Banks The Next Shoe to Drop
4 years ago
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
President Obama's Speech Sept, 8, 2009
If I had children in preK - 12 I would keep them home on Monday and Tuesday, the 7th and 8th, because I do not know what he will say to the children, but from the instructions to the teachers, there is potential for an indoctrination session to take place; and I wouldn't put it past them/him because the general consensus is 'get to the children early if you want to help shape their thinking'. I want some answers ahead of time before I turn my kids' minds over to the government. Answers to questions like:
1- What is the purpose of setting aside so much time for the children to work, study, and discuss the president's speech?
2- Why do you want to know how children can help in schools? They are only between the ages of 4 and 12! Given the current debates on Cap and Trade, Healthcare, Bailouts, TARP, and the surprising and overwhelming showing of frustration by the general public in Town Hall meetings, is this really a questions of 'how can you take this propaganda home and tell your parents their stupid'? Or is this a long-term strategy to change the direction of thinking in the next generation?
3- How are the teachers supposed to steer the following discussion:
4- I want answers to these questions before they are asked of the children:
What is the president trying to tell me?
What is the president asking me to do?
What new ideas and actions is the president challenging me to think about?
5- Instead of these questions going to the children:
I like to keep things short, and I have too many questions for this post. Please read the communique sent to the teachers and school administrators and help me figure out what the goal of the president is. I have posted the communique in its entirety on this blog.
1- What is the purpose of setting aside so much time for the children to work, study, and discuss the president's speech?
2- Why do you want to know how children can help in schools? They are only between the ages of 4 and 12! Given the current debates on Cap and Trade, Healthcare, Bailouts, TARP, and the surprising and overwhelming showing of frustration by the general public in Town Hall meetings, is this really a questions of 'how can you take this propaganda home and tell your parents their stupid'? Or is this a long-term strategy to change the direction of thinking in the next generation?
3- How are the teachers supposed to steer the following discussion:
Why is it important that we listen to the president and other elected officials, like the mayor, senators, members of congress, or the governor? Why is what they say important?Is what they say important because they are our elected officials and they determine the direction of our country? If so, I want to keep them home and teach them about the Constitution which specifically states that the rights belong to the people, not the government. I want to tell the children that it is much less important for us to listen to them than FOR THEM TO LISTEN TO US!
4- I want answers to these questions before they are asked of the children:
What is the president trying to tell me?
What is the president asking me to do?
What new ideas and actions is the president challenging me to think about?
5- Instead of these questions going to the children:
Students might think about the following:I might ask, "Why are the requests coming from the government to the people? Who works for whom?"
What specific job is he asking me to do?
Is he asking anything of anyone else?
Teachers? Principals? Parents? The American people?
I like to keep things short, and I have too many questions for this post. Please read the communique sent to the teachers and school administrators and help me figure out what the goal of the president is. I have posted the communique in its entirety on this blog.
President Obama’s Address to Students Across America
Menu of Classroom Activities
(PreK‐6)
Produced by Teaching Ambassador Fellows, U.S. Department of Education
September 8, 2009
(PreK‐6)
Produced by Teaching Ambassador Fellows, U.S. Department of Education
September 8, 2009
Before the Speech
• Teachers can build background knowledge about the President of the United States and his speech by reading books about presidents and Barack Obama. Teachers could motivate students by asking the following questions:
Who is the President of the United States?
What do you think it takes to be president?
To whom do you think the president is going to be speaking?
Why do you think he wants to speak to you?
What do you think he will say to you?
• Teachers can ask students to imagine that they are delivering a speech to all of the students in the United States.
If you were the president, what would you tell students?
What can students do to help in our schools?
Teachers can chart ideas about what students would say.
• Why is it important that we listen to the president and other elected officials, like the mayor, senators, members of congress, or the governor? Why is what they say important?
During the Speech
• As the president speaks, teachers can ask students to write down key ideas or phrases that are important or personally meaningful. Students could use a note‐taking graphic organizer such as a “cluster web;” or, students could record their thoughts on sticky notes. Younger children could draw pictures and write as appropriate. As students listen to the speech, they could think about the following:
What is the president trying to tell me?
What is the president asking me to do?
What new ideas and actions is the president challenging me to think about?
• Students could record important parts of the speech where the president is asking them to do something. Students might think about the following:
What specific job is he asking me to do?
Is he asking anything of anyone else?
Teachers? Principals? Parents? The American people?
• Students could record questions they have while he is speaking and then discuss them after the speech. Younger children may need to dictate their questions.
2 After the Speech
• Teachers could ask students to share the ideas they recorded, exchange sticky notes, or place notes on a butcher‐paper poster in the classroom to discuss main ideas from the speech, such as citizenship, personal responsibility, and civic duty.
• Students could discuss their responses to the following questions:
What do you think the president wants us to do?
Does the speech make you want to do anything?
Are we able to do what President Obama is asking of us?
What would you like to tell the president?
Extension of the Speech
Teachers could extend learning by having students:
• Create posters of their goals. Posters could be formatted in quadrants, puzzle pieces, or trails marked with the following labels: personal, academic, community, and country. Each area could be labeled with three steps for achieving goals in that area. It might make sense to focus first on personal and academic goals so that community and country goals can be more readily created.
• Write letters to themselves about how they can achieve their short‐term and long‐term education goals. Teachers would collect and redistribute these letters at an appropriate later date to enable students to monitor their progress.
• Write goals on colored index cards or precut designs to post around the classroom.
• Interview one another and share goals with the class to create a supportive community.
• Participate in school‐wide incentive programs or contests for those students who achieve their goals.
• Write about their goals in a variety of genres, such as poems, songs, and personal essays.
• Create artistic projects based on the themes of their goals.
• Graph individual progress toward goals.
• Teachers can build background knowledge about the President of the United States and his speech by reading books about presidents and Barack Obama. Teachers could motivate students by asking the following questions:
Who is the President of the United States?
What do you think it takes to be president?
To whom do you think the president is going to be speaking?
Why do you think he wants to speak to you?
What do you think he will say to you?
• Teachers can ask students to imagine that they are delivering a speech to all of the students in the United States.
If you were the president, what would you tell students?
What can students do to help in our schools?
Teachers can chart ideas about what students would say.
• Why is it important that we listen to the president and other elected officials, like the mayor, senators, members of congress, or the governor? Why is what they say important?
During the Speech
• As the president speaks, teachers can ask students to write down key ideas or phrases that are important or personally meaningful. Students could use a note‐taking graphic organizer such as a “cluster web;” or, students could record their thoughts on sticky notes. Younger children could draw pictures and write as appropriate. As students listen to the speech, they could think about the following:
What is the president trying to tell me?
What is the president asking me to do?
What new ideas and actions is the president challenging me to think about?
• Students could record important parts of the speech where the president is asking them to do something. Students might think about the following:
What specific job is he asking me to do?
Is he asking anything of anyone else?
Teachers? Principals? Parents? The American people?
• Students could record questions they have while he is speaking and then discuss them after the speech. Younger children may need to dictate their questions.
2 After the Speech
• Teachers could ask students to share the ideas they recorded, exchange sticky notes, or place notes on a butcher‐paper poster in the classroom to discuss main ideas from the speech, such as citizenship, personal responsibility, and civic duty.
• Students could discuss their responses to the following questions:
What do you think the president wants us to do?
Does the speech make you want to do anything?
Are we able to do what President Obama is asking of us?
What would you like to tell the president?
Extension of the Speech
Teachers could extend learning by having students:
• Create posters of their goals. Posters could be formatted in quadrants, puzzle pieces, or trails marked with the following labels: personal, academic, community, and country. Each area could be labeled with three steps for achieving goals in that area. It might make sense to focus first on personal and academic goals so that community and country goals can be more readily created.
• Write letters to themselves about how they can achieve their short‐term and long‐term education goals. Teachers would collect and redistribute these letters at an appropriate later date to enable students to monitor their progress.
• Write goals on colored index cards or precut designs to post around the classroom.
• Interview one another and share goals with the class to create a supportive community.
• Participate in school‐wide incentive programs or contests for those students who achieve their goals.
• Write about their goals in a variety of genres, such as poems, songs, and personal essays.
• Create artistic projects based on the themes of their goals.
• Graph individual progress toward goals.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
The Wedge...
Let’s look at what happens after congress claims a right from an individual and it is upheld by the Supreme Court. In the ‘40s, some government agency made some guy stop growing wheat in his back yard even though it was for his own use. They claimed that power over this individual’s right because, they said, it affected interstate commerce. The famous “Interstate Commerce Clause”. The Supreme Court upheld the rulings. Now congress claims the right to intrude into every aspect of individual rights, claiming the Interstate Commerce Clause gives them the authority, even the duty.
The moral of this story is that every right that is transferred from the people to the federal government is a wooden wedge in the crack of our Constitutional rock. Congress can then slowly widen that wedge over time by pouring water over the wooden wedge, causing the wood to swell and the crack to slowly widen so they can stick a bigger wedge in there and start the water treatment all over again. It is not very difficult to split a rock if you have the time, but try putting that rock back together again! How long will it take before the rock is completely broken in two?
The mightiest rock cannot withstand a wedge and a bucket of water.
The moral of this story is that every right that is transferred from the people to the federal government is a wooden wedge in the crack of our Constitutional rock. Congress can then slowly widen that wedge over time by pouring water over the wooden wedge, causing the wood to swell and the crack to slowly widen so they can stick a bigger wedge in there and start the water treatment all over again. It is not very difficult to split a rock if you have the time, but try putting that rock back together again! How long will it take before the rock is completely broken in two?
The mightiest rock cannot withstand a wedge and a bucket of water.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
The Essence of Freedom
The essence of freedom is the proper limitation of government.
When government's power grows, people's freedom recedes.
http://www.wimp.com/thegovernment
When government's power grows, people's freedom recedes.
http://www.wimp.com/thegovernment
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Benjamin Franklin
"No man's life, liberty or fortune is safe while our legislature is in session."
-- Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) US Founding Father
-- Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) US Founding Father
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
