union's support of a boycott of and divestment from Israel. California's voters were smart enough to vote against Rob Reiner's preschool initiative in the last election, but the only information my district's teachers got (from both the district and the union) was how good that proposal was and why they should vote for it. CTEN aims to provide balance.

CTEN doesn't advocate a particular point of view. For instance, CTEN doesn't advocate that teachers should leave their union and become agency fee payers or religious objectors. CTEN does, however, think teachers should know about their options. And lest anyone think the organization is strictly anti-union, there are members who are delegates at the NEA Rep Assembly who think teachers should know how to influence the union from within if they think their union is going astray.

I encourage those of you who are California teachers to visit the CTEN home page and see for yourself what you haven't been told.

Unconscionable Move By Los Angeles Teachers Union

If you need any more evidence about the rabid leftieness of teacher unions:

Please join the Los Angeles Chapter of Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS) in launching a local boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign in support of the Palestinian people.

WHEN ? Saturday, October 14 , 2006 1 PM to 3 PM

WHERE ? United Teachers of Los Angeles Headquarters
3303 Wilshire Blvd ( 2 blocks west of Vermont )
Los Angeles, CA 90010

WHY ? To support the Palestinian people in their decades long struggle against Israeli aggression, dispossession and oppression . The Israeli government has systematically and continuously violated UN resolutions and international law in its treatment of the Palestinian people. When Israel was created in 1948, 75% of the Palestinians were forcibly dispossessed of their lands and forced into exile. Then in 1967, Israel illegally occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank, Jordan Valley and Gaza. Palestinians within Israel are forced to live as third class citizens without civil rights and face legal, economic and social discrimination. Palestinians in the Occupied Territories fare even worse since Israel illegally subjects them to demolitions, closures, curfews and checkpoints ; extra-judicial detentions, kidnappings and assassinations ; military attacks against towns and camps ; racist , apartheid policies and programs. In addition, Israel continues to illegally seize Palestinian land and annex it to Israel and currently is constructing an immense concrete wall to protect illegal Israeli settlements and to isolate and divide Palestinian towns. Israel's apartheid and racist system of oppression closely resembles that which South Africa once had but which was eventually abolished in large part due to an international grassroots, activist movement to stop financial support of the regime. HOW ? A similar campaign to support the Palestinian people has been endorsed by over 150 organizations world-wide. We in Los Angeles can join this world-wide effort to bring justice to the Palestinian people through : Boycott ( not buying Israeli products/services and boycotting companies that are invested in Israel or Israeli owned companies with a presence in Los Angeles ) Divestment ( stopping capital investment by companies doing business in Israel and by stopping trade unions , local / state governments ,churches and universities from investing their pension / endowment funds in Israeli companies , US companies invested in Israel or companies supplying Israel with military weapons ) Sanctions ( working to end US government foreign and military aid to Israel and impose a trade embargo )

Meeting Sponsored by : Los Angeles Chapter of MDS
Meeting Endorsed by : Los Angeles Palestine Labor Solidarity Committee Cafe Intifada
Meeting Hosted by : UTLA Human Rights Committee
For More Info : Call Larry Lambert , MDS member , at 818-761-3320

UTLA is the United Teachers Los Angeles, the local union.

And this has exactly what to do with the pay, benefits, and working conditions of LA teachers?

Update, 10/6/06: This is interesting. I received the following press release in an email:

October 5, 2006 – United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) has decided to cancel the use of our building for a meeting sponsored by the Los Angeles Chapter of the Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS), scheduled to be held on October 14, 2006 at UTLA Headquarters, calling for a campaign to boycott Israel.

The following statement was made today by UTLA President A.J. Duffy:

“After conferring with the Chair of the Human Rights Committee, a number of its members and others, we have decided to pull the meeting scheduled by the Human Rights Committee.”

“While as educators and union members we encourage a respectful debate on the important issues of the day, this event has provoked very sharp feelings among our members and concerns that this meeting is inappropriate.”

“We believe that to proceed with this meeting will only polarize our union members and members of the community. No one benefits from further hostility on these issues. We would hope that people of good will with differing views on the Middle East and other issues will find the appropriate settings for these discussions.”

“The following actions have been taken by UTLA:

1. We have cancelled the UTLA location for this meeting.

2. We have deleted the link on the UTLA web site to the Human Rights Committee web site and the information on this event.

3. We will be reviewing our procedures for the request of use of our facilities by all UTLA Committees.” (all boldface mine--Darren)

Are you kidding me? They didn't know this was "inappropriate" before they started getting all those cards and letters? Of course they didn't. They were going to play the leftie game--and do it with teachers' money--until people turned up the heat on them a bit.

Disgusting.

Update, 10/13/06: But wait, there's more!