Edumacation

Same-day returns to sports games after a young'un gets a concussion aren't a good thing apparently. Who knew?

This Connecticut School District is getting rid of their math textbooks. But wait, it's a good thing.

George Tiller was recently killed over abortions. This story looks at the sad side of being an anti-abortion protester. Really? I don't feel bad for them one bit.

One of my loans got sold to the government. Is this win?

Religious Education

What do you think of when you see that headline? Do you think about going to a Catholic high school? What about a Muslim elementary school?

I think of learning about and coming to an understanding of the different religions around the world, from the past and the present. In short, the following story is a great example of what I think of.

Boys in grades 6-8 from Trinity Presbyterian Church and Townsend Street School are learning about the different monotheistic traditions that they may come in contact with in order to eliminate stereotypes, fears, and intolerance. Mark Bedford, the minister who began the program, is considering expanding it to include Hindus and Buddhists as well.

Basically, representatives from the different religions come and speak with the children and answer their questions. One of my favorite people, imam Ziad Hamdan from the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, is also taking part in the program.

This is an amazing program and I wish that more people had access to this opportunity. Eliminating stereotypes and other biases against religions early on will have a far better effect than the same programs later on, but it is important for people of all ages to learn about their misconceptions of others.

I hope this program expands exponentially.

Can U Meet Up 2nite?

Anyone else getting tired of hearing about problems people are getting into while texting? Seriously, don't people have the common sense not to stop in the middle of the street while texting? Or, you know, not operate a train?

In Silicon Valley, they're talking about banning texting while driving.

WHY CAN'T YOU JUST NOT FREAKING DO STUPID STUFF?

I text while I drive. I also text at school, at work, in the bathroom, even (gasp!) in the shower! Honestly, if you do almost anything in a smart way and in moderation, it can't hurt you. If you'd just determine the right time to text is not while crossing the street or driving a train with tons of lives on your shoulders, then you'd be fine!

People just talking on their phones have a hard time driving. Imagine that, unlike myself, they don't have the number/letter key configuration memorized, that they don't have the ability to text without looking with 98% accuracy. Those same people who can't drive and talk at the same time are now talking to others in the car, listening to music, not obeying driving laws, AND now their attention is drawn to making sure they're spelling something right?

Maybe texting while driving should be banned. Maybe there are only a select few of us can that do more than just walk and chew gum at the same time. Or maybe this is a case of the stupid few ruining it for the rest of us?

Talk amongst yourselves, I'm feeling a little furklempt.

Bad Girl

No, loyal readers, this won't be about my latest series of comments on Brew Crew Ball. Instead, this is about physical discipline in our schools.

As a youngster, I attended Yujin Gakuen, a Japanese Immersion elementary school which has since set up programs in Colin Kelly Middle School and North Eugene High School. I only attended for kindergarten and a bit of first grade, mostly due to an illness, but also in part because of the way they handled me and the other children.

My illness, Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (Still's Disease), has been so bad in the past that it has prevented me from doing things that normal children love to do physically. During first grade, we were required to sit "criss-cross-applesauce" in our Japanese classes. One day, after recess, I couldn't sit that way due to the amount of pain that it caused. I tried explaining to the teacher, but she wasn't listening and didn't care. She picked me up by the wrist, suspending me in mid-air as she spanked me several times. She put me down and then forced my legs into the criss-cross position.

Physical discipline in Eugene (as well as the whole state of Oregon I believe) is illegal. She did not ever get reprimanded for her actions towards me, but she did later reprimand several other students and resigned.

I can confirm what the CNN article indicates - physical discipline does not help children act better. It simply makes them afraid of their parent/guardian/teacher/etc. And, as in my case, it's not always warranted punishment. It doesn't really help anyone to understand the reasoning behind why they are being punished. Honestly, detention helps kids understand and avoid repeating their actions more effectively.

I vote that physical discipline in our public schools should be banned. Private schools already don't have to follow the same rules, and it would be hard to demand they follow this one as well.

I Felt Like Posting Again

I was watching CNN just now and saw the story about a teacher being fired for using The Freedom Writers Diary as a teaching tool to help motivate her students. She claims that the book will help them because it helps to convey the message that the students are not alone in the problems that they face. The school board suspended her for a year and a half without pay, so they basically fired her. They didn't approve of the book's foul language, which I can understand, but I have read many books with terribly foul language before. The only book that I could never get into because of the language and content was Catcher in the Rye. But I digress. The book's content is a little questionable but the message at the end of the book I think pushes past the earlier content to give an uplifting message to all. The teacher did send out permission slips to all 150 students' parents, and only one family refused to sign. The school board has looked over the case and will allow the teacher to return in the fall. However, the teacher refuses to return unless she's allowed to teach the book. After all, it is in the school's library.

And for anyone who is/was interested in the Body Worlds exhibit at the Milwaukee Public Museum, there's a story about it here. It really was a fun and interesting experience. I'm even flirting with the notion of donating my body to the exhibit so that more attention can be brought to how JRA or arthritis in general can ravage the body. I think that if more people could really understand it, they wouldn't underestimate it as much as they do currently.

Why Do Teachers Sleep With Their Students?

Seriously, I don't get it. But even more unbelievable sometimes is how these students are attracted to their teachers. Some of these women are so unattractive or old that it doesn't make sense to me. The only thing I can think is that maybe the kids were pressured into it. We all know what it's like to be a teenager and stuck in precarious positions.

The latest case of teacher-student sexual relationships come from Brevard County, Florida, also home of one of the cutest baseball mascots.This sixty year old woman (yes, that's 60) who worked at the juvenile detention center as a teacher began this relationship with a seventeen year old student after he left the center. Adrienne Laflamme is charged with fifteen counts of "sex violations with a minor," including an instance where a fourteen year old boy joined the lovers. She told the students involved not to say anything. She also lent the 17 year old her car and then reported it stolen, for which she faces a charge of filing a false police report.

Hopefully by the time this crazy lady gets out of jail, if she doesn't die in there of old age, she won't have any interest in the student, unlike Mary Kay Fualaau (formerly Letourneau).

I am...

I had to write this poem for Education100 a few weeks ago...

I Am

I am compassionate and helpful.
I believe that children are the future.
I wonder if my students will like me, or think I'm crazy.
I hear the giggles of kids as they learn something important through humor.
I see a classroom of kids looking up to me, waiting for the next example.
I want to help make the world a better place.
I am compassionate and helpful.

I pretend like I am a little girl every day, to escape stress.
I feel like schools don't have passionate teachers anymore.
I touch the hearts of my past teachers by taking examples from them.
I worry that I might be that one teacher every kid thinks is crazy.
I cry when I see parents belittling their children in stores.
I believe that I can make a difference in those kids' lives.
I am compassionate and helpful.

I understand that not every kid is going to like me.
I say never give up what you want most for what you want right now.
I dream about a day where I can see my students graduate.
I try to help every child that I meet.
I hope that I will be an important part of many lives.
I believe that education is the biggest investment in the future.
I am compassionate and helpful.

It seems like everything I am coincides with everything that Esmé Raji Codell is too. If you haven't read her book, Educating Esmé: Diary of a First Year Teacher yet, I suggest you get it. It's only like a 200 page paperback that'll take you maybe three hours to finish. It's really worth the ten dollars or so, depending on where you get it. It really helps to exhibit the problems inherent in the education system today. You can read more about her at her wesbite, http://www.planetesme.com/.