I can see both sides. Or stop the tweets.

The pro football season is underway and once again some players are using the game and attention to bring attention to their cause. The apparent injustice to African Americans in this country by thepolice and in general.

I agree with their tight to protest. I don’t agree with their choice of venue and using the American flag and anthem to do it.

But is the attention they are drawing by using the anthem that’s really keeping them from using some other more appropriate venue and circumstance to protest?   Maybe if it stopped making front pages and Tweets they’d find other peaceful ways to protest the injustices.

Nothing sells tickets better then attention. Yes they need the attention so let’s not give it to their protest until they move it away from our anthem and to a more appropriate place.

Just my two cents.

Why Coach?

After reading an article in my local paper about a girl's HS lacrosse team's victory where 90% of the article was about the suspension of the head and assistant coach, one man, one woman, it begged the question " Why Coach?" These coach's were suspended while a non -criminal investigation was being held.  The investigation was called for after some parent complaints were made.  Not that it matters but the head coach has been coaching ten years and won three Sectional Titles.  His daughter is on the team.  I have been coaching since 1977.  The only times I asked myself the question " Why Coach?" was when parents were involved.  After all, Why would anyone give up 3-6 hours a day during their 4 month season, time during the off season to ( the other 8 months), to organize and run off season workouts, get kids into AAU programs, run camps, etc.  It's certainly not for the money. I used to tell my players parents every year, " Your job is to support your child, feed them, make sure they get enough rest, get them to practice & pick them up & whatever else you can do to support the program". " Remember when you are watching a game you are watching # 12, while I am watching 12 players".   Whenever I had an issue with parents it was about the All Mighty PT also known as Playing Time.  Parents are "blind" when it comes to their child.  They see $$$$$$. A possible college scholarship.  If a coach gets in the way, We'll complain.  We'll accuse him/her of something. You think they are your friends until you take away some of their child's PT, then you find out what you mean to them  You are a means to their end.  So again I ask, " Why Coach?"



I do it for the love of the game and of teaching.  I do it for the joy of watching kids grow and the relationships you make and build. I still am connected with many of my players, their parents, coaches,referees, and others connected to the game. But when ever I see an article about a situation like this I cringe.  Not that all coaches are doing all the right thing but for God's Sake, can you understand then, " Why Coach/"  Sign me Been There........

Is the Character gone in the NFL?

Who remembers the days of Roger Staubach, Jim Brown, and Joe Montana?  Are those days gone? Today the NFL seems to be consumed with domestic abusers; drunks, child abusers, animal abusers, and head hunters. In other words plain old Thugs. Yes we still have the Peyton Mannings, Marshawn Lynch's, and Reggie Waynes but these other types of players seem to be the rule now instead of the exception. The crazy hair hanging out of the helets is on the rise.  The cocky celebrations after a score or big hit are happening all over.  The vicious hits well after the play looking to maim the opponents rather then just get him down are the mantra of some teams and players.



Fans are fed up and are starting to turn off their sets and not going to games.  What's  scary is that it's just not in football. Watch an NBA or NHL game & you'll see some of these behaviors.  Even our national past time is being affected.  It all goes back to the lack of character being displayed in some of our youth programs.  Recently we benched 3 players for a prank they played in their middle school.  Our coach was questioned by some for the benching .  People said that since we are a youth team and not a school team, the boys shouldn't be punished for something that happened in school.  It's that kind of attitude that is allowing our youth to display similar behaviors as the pros.  We need to send a clear message of what we expect and will tolerate from our professional athletes as well as all those in the public eye as well as ourselves.  Enough is Enough.

Schools Can't Save Our Kids

Recently I spoke with a young father.  He told me how he regretted not being able to go over his kindergartener's homework with him because his wife did that before he got home from work.  But he made sure that every night he would read with his son before putting him to bed.  He shared with me how his son was beginning to recognize words .  He was so proud.  Then today I read a Letter to the Editor which stated that the United States students ranked between 15th and 22nd in various subjects world wide. The writer went on to blame our national government with interferring too much.   The Common Core was to blame and that the states should be allowed to decided what is best for the students in their states.



I retired a few years ago after over 30 years teaching, coaching, and administering in public education.  I still substitute teach and supervise education interns, future teachers.  And I'm here to tell you that until we address nationally what is going on in homes across the nation to support our children's education, what schools can do is  never going to be enough. Today schools offer Before School Programs, After School Programs, Mentor Programs,  Free & Reduced Breakfast Programs, Free & Reduced Lunch Programs, and in some cases Dinner Programs, just to name a few.  The Common Core was implemented to try and assure that students everywhere received the same basic education. It's implementation may have flaws but the general concept is a good one.



I substituted in one first grade classroom a multitude of times.  This teacher, like most I come across these days, was doing a fantastic job with her students. However some were flourishing, some were holding their own, while others couldn't even write their own name by year's end.  Each student in her class had a "Go Home" Folder where daily work and notes were placed for the child's parent/guardians to look over, comment on, and remove from the folder. In May, there were still students who's folders were jam packed. Nothing had been looked over.  Was it surprising that those were the students who still could not write their names.  What is learned in school, needs to be reinforced at home.



The young kindergartener mentioned earlier will be successful.  He comes from a home where education is nurtured.  What he learns in school is supported and talked about at home. Until we can assure that all children have a similar home environment, we will continue to fall short.

Joe Bruno....A Case of Right & Wrong ?

Joe Bruno, former state legeslature, was recently found "not gulity" of taking bribes for his political influence for the second time in nine years.  Mr Bruno & supporters then celebrated at Jack's in Albany.  Whether Mr Bruno was guilty or not is really not the question.  The quesion becomes was he Right or Wrong in his actions?  Did he use his political influence for monetary gain? In the end, if you believe in God, he will have to answer to God in the end.    Apparently he didn't break any laws, in the eyes of the 12 people on the jury, or at least the prosecution couldn't find any hard proof that he did. You might think that he & his people did a good job of making sure there was no hard proof.   During & directly after the trial, the state prosecutor was criticized in the media for wasting the tax payers money for going after the "OLD" man, for going after a man who had done so much good bringing many things to the capital region, so much so that 17 buildings carry his name including the Joe Bruno Stadium.  But was he Right or Wrong?  Let's face it.  Behind most "Wrong" lies one of the SEVEN Deadly Sins.  Behind the question we have before us in Mr Bruno's case is the sin of "Greed".  Was this a case of Greed?  Did Mr Bruno use his influence for the money?  Did his benefactor use his money to buy Mr Bruno's influence for his own monetary benefit?    If the answer to either or both of these questions is yes then the answer is simple.....They were greedy and he was wrong.  If their monetary gains were an affect of all the good that resulted in their relationship, then you have to decide if this was still a case of greed and  if he was wrong.  This is why I believe the juries in both trials came back with a not guilty verdict.  They may have thought there was wrong done but they didn't feel there was guilt.  I guess we'll have to wait and see if these verdicts impact future dealings between politicians and money.

Joe Bruno....A Case of Right & Wrong ?

Joe Bruno, former state legeslature, was recently found "not gulity" of taking bribes for his political influence for the second time in nine years.  Mr Bruno & supporters then celebrated at Jack's in Albany.  Whether Mr Bruno was guilty or not is really not the question.  The quesion becomes was he Right or Wrong in his actions?  Did he use his political influence for monetary gain? In the end, if you believe in God, he will have to answer to God in the end.    Apparently he didn't break any laws, in the eyes of the 12 people on the jury, or at least the prosecution couldn't find any hard proof that he did. You might think that he & his people did a good job of making sure there was no hard proof.   During & directly after the trial, the state prosecutor was criticized in the media for wasting the tax payers money for going after the "OLD" man, for going after a man who had done so much good bringing many things to the capital region, so much so that 17 buildings carry his name including the Joe Bruno Stadium.  But was he Right or Wrong?  Let's face it.  Behind most "Wrong" lies one of the SEVEN Deadly Sins.  Behind the question we have before us in Mr Bruno's case is the sin of "Greed".  Was this a case of Greed?  Did Mr Bruno use his influence for the money?  Did his benefactor use his money to buy Mr Bruno's influence for his own monetary benefit?    If the answer to either or both of these questions is yes then the answer is simple.....They were greedy and he was wrong.  If their monetary gains were an affect of all the good that resulted in their relationship, then you have to decide if this was still a case of greed and  if he was wrong.  This is why I believe the juries in both trials came back with a not guilty verdict.  They may have thought there was wrong done but they didn't feel there was guilt.  I guess we'll have to wait and see if these verdicts impact future dealings between politicians and money.

Bar Exam for Future Teachers a Good Idea????????????

My local paper printed an editorial today stating that a Bar Exam for teachers is a good idea.  They lauded the state's efforts to put higher standards on teacher candidates.  Teacher candidates will now have to pass a battery of tests, produce videos showing them in action, & keep a log of evidense of their competencies.    They say this will assure only the Best & Brightes will become teachers. There is nothing wrong with raising the bar.   But for the paper to suggest that up until now, we've had anything less in our teachers is a slap in the face to current & past educators.  As a retired teacher, we did what we had to do to earn our certifications & once a teacher, we did our best to give our students what they needed.  Like any profession, there are some better then others.  Passing a Bar Exam or Medical Boards does not guarentee you will become a good lawyer or a good doctor.  The paper should have chosen their words more carefully to not insinuate that current & former teachers were less than efficient.  Maybe it's time that writers & editors also be made to pass a Bar Exam?

Whom or What to Blame?

The recent incident with the 6 year old kindergartener who ended up spending the whole day in the wrong school has left everyone, it seems, looking to blame someone.  How about we blame no one.  Afterall, the child was never in any danger and after a few hours of being acknowledged as being missing, she was returned safe & sound to her mom. We have to acknowledge that those two hours were very stressful for her mother.  No parent wants to go through a second of not knowing where their children are.



However if we are looking to place blame, how about the mother?  Afterall , shouldn't she have made sure her child got on the right bus.  Most kindergarten parents would watch as the bus pulls away waving to their child.



How about the child?  Afterall, if she had identified herself correctly at any time during the 7 hour school day, the school would have gotten her to her correct school.



But instead , it seems, that most want to blame the school.  Afterall, the child is their responsibility once the parent places her on the bus.  The school is a thing & we shouldn't dare to blame a small child or a pannicked mother.



How about we place a little blame on all involved? We had a situation where their was a substitute bus driver & a substitute teacher involved. Let's blame them.  Or how about we focus on the fact that child was never in any danger & we work together ,on what can be done, to assure this doesn't happen again?  We spend way too much time looking to blame.  Maybe Accountability is swalowling us all up.

When the minority isn't the minority.

Lately our local newspaper has been focussing in on the issues at our city schools. Mostly the troubles at the middle school and the disparity in the number of disciplinary referrals & special ed services among the minority students.  The paper suggests that the minority students are being targeted for a disproportionate amount of referrals & special ed services. They suggest that the teaching staff, mostly white, needs better training in dealing with classroom management & acessing who needs special ed services.

I substitute teach in a few of the city schools. My experiences are that out of a class of 25,  16 to 19 of those students will be monority students.  In todays paper, there is a picture taken in one of the schools.  Of the 22  students pictured, 20 looked to be minority students.  So if 64 to 76 percent of the students are minority students , wouldn't it follow that 64 to 76 percent of the disciplinary referrals and the special ed students would come from that same body of students? How is that targetting minority students?

There is a serious lack of minority teachers in schools today.  The lack of these positive roll models has to hurt the minority students. I'm not sure how to change this.  I supervise student teachers for a local college & in my 4 years supervising, I haven't seen many minority student teachers.

The environment the students all come from, their homes, plays a major roll in the kinds of behaviors and attention to learning you get from students. Not really sure what schools can do to address this. Mandatory pre-school & more after school programs may help.  They cost.  Maybe parenting classes could be offered.

What I do know is that blaming teachers at a time when schools are undergoing more upheavel with APPR's & the implementation of the Common Core & adding to all the testing, is not the answer.

Schools & Communities need to work together hand in hand to protect, guide, & educate our children...Our Future.  The finger pointing must stop & the local newspaper needs to help put out  not add fuel, to the fire.

You want Good Test Results?......Give Kids a Level Playing Field.

Recent Polls have indicated that the majority of parents are in favor of the Standardized Testing.  They are in favor of teachers being evaluated for their effectiveness & that these tests should be used as a part of their evaluations.  They are in favor of ineffective teachers getting help & being let go if they don't improve.  But the Majority of parents are not aware of the Common Core & what they are.

Essentially, the Common Core are designed to assure that children across are country will be given the same education and the standardized tests are designed to see if they are learning what they are supposed to learn.

I say, fine, as long as each child has the same background & goes home to the same nurtured learning environment.   Since we know this is not & will never be true, then we need to do the next best thing.  1.) Make Pre-School & Kindergarten manditory & make an after school program where kids do their homework & get help, manditory.  Now you're going to say...What?  That's the parent's job & you know, you are absolutely right.  But let's be honest, many parents for one reason or another, just aren't doing their job.

Just visit a first grade classroom.  You'll find 6 year olds that can read and write.  They can write their whole names and draw pictures of their family with details.  They can say & write their ABC's & count & write to 100.  In the same classroom or in other classrooms of First graders you'll find children who can't read or write a single word. They can't count to 10.  They can draw only stick figures.  Some can't or won't speak.

You see, some children come from that nurturing home environment where education is a priority & parents take an active roll while some come from a home where nothing is nurtured.    I've seen homework folders that come back empty because parents have looked papers over while others come back full because parents never look at anything.

The GAP is wide to begin with.  How can we expect those children coming from the home where no one cares, to catch up?  The Gap just widens as the years pass.  Yet we expect all children to take the same tests and do well.

The only help I can see, since we can't force parents to take active rolls in their child's education, is to make Pre-School & Kindergarten manditory and to offer all children an after school program to get extra help & do homework.  Get all kids in school by age 3 & hope for the best.  Then maybe just maybe the Common Core will do what it should do and Test Scores will show that it is.

Just One Old Teacher's Two Cents.

High Stakes Testing......At What Cost?

Education in New York State has gone through some serious changes over the last 10+ years. The Common Core is a new term describing what each grade level & subject gets taught so as to assure that all children are getting what they need.  Not a bad idea.  Teacher evaluations have a new look.  Evaluating teachers is a good thing but the process needs some serious tweeking since the new procedure is very time & labor consuming.  the High Stake's Testing though needs serious revamping, maybe even elimination.

The rally being held in Albany of those opposed to High Stake's Testing  on June 8 has a real point.  Currently, students in all grades are subject to these tests. SLO's or Subject Learning Objectives are determined for all things taught.   Students are then given pre-tests of materials they should know after somethings taught & post-test after it's taught to see what they actually did learn.  Even with their teachers telling them not to worry on the pre-tests, imagine the stress this causes on 6 and 7 year olds?  All students are subjected to this testing, periodically, all year long.  Teachers are pulled out of their classes to administer and grade tests.  I know a teacher who missed parts or all of almost 20 days just to do school related business which includes testing & grading these tests.  Can this be good?  Teachers not teaching but testing & grading? 

The people making these decisions are usually far -removed from the classroom.  What they are missing is really the obvious. If you want to improve achievement, you need to guarantee that each child comes from an educationally nurturing home and gets  the same kind of pre-schooling. It's really that simple.

First grade is where many children learn to read. Many readiness activities are started at home and pre-schools, while some reading is being taught in Kindergarten.  Teaching Reading is all about Readiness and not all children are READY at the same time. Some come from a nurturing home and begin to learn reading at home while some get little or no educational nurturing. Some get one or two years of pre-school while many don't.  Until we can guarantee that every child gets the same nurturing at home and same pre-school opportunities,things will NOT improve. Schools are asked to do more and more every day, but they cannot make up for a less then adequate start or for a lack of interest in the home. There is NO substitute for a good Home Nurturing of Education. If the gap between success & failure is wide in first grade, imagine that gap in high school.

 High Stakes testing is not an answer.  It steals valuable learning time, stresses students and educators, and does little to improve opportunities for success.

Anonymity or Just the Facts?

Who are these people speaking "on condition of Anonymity?" The information they are giving ESPN & other New?Sources is either unconfirmed or unauthorized. They can't be doing it for notoriety since they remain anonymous. Are they being paid for this information in the hopes that it's true? Is ESPN & the other News?sources that desperate to break a story...any story that they don't care if it's true or not as long as it is tantalizing enough to draw substantial attention? Is THIS what news reporting has come to? Well, with News? 24/7 I suppose it has. They need to fill their slots & pages with something. Shame on US for accepting this kind of News? Reporting.  Did you realize that the most read papers in this country are the Tabloids where Truth & Fiction are interchangeable? What does that say about the American Public? And is it too late to ever go back to just reporting , as Joe Gannon always said, " Just the Facts Mame"?

Who's Watching?

So, you're running a practice & things get heated.  Your players aren't working very hard.  Mistake after mistake is occuring. Everything they do is "flat"  with no emotion or real attempt.  Maybe you're getting 50% effort. So...you decide to liven things up.  You usually yell but today, you throw a ball at a player to get their attention.  Not hard & not somewhere on their bodies where they will be hurt. You get in a players face.  You scream.  You call them a name.   An insensitive name.   Practice intensity improves and effort rises.

Someone is filming practice.  They share their film with the powers that be.  Long story short.  The film gets u-tubed out of context with no supporting facts. When viewed it is outrageous.  There is a nationwide uproar.  Why wasn't this coach fired?    Eventually Public Opinion wins out or at least the opinion of those outraged by it, and the coach is fired.  Later on the AD who had viewed the tape earlier & decided to fine & suspend the coach instead of firing, resigns under public pressure.

This type of conduct should not be tolerated. Coaches & anyone working with students should be expected to conduct themselves in a respectful manner. But, when you talk to players, most just say that the actions are motovational & not personal. That after practice, everyone leaves friends. Yet a man has lost his livelyhood  & another is forced to resign because he didn't do enough.  Heck, even the college president is be called out.  All because a camera was at practice and the tape U-tubed nationwide. 

Shouldn't the people involved be allowed to decide what should be done without all the public pressure ?  Do we get a second chance?  Do we get a chance to fix things?  And if we lose our jobs anyway, don't we deserve a chance to move on?  In today's world of high tech & the time it seems so many have to keep an eye on things, we aren't given that chance. The coach fired due to his poor conduct is still being hounded as he coaches his 12 year old daughter's AAU team this spring despite the fact that he has total support of players & parents.

The message here is simple........watch out.  You never know who may be watching....& filming!!!!!  If public opinion gets involved, forget any second chance.

What's this world coming to?

Today I woke up a sunny sky & the first real look of Spring.  I was so excited I cleaned house & went to the gym for the first time since last fall.  I started out doing my 35 minutes on the elyptical. I brought my Book Club Book, "Look Again" to read & had the TV on in front of me on CNN 24/7 News.

What a world we live in. First I listened to a recount of the story on the former Rutger's Mens' Basketball Coach who was video taped physically & verbally abusing his players in practice. I watched it & was taken aback.  I have coached basketball for over 30 years & had thousands of inspired practices.  I would never think of using that tactic to motivate youths. I might yell.  Heck I might throw a ball in frustration.  But never at a player . He wasn't winning so I guess it wasn't working.

Then there was a story on the 28 year old president of North Korea & his hate of the United states.  Apparently he has given his army permission to attack the United States with a nuclear warhead if they felt it necessary.  Why would any country put that kind of power in the hands of a 28 year old, let alone one so unstable.  It's scary to think what he might do & cause.

Next was a story on three murders in Texas & one in Colorado where law enforcement officials were killed in , what looks like, revenge for doing their job.  There was a sheriff, two district attorneys, & a wife of one killed.  Why would anyone want any of those jobs now?

Finally, they broke into the news cast to deliver "Breaking News".  Their was an armed gunman walking around the University of Rhode Island putting the school in lockdown & cancelling all classes.  Are any of our campusses or schools safe any more?

I used to watch sports to get away from all this but even the sports world is full of this lack of moral fiber.  I have two grandchildren & I wonder just what kind of world we are bringing them in to?  Lots of plusses with the advances n technology & medicine . But wow, also some serious Nut Cases out there.  Oh well I'm sure my grandparents & parents thought the same thing at one time......& asked that same question....What's this world coming to?

Yellow Journalism is Alive .........Unfortunately

Todays news seems to be full of half truths, no truths, and sensationalism, and it's delivered to us by unnamed sources, sources guaranteed their anonymity, and rags. 

The latest is a reopening of the Steroid/PED wound in professional sports.   The timing is always the best.  This report coming out just after the Hall of Fame voters decided against allowing any player linked to their possible usage into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The much heralded & popular Yellow Rag known as the, Miami New Times , an alternative weekly has reported that they have gotten their hot little hands on proof that some professional baseball players including Alex Rodriguez purchased  PED's & HGH's from a clinic in Miami that has been connected to the sales of such products.   

Of course all involved have denied the allegations and no proof has been shared yet.  But the "Media" in all its wisdom or lack of any, has decided to "Make " a Story & sell some papers.  Don't they understand that there is always going to be someone out there willing to say anything to make a buck!!!!

I think the thing that bothers me the most is the lack of integrity by these rags and the lack of compassion. Maybe not in this case but so often, if you are a person of "interest" and you make a mistake.  They give you no second chances.  They jump on it , all to say they "Got" the story. 

Yes, I'm not sure where this "story" will go.  With 24/7 news, the millions of news sites, and the need to grab your attention,Yellow News sells?   Maybe it's more a reflection on Society's Core Values!!!! 
And with the events that have grabbed the headlines over the past few months, isn't that sad!

When are the Media & Professional Athletes Going To Wake Up

I believe in giving everyone a second chance & that people can change but before we all jump on the "Win this one for Ray" Bandwagon lets review the 2000 incident. Ray & two friends were involved in a fight at a post Super Bowl Party where two men were stabbed to death. Ray & his two friends were indicted for murder. Ray's Million Dollar Lawyer worked out a plea deal where Ray plead to obstruction of justice for false statements he gave police & he testified against his two friends who were later acquitted for the murders for which no one else has ever been charged. Ray got 1 year probation where he could not drink for a year.The Bloody white suit Ray was wearing that night has never been found. He later used his Millions to pay off the families of the deceased to avoid civil suits. THIS is the kind of guy Raven Fans are honoring!!!!! To me its just another case of the lack of character of so many professional athletes & that money can keep you out of trouble. These guys just don't get it.

The above is true.  The Media spends pages & hours of time on reporting things like Tom Brady's leg up slide.....the Notre Dame Girlfriend Hoax......and storiues like that.  Then they promote things like All Pro Ray Lewis's Run to the Super Bowl in his final year.   Who are they kidding?   How can they honor a Thug who used his money & status to stay out of jail?   It just sickens me.....How bout You?

Needs and Wants

Today I subbed in a second grade classroom.  When I entered the school, I was buzzed in by someone who knew me.  As I looked up at the camera I thought, " What an important job the person buzzing me in has".  So many thoughts ran through my head the rest of the day as I worked with those little children. Their parents sent them to school & intrusted their safety in others.  It IS a big deal! 

Earlier this year, I was in a first grade classroom teaching the 6  and 7 year olds about 'Needs & Wants".  You NEED air, water, food, shelter, certain medicines, etc.  You may WANT chocolate milk, candy, an I-Phone, a bike, etc. 

I read this morning, that the shooter had enough ammunition to kill every child and adult in that school three times over.   I guess he felt he needed an assault rifle.

However we , as a nation, address this problem, it must include a way to keep these types of weapons out of the hands of people who might do this.  There are billions of people in our world.  How do we know who will do something like this?  Putting armed weapons in everyone's hands will create a potentially explosive situation everywhere.Putting armed guards in all our schools, malls, sporting facilities, etc  is a maybe.   I just don't know.  The solution can't be a debate about rights because the Right To Life supercedes it all. We can't waste time arguing who is right & who is wrong.  While we do, Kids are being killed. Ask the questions:  Why are Assault Weapons made?  And Who really needs one?  Again I don't know the solution but I do know Something Needs doing & after it's done, we all need to work together as a Nation to see that it works because if we don't....More Kids will be killed.  So please don't get defensive.....instead find a way to keep our kids safe.

I don't Want our Kids to be Safe......I NEED them to be.  Actually I both Want & Need that.

Let's Talk About It....

Tell me you didn't shed tears this weekend.  Tell me you didn't think about 26 innocent victims....20 children ages 6 or 7 RIDDLED with bullets. (the ME found 3 to 11 bullets in each child) Tell me you're not angry. We say over and over that keeping our children safe is our #1 priority.   Polititions say that the Nation's security and our people's safety is MOST important.  Well, it is time to put our money and their vote where their mouths are.  They need to stand up to lobbiests and those who would threaten to pull their support and just do what is right. These forces have held our country and it's people hostage for long enough.  At What Cost?  Are Twenty innocent babies enough?  Yes I am talking about Gun Control and the NRA.  I'm talking about creating Laws that will really safeguard our children. If this past Friday's Massacre isn't enough....then what is?

The second ammendment gives Americans the Right to Bear Arms.  It was wriiten at a time when all Americans hunted for their food.  A time when their was no law enforcement.  A time when guns shot off single shots and you needed time to reload.  There were no police.  There were no super markets where you could buy meat.  There were no automatic or semi -automatic guns that could shoot literally hundreds of bullets a minute. 

It's time that laws caught up with the times before anymore children are massacred.   I'm sure our forefathers didn't have in mind for this law to be so abbused as it is today.    It is way too easy for anyone to secure a gun.  Ask yourself this:  Why would anyone need a semi -automatic or an automatic weapon?  You don't use them to hunt.  Picture this:  I have a gun shop located near me advertising a semi-automatic rifle for Home Security.  Have we gone mad?  The statistics show that over 10,000 americans were killed by guns this past year.  More then in the next 10 countries combined.    In Japan, all guns are banned.  Automatic guns were banned up until 2004 when a George W. Bush led congress failed to renew the ban inorder to apease the NRA & the anti-gun control lobbiests who supported their elections & reelections.  Appeasing them & getting reelected was more important then the safety of our children. What does that say of the most civilized country in the world?

Any type of automatic weapon needs to be banned.  If it was, some of those children might be alive.  The ability to own a gun needs to be made so only people who can act responsibly should own one  or two,  not 10 or 15 or more.  We need control.  Arming everyone is NOT the answer as many anti-gun control people are saying.   Can you imagine a country where everyone is packing a gun? I don't know all the answers, but our law makers need to act and act seriously for the safety of all.  Help to create a safer America.

Enough of the back room bargaining for votes.  We Elected You To Do What is RIGHT.  We Elected You To Help Keep Us SAFE.  So....What are you waiting for?  Replace all our tears with actions.  Let those Twenty Angels and 5 Heroes know that they MATTERED.

Home Needs to Hold Up Their End

I taught first grade in 1975.   My first graders played, took naps, had snacks, learned songs.  I taught them their numbers and letters and they began to learn to read using basil readers where Jack, Janet, Tip, and Mitten roamed.  I have subbed in first grade a number of times this year.  Today's first graders read and write complete sentences, add and subtract, learn about solid geometry, and are tested on a regular basis. No more naps & not much time to play.  They do get a snack but during snack time, they have a worksheet to work on.  Yes they are little sponges & Yes much more is expected of them.

In a first grade class you'll find children who can draw well enough  that their people have fingers and toes & all kinds of details.  These same kids can write a complete sentence, filling a page with their complete thoughts.  You'll also have children in the same room who draw stick figures or circles with eyes as their people and who still can't write their names.  Each night, the children take their folders home with all the day's work completed. The first group comes in every morning with their folders empty making room for the day's work.  The second group's folder gets thicker every day as the day's work goes unchecked.

The message is clear.  Those children who come from homes where education is valued, where their learning is nurtured, where they are read to and spent quality time with, will grow and blossom.  But those that are left to fend for themselves, who come from a home where education is left to the schools, where learning means being able to dress themselves and fix their own lunches, will continue drawing stick figures while trying to figure out how to spell their names.

Values are taught in the home.  All schools can affectively do is reinforce the good values.  A child who becomes an ethical person, who has a good work ethic, who learns to love his/her fellow man, and learns to be kind, learns all that in his home environment.  Those that learn to be mean, lazy, and have poor ethics, have gotten their early training in their home environment.  It is reinforced by the friends they choose.  Schools are fighting the good fight to try and instil good work ethics and values but are fighting a losing battle when these children go home each night.

The best way to fix societies ills are to turn the children over to schools at a earlier age.  To mandate pre- school and affective parenting classes.    Children who live in a house where good parenting is lacking & have poor role models, many times make the same mistakes with their children. 

Schools are only a part of the solution.  Putting them under a microscope and holding them to higher standards then we hold parents and society to is not going to cut it.  For Home & School to work together means holding home to the same standards we hold schools to.  Finally Values & Character matter.  We can't sacrifice them for higher scores.

I think we did a better job of that back in 1975.

Let's stop all this Shit & Really Help Education

Now that the Legislature has made Teacher Evaluations open to just the parents of the kids, we need a bill to evaluate parents and make that open to just the teachers of the kids. What a Joke!!!!! Like this will improve education. You want to improve education in this country!!! It's simple...Give every kid a stable, nurturing, & loving environment for them to grow up in. It's what they come to school with & what they do with what they learn , once they leave each day, that really matters. You can't expect schools to do EVERYTHING. I hope people realize this. Apparently Gov. Cuomo & the legislature like to play the blame game & point the finger at schools. They are more concerned with getting re-elected & heaven-forbid people look under their own roofs.

Look around....Those of us that used our education & came from a nurturing home usually do OK. Schools can't solve the problem of the poor home environment. That society thinks it can & therefore just puts them on the welfare rolls is what is sad. Put your education dollars to good use like a strong Mentor program for those kids that don't come from a nurturing home & help them before they join the welfare rolls. That's good use of education dollars.

There are other good answers to our country's Education Issues but as long as our leaders continue to try & win votes & blame everyone but where the blame really falls, the issues will remain issues. 

We need Parenting classes in our schools.  Help kids realize how important a job parenting is & how to do it right.  Open our schools up to help young parents do a better job.   A strong Mentor program for all those kids who don't come from a home where parents are able to nurture their child & their education.  Give these kids someone who cares.  A strong 3 to 5 program so kids don't have to go home to an empty house. 

These are just some ideas.  I know if we put our heads together we can come up with more.  Let's stop wasting time & money blaming schools & teachers.  For some kids, it's the only place they get that nurturing & get to hang with someone that truly cares.  Not all schoolls are perfect & yes their needs to be tweaking & a system that holds schools & teachers accountable & we need to be able to help them do better or get out but let's put the focus back on the kids.  Not just say we are.