Whatever you can do or dream, you can begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
Begin it now." ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), [German Poet and Dramatist]
One person with a belief is equal to a force of ninety- nine who have only interest. ~ John Stuart Mill [Philosopher]
We are born with an innate wisdom. Each step we take helps us to grow wiser, or more full of woe. The information we acquire often gives birth to anguish. Too much elucidation is never enough. As an infant, we yearn to learn. Babies gaze, grasp, and get what they desire. No harm comes to one who cannot move beyond, thus, thrives, in a protected environment. Those fresh from the delivery room do not harbor expectations. Few are placed upon them. Existence, for the newborn, is a game of anticipation. There are no rules, no regulations, and initially no reprimands. The littlest children believe and thus, they achieve.
Her father, a male friend, a classmate, an acquaintance who she only exchanges casual niceties with when she sees him, the friend of a trusted friend who took her out on a first date, assaulted her. She was shocked. Never did she imagine someone who was familiar to her, a respectable gent, might do as he did. She did not know that someone known to the victim commits almost two-thirds of rapes. This lovely lass had not truly had a need to grapple with cruel realities. She could not have considered the cruelest realities that would now change her life forever. Nor have many politicians found themselves in a place as unimaginable as this. Yet, Presidents, Vice Presidents, Senators, Representatives, and Judges appointed by one Administration or another have a decisive power to determine her future.
Without a good education, children are left behind. Americans understand this. Yet, most do not acknowledge, in the United States, very few young persons receive quality instruction. American children do not learn to think critically, creatively, or comprehensively in comparison to those in other countries. Even students enrolled in excellent schools do not excel as children elsewhere do. Internationally, the information published in a 2002, United Nations Children's Fund, [UNICEF] study exposed a frightening truth; America pupils and schools receive poor grades when student performance and instruction are assessed. Today, the American education system remains at risk. As a recent report reinforces, today as we observe our offspring, we must consider the necessity of change. It is time to make Tough Choices (in these) Tough Times. This nation, left behind, must commit to teach our children well.
On April 15, as Floridians rush to file tax forms few think of more than the burden. The cost of living in the Sunshine State is high. Levies are higher. Each year, the toll these expenditures take on the lives of individuals and families increases. Many citizens in this Southern State cry, "We need some relief!" Representative have heard the call and responded. Yet, the reaction may not be as thoughtful as it first appears to be.
Each moment we live never was before and will never be again.
And yet what we teach children in school is 2 + 2 = 4 and Paris is the capital of France.
What we should be teaching them is what they are.
We should be saying: "Do you know what you are?
You are a marvel.
You are unique.
In all the world, there is no other child exactly like you.
In the millions of years that have passed, there has never been another child exactly like you.
You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven.
You have the capacity for anything.
Yes, you are a marvel." ~ Pablo Casals [Cello player, Conductor 1876 - 1973]
School shootings are in the news. Throughout America, adults express concern. Are the children safe when in a classroom. Repeated rounds of ammunition affirm, they are not. Some say times have changed. There seems to be a consensus; we must secure our campuses, Solutions are standard. Society must protect the young. Few think it possible to prevent another occurrence or attack. Let us examine the whole situation, the whole of our children. Perchance, the problem is not as it appears.
Eva was young, full of life, eager to learn. She was enthusiastic. These traits were attractive to all the youthful men in her High School class. Many courted the vibrant lass. Eric won her attention. Each was looking for love. Throughout their lives, these adolescents felt less than connected to their respective families. School was a social forum, a place where it was possible to relate to peers, if not the curriculum. Perhaps, that is why, at such a tender age Eric and Eva mistakenly thought lust, the chemical energy experienced during their every exchange, was deeper than a mere physical desire. The two embraced and baby made three.
In California, students are crushed by the weight of exit exams. Some feel defeated. After numerous failures on test after test, pupils presume, rather than make another attempt, it is best to just dropout. In 2006, 24,000 high school seniors dropped out, about 10,000 more than just four years earlier.
In recent years, parents appear to be less able, or available, to assist with their child's education. Moms work outside the home. Dad is away at the office. Either or each, flies off on business trips. Even when the family is together, they run from one activity to another. Few families dine together. Less eat home cooked meals. There is so much pressure and it is not in the cooker.
Stress fills the lives of everyone, young and old. Among teens the problem many be more profound. Depression affects twenty percent of teens. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among adolescents and teenagers. According to the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH), about 8 out of every 100,000 teenagers committed suicide in 2000. Needham High School Principal, Paul Richards yearns to change these statistics. Mister Richards is among many educators that have introduced programs to help reduce the strain, yoga classes among these.
The issue of continued funding of the occupation of Iraq just won't leave my mind today. President Bush yesterday returned to Congress with a new request for funds to continue the occupation of Iraq and the military presence in Afghanistan. An additional $46 billion is requested on top of the original request for $150 billion. This request for additional funds comes on the heels of a Presidential veto of funding for children's health care justified on the basis of costs. The administration finds no apparent disconnect between funding a war and denying our nation's children appropriate medical care.
'Twas October 18 and Congress was a twitter. Senators and Representatives fought and they flittered. Some thought society must provide for the children. Others maintained only parents need be responsible for their wards. Congressional Democrats discussed and debated. For them Health Care for the little ones, that was the issue. When suddenly they realized this pursuit was not viable. A few thought if they built a coalition, designed a compromise all would be well. Thus, a proposal was submitted. Funds for the children in the form of Abstinence Education, surely, that would fly; health insurance went bye-bye.
As Congress deliberated and did few deeds, parents congregated and presumed a great need. In the corners of Portland, Maine parents chattered and prattled. Could we, should we, would we give our Middle School students a prescription. Might contraceptives and condoms cure societal ills? For these fine citizens sex was the subject. Who might the teacher be?
A parent profoundly effected by property taxes and academic programs that teach to tests, decided to speak about a societal dilemma that has long haunted Americans. A mother or father enlisted the help of their very bright son. He or she enrolled the child in the political process and submitted a question for state and national politicians. Perhaps, only a youngster can truly speak to the issues that effect our future. Perchance, the sweet face of child can melt hearts hardened by budgets, years of chasing the almighty dollar, and no sense [cents?] Leonard Hornbach says to Presidential hopefuls and the Governor of Florida, Hey you, help leave no child behind, really!
Educators today learn more than they teach. However, often the lessons are as is the curriculum, limited in scope. A Math instructor tells his tale, and again the sum of the parts do not express the "whole". At the High School of Arts and Technology in Manhattan, instructor Austin Lampros received a lesson he never expected, poor, underperforming students can slide through the system more easily than a well-educated diligent instructor might. Indeed, the circumstances of pupils are perceived as special; mentors are incidental. This realization struck Mister Lampros as strange, or as the New York Times reported, A Teacher Grows Disillusioned After a `Fail' Becomes a `Pass.' Ultimately, this much esteemed Math guru left his position at the High School of Arts and Technology in Manhattan after a "disastrous year"
This article first appeared at Troubled Times. I thank Steven Josselson for the opportunity to share what I believe is a vital message.
Today, I am reminded of our shared purpose. We the people of the United States came together in order to form a more perfect Union. We joined as one to establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves, and our Posterity. However, it seems we have forgotten. Our children and our future suffer as, Congress, Bush Clash Over Children's Health Insurance.
Today, I was reminded of how deeply divided this nation is. I read School Diversity Based on Income Segregates Some. I discovered in an attempt to offer equal opportunities, indeed, schools discovered discrimination remained a dominant force. School Boards, Administrators, and the community-at-large concluded educational institutions would be more diverse if learners were assigned to schools based on family incomes. A plan was introduced and implemented. The outcome was mixed; however, the pupil populations were less so. Some races, colors, and creeds were abundant within a given institution; others were not well represented.
In America and the European Union Overweight Kids Face [a] Widespread Stigma. Only days ago, I contemplated this truth. As I watched a family shop, I was struck. She was young, perhaps ten years old. She was very heavy. I wondered how could one little girl carry so much weight on such a small frame.
The lass was sweet, quite petite, although clearly troubled. She had been shopping with her Mom, her grandmother, and her younger brother. From appearances, it seemed this family was in Target gathering wares for Grandmamma. They did not give the impression of being poor; nor did they look to be wealthy. They were average folks; they could have been you or me.
A large bus careening down the highway during the early morning hours was full of passengers. Most of the occupants were young, strong, burly, men. They had seen so little of life; their years on this Earth were few. These solid souls were off to experience a novel adventure. The Division III Beavers, a student baseball team attending Bluffton University, were traveling to Florida's Gulf Coast for a season-opening double-header game. The youthful, pious, players were excited and expectant. They were about to experience a week in the sun. Fellow Mennonite men, women, students, and alum would watch from near and far as these boys participated in a week of games. Then it happened. There was an accident. Four fellows lost their lives when the bus toppled off a bridge. The driver and his wife also perished. People throughout the nation ponder; why. Why do the young die?
After marrying, my Mom tried diligently for four full years to give birth to a child. She went from specialist to specialist. Batteries of tests were run, and then, re-run. Although she and my father were both fertile and they were a couple that thoroughly enjoyed intercourse, they could not seem to produce a baby. My Mom, a scientist at heart, concluded that perhaps, she was not fecund when most women were. Perchance her cycle was different. Once considering that possibility was enough. From then on, she was able to plan her pregnancies. My Mom gave birth to three children, none born in the first three years.
Apparently, if a Washington State initiative passes, couples such as my parents would be required to have their marriage annulled. "Naturally," gay partnerships, would not, could not be considered. Obviously, such a union would not be classified as marriage material. The Religious Right, may have felt embolden after the state Supreme Court upheld a ban on same-sex marriage, however they did not propose a plan to go further. They did not restrict what constitutes marriage in a manner that might seem feasible to them. Numerous pious persons say the bible deems the purpose of matrimony is procreation. Thus, the Washington Defense of Marriage Alliance took action.
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