Society, technology, and teaching

Endless postings...

2009-01-09T11:17:00.001-05:00

Not everything needs to be included on a status-update:

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/print/200901u/reblock-yourself

Hypocrisy

2009-01-09T11:13:00.003-05:00

Everyone who claims Israel is the evil incarnate should consider these numbers:

http://www.opinion.co.uk/Newsroom_details.aspx?NewsId=78

600,000 to 1,000,000 dead Iraqis?

Our country has unleashed Hell on Iraq. Prosecute Bush for war crimes.

Why didn't we hear more about civilian casualties during the initial stages of the Iraq War?

2009-01-06T23:25:00.007-05:00

Not for the faint of heart.

Like everyone who cares enough to click on the link and read my blog, I've been reading about the situation in Gaza. I want to look at how the MSM has covered the current war versus the initial stages of the War in Iraq in 2003.

The media didn't seriously question the motives for war in Iraq. Once the bombs started falling the flaccid coverage turned into testicle time. Geraldo was drawing lines in the sand. Bombs were set to rock and roll on Fox.

The Nation had coverage of civilian casualties. I saw some limited coverage on television but the term "collateral damage" comes to mind. My local paper, The Miami Herald, had a tiny box it would update with civilian deaths on page 24A of the front section.

But now I'm seeing images of dead children in Gaza on the 6:30 nightly news. There's real footage showing the human result of war! Has our media found morality? Are they interested in the entire story now? Are we to believe they are now concerned with civilian deaths in 2009 but unconcerned in 2003?

Was the military pressuring the media from reporting on dead Iraqi civilians? It seems that was the case. Most people realize that seeing the death and destruction in Vietnam helped organize resistance to the war. Consider this quote from 2003,

Lt. Col. Rick Long of the U.S. Marine Corps replied, "Frankly, our job is to win the war. Part of that is information warfare. So we are going to attempt to dominate the information environment." [embedded journalists]

Are we content with such a lack of information? How do we go from seeing numbers on a website to real coverage of the human suffering? Shouldn't this still be an issue??

Here's a view from the right:

One story the media isn't telling, because it's impossible to get this story in these circumstances (especially because Israel stupidly won't allow foreign reporters into Gaza) is how much resentment the Hamas policy of using Palestinians as human shields causes among Gaza civilians. Early reports indicate that Hamas mortar teams were firing from the UN School. This shouldn't surprise anyone.

One more thing, speaking of pornography -- we've all seen endless pictures of dead Palestinian children now. It's a terrible, ghastly, horrible thing, the deaths of children, and for the parents it doesn't matter if they were killed by accident or by mistake. But ask yourselves this: Why are these pictures so omnipresent?

I'll tell you why, again from firsthand, and repeated, experience: Hamas (and the Aksa Brigades, and Islamic Jihad, the whole bunch) prevents the burial, or even preparation of the bodies for burial, until the bodies are used as props in the Palestinian Passion Play. Once, in Khan Younis, I actually saw gunmen unwrap a shrouded body, carry it a hundred yards and position it atop a pile of rubble -- and then wait a half-hour until photographers showed. It was one of the more horrible things I've seen in my life. And it's typical of Hamas. If reporters would probe deeper, they'd learn the awful truth of Hamas. But Palestinian moral failings are not of great interest to many people.

Does Africa need God?

2008-12-29T23:09:00.002-05:00

Does Africa need Christianity?

I've had this thought many times when faced with amoral students. Some of us need the threat of punishment! All in all, it offers good moral lessons so I'm in favor of religious education. Thinking along the lines of Spore, it's just a step we have to make!

Will Wright's view of education

2008-12-29T00:56:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Will Wright and his awesome game "Sim City", I know more about city planning than most people :)

Here's what he thinks about our educational system:

I've always been somewhat disillusioned with the educational system. Some people have said it was originally based on the idea that we're training factory workers, so it was very important to teach them to do some repetitive task for eight hours a day. What's going to be really exciting is when this Nintendo generation gets a little bit older and starts becoming teachers in schools. I think that's going to make a bigger difference than any kind of educational reform ever will. In the future a lot more learning will happen in the home.^[5]

Here I am as a "Nintendo generation" teacher and I'm still trying the same ol' open up your book nonsense! I'm learning more from Spore than from any book! The Sims! It's all about exploring!

Should we pay students to learn?

2008-12-27T14:25:00.003-05:00

My first instinct is NO!

But...I was raised in a middle class home with many books and two college educated parents. Taking AP courses was no big deal and I had a desire to learn.

According to this research, it seems that paying students WORKS. What is the cut-off? When should we start paying students to learn?

Also, how can we be sure that teachers aren't fudging data to help themselves or their students? We might end up with another layer of bureaucracy?

Vocabulary Quiz!

2008-12-24T10:18:00.006-05:00

In order to help students of all ages with their academic success, I have designed a vocabulary quiz with thousands of words (4,996 in total!). Anyone can gain something from a vocabulary refresher!

http://modernpedagogy.org/SATGame1.zip

It's made with Java so you'll need it installed to run. Don't worry, most computers already have it.

Here are the steps to run the vocabulary game:

Download the link above.
Unzip it.
Click on the 'Shortcut to SATGame' icon.
Enter your first name.
Test your vocabulary knowledge with any of the given categories.

Give me feedback at david.freer@gmail.com after trying it out!

Vocabulary project is coming along....

2008-12-12T23:01:00.000-05:00

I've got organization now ! :)

The project is great. I'm happy. Can't wait to release it.

Learning at home

2008-12-04T09:21:00.002-05:00

Bill Gates says he likes a geology course from The Teaching Company.

How can we increase curiosity in students? I'd love to see a standardized test do that.

Is there a correlation between curiosity and performance?

Americans trampling each other for Chinese-made goods

2008-11-28T17:09:00.002-05:00

Educators, we have a Herculean task in front of us. We have to contend with a culture that glorifies consumption to the point where we will trample our fellow man to get a discount on a DVD or flat-screen television.

I am truley sorry for your lots.

New seats for a new outlook...

2008-11-25T00:40:00.003-05:00

Fun memories looking back on Dutton's memories.

"If you don't want to learn about Rome, you can go to hell!"

Throwing batteries! Yelling! Screaming!

At least now my run-ins with disrespect are less intense. Now it's mostly laughing and yelling.

But the new seats are quite positive so far.

Tests went well in the Office class. Attendance in the Java class has been really pathetic though! Don't know why... Most students are learning I think.

---

My SAT program is coming along. I'm getting in the habit of working on the categories :)

So life is good.

The end of adolescence?

2008-11-15T11:15:00.002-05:00

When does childhood end and adulthood begin?

Honestly, I felt like a child until my second year of teaching. It wasn't until I had my own classroom that I felt like an adult. When I was the beginning teacher, I felt powerless.

Newt Gingrich thinks adolescence is overrated:

http://www.businessweek.com/print/magazine/content/08_45/b4107085289974.htm

The costs of this social experiment have been horrendous. For the poor who most need to make money, learn seriously, and accumulate resources, adolescence has helped crush their future. By trapping poor people in bad schools, with no work opportunities and no culture of responsibility, we have left them in poverty, in gangs, in drugs, and in irresponsible sexual activity. As a result, we have ruined several generations of poor people who might have made it if we had provided a different model of being young.

Two Americas

2008-11-15T11:03:00.002-05:00

"We live in two Americas. One America, now the minority, functions in a print-based, literate world. It can cope with complexity and has the intellectual tools to separate illusion from truth. The other America, which constitutes the majority, exists in a non-reality-based belief system. This America, dependent on skillfully manipulated images for information, has severed itself from the literate, print-based culture. It cannot differentiate between lies and truth. It is informed by simplistic, childish narratives and clichés. It is thrown into confusion by ambiguity, nuance and self-reflection. This divide, more than race, class or gender, more than rural or urban, believer or nonbeliever, red state or blue state, has split the country into radically distinct, unbridgeable and antagonistic entities. "

---

http://www.truthdig.com/report/print/20081110_america_the_illiterate/

I don't believe this is a new problem. This is more serious now than ever.

But we keep ignoring the role of innate intelligence. Can the lowest 20% read well enough to follow complicated issues?

10,000 hours....

2008-11-12T22:19:00.002-05:00

One hundred and eighty questions tomorrow. Students will answer as if their future depended on it.

There's a certain wildness and laziness in my last period. Oh well, they won't pass.

Education

2008-11-08T10:33:00.002-05:00

I knew Obama was going to win when nearly every car that passed by was honking for him!

It felt great to help out the campaign with phone calls or canvassing. I didn't do all that much, but I did what I could.

We all did what we could. Let's keep up the momentum in our classrooms, in the community, and in the country!

You can learn so much about a student by how they write...

2008-10-23T22:18:00.001-04:00

Flamboyant boys often write like girls.

Disturbed students often have strange drawings.

Good students often have neat handwriting.

I'm just offering my generalizations for the future. Nothing scientific, just a teacher noting some things about handwriting.

Picking out the information we all want...

2008-10-19T11:38:00.005-04:00

This podcast with Lewis Lapham has a great line from the guest, Tony Judt. Paraphrased:

With the age of infinite information, we all can pick and choose our points. We don't have a basic "common knowledge" anymore.

How can we get the public to consider alternate points of view? How can we stop all the "preaching to the choir"?

Without a common culture, we have no chance of understanding one another.

This leads to less control over politics.

Turn off the talking points. At least let's consider the sources:

This comes from one of the biggest brains behind "The Daily Show":

Chodikoff doesn’t use Google to turn up inconsistencies, preferring news stories on LexisNexis, and he ignores Wikipedia. Explaining why he prefers print over the Web, he cites a scene from the movie “Back to School,” when Rodney Dangerfield asks his son why he’s buying used books. “And he says, ‘Because they’re already underlined, see?’ And Rodney says, ‘But that guy could have been a maniac.’ And that’s the problem with the Internet.”

Yet every maniac now has a voice. Kinda scary. That's why I was a newspaper subscriber.

Why is intelligence such a touchy subject?

2008-10-18T15:37:00.003-04:00

When people begin to discuss height, they have no trouble imagining it has a genetic component. When people mention intelligence, they get very nervous.

What I learned while canvassing...

2008-10-12T22:13:00.003-04:00

I spent some of the afternoon today canvassing for Barack Obama. From the individuals I talked to, people are sick of the direction this country is going. I mean absolutely SICK of it. They are so disillusioned, they don't even see the possibility of a Barack Obama presidency changing anything.

I tried my best to give them some hope. It's hard when you hear the despair.

It was eye-opening though and I'd like to continue to canvass. It's exciting!

---
Closer to home I made this website to help shore up support for less development in South Florida:

http://www.notoparkland.blogspot.com

---

Even though I disagree with much of the "right wing", I respect the thoughtful and involved. No one benefits when they feel they have a monopoly on truth. No one benefits from spending all day attacking people over the Internet.

Human contact is effective. Some people really seemed relieved to have someone to talk to on a Sunday afternoon. Besides, the exercise is good for you. I really encourage everyone to get out and canvass.

http://my.barackobama.com/

it's not hard to get started and it's fun!

I'm not going to even attempt bipartisanship here. If you still support McCain after this erratic campaign, eight years of Bush, and disasterous pick Palin...you've got some splainin to do in the comments.

But seriously, chances are if you are reading this that you spent too much time online today preaching to the converted. There are people who have no idea what a blog is or what RSS does. Some have never used YouTube.

So here's my online plea to get you to join me offline before this election is over. See you at the local campaign hq or on the street!

Why Educators Should Vote for Obama

2008-10-09T10:28:00.003-04:00

Some of my students are fearful of the standardized test that's looming large in their future. They hold out some naive hope that Obama will remove this obstacle. I explain about "No Child Left Behind" and how education is a combination of local, state, and federal laws.

Still, I think Obama is a better choice for educators. Here's why.

First of all, Obama was a professor at one of the best law schools in the country, the University of Chicago. He appreciates the doors education can open for people. Meanwhile, John McCain graduated at the bottom of his class at the Naval Academy. He used his father and grandfather's influence to get by.

Obama seems to be a deep thinker. He writes his own speeches. He picked a vice presidential candidate who is rational and intelligent. He was a community organizer when he could've been making a fortune on Wall Street. Some things are more important than money.

America needs a new start after the last misreable eight years.

I'd think many scientists would agree.

Efficiency in education

2008-09-30T14:05:00.003-04:00

I was discussing motivation with my uncle and he was making the point that sometimes it doesn't matter WHO the teacher is because the student is going to fail. In specific instances, he's probably correct. For the most part, however, there are teachers who are more effective than other teachers.

What's the best way to showcase successful work?

I think by putting more work online would help. My fear is the loud and angry mob would jump on controversial teachers.

---

I asked the union steward at my school what the union was doing these days.

"Helping to elect Obama."

I was proud to be in the teacher's union :)

Stay in the lines...

2008-09-27T17:45:00.003-04:00

...the lines are your friend.

The truth is that childhood is getting more constrained. As this blogger says, Legos aren't buckets of blocks anymore, they are sets to put together. Programmers use pre-defined code instead of just playing.

Children are watched in school. Watched by NetNanny at home. When they get high school jobs, they are watched with cameras. Just follow the script, Johnny.

We should encourage personal growth, not just conformity. Greatness comes from breaking out of the middle-manager mindset!

Filters in the schools

2008-09-27T12:14:00.003-04:00

I created a website for my class using Google Pages. To my surprise, it was being blocked by the district filters! It took many days and emails to get my academic page unblocked. Such a waste of time.

But, in the end, filters in schools are needed I think. I remember in University when students would be looking at pornography in the computer labs. I was an adult so I didn't really care, but children still have some innocence. The media may try to spin it otherwise, but I see it on a daily basis. Kids are still kids. My 14 year old students talk about Spongebob quite a bit.

Students will try to use proxies and sometimes they'll succeed. The filters will adjust accordingly and it's an ongoing battle. But at least a positive side-effect of filters is that it encourages young hackers to get around filters.

Here's another point of view: http://weblogg-ed.com/2008/filter-fun/

Should filters be less restrictive? Yes. Should they be there? Yes.

20 Minute Limit to Lecture?

2008-09-20T20:40:00.002-04:00

If you don't know what TED is, you need to immediately click this link:

http://blog.ted.com/2008/09/teaching_on_the.php

Then go to ted.com. You can read what I have to say later.

----

I think what works best for me is a mixture of lecture and discussion. In my history class I am always asking students what they think of historical events or trying to draw out connections. With 25-30 students it's easy to draw out a discussion. The twenty minutes idea is a great selection.

----

I teach both history to teenagers and computers to adults. Am I a better history teacher or computer teacher?

To be honest, my verbal skills have always exceeded my math skills but I do have a passion for technology. I work better with adults but I have a great rapport with teenagers as well.

Overall, it's too hard to say. I have an interest in both and I wouldn't want to choose today.

Smash the digital divide

2008-09-16T22:21:00.001-04:00

"How do people speak Spanish?"

The room got silent. The fifteen year old student wasn't joking.

I responded, "How do you speak English? You learned words and how to create sentences. It's no different with other languages."

He was confused by how our brains make words. But language can seem mysterious!

It was last year that I was especially saddened when a student was shocked that a regular person could make a web site. I told him it was really simple and he could do it.

Think of the potential out there if more students were inspired to learn! Smash the digital divide.

Will students benefit from many eye balls on their work?

2008-09-16T20:55:00.008-04:00

I received a comment on my last post that brought up the possibility of 4chan users ruining the student's experience when professionals offer advice and even grading. My first thought was that people said the same thing about Wikipedia (and still do!) but I don't see too many pages on Wikipedia vandalized. Lots of users will help end vandalism.

Perhaps the solution would be for prospective editors to give an online interview as to their intentions? Users would have to apply for a position as a grader. As stupid as it sounds, I'm proud of my contributions to reddit and my karma. People would be proud of their contributions to this site (let's call it "Modern Pedagogy") and any trolls would be deleted.

I suppose the more eye-balls that would see the comments the less chance that any truly damaging comments could get through.

Parents may be wary of any mean comments though and I can't imagine any school system getting behind any "open source" education ideas.

30 seats, 30 desks. Take out your notebook and shut up.

Teaching and grading online

2008-09-15T11:03:00.002-04:00

My idea is simple: why not have a Wikipedia style web site where students will upload their work and qualified professionals in various industries will give marks.

Two pros will grade each assignment. Students can be identified by id numbers to preserve anonymity.

What do you think? People can get "karma" for helping with the grading and everyone can be assured of higher standards in the schools.

Alaska is a refuge state

2008-09-08T21:17:00.002-04:00

The idiots on Facebook with the endless high school, endless football, endless stupidity are picking McCain/Palin!

You see, Palin's state Alaska will be a refuge state. Also our leaders are "sending them out on a task from God." God's plan for Iraq...God also prefers a pipeline through Alaska.

Wordle of my blog

2008-09-08T08:55:00.001-04:00

title="Wordle: modernpedagogy"> src="http://wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/170985/modernpedagogy"
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Decision 2008

2008-09-06T03:04:00.004-04:00

Please try to read this letter. When our country first invaded Iraq I spent many late nights writing letters to friends and newspapers. We see how well that turned out for me and we can see how well it has turned out for humanity. The war was WRONG.

This debacle was building up throughout 2002. By my last semester of college, it was clear to me that the invasion would be a disaster. America would be essentially ignoring the world community and helping to weaken the United Nations. I thought about Vietnam and the soldiers who came back broken, mentally and physically. I thought about bombs falling and dead civilians. At first it revolted me. Imagine invading a nation on such flimsy grounds! What a coincidence that the country is in such a volatile region with the third largest oil reserve in the world, right? The reasons for the war kept shifting. They aren't even worth discussing.

We'd see looting and dead civilians, but only briefly...Bush declared "Mission Accomplished" and America's attention did shift from the war. We got our celebrities back! Michael Jackson had a big trial while Brittany Spears and the others entertained us. Even though I'm incredibly skeptical of Bush's religiosity, I'll take him at his word. He claimed to invade Iraq after consulting a "higher power" than his own father. He uses his gut and doesn't trust intellect.

Bush invaded Iraq without thinking about the lives that would be lost. He invaded Iraq without the support of the world. But WE invaded Iraq. My meager taxes have paid to kill Iraqis. That's the problem with thinking too much. It hurts and it's hard. Writing these words are hard because of think of my complicity in the atrocities. When I imagine how bad it would hurt to lose my brother to an American bomb. How could I get over such pain? America has essentially created the current resistance in Iraq. You never get over how you feel when you lose a mom or a dad. They were killed by an American occupation.

Consider the staggering monetary costs of the war in Iraq! What else could America have done with that money? Think about our reputation around the world. When I traveled in 2004, people asked me ALL over Europe if I was voting for Bush in the next election. Guess which candidate votes with Bush 90% of the time? Bush has ruined our reputation.

How could a thinking, caring individual rationalize the current war? Iraq has lost their middle class. Any Iraqi with means has abandoned Iraq. That's four million people. Doctors, scientists, engineers, and other professionals fled. Before the surge put a lid on the sectarian violence in Iraq, the country was on the verge of civil war. Will the Sunnis and Shi'ites forget their differences in a few more months? Years? Decades? What happens with the Kurds when we leave?

So how does dropping napalm on women and children in Vietnam give one the experience to fix such problems? Vietnam and Iraq DO have similarities on second thought. They are both illegal and unjust wars. How does being captured while attempting to murder make one a hero? A true hero would've DECLINED any such missions over Vietnam. But what's a few million gooks, as McCain puts it? Has science even proven if they feel pain like us?

Science. Now there's an interesting subject! It's useful for developing more lethal weapons but somehow it isn't so good when it's used to enlighten people about our true origins. It isn't good when it gets the masses questioning religion, is it? Machiavelli understood a leader must APPEAR religious and one political party understands that better than the other. Creationism is a much safer alternative.

So it's bad enough we have murdered over a hundred thousand civilians in Iraq and destroyed their economy. It's bad enough we have lost thousands of American troops. It's bad enough we've mortgaged our future and lost opportunities to fund research with that money. Even after all this, we have a presidential candidate who sings "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran". Guess which candidate sings that tune?

While watching the Republican National Convention I realized what got the biggest cheers: Tax cuts! Any mention of tax cuts sent the crowd into a frenzy! Fuck the debt! Fuck the GI Bill, I want more MONEY! It was pure greed.

McCain was brilliant in bringing in a good looking, Bible-thumper with 100 kids to read from a teleprompter. Amazing how she isn't available to speak after that speech was handed to her, isn't it? But the Palin choice is another red herring put forth by the masterminds. Instead of focusing on the mess in Iraq or the two million Americans in prison (very Christian of us, right?) or the rich getting richer and the poor without health care, we are now debating whether women who are raped should be able to get an abortion. We are talking about hockey moms. Somehow eight different individuals were holding the baby with Downs Syndrome during the Convention. And now we are discussing a 17 year old girl about to have a baby. Actually, it's a great strategy because it's predicated on the idea that Americans would prefer to avoid policy debates.

America tortures? Eh. We've killed how many in Iraq? Boo-hoo, I've got gay marriages to stop! Such nonsense is distracting us! Don't let that happen!

Palin's obviously excited the Christian Right. McCain gave them what they wanted: GUNS, GAYS, AND GOD.

That's the image I want for America around the world. A woman who's comfortable slaughtering animals. A woman who tells her church to pray for an oil pipeline through Alaska. A woman who doesn't support a woman's right to choose.

Intelligence is fungible. A Harvard Economics graduate would be able to run a Dairy Queen without much training. Could Bush run a Dairy Queen? His lack of intelligence would cause a number of disasters. Ice cream would run out. He'd fail even with his eight years of experience as POTUS.

I suppose I may have toyed with the idea that Bush and Gore were more similar than different. How naive of me. 9/11 would've been handled completely differently by Gore. We wouldn't have invaded Iraq (a war of choice). We might've started helping the environment. NOW McCain has shown his complete disdain for modern science by SELECTING PALIN who DOESN'T BELIEVE IN GLOBAL WARMING, wants MORE DRILLING instead of conservation, and TO TOP IT OFF...SHE WANTS CREATIONISM TAUGHT IN THE SCHOOLS!!!!!!!

Thinking about these positions is so absurd, I almost feel as if this is some sort of Hollywood production. Let's pick a candidate whose claim to fame is that he crashed his plane while trying to kill Vietnamese women and children (for no real reason) and spent five years locked in a box. Then he gets out and his wife is in a horrible car accident. To show his good character, he leaves his wife for a young blonde woman worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Go for the gusto, McCain! You're really showing me the meaning of Christian, family VALUEs.

Hmm...I seem to remember an argument about fathers needing to be with their young children. How about new-borns with DOWNS SYNDROME? What about four other children? Admittedly one is going to Iraq to kill Muslims, so there are 3 other children. Should mothers be with their young children? Perhaps teach them how to cross their legs?

So many family values. The hypocrisy is stifling.

The big complaints against the Democratic candidate? Didn't wear a nationalistic American flag on his jacket? Is this Germany in 1933? He went to a preacher who dared place blame on America for 9-11? Hmmm... could it upset Americans BECAUSE THEY KNOW IT'S TRUE?

Oh but Reverend Wright sounded so scary and angry. Hmm...in the 1960s segregation was still allowed. All through the twentieth century America has propped up dictators when it's useful for business. The wealthiest Americans use the government to keep their entrenched position. I've listened to Reverend Wright. America's chickens DID come home to roost. He shouldn't be allowed to criticize Israel? The Palestinians are living in filth and squalor! THEY ARE BEHIND barbed wire. By speaking for the voiceless, Wright has upset the leaders who would rather we cheerfully cheer for America. Always. Oh he said "God Damn"! Oh no!

But that's not patriotism. America was founded by THOUGHTFUL MEN. My favorite founding father is Thomas Jefferson. He could do it all. He was a writer, an architect, a philsopher. He wrote a version of the New Testament that removed all the miracles. Jefferson, DNA has conclusively proved, fathered children with Sally Hemmings. He had a mulatto child. Jefferson was an academic. Jefferson knew a free press was essential to our country. Imagine a vice presidential candidate HIDING from the press. Shameful. He'd be fascinated by Darwin's theory and demand students learn it. He'd consider Palin what she is: a huckster and a fraud or a mental midget. A man of science like Jefferson would have NO TIME FOR THE RIGHT-WING RELIGIOUS AGENDA.

If I was a misanthrope, I'd have no problem with this election. If I was a racist, it would be a no-brainer. If I believed in the inerrant word of the Bible, I'd have my choice already. If I was making five million a year from investments and I was selfish? I'd know who to pick. Sadly, many Americans fit into all four categories. This is a choice of hope versus fear. Creationism versus science. I know which usually wins out but I also have to have hope for the future. What good does "experience" do when the world is changing so fast? McCain has said he doesn't write email or know how to use the Internet. How embarrassing!

If someone was happy with the way the world has gone over the last eight years, I'd also say they should probably vote for McCain. He has voted with the president so often. It's funny how some former Hillary fans will bring up the long, difficult campaign and the mean things that were said. They need to look at what happened between George W. Bush and McCain in 2000! The Bush team used surrogates to accuse McCain of fathering a child with a black woman. (It's a disgusting smear for many Americans, especially in South Carolina where it took place.) But there they are, Bush and McCain locked in an awkward embrace:

A vote for McCain/Palin is a vote for more of the same. It's a vote for a country with haves and have nots. It's a vote for a country where medical care is only available for the wealthiest. It's a vote for creationism in schools. It's for banning books. It's a tacit acceptance of the policies of the past eight years INCLUDING THE OCCUPATION OF IRAQ.

I haven't given up on humanity yet. I haven't given up on science or the future.

I'll end with a few quotes from Thomas Jefferson:

Bodily decay is gloomy in prospect, but of all human contemplations the most abhorrent is body without mind.
Thomas Jefferson

I am mortified to be told that, in the United States of America, the sale of a book can become a subject of inquiry, and of criminal inquiry too.
Thomas Jefferson

I do not find in orthodox Christianity one redeeming feature.
Thomas Jefferson

Conquest is not in our principles. It is inconsistent with our government.
Thomas Jefferson

Sarah Palin speaks.

2008-09-03T23:03:00.003-04:00

"There's only one man in this election who ever really fought for you."

"We don't need a community organizer."

I knew they'd be trotting out the P.O.W. again and again.

What really pissed me off were the shots of the baby with Downs Syndrome. They could've had a sitter but they used the baby for political points.

Learning Plants Online

2008-08-30T22:41:00.001-04:00

I've been working on a Java program to teach people what the different plants of the South Florida region look like. I'll give them a quiz based on the pictures and then they'll get a "Certification" based on how well they do!

They can print the certification.

Effective Teachers...

2008-08-19T19:23:00.005-04:00

Important notes from "The First Days of School" by Wong.

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Focus on research.
HIGH Expectations for your students!
Discussions during films add to comprehension.
Frequent exchanges between teacher and student have increased learning!
Students need large blocks of time to spend reading. While reading they need to be writing down questions!
Increase the time given to students to answer questions. One second should not suffice.
Teachers direct the attitude of the class!
"I am a good teacher, and I am proud that I am a professional educator."
Say, "This will be an exciting class, and you are going to have the most memorable year you have ever had; as a result, you will do very well!"
I do agree with p. 48, school is NOT a place to do "worksheets." Rather it's better to imagine it as a place to learn and enhance their lives.
"YOU ARE TREATED AS YOU ARE DRESSED!"
"Would you want to be in your class?"...walk with confidence!
"It is MY personal approach that creates the climate."
"If only the finest birds in the forest dared sing, how quiet the forest would be...."
We need an invitational attitude toward learning!
"Love what you teach, love whom you teach."
"Love is the reason for teaching."
"Manage a classroom"
Students want security: NO yelling, NO surprises.
Students need to know assignments are based on OBJECTIVES!
Teacher has assignments posted.
Effective teachers know how to get student attention.
A well-managed classroom is a TASK-oriented environment.
"Power comes when you make life predictable for people."
Not being ready -> Confusion -> Problems -> Misbehavior -> Fighting.
The first week of school should stress student procedures.
Don't bother with a "Learning Center" until student procedures are in effect.
Classroom behavioral problems will occur but THEY WILL BE DEALT WITH.
Students who misbehave need to sit elsewhere...this is a last resort.
YOUR REPUTATION PRECEDES YOU!
Seven things a student wants to know:
1. Am I in the right room?
2. Where am I supposed to sit?
3. What are the rules in the classroom?
4. What will I be doing this year?
5. How will I be graded?
6. Who is the teacher as a person?
7. Will the teacher treat me as a human being?
Stand at the door with a handshake. That is how you would meet someone at a car dealership.
If students walk in INAPPROPRIATELY firmly ask them to return to the door and enter properly.
The more students know about you, the more likely they are to respect you. You are someone to be respected!
There will be an assignment at the very beginning. Hand each student paper and have them complete an assignment!
"My name is Mr. Freer. It is spelled F-R-E-E-R. I would like to be addressed as Mr. Freer please. This is my sixth year as a teacher.

Outside of class, I go to workshops. I teach at Miami Dade College. I love to teach! You are in good hands with me this year!

You are going to have one of the greatest educational experiences of your life. We will not only learn history but we will learn 'life-skills' that will help you your entire life."
Begin your sentences with "YOU WILL..." during the first week. "YOU WILL", "YOU WILL".
Entering the room according to a PROCEDURE is important. There is no alternative.
Personally, assigned seating will begin on the second or maybe third day.
"You will find an assignment on the board. Begin immediately. Take a sheet of paper and begin."
The board will always have assignments and OBJECTIVES written down. "You will copy them down in your notebook."
The teacher is the only responsible person in an INEFFECTIVE classroom.
Effective teachers HAVE THE ASSIGNMENT POSTED DAILY!!!!!!!!
Take roll AFTER the class has started their assignments.
RULES ARE EXPECTATIONS! POST THEM ON THE FIRST DAY!
"Review the rules on the first day!"
Possible rules:
1. Follow directions the first time they are given.
2. Raise your hand and wait for permission to speak.
3. Stay in your seat unless you have permission to do otherwise.
4. Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself.
5. No cursing or teasing.
6. No cell phones, iPods or electronics.
Discipline has consequences. Come tardy the second time and you get detention!!! This is the key!
The best consequences are logical and reasonable.
Use chalkboard for students who are misbehaving....Don't stop instruction or lesson to give out penalties.
Have rule NUMBERS. Refer to rule #1 or rule #2, etc.
Procedures are how you want something to be done. Make a journal entry in your notebook, get an international article from the computer...
Students want to know WHAT to do when the bell rings, if you finish work early, what to do when you need to go to the restroom.
Procedures must become routine. Spend the first weeks of school introducing, teaching, modeling, and rehearsing procedures.
When I need your attention, I will ask for it. I expect you to give it to me.
All procedures need to be rehearsed.
Praise the deed!!!!
Students will start the day with a journal entry and copying down the objectives. There will be required reading as well.
Consider how many times a student interrupts the students when they are working.
Students should pass their papers across the rows, not up the rows. THIS IS IMPORTANT. Students will then pass the papers up the row once they reach the side. The student in the front will bring it up to my desk.
I will have a box where students will put their papers.
The class must be able to run itself without YOU. The procedures are what's important.
Rehearse the following behaviors with students

Entering the classroom.
Getting to work immediately.
When you are tardy.
End - of -period dismissal.
Coming to attention.
When you are absent. GET INFO FROM WEB OR FROM FELLOW STUDENT.
Keeping your notebook.
Going to the office.
Finding assignments.
Passing in papers.
Exchanging papers.
Returning student work.
Moving about the room.
Getting materials out without distracting others.
Using the restroom.
Going to the library.
Asking a question.
Responding to a fire drill.
If I'm out of the classroom.
Saying "thank you."

Ideas.

2008-08-09T03:35:00.002-04:00

I am in the process of writing a guide to Java for beginners with an emphasis being on getting the reader to DO programming. Perhaps there can be a way for people to comment on coding projects? Places for them to upload their code and discuss?

That might be a job for moodle...

http://programmingwithjava.googlepages.com/

There's the URL.

I was pretty thrilled with my Miami Dade classes. I loved the majority of Java students. One was incredibly ignorant and whiny. BUT you gotta roll with the punches.

===

I'm looking forward to teaching at Killian. It's going to be a great year :)

Last year I wanted to focus on philosophy. Did I? No more than any other year.

What I need is dedication to organization. Get those papers back quickly as possible! Get those kids writing as much as possible.

It's discipline plain and simple. When you are teaching World History, fun is important, but discipline is important as well. That goes for me as well.

I'm going to look my best and have their papers ready. THAT'S THE KEY!

Of course, I'd love to throw in current events, philosophy, economics, science...but to get there I need discipline and order. It's only reality.

On the Dade front, I'll be teaching 'Introduction to Office' and 'Introduction to Java' once again.

Seeing my favorite student at the Falls

2008-07-27T20:54:00.002-04:00

I was reminded how enjoyable teaching can be today when I ran into my favorite student from sixth period 2003-2004 today. It seems like so long ago, but I remember the feelings so clearly. I really had little control, yet looking back it wasn't so bad.

Some kids brought their books each day. Some participated! Lots of questions were asked some days.

But other days were just chaotic and typical crap.

It was great to see my favorite student though. He works at a local shopping center as a security guard.

College vs. high school

2008-07-24T03:34:00.001-04:00

It's a beautiful thing to watch students go from insecure high schoolers to confident college students. I've been blessed to have this job.

What's wrong with the school system?

2008-05-26T22:11:00.002-04:00

We need to get the kids INVOLVED with the material. But with many kids that's very difficult. Fighting, drugs, gangs are much more exciting to them.

I think a more disciplined teacher would be more successful because of greater organization. Although I don't lose many papers, lately I've been having some missing grade issues. Not good.

The kids deserve a good education. Would I want my child in my class? In some periods...in some not.

Prep kids endlessly!

2008-05-14T08:09:00.002-04:00

The vice president of the chess club accidentally set up an appointment for a bus company to come out.

I didn't call her and cancel. We fucked up big time.

I knew I'd fuck up something. Hopefully this is it.

Computer science

2008-04-09T00:56:00.000-04:00

Although I have a difficult time with programming at times, I've been feeling more like a programmer lately.

Let's see if I can make anything happen with the feeling...

JobConnect...

My personality type

2008-03-03T21:18:00.000-05:00

INFJ

1 per cent of the population.

Miami Dade College

2008-02-24T23:12:00.002-05:00

Teaching at the community college level has been very rewarding. There's no question that discipline has been much easier and the students have been quite responsive.

I wonder if it might help me to get a PHD in computer science???

I'm so all over the place... I Love It.

Hypocrisy

2008-01-09T00:46:00.000-05:00

After a teacher vehemently decried the fact that she had to do something for a workshop, she claimed students were lazy for not turning in their work.

Human nature is human nature.

FCAT Miami.com

2008-01-02T01:10:00.001-05:00

I'm making a message board / CMS for students and teachers who wish to discuss the FCAT.

Of course, I'd need to encourage people to use it! Marketing is harder than making a mysql database....

How do you measure a year?

2007-12-31T20:24:00.000-05:00

I'm glad to be teaching two courses at Miami-Dade. I think they will help me in the future. I'd be a great community college professor. Think of that: A college professor! How proud!

Still, I'm going to give my students my ALL this next semester. I wrote some ideas on my other blog.

As Rent asked, "How do we measure the life of a woman or a man?"

"How about love?"

--
It's hard to write anything on the Internet without sounding completely snarky.

Shut up spell-checker! SNARKY IS A WORD.

Installed moodle

2007-12-22T15:28:00.000-05:00

Today I experimented with moodle! I've got it running on my server @ http://modernpedagogy.org/

Joking around vs. learning something

2007-12-16T22:05:00.000-05:00

How much can a student learn if they are having fun? Are the two mutually exclusive?

How loud is too loud? How late is too late? As a teacher I have to set the tone.

Preparation and planning go so far to making the class successful.

----
I'm glad I discovered this blog again. It seems to be a bit more reflective than my other "teaching" blog. Still it was nice to read the old memories. :)

Drug with possible mystic effects

2007-02-03T14:22:00.000-05:00

This is positively amazing. People who have taken shrooms have found it to be, on average, up there with the birth of a child or the death of their parents. Fascinating.

Teaching as a subversive activity

2006-08-08T22:35:00.000-04:00

I'm excited about the new year. I'm excited to be reading "Teaching as a Subversive Activity" by Postman and Weingartner.

I will implement a number of their ideas in my classroom. In fact I feel I already do.

Stolen cell phones

2006-04-04T00:26:00.000-04:00

Stolen i-Pods.

Selling stolen goods after first period.

Sometimes it's overwhelming.

Don't quit your day job...

Does this still work?

2006-04-01T23:22:00.000-05:00

Since I have no audience, it seems pointless to post...yet I'm compelled. Different teachers need to be paired with different students. Put more stuff online. Let the world in on the world of pedagogy.

He gave me a dirty look

2005-12-02T16:52:00.000-05:00

I asked an immature kid to leave the room because he was giving me dirty looks.

The rest of the class was near hysterical from laughter.

We tried to do zen stories. I think it got through to a few of them. Ahhh, I'm such a teacher. :)

I don't know if I'm good or not...but I am one. I get it done.

Now I'm watching MTV2 and it's surprisingly awful.

Who won the fight?

2005-12-02T01:11:00.000-05:00

The counselor pleaded for order from the class. He demanded to know why his "role model" would ask such a question. In a presentation about the dangers of fighting, the only thing that counted was who won.

I'll renounce my moral indignation after I can accept it as a metaphor for mankind.

I think I know my world-view now. It's all ironic.

Alternative certification

2005-12-02T00:53:00.000-05:00

I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I've learned at the alternative certification meetings.

Tonight's class about ESE students was awe inspiring.

Wishing I wrote more

2005-11-28T01:55:00.000-05:00

I wish I could teach a class based on ALDAILY.COM. I am so sick of this "Teach, RE-Teach, Answer questions, Answer for a test and Forget." I am so sick of this educational system at times.

Just read Aldaily.com. That's all.

The chaos of sixth period 2003

2005-11-20T17:10:00.000-05:00

Time passes. I'm facing 2006 instead of 2003. The students I had as freshmen will be facing college and adulthood and I'll be a fourth year teacher, assuming I can pass my certification requirements.

What they face will be largely the work of their surroundings and genetics. I don't know how much of a role I played in their future.

But I would love to look back on my first few years as a teacher in this blog.

On the first day of school a girl asked if she could use my seat. I was so bewildered. I had no sense of authority.

Now I've developed that...to a certain extent. But I'm still working on it.

Well this post was pointless.

Allowing them to talk

2005-11-03T22:58:00.000-05:00

A new student from Brooklyn came into class today and the guys went wild. Testosterone was pumping.

I couldn't get them to shut up. But it's funny.

I can't get the type of intellectually stimulating discussions going like in my other regular classes. I've had some real characters. I shouldn't say to them, "Why can't you be more like the others?"

Damn...if I had some readers I would be more compelled to write on here...Then again if I wrote on here I might have some more readers.

I was walking into my school and a few of the girls saw me with a dying branch of tabebua. I told them I was going to give it to my girlfriend and we had a pretty funny conversation about it.
TTD:
I gotta get the chess club in order!

Tests of Fabled Archimedes Death Ray Fail - Yahoo! News

2005-10-23T18:20:00.000-04:00

Tests of Fabled Archimedes Death Ray Fail - Yahoo! News

Email has entangled me

2005-10-23T12:54:00.000-04:00

A student is suffering and email has brought that suffering a little closer to home. Perhaps I made an inappropriate comment. I hope everything is okay.

I don't write enough on here but that's okay :)

2005-10-23T12:52:00.000-04:00

No, writing every day isn't easy. But I worry about the overflow of information if blogging were even easier. Every second of every day isn't worth recording. Sometimes the banality is treasured better in our memories than in hard drives. Sometimes visions and thoughts are best fleeting. We don't get a second life to go back and watch it all again. Would we want to?

Common-place: Talk of the Past

2005-10-10T00:46:00.000-04:00

Common-place: Talk of the Past

I need my NYTimes!

2005-10-09T23:45:00.000-04:00

I couldn't take it! I had to sign up for the NYTimes editorial special. I'm addicted to their liberal pronouncements!

Teacher work day

2005-10-04T23:25:00.000-04:00

Teachers should focus on efficiency. Hitting your head against a wall doesn't make you a better teacher.

Writing for yourself

2005-10-02T23:55:00.000-04:00

I've forgotten the importance of writing for yourself.

So from now on, I'm putting my thoughts on the web for myself. Audience be damned.

Starting this business has been quite exciting...More to follow.

Can't let go of youth...but you'll let go of life

2005-09-23T00:12:00.000-04:00

Youth has promise and beauty. And it's sad to see doors closing in your face. But life is full of so many precluded possibilities as Hobbes (Calvin's friend) once explained.

Give me 10 more years and I'll take up painting...I think Voltaire said that. I'll probably find myself with similar sentiments. But we shall see.

Our end is coming. All these storms and wars and planes dropping and AIDs remind us that. "Us" being myself and you the ready. It's just the end of our own lives. There's really nothing special about people as a group.

Yet as I write that it seems false. There IS something unique about us and it would be a shame if our experiment ended. Maybe I'll die and you'll die but it would be a shame if we all died.

At least that's my opinion right now. We shall see.

Don't let grades define you

2005-09-23T00:08:00.000-04:00

-Human gangs seem to fight for the same reasons animal gangs do. Bio-psych has lots of hidden answers for us...
-I wish I was part of the scientific community at times. But am I any good at it?
-I'm trying somewhat with my students but I can't say I'm trying my "hardest".
-Bush is a failure of a whole new level.
-Blogs are a great way to end the day.
-Don't let your grades define who you are.

PDIDDY HAS NO TALENT

2005-08-29T02:35:00.000-04:00

Katrina was a distraction for Miami...seemingly deadly for NO.

Life of Pi was a good book.

Walker moves you

2005-08-24T20:55:00.000-04:00

"All we can do is give the kids the tools to make the right decisions and support them when they do!"

--

Walker Texas Ranger when he saved Chesholm Middle School from the vatos

Classes are going great!!

2005-08-24T20:25:00.000-04:00

I haven't been much of a blogger...at least blogging that doesn't pay. But classes are going great and I'm happy as anything.

Richard Feynman

2005-07-19T02:39:00.000-04:00

When you read about the greatness of others it can be a little intimidating. But it's also inspiring :)

TV is so stupid

2005-07-08T13:28:00.000-04:00

I just watched Home Improvement, Fraiser, Good Times, E! TV...

boy is this stupid. I can't believe it...but Walker Texas Ranger might be better than ALL of those shows.

i am the winner...

2005-07-02T22:32:00.000-04:00

I am the best air hockey player in the world...the thrill of victory is mine!

LOL You gotta love the buicks...can't haul t

2005-06-28T20:45:00.000-04:00

Posted: Oct 1, 2003 10:00 AM

Reply
Granny's '82 Buick LeSabre two door: a pig of a car, but never has 90 mph on the highway been more comfortable or roomy. Seats more like a favorite sofa or overstuffed recliner, an HVAC system that could roast a pig or cool a stadium and motor that wouldn't quit til it ran out of gear. I miss that car, the "SS Pork Roast."

What is worth blogging about?

2005-06-26T10:13:00.000-04:00

StumbleUpon has brought me to some pretty cool spots online. But there's also a whole culture devoted to wasting time...

Sally Forth has a funny comic today. Ted is showing Sally his cell phone fotos of his ear which he wants to put in a gallery. Sadly there probably is a site devoted to such musings. ANd I'd probably find a rationale for its existence.

With a few clever captions I may enjoy it. But not enough to click that PayPal button.

===

In BestBuy there is a USB cord to transfer your programs from TIVO to your laptop. Wonderful! Now we can watch Matlock on our computers.

So what'll it be? Matlock or cell phone ear shots? Or writing about each?

I'd rather start my own business:

http://www.plantsfromparadise.blogspot.com

Link to me, won't you?

Good bye to all three of you. :)

Tirade against school

2005-06-23T03:29:00.000-04:00

I've been too focused on my own projects this summer. WHich isn't a bad thing. I'm enjoying myself immensely.
==

I was wearing a GOOGLE shirt today when an excited teenager ran up to me and asked me where I got it. "I'm a big nerd!", he exclaimed.

Haha, I told him how he could get one and he seemed pleased.

Does school hold back the smart kids? I feel in a way it does. In a way it's a hinderance. I reminded myself in a monologue to my college students that I'm doing it for the kids who wouldn't learn anything. I'm trying not to hold back the kids in front but I'm really pushing the kids in the back. That's why I teach at a public school.

How effective am I?

I dunno. At times I feel I'm pretty effective. At times it feels monotonous.

2005-06-23T00:16:00.000-04:00

10 Gallon Cardboard Palm Plant

2005-06-23T00:00:00.000-04:00

Kayaking in the open ocean.

Showzen

2005-06-20T01:47:00.000-04:00

Showzen is the most offensive, funniest show on tV.

It's so offensive I feel bad to be watching it.

Consider:

A child dresses up as Hitler and interviews the man on the street.
Mother Nature becomes a "Man".
A child asks a zoo keeper to say "smash the state".
A puppet asks a black man what he thinks of Jews after pretending to shut the camera off. The man says they have secret police to keep them in order.
Cooties are sold to the world.
The animal "dance". Enough said.

Watch it if you dare.

test

2005-06-18T14:08:00.000-04:00

testing

My hero

2005-06-17T16:37:00.000-04:00

He once wrote that he stopped studying economics as an undergraduate because economics, as it was and is taught, can "measure the giant's footsteps but not look into his eyes."

My hero, Arthur Miller.

Heaven's Gate - How and When It May Be Entered

2005-06-17T13:29:00.000-04:00

Heaven's Gate - How and When It May Be Entered These guys still creep me out.

watching who's the boss?

2005-06-17T03:34:00.000-04:00

When will Tony learn? He can't get special favors from Angela in the adult education class even if they do live together!

Integrated Learning: The Best GMAT, LSAT, GRE, and SAT Private Tutoring Anywhere!

2005-06-16T02:24:00.000-04:00

Integrated Learning: The Best GMAT, LSAT, GRE, and SAT Private Tutoring Anywhere!

Scary...all that money for tutoring and Freakonomics says that it's all a waste...

To think they charge 90/hour and only pay their tutors 50/hour. Sad how they pocket all that money.

Could I use this on my students?

2005-06-14T14:35:00.000-04:00

Legal?

Birds

2005-06-14T07:57:00.000-04:00

I saw a bird on a tree outside my house and he looked very happy.

the light of the dawn

2005-06-13T06:12:00.000-04:00

So many thoughts flood my mind as the morning comes. I feel young when I'm hungry and when I'm fighting for something. I'd hate to let a problem beat me even if it really doesn't matter.
Because when it's all said and done, does anything we do really matter?
But the emptiness seems a little less scary when you have work you find meaningful.
And for some reason lately I've found the idea of making money meaningful.
And look at this: www.thewebsimplified.com

My next idea? I'm thinking about a forum to talk about the FCAT...hmm a griping center where people can click on the google ads? But would anyone actually write about the FCAT? Do I even care about the FCAT? Are the people who are failing the FCAT actually looking for a website to WRITE about the concerns? Hmm maybe this isn't the best idea...but maybe some parents might care.

Maybe an AP and SAT forum along with an FCAT forum...hmm interesting. See the idea, dummy, is to bring traffic to look at google ads and 2.) give out my email address to do tutoring for fifty dollars. An hour.

Travel to Alaska

2005-06-11T05:13:00.000-04:00

I've spent the past hour wrestling with myself whether to book a cruise to Alaska with my brother.

It seems I've talked myself out of it...

There's always next year!

Excited about businesses

2005-06-08T04:03:00.000-04:00

I've been enjoying summer so much! It's such a treat to be able to explore the world without worrying about deadlines for a little!

I can't wait to be an adjunct professor!!

Life is great!

it wasn't easy

2005-06-04T17:53:00.000-04:00

This blog isn't a success or a failure. It just is what is.

I put my thoughts and hopes and dreams and realities up here to reflect on later.

There are times of frustration.

But now I've got my own room and I'm excited as hell.

Next year is gonna be great with a Linux lab. Life is gonna be great with three classes.

I'm gonna be a third year teacher. I can't believe it.

this close to giving up

2005-05-27T13:39:00.000-04:00

I was ready to walk out the door. I was going to apply to a number of web design companies.

Then I found out I'll have my own room next year.

When it ends

2005-05-26T06:55:00.000-04:00

We send our attendance down by hand. Most teachers balk at the idea of entering grades into a computer. Strange machines they are.

But still something magic can happen inside a classroom. It give kids a chance to connect.

But you can give the top students free time and they'll be enriching each other. You can bring Nobel Prize winners to teach the remedial students and they'll still struggle.

A fellow teacher has been expounding on this for a while. Perhaps I've always believed it but we don't always act on our beliefs.

But if I truly thought some couldn't be taught I wouldn't be going in to proctor an exam in a few minutes.

It looks like one more year of teaching high school. This hasn't been a total disaster after all. But then again it isn't 12:30. The morning always brings hope.

water pistols

2005-05-24T23:28:00.000-04:00

A kid flexing his biceps told me he'd put away his guns.

I told him he had water pistols.

We all shared a good laugh.

A tale of two countries

2005-05-24T00:06:00.000-04:00

Class Matters - Social Class and Education in the United States of America - The New York Times - New York Times: "Only 41 percent of low-income students entering a four-year college managed to graduate within five years, the Department of Education found in a study last year, but 66 percent of high-income students did. That gap had grown over recent years. 'We need to recognize that the most serious domestic problem in the United States today is the widening gap between the children of the rich and the children of the poor,' Lawrence H. Summers, the president of Harvard, said last year when announcing that Harvard would give full scholarships to all its lowest-income students. 'And education is the most powerful weapon we have to address that problem.'"

We do NOT want to become a country of two classes.

Play acting like they are tough

2005-05-20T21:17:00.000-04:00

I gave the most boring worthless test today. A beautiful Friday afternoon and the minutes just couldn't go by any slower. It's the secret to stopping time! The minute hand does NOT move! You just sit there watching it, hoping the kids don't do anything outrageous.

A little outburst here and there. Mostly they were under control.

My little hoodlums in fourth period (or an hour and a half lunch for some of them) were actually pretty good BEFORE we broke for lunch. I freaked out because this kid wouldn't put an old yearbook away and he was singing "Insane in the Membrane" and giving me pretty weak dirty looks.

I keep thinking FOUR days left. Four days left. I think I'm gonna invite the AP to stop by room on final day.

Another year. My biggest fear is next year will feel exactly as this one does. If I don't get my own room or more AOIT classes or computer science classes, I'm seriously thinking of entering the high tech world. High school can be so backward. A computer is viewed with fear and suspicion instead of a way to exchange knowledge. At least the principal is forward thinking...but there are some serious idiots on that faculty who think 1978 was the pinnacle of civilization.

Prospect - article_details

2005-05-20T00:30:00.000-04:00

Prospect - article_details Why do Jews have a higher than average IQ? Why do they excel at chess? Is chess really a metaphor for the Cold War?

Chess has a long history but it's more fun to play than think about.

the home stretch

2005-05-20T00:13:00.000-04:00

I'm so burned out with this job. I wait until the last possible second to leave and I'm weakly putting assignments on the board. Teaching regular world history is like a purgatory of sorts.

But I have a ticket out if I wanted. Some pretty decent degrees from a decent state school.

Some possibilities are up in the air: I could get some computer science classes next year, the technology program could expand...but teaching regular world history is bothersome.

Nothing too funny about this post :(

incomplete blogs

2005-05-16T00:51:00.000-04:00

I've been busy building a "gaming computer" and it hasn't come easily. Something is configured wrong and I'm tempted to let my techie students take a look...I'm afraid if a IEEE engineer couldn't figure it out, they'd totally fuck it up.

But I'll act as a conduit for the tech support guys tomorrow and we'll see where it goes from there.

I'm looking forward to the end of the year so I can focus on my toys!

Just felt like writing

2005-05-09T23:35:00.000-04:00

I finally got my server running. Opening ports, ensuring security. It feels so good. I'm supposed to be writing my finals but I'm just basking in the success. I watched the Daily Show, basketball is on...life is good.

Tomorrow is good.

May 21st I'm going to be taking the computer certification test. A history/computer teacher. Sounds good to me :)

What have I learned setting up a web server? Ports can be a bitch and tech support people are necessary and VALUABLE! There are good people out there.

blogging is a victory

2005-05-05T21:04:00.000-04:00

Whew. I just got my class to start blogging- no small feat!

The things some people take for granted...

Wired 13.05: Dome Improvement

2005-05-04T23:56:00.000-04:00

Wired 13.05: Dome Improvement. Are my students getting smarter? I have trouble accepting that on some levels but intelligence manifests itself differently with different people.

I'm sure some smart people worked on Napoleon Dynamite and some smart people liked it...but I couldn't stand it. If the IQ test is skewed I hope they don't use the Napoleon Dynamite Test instead.

Hitler needed a hug.

2005-05-01T21:58:00.000-04:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler

What did you think of this article?

Answer:

Hitler needed a hug.

Do I count that answer or not?