Soccer 2009-Flamingo :)
Monday, September 28, 2009
In Memory of Squeeks.....:(
Well it looks like I am reliving my childhood trauma yet again.....
As a child I had numerous hampsters....they ended up dying all in less than a year from when I bought them. I would choose the smallest of the liters-they were always the cutest-the runts- and they didnt do very well....I remember being heart broken and sobbing to Dad and Mom not knowing what I did or why they had come and left my life so suddenly.
Flamingo is experiancing this same thing It looks like...:(She just recently lost Squeeks her first pet and she is heartbroken, just as I remember being.
We picked out a little bowl and it is all nestled nicely inside and we will be having the funeral this week. Dad and Mom-do you remember all those funerals? You said such nice words and comforted me so well-I hope Flamingo feels comforted by my words as I was with yours.{{HUGS}}
Grami is gone :( Flamingo has taken it the hardest-she misses her so very much.I will post pics soon when I have more time. Grami played outside every day with the kids while she was here. They would have races, play soldiers-I spied on this one and it was tooo funny and cute-you'll get a kick out of the pics when I post them.:) They flew kites, and just played with her. Flamingo had a buddy to play Barbies with :)I think since we basically stayed close to home this visit that they bonded more with her and they all were very sad to see her go as were dh and I:( But the kids were all teary eyed at the airport and on the ride home:(It feels alot quiter here-like someone is missing...
She is planning on coming camping with us next summer-which should be alot of fun. But I know everyone feels that that is too far away....LOLOLOL
But we loved having her here and had a great visit. She kept telling me what a great cook I am-and thats a rare occurance ard here-LOLOLOL But it was very nice to hear-kwim?:)Thanks Grami for all that you do and for the smiles and happiness you bring to our family:)We love U{{HUGS}}
As a child I had numerous hampsters....they ended up dying all in less than a year from when I bought them. I would choose the smallest of the liters-they were always the cutest-the runts- and they didnt do very well....I remember being heart broken and sobbing to Dad and Mom not knowing what I did or why they had come and left my life so suddenly.
Flamingo is experiancing this same thing It looks like...:(She just recently lost Squeeks her first pet and she is heartbroken, just as I remember being.
We picked out a little bowl and it is all nestled nicely inside and we will be having the funeral this week. Dad and Mom-do you remember all those funerals? You said such nice words and comforted me so well-I hope Flamingo feels comforted by my words as I was with yours.{{HUGS}}
Grami is gone :( Flamingo has taken it the hardest-she misses her so very much.I will post pics soon when I have more time. Grami played outside every day with the kids while she was here. They would have races, play soldiers-I spied on this one and it was tooo funny and cute-you'll get a kick out of the pics when I post them.:) They flew kites, and just played with her. Flamingo had a buddy to play Barbies with :)I think since we basically stayed close to home this visit that they bonded more with her and they all were very sad to see her go as were dh and I:( But the kids were all teary eyed at the airport and on the ride home:(It feels alot quiter here-like someone is missing...
She is planning on coming camping with us next summer-which should be alot of fun. But I know everyone feels that that is too far away....LOLOLOL
But we loved having her here and had a great visit. She kept telling me what a great cook I am-and thats a rare occurance ard here-LOLOLOL But it was very nice to hear-kwim?:)Thanks Grami for all that you do and for the smiles and happiness you bring to our family:)We love U{{HUGS}}
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Dear Teachers - Can We Talk?
This took my breath away........
Rich La Belle, Executive Director
Family Network on Disabilities of Florida
This is a request to all of the teachers out there. Whether you think of yourself as teaching students with disabilities or not, I'd like just a couple of minutes of your time. You see, my soul has been troubled of late. I keep thinking about the statements of educational professionals in the O'Neill case in Sarasota. That's the case where the teacher was ordered reinstated by an arbitrator after she was found to have "hit, hurt, and treated students . roughly in ways unrelated to the learning process," engaging in a "pattern of abuse" of the students with disabilities who were assigned to her classroom.
This is what bothers me - one of the grounds that the school district based their firing of her on was the statements that she made to and about her students - statements that were belittling, humiliating, and dehumanizing. She admitted to saying about one of her students in front of another adult present that the student was just "sitting there sucking up oxygen"
What happened to her because of these statements? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The arbitrator found that these types of statements were "observations" and "humor" and that there was no evidence that they were intended to be understood by the children about whom they were made. I thought, okay, he's an arbitrator, not an educator, maybe it's permissible as a legal technicality - a really, really big maybe. But, I thought, this conduct can't and won't be tolerated by other educational professionals. Right? Wrong.
This is what a speech language pathologist who was called to testify said about Ms. O'Neill's statements: She said that Ms. O'Neill has a sarcastic sense of humor that would be "meaningful to people that are working in that environment" - i.e. teaching kids with disabilities. Despite this, however, she testified that Ms. O'Neill's statements would not have been comprehended by her students, that they didn't affect the way she cared for or taught her students, and that they served as a means of relieving the stress of a stressful job. A physical therapist who worked with Ms. O'Neill, Shirley Taylor Shaw, testified that: "We all have a sense of humor, and sometimes it can be a little dark, but honestly, that's how we cope. When you consider what we have to do day in and day out, the limited amount of progress that we see, how involved the students are, you know, it's - for us, it doesn't seem that off the wall, but I guess by some standards, I guess it just depends on what you know, what you're used to, and what you have to deal with."
Wow.
This is what has my soul troubled. A rogue teacher, maybe burnt out, saying completely unacceptable things, an exception to the rule - I can understand that. What I can't understand is how her actions can be defended by other professionals and excused as necessary to relieve stress because her job was so difficult.
So, here's what I'd like to talk to you about: Do you think this kind of stuff - whether you call it observations, or humor, or - whatever - is okay? That it's acceptable for an educator to say something like this about their students? Whether they can hear/understand it or not? Is this appropriate and condoned professional behavior? For all of those who answer "no", I'd like to say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you very, very much.
For those of you who answered "yes" - that, even if it's not really acceptable, it's understandable, it's justified, you can see easily how it happens, you're okay with teachers and educators who do this getting a free pass - I'd like to continue our conversation. I'd like to ask you a simple question, one you absolutely know the answer to:
Do you have children?
If you do, you also know the answer to my next question with every atom of your being:
How would you feel if someone who is supposed to teach,
nurture, and protect your child treated them like that?
I don't care if your child does or doesn't have disabilities. Let's drop the "disabilities" tag for now. We're talking about children and what is and is not an acceptable way to treat them. Children. Children who we - both of us - as parents have entrusted to our school system to be educated. Period. Can we talk about our kids like that, please? As just kids? Because we're both parents.
I understand that you may have a lot of "buts" coming - "but, they do have disabilities"; "but, they are different"; "but, they are stressful"; "but, a teacher can only take it for so long"; "but, they don't really understand, so what does it matter?"; "but, they don't even feel it"; and a whole lot more. But, please humor me and let's put those to the side for a second. I promise we'll come back to them.
Can you tell me about your child? How did you choose their name? Did you name them after family? What makes them laugh? What's their favorite food? Do they have a favorite toy? I'm really interested - I love kids. My wife and I have four - two girls, two boys. What are your dreams for your child? I'd like to know those, too.
Can I tell you about my child? Not his diagnosis, or his medications, or his behaviors, or his disabilities. I want to tell you about my child - my gift from the Almighty. The repository of my hopes and dreams for the future. Do you think it's odd that I'd talk about my child like that? If you do, just give me a couple of minutes. I want to tell you about my son's favorite toy.
It's a stuffed rabbit. His godparents gave it to him before he had a diagnosis - when he was just a baby, before he had a label. Our family calls the rabbit, with all due respect, "Mr. Bunny". When my son was little, his eyes would light up whenever he saw Mr. Bunny and he would laugh so hard you would just have to laugh with him. His laugh would start in his belly and work its way up and down his body until all of him was shaking with pure joy. Pure, unadulterated, joy. Joy that doesn't know anything about "disabilities".
My son was named after me and both of his grandfathers. Tradition, I guess. Our family is like that. My son has lots of favorite foods - lots. Maybe it's all the spicy food my wife ate when she was pregnant, I don't know. Lack of appetite is not something we've ever had to deal with.
Do you want to ask me what "happened" to my child? Why he has disabilities? Go ahead. I'll answer you straight up. Why? I don't know. I really don't. Was it genetic? Don't know. Environmental? Not sure. Did the fact that his umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck when he was born have anything to do with it? Maybe - we'll never know. But - that word again - here's the kicker: I don't care. Because he's my son. My wonderful, beautiful boy. That's how I see him.
I'll bet that's how you see your child, too.
Wait - we left out dreams. That's easy. I want my son to be happy. Simple, right? Maybe, maybe not. For my son to be happy, people will have to treat him with respect - period. For my son to be happy, he will have to have equal opportunities. For my son to be happy, he will have to be treated equally with his peers. I see your hand up and I hear your question - "but, what's his disability?"
Does it matter?
Whether or not you have kids, why did you become a teacher? I can tell you why my daughter became one - because she has a passion to work with children that can't be satisfied any other way. She's really good at it, too, even if I do say so as her father. It makes my heart leap with joy and pride when I see her with her students. I'm going to go out on a limb here, but I'll bet that you became a teacher for reasons probably pretty close to my daughter's. Because you have a passion to work with kids - to open up the world to them - that can't be satisfied any other way.
When you decided that you wanted to be a teacher (how old were you?), did you ever imagine that you'd ever think it was okay to say that a student was just "sitting there sucking up oxygen"? I'm going to go out on a limb again here and guess that you didn't. I'm going to guess that, at that point, you couldn't imagine anything like that would be acceptable.
So, what "happened"? I'm thinking it wasn't genetic. Was it environmental?
I've heard lately - including from my own daughter, the teacher - that it's difficult to draw the line when it comes to corporal punishment. Are we going to ban even the most innocent contact between teachers and students because parents will sue at the drop of a hat?
I don't do this often, but I'm going to speak on behalf of parents of children with disabilities as a whole. If that's what you're afraid of, let me put you at ease.
If you stroke my son's head and comfort him when he's upset, I'm not going to run to a lawyer's office. I will get down on my knees and whisper prayers and blessings on your head from now until I draw my last breath. It gets pretty lonely sometimes as a parent and my son doesn't get a lot of that from folks outside the family. We'll take it wherever we can find it.
If you take my son's head in your hands and look into his eyes - really look into his eyes - and see the boy beyond the disabilities, you will have no problems from me. That rushing sound that you will hear will be my sigh of relief because someone is willing to treat him with the dignity that he deserves.
If you believe in my son - if you believe in his potential - whether you can see it or not - I will count him and my family as among the blessed for having had you in his life.
Will this help your school make AYP? I have no idea. But I do believe that, if you do this, you will setting up stores for yourself in the heaven that I believe in. The heaven from which I believe my boy came.
So, where do we draw the line? For now - just for now - let's agree that we - all of us - know it when we see it. That may not be precise, but it works.
We know when we see kids being abused. We also know when we see these things - and we don't say or do anything about it. I understand self defense (true self defense to protect yourself, not giving a 52 pound, seven year old a bloody lip or strapping a three year old down to a chair). I don't understand abuse, verbal or physical - and I'm willing to bet you don't, either.
I have to tell you flat out - this has got to change. The attitudes that permit this, condone this - even if only by silence - have got to be eradicated from our schools. And it's you who has got to help change them. It's you who has to help break the cycle.
How, you say? Don't engage in these behaviors and don't stand by silently when you see others doing it. Speak up. Speak out. Even if you can't - or won't - do that, don't ever, EVER, tell yourself that it's okay to hit, slap, shove, pinch, punch, or scratch my child. Don't think it's funny or a stress reliever to call him names, mock him, ridicule him, or humiliate him. Don't think or act as if it's acceptable to slam him into walls. Because it's not. You know it and I know it. It's not okay for either of our children - yours or mine - to be treated this way. By you or anyone else.
If you can't do this - if you don't believe this - please, leave the classroom. Now.
Before we end our discussion, let's go back to the "buts" you had:
But, they do have disabilities and they are different - yes, they do, yes, they are, and yes, they're entitled to equality and a free and appropriate public education under our laws.
But, they are stressful and a teacher can only take so much - then walk away. You are the adult. You don't have to respond inappropriately to your students.
But, they don't really understand, so what does it matter? Here's something I learned when I was very young - grownups don't make fun of little kids. Professionals who do this should not be able to keep their jobs.
But, they don't even feel it - are you sure? How can that make it okay? And -
What if you're wrong?
Believe it or not, I'm sure we want the same things for my child. We want him to learn and to be as independent as possible. Please. Let's move beyond this. We as a society are better than this.
Thanks for your time. I enjoyed our conversation and I have one final request:
Stop hitting our kids. Now.
Rich La Belle, Executive Director
Family Network on Disabilities of Florida
This is a request to all of the teachers out there. Whether you think of yourself as teaching students with disabilities or not, I'd like just a couple of minutes of your time. You see, my soul has been troubled of late. I keep thinking about the statements of educational professionals in the O'Neill case in Sarasota. That's the case where the teacher was ordered reinstated by an arbitrator after she was found to have "hit, hurt, and treated students . roughly in ways unrelated to the learning process," engaging in a "pattern of abuse" of the students with disabilities who were assigned to her classroom.
This is what bothers me - one of the grounds that the school district based their firing of her on was the statements that she made to and about her students - statements that were belittling, humiliating, and dehumanizing. She admitted to saying about one of her students in front of another adult present that the student was just "sitting there sucking up oxygen"
What happened to her because of these statements? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The arbitrator found that these types of statements were "observations" and "humor" and that there was no evidence that they were intended to be understood by the children about whom they were made. I thought, okay, he's an arbitrator, not an educator, maybe it's permissible as a legal technicality - a really, really big maybe. But, I thought, this conduct can't and won't be tolerated by other educational professionals. Right? Wrong.
This is what a speech language pathologist who was called to testify said about Ms. O'Neill's statements: She said that Ms. O'Neill has a sarcastic sense of humor that would be "meaningful to people that are working in that environment" - i.e. teaching kids with disabilities. Despite this, however, she testified that Ms. O'Neill's statements would not have been comprehended by her students, that they didn't affect the way she cared for or taught her students, and that they served as a means of relieving the stress of a stressful job. A physical therapist who worked with Ms. O'Neill, Shirley Taylor Shaw, testified that: "We all have a sense of humor, and sometimes it can be a little dark, but honestly, that's how we cope. When you consider what we have to do day in and day out, the limited amount of progress that we see, how involved the students are, you know, it's - for us, it doesn't seem that off the wall, but I guess by some standards, I guess it just depends on what you know, what you're used to, and what you have to deal with."
Wow.
This is what has my soul troubled. A rogue teacher, maybe burnt out, saying completely unacceptable things, an exception to the rule - I can understand that. What I can't understand is how her actions can be defended by other professionals and excused as necessary to relieve stress because her job was so difficult.
So, here's what I'd like to talk to you about: Do you think this kind of stuff - whether you call it observations, or humor, or - whatever - is okay? That it's acceptable for an educator to say something like this about their students? Whether they can hear/understand it or not? Is this appropriate and condoned professional behavior? For all of those who answer "no", I'd like to say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you very, very much.
For those of you who answered "yes" - that, even if it's not really acceptable, it's understandable, it's justified, you can see easily how it happens, you're okay with teachers and educators who do this getting a free pass - I'd like to continue our conversation. I'd like to ask you a simple question, one you absolutely know the answer to:
Do you have children?
If you do, you also know the answer to my next question with every atom of your being:
How would you feel if someone who is supposed to teach,
nurture, and protect your child treated them like that?
I don't care if your child does or doesn't have disabilities. Let's drop the "disabilities" tag for now. We're talking about children and what is and is not an acceptable way to treat them. Children. Children who we - both of us - as parents have entrusted to our school system to be educated. Period. Can we talk about our kids like that, please? As just kids? Because we're both parents.
I understand that you may have a lot of "buts" coming - "but, they do have disabilities"; "but, they are different"; "but, they are stressful"; "but, a teacher can only take it for so long"; "but, they don't really understand, so what does it matter?"; "but, they don't even feel it"; and a whole lot more. But, please humor me and let's put those to the side for a second. I promise we'll come back to them.
Can you tell me about your child? How did you choose their name? Did you name them after family? What makes them laugh? What's their favorite food? Do they have a favorite toy? I'm really interested - I love kids. My wife and I have four - two girls, two boys. What are your dreams for your child? I'd like to know those, too.
Can I tell you about my child? Not his diagnosis, or his medications, or his behaviors, or his disabilities. I want to tell you about my child - my gift from the Almighty. The repository of my hopes and dreams for the future. Do you think it's odd that I'd talk about my child like that? If you do, just give me a couple of minutes. I want to tell you about my son's favorite toy.
It's a stuffed rabbit. His godparents gave it to him before he had a diagnosis - when he was just a baby, before he had a label. Our family calls the rabbit, with all due respect, "Mr. Bunny". When my son was little, his eyes would light up whenever he saw Mr. Bunny and he would laugh so hard you would just have to laugh with him. His laugh would start in his belly and work its way up and down his body until all of him was shaking with pure joy. Pure, unadulterated, joy. Joy that doesn't know anything about "disabilities".
My son was named after me and both of his grandfathers. Tradition, I guess. Our family is like that. My son has lots of favorite foods - lots. Maybe it's all the spicy food my wife ate when she was pregnant, I don't know. Lack of appetite is not something we've ever had to deal with.
Do you want to ask me what "happened" to my child? Why he has disabilities? Go ahead. I'll answer you straight up. Why? I don't know. I really don't. Was it genetic? Don't know. Environmental? Not sure. Did the fact that his umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck when he was born have anything to do with it? Maybe - we'll never know. But - that word again - here's the kicker: I don't care. Because he's my son. My wonderful, beautiful boy. That's how I see him.
I'll bet that's how you see your child, too.
Wait - we left out dreams. That's easy. I want my son to be happy. Simple, right? Maybe, maybe not. For my son to be happy, people will have to treat him with respect - period. For my son to be happy, he will have to have equal opportunities. For my son to be happy, he will have to be treated equally with his peers. I see your hand up and I hear your question - "but, what's his disability?"
Does it matter?
Whether or not you have kids, why did you become a teacher? I can tell you why my daughter became one - because she has a passion to work with children that can't be satisfied any other way. She's really good at it, too, even if I do say so as her father. It makes my heart leap with joy and pride when I see her with her students. I'm going to go out on a limb here, but I'll bet that you became a teacher for reasons probably pretty close to my daughter's. Because you have a passion to work with kids - to open up the world to them - that can't be satisfied any other way.
When you decided that you wanted to be a teacher (how old were you?), did you ever imagine that you'd ever think it was okay to say that a student was just "sitting there sucking up oxygen"? I'm going to go out on a limb again here and guess that you didn't. I'm going to guess that, at that point, you couldn't imagine anything like that would be acceptable.
So, what "happened"? I'm thinking it wasn't genetic. Was it environmental?
I've heard lately - including from my own daughter, the teacher - that it's difficult to draw the line when it comes to corporal punishment. Are we going to ban even the most innocent contact between teachers and students because parents will sue at the drop of a hat?
I don't do this often, but I'm going to speak on behalf of parents of children with disabilities as a whole. If that's what you're afraid of, let me put you at ease.
If you stroke my son's head and comfort him when he's upset, I'm not going to run to a lawyer's office. I will get down on my knees and whisper prayers and blessings on your head from now until I draw my last breath. It gets pretty lonely sometimes as a parent and my son doesn't get a lot of that from folks outside the family. We'll take it wherever we can find it.
If you take my son's head in your hands and look into his eyes - really look into his eyes - and see the boy beyond the disabilities, you will have no problems from me. That rushing sound that you will hear will be my sigh of relief because someone is willing to treat him with the dignity that he deserves.
If you believe in my son - if you believe in his potential - whether you can see it or not - I will count him and my family as among the blessed for having had you in his life.
Will this help your school make AYP? I have no idea. But I do believe that, if you do this, you will setting up stores for yourself in the heaven that I believe in. The heaven from which I believe my boy came.
So, where do we draw the line? For now - just for now - let's agree that we - all of us - know it when we see it. That may not be precise, but it works.
We know when we see kids being abused. We also know when we see these things - and we don't say or do anything about it. I understand self defense (true self defense to protect yourself, not giving a 52 pound, seven year old a bloody lip or strapping a three year old down to a chair). I don't understand abuse, verbal or physical - and I'm willing to bet you don't, either.
I have to tell you flat out - this has got to change. The attitudes that permit this, condone this - even if only by silence - have got to be eradicated from our schools. And it's you who has got to help change them. It's you who has to help break the cycle.
How, you say? Don't engage in these behaviors and don't stand by silently when you see others doing it. Speak up. Speak out. Even if you can't - or won't - do that, don't ever, EVER, tell yourself that it's okay to hit, slap, shove, pinch, punch, or scratch my child. Don't think it's funny or a stress reliever to call him names, mock him, ridicule him, or humiliate him. Don't think or act as if it's acceptable to slam him into walls. Because it's not. You know it and I know it. It's not okay for either of our children - yours or mine - to be treated this way. By you or anyone else.
If you can't do this - if you don't believe this - please, leave the classroom. Now.
Before we end our discussion, let's go back to the "buts" you had:
But, they do have disabilities and they are different - yes, they do, yes, they are, and yes, they're entitled to equality and a free and appropriate public education under our laws.
But, they are stressful and a teacher can only take so much - then walk away. You are the adult. You don't have to respond inappropriately to your students.
But, they don't really understand, so what does it matter? Here's something I learned when I was very young - grownups don't make fun of little kids. Professionals who do this should not be able to keep their jobs.
But, they don't even feel it - are you sure? How can that make it okay? And -
What if you're wrong?
Believe it or not, I'm sure we want the same things for my child. We want him to learn and to be as independent as possible. Please. Let's move beyond this. We as a society are better than this.
Thanks for your time. I enjoyed our conversation and I have one final request:
Stop hitting our kids. Now.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Grami is Here!! :)
Well Grami is here in Utah-Salt Lake to be exact :)
She is staying in a hotel to attend her insurance conferance then will be down here for the rest of the weekend and early week.
I goggled her hotel to let her know what stores where ard her and to my surprise she is on the outside of down town-so there is NOTHING nearby...Ther eis a gas station on teh corner, but that is it.
So today when the kids get home(early out Wed)we will be braving the Salt Lake traffic....LOLOLOL I get so nervous driving in the big cities now that we live way out here...but it shouldnt be bad as we dont drive downtown at all...
I'll be dropping off some snacks and goodies that she can have for breakfast, etc.
The hotel has a pool so the kids will be bringing their suits to go swimming, and I will be bringing down a pizza for us all to eat for dinner. That way she can keep any leftovers in her fridge to have whenever she gets hungry.
Should be alot of fun-the kids are so excited to see her-they havent seen her in a good while-so it will be fun.
Wish me luck that I dont get lost-which is a sure given...LOLOLOL
She is staying in a hotel to attend her insurance conferance then will be down here for the rest of the weekend and early week.
I goggled her hotel to let her know what stores where ard her and to my surprise she is on the outside of down town-so there is NOTHING nearby...Ther eis a gas station on teh corner, but that is it.
So today when the kids get home(early out Wed)we will be braving the Salt Lake traffic....LOLOLOL I get so nervous driving in the big cities now that we live way out here...but it shouldnt be bad as we dont drive downtown at all...
I'll be dropping off some snacks and goodies that she can have for breakfast, etc.
The hotel has a pool so the kids will be bringing their suits to go swimming, and I will be bringing down a pizza for us all to eat for dinner. That way she can keep any leftovers in her fridge to have whenever she gets hungry.
Should be alot of fun-the kids are so excited to see her-they havent seen her in a good while-so it will be fun.
Wish me luck that I dont get lost-which is a sure given...LOLOLOL
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Taxes...Can You Say CRAZY......
Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table
At which he's fed.
Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.
Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for peanuts
Anyway!
Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.
Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.
Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.
Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.
When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.
Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid.
Put these words
Upon his tomb,
Taxes drove me
to my doom...'
When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge T ax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Sales Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Ser vice FeeTax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge=2 0Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax
STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY? Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.
What in the hell happened? Can you spell 'politicians?'
And I still have to 'press 1' for English!?
Tax his bed,
Tax the table
At which he's fed.
Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.
Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for peanuts
Anyway!
Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.
Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.
Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.
Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.
When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.
Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid.
Put these words
Upon his tomb,
Taxes drove me
to my doom...'
When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge T ax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Sales Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Ser vice FeeTax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge=2 0Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax
STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY? Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.
What in the hell happened? Can you spell 'politicians?'
And I still have to 'press 1' for English!?
Sunday, September 13, 2009
11th Anniversary :)
Well today started out so sweet.
Dh surprised me with a heart locket-he didnt tell anyone-not even the kids as thats how you REALLY keep a secret ard here....LOLOL
Its just absolutely beautiful. It reads I love you and I LOVE it!!!!
Ive always wanted one-ever since I was a little girl, but I have never told anyone...how funny is that and he just knew.....hmmm........It touched me-even more so when he said he saw many with #1 Mom, Mothers love etc..but thats not what he wanted-he wanted one that was strictly from him-that showed how HE felt..Awhhh-eh? Soooooo sweet:)
I gave him a cute little teddy dog with some "I love you" chocolate kisses-have you seen those-they are the coolest! Also some new grilling tools to go with his new Weber grill and a car cover that he had said he had wanted...So he was really pleased. :) Get something practical and hes always so happy-LOLOL
We had a nice relaxing afternoon-it actually rained-which is nice...I find since leaving Oregon-I REALLY miss the rain here in Utah :(
Dh used his new grill tonight with his new tools and we had some YUMMMY steaks and real nice kiababsa sausages with potatoes and corn and croussants...
They had this new thing up at Sams-some sausage company originally from Germany-they are SOOOOOO good-they are working on a contract with Sams-so I hope they keep them-as we are so already addicted to them :)You've GOT to get some if you havent already.....
Great dinner though-Im still full! LOLOLOL So is everyone else:)
I cant believe its been 11 years-and my love for him grows each and every year....:) I am truly blessed.
Dh surprised me with a heart locket-he didnt tell anyone-not even the kids as thats how you REALLY keep a secret ard here....LOLOL
Its just absolutely beautiful. It reads I love you and I LOVE it!!!!
Ive always wanted one-ever since I was a little girl, but I have never told anyone...how funny is that and he just knew.....hmmm........It touched me-even more so when he said he saw many with #1 Mom, Mothers love etc..but thats not what he wanted-he wanted one that was strictly from him-that showed how HE felt..Awhhh-eh? Soooooo sweet:)
I gave him a cute little teddy dog with some "I love you" chocolate kisses-have you seen those-they are the coolest! Also some new grilling tools to go with his new Weber grill and a car cover that he had said he had wanted...So he was really pleased. :) Get something practical and hes always so happy-LOLOL
We had a nice relaxing afternoon-it actually rained-which is nice...I find since leaving Oregon-I REALLY miss the rain here in Utah :(
Dh used his new grill tonight with his new tools and we had some YUMMMY steaks and real nice kiababsa sausages with potatoes and corn and croussants...
They had this new thing up at Sams-some sausage company originally from Germany-they are SOOOOOO good-they are working on a contract with Sams-so I hope they keep them-as we are so already addicted to them :)You've GOT to get some if you havent already.....
Great dinner though-Im still full! LOLOLOL So is everyone else:)
I cant believe its been 11 years-and my love for him grows each and every year....:) I am truly blessed.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Fines with ObamaCare-Go Figure That One...sheesh....
Senate ObamaCare bill fines families $3800 per year for ignoring mandate
posted at 5:25 pm on September 9, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
Share on Facebook | printer-friendly
Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) released his general plan for the Senate version of ObamaCare yesterday, and it portends some hefty costs for American families. Baucus stripped out the public option but left in place individual mandates to buy insurance — and backed them with big fines, administered by the IRS. Each family could pay up to $3800 per year for failing to get government-approved coverage:
A bipartisan group of senators huddled in the afternoon to decide whether to move forward on an overhaul plan that Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D., Mont.) began circulating over the weekend. The plan includes some of the stiffest penalties Congress has proposed for Americans who don’t carry health insurance coverage.
Sen. Baucus emerged from a meeting with the six-member bipartisan group saying he had given his colleagues until 10 a.m. Wednesday to provide feedback on his draft. The group will meet again Wednesday afternoon in an attempt to come up with an agreement before Mr. Obama’s address.
Under the plan, people who earn between 100% and 300% of the poverty level (or between about $22,000 a year and $66,000 a year for a family of four) would face fees ranging from $750 to $1,500 a year.
For taxpayers with incomes above 300% of poverty, the penalty starts at $950 a year and reaches as high as $3,800 for families. Nearly 12 million people fit in this category, according to the National Institute for Health Care Management.
Individual mandates are bad enough, at least constitutionally speaking. States have insurance mandates for drivers, but those are predicated on accessing public roads, not private enterprise. The courts should make minced meat out of an argument that Congress has the power to compel citizens to buy insurance for any reason, let alone health insurance.
But the problem here goes beyond the mandate, and even beyond the fine. Who will manage this mandate? Who determines the validity or non-validity of insurance coverage? That bastion of medical knowledge, the Internal Revenue Service. Taxpayers will have to provide proof of insurance from the previous tax year to avoid the fines. If the IRS doesn’t consider the coverage adequate, families could be out the cost of the coverage and the fine. They can appeal any negative verdicts, of course … to the IRS.
The IRS hasn’t the expertise, nor the flexibility, to manage the nation’s health-insurance coverages. This is a tremendously bad idea. As I wrote earlier, who in this country believes that the IRS doesn’t intrude enough into their lives?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hmmmmm......couldnt see that coming...LOLOLOLOL-and hey-that wasnt in his camaign slogan was it......LOLOL
Who cares what We The People want anyway-right? We are going to have to change some wording in some songs ard here-Land of The Free.....list goes on...and on...and on....
Can we all say it now? I told.......
posted at 5:25 pm on September 9, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
Share on Facebook | printer-friendly
Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) released his general plan for the Senate version of ObamaCare yesterday, and it portends some hefty costs for American families. Baucus stripped out the public option but left in place individual mandates to buy insurance — and backed them with big fines, administered by the IRS. Each family could pay up to $3800 per year for failing to get government-approved coverage:
A bipartisan group of senators huddled in the afternoon to decide whether to move forward on an overhaul plan that Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D., Mont.) began circulating over the weekend. The plan includes some of the stiffest penalties Congress has proposed for Americans who don’t carry health insurance coverage.
Sen. Baucus emerged from a meeting with the six-member bipartisan group saying he had given his colleagues until 10 a.m. Wednesday to provide feedback on his draft. The group will meet again Wednesday afternoon in an attempt to come up with an agreement before Mr. Obama’s address.
Under the plan, people who earn between 100% and 300% of the poverty level (or between about $22,000 a year and $66,000 a year for a family of four) would face fees ranging from $750 to $1,500 a year.
For taxpayers with incomes above 300% of poverty, the penalty starts at $950 a year and reaches as high as $3,800 for families. Nearly 12 million people fit in this category, according to the National Institute for Health Care Management.
Individual mandates are bad enough, at least constitutionally speaking. States have insurance mandates for drivers, but those are predicated on accessing public roads, not private enterprise. The courts should make minced meat out of an argument that Congress has the power to compel citizens to buy insurance for any reason, let alone health insurance.
But the problem here goes beyond the mandate, and even beyond the fine. Who will manage this mandate? Who determines the validity or non-validity of insurance coverage? That bastion of medical knowledge, the Internal Revenue Service. Taxpayers will have to provide proof of insurance from the previous tax year to avoid the fines. If the IRS doesn’t consider the coverage adequate, families could be out the cost of the coverage and the fine. They can appeal any negative verdicts, of course … to the IRS.
The IRS hasn’t the expertise, nor the flexibility, to manage the nation’s health-insurance coverages. This is a tremendously bad idea. As I wrote earlier, who in this country believes that the IRS doesn’t intrude enough into their lives?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hmmmmm......couldnt see that coming...LOLOLOLOL-and hey-that wasnt in his camaign slogan was it......LOLOL
Who cares what We The People want anyway-right? We are going to have to change some wording in some songs ard here-Land of The Free.....list goes on...and on...and on....
Can we all say it now? I told.......
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Our new "Daddy"
ugh...okay here's the speech if any of you missed it-my kids did of course :)
Ive already got a Dad and so do my kids thank you VERY much Obama!!
I cant believe this speech-its like NOTHING I have EVER read before coming from a President. I know he thinks he's "for the people" but please...I think we can direct our kids just fine....I think he went a little too far on this one....hmmm..no surprise and Im glad we chose to keep our kids home.....:)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Back to School Event
Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009
The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.
I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.
I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.
Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."
So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.
Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.
I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.
I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.
I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.
But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.
And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.
Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.
Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.
And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.
And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.
You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.
We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.
Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.
I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.
So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.
But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.
Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.
But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.
Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.
That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.
Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.
I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall.
And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.
Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.
That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.
Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.
I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.
But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.
That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.
No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.
And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.
The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.
It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.
So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?
Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.
Ive already got a Dad and so do my kids thank you VERY much Obama!!
I cant believe this speech-its like NOTHING I have EVER read before coming from a President. I know he thinks he's "for the people" but please...I think we can direct our kids just fine....I think he went a little too far on this one....hmmm..no surprise and Im glad we chose to keep our kids home.....:)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Back to School Event
Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009
The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.
I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.
I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.
Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."
So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.
Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.
I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.
I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.
I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.
But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.
And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.
Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.
Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.
And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.
And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.
You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.
We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.
Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.
I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.
So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.
But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.
Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.
But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.
Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.
That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.
Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.
I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall.
And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.
Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.
That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.
Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.
I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.
But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.
That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.
No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.
And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.
The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.
It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.
So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?
Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.
Monday, September 07, 2009
Bean Jar....
This idea was taken off of my good friend Melinda-but I think my big sis Kym does this with her kids too-Im thinking this is a keeper :)
Our BEAN JAR
A fun thing we do, it's a reward system of sorts. Works alot like her token system, with my "tweaks" How the bean jar works, when Mom or Dad notices something nice being done, we can chose to tell that person to put a bean in the jar. They take a bean out of the holding jar, and put it into the bean jar. Simple really, oh and I can not take credit, read it somewhere!
One thing I noticed, and one reason I decided to do this is I always feel I am so negative to the kids. I ALWAYS notice the wrong, and often forget to say thanks or great job. So this helps me, Mom to notice the good. Beans are added for all types of things, here are just a few ideas. I ask for someone to do something, example "can someone go downstairs and grab me a can of tomato sauce?" If someone jumps up quickly and does it hastily sometimes I say you can put a bean in the jar, sometimes not! If the kids get 100% on their math, or spelling tests etc. they get a bean, this is done everytime, and not only on 100%. If someone is struggling with something, say a specific times table or spelling list etc I sometimes let them add a bean for accomplishing it. I have a set amount for piano practice, a certain amount of days equals a certain amount of beans. However I try to do it more with simple kind gestures that happen. If I notice someone giving of themselves for another, that always gets a bean. I notice a good attitude, especially when that someone has been having a hard time with that lately, they might get a bean. Get the picture?
Once all the beans are in the jar, it will be completely full. We will do something extra fun as a family. Something that is abnormal, something special. I also like this idea because it is teamwork. Everyone is competing TOGETHER to fill the jar.
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Things That Make You Go Hmmmm.....
Widespread Movement to Opt-Out of Obama’s Televised Speech to Children
worldnet-daily3Following widespread concern about President Obama’s nationally televised address to schoolchildren, many parents and schools are opting to forgo the Sept. 8 speech.
School officials have been asked to take a break from normal educational activities to allow students to view the speech from the president and participate in recommended brainstorming exercises following the broadcast. Obama will give the speech at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va. The speech is scheduled to broadcast live at 12 noon EST on C-SPAN and at whitehouse.gov.
But parents across the nation are complaining about the speech taking up valuable classroom instruction time and possibly “indoctrinating” young children.
According to a letter from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, “The president will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning. …
“He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens.”
Some schools allow parents to opt-out
Donald Phillips, superintendent of California’s Poway Unified School District, sent a letter to parents Wednesday announcing that the district “will not be encouraging” teachers to include the viewing of the president’s speech as a part of a supplemental classroom learning activity. If teachers choose to do so, they must inform parents by Friday and give them an opportunity to opt-out of the Tuesday broadcast.
“Who Killed the Constitution?” Here’s a dirty little secret: The bedrock of our country is … dead
kidsStudents who opt-out will be assigned alternate learning activities outside of the classroom during the speech and any follow-up discussions.
Additionally, the district is providing a link to a copy of the president’s speech so parents may decide whether they want to view it at home with their children.
“We believe the president’s address would be the most beneficial if you choose to view it together at home as a family,” the memo states. “We believe any discussion with your child or children around the importance of education and goal-setting could be both meaningful and appropriate.”
Officials with Texas’ Keller Independent School District said they will allow students to view the presidential address. However, a district notice states, “If parents do not want their student(s) to watch the broadcast, parents may dismiss their student(s) during that time and not be penalized.” Additionally, the children will not be required to use the United States Education Department materials for suggested brainstorming assignments after the speech. Many Texas school districts are asking parents to contact principals if they do not wish for their children to view the speech while several schools have opted not to show the broadcast.
Stephanie Klick, Tarrant County Republican Party chairwoman, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that many Texas families are speaking out against plans to air the broadcast in schools.
“We’re hearing from parents and grandparents that are not very happy. They really feel like it is political indoctrination,” Klick said. “People don’t like this. I have heard from some families that are planning to keep their kids home.”
The Houston Independent School District has directed principals to give parents advance notice if they are planning lessons around Obama’s speech. Parents may opt-out their children. According to a Houston Chronicle report, “Children pulled out of school for the day will cost districts about $35 per child, as state funding for schools is based on daily attendance.”
In Utah, school districts are taking precautions ahead of the speech, according to KSL 5 News. Salt Lake City School District is advising schools to have teachers notify parents if they plan on airing the address in class, and then allowing an opt-out. Some principals will be sending home notices if their schools plan to show the speech.
One Utah father told the Deseret News he will pull his four children out of school rather than allow them to watch the Obama broadcast.
constitution“We will go on a picnic and read the Constitution – learn something useful,” he said.
Wisconsin school districts have been hearing from concerned parents, according to the Associated Press. Palm Beach County, Fla., public schools may not run the broadcast. In Columbia, Mo., a district spokeswoman said kids won’t be seeing the speech at all.
Meanwhile, Atlas Shrugs‘ Pamela Gellar blasted the White House and the Department of Education for spelling errors in its “Indoctrination Day” announcement, noting that she will keep her children home from school on Sept. 8.
Geller took this screenshot of the announcement:
“Yes, your education tax dollars at work,” Geller wrote. “Math, geography, spelling, English – that’s for fascists! What’s important is junk science, global hoaxes, and the green-colored slave labor market. Live for the sake of ‘the man’ and like it.”
She continued, “Obama, stay away from my children. … My kids will not be in school on the 8th (and neither should yours).”
Objections to president’s speech
Several bloggers discussed their thoughts on the president’s address to schoolchildren on the Free Republic website. The following are some comments about the upcoming speech:
* I’m so mad right now, I think my head will explode.
* You don’t mess with people’s kids! There’s a line, and he’d better no cross it or he will cause a revolution in this country.
* This idea reeks of Bill Ayers.
* He is treading on very dangerous ground.
* Thank God we live in Alaska. That’s 8 a.m. up here, and most of the students are still eating breakfast. I’ll read the transcript later in case I want to experience nausea.
* Why does this have to be a live broadcast? Why must all schools halt at the appointed time to listen to our dear leader? It doesn’t accommodate children or the families very well.
* Isn’t it time for parents to organize a national campaign to pull their kids out of school on that day?
* Have you called your local school today to express your opinion about the Obama propaganda video and lesson plan? If not, now is a good time. Even if you do not have children in school, you pay taxes to support it and you have to live with the results of its teachings, so you have a stake in the outcome.
* I would keep my kid out for the whole day instead of just a couple of hours – the school districts receive an amount per student based on their daily attendance, so the thing to do is to hit them in the pocketbook, where it hurts.
* I will be keeping both of my children out the entire day. Our school district has said they will be airing the speech and also have other activities planned around it. Knowing what some of these school boards and administrators are like, those activities could be more damaging than an Obama speech.
* I assume brownshirts will be taking the names of those who opt out.
Several people referred to Sept. 8 as “National Keep Your Kids at Home Day.”
nm-tea-partyThe Nationwide Tea Party Coalition announced its “Hall Pass on That” website, with several suggested actions for parents who do not approve of their children participating in the presentation. The coalition offers the following suggestions:
* Contact the child’s school to find out whether it is participating in the program.
* If your child’s school is participating, ask what alternatives there are for the children of families who wish for their students to learn about the establishment of the country respective to the Founding Fathers’ intentions. Discussions may focus on the Constitution, the definition and actions of a republic and the responsibility of elected leaders to their constituents.
* Ask if the school can excuse your child from the presentation and instead receive a DVD of the address and copy of the activity directives to be evaluated by parents at a later date.
* Request a meeting with the school board, superintendent and principal to inquire as to why parents were excluded from the decision-making process of this event.
Pre- and post-speech lesson plans
The Education Department has been encouraging teachers to create lesson plans around the speech, using materials provided on the department website.
As WND reported, worksheets provided by the U.S. Department of Education encouraged teachers to ask pre-K through 6th-grade students the following questions:
* What is the president trying to tell me to do?
* What is the president asking me to do?
* What new ideas and actions is the president challenging me to think about?
Students may be asked to write down “key ideas or phrases that are important or personally meaningful, make posters of their goals, create a “supportive community” by sharing those goals with one another.
Junior-high and high-school students may be asked to brainstorm answers to the following questions before the speech:
* Why does President Obama want to speak with us today?
* How will he inspire us?
* How will he challenge us?
* What might he say?
They are encouraged to take notes while Obama speaks about personal responsibility, goals or persistence. As part of a “guided discussion,” they may talk about what Obama has inspired or challenged them to do.
Fox News reported that the White House is now “rethinking” its course recommendations for students and rewriting its suggestions for student assignments on how to “help the president.”
schoolchild3Among the activities suggested for pre-K to 6th grade students were to “write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president” and discuss what “the president wants us to do.”
According to the report, the suggestion about writing letters has been changed to: “Write letters to themselves about how they can achieve their short-term and long-term education goals. These would be collected and redistributed at an appropriate later date by the teacher to make students accountable to their goals.”
Lessons prompt concerns about ‘illegal activity’
The Texas Justice Foundation warned the proposed ‘”classroom activities’” for teachers as to how they should handle the president’s Sept. 8th speech to American schoolchildren, reveal that illegal activity may occur, if the recommendations are followed.”
“The questions, comments, evaluations and analysis that occurs before, during, and after the president’s speech will clearly ‘reveal information concerning political affiliations’ and probably, ‘critical appraisals of other individuals with whom the child(ren) has/have close family relationships’ (such as parents),” the foundation said in a press release. “This is perhaps one of the greatest invasions of personal privacy and injecting political affiliation into the public school system in the history of the United States.”
The group said the speech may violate protections provided in the Pupil Rights Amendment.
“It also violates 34 Code of Federal Regulations Section 98.4[c] [1] and [2] that defines psychological testing as:
(1) Psychiatric or psychological examination or test means a method of obtaining information, including a group activity, that is not directly related to academic instruction and that is designed to elicit information about attitudes, habits, traits, opinions, beliefs or feelings; (emphasis added)
(2) Psychiatric or psychological treatment means an activity involving the planned, systematic use of methods or techniques that are not directly related to academic instruction and that is designed to affect behavioral, emotional, or attitudinal characteristics of an individual or group. (emphasis added)
Texas Justice Foundation warned that the group activities suggested by the Department of Education “are not directly related to academic instruction and that are designed to elicit information about attitudes, habits, traits, opinions, beliefs, or feelings.”
“At this time of intense controversy over the president’s far-reaching plans to transform America, it is incredible that he would consider using children to advance his political agenda,” Justice Foundation President Allan Parker said. “It violates the constitutional right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children, federal law and is perhaps the greatest intrusion of a president into the education process in the history of the United States. In the opinion of the Texas Justice Foundation lawyers, it is both morally and legally wrong.”
‘Public relations tactic gone too far’
Neal McCluskey, associate director of the Center for Educational Freedom, objected to the Obama administration message to schoolchildren in a Cato Institute article titled, “Hey Obama, leave those kids alone.”
“It’s one thing for a president to encourage all kids to work hard and stay in school – that’s a reasonable use of the bully pulpit,” McCluskey wrote. “It’s another thing obama-shadowentirely, however, to have the U.S. Department of Education send detailed instructions to public schools nationwide on how to glorify the president and the presidency, and push them to drive social change. Frighteningly, this is what President Obama has done.”
McCluskey objected to Department of Education-suggested classroom activities for pre-K-6 students encouraging children to make posters setting out “community and country” goals.
“Perhaps even more frightening is the lesson schools are pushed to teach that it is important to listen to ‘the president and other elected officials,’” he wrote. “Possibly most distressing of all, though, is guidance that appears explicitly designed to glorify both the presidency and President Obama himself …”
He said the White House is trying to use its power over education to “indoctrinate children, something completely antithetical to a free society.”
Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder condemned Obama’s speech as a “public relations tactic” that has gone too far.
“I believe that if parents choose to keep their children at home during this presentation, they should be able to do so without any consequences being imposed upon their children,” Kinder said. “And if local school districts across Missouri choose not to make this speech mandatory for students, they should not face any penalties for the state or federal government.”
Jim Greer, chairman of the Florida Republican Party, said in a statement that he believes Obama’s speech may be a platform “to spread” his “socialist ideology.”
“As the father of four children, I am absolutely appalled that taxpayer dollars are being used to spread President Obama’s socialist ideology. The idea that school children across our nation will be forced to watch the president justify his plans for government-run health care, banks, and automobile companies, increasing taxes on those who create jobs, and racking up more debt than any other president, is not only infuriating, but goes against beliefs of the majority of Americans, while bypassing American parents through an invasive abuse of power.”
He continued, “While I support educating our children to respect both the office of the American president and the value of community service, I do not support using our children as tools to spread liberal propaganda. The address scheduled for Sept. 8, 2009, does not allow for healthy debate on the president’s agenda, but rather obligates the youngest children in our public school system to agree with our president’s initiatives or be ostracized by their teachers and classmates.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Just got "The Note" from the school today...Hmmmmmmmm............Im leaning on just keeping them home....
worldnet-daily3Following widespread concern about President Obama’s nationally televised address to schoolchildren, many parents and schools are opting to forgo the Sept. 8 speech.
School officials have been asked to take a break from normal educational activities to allow students to view the speech from the president and participate in recommended brainstorming exercises following the broadcast. Obama will give the speech at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va. The speech is scheduled to broadcast live at 12 noon EST on C-SPAN and at whitehouse.gov.
But parents across the nation are complaining about the speech taking up valuable classroom instruction time and possibly “indoctrinating” young children.
According to a letter from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, “The president will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning. …
“He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens.”
Some schools allow parents to opt-out
Donald Phillips, superintendent of California’s Poway Unified School District, sent a letter to parents Wednesday announcing that the district “will not be encouraging” teachers to include the viewing of the president’s speech as a part of a supplemental classroom learning activity. If teachers choose to do so, they must inform parents by Friday and give them an opportunity to opt-out of the Tuesday broadcast.
“Who Killed the Constitution?” Here’s a dirty little secret: The bedrock of our country is … dead
kidsStudents who opt-out will be assigned alternate learning activities outside of the classroom during the speech and any follow-up discussions.
Additionally, the district is providing a link to a copy of the president’s speech so parents may decide whether they want to view it at home with their children.
“We believe the president’s address would be the most beneficial if you choose to view it together at home as a family,” the memo states. “We believe any discussion with your child or children around the importance of education and goal-setting could be both meaningful and appropriate.”
Officials with Texas’ Keller Independent School District said they will allow students to view the presidential address. However, a district notice states, “If parents do not want their student(s) to watch the broadcast, parents may dismiss their student(s) during that time and not be penalized.” Additionally, the children will not be required to use the United States Education Department materials for suggested brainstorming assignments after the speech. Many Texas school districts are asking parents to contact principals if they do not wish for their children to view the speech while several schools have opted not to show the broadcast.
Stephanie Klick, Tarrant County Republican Party chairwoman, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that many Texas families are speaking out against plans to air the broadcast in schools.
“We’re hearing from parents and grandparents that are not very happy. They really feel like it is political indoctrination,” Klick said. “People don’t like this. I have heard from some families that are planning to keep their kids home.”
The Houston Independent School District has directed principals to give parents advance notice if they are planning lessons around Obama’s speech. Parents may opt-out their children. According to a Houston Chronicle report, “Children pulled out of school for the day will cost districts about $35 per child, as state funding for schools is based on daily attendance.”
In Utah, school districts are taking precautions ahead of the speech, according to KSL 5 News. Salt Lake City School District is advising schools to have teachers notify parents if they plan on airing the address in class, and then allowing an opt-out. Some principals will be sending home notices if their schools plan to show the speech.
One Utah father told the Deseret News he will pull his four children out of school rather than allow them to watch the Obama broadcast.
constitution“We will go on a picnic and read the Constitution – learn something useful,” he said.
Wisconsin school districts have been hearing from concerned parents, according to the Associated Press. Palm Beach County, Fla., public schools may not run the broadcast. In Columbia, Mo., a district spokeswoman said kids won’t be seeing the speech at all.
Meanwhile, Atlas Shrugs‘ Pamela Gellar blasted the White House and the Department of Education for spelling errors in its “Indoctrination Day” announcement, noting that she will keep her children home from school on Sept. 8.
Geller took this screenshot of the announcement:
“Yes, your education tax dollars at work,” Geller wrote. “Math, geography, spelling, English – that’s for fascists! What’s important is junk science, global hoaxes, and the green-colored slave labor market. Live for the sake of ‘the man’ and like it.”
She continued, “Obama, stay away from my children. … My kids will not be in school on the 8th (and neither should yours).”
Objections to president’s speech
Several bloggers discussed their thoughts on the president’s address to schoolchildren on the Free Republic website. The following are some comments about the upcoming speech:
* I’m so mad right now, I think my head will explode.
* You don’t mess with people’s kids! There’s a line, and he’d better no cross it or he will cause a revolution in this country.
* This idea reeks of Bill Ayers.
* He is treading on very dangerous ground.
* Thank God we live in Alaska. That’s 8 a.m. up here, and most of the students are still eating breakfast. I’ll read the transcript later in case I want to experience nausea.
* Why does this have to be a live broadcast? Why must all schools halt at the appointed time to listen to our dear leader? It doesn’t accommodate children or the families very well.
* Isn’t it time for parents to organize a national campaign to pull their kids out of school on that day?
* Have you called your local school today to express your opinion about the Obama propaganda video and lesson plan? If not, now is a good time. Even if you do not have children in school, you pay taxes to support it and you have to live with the results of its teachings, so you have a stake in the outcome.
* I would keep my kid out for the whole day instead of just a couple of hours – the school districts receive an amount per student based on their daily attendance, so the thing to do is to hit them in the pocketbook, where it hurts.
* I will be keeping both of my children out the entire day. Our school district has said they will be airing the speech and also have other activities planned around it. Knowing what some of these school boards and administrators are like, those activities could be more damaging than an Obama speech.
* I assume brownshirts will be taking the names of those who opt out.
Several people referred to Sept. 8 as “National Keep Your Kids at Home Day.”
nm-tea-partyThe Nationwide Tea Party Coalition announced its “Hall Pass on That” website, with several suggested actions for parents who do not approve of their children participating in the presentation. The coalition offers the following suggestions:
* Contact the child’s school to find out whether it is participating in the program.
* If your child’s school is participating, ask what alternatives there are for the children of families who wish for their students to learn about the establishment of the country respective to the Founding Fathers’ intentions. Discussions may focus on the Constitution, the definition and actions of a republic and the responsibility of elected leaders to their constituents.
* Ask if the school can excuse your child from the presentation and instead receive a DVD of the address and copy of the activity directives to be evaluated by parents at a later date.
* Request a meeting with the school board, superintendent and principal to inquire as to why parents were excluded from the decision-making process of this event.
Pre- and post-speech lesson plans
The Education Department has been encouraging teachers to create lesson plans around the speech, using materials provided on the department website.
As WND reported, worksheets provided by the U.S. Department of Education encouraged teachers to ask pre-K through 6th-grade students the following questions:
* What is the president trying to tell me to do?
* What is the president asking me to do?
* What new ideas and actions is the president challenging me to think about?
Students may be asked to write down “key ideas or phrases that are important or personally meaningful, make posters of their goals, create a “supportive community” by sharing those goals with one another.
Junior-high and high-school students may be asked to brainstorm answers to the following questions before the speech:
* Why does President Obama want to speak with us today?
* How will he inspire us?
* How will he challenge us?
* What might he say?
They are encouraged to take notes while Obama speaks about personal responsibility, goals or persistence. As part of a “guided discussion,” they may talk about what Obama has inspired or challenged them to do.
Fox News reported that the White House is now “rethinking” its course recommendations for students and rewriting its suggestions for student assignments on how to “help the president.”
schoolchild3Among the activities suggested for pre-K to 6th grade students were to “write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president” and discuss what “the president wants us to do.”
According to the report, the suggestion about writing letters has been changed to: “Write letters to themselves about how they can achieve their short-term and long-term education goals. These would be collected and redistributed at an appropriate later date by the teacher to make students accountable to their goals.”
Lessons prompt concerns about ‘illegal activity’
The Texas Justice Foundation warned the proposed ‘”classroom activities’” for teachers as to how they should handle the president’s Sept. 8th speech to American schoolchildren, reveal that illegal activity may occur, if the recommendations are followed.”
“The questions, comments, evaluations and analysis that occurs before, during, and after the president’s speech will clearly ‘reveal information concerning political affiliations’ and probably, ‘critical appraisals of other individuals with whom the child(ren) has/have close family relationships’ (such as parents),” the foundation said in a press release. “This is perhaps one of the greatest invasions of personal privacy and injecting political affiliation into the public school system in the history of the United States.”
The group said the speech may violate protections provided in the Pupil Rights Amendment.
“It also violates 34 Code of Federal Regulations Section 98.4[c] [1] and [2] that defines psychological testing as:
(1) Psychiatric or psychological examination or test means a method of obtaining information, including a group activity, that is not directly related to academic instruction and that is designed to elicit information about attitudes, habits, traits, opinions, beliefs or feelings; (emphasis added)
(2) Psychiatric or psychological treatment means an activity involving the planned, systematic use of methods or techniques that are not directly related to academic instruction and that is designed to affect behavioral, emotional, or attitudinal characteristics of an individual or group. (emphasis added)
Texas Justice Foundation warned that the group activities suggested by the Department of Education “are not directly related to academic instruction and that are designed to elicit information about attitudes, habits, traits, opinions, beliefs, or feelings.”
“At this time of intense controversy over the president’s far-reaching plans to transform America, it is incredible that he would consider using children to advance his political agenda,” Justice Foundation President Allan Parker said. “It violates the constitutional right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children, federal law and is perhaps the greatest intrusion of a president into the education process in the history of the United States. In the opinion of the Texas Justice Foundation lawyers, it is both morally and legally wrong.”
‘Public relations tactic gone too far’
Neal McCluskey, associate director of the Center for Educational Freedom, objected to the Obama administration message to schoolchildren in a Cato Institute article titled, “Hey Obama, leave those kids alone.”
“It’s one thing for a president to encourage all kids to work hard and stay in school – that’s a reasonable use of the bully pulpit,” McCluskey wrote. “It’s another thing obama-shadowentirely, however, to have the U.S. Department of Education send detailed instructions to public schools nationwide on how to glorify the president and the presidency, and push them to drive social change. Frighteningly, this is what President Obama has done.”
McCluskey objected to Department of Education-suggested classroom activities for pre-K-6 students encouraging children to make posters setting out “community and country” goals.
“Perhaps even more frightening is the lesson schools are pushed to teach that it is important to listen to ‘the president and other elected officials,’” he wrote. “Possibly most distressing of all, though, is guidance that appears explicitly designed to glorify both the presidency and President Obama himself …”
He said the White House is trying to use its power over education to “indoctrinate children, something completely antithetical to a free society.”
Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder condemned Obama’s speech as a “public relations tactic” that has gone too far.
“I believe that if parents choose to keep their children at home during this presentation, they should be able to do so without any consequences being imposed upon their children,” Kinder said. “And if local school districts across Missouri choose not to make this speech mandatory for students, they should not face any penalties for the state or federal government.”
Jim Greer, chairman of the Florida Republican Party, said in a statement that he believes Obama’s speech may be a platform “to spread” his “socialist ideology.”
“As the father of four children, I am absolutely appalled that taxpayer dollars are being used to spread President Obama’s socialist ideology. The idea that school children across our nation will be forced to watch the president justify his plans for government-run health care, banks, and automobile companies, increasing taxes on those who create jobs, and racking up more debt than any other president, is not only infuriating, but goes against beliefs of the majority of Americans, while bypassing American parents through an invasive abuse of power.”
He continued, “While I support educating our children to respect both the office of the American president and the value of community service, I do not support using our children as tools to spread liberal propaganda. The address scheduled for Sept. 8, 2009, does not allow for healthy debate on the president’s agenda, but rather obligates the youngest children in our public school system to agree with our president’s initiatives or be ostracized by their teachers and classmates.”
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-Just got "The Note" from the school today...Hmmmmmmmm............Im leaning on just keeping them home....
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
First Week Back :)
Well Ive been doing just awful updating on here .....LOLOLOL
Monday was the first day back for the kiddoes.....Monkey Boy is sooo excited and teh first thing out of his mouth when he got there was "Oh there's ------!!!!!!" Gasping for air....ugh...LOLOL His little girlfriend...sigh.....LOLOLOL
Flamingo was so excited she can be with her best friend every day now-they have been having sleepovers abt every other week this summer-they have gotten to be very close-which is so nice-its always nice to have a best friend :)
Stinger ha been doing awesome. Today we started really hitting the reading-he isnt thrilled with that-but I did notice something today-he is a really fast silent reader!!!!! I thought he was tricking me because he got through his novel pages so fast-so I quizzed him-and sure enough he got every question right. So I guess its harder for him to read outloud.....and to comprehend what he is reading-he says when he does it in his mind he understands what he is reading...so I thought that was interesting-looks like we will be having to bump up those pages each day...LOLOL:)
He's got an IEP with K12 Washington online this year and will be getting accomidations for his testing-which will be really nice. Its alot of online meetings and telephone calls every week though-with his sped teacher, his reg teacher, and his speech teacher-but Im glad-as he needs the one on one speech help that he has been missing....His first online session is tom morning-so we shall see how that goes. He's got two group sessions online every week and one- one on one session every week...so its alot, but should be good for him....we shall see...
Its sure quiet in the mornings ard here though after the other two kids have gone. Stinger likes it...LOLOLOL
Ive got to start cleaning sometime....-my Mother in law is coming up the middle of Sept-that will be so nice to see her-the kids are so excited as they havent seen her in quite awhile as is Dh. Can't wait!!!:)
Monday was the first day back for the kiddoes.....Monkey Boy is sooo excited and teh first thing out of his mouth when he got there was "Oh there's ------!!!!!!" Gasping for air....ugh...LOLOL His little girlfriend...sigh.....LOLOLOL
Flamingo was so excited she can be with her best friend every day now-they have been having sleepovers abt every other week this summer-they have gotten to be very close-which is so nice-its always nice to have a best friend :)
Stinger ha been doing awesome. Today we started really hitting the reading-he isnt thrilled with that-but I did notice something today-he is a really fast silent reader!!!!! I thought he was tricking me because he got through his novel pages so fast-so I quizzed him-and sure enough he got every question right. So I guess its harder for him to read outloud.....and to comprehend what he is reading-he says when he does it in his mind he understands what he is reading...so I thought that was interesting-looks like we will be having to bump up those pages each day...LOLOL:)
He's got an IEP with K12 Washington online this year and will be getting accomidations for his testing-which will be really nice. Its alot of online meetings and telephone calls every week though-with his sped teacher, his reg teacher, and his speech teacher-but Im glad-as he needs the one on one speech help that he has been missing....His first online session is tom morning-so we shall see how that goes. He's got two group sessions online every week and one- one on one session every week...so its alot, but should be good for him....we shall see...
Its sure quiet in the mornings ard here though after the other two kids have gone. Stinger likes it...LOLOLOL
Ive got to start cleaning sometime....-my Mother in law is coming up the middle of Sept-that will be so nice to see her-the kids are so excited as they havent seen her in quite awhile as is Dh. Can't wait!!!:)
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