My Beauty Best Teacher

This bailout scam is not something new or revolutionary at all- it is the same old stuff that our revolutionary founding fathers already dealt with. Let me tell you are a little story.

Once upon a time, America started to go into an economic recession. The government responded to this recession by making the value of the dollar weaker, putting in place oppressive regulations on businesses, and raising fees on many goods. This caused the recession to deepen. Many small business owners and homeowners who had taken out loans struggled to repay these loans, as is natural in a slowing economy with rising taxes. They began to sell off any assets they had to make some money- assets in the form of bank notes. Since everyone was selling these bank notes at the same time, and it was unsure whether the notes were worth anything anyways, the notes quickly lost value and became next to worthless.

The story continues. These bank notes were eventually bought up by a small number of speculators- very wealthy bankers on the east coast of the country. These bankers were politically connected, and after paying basement prices for these notes, they then turned around and asked for the government to step in and buy these notes from them at a grossly inflated value. These speculators made substantial amounts of money, while taxpayers and homeowners were outraged. Citizens wrote in to their legislators, asking them to not pass any more taxes, not regulate further, and not pay any more bailouts. The elites in government ignored the citizens requests.

This story is not describing our current bailout crisis. This story describes Shays Rebellion.

These events happened in 1786. Back then, it inspired a revolution against government, a revolution that culminated in the Constitution of the United States. I'm not advocating a revolution today- but how many abuses to our liberties, our freedoms, our property, are we going to take? How many times must we stand by and watch oppression, tyranny, and injustice grow in our own country? Shays is depicted in our history books as a villain, but it was his righteous actions that made our nation better. Do we have any Daniel Shays any more?

Read more about Shays Rebellion at these sites, here, here, here, and here.

Recently one of my former students emailed me. It was an interesting email. She wanted to ask my opinion about a situation that she saw going on at her campus. She said that there are groups of people at her campus that are busy registering students to vote. They are wearing Obama buttons. That's not the worst part. They are encouraging students to register to vote under multiple addresses- their school address, their parents address, their friends address, etc. That's not the worst part either. They are also asking students to request absentee ballots, and then are asking that they drop these ballots off at the local Obama victory center for them to be filled out.

So, you have Obama supporters on this college campus engaging in and encouraging multiple cases of fraud, without any shame at all. I wonder how wide-spread this is?

The good thing is that the Secretary of State will have at least a month to combat the massive amounts of fraudulent voter registrations that are being file- oh wait, states like Ohio now let someone register and then vote that same day... no chance to catch the thousands of fraudulent voter registrations that groups like ACORN are filing. Is this what Obama did while he was a community organizer? Can you picture him on campus encouraging students to register to vote multiple times and commit felonies? Can you picture John McCain doing that?

Expect more of this once Obama is in charge. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality declared that a temporary puddle on a business owners property was 'wetland', and so that business owner had to set aside that property until the end of time and not develop it. This puddle exists as snow run off from a recently built parking lot, and is only in existence for several months, and was not in existence when the property owner bought the land, and has never been declared to be wetland at any time ever. But, just days before this property owner was ready to pour concrete to expand his parking lot over the puddle, the DEQ swooped in and made this decision. The property owner defied the DEQ, saying that this was an arbitrary exercise in bureaucratic power, and now the DEQ is now fining him and threatening him with jail time.

Here is the full story. Notice also that many of the commentators support the DEQ, claiming that it was the property owners fault, and that he needs to justify developing the land, not that the DEQ needs to justify why he can't develop it. Most of the people leaving comments are going to vote in a police state that will rule your lives.

This is the type of state we are entering. Unelected bureaucrats are going to be making decisions about what can be developed and what can't be developed, all on their own whims, under pressure from environmental groups and left wing nuts. They will chase jobs out of our country, drive down our prosperity, and make our world a worse place than it is now. We need to fight this. What can we do to help this guy? Write letters? Contact the DEQ? Don't let injustices like this one stand my friends- do something.

My students (high school seniors, about 17 and 18 years of age) had an interesting take on the debate- they framed the debate as one between someone who has street smarts (McCain) vs someone with book smarts (Obama).

They thought that McCain had street smarts because he had been there, done that- he had experience, history, and the school of tough knocks on his side. He talked about how he had learned from the past, learned from past actions, and now was smarter because of it.

They thought that Obama had book smarts because he sounded like he knew what he was talking about- he sounded like he had read a lot about the issues, like he had studies and prepped for the debate for a while, and that he had a lot of learning from Ivy League schools behind him. He talked about how he had learned from people he had talked to, learned from things he had read, and had a lot of his own ideas that he had come up with.

My students compared the two, and felt that what you want in a President is someone with more street smarts. The President is supposed to be older and more experienced- that's why it has the highest age requirement. The President is supposed to be a person of character, values, and wisdom- and that description fits McCain better than it does Obama. And, McCain it isn't like McCain isn't book smart- this isn't like last elections, when the media ran story after story about how Bush isn't smart. McCain is an intelligent, learned, widely read individual- in my view, more widely read and learned than Obama. And although learning is important, there is something to be said about learning the wrong stuff- when Obama read Kissinger, he took the wrong messages from his book. How many other books has he read and arrived at the wrong conclusions after reading? His book smarts may not be that smart after all.

My students felt that although they like Obama, and they want change, and they are against the war, and they don't like the economy, and they like the cooler and younger guy, that after weighing everything, McCain should be President. I agree with them.

In the WaPo Sunday's September 28th edition , teacher colleagues Liz Davis and Kerry Sylvia along with Mark Simon of the Mooney Institute wrote an opinion piece titled 'Bargaining For Better Teaching.' What I personally liked about the piece is that the trio suggests that the method in which Rhee and Parker have been negotiating the teachers contract is broken and needs to be fixed. The group outlines a sense of urgency about their concerns that Rhee/Parker's one-to-one contract negotiation style which by the way violates labor negotiation regulations. They put the ball back in Chancellor Rhee and WTU President Parker's court by acknowledging that teacher contract negotiations should address more than higher pay and due process.

Here's an excerpt: "The contract talks have focused on the chancellor's proposal regarding pay, teacher transfers and due process rights. While increasing salaries is important, there seems to be no administration plan for improving and supporting teacher quality. To fill this void, the WTU should have brought forward a plan for improving professional working conditions, teacher evaluations and instructional support. While some of these issues were raised by the WTU negotiating team, nothing ended up being proposed to the WTU membership, and nothing was brought to negotiations with the chancellor."

The trio suggest that contract negotiations should also focus on a collaborative effort between management and labor which defines quality teaching from a system wide perspective. They pose some critical and well thought out questions for both Chancellor Rhee and WTU President Parker to consider. Here are their critical questions :

1. What is the plan to build understanding about what defines good teaching, so it becomes the norm in every classroom?

2. What is the plan to provide new teacher induction or, better yet, a "teacher residency" program so that the next generation of teachers has the knowledge and skills to engage in quality teaching ?

3. What is the plan to create professional teaching conditions and support for good teaching at every school so that talented teachers stay?

4. What is the plan to create an expedited and a high-quality teacher evaluation process that teachers respect? Is the WTU interested in the "peer review" approach taking hold elsewhere? How will the teacher evaluation process be infused with a deep understanding of how to observe and analyze teaching in a way that respects the complexity of the craft?

5. The consensus about the need to raise teacher pay is admirable, but how will the dollars be sustained over the long haul, and what in the bargain will deliver higher-quality teaching as a quid pro quo? Will teachers be any better prepared and supported under the proposed contract than before?

I'd like to hear your comments. Two thumbs up or two thumbs down for 'Bargaining For Better Teaching? agree or disagree with your colleagues ? Why ? posted by Candi.

Link to WaPo story:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/26/AR2008092603350.html

The October Gallery presents the first London solo exhibition of Nnenna Okore:

Emerging, young artist Nnenna Okore will be exhibiting new works in her debut London solo show.A former student of El Anatsui, whose magnificent bottle-top cloths were the highlight of the 52nd Venice Biennale, Nnenna Okore also transforms discarded materials into cultural objects, forms, and spaces...[continue reading]

via NaijaBlog

Believe It Or Not ?

This email came in from a confidential source on Friday:
Hi Candi: "Did you hear they terminated the Shadd Transition Academy principal on Thursday ? I don't know if she's still in the system or not, but it's very wrong and another example of how administration is steamrollering over people. She's not the problem with this program, she was just trying to keep the disaster afloat. Very sad. The staff gave her two standing ovations, it's going to kill morale and the kids are going to be off the chain today." Posted by Candi.

Thanks to the NYC Educator for featuring my blog as Blog of the Week. Here's what she said about The Washington Teacher on Saturday- September 27, 2008

Looking back over my notes from the debate, I wanted to reflect on a couple of items in there that I find to be the most important.

I want to go back again to the line that part where each candidate was talking about controlling the corrupting influence of earmarks. Obama said that he would combat earmarks by going line-by-line and vetoing every earmark in a budget bill. He also mentioned this same idea at his speech at the DNC convention, and I picked up on it and wrote about it here.

My point about going back to this is that I don't think that Obama knows what the President does. I don't think he knows what a President is. In his mind, the President is a "super-legislator." He talks about as President leading legislative initiatives, going line-by-line of budgets, and following the Democratic agenda perfectly. These are roles of a legislator. Our founding fathers gave these roles to Congress, and throughout our history this is what Congress has done.

Our founding fathers gave different roles to the President- that of leader, that of deal-maker, that of character, values, and energy. They saw the President as someone who would rise above partisan politics. Our founding fathers saw the President not as a legislator-at-large, but as a different sort of person- as an executive. And so most Presidents have been executives, leading us through challenging times, exercising leadership, and attempting to rise above a party mentality.

Obama does not know what the President does, and does not know what role it plays in our political system, and should not be elected to this position.

Again, go back to the line-item veto power. The Supreme Court ruled that this is a violation of separation of powers- that going line by line through a budget bill is a power reserved for Congress, and not for the President. The Supreme Court ruled that the President does not have this power.

Yet Obama has now over several months said that he would use the line-item veto. He said at the DNC speech that he would use it to find enough money to fund all his social programs. He said at the debate that he would use it to stop corruption. And he will say he will use it again and again, because he doesn't know what a President can and can not do.

Obama should not be President of this nation.

91 DC Classes Lack Permanent Teachers !

Check out the story as aired on Channel 7's Friday evening news as reported by Sam Ford. DC parents are complaining that they have been brushed off by DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee. They are lodging some legitimate concerns that many DC students in 91 classes have not been assigned permanent teachers to date. It has been reported that many are still being taught by substitute teachers. Reporter Bruce Johnson first uncovered this story at the opening of school when he interviewed the Chancellor on this same subject. On September 21st my blog featured DC teacher shortage impacts class size. Unfortunately many of our students in both regular education and special education are still being subjected to classes that are over ratio and many even exceed 40 students. 'Children First' - 'Failure Not an Option' - I think not !- posted by Candi.

Link: http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0908/556842.html

DC Parents Concerned about Alleged Teacher Shortage

After millions of dollars in renovations, some parents claim McKinley Tech High School still suffers a critical shortage of teachers. "We asked what's going on, why there's no teachers," said Monica Lowe. "They made false promises." Her son is a junior at McKinley. After weeks of school, his Algebra II/Trigonometry class is on its second substitute teacher, she says. "Parent-teacher conference is next Friday, October the third, Mr. Ford, and we have yet to receive a teacher," Lowe told ABC 7/News Channel 8 reporter Sam Ford Friday. McKinley's not alone. ABC 7/News Channel 8 visited Thurgood Marshall Elementary School last week and found classes with only substitute teachers. One classroom with a permanent teacher had 46 students.

The teachers' union blames schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee. "The chancellor was able to fire 270 teachers this summer without any problem, but yet has not been able to get a teacher in every classroom now that it's the fifth week of school," said teachers' union spokesperson George Parker. The union provided ABC 7/News Channel 8 with what it said is an an internal, school-system list of classrooms with no permanent teacher. There were 91 classes on the list as of Thursday. Among the vacant positions on the list, a math teacher at McKinley High School.The union says many of the teachers who were fired were a point or two from certification. They've been replaced by substitutes, said Parker. Parents like Monica Lowe say they won't put up with it.

"I refuse as a parent to allow my son or any of the children to suffer," she said. "They just blow us off as parents as if we're not important."ABC 7/News Channel 8 contacted the school system to ask about the list provided by the union and parents' concerns. A spokesperson had not called us back as of Friday evening. story courtesy of wjla.com.

Yale Fellow Getachew Alemu perceives intellectual property rights and socioeconomic development as symbiotic in nature.He discusses the approach employed to build Ethiopia's IP framework.Watch him here

The IHT reports on Nigeria's reverse Brain Drain:

"There are lots of 30- and 40-something-year-olds who are CEOs in this country, and that would never be in the States or the U.K. because the experience pool is much deeper there," said Lawal. "In the States I will have opportunities, but not at the level we are getting them in Nigeria, and that's the reality."...[continue reading]

Richard Branson states:

Capitalism as an ideology needs work and reform. It has to be more than the survival of the fittest. But there is such a thing as enlightened self-interest, and we should encourage it.However difficult it might be to accept this in our present global predicament, it is possible to turn a profit while making the world a better place.

Watch his TED talk here:

via World is Green

This is the room where DC related service providers (speech pathologist and a school social worker) were assigned to work at Jefferson Junior High School located in SW. I don't think it gets any worse than this. As a WTU Building Representative for citywide teachers and related service providers - I am appalled at what I see. For too long providers have been fighting the battle for appropriate work spaces across this city . Imagine if you will attempting to provide services to special education students in this wholly mess ! Jefferson administrator gets an ' F ' for failing to honor the WTU contract provision which states that all related service providers must be provided an 'appropriate workspace.' Posted by Candi.

Mootbox discusses the The Portfolio Data Management System (PDMS):

Enterprises that measure their bottom line by their impact on people, planet and profit and not just profit alone finally get an metric by which their performance can be measured. Keep in mind that some social enterprises are nonprofits, while others seek a return on investment one can begin to appreciate the challenges encountered when measuring performance...[continue reading]

I'm going to come back to this post several times in the future, because there is a lot of gold to mine in this debate. Here are my running thoughts- I'll expand on some of these later.

First, while I was watching the pre-debate on ABC, as they went through the history/biography of both candidates, I thought to myself how surprising it is that this election is even a contest. McCain is a true American hero- a war hero who has been at the forefront of legislation for 20 years, has few scandals, and is a decent person, running against Obama, who is... what? A world traveler? A community organizer? Black? I don't understand how Obama could win- it's like everything our country has been about for the last several hundred years is all being forgotten. Our Founding Fathers would not be proud of us if Obama won. For a more comical take on this, see this earlier 'joke' I posted on this idea.

Economic Plan- Obama. Obama talked about putting forward a series of proposals to solve the economic crisis. Did he actually do those things? To whom? Was it in the form of legislation, or just talk? I don't recall this ever coming up in the news- if you brag about this sort of thing, shouldn't it be well-known? Obama then summed up the issues facing us. He emphasized that things are really bad right now and getting worse.

Economic Plan- McCain. McCain talked about the fact that he has been a leader on this issue and is trying to get a bipartisan approach passed. He talked about specific elements of proposed legislation that is working to pass. Although I got the sense that he is more about trying to be a leader than actually crafting the legislation, that's not really a bad thing for a President. He ended with a good quote about how this isn't the beginning of the end, but is the end of the beginning of the crisis- projecting hope. Going back, he did project a lot more hope than Obama throughout the whole debate- I don't get why Obama is the candidate of "HOPE".

Obama emphasized that the question to ask about this crisis is what did we do wrong several years ago. McCain stressed asking what we can do now and in the future. Again- why is Obama considered the candidate looking into the future- all he does is talk about how he would have made different decisions in the past. That's great if we have that time-travel machine invented, but we don't, so I want to hear about what you are doing now and will do in the future- both areas Obama can say very little about.

Obama said that there are problems that need solutions. McCain mentioned specific solutions that he was working on. Obama mentioned problems with the solutions. McCain offered solutions for the solutions. Obama offers visions and questions, McCain offers legislation and answers.

Obama thinks tax breaks for the rich are bad. As he said, he wants to grow the economy from the bottom-up- give money to the poor, and then the money will trickle up to the top. Has this economic theory ever worked in history? For that matter, which economics believe in this idea, or is this just another case where Obama has decided he is really smart and knows what to do. I guess this means that Obama believes in "TRICKLE-UP" economics!

Obama wants to give 95% of people a tax cut, but then clarified that it would not be a tax cut, it just wouldn't be a tax increase. Such a politician- not raising taxes is just that- not a tax cut. If this is what he means by cuts, I'd be worried- anything he wants to 'cut' will just stay the same, and anything he wants to stay the same will be going up. I guess if 95% get cuts, the top 5% will pay more now? That's a lot of money. That's anti-trickle down economics!

Obama talked about how the market doesn't solve problems and that deregulation doesn't work. See, Obama does not believe in the free-market- he does not think that you are smart enough to make the right choices about what products to buy and how much to pay for them. He wants the government to run the economy. He might fudge this, he might clarify this, but if Obama had been in the Soviet Union in the 1980's, he would have been closer to Gorbachev than Reagan!

Obama again references using the line-item veto to solve the issue of earmarks- he said he would "go line-by-line and veto stuff"- am I mistaken about this? I'm 99% sure he can't do that right now. Does he even understand what powers the Presidency has? See my earlier post on this subject- I've noticed this in the past too- this is a reoccurring claim by Obama, and really speaks to the fact that he is less knowledgeable about what the President can and can't do than a high school government teacher (me). Someone who is a constitutional scholar should educate Obama about this, or write an article on how Obama doesn't know what he is talking about.

McCain talked about looking at his record on tax cuts, fighting spending, etc. He emphasized that a tax system has to be fair for everyone, not one sided 'anti-rich'. He is a fighter of earmarks and government waste, and an independent or moderate would really like his record. As a conservative, I like it less so- he did vote against Bush's tax cuts, and has supported some large expansions of federal power. Regardless, his record is a 1000 times better on this issue than Obama's, who is the most liberal left-wing senator in Congress.

Obama talked about how oil companies shouldn't get any tax breaks, because if they do, others will have to pay more. This logic only works if tax cuts don't cause growth in government revenue- which they do- or you refuse to lower taxes overall- which as a liberal Democrat, he could never ever even imagine lowering taxes overall. Obama wants energy independence now by developing more solar and wind power. These will not work now- although in 20-30 years, maybe!

McCain cited specific attempts of his to fight wasteful spending by talking about contracts he had fought as wasteful, legislation he introduced to combat wasteful spending, etc. McCain took this chance to talk about his proposal to increase nuclear power in the US, which is a common-sense solution to our energy needs while satisfying those who believe in the global warming myth.

On what spending would be delayed, Obama said nothing specific would be, and instead just attacked lobbyists. McCain said that he would be in place a spending freeze until after the crisis was over. Obama will not freeze spending due to the financial crisis- instead, from his answer, it sounds like in a time of crisis when money was tight he would spend more. That's the change we need! McCain said that he would help the economy grow to off-set losses.

Lesson of Iraq. McCain said the lesson was on developing a good strategy and getting the tactics right. He said he pushed for these and got them, and then success happened. Obama said the lesson he learned of Iraq was that 6 years ago he opposed the war. The lesson he learned is that it is important to always say you were against decisions that are now unpopular. He really wants that time-travel machine. Odd that again he is more backward looking than McCain. Obama then said that he would never hesitate with the use of force, but he will hesitate a lot about whether to use it in the first place (ha ha ha). Read the transcript. That's what he basically said.

Obama said that McCain was wrong that we would be welcomed as liberators, thus showing his lack of judgement, and thus why he was unfit for command. I'm always curious when I hear this one- exactly who has not welcomed us as liberators? The bad guys? People who strap bombs to their children to blow up innocents shopping to show their opposition to democracy and freedom? So what if these people don't welcome us as liberators. Most of the population has. McCain hinted at this by saying that the good guys are winning now.

Obama that the role of the President is to make the first call, but let everyone else settle on the correct tactics. McCain said that making the right tactics is also important as President. Obama said this is just managing bad problems- that's actually a good point. Maybe the only job of the President is to set the big vision and not worry about the details. Although, the Democrats and Obama have spent the last 7 years ripping Bush for his weakness with details and lack of micro-managment of everything, so I think that although this might be a good point, it is not a fair one.

Afghanistan. Obama said that we should send in more troops, by pulling them out of Iraq. He denies that there are any bad guys or terrorists in Iraq. He wants to press Afghan government to give more welfare to its people and have a stronger national government. McCain said that a troop surge isn't just it- you need to change tactics too. He also said that you shouldn't tell people your moves ahead of time. Obama implied that he would allow attacks into Pakistan if cross-border attacks continue, McCain said that you have to think of Pakistan as a failed state, and treat it with caution. He only goes all-in if he can win. Both candidates bring up bracelet- did Obama steal this idea from McCain? That's sad. Says Afghanistan is the central conflict in the War on Terror. McCain says Iraq is. And says that if Obama thought that, he should have visited Afghanistan.

Iranian Threat. McCain wants to come up with a "League of Democracies" to combat Iran. Obama doesn't want to provoke Iran, and wants Russia and China to get involved in diplomacy with the US for sanctions. Obama said that isolationism has never worked, and elaborated that never in history has not sitting down with dictators worked. McCain gave example after example of when it had worked. I guess using actual events and experience is just not that important to Obama- or for Obama voters. Obama said that he has been a leader- he said that he had suggested that we need to think about looking at talks with North Korea, and this might have started progress. McCain said that North Korea isn't progress, and implied that if this is Obama's experience, then it is rather weak. Both candidates then got into an exchange about Kissinger- Obama is flat wrong on this.

Russia. Obama said that Russia is bad, but you can't piss them off. McCain said that this is naive, that Putin is bad, and that he's been there and seen it. It really doesnt' even matter if Russia or Putin is bad, Obama doesn't believe in good or evil, just how he can win more power. I wonder- has Obama the world traveler ever been to Russia, Georgia, Afghanistan, etc.? McCain called out Obama's slow response to Georgia conflict. Obama replied that he was the first to call for foreign aid for Georgia to help them build a bigger welfare system. He then said that one of the reasons that Russia is resurgent is because of oil, and so he supports increased drilling. Did I miss something? I'm pretty sure he never has done this and is way against drilling. But actually citing experience, past voting records, and real events is probably just boring.

Preventing another 9/11. McCain said we are safer now and led push for 9/11 Commission. Obama said safer in some ways but not enough. Isn't he supposed to be about hope? He was the less hopeful of the two. He then talked about world perception and how important that was. Is improving world perception more important than sponsoring legislation? McCain said we should stay in Iraq and win, Obama disagreed. Seriously? Isn't this the debate from 4 years ago? I thought Obama's position was thoroughly discredited by now.

Obama talked about catching Bin Laden, and that this is more important than winning in Iraq. Iraq is not worth it. It's about a broader strategic vision. McCain said that Obama does not have the experience and judgement to seriously say these things.

McCain said that his record speaks for himself.

Obama said that the children of the world no longer respect us, and that's why we should elect him. Has anyone seen the research on this claim?

The after coverage was also interesting to note- I was flipping around. Here is what I saw. MSNBC said that Obama missed his chances to get McCain, and that Obama looked better. CNBC was interviewing Democrats who repeated talking points I heard last week. CNN said that McCain knew his stuff and was more in command, but Obama looked good and wove themes well. Fox News said that Obama was more direct and knew more, but Obama was more nuanced and sounded better.

I judge the winner of the debate to be McCain.

This is a pretty good speech. It should have been delivered this week, but wasn't, but it is worth reading and thinking about. This is the kind of leadership that we need in the White House- not the 'call me' kind. She does not hesitate in saying that Ahmadinejad must be stopped, and saying how we should stop him. Read it here.

At Pambazuka Anne Nderi writes:

Freedom of information is important for the achievement of meaningful democracy. With access to information citizens are better placed to choose their representatives on the basis of strength of their record, hence they can hold their governments accountable for the policies and decisions it promulgates. Democracy is further enhanced when people meaningfully engage with their institutions of governance and form their judgments on the basis of facts and evidence, rather than just empty promises and mere political talk.

Mootbox writes "Emmanuel Jal is a Child soldier from Sudan turn rapper. I bet he has more inspiration to draw from than any other rapper alive. 50 cent has nothing on stories..."watch him here:

The Macarthur foundation names Chimamanda Adichie a 2008 fellow:

Chimamanda Adichie is a young writer who illuminates the complexities of human experience in works inspired by events in her native Nigeria. Adichie explores the intersection of the personal and the public by placing the intimate details of the lives of her characters within the larger social and political forces in contemporary"

So, Saturday Night Live runs a highly publicized skit mocking Sarah Palin, and their ratings go up. Why? The ratings of SNL have stunk for years, even though SNL peddles mostly liberal ideas. The ratings for last weeks' SNL sunk back down again. SNL and the liberal media think that mocking Republicans brings them ratings- they are wrong. What brings ratings is Republicans. Maybe when Palin shows up at SNL they'll get big ratings again.

UPDATE: Palin hasn't showed up yet on SNL, but as predicted, when they talk about her even to mock her, it equals ratings- see this story Palin=Ratings.

On Friday- September 26, 2008 @ 6:30 pm. Please join us for a Prayer Service for Social Justice In The Workplace. The service will feature Denise Hamilton, a blind teacher (certified) of visually impaired students who was wrongly terminated by DCPS. The service will also facilitate a Call to Action on behalf of all public servants including teachers, aides and other workers who have been fired unjustly. The service will be held at the Covenant Baptist Church located at 3845 South Capitol Street SW, Washington, DC. Contact phone number: 202-321-9071.

I wrote here about how the Communist Party and Hamas have already endorsed Obama. Today he picked up another endorsement, as the evil Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad weighed in on the US presidential election today, noting that only one of the candidates supports Iran's goals and objectives. From the Boston Globe, although Ahmadinejad did not explicitly name Obama, he said that "one of the candidates in this election (US election) would prefer" to give in to his demands and let him nuke Israel. He didn't mean McCain.

Several weeks ago I wrote a panicky post about my fear of being blacklisted by the Michigan Department of Education. It came true this week.

For the last year or two I've been doing work for the MDE- mostly looking over the standardized tests they give out and assessing whether the content in them is appropriate for students. While in these committees, I've been getting more and more vocal about what I see is the one-sided liberal slant, and how it is hurting students' scores. Last meeting, I argued with the testing company and other teachers about some very shockingly offensive questions, and I think finally started to annoy others on the committee and the people running the committee- all good liberal Democrats. They didn't like me asking questions about their poor (liberal) questions, or questioning the overall slant and bias of the test. When the meeting was over, I was told that we'd be meeting again soon as a group.

So, this week, I got invited by email to come to a new meeting of the committee I'm on, along with a dozen others. I replied within 5 minutes saying I'd be there, and got a confirmation that I had reserved my spot. A week later, I got an email from the MDE saying that I was not in fact on the committee because I hadn't replied quick enough. When I questioned this, I was next told that there was no committee meeting at all. When I questioned this, I no longer got any replies from anyone at the MDE. I doubt that I will ever be invited back to serve on this committee.

Why? It is not because of my analysis- the questions that I objected to were also statistically bad, in that good students did poor on them, no one answer stood out, too much guessing, and other bad numbers. It was not because of my behavior- friendly and nice- or my attendance- punctual and hard-working. I am not being asked back because I asked the wrong kind of questions- questions that liberals do not want asked.

Imagine- a government agency, one that is supposed to be all about kids and education, is black listing any person who disagrees with a liberal agenda. There is a movement that is growing in this country to do this to more and more people, and it is scary.

So, the Michigan Department of Education is now blacklisting me because I asked too many questions about the political slant of their state mandated tests. I really don't know what else to say at this time. Just thought I'd mention it.

Tuesday was a long night for DC teachers and service providers who attended the WTU informational session meeting on September 23, 2008 at McKinley Senior High . Some had difficulty sustaining focus as President George Parker continued his two hour long oration as estimated by some colleagues. Others had to leave prior to the long awaited abbreviated presentation of Attorney Lee Jackson and the mini question and answer session. What many who have critiqued the WTU Executive Board members and teacher participants to death seem to forget- that in a democratic society and as dues paying WTU members- all of us are entitled to weigh in on matters that impact our occupational futures even when our positions are in opposition to others .

The object of true democracy is to produce citizens who are independent thinkers , questioning and analytical in their outlook while being open to research complex issues. The spirit of democracy challenges conventional thinking and encourages vigorous debate and should not ignore discussions or arguments that may be unpleasant or controversial to some.

Teachers could learn a lot from a box of crayons: "...some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors .... but they have all learned to live in the same box - Anonymous. " Posted by Candi.

Congressman Thaddeus McCotter every year becomes a better and better Congressman. Today he released his economic plan in opposition to the soon-to-be Democratically hijacked pork Bush-Paulson Plan. Here is the full plan. It's not bad, although I still think the best thing to do is nothing.

Okay, so driving home I caught most of Bush's address to the nation about the proposed $700 billion bailout package for millionaire fat cats on Wall Street. Since it was a national address, my students probably will be talking about it tomorrow, so that means I need to have it addressed in my class too. Here is how I'm going to approach it.

In my government classes we just finished talking about the Constitution, and how it was built on several principles. One of these was limited government- in fact, our founding fathers believed very strongly in a limited government- that is a government that can only do those things which are written in the Constitution. Here is the question I am going to pose to my students tomorrow:

Where in the Constitution does the federal government have the power to speculate on financial markets by buying and selling ultra-risky mortgage backed securities? Which clause in the Constitution might be the basis for this power? Is this action something our founding fathers would have approved of?

By now, my students have already memorized the lesson that a government that has the power to do anything for you can do anything to you. Even high school students recognize that this bailout is not right. The $700 billion dollar bill will be shoved through Congress with very few people looking at it- imagine how much corruption will come pouring out of this. The same politically connected individuals that caused this mess are now going to having billions thrown at them. That's not fair.

Bush is not a conservative. Prescription drug coverage, massive expansion of the Departments of Education and Homeland Security, and now a revolutionary bailout- this is the best example of an unchecked, lame-duck second term President doing whatever he wants to do, now unconnected with reality, ideology, or party. Scary stuff.

UPDATE: This is really good article by David Warren- he's Canadian, but seems to understand what made America great once and what we have lost now. It's good- check it out.

National commentators are picking up on what I've been blogging about on here for a while- that Michigan is a good example of what the whole nation will look like if Obama takes control of our government. I wrote here about how Michigan is all about hope and change. Here I wrote about how in a time of crisis in Michigan, we pass a 'bipartisan' energy plan that raises energy prices and does nothing to provide mroe energy for our citizens.

In this post I wrote about Michigan's government job creation program and how poorly run it is. Back in July, I wrote a post that compared Obama to Granholm and predicted that the results for our nation would be similar to what happened in Michigan.

Now the national media is picking up on this. Phil Gramn wrote this piece for the WSJ, and it's a good one- if you like Michigan's economy, you'll love Obama's. And the latest numbers from Michigan are shocking- by every economic measure, Michigan's economy is sinking compared to the rest of the nation. Our raising of taxes, increasing government regulation, 'green energy,' and government created jobs programs has resulted in wrecking Michigan. Good luck rest of nation when Obama brings this show to you.

UPDATE: Okay, so while Michigan's economy is collapsing, what does a Democrat-controlled government do? It tries to ban smoking. Not joking. Democrats are going to try over and over and over again to ban smoking in Michigan. They feel that is an appropriate action to do while our economy slips farther and farther into the hole. Don't kid yourself- after Obama is President, and we get attacked by terrorists, and our economy falls into the pits, he is going to do the same thing- in the name of health and the environment, he will try to ban smoking too. Mark my words.

UPDATE TWO: Ah, another columnist has picked up on how the rest of the country is becoming 'Detroitified'- that is, the rest of the country is starting to point and blame businesses for a declining economy, and starting to warm up to increasing regulation and taxes, and ignores all the real culprits and instead blames others.

Here is a blog to take a look at- this teacher has created a blog to help his/her students learn about United States government better. This is for an advanced placement course, which means that the course is about teaching students a very specific curriculum so that they can do well on the AP test at the end of the year and earn college credit. I teach AP government myself, and there isn't much time to get into partisan politics and still teach your students the material they need to know. Also keep in mind that AP Government classes have the best and brightest future leaders in them.

In this blog, you can see a typical example of how a liberal teacher 'teaches.' They have selected a series of articles for students to read: One peddles the myth that Palin attempted to ban books, another rips Palin's experience, another sounds like a balanced look at the debates but the tone is hopeful for Obama in it, another sounds like a balanced look at the style of how the two candidates react to crisis but is pro-Obama (with comments inserted by the teacher in bold that are even more pro-Obama), etc. These are not impartial selections, designed to enlighten students knowledge about important concepts in American political thought, but rather pieces selected by the teacher to indoctrinate their students and force them to think a certain way.

This blog is more evidence that the biggest threat to your children are liberal teachers pushing their agenda on students rather than teaching students how to think critically. A cursory glace at this teacher's website find that liberal movies are watched (... So Goes the Nation), that any political cartoons shown are heavily liberal, and that all other items of interest to this teacher are also heavily Democrat. No attempt is made to be unbiased towards the students- instead, they are forced to weather as they can their liberal teacher, submitting to the will of this authority figure in order to earn decent grades in this class. I guess though, what do you really expect from a teacher from the left coast though? Students at the public school Mt. Spokane High School, I feel sorry for you.

Michael Fairbanks co-founder of the Seven Fund writes:

Every nation needs money to upgrade and improve the lives of their citizens; and it is good when a rich nation helps a poor one after a devastating act of God, or to meet a basic human need. But, too often, when one nation aids another it is based on a massive infusion of financial capital in return for changing monetary, trade, investment, fiscal, sectoral, and wage policies. This is often the right advice, but there is a trade-off, too. The nation with all the money often assumes the decision rights; and the responsibility for a nation’s future must always reside with the citizens of that nation, not with foreign advisors, and certainly not with its creditors and donors.This sort of checkbook development confuses compassion and generosity with over-responsibility for fellow human beings. Explicitly or implicitly, the donor is telling them how to run their country, and in the process, without meaning to, can rob citizens of emerging nations of their most precious assets – dignity and self-reliance...[continue reading]-A Templeton Conversation

"...Many African states have been addicted to Western aid for decades. Unfortunately, Africa as a whole has stagnated and some African countries are poorer today then they were in the 1960s. In recent years, advocates of foreign aid have called for making aid more efficient, but that may be easier said than done. The problem, some critics argue, is that aid supports predatory governments and perpetuates institutions that are alien to Africa...[continue reading]" -Cato Institute
Listen to the podcast

africa failed Cato Institute Event Podcast - Let Failing African Governments Collapse: A Radical Solution to Underdevelopment
Hatip Mootbox!

As a Michigan resident, I've seen people buy into hope and change many times. Granholm came into office promising to change things in Michigan- she did, for the worse. And she did such a bad job as Governor, we can only hope the next one is better. Kwame came in as Mayor of Detroit, promising change and hope. Now he's a convicted felon. And then there is the Lions.

The Detroit Lions are the worst-run NFL franchise, mostly due to inept leadership. When someone is handed a job and they don't have to earn it, it shows, and Mr. Ford was handed a car company and a sports franchise, and has not done well with either. Furthermore, he has given a job to Matt Millen, perhaps the worse General Manager ever in the history of any sport. I have no idea if he is a Democrat, but it would not surprise me, because every year as his teams suck, he goes through the liberal Michigan Democrat playbook- blame it on the previous guy, blame it on anyone who disagreed with him, blame it on unhappy workers, blame it on the people who pay the bills, and keep promising hope and change.

I'm getting a little sick of people in Michigan keep clamoring to change things. Yeah, the Lions weren't Superbowl teams in the 90's- but they were not the embarrassment they are now. Yeah, Michigan wasn't the most prosperous state in the 90's- but it was not the embarrassment it is now. Yeah, UM didn't win the BCS championship under Lloyd Carr, but they were not the embarrassment they are now. Yeah, Detroit was not a shining example before Kwame, but it was not the laughingstock it is now. And yeah, Bush might not have been the best President we've ever had- but anyone who votes for hope and change instead of character and experience is going to look back and say "at least under Bush America wasn't as bad as it is now."

Richard Uku writes about a low-cost solution to the power problem in the Guardian:

...resources like fuel oil, diesel, light crude, solar, and gas are available as means of electricity generation, but their costs are all quite prohibitive.
These factors make a good argument for coal as a cheap alternative source of Africa's power. Coal has historically played a crucial role as a source of energy worldwide, and has several important advantages over other fossil fuels. First is its relative abundance. The current level of proven coal reserves worldwide stands at roughly 850 billion tons. Africa has about 50 billion tons. Coal is also much more widely distributed geographically than any other fossil fuel...[continue reading]

Read related coverage here on Botswana's coal abundance

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photo courtesy of palagems

From: The Mail - September 21, 2008

The research supports that teacher attrition rates are higher in teaching than other professions. The National Center on Education estimates that one third of all teachers in the US leave education during their first three years of teaching and almost half leave after five years. In poorer communities, it is even worse. For those who choose teaching through alternative certification programs, it isn’t uncommon for as many as 60 percent to exit education. Little wonder that DC Public Schools is facing a teacher shortage citywide. Of course other factors contribute to teacher shortages. For instance when Chancellor Rhee offered the Teacher Transition Award program last school year it encouraged certified teachers from closing and restructuring schools to leave in exchange for monetary awards. Not to mention the 78 probationary DC teachers who were fired in June without regard to their work performance while another 269 teachers were terminated, even though some of them were certified and some had agreed upon action plans. Then there are teachers like Denise Hamilton, the blind teacher (certified) featured on channel 9 news that was fired by DCPS due to a glitch created by the DC Central office. Go figure. Let’s not forget about the teachers who just got up and left for greener pastures.

The media recently reported that there is a teacher shortage at Thurgood Marshall, Ferebee Hope, and Garfield schools in the district. Many other schools complain of teacher shortages, including Ballou, Davis, Hamilton-Moten Academy, and the Shadd Center amongst a host of unreported others. A listserve parent weighs in on the impact of the DC teacher shortage at Thurgood Marshall: “Both Rhee and Fenty would never subject their kids to be placed in a class of forty students. You would think school principals should be the first voices we hear when school conditions are unacceptable. But instead they hide out in their offices, hoping parents will not complain. They are so afraid of drawing attention to their school to even ask for help or assistance from DCPS, for fear of loosing their positions, that they are placing our children in overcrowded classrooms.”

I wish I had a crystal ball, because if I did I would love to predict how our mayor and Chancellor will deliver the hard and quick solutions to our teacher shortage problem. After all, they are revolutionizing education, aren’t they ? Could teacher retention be one of the solutions? Randi Weingarten, now President of American Federation of Teachers, offers her perspective: “If we can’t keep the teachers who are hired, building a cadre of experienced, well-prepared teachers becomes like trying to fill a bucket that has a hole in its bottom. It’s costly and counterproductive to hire thousands of well-qualified people every year, invest millions of dollars in incentives, orientation, and professional development — only to see one of every four leave within a year and more than one of every three by the end of the third year. Worse, it’s bad for kids. Experienced teachers are more confident and more competent than brand-new teachers.” The key to retaining certified teachers depends on the three R’s which, by the way, have been discussed in many UFT publications: “You need to respect your professional staff, you need to retain (not fire) qualified teachers, and you need to provide adequate and appropriate resources.” Written by Candi Peterson.

At the Cheetah Index Chido Makunike writes:

For ideologues on either side, Africa provides a great testing ground for their beliefs and pet theories. Various donor organizations stake their very existence on “we are saving Africa” so there is turf to be passionately defended. ‘Saving Africa’ has become a lucrative, high-stakes and sometimes very cynical business. Those involved jealously defend whatever position their particular organization or interest group has locked itself into, regardless of whether that position is ultimately best for the claimed ‘poor, helpless, starving’ African beneficiaries or not...[continue reading]

Say it ain't so. Channel 7 news reported on September 19th- that there is a DCPS Teacher shortage. Many of us who advocated last year to Chancellor Rhee to slow your roll knew that closing 23 schools simultaneously while restructuring 27 other schools was a Herculean task. Add to this the Teacher Transition Award which was offered to teachers in closing and restructured schools to leave their teaching positions in exhange for monetary awards. Of course firing 78 probationary teachers without regard to their work performance as well as firing 269 teachers - (some of whom were certified and some who had agreed upon action plans) have led to a system wide teacher shortage. Many school's just aren't reporting their teacher shortages problem. Here's the story as posted on Channel 7 website. Read it and weep !

"A lack of teachers at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Northeast Washington is forcing school administrators to make drastic moves. D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee fired 270 uncertified and probationary teachers last summer. Parents at one school in NE Washington believe their children are now suffering the affects of a teacher shortage. "I think we're just being neglected. Our children are not being educated," said parent Janie Felder. Among the reasons the parents are upset, the eighth grade class at Thurgood has had one teacher for 46 students. "She's getting ready to go to high school next year. How do you learn? She doesn't like it. She said the students are disruptive. The teacher can't control the class, said parent Oliver Leslis. Parents say Marshall does not have a certified teacher for either third or fourth grade so they combined the grades and hired a sub. "It's terrible. How can you have a third and four grade combined and don't have a teacher for five weeks and you have substitute teachers," asked parent Saymende Lloyd. A school spokeswoman said Chancellor Rhee was not in the office to comment, but Rhee and the mayor have promised better schools. At Thurgood Marshall, the PTA president, who declined to go on camera, said the school is worse because of the teacher shortage "Our children are suffering up here. Our children are suffering. They're not getting what they need," said an unidentified parent. When Sharnette Gordon Bryan found out about the combination third-fourth grade class, she said, "I just withdrew her. I didn't want her in a combination class." Parents say many people have gone to charters or other schools because of the teacher problems. The schools spokeswoman said they're going to have a new eighth grade teacher at Thurgood Marshall on Monday. As for the third and fourth grade combination, no progress has been made. The union president said Thurgood Marshall's problem is not an isolated incident; there are shortages in other schools around the city." Posted by Candi.

The FT editorial page writes about the incoming SA president, Jacob Zuma:

Mr Zuma has yet to show he has the backbone to do what is good for the country’s long-term health rather than what is politically expedient. Six months of uncertainty lie ahead before elections, a period in which he and the “new” ANC have much to prove...[continue reading]

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So, Bush and those evil Republicans are blamed for being in charge when the worst financial crisis since 1930 hits, from being in charge when the worst hurricanes since 1900 hit, from being in charge when the worst attack on us since 1940 hits... and they get blamed for it. Here is another take- they should be praised, because we've been hit with a lot of worsts, and still the economy is strong.

Now, these things have taken a toll, and Bush and the Republicans in Congress did some things wrong, but think about it- what might have happened if Obama had been in charge these last 7 years? How would he have responded to the series of crisis? By making government bigger, more active, more intrusive, more bloated, more inefficient, etc- all while making our country, weaker, poorer, and worse off.

Instead of thinking 'Bush was in charge for the worst financial crisis since 1930'- think 'Bush was in charge during the worst financial crisis since 1930, and it really wasn't that bad.'

You're Invited to a Call for Justice in the Workplace/Prayer Service !

On Friday- September 26, 2008 @ 6:30 pm. a call to action/prayer service will feature the DCPS blind teacher, Denise Hamilton who was fired unjustly by Chancellor Rhee this past June 2008. This story originally aired on Channel 9. This service will facilitate a Call To Action to the DC Labor Community to request that labor and the community assist us in the fight on behalf of DC Teachers. The event will be held at the Covenant Baptist Church located at 3845 South Capitol Street SW, Washington, DC. DCPS Teachers are organizing this social action event. Contact phone number : 202-321-9071. Posted by Candi.

Check out this video put together by Newt Gingrich about the appropriate American historical perspective to Sarah Palin's prayer that Charlie Gibson interrogated of Palin about.

Watching this video, I was surprised by several things. First, I'm once again reminded that Clinton governed from the center, and whatever the nature of his real person is, he at least pretended as President to be a moderate Third-Way Democrat, and not a liberal like Kerry or Obama.

Second, I was surprised to hear this JFK quote- "The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of god." That's great. JFK and Clinton are two Democrats who the Democrats of today say they want to be like- but do they really? They were both very different than the Democratic Party of today, a party that runs Joe Lieberman out and nominates Barak Obama.

Third, FDR prayed not only just to preserve our nation, but also our religion. Contrast this to the disregard and disdain shown by Obama towards traditional religion.

Thanks to powerline for pointing out this.

Ahh, you have to admire those South American communist countries- they really are committed to creating a socialist utopia, even if they have to drive their own people into utter poverty and murder many. There is of course Hugo Chavez, who of course just just expelled human rights groups from Venezuela because they were documenting his human rights abuses.

So so everyone is clear, Chavez's political program is nationalized oil companies, nationalized healthcare, dramatic increases in state workers, more support for housing for everyone, increased taxes on large corporations, increased taxes on rich individuals, opposition to privatization in education, opposition to privatization in social security, an emphasis on multiculturalism, an emphasis on diplomacy with everyone in international affairs, anti-poverty efforts, anti-free trade, more support for labor unions, and friendliness towards the media. Got these off of wikipedia.

Incidentally, compare these goals to Obama's goals as President. I'm not going to say now that Obama is going to be like Chavez, but compare the two, and tell me what you think. Huh. The blueprint to change looks like it has already been implemented in several nations, and I agree- it definitely is a change!

Anyways, the whole point of this post was actually to point out that some in Bolivia has bought the poop Chavez was selling, and now their country is on the brink of a civil war. Guess that's not as interesting as what I already posted.

My thoughts on this whole bailout mess are summed up fairly well in this article. I don't feel the need to pile on any further. Here is some excerpts:

Since when do we rely on government to intervene in every case of a failing business? If anyone wonders why we have such a mess on our hands, look no further than our boneheaded government that has obviously forgotten its way. Think of this week's action within the financial markets as a result, not the cause of our problems.

the government has a role, but it is not to be a business partner and a sugar daddy there to provide a backstop to the bad business practices of the banking system.

"Where do you stop? Where do you draw the line?"

Lightly covered in our newspapers and by our media, General David Petraeus has moved on, from Iraq to Centcom HQ. Hopefully he will have as much as an impact there as he did in Iraq. This article is a short but sweet one, remembering his great work in Iraq.

While unemployment goes up in Michigan- 9% now- and it continues to lag the country in economic growth, Democrats who have gained control of almost every facet of government in Michigan do what Democrats do- they raise taxes and raise prices. Last year they shoved through the largest tax increase in decades, and this year they are trying to raise energy rates. Specifically, today they raised energy rates 10%, and once energy companies are forced to adopt unnecessary environmental dictates, prices will probably go up more than that as well. How does raising prices and putting costly (and likely of minimal impact) environmental dictates on the people of Michigan help them? It doesn't. This is what happens when Democrats control government- this is the goal of a liberal national Congress and Obama- to raise your taxes, raise your electric rates, and make you unemployed and poor (so you can work for the government and be dependent on them).

My brother passed me this article "Look Who's Irrational Now," that talks about a comprehensive new study released by Baylor University yesterday that shows that traditional Christian religion greatly decreases belief in superstitious and pseudoscience. Belief in God decreased the belief in everything from the efficacy of palm readers to the usefulness of astrology. The study also shows that the irreligious and the members of more liberal Protestant denominations, far from being resistant to superstition, tend to be much more likely to believe in the paranormal and in pseudoscience than evangelical Christians.

In my own personal experience, I also find this true. The students in my class that are the most grounded, the most likely to use rational thought and chuckle at irrational claims, are those who are also the most traditionally Christian. And those students in my class who are openly anti-religious tend to believe in magic- they have charms and rings, they are superstitious about rituals, and I even had one anti-religious student put a curse on me. From the article:

Anti-religionists such as Mr. Maher bring to mind the assertion of G.K. Chesterton's Father Brown character that all atheists, secularists, humanists and rationalists are susceptible to superstition: "It's the first effect of not believing in God that you lose your common sense, and can't see things as they are."

Maybe this is why Americans are becoming gullible fools? Maybe the fall of Christianity is the reason that they're more likely to buy into charlatans who promise to sell them the world? Maybe this is why they actually get excited and faint over the One when he gives a speech, and they mock those who 'cling to their guns and religion' while clinging to One who promises to walk on water and control the weather? Maybe the fall of traditional Christianity is the reason why people believe that Bush personally knocked down the towers on 9/11, or personally destroyed the levies in New Orleans- or any of the other host of irrational concerns that are now commonly accepted. Who knows? Guess I'll just have to ask for guidance and faith from my 2,000-year-old space god.

The mainstream media painted a rosy picture about the opening of DC Public Schools . Many DC teachers say it ain't so. Here's another email from a teacher colleague about one of our educational centers.

Candi - I have learned the following about an educational center from a DC colleague . They are missing eight teachers. Even the principal holds down classes. They are missing ESL teachers. Of the teachers holding classes, one is a special ed teacher, which means she cannot provide services and the rest are either ESL teachers or specialists. They are also missing books. Back to school night was a joke, a long night with minimal numbers attending. Muriel Bowser was forty-five minutes late...meaning they lost many parents who could not wait. The security company wants to add another security guard, but DCPS disputes the size of the building so they will not add another guard. It costs too much money. It's not as bad as some schools, but it is a nightmare. Anonymous DCPS teacher -Posted by Candi.

Yesterday was a sad day for me. A troubled student absconded from Garfield Elementary School. It wasn't clear what triggered her to run away. Her grandmother informed all staff that she has ran away from home on several occasions as well. (I wish she had told us this before ). This act brought our staff together and made us closer somehow. We were all clearly concerned about this students whereabouts. The teacher in this classroom literally hitched a ride from a stranger to go searching the neighborhood for her. Others of us walked the neighborhood calling out her name. It was 20 minutes of PANIC, luckily for us and our student- when our physical education teacher yelled out her name one last time- she appeared after hiding in the brush behind an apartment complex running with open arms to him. WHEWWWW ! We were relieved.

I took the afternoon to meet with her. She talked- I listened. I let her know how concerned we all were and the real scare that she gave everybody at school as well as her grandmother. She said Ms. P you mean you all were really worried about me. I responded yes - we care and we don't want anything to happen to you. In that instant I believe that a light went on somehow with her. She agreed with me that we need a plan when she gets upset that rather than running away she can have an emergency pass to a teacher or administrator in the school. She nodded yes. I looked up to the heavens and I said in my own mind- thank you God- we owe you !

Working with emotionally disturbed students is a challenge for all programs especially when they are understaffed like ours. We are still awaiting our central office to send in the troops if you will. At least the staff that they have already promised- a special education teacher and an educational aide. Although this may still not address all of the problems we have at the very least students will be getting the services that they are entitled. SOS-SOS-SOS- If somebody is listening out there, we need help at Garfield Elementary school before the unthinkable happens. Posted by Candi.

Yes, today is a holiday- it marks the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution on September 17, 1787. My feelings about this day being a holiday are mixed- the government passed a law telling school districts that they have to teach about the Constitution today, and while I am all in favor of that, the national government doesn't have the power to order that according to the Constitution. Oh well!

Constitution Day is another one of those teaching days that students always give great reviews to at the end of the year. My lesson plan is simple- by the end of the day, students will walk out of my class believing in the Constitution more so than they did the day before. The lesson begins with students reflecting on the Constitution, talking about what it means to them. Think about that a minute- what does it mean to you?

My students talk about many things. Most talk about it being a protection of their rights, and talk about all the amendments and the rights that those protect. Some of my students like the Constitution because it put in place a governmental structure that let America grow from 13 small poor states into the worlds greatest, most prosperous, and most free superpower ever. Some students talked about how the Constitution was a symbol of the past, a link between our mythic forebears and them, and how holding to it meant holding to the ideas and ideals of such giants as Jefferson, Madison, and Washington.

Then, I give all of my students a gift- their own copy of a mini-Constitution. These are provided to me by my local Congressman. My high school teacher gave me one, and I still carry it with me (it's in my school bag), and so I make sure that every student who graduates from the school I teach at gets a mini-Constitution of their own. The reflection makes them take this gift seriously, and not just shove it in their bag. Throughout the year, I will see students reading it, reflecting on it, or just carrying it around- but that is the start to getting them to at least see the Constitution as not just some forgotten 'living' document, but instead a relevant reminder of what America should look like.

The real meat of the lesson though is my lecture of the day, which is a discussion on the six principles that the Constitution embodies- popular sovereignty, limited government, checks and balances, separation of powers, federalism, and judicial review. Each one is briefly introduced, connected to the Constitution, and then we discuss how closely America is following these ideals. This conversation, led by students, who are naturally cynical, naturally turns to a discussion about how America has fallen from these ideals. Students get fired up about this, and fighting angry- their inner fire burns bright, and the call of freedom is awakened in them and cries out for release. They are fighting mad. Sadly years of college and misinformation in the media will dull most of them, so that they become numb to the loss of their freedoms and liberty- but at least on this day they remember the Constitution, and remember the principles it embodies.

Happy Constitution Day everyone!