It is estimated that approximately 15.7 percent of teachers leave their posts every year, and 40 percent of teachers who pursue undergraduate degrees in teaching never even enter the classroom at all. With teacher effectiveness a top priority of the education reform movement, the question remains: Why are all these teachers leaving—or not even entering the classroom in the first place? “One of the big reasons I quit was sort of intangible,” says Richard Ingersoll, a former high-school social studies and algebra teacher, “But it’s very real: It’s just a lack of respect,” he says. “Teachers in schools do not call the shots. They have very little say. They’re told what to do; it’s a very dis-empowering line of work.”
“Pre-K classrooms ought to be a place where people enjoy learning together.” For the first time, research has proved what many educators have believed to be true: Children acquire better cognitive learning skills in a classroom infused with “positive interactions.” Dale Farran, senior associate director of the Peabody Research Institute at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College for education and human development, says that positive interactions in a pre-kindergarten classroom may be equally or more important to the future academic development of 4-year-olds than learning letters and numbers. It was also noted that children in classrooms infused with more positive behaviors made gains not just academically, but in behavioral regulation as well. Read more on the study at the link.
An October overview study that will be published in Management Science looked at 201 different studies on financial literacy education programs. What they found was that, in general, these programs are not helpful. A student who takes such a course is not any better equipped to make good financial decisions than one who skips class in favor of video games, or sleeping. Surveys show that half of Americans age 18 to 34 couldn't come up with $2,000 for an emergency, and only 14.6 percent of college students with credit cards know their interest rate. So the question is, how do we effectively teach our kids about money? Experts say that actions speak louder than words. You can read more at the article link: Money Lessons for Kids
To put it in the simplest terms: a child's frontal lobe-the area of the brain responsible for reasoning and logic- is not fully developed until the early 20's, which means that until that time, YOU are the child's frontal lobe.
I found a brief explanation on PsychCentral.com from psychologist Dr. Linda Sapadin, PhD:
"Every parent’s worst nightmare: Smart kids doing stupid things. Responsible kids daring each other to be irresponsible. Insightful kids displaying not an iota of insight. What causes such maddening teenage behavior?
The secret lies in the teenage brain. It may seem like an adult brain, even better than an adult brain. For sure, your kids are smarter, faster, stronger and even wiser than you in myriad ways. But if you have any doubt that teenage brains are not adult brains, just think back to your own teen years. Unless you were a very good (scared) kid, you probably took chances you’d never take today."
Monsanto has told us that Roundup is absolutely not toxic to humans, but could they be mistaken?
A new study from MIT proves otherwise.
The study showed a link between Roundup, autism, Parkinson's Disease and yes-cancer.
As it turns out, Glyphosate, found in the residue of Roundup, is also found in high quantities in the main foods our diet, (primarily sugar, corn, soy and wheat.) Glyphosate inhibits key enzymes in our bodies and creates a toxic effect in not only beneficial insects & animals but also in people. The enzymes play crucial role, one of which is to detoxify the chemicals which are found in organisms but not normally produced or expected to be present in them.
This study shows that Roundup enhances the damaging effects of other food borne chemical residues and environmental toxins.
There is a growing trend among my 13 year old daughter's friends that alarms me: Hooka pens. Up until a few weeks ago I had never heard of them. Apparently it is a little tiny hooka-a water pipe (AKA "bongs" when I was growing up) crammed into a stick the size of a pen. When I asked her where she heard about these, she told me that one of her friends had one at school. Great. Now I had to explain to my daughter what a Hooka is and what its for. The kids seem to think its safe because "its just water vapor", but when I explained the science of how the vapor carries the fruit-flavored tobacco-and other toxins - into the lungs, she started to realize that these are not for kids. After seeing some of her classmates posting pictures of themselves on Instagram smoking these, my first question to myself is 'why would anyone want to encourage kids to smoke?' And then I realized the world I live in, and that its not about whats good for kids, its about moving product. The appeal of these "wands" is that there is no traditional smoke odor so teens can "smoke" without giving it away to parents or watchful adults. My second question: 'are they safe?' My medical/scientific background instinctively tells me they are not. So I did some quick and informal research. One article I found (that did not list any medical studies) got my attention:
"There is a common misconception prevailing among people that smoking tobacco through a hookah pipe is safer than smoking through cigarette. People mistakenly believe that the water content present in the hookah pipe captures the toxin stuff and so the smoker is not exposed to them. Of course, the water does cool the smoke, making it feel less harsh. But cooler smoke does not mean that it is safer smoke. In fact, smoking tobacco from a hookah could be possibly more detrimental than smoking cigarettes." The article lists the following as health risks:
Health effects of Hookah
In a hookah pipe, charcoal is used to heat the tobacco and this charcoal increases the health risks by generating high levels of CO (carbon monoxide), tar, metals, and various cancer-causing chemicals.
Hookah holds approximately five times more cancer-causing agents compared to cigarettes. The tobacco and smoke coming from hookah contains a number of toxic materials that can even cause bladder, lung, and oral cancers.
Hookah smokers are also exposed to several toxic substances that can cause clogged arteries and heart diseases.
Sharing of hookah’s waterpipe among several smokers can significantly increase the risk of contracting some infectious diseases like meningitis, tuberculosis, or meningitis.
One of the harmful effects of hookah is the problem of infertility.
Majority of the hookah smokers are found to suffer from the problem of breathing difficulties and wrinkling of skin.
It has been found that women who smoke hookah one or more times a day during pregnancy give birth to low-birth weight infants than women who are nonsmokers. Plus, babies born to smokers are at an increased risk for respiratory diseases.
Hookah smoke delivers nearly the same amount of nicotine as cigarette does, leading to nicotine addiction in the user.
Source: sweetadditions.net Read Full Article Here Then I dug deeper to find some studies. Here's what I came up with:
The American Lung Association (ALA) identifies hookah smoking as a major health risk. The following are the health risks of hookah smoking:
Lung cancer, oral cancer
Gastric and esophageal carcinoma
Impaired pulmonary function
Heart disease
Reduced fertility
Low birth weight of the babies
Hepatitis or herpes (caused due to the sharing of hookah among smokers)
From Cancer.org: "Hookah smoking is no safer than cigarette smoking. If you read no further, that is the take-home message for this blog -- no matter what you may have heard or read, the scientific evidence is clear that hookah smoking is not a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes." From smokefree.gov, (Department of Health and Human Services website created by the National Cancer Institute:) Q: Some hookahs have labels stating that they include "0% tar". Is this accurate information? A: No, this is deceptive. No tobacco contains tar before it is smoked; tar is produced by burning tobacco. It should be noted that a single standard hookah smoking session is associated with 46.7 times the amount of tar relative to a single cigarette [17]. Q: Is hookah smoking addictive? A: Yes. Tobacco is used in the hookah and contains nicotine. Hookah smokers are therefore exposed to the addictive substance, nicotine [19]. The amount of tobacco smoked in one head of hookah has the nicotine content contained in 70 regular cigarettes [20]. 17. Cobb, C., K.D. Ward, W. Maziak, A.L. Shihadeh, and T. Eissenberg, Waterpipe Tobacco Smoking: An Emerging Health Crisis in the United States. In press 19. Eissenberg, T. and A. Shihadeh, Waterpipe Tobacco and Cigarette Smoking: Direct Comparison of Toxicant Exposure. In press. 20. Hadidi, K.A., and F.I. Mohammed, Nicotine content in tobacco used in hubble-bubble smoking. Saudi Med J, 2004. 25: p. 912-917. admin I found a wealth of information & study links at the
"Waterpipe smoke contains numerous toxicants known to cause lung cancer, heart disease and other diseases, adverse effects on pregnancy. Same secondhand smoke disease risks caused by cigarette smoking. In one waterpipe smoking session, waterpipe smoker may inhale up to equivalent of 100 cigarettes."
Here are 2 more: Hookah Smoking No Less Harmful than Cigarettes-(University of California Study) Hookahs (CDC.gov) What is your experience with Hooka Pens? Have you seen your kids or students with these? Does your school have a policy on the use of Hookah Pens? Tell us in the comments area below.
I have always been on the fence about character education, D.A.R.E and anti-bullying programs, and while I have some very knowledgeable and capable colleagues that are doing some great work in these areas, I have always wondered if they are actually reducing the problem?
My personal approach with my own kids as well as the students I have worked with is to instill a sense of pride and self-reliance in them through setting goals & overcoming challenges.
Bullying is always about an imbalance of power. While each party plays a different role in bullying-(one passive-one aggressive) BOTH are displaying a symptom of a bigger problem: helplessness.
While the victim feels helpless and cannot or will not act to maintain or take back their power, the aggressor also feels helpless and uses intimidation and violence to establish or affirm theirs. Both are victims and both need specific interventions to address their own issues with power. Some programs have "zero tolerance" and punish both parties, others give awards to victims and in effect reward the victim for being a victim, and still others vilify and wind up bullying the bully for being a bully.
I've watched as well meaning educators and "experts" have drummed into our kids heads how horrible bullying is-and I've watched as kids interpret that to mean that teasing & bullying it is the worst thing that can happen to them. In my opinion, we need to change the way that we approach bullying education. I firmly do believe that no one can make you feel inferior without your permission. But simply telling kids this will not work. (Read more aboutAffirmations & why they don't work here.) Especially for a child who has self-esteem challenges. They need to experience it to learn it first hand, and how they learn is by being allowed and encouraged to develop themselves as individuals. We need to stop feeding into what the 'experts" say and use common sense. We need to provide kids with viable tools and options that allows them to stand up for themselves, because as we have also seen, others will not always stand up for them.
The following research study regarding the effectiveness of school-based anti-bully programs comes from the Journal of Criminology Volume 2013 (2013), Article ID 735397, 10 pages:
A Multilevel Examination of Peer Victimization and Bullying Prevention in Schools
Seokjin Jeong1 and Byung Hyun Lee2
1Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Texas at Arlington, P.O. Box 19595, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
2Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
Received 4 March 2013; Revised 20 May 2013; Accepted 28 May 2013
The goal of this study is twofold: (i) to develop an explanatory model to examine the relationship between school environment/climate and peer victimization and (ii) to determine whether previous models of preventive strategies in a single school or district could be expanded to the nationally representative sample of adolescents across multiple schools. The analyses in the current study are based on data from the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) 2005-2006 US study, and the sample consists of 7,001 students from 195 different schools. The findings reveal that students attending schools in which bullying prevention programs are implemented are more likely to have experienced peer victimization, compared to those attending schools without bullying prevention. Study limitations and implications for future research are discussed.
[In the interest of time/space, I have skipped to section 7 Conclusion/Discussion]
7. Conclusion and Discussion:
Surprisingly, bullying prevention had a negative effect on peer victimization. Contrary to our hypothesis, students attending schools with bullying prevention programs were more likely to have experienced peer victimization, compared to those attending schools without bullying prevention programs. It is possible that bullies have learned a variety of anti-bullying techniques but chose not to practice what they have learned from the program. Sometimes, bullies maintain their dominant social status among peers in school. As a result, the preventive strategies may become ineffective.
Admittedly, this is just one study I came across, and does not prove nor disprove the effectiveness of these programs, but it does support what some of us have always suspected. It also raises some interesting points and questions about school climate in general. I personally, would like to see more research done in this area.
Does your school currently have an anti-bully program? In your opinion, and based on your observations, has it had a positive or negative impact on school climate? Have you seen any other studies supporting or refuting the effectiveness of Anti-bullying programs? Please tell us in the comments area below.
I will first say that while I realize the media has a tendency to "spin" things to make them more emotional & interesting, and I do not know both sides of the story, my comments not only relate to this particular event as described in the article, but all the other policies & rules that school boards across the country implement for reasons most of us cannot understand.
As a parent of just about 30 years now (and an educator for 20 of those years), I have corresponded & communicated with many teachers and administrators over the years, usually with pen and paper-but on some occasions by phone & by e-mail. In my opinion, policies like these do not compel us to be respectful to each other- they only serve to quiet some, push others over the edge and divide us all even more.
Additionally, policies and rules such as this one allows the ignorant to exploit our sensitivity, and thus gives them power over us.
The first problem with policies & practices such as the one the Bethlehem School District has implemented, is this: How can you objectively define "rude" or "disrespectful"? This is an judgement call that contains many elements-and the receptivity, emotional maturity and overall attitude of the receiver is just as important to consider as that of the one communicating.
So my first question about the above referenced policy is, who gets to decide if a communication is "rude" (i.e "offensive") and therefore not worth responding to? Wouldn't that determination depend completely on the person reading or listening to the communication and how they feel that day? Does this mean that you could be considered "rude" if you are simply "disagreeing" with something?
Rude is in the eye of the beholder.
The way I see it, the very ideas of "rude", "disrespect" and "offended" are two sides of the same coin. On the one side, we should absolutely be respectful of each other. On the other side, that is not always going to happen. One person's "rude" is another person's "honest". In expecting and even demanding respect from everyone we come in contact with we have already set an unreasonable and non-objective expectation that spirals downwards from there.
While racist, intimidating or threatening comments are never OK, not everyone is so educated, informed, sophisticated & eloquent in their self-expression. In fact,some people are definitely ignorant. But lets be honest: when it comes down to it, words are words, opinions are opinions and sometimes "rude" is the only way things get done.
In my experience, most people don't attack a school administration, anonymously, online or otherwise, without having some catalyst to set it in motion. Most people are too busy trying to put food on the table, or, looking for work. What the article does not say is what prompted these so-called "rude" e-mails and what were they even about? Exactly how many were sent that caused a policy/news article to be written over it? Is this really what schools should be worried about? Is this what tax dollars pay them to do? I'm sure that this school board's time could be better spent addressing more important issues regarding education and the actual needs of the students in the community?
Wouldn't it be more productive to say, "Gee, when we sift through the "offensive language in these ignorant e-mails, it appears that this person/people is upset because...." But no-that would take a little bit of work. Its much easier to hide behind a policy that bans all "offensive" speech. Yeah. That'll work. This gives me images of a child sticking his fingers in his ears, sticking out his tongue and singing "I can't hear you...lalalalalalala...." as he runs away.
The school boards work for the communities, and are elected by the people of each respective community. They need to be held accountable to the people and answer for their actions, instead of being allowed to draft policies and make rules that discourage communication between hard working parents and the very people who are influencing their children for 7 or more hours a day, 5 days a week, 36 weeks of every year for about 13 years. They need to step up and start acting like the professionals that they want us to believe they are and want us to respect them for. I say, respect is earned, not a given and its hard to respect a board who is making rude e-mails an issue that needs a policy and a press release.
By ignoring people who are apparently already ticked off about something, and who may be unable-or unwilling - to communicate it effectively, a district runs the risk of increasing the odds that they will only get more angry/ rude/disrespectful communications. They also run the risk of dismissing a valid communication because they have now made an issue of rudeness and are looking for it in any way shape & form. Then what happens? Do they call for the ban of parents from school functions? the arrest of a parent who has an opinion about the school or community? for asking a question? for disagreeing? or for expressing a grievance because they used "offensive" words to express it? Because if a board does, its important to understand that now they are clearly part of a growing problem.
Remember where we live: we are guaranteed to be free to express ourselves, even if we do it rudely or disrespectfully. So, either we ALL have that right of expression, or, NONE of us have that right. We cannot pick and choose who has a valid opinion based on whether or not we or someone else feels "offended". What happened to "acceptance" and "non-judgement"? All these nice words and ideals go out the window very quickly in real life, don't they?
With that said, I will add that just because you have a right to say something, does not mean you should.
When I communicate with a school-I absolutely put my name on everything I send, and am careful to be specific about my question or thoughts. If a person is serious about a complaint, they should do the same but I also can understand why people are reluctant or unable to do that: frustration at dealing with an already difficult-to-navigate & increasingly corrupt system; fear that their child will get singled out and "punished" for a parent's perceived rudeness; fear that they will be labeled as "one of those parents" or even as an "enemy combatant"... or worst of all, fear that they will be called a "racist", if the other person happens to be of a different ethnic background then they are, which we all can agree is a touchy subject for many these days.
Things are getting more tense and way out of hand with schools and other government divisions in general, and it seems that the "polite" people who approach problems and issues with reason are promptly ignored anyway. Maybe part of the answer is that yes, we all should be more eloquent & polite and realize that we are on the same side, but the other part of that is that we also should grow up, and stop being so hyper-sensitive to what others think & say because this is the exact thing that perpetuates bullying, discrimination and yes, racism.
My second question is to everyone reading this post: Does it really matter that much to you what someone else thinks of you, or the way they say it to you that you have to write a policy or make a rule to ban/ignore them or demand they respect you? Because if it does, the problem is more within you than the person expressing a rude opinion, and if you are a teacher or administrator you have no business being in any position of power, and you certainly have no business influencing young people in any way. As the saying goes, "If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen."
Understand something: being "offended" is a choice-not something that others impose on you. Its a mythical state of mind and an idea that has grown popular out of the "Politically Correct" movement. Our feelings stem from the way we think-our thoughts and ideas are what gives rise ot our feelings. Those who overdo the "PC" thinking and who invoke the "offended" clause, are those who are attempting to silence those who don't agree with them or those who, by telling the truth, threaten their very existence in some way. One can say its to protect themselves or a community, but deep down, it stems from something else: one's ego and sense of self-importance. The truth is, that we can stop feeling offended anytime we decide to. I suggest we start now.
Being "offended" by "rude" and "disrespectful" people is a cop out for so many things, and THAT is the root of the problem. That is what really needs to stop. Its called "grow a backbone". Real men and real women don't get offended, because we know ourselves well enough to be confident in who we are, what we can do, where we came from and where we are going. We don't need validation in the form of "respect" from anyone-because we are more concerned with doing the right thing, rather than feeling good and going along with what is popular. We are expansive thinkers and are open to all opinions-polite and rude just the same and can look at them objectively, rather than through the lens of our emotions. We are not so high and mighty that we feel that we need to silence those who disagree with us, but rather, when criticized or called out, we use it as a time for self-reflection and make choices based on what is right for the majority-not on how fragile or powerful we feel at any given moment. We work to educate the ignorant-not silence them.
Our schools are in serious trouble. And while the 'State' demands more and more of our students and gives them less and less, in the background we have squabbling & rules being written by adults that are based on feelings, subjective opinion and myth, and have nothing to do with education or making our schools better for our kids & our communities. Rules that are made because we don't like the way someone spoke or because we don't want to hear all the negative things others are saying about us. By doing this, we have stooped to the very mentality we are trying to "ban", and the ignorant, have in effect "won". Power is given-and power is taken away just as easily. It all depends on how we respond.
Parents: educate yourself & if you have a gripe, learn how to effectively communicate it-on paper, face-to-face, by e-mail and at the polls. When we fail to take the responsibility to learn how to communicate & express ourselves properly, then everyone loses. There is power in numbers and the parents, teachers & even the students themselves hold the best cards. Know what cards you hold, which ones you need, and play them wisely. If you can't do that, then just stay off the internet, keep quiet and stop wasting everybody's time.
Administrators: You are the leaders and set the example & the tone for our students and our communities. Instead of trying to silence rude voices or being offended at the ignorance they display, take up the challenge they present in the right manner and use their weaknesses against them the way they are attempting to do to you. Teach our kids how to be strong in body, mind and emotion, and to rise above this kind of ignorance. Teach them that their self-worth is not dependent on the opinions of others and to be conscientious -to have pride in their work, their communities, themselves and their family heritage. Teach them to work on bettering themselves and letting go of this idea of someone "offending" or "bullying" them through words, because it can only hurt them if they allow it to.
So I say enough rule and policy writing. There will always be ignorant people in the world. The only way to minimize the effects of hate, discrimination, racism & bullying is to stop giving those who spread it, power over us. In order to effectively do that, we need to change our attitudes & approaches and set the example and provide the tools for our children to do the same.
Who do you trust and how can you tell if someone is trustworthy?
This is a process that is imperative to teach ourselves, our kids and our students. Our Politically Correct society, over-focus on sensitivity training and the trend towards "acceptance" and "non-judgement" has made us unable to tell a trustworthy person from an untrustworthy one. And it is imperative that we know how to do this. You could say its a matter of survival.
When we do spot the fake, no matter who it may be, we are reluctant-even fearful- to call them out. Why? We fear being told we are "not being a team player", or we fear "offending" someone, we fear being labeled "inflexible", "uncooperative", "non-compliant" and the ever dreaded "racist".
I read an interesting article recently and one part really stood out:
"Denial exists because human infants, though equipped with trust-o-meters, are built to trust, blindly and absolutely, any older person who wanders past. Life would be brief, incredibly complicated, and unbearably frightening for any baby who didn't invest automatic confidence in her caregivers, who suspected adults of deception whenever they said, "Drink this; it's good for you" or "Those people are evil" or "Grandma will take care of you." We all have faith in the people we encounter during our early youth. If they deserve this, our trust-o-meters are programmed to function accurately, and we're well on our way to a life of wise discernment."
The article continued:
"Sadly, however, few child-rearers deserve the unmitigated trust babies invest in them. Some adults, purposely or (far more often) accidentally, give children unhealthy drinks, from tainted water to Jack Daniels. Others, out of malice or (far more often) ignorance, create unwarranted fear and prejudice. Sometimes Grandma is a psychopath or (far more often) a short-tempered neurotic whose idea of childcare involves strapping the kiddies into her Cadillac so she can cruise the red light district searching through binoculars for her ex-boyfriend's car."
"If something along those lines happened to you, you've been conditioned to attach the definition "trustworthy" to people who are, in fact, untrustworthy."
So how can you tell if someone is trustworthy? Find out at the link below and please, teach this method of knowing to every young person you know. Their future depends on it.
Have you ever wondered how this all happened? Where Common Core came from? Why it exists? Who pushed for this? How the United States of America has national standards that so many people are not even aware of?
Have you contemplated if this is such a good idea or not?
You are not alone!
Below are 2 links from Mercedes Schneider's EduBlog. The first post is a lengthy but very worthwhile one that includes painstaking research and simplified commentary to give you a bit of background on the "Common Core".
Oscar Wilde once said that "No good deed goes unpunished", and I am seeing this more and more.
I would love for every single person reading this post to contact this Massachusetts school district and tell them exactly what you think about this latest gross overstepping of boundaries:
Massachusetts teen suspended for helping drunk friend Source: The Morning Call
To summarize: a student from the North Andover High Schoolwas called by a drunk friend to give her a ride home from a (non-school sponsored) party and the teen did so. She was subsequently punished by the school, who cited their "zero tolerance" policy for alcohol.
What I am observing and learning, is that the "Common Core"- type thinking, is designed to break spirits & de-sensitize us all - both students and adults - to critical thinking and to what is the right thing to do. Its a way of (non)thinking and (non)acting that rewards "doing what's expected" over doing what's right & encourages conformity over independent thinking.
From the school's website:
"The mission of North Andover Public Schools is to cultivate a respectful community of engaged learners, insightful thinkers, and effective communicators."
Sounds good, doesn't it? But when students demonstrate respectful, insightful thinking, they get suspended? Way to encourage respectful, insightful thinking, North Andover.
The bottom line: as much as we'd like to think otherwise, kids are going to make errors & bad decisions. Sometimes those decisions involve activities that can harm themselves or others. Schools cannot even dream of controlling this kind of "trial and error" behavior, not even by making up ridiculous "zero tolerance" policies. This becomes less about protecting our kids, and more about controlling them.
Schools have absolutely no business in the personal lives of students or teachers and more importantly no jurisdiction. This kind of interference & treatment is not only having the opposite effect of what schools think it will do, but is also a complete overstep of boundaries - and a blatant infringement on parental rights.
And hiding behind "school policy" just doesn't cut it anymore. Its a "PC" cop out for those who don't want to take a stand against that which is clearly wrong.
This young lady should be rewarded for doing the right thing. And every parent & educator reading this should be gravely concerned. This is not just about one student who got a raw deal. This affects every single family in the country. Its not the only time that a student's good deed has gone unpunished. Its happening daily all over the United States (and Canada):
I urge you to commit to establishing your own personal "Zero Tolerance" policy-zero tolerance for ridiculous school policies that impose unfair consequences on students who try to do the right thing-(in this case, one by calling a friend, and the other by not letting her friend drive drunk.)
Zero-Tolerance for infringement on parental rights. I don't care if you are a "good" parent a "mediocre" one or an outright "inept" one. Unless abuse/neglect is occurring, then schools do not belong in your or your child's business off the school clock. Period.
Zero Tolerance for administrators who perpetuate the systematic traumatizing, dumbing down and attacks of integrity and character of students.
Zero Tolerance for the continued corruption of education.
You get the idea. Now get tough and get going! Back to common sense. Are you a parent, teacher or student & what would you add to your own personal "Zero-Tolerance" policy? Please tell us in the comments area below.
Learn more about Parental Rights as related to Education here:
A school psychologist offers advice on nurturing this critical relationship
Both parents & educators share the goal of helping children learn and be successful.
Research has shows that when parents and teachers work together, everyone benefits. School programs that include strong parent involvement are much more effective and yet, collaboration between parents and teachers is not always a smooth process.
Establishing effective home-school communication requires efforts from both teachers and parents.
The first 10 amendments to the Constitution make up the Bill of Rights.
Written by James Madison in response to calls from several states for greater constitutional protection for individual liberties, the Bill of Rights lists specific prohibitions on governmental power.
The Virginia Declaration of Rights, written by George Mason, strongly influenced Madison.
One of the many points of contention between Federalists and Anti-Federalists was the Constitution’s lack of a bill of rights that would place specific limits on government power. Federalists argued that the Constitution did not need a bill of rights, because the people and the states kept any powers not given to the federal government. Anti-Federalists held that a bill of rights was necessary to safeguard individual liberty.
"A student in Bryant School District in Arkansas brought home a worksheet that presented her with a scenario that referred to the Bill of Rights as “outdated” and that as part of a special committee she would need to throw out two of the Amendments."
Source: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/359714#ixzz2ho7btVxO
My 12th Grade Stepdaughter came home recently with a similar assignment. Her "amendment" was more like a suggestion for a law-so we asked her what she knew about the amendments & the constitution. As a high school senior she could not tell us one single amendment or how many there were. I am telling this story not to embarrass her-but to make a point that many high school seniors cannot wrap their heads around why the constitution was even written, let alone tell you what the amendments are, how many of them there are, nor understand their contents.
When I see assignments like this (see link below) coming home, from 6th grade on up, not only does it give me pause-but also a chill down my spine.
Our children are our future. Parents, teachers, teach them actual History-they way it actually was. Not history the way it is being manipulated and PC'd to death.
Students: Take responsibility for your own learning and read. Learn about the founding of your country and why it is so important that we preserve the rights that so many have died for.
I've included some resources below to get you started. If you have additional resources, please list them in the comments area below this post.
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