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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
Wendy in California
Published Letters: 28 Editor's Choice: 1
I couldn't have said it better than JenniferinMO. I have blue ribbons on my car - 5 of them. They say "Support Peace".
I get so insulted when people make the assumption that not supporting the war equals not supporting the troops. So I decided to walk my talk and do something tangible, something more than making sure my voice is heard (loudly!) by every representative I have.
I went to "SoldiersAngels.org", a non-profit, non-denominational service started by the mother of a soldier that matched me up with a soldier in Iraq. I send him letters about twice a week and care packages monthly. The knowledge that I am helping one soldier know that someone cares, that his name will be called at mail call, that he will get the Folger's coffee he asked for...helps me feel like I am really making a difference.
Until this despicable administration is brought to its knees and our soldiers are brought home, I will make sure my one soldier know he is appreciated for serving his country...I write it in every letter I send him.
I so agree - how can any "journalist" who prints the talking points and avoids the hard questions even claim that title!? For his courage alone I would award Josh the title of journalist. He did a better job of letting us see the truth than at least 90% of the network journalists who have, until recently, reported exactly what this administration dictated they report. For shame.
When announcers like this idiot cease to pull in ratings - his show will be canceled. Until then, our society has some serious growing up to do. Boot the idiot out for good.
The relationship of a parent with a child can sometimes be tinged with overwhelm, because it is a 24/7 job that few skate through gracefully. Blessed are the children who have a relationship with another, childless, adult. That adult is more likely to relate to them as a person, without that tinge of overwhelm. It is truely a blessing. I speak from the perspective of a single mom of a beautiful girl who had a few of my friends become my daughter's special friends. Magic can happen with this situation. And so much the better that you are part of the family. Have a great time with those kids.
...not by the article, which seems to tacitly accept that test scores are the be-all end-all goal in education, and discusses how parents are finding new ways to manipulate those scores.
No, I am encouraged by the John Gatto suggestion. Hallelujah Unadilla, I'm right there with you. Then imagine my surprise and pleasure to even encounter the work "unschooling"! Thank you firefly82, I am unschooling my daughter as well. And Juliebird, well put - we have lost the actual discovery and creative learning process amidst the race for the test scores.
Education is being treated in an exclusively linear fashion in a twisted attempt to improve it. Yet true learning happens in ways that can never be measured, and knowledge exists in children who will never test well. The existence of different learning styles is barely acknowledged, much less addressed. Instead, kids are labeled for life because they don't fit into the mold that the school system dictates.
My daughter spent her first 4 years of schooling at a wonderful Krishnamurti school in Ojai, CA. One emphasis they had was that different kids learn things at different times; while one child in the class might struggle with reading, he/she would get there eventually, and might be much better at math than the rest of the class. Differences were to be appreciated, not criticized.
One morning I walked my daughter to class and lingered a bit before leaving. The kids were talking amongst themselves, and this is what I heard:
Let's make a book! That will be cool...
Yah, and Alexa and Amanda can write it, 'cause they're so good at writing...
And Laurel can do the illustrations because she's so good at art...
And Luke can help us put it together because he's really good at making things with his hands...
Yes! This will be cool...
Now that is true esteem-building, not testing and seeing who had the highest score. Competition always has winners and losers, and the losers might just be poor test takers. The winners might be kids whose parents manipulate the system in a desperate attempt to ensure higher test scores.
People, please! This is about the kids, not the test scores. I, for one, am delighted to be raising a child who can think outside the box, whose creativity and spirit are intact; a child who is learning about life instead of test scores. Because you all should be aware of the real truth that no one in public education likes to talk about: Homeschoolers do better on the ACT and the SAT, across the board, than kids with public educations. And guess what - homeschoolers also do better in college - they are more independent and self-directed than their peers from public schools. Do a google search - the information is out there.
Yes, I am encouraged by you Salon readers - the tide is turning.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Once seen as a lunatic fringe, reactionary anti-women groups are courting respectability
Salon headlines in your mailbox
