The system is rigged.
Okay, here’s the truth: very few students are ever going to do well in school the way the system is set up right now. Here are six reasons I came up with. I am sure there are more.
Read more "The system is rigged."Summer homework: Does it really accomplish anything?
(Please note that I will be using the non-gender-specific “they” and its variations for the singular as well as plural. I know it isn’t “grammatically correct,” but, if it was good enough for Dickens and Austen, it’s good enough for me.) The true answer to this question is: maybe. It depends on the student. A […]
Read more "Summer homework: Does it really accomplish anything?"It’s been a long time.
If you are reading this, thank you. This site has basically been dead for over a year, and, now, I’m back hoping someone will still read this blog. I’ve been gone because I found myself writing one angry screed after another. It just wasn’t healthy for me. So, I have returned with a different agenda. […]
Read more "It’s been a long time."“A Moment of Silence for Morality”
So, I was listening to the latest podcast episode of Intercepted, which is a great journalistic podcast that tries to speak truth to power, no matter the political party involved, and I heard Narcy, an Iraqi rapper, do an a cappella rap that began with the line: “A moment of silence for morality.” He then went […]
Read more "“A Moment of Silence for Morality”"Suicide is NOT painless
The theme song to the film and then TV show M.A.S.H. was called “Suicide is Painless,” which was written by Michael Altman, the son of the director of the film, Robert Altman. The last verse before the final chorus reads: “The sword of time will pierce our skin It doesn’t hurt when it begins But […]
Read more "Suicide is NOT painless"The solution to the gun problem!
People who I have argued with over gun control in the US have pointed out that no matter what is done, it would be very hard to take away guns from everyone around the country since there are over 300,000,000 guns owned in the US. I agree. Here’s what I propose in a few steps: […]
Read more "The solution to the gun problem!"The real problem with our education system
Money. Our entire system of education in this country is so focused on the expense of it, that it actually works against students receiving the best education possible. Let me explain: Because of the collective bargaining between the teachers unions and boards of education, there are standardized pay scales for teachers based on years of experience […]
Read more "The real problem with our education system"“A bit of a bonus?”
So, this past week, the President of the United States suggested that teachers receive “a bit of a bonus” to carry a gun in school and that 40% of all teachers would receive this benefit, as reported in The New York Times. This would be a flat bonus of $1000, which, of course, is about […]
Read more "“A bit of a bonus?”"Student Apathy
Very little gets students excited these days, academically speaking. Sure they get excited about certain things outside of school that interest them, but the sheer joy of learning seems foreign to them. They just seem to go to school because they have to and no other reason. School is something to “get through,” to “overcome.” […]
Read more "Student Apathy"Sticks and stones…
“Words, words, words.” — Hamlet When I was growing up, my parents always used to say to me when I felt bad because of something someone said to me that it’s just words. If you don’t pay attention to them, they can’t hurt you. But then there’s Nietzsche: “All I need is a sheet of […]
Read more "Sticks and stones…"
Ferat-isms 