lisa_belle

Just so you know,

We DONT teach any thing about marriage. the who the what the why.

And even if we did teach what was right and wrong...

are you THAT afraid that your children are going to abandon what you, parents, their FIRST teachers, have taught them?



If so, maybe you should not let them leave the house. Because someday, whether we teach things or not, your child MIGHT, if you're unlucky, make a decision for his or herself.


Now I'll have to go back to waiting for the government to do what the people weren't willing to.  Come on, courts!  Deja Vu, much, United States of America?

Folks, let me share something with you about racism.  Read this before opening your mouth or ears to someone in public.

If you have to start a sentence with, "I'm not racist, but....."  you are about to make a racist comment.

Racism doesn't mean you want to commit genocide or are ready to openly declare hate or superiority.  It is enough that you are going to make a generalization about an entire race or culture based on a stereotype.  Surprise!  That's racism.

I got into a conversation (okay, it was a debate) with some guy and I had to put on my cape of social justice again.  Don't talk to me about education.  Don't talk to me about what KINDS of families (like which races) accept their situations and which ones work hard to get out of them.  Don't try and tell me who refuses to learn languages.

Because I actually am out there and I KNOW and I see that these fallacies are just stereotypes perpetuated by people who have seen one person like that out there, or listen to some other angry person.

This guy wanted to talk about bilingual education....but somehow all of his points ended up at  "NAFTA and Mexican trucks as the reason for our sinking dollar", "THEY have more than one family in a house,"  "THEM not wanting to excel or succeed in life," "THEM showing their flag in front of their house," "THEM becoming a majoity in California."  Everytime I tried to talk about education and research, he wanted nothing to do with it.

The good news?  He is moving to Washington state! woo-hoo! I stopped sweating the conversation after awhile because I thought-- It is not everyday that someone leaves here. And this is exactly the kind of person I want leaving here! =)

And WOW.  This was forwarded to me by my mother and the staff at her elementary school. Sometimes it blows me away how acceptable this kind of opinion is.  I find it funny in the way it was NOT meant to be. <=/  




what the teacher added was in italics

Let's think critically.

Why would the US's appointed Secretary of Education promote Bush's plan to give money away to send students to private schools? (and yes this is an OPINION page)

possible answers:
-because schools are low performing?
-because everyone has a right to private education?

Let's think harder.  Lets' ask some questions.
-WHY is the federal government willing to speand FEDERAL/PUBLIC money on PRIVATE education? is this an unfair use of money? Is this a way to get their foot in the door and now influence what education goes on in private organizations?
-WHY is the govt not putting this money toward funding the schools who need more support to teach what is in all likeliness a population that needs resources (both academinc and economical)?  I mean, they're only failing according to the FEDERAL policies. Shouldn't there be a rescue/improvement plan rather than an assess-then-abandom-ship plan?
-WHY would the govt want to lower popluations of public schools and therefore employees on their payroll? Then maybe they could start to weaken those damned unions while they're at it.

I just watched the Oprah special, "Auschwitz: Death Camp" with ellie weisel.

It was, I am sure a surprise to no one, indescribable.  I know sometimes with tragic events, we walk this thin line between the beliefs of wanting to stop seeing the imagery or hearing the stories because it is thought to be excessive, and always needing to be reminded. I am of the side of the fence that thinks having access to that sort of emotion, however unpleasant, is necessary. We should never be disconnected from life--past or present-- for reasons of uncomfortableness.

The show, which was primarily interactions between Oprah and Mr. Weisel, also comfirmed my belief that Oprah IS doing what she can. It is easy for me to say she can be doing more when I see her shows about puppies or white trash meth addicts of middle america. Lately, however, I have focused a lot more on her donations and programs she has set up,and the shows challenging the marginalization of women or the inequity in education. 

When Oprah and the survivor were looking over the tons of human hair (or was it shoes...they're each so surreal that it blurs together), they spoke about being so angry that they cannot do enough to stop the injustices in the world. And I thought about all of the things I have seen Oprah do, and the things that she does silently, and I listened to the survivor speak of how he feels like such a failure to have published 49 books, won a Nobel Peace Prize, and still not be able to stop everything.......and it made sense to me. Neither one of them stops what they are doing because it isn't enough ( and wow on the scheme of things I think they do a very great much). It made me hopeful.

Some (not direct) quotes that stood out:

Language has been an obstacle because there exist no words to describe what went on here.

In those times, it was human to be inhuman (his explanation of how humans, not devils, made this possible)

Because I suffered, i do not accept when others suffer. It makes me stand up to their suffering.

A 2004 government report found that 30% of the poorest children had attended at least three different schools by third grade, while only 10% of middle class children did so. High mobility-- each move requiring a readjustment to teachers, classmates, and curriculum-- depresses achievement.


my students are always moving to find a place they can afford...which they often can't do. it's strange how much the apartments across from my school cost... they couldn't pay me to live there.