Parents Fire Back At K-12 Education System Implementing More ...

More parents are pulling their kids from ?traditional? K-college public school system, finally standing up to a system NOT preparing kids and leaving kids/parents in heavy debt.

?Dear Mike, my husband and I read your latest comments on K-12 education. We agree wholeheartedly. Regularly, we read and enjoy your detailed comments and articles on K-12 education. Education is very important to us. We have 3 kids, ages 8, 10 & 13. Unfortunately, we are disappointed in our local school.? To be clear, we don?t blame teachers. Our kids have caring teachers. We are so frustrated with a curriculum that emphasizes testing and memorization. We too join other concerned parents who want our kids to develop a passion for learning.? ?Brent & Cally M, Sarasota, FL

***What you see below is the long response I provided to a father of 2 boys, who indicated his wife and he are researching education alternatives for their high-school-aged son.***

This father repeats a common (and serious) concern ? today?s education policy makers mandate:

1. Rote & regurgitation (aka ?drill & kill?)
2. More (not less) TESTING
3. Memorization ? that is,? very little emphasis on higher-order thinking skills (aka ?Bloom?s Taxonomy)
4. Traditional curriculum that ignores kids? passions ? kids are bored out of their minds

Click READ MORE below now for my long response to a parent who searches for an alternative educational experience for his high-school-aged son.

WHEN TRADITIONAL K-12 SYSTEM FAILS KIDS AND PARENTS

In response to this parent, I shared the following in support of his wife?s and his decision to search for best alternative education experience for their son:

?Obviously, Tom, you know your son is not alone?nor is this ?point of contention? reserved just for your wife and you. LOTS of young people are bored out of their heads and LOTS of parents are frustrated out of their heads.

Bottom line: you can force your son to comply with traditional standards and perform to your expectations or you can search alternative education. I prefer searching for alternative education. In fact, this topic is the exact core issue that drove me out of teaching in 2002.

In mid 90s, I was part of a state delegation tasked with ?New Standards.? We were fed a line about being the pioneers who would form new (and exciting) standards allowing kids to compete globally. Sounded so damn noble.

Problem is, EVERYONE sees today exactly what is happening in K-12 education: it?s now standardized testing up the ass with corporations led by ?education reformer? Jeb Bush banging down school doors on behalf of his corporate bed-buddies in order to grab more MILLIONS in profits, i.e. more testing, more test scoring, more test prep, more test remediation, more test training, etc.

More testing is BIG $$$$$$ and the public is eating this shit up because the public (even most parents) swallowed a handful of *BLUE pills convincing them their kids have to work hard, get good grades, beat all standardized tests, get accepted to ABC Good College, grab a piece of sheepskin & live happily ever after.

*Editor?s Note: This is reference to the movie, The Matrix.

All the while kids? EXCITEMENT for learning is being stomped out, replaced with ROTE & REGURGITATION. In fact, let me challenge every parent among us: invest one week scrutinizing your kid?s (or kids?) homework.

You will be shocked to discover ~90 or more percent is frickin? rote, where they?re expected to regurgitate.WHY? Teachers? asses are on the line to TEACH to these damn tests. Government has convinced you teachers are bad and that good teachers should earn merit pay when their students perform well on these tests.

Guess what? The savvy teachers have realized they?ll sacrifice principles in order to stay off a ?bad teacher? list so their curricula has transitioned to focus on the tests.

Your (and my) kids are suffering?THEY are the victims.

Tom, what is happening to your son is NOT his fault. I?m not appeasing you ? I was IN THOSE CLASSROOMS for 16 years. No one EVER will convince me otherwise. I will stand up to millions as a lone ranger (though I?m not alone in blowing the whistle). Problem is, too many parents swallowed that handful of *blue pills ? they?re now hopeless pawns.

*Editor?s Note: This is reference to the movie, The Matrix.

So, Tom, what is a possible solution for your wife, you and son to consider? I think you already intuitively have come to the solution: you find out what your son?s passion? is. Even if he can?t make a living from his passion (perhaps at this time), he will mature, develop his learning skills & probably sneak in a bunch of math, science, reading, writing, history, et al without even realizing it.

This is the Montessori approach which I very much support. In fact, Montessori applies to the Finland education system that is poo-pooed by US policy makers as irrelevant. Irrelevant? Here?s a link for anyone who remotely is interested > http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/Why-Are-Finlands-Schools-Successful.html

**Parents know their kids better than any education wonk, including me when I was there (though I admit I once was so damn brainwashed I actually thought I knew better than all of you about what was best for your kids).

**Bachelors (4 year degree) is NOT for every kid

**Confirm your son?s passions and then seek out people who are making money/living based off similar passions. Show your son he?s not alone and that it is possible to have fun LEARNING. Why do so many adults believe it?s impossible to make a living do what they love? Yeah, I know the answer > they swallowed a handful of blue pills?.

Okay, I banged out another novellla here. Sorry, I get fired up by this topic. I have 2 kids, one grade 5 son who is in ?honors? and who daily faces a Sarasota County Schools curriculum overdosing on rote & regurgitation. No Bloom?s Taxonomy off the 1st rung of the ladder.

Check out this Facebook page to discover you?re not alone and that teachers, former teachers, administrators, parents, child psychologists and others are VERY concerned about the (formal) education in America > www.facebook.com/RaceToNowhere?

How do you feel about a K-12 education system?as a whole? Throughout, I?ve considered the system, not the teachers who (mostly) are positively impact kids? lives. Please scroll down to share your thoughts, questions & concerns. I look forward to hearing from you.

My Sarasota Real Estate blog is not just real estate ? it?s the most comprehensive online source for Sarasota attractions including information about Sarasota, beaches, attractions, events & local issues. Whether you are looking for the latest sales, price trends, Sarasota foreclosures or homes for sale in Sarasota, I try to make it all available here. Browse Sarasota homes for sale; call me @ (941) 914-9980 if you or someone you know has a question or wants to buy or sell a house in the Sarasota area.

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Tagged as: finland k-12 education, montessori

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The Civil War: Studying Military History

History professor Gary Gallagher speaks about the importance of studying military history in the last of a series of sessions from a conference organized by the Virginia Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission. The theme of this year?s gathering was Leadership and Generalship in the Civil War. The Virginia Military Institute hosted the conference.

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HTC teases voice control and/or dog translator for Sense

HTC might be over selling it a bit with the top secret stamp, and the foot note sort of indicates that your next One device wont be interpreting Fido's barks. So, really, that only leaves one logical conclusion -- HTC is working on a voice control app. It shouldn't come as any surprise if you've been paying any attention to the mobile landscape these past few years. Google kicked off the party with Voice Actions and Apple gave the speech recognition tech some personality with Siri. Now Samsung has S-Voice and LG has Quick Voice... what's a Taiwanese manufacturer to do? Presumably make your own speech-driven virtual assistant. When will it debut, what will it be called? Who knows, but judging from the image above it seems safe to assume that HTC's new tool will be delivered as software update to at least some existing handsets.

[Thanks, Naman]

Update: HTC tells us that it never intended to hint at a new voice service -- the image was just the punchline to a week of pet-related smartphone tips it featured on Facebook.

HTC teases voice control and/or dog translator for Sense originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jun 2012 14:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Regina's Family Seasons: ENTREPRENEURIAL SERIES - Day 9

~Day 9 of the ENTREPRENEURIAL SERIES!!??PLEASE make sure you READ, COMMENT, TAKE NOTES, and SHOW SOME LOVE to the fabulous folks doing awesome things!?~?

Tamika Newhouse,?Atlanta,?GA. - "Published Author"

??

Tell the readers a little bit about yourself.

I am a 26 year old woman who had a dream of being a novelist at the age of twelve. By the time I was 21 I had my own company a major book deal and was a mother of two. My dreams became my main goals to pursue.

Explain what type of business you operate?

I am a book publisher. I publish books for us and by us. That simple!

How long have you been in business?

At the age of 21 I launched my own publishing company, Delphine Publications by publishing my own book The Ultimate NO NO. I went on from that book and landed a major book deal without an agent all the while publishing other authors and continuing to write independently. It has been a total of five years now.

How did you get the name for your business?

What motivated you to start this type of business?

I always tell people I am writer, writing didn?t choose me it chose me. So when starting this company I just simply wanted to write. I had no clue it would grow into something more that could actually take care of me and my family.

What are your top 5 must have business tools/aids?

Determination, creativity, motivation, basic math skills, and obsession. (Regina: FABULOUS, these business aids are obviously important but are not material items!)

Where do you see your business in 5 years?

I see my company growing in numbers by at least double the amount. I see a wide range of writers that I have helped along the way make their publishing dreams come true and I see myself speaking about my journey as a young businesswoman.

What inspire me are the ones I see around me that are unhappy but lazy. I never want to live a life just because. I want to live the life I have always wanted and live out my dreams.

Who is your business icon or who?s business ethic do you admire?

I admire Demetria Lucas and Zane. I love the image that Demetria puts out to the worlds and I love the empire that Zane has built. They both motivate me.

If you were standing in front of a room full of hopeful, promising, entrepreneurs what would you say to them?

If you are not obsessed about your dream then walk away from it now. It takes an obsessed person to go through the hell you are about to walk through in order to live out your destiny.

Author BIO:

Tamika Newhouse is a self-published bestselling author who founded Delphine Publications, at the age of 21; Tamika appeared on various bestseller lists and won Self Published Author of the Year at the 2009 African American Literary Awards only 9 months after her debut novel. In 2010 she was inducted into Who's who in Black San Antonio and she landed a major publishing deal without an agent and still continues to write independent projects. In 2011 her company Delphine Publications won an African American Literary Award for Best Anthology as well as Tamika won for the second time Self Published Author of the Year. She was also nominated by the National Women in Business Association for the 2011 Entrepreneurial Spirit Award.

Along with Delphine Publications, Tamika is the founder and President of African Americans on the Move Book Club (AAMBC) - an online book club and radio show catering to avid readers across the nation. She is also CEO of Obsessive Soul Media. With future projects in the works from short films, stage plays and much more, Tamika is a young woman on a mission. She founded the Baltimore Urban Book Festival in 2011 and runs and operates the event today.

Tamika presently tours the country speaking about overcoming her teen pregnancy to fulfill her dream, as well as teaching aspiring writers the publishing ropes. A former radio host, she hosted her own Internet radio show (AAMBC) for over three years and continues to expand her brand. She is currently living in San Antonio with her son and daughter and is currently working on her fifth novel He's My Favorite Mistake.

For Bookings: Nikki@NikkiWalkerPR.net

A Woman who knows what she wants and knows how to get it!!
Thanks Tamika!

Smooches,
Regina

Please visit my other spots:
http://reginathinks.wordpress.com/
http://reginasoldschoolfridayspot.blogspot.com/

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Fired principal accused in fatal Fla. stabbings

LEALMAN, Fla. (AP) ? An ex-Tampa Bay-area middle school principal who lost his job over a drug arrest five years ago went on a rampage Friday, stabbing several people ? killing at least two ? and then drove his car into a crowded porch before attacking two others at a motel, authorities said.

Anthony Giancola, 45, was in custody, but the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office didn't immediately report what charges he was facing. Authorities said there were 11 victims in all, and several are being treated at area hospitals for injuries ranging from minor to life-threatening.

Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said Giancola told his mother in the morning that he was "going to kill all the drug dealers."

The crime spree began shortly before 11 a.m. in Lealman, a small city in Pinellas County about 20 miles west of Tampa.

Authorities say that's when Giancola went to a halfway house for the hearing impaired, where officials said he stabbed four people, killing a man and a woman.

Of the two wounded, one person was reported to be in serious condition. A child who lived there was not home at the time, said neighbors who were stunned by the day's events.

"It's crazy," sighed Ken Seidl, 52, who lives down the street from the group home. "There's always problems in this neighborhood, drugs, prostitution. But never nothing this drastic."

Pinellas County Sheriff's spokeswoman Cecelia Barreda said officers are still piecing together the timeline.

"It appears at this moment, this is all random," said Barreda, stressing that the details of the story could change throughout the evening.

However, she said, investigators believe that after the stabbings at around 11:30 a.m., Giancola pulled up in front of a house in the nearby city of Pinellas Park and asked residents where he could find women. The residents told him to go away, and Giancola drove away angry. He soon returned and crashed his car into their porch, injuring three women and one man, police said. The women were taken to a nearby hospital, but the man refused treatment.

Giancola also hit a 13-year-old boy on a bike as he was fleeing, officials said. The boy's injuries were minor.

Soon after, investigators reported that Giancola went to the Kenvins Motel in Pinellas Park, where he used a microwave to attack the married couple who own the motel. Kanu and Indiranden Patel, both 57, were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The husband is in critical condition, officials said.

By that time, officers had spoken with victims that were able to communicate and had pieced together the name of the suspect, Barreda said. A police dog tracked Giancola near a storage facility and that's where he was arrested.

Giancola was first arrested in 2007. Authorities said he bought $20 of crack cocaine from an undercover police officer during the school day in his office at Van Buren Middle School in Tampa. Giancola eventually pleaded guilty to purchasing crack cocaine, possessing crack cocaine and possessing marijuana. Court records show he was sentenced to a year in jail and three years of probation.

A message left at a telephone listing for Giancola seeking comment from his family wasn't immediately returned. It wasn't clear if he had an attorney.

___

Associated Press writer David Fischer in Miami and researcher Judith Ausuebel in New York contributed to this report.

Follow Tamara Lush on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tamaralush

Associated Press

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Khalil's Picks (22 June 2012)

This week, a young science journalist goes on a boat with a research team and liveblogs it, cells are becoming zombies (not really), scientists track people after natural disasters using cellphone signals and more. I also included three blog posts published at the student-run science publication of Imperial College London, UK, I, Science, which I?m really digging these days.

Good stuff, good stuff! Dig in.

Rose Eveleth, science journalist, is currently blogging on Scientific American?s Expeditions blog.?Her ongoing series is really cool (plus she?s funny) and gives a good insight into the research group she?s tagging along. Oh, said team is on boat in the Atlantic Ocean studying ?a globally important type of phytoplankton called coccolithophores, and a virus that routinely attacks them.? Her latest post looks at different aspects of this epic battle.

You wanted to know: what is this virus that infects the phytoplankton? (Part One)

So far I?ve told you about the phytoplankton we?re studying ? the coccolithophores, how we figure out where they?re going to be, and how we collect them. But there?s a key element that?s missing in this description: the virus that infects them. And a lot of you wanted to know about it.

From Ada Ao, science blogger at Scitable, who assures us that her post is non-zombie related: Stem cells. From dead man. Alive and replicating after 17 days. I?ll let you decide for yourselves.

Resurrection (non-zombie related)

As a fan of the Walking Dead television series, I was tickled to learn of an article in this week?s Nature Communications that reported viable muscle stem cells have been isolated from refrigerated cadavers 17 days after death! (And brought me thoughts of zombies.) The cells were even capable of regenerating new muscle cells in a dish. Not only that, the 17-day window was only a limit imposed by the lack of older human specimens and suggested the stem cells may survive beyond 17 days. The explanation for these observations was found in muscle stem cells recovered from mice that were dead for 14 days (refrigerated, of course). These mouse cells were found to be dormant, which may explain why they were able to survive for 2 weeks in the low-oxygen, starving conditions that are typical of dead tissues.

Miriam Kramer, at NYU, writes about an interesting ?big data? study which tracked displaced Haitians during the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake using cellphone signals at Popular Mechanics.

Cellphone Signals Can Find People Scattered by Disaster

New research using cellphone GPS data to track displaced people after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti could lead to better ways of getting aid to people in the aftermath of a disaster. After a disaster, people scatter. Earthquakes, hurricanes, or even droughts are surefire ways to clear out a city. But no matter where displaced people move, their exodus creates a serious issue for aid workers: You can?t help anybody unless you know where they are.

Hannah Krakauer, science journalist, writes about an admirable quest by some soldiers (deep into WWII) to preserve an apple pie at Technology Review.

A Can-do Attitude

In September 1943, there was a flurry of activity in MIT?s biological-engineering research labs. In the midst of battle in North Africa, 20 German prisoners had been taken by American forces. They were first shipped to a holding facility in Cameron, Virginia, and then to researchers in Building 35 at MIT. Starting up spectrometers and microscopes for a thorough analysis, the scientists eagerly examined their captives: 20 samples of German military rations?ingredients, main courses, and desserts.

Nadia Drake, astronomy reporter, reports that we can see the creation of the first stars at Science News. By we, I mean, radio telescopes.

Early stars created a sight yet unseen

A 3-D simulation of the early universe suggests that the first stars left a cosmic signature large enough to be read by radio telescopes. ?It?s a new way to probe the universe when it was very young,? says Zoltan Haiman, a cosmologist at Columbia University, who was not involved in the new work. ?We have very few ways to do that.?

I am absolutely loving I, Science, the student-run science publication of Imperial College London, UK. Great content. Featuring blog posts from Victoria Charlton, Jo Poole and Joel Winston here:

Science Isn?t Golden by Victoria Charlton (in her Science Means Business blog)

Failure to consult the public on a new drug-pricing policy may store up trouble for the future. Somewhere, in the depths of Whitehall, an elephant has taken up residence. This big, pink, imaginary elephant ? let?s call her Nellie ? is currently standing in a bustling project room, squeezed, I imagine, somewhere between a conference table and a flip-chart. And Nellie is feeling pretty miffed. Because, despite her remarkable presence in this room, and notwithstanding her many attempts at making herself heard, Nellie is being ignored.

Walking Away From Paralysis by Jo Poole (in her Curious and Curiouser blog)

Does the solution to paralysis emulate an infant?s developing nervous system? Can we regrow spines? Medicine has come a long way in the past century, and like most technology, progress has been exponential with the addition of automated machinery and global research collaboration. However, there remain conditions stubbornly resistent to the physician?s intent to cure. Many of these recalcitrant conditions involve the central nervous system. It makes us a higher organism but it leaves us vulnerable.

Bovine TB rates miscounted by Joel Winston (in his Science vs Politics blog)

Bovine TB rates are much higher than estimated. Bovine Tuberculosis (BTB) has become a devastating problem for British farmers, resulting in the slaughter of around 25,000 cattle last year, at a cost of more than ?90 million to the taxpayer. But despite the eradication strategy pushed forward by the government, BTB infection rates continue to rise and the disease persists in spreading.

Share more links in the comments below. Have a great weekend wherever you are.

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BBA Summer Jobs Program: A Summer of Learning ? Beyond the ...

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Next week, the Boston Bar Association?s Summer Jobs Program ?? a key diversity and inclusion pipeline initiative ? will kick off with coffee, muffins and remarks from Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Chief Justice Roderick L. Ireland.? The Program, which began in 1993 with just 16 students from Boston?s public high school, will welcome a record-breaking 55 students this year.? The program allows law firms, law offices, and legal departments to invest in the future of our city ? by drawing upon the talents of an ethnically and racially diverse group of teens from Boston?s neighborhoods.

The Summer Jobs Program is not simply an employment opportunity for students, but an enrichment experience ? with a strong focus on education.? Students in the program attend weekly seminars on rights and responsibilities in the workplace, civic responsibility, and the judicial system.

Students will also participate in the M. Ellen Carpenter Financial Literacy Program, a joint venture of the BBA and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts. Led by seasoned bankruptcy attorneys, the financial literacy training focuses on personal finance and budgeting, using credit, and financing a car. The finale is held at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, where students participate in a mock bankruptcy hearing and have the opportunity to speak with a Bankruptcy Judge.

Other educational events lined up for the students include a mock City Council hearing to be led by former City Council President, Lawrence S. DiCara at Boston City Hall, a tour of the Adams Courthouse and Supreme Judicial Court, and sessions on the legal implications of file-sharing,? and understanding the college admissions process.

Beyond the Billable reached out to Anthony Betances, a 2011 participant to find out what he thought about the enrichment program.

Anthony Betances,
2011 Summer Jobs Participant

My favorite seminar took place at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. ?The reason it was my favorite was because it put into practice many of the things that we had already heard about in the past seminars.? We already knew that irresponsible spending could carry serious consequences, and we had been given some information on bankruptcy, but the unfolding of the process in front of our very own eyes had more of an impact.? All of a sudden, someone spending $40,000 or so but getting hit with more than $80,000 in fees and interest became more real, as did the possibility of buying a car and getting into more debt than that new car is even worth.? It really just showed how ridiculous and reckless things can get if you?re not proactive about, and conscious of, your financial life.

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The Summer Jobs Program is a longstanding collaboration of the Boston Bar Association, the City of Boston, and the Boston Private Industry Council (PIC).? The students are high school rising juniors, seniors and college freshmen, with some work and volunteer experience.? All participants completed an application, provided at least two letters of recommendation, and submitted an essay explaining why they want to participate in this program.? The students are high-achievers with their eyes set on college.? For many of the students, this program will be their first exposure to law as a profession.

Through generous funding from the Boston Bar Foundation?s M. Ellen Carpenter Fund and the Austin P. Jones Fund, 10 students will hold positions in legal services agencies, government and court offices.? All of the enrichment seminars are led by BBA volunteers.?

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