@Ulookinatmyjunk!?!: It's horrible, no? And I say that coming from a family of educators.
It wasn't until I started writing for a living that I realized the extent to which I was drastically, hideously, shamefully underread. And a pox FOREVER on my so-called "guidance" counselor.
My friend is a delegate-thingy in CA, and she got one of those lawsuits and even some threats in the mail, people telling her she's committing treason by voting for Obama. She was like, Whatevs! I'll go to jail to cast my vote!
@ceejeemcbeegee: Did this kind of stuff happen in other elections with other candidates? I feel like the support for Obama has been especially enthusiastic, as has been the opposition. I know people weren't too happy the second time Bush was elected, but Obama is a first-term Pres. so I genuinely find it hard to understand the vehement allegations of treason, etc. Even for Bush the first time I was like, "meh, I'll give the guy a chance now that he's elected.."
@goldengirl11: Yea but Obama's a moslem he is hell bent on destroying our freedom to bomb whatever country we feel like and keeping women from having a choice
@aspiringexpatriate: I believe, according to the guy in the cubicle next to me at work, the correct pronunciation is: Moo-slim. Coincidentally that's also the name of the newest weight loss trend among well-to-do bovines.
@ceejeemcbeegee: A University of Florida law professor once asked Scalia (when he had come to speak at the school) if his belief in textualism meant that anyone being born through C-section should not be able to be president as they are not technically naturally born citizens. Scalia was not amused.
@battleaxonista: Alas, he is not my professor, although I would love to have him as one, I dont go to the University of Florida and am not a law student. But he's an old law school buddy of my dad's.
He's completely awesome, when Scalia snidely said that perhaps he [the professor] knew more about the 4th amendment than Scalia , the professor replied "well, there's no doubt about that".
I'd like to know how much it would cost and how long it would take, not to mention exactly what it would require to get our school system completely overhauled and back on some semblance of a track.
Do what this woman has done in every city in the country. Fire bad teachers, give the good ones incentives and for heavens sake, weed out the corrupt bastards lining their pockets with school funds!
Beyond his normal problems he failed to do anything when my dictatorial principal decided to keep firing the union reps or anyone who spoke against her, despite the school being well known, the principal killing our rankings and student morale, fantastic teachers leaving left and right, o and the fact that our walkout got on both fox news and in the papers after one particularly evil anti-labor firing. After the second alkout he promised to look into it personally and did jack shit, meanwhile the school continues to go severely downhill.
@Elaken: Tenure is necessary as long as administrations can abuse their power, there are plenty of bad teachers given tenure, however, there I think it would probably kill the public school system if tenure was taken away. There are already so many disadvantages to teaching in city public school's this might be the last straw for a lot of quality teachers.
@saltine: The biggest problem is administrators enjoying their miniscule power and controlling their own little world. Tenure is an issue, doesn't necessarily have to be done away with, but at least reformed. But like Ciji says, it's where the money goes, not how much we pour into it. A few years ago Dallas had this great superintendent, until they discovered she used school funds to pay for her office and home renovations.
@aspiringexpatriate: I agree, the one I speak of didn't use school funds for personal purposes (that we know of), but the ability for her to exploit her power to build a little kingdom to the detriment of teachers and students is a flaw in the system.
And I know Duncan will probably do an ok job, but I just have a hard time forgiving him for ignoring a situation where students were clearly unhappy (I forget what percentage of the students signed the petition, a third or more I think) and there were obvious labor violations.
Now Rhee, that's a woman who appears to be fantastic and seems to do the right thing for the students. We need someone like her in Chicago, the public school system there is terrible for 80% of the students, and Im being kind with that figure
@saltine: After reading Ciji's story, Rhee seems analogous to Thatcher. Sure, she might be getting the job done, but she's busting unions, firing workers, and getting people pissed off. I loved the bit at the end where the student, Rhodes, said he chose his major in order to take Rhee's job.
Basically, if she can turn it around and make her system work, then it'll be a great thing. And it'll be up to kids like Rhodes to make a functional system better. But it has to get functional first.
I wonder how she treats schools whose test scores falter. Apparently in Texas, if a school's TASP scores drop at all, it loses funding for the next year, and if that happens three years in a row, the school gets put through a wringer. The problem is, it's any drop, say 97% passing to 96% passing. And that's just absurd.
From that article, Rhee seems to be punishing individual teachers and principals and not the schools themselves. And that makes a bit more sense. But I'd have to agree with the teachers interviewed, it is a bit scary. Test scores don't say the whole story, but if the kids can't read, then you've got to do something.
@Rooo sez BISH PLZ: I just mean I didn't have the instantaneous onslaught of tears of joy when I read the news. Happy yes. Delerious? I think probably not again until inauguration. And when healthcare reform gets passed. And when the president starts doing constitutionally ok presidential things.
I predict nothing but trouble in the future for that four-year-old who broke into a toy store. Twenty years from now, he's gonna be trying to convince the cops that he is in love with "living" mannequin in the department store...
@STICKSnSCONES: I remember when I was about 4, I really wanted a power wheel, and one of the neighbors had one in their garage. So one day I stole it when they left it open. I would have driven that thing for the border had parental units up and down the street not been able to catch little dianersb going 4 mph in her stolen ride.
My first reaction to the Blagojevich story was "I can't wait to hear Megan take this sleaze apart." My second thought was that it sounded like a story straight out of the Wire. This guy makes Clay Davis look good!
12/15/08
I would like to thank my Civics teacher for making learning so boring that only now do I understand the meaning of this thread.
Thanks!
12/16/08
It wasn't until I started writing for a living that I realized the extent to which I was drastically, hideously, shamefully underread. And a pox FOREVER on my so-called "guidance" counselor.
12/15/08
12/15/08
12/15/08
12/15/08
12/15/08
12/15/08
12/15/08
12/15/08
12/15/08
He's completely awesome, when Scalia snidely said that perhaps he [the professor] knew more about the 4th amendment than Scalia , the professor replied "well, there's no doubt about that".
12/15/08
12/15/08
12/15/08
12/15/08
I say bring back the abacus.
12/15/08
[www.time.com]
Do what this woman has done in every city in the country. Fire bad teachers, give the good ones incentives and for heavens sake, weed out the corrupt bastards lining their pockets with school funds!
12/15/08
Tenure in teachers is not really a good thing, or so I believe.
12/15/08
Beyond his normal problems he failed to do anything when my dictatorial principal decided to keep firing the union reps or anyone who spoke against her, despite the school being well known, the principal killing our rankings and student morale, fantastic teachers leaving left and right, o and the fact that our walkout got on both fox news and in the papers after one particularly evil anti-labor firing. After the second alkout he promised to look into it personally and did jack shit, meanwhile the school continues to go severely downhill.
12/15/08
12/15/08
12/15/08
And I know Duncan will probably do an ok job, but I just have a hard time forgiving him for ignoring a situation where students were clearly unhappy (I forget what percentage of the students signed the petition, a third or more I think) and there were obvious labor violations.
Now Rhee, that's a woman who appears to be fantastic and seems to do the right thing for the students. We need someone like her in Chicago, the public school system there is terrible for 80% of the students, and Im being kind with that figure
12/15/08
Basically, if she can turn it around and make her system work, then it'll be a great thing. And it'll be up to kids like Rhodes to make a functional system better. But it has to get functional first.
I wonder how she treats schools whose test scores falter. Apparently in Texas, if a school's TASP scores drop at all, it loses funding for the next year, and if that happens three years in a row, the school gets put through a wringer. The problem is, it's any drop, say 97% passing to 96% passing. And that's just absurd.
From that article, Rhee seems to be punishing individual teachers and principals and not the schools themselves. And that makes a bit more sense. But I'd have to agree with the teachers interviewed, it is a bit scary. Test scores don't say the whole story, but if the kids can't read, then you've got to do something.
12/15/08
12/15/08
YES WE DID!!!!!
Given the shenanigans that went on behind the Constitution being labeled by GWB as "just a piece of paper", I will never get tired of saying it.
Never.
12/15/08
12/15/08
Heh. Yeeeeeeah boy!
12/15/08
12/15/08
12/15/08
12/15/08
12/15/08
Also, this afternoon it was reported that a brown bear has in fact shit in the woods.
12/15/08
12/15/08
12/15/08
12/15/08
12/15/08
12/15/08
12/15/08
12/15/08
12/15/08
12/15/08
12/09/08