This is a new segment where we do a Beakerkin style of interview. The questions are a mix of the serious and not so serious. Some of the questions are on topics we do not cover. Most blogs have a focus my blog is book oriented with a focus on the radical left. My guest Always on the Watch has a huge blog that focuses on militant Islam. However one can often find the superior work of her students.
1 Is the culture of low expectations a problem in education ? Will students rise to the ocasion if challenged ?
2 Would School vouchers have a potential positive impact ?
3 Can a secular school impact values sans religion ?
Now moving onto popular culture
4 Did you ever own a Neil Diamond album
5 Did you watch Canon or Barnaby Jones
6 Has the overall quality of TV and Films declined since the seventies ?
7 Who is your favorite professional pundit ?
8 Do you have a favorite talk radio show ?
On to the dreaded personal questions
9 Have you played pool or ping pong ?
10 Are people who talk to plants creepy or funny ?
11 Do you prefer visual art, poetry or theatre ?
12 When you get lost do you ask for directions ?
Environment
13 Do you enjoy watching wildlife in your travels ?
14 Should we place greater emphasis on producing domestic energy ?
15 Is hunting and fishing a cultural practice ?
16 Is there a utopian subset in the environmental movement ?
Health Care
17 Do you feel government regulations drive the cost of health insurance up ?
18 Should consumers have more choice in buying policies tailored to them ?
19 Should there be a cap on malpractice lawsuits
Immigration
20 Should Immigration be family based or vocational based ?
21 Should countries that have long term historic ties like the Phipinnes and Liberia
get more visas then countries with fewer ties like Ghana
22 Should the government throw the book at people who employ illegal aliens ?
Blog Related
23 Has your blog been visited by Jihadis ? Mine was visited once and Jasons was visited for a while.
24 Do long term readers almost become a second family ?
25 Do you create certain posts with specific readers in mind ?
Take your time responding as some of these are complicated questions.
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39 comments:
Beak,
Wow! You are quick!
In a few minutes, I'll post "yes"/"no"/"maybe"/"I don't know" answers, then work in Word to give more explanation.
This is going to be fun! It may take me a while, however, to get to all the questions.
1 Is the culture of low expectations a problem in education ? Will students rise to the ocasion if challenged ?
Yes to both.
2 Would School vouchers have a potential positive impact ?
Yes.
3 Can a secular school impact values sans religion ?
Yes.
Now moving onto popular culture
4 Did you ever own a Neil Diamond album
Yes.
5 Did you watch Canon or Barnaby Jones
Yes.
6 Has the overall quality of TV and Films declined since the seventies ?
Yes.
7 Who is your favorite professional pundit ?
Don't have one.
8 Do you have a favorite talk radio show ?
No.
On to the dreaded personal questions
9 Have you played pool or ping pong ?
Yes.
10 Are people who talk to plants creepy or funny ?
Funny.
11 Do you prefer visual art, poetry or theatre ?
Visual art.
12 When you get lost do you ask for directions ?
Maybe.
Environment
13 Do you enjoy watching wildlife in your travels ?
Yes.
14 Should we place greater emphasis on producing domestic energy ?
15 Is hunting and fishing a cultural practice ?
Yes.
16 Is there a utopian subset in the environmental movement ?
Yes.
Health Care
17 Do you feel government regulations drive the cost of health insurance up ?
Yes.
18 Should consumers have more choice in buying policies tailored to them ?
19 Should there be a cap on malpractice lawsuits
Yes.
Immigration
20 Should Immigration be family based or vocational based ?
Vocational.
21 Should countries that have long term historic ties like the Phipinnes and Liberia
get more visas then countries with fewer ties like Ghana
Yes.
22 Should the government throw the book at people who employ illegal aliens ?
Blog Related
23 Has your blog been visited by Jihadis ? Mine was visited once and Jasons was visited for a while.
No.
24 Do long term readers almost become a second family ?
Yes.
25 Do you create certain posts with specific readers in mind ?
Very occasionally.
Back, bit by bit, to chip away.
The first three questions are the tough ones. I've merely begun to explain, but here goes....
1 Is the culture of low expectations a problem in education ? Will students rise to the ocasion if challenged ?
The culture of low expectations is a serious problem in education today. Another problem I've found is that enrichment activities--many of which are quite valuable--often interfere with mastery of the core curriculum. What good does it do for a student to explore an area if, at the same time, that student doesn't cover skills which lead to mastery of the 3R's? Bells-and-whistles look good and make for great pr, but often don’t yield the desired results. Some of the plainest textbooks, such as The McGuffey Readers really do work.
Interestingly, teachers have high expectations for certain areas of study, but low expectations for acquiring basic knowledge. Rote learning has become a dirty term today in education, but memorizing facts is indeed essential to critical thinking. You won't get the leftists to admit that, however.
When I was a principal, I insisted that my teachers complete the curriculum, then branch out. To clarify what I'm saying here, think about piano lessons; many teachers push their students through competition after competition and recital after recital, often with the end result that the students cannot sightread or, in extreme cases, cannot read the music at all.
Most students are capable of doing much more than what education courses teach us teachers. Have you ever heard of Marva Collins? She took many at-risk pupils and had them reading and understanding Shakespeare in no time, in elementary school. In fact, one reason the students were doing so poorly was that they were bored! I also advocate multi-age groupings as they work wonders if a teacher knows what he/she is doing.
As students are challenged (I am often amazed at what students can accomplish, even after over 30 years in the classroom!), they build neurological pathways which enable students to acquire more flexibility in learning other things. For example, introducing Latin by age 10—and John McWhorter advocates early introduction of this subject—does wonders and is, in itself, learning therapy. Crossing the corpus collosum is the key to critical thinking, but most teachers, unless trained in certain types of special education, have no clue as to the neurology involved in the learning process.
Tossing bucks at education has been a miserable failure. Students today have so many advantages; nevertheless, many middle-schoolers cannot write an organized paragraph, to name just one skill. Shameful, IMO! Parents in Fairfax County, one of the best public-school systems in our nation, are now hiring outside tutors to bring their children up to the required standards, particularly in language arts. I blame this new trend on the system’s lack of coordinated curricula.
It is interesting to look at some of the old end-of-term tests from the early 1900's. Many students today--and even many teachers, I fear--could not begin to pass those basic tests.
2 Would School vouchers have a potential positive impact ?
The voucher system promotes a different kind of teacher accountability. Of course, the danger is that the best would be siphoned off from the other schools, thus leaving a more difficult group of students to rule in those other schools. Also, parents need to be more closely involved with their children’s education; and if, under the voucher system, parents just hand their children over to the school to get the job done, the voucher system will deteriorate. Also, the danger is that the best of teachers will be siphoned off to teach at magnet schools; the best of teachers are the ones needed to work with the most difficult students.
IMO, the main reason for the push toward vouchers is the failure of the public-school systems to get the job done. I’ve read that, in regular classes (not AP or IB), almost half of every high-school class period is devoted to administrative or disciplinary matters. When I taught in the public-school system (1973-1977), only ten minutes of each class period dealt with those matters.
In 1977, I was forced out of the county system because I refused to pass the star football player. I was so soured on teaching by that time that I thought I’d never teach again; during those years in public education, the students who fed in from the local Catholic school were, far and away, the best students—and this was true for every department. After I left the public system, along came an offer from a private school; I accepted the teaching position on a 30-day trial and stayed until the school was sold to a different owner/director. Immediately following that, my father became terminally ill; after he passed, I went into teaching groups of homeschoolers.
3 Can a secular school impact values sans religion ?
Both positively and negatively. The danger of education without a religious base—a base which reflects the core values of Western civilization, many of which are Judeo-Christian in basis—is that moral relativism and multi-culti erode the ethos. Without a common base of values, a culture will cease to exist. I fear that such is happening today in America.
Now moving onto popular culture
4 Did you ever own a Neil Diamond album
Neil Diamond was the rage when I was in college—“Solitary Man” and “Sweet Caroline.” I don’t listen to him now.
5 Did you watch Canon or Barnaby Jones
I never missed an episode of either one! But they don’t hold up as well today, IMO. My preferred cop/detective shows of that era (At least, I think it was the same era) were Kojak and Baretta. Later, my favorite was Magnum P.I. In fact, my best friend’s writing partner was briefly engaged to Tom Selleck.
6 Has the overall quality of TV and Films declined since the seventies ?
I don’t watch as much TV or as many movies as I used to. I do, however, regularly view Cold Case. As sign of age, I suppose, but I often watch TV Land. I also like The History Channel and A&E. I live for The Twilight Zone marathons and have a book which analyzes each of the shows.
I rarely go to the movie theater, unless I want to see special effects on the big screen; I wait for the DVD’s. Still, some recent movies are good. I ignore the reviews and watch what my friends and my family recommend.
I watch every movie in which Anthony Hopkins stars. I liked him long before Silence of the Lambs. I wish that Hopkins would narrate some audio books.
7 Who is your favorite professional pundit ?
Without fail, I watch O’Reilly’s “Talking Memo,” but not the rest of The Factor, unless he’s covering Islam. I like Mort Kondracke (sp?); I discovered him after the book he wrote about his wife’s Parkinson’s. I like to hear what Krauthammer has to say, as well.
8 Do you have a favorite talk radio show ?
I’m not a radio person unless I’m driving. But when stuck in evening traffic, I occasionally tune in to Hannity.
I prefer to listen to audio books when in my “old lady” car (no tape or CD deck) and music when I’m in the Mustang (both cassette and CD decks).
On to the dreaded personal questions
9 Have you played pool or ping pong ?
More pool than ping pong. I used to have my own pool cue, but I sold it after I had cataract surgery because my depth perception is way off. However, I shot some pool last month at the local VFW. Almost as bad as my bowling. LOL.
10 Are people who talk to plants creepy or funny ?
Funny—and a bit weird, IMO. I’d rather that people talk to themselves than to plants.
11 Do you prefer visual art, poetry or theatre ?
I took music appreciation in college, so I missed out a bit. Still, living so close to the National Gallery of Art provides opportunity for me to enjoy all kinds of art works—except for abstracts or “weird” sculptures.
I am more auditory than visual. So, when I go to the art gallery, I always get the audiotour.
12 When you get lost do you ask for directions ?
I’ll try to find my way on my own first. I’m very good with a map.
Environment
13 Do you enjoy watching wildlife in your travels ?
I’m an animal lover. But I don’t have the patience to sit still for too long, so bird-watching is usually a no-go.
14 Should we place greater emphasis on producing domestic energy ?
We’ve got to get out from under Middle Eastern oil!
15 Is hunting and fishing a cultural practice ?
These used to be survival skills. Now they are mostly cultural. I'm not much for hunting and fishing for sport; I want hunters and fishermen to consume what they take.
16 Is there a utopian subset in the environmental movement ?
The idea of living in harmony with nature has become a Leftist Utopian ideal. We've reached the point (PETA) where some value animal rights over human rights. I don't believe in torturing animals, but animal-testing is preferable to experiments on humans.
Now, I don’t believe in wasting what God has created. Nevertheless, resources can be used wisely WITHOUT penalizing mankind and progess. As the price of oil rises, I care less and less about the caribou on the tundra.
My classes frequently satirize tree-huggers. But they are conservationists, of a sort, as well. All of us recycle.
A lot of the utopian subset as related to environmental issues goes back to Thoreau, favorite of the hippies during my college days.
Communing with nature is fine, but Mother Nature can be a bitch!
Not everything wrong with today’s environment is man’s fault. Some of the problems are cyclical. At least, so I believe. I’m not much of a science person.
I have been a Kondracke fan for years dating back to the early McLauglin Group. He is a Moderate but seems to speak with a refreshing genuine quality.
Kojak was always my personal favorite detectve. I love McCloud and watch that show whenever I can.
I remember Mannix fondly a show that is lost in time. Hunter was a great show in its time.
We have to thank Drummaster for adding links. I am all thumbs with links.
Nanc these interviews ask tough personal questions. I do not know why but some people are almost embarassed of playing air hockey or foozball.
Health Care
17 Do you feel government regulations drive the cost of health insurance up ?
Both government regulations and the low-cost insurance for government workers drive up the cost of health insurance. So does the cost of medical care, often gratis, for illegals and indigents (By "indigents" I don't mean the legitimately handicapped). Unions also provide low-cost insurance. Those of us without government or union jobs have to pay the difference.
18 Should consumers have more choice in buying policies tailored to them ?
Pre-existing conditions exclude many of us from getting our own health insurance. Some tailored policies are out there, but hard to obtain once one is over age 40 or if one has a congenital defect.
The health-insurance industry is not a free-market system now. My husband and I are trapped in an HMO, and the rates keep climbing while the available services keep decreasing.
19 Should there be a cap on malpractice lawsuits
I’ll go even further. If one brings a frivolous lawsuit, that plaintiff and the plaintiff's attorney(s) should be punished. I see a difference between a medical error and true negligence, but now the lines are often blurred.
The cost of malpractice insurance is putting some excellent physicians out of work now. Also, many medical tests are ordered specifically because the doctor fears a lawsuit. My gyn and I have discussed this problem in depth. He has never been sued, but his rates continue to climb; he has very few private patients now and pretty much limits his practice to those in the ob/gyn ward, so as to come under the hospital’s insurance-umbrella. And that’s too bad! He’s a doc who really cares about his patients. Last year, he sat with me and held my hand as my surgery was delayed due to something going on in the operating room; he didn’t leave me alone to worry (I was scared to death that I had cancer). And when I woke up, there he was to tell me that everything was okay. Now, that’s a real doctor! I didn’t get any such treatment when I underwent orthopedic surgery; in fact, I didn’t see the ortho surgery for almost a month after the procedure.
Immigration
20 Should Immigration be family based or vocational based ?
No contest on this one. Forget families dragging all their distant relatives with them. We need immigrants with skills!
21 Should countries that have long term historic ties like the Phipinnes and Liberia
get more visas then countries with fewer ties like Ghana
We should give visas to those who pose the least threat—both for terrorism and for disappearing into the ether.
22 Should the government throw the book at people who employ illegal aliens ?
And make the penalty severe enough to be a deterrent. Legals and American citizens should be hired over illegals.
Blog Related
23 Has your blog been visited by Jihadis ? Mine was visited once and Jasons was visited for a while.
During that time when comment notification failed, I think one stopped by. Otherwise, no.
24 Do long term readers almost become a second family ?
I started the heavy-duty blogging when I was laid up because of a car accident. For a while, I had been a team member over at Northern Virginiastan; before becoming a team member, I had sent a few items in, anonymously; then, I joined.
When the Michael Graham story came along, I jumped into the blogosphere with both feet. Obviously, I'm hooked on blogging now!
Mustang of Social Sense was my first friend in the blogosphere, and remains a dear friend, though he's not around much these days.
I’ve made many friends here in the blogosphere, and some are indeed part of my second family, particularly those in the group here with whom I made acquaintance last year in the electronic bar: you, Beamish, Jason, Esther, Warren (I think), and maybe a few others.
And, Beak, you made me feel welcome; you took me right in here. I'm so grateful for your hospitality!
I can use a second family! My biological one is dying off. Not many of us are left any longer. I'm the youngest, so others leave before me.
A few bloggers know my true identity. More than that—I’ve met personally with and conversed by phone with some. At first, I didn’t understand that the blogosphere had an element of risk. I know better now. But I was lucky because all who know who I really am are trustworthy people.
25 Do you create certain posts with specific readers in mind ?
Mostly, I post about matters which concern or interest me. If I post in response to a request, I usually say so.
I try to post on topics which will interest some of the readers who frequent my blog--the writing principle "target audience." I also try to add some variety now and then.
Lately, I've been dressing up my site, particularly on the right sidebar. I added "Today in History" this morning. I'm also experimenting with adding pictures to some of my postings.
Forever blogging about Islam can get quite depressing, especially the Western dhimmitude.
I am ever mindful that some of my students read my blog, so I occasaionally post something for their benefit, including some of their work.
Frequently, my students remark on comments which have appeared at my blog. The students who follow my blog love your avatar, BTW. My avatar is a serious one, but the best I could do without a faster connection and with my limited knowledge.
Well, that was a marathon! LOL. Fun, though. I hope that my answers weren't too long. As a woman, I tend to ramble on and on. Maybe I have hypergraphia???
Always on the Watch has a huge blog that focuses on militant Islam. However one can often find the superior work of her students.
Dont' let anyone tell you otherwise. You're a nice guy, Beak!
Here's something funny....Until you introduced me at the electronic bar, I didn't realize that the theme of my blog was "the whitewash of Islam." I was just writing about what was on my mind. God knows that I kept quiet for a long time after 9/11 while I was doing my research. Truly, I woke up on 9/11.
Beak: I have been a Kondracke fan for years dating back to the early McLauglin Group. He is a Moderate but seems to speak with a refreshing genuine quality.
I was a political ignoramus until 9/11--except for researching candidates before casting my ballot, that is.
Kondracke is "genuine." Good word!
Kojak was always my personal favorite detectve. I love McCloud and watch that show whenever I can.
I remember Mannix fondly a show that is lost in time. Hunter was a great show in its time.
I watched McCloud ("There ya go!") and Mannix too.
I hope that Beamish will sit for an interview! He'll give more humorous answers than I did.
Time for a nap now. I had insomnia last night.
Thanks for this opportunity,
Beak. Much better than a meme!
PS: Why would anyone be afraid of personal questions?
Always
A beaker style interview is more fun then hostile. Apparently we did learn that Mr Beamish is not a fan of Dynamite fishing. Warren prefers grenade fishing.
There are numerous topics we just do not cover. Our blogs sometimes become restrictive . When I walk into Jason's site I have expectations. However it would be fun to find out people's views on other subjects.
I still am at a loss why people are somewhat ashamed to say they played air hockey or ping pong.
My avatar was the creation of a true genius Mr Beamish. Maybe one day he will do a Sgt Pepper type collage in Beamish style. My nephew has an interesting avatar
that is seldom seen.
Well done AOW..although I am a bit disappointed in your answer about owning a Neil Diamond album. Well everyone has their flaws and that's pretty minor.
Cracklin' Rosie, get on board
We're gonna ride till there ain't no more to go
Taking it slow
Lord, don't you know
Have me a time with a poor man's lady
Hitchin' on a twilight train
Ain't nothing there that I care to take along
Maybe a song
To sing when I want
Don't need to say please to no man for a happy tune
Oh, I love my Rosie child
She got the way to make me happy
You and me, we go in style
Cracklin' Rosie you're a store-bought woman
You make me sing like a guitar hummin'
So hang on to me, girl
Our song keeps runnin' on
Play it now
Play it now
Play it now, my baby
ugh...I'm going to be sick
'kojak' was a great show. 'the twilight zone' is probably the greatest show in the history of television [telly savalas was in it]. i too watch, at least a part of, the new years marathon.
you're right beak - i don't know if i'd want you all to have THAT much wood on me....at least you didn't ask the boxers or briefs question.
warren - i couldn't get to beak's site either and i was sure i'd been banned so decided to eat corned beef and cabbage and drink beer until i knew i could cause some damage today - mission accomplished!
1 Is the culture of low expectations a problem in education ? Will students rise to the ocasion if challenged ?
Yes and Yes
2 Would School vouchers have a potential positive impact ?
Noyt sure
3 Can a secular school impact values sans religion ?
Secular or barinwashing?
Secular - No but if it turns into propaganda - Yes.
Now moving onto popular culture
4 Did you ever own a Neil Diamond album
No
5 Did you watch Canon or Barnaby Jones
What are they?
6 Has the overall quality of TV and Films declined since the seventies ?
It has never been too high.
I think the change is US not the pop culture.
7 Who is your favorite professional pundit ?
Nobody in particular.
8 Do you have a favorite talk radio show ?
No
9 Have you played pool or ping pong ?
Yes
10 Are people who talk to plants creepy or funny ?
Creepy
11 Do you prefer visual art, poetry or theatre ?
No preferences.
12 When you get lost do you ask for directions ?
Hardly ever - try to figure things out.
13 Do you enjoy watching wildlife in your travels ?
Always
14 Should we place greater emphasis on producing domestic energy ?
Yes
15 Is hunting and fishing a cultural practice ?
I'd say more family tradition these days.
16 Is there a utopian subset in the environmental movement ?
Absolutely.
17 Do you feel government regulations drive the cost of health insurance up ?
Yes
18 Should consumers have more choice in buying policies tailored to them ?
Yes
19 Should there be a cap on malpractice lawsuits
No opinion
Immigration
20 Should Immigration be family based or vocational based ?
Balance between the two
21 Should countries that have long term historic ties like the Phipinnes and Liberia
get more visas then countries with fewer ties like Ghana
Friendly vs unfriedly,
Sure
22 Should the government throw the book at people who employ illegal aliens ?
Yes
Blog Related
23 Has your blog been visited by Jihadis ?
More times than I can remember.
24 Do long term readers almost become a second family ?
Yes
25 Do you create certain posts with specific readers in mind ?
sometimes
You left out the most important question: should the Beakster learn a few simple rules of the English language, starting with punctuation, before he reveals his ignorance on a global basis?
Crusader,
I am a bit disappointed in your answer about owning a Neil Diamond album. Well everyone has their flaws and that's pretty minor.
The flaws of youth.
But I never owned even a 45 by Barry Manilow.
DM,
I used to have all of the TZ episodes on videotape, but the tapes deteriorated. I wonder if they're available now on DVD?
:=) great job, aow!
beak - is this going to be a different interview for different people or not? just curious.
Nanc
It is a different set of questions
for different people. I have a few Nanc questions ready if you decide to venture in the hot seat.
The questions are fairly mundane but there are some tough ones. I have a whole set for Mr Beamish.
Hankie why don't you have the courage to sign your name. I know exactly who you are but your lack of courage is amazing.
Hank Snow the man who claims to have two blogs on FPM. Nobody has ever seen these blogs. In fact Hankie is the only known blogger that does not pitch his blog.
Would you like to pretend you are a NYC type here. American Crusader,
Jason Pappas will vouch for my knowledge of Gotham. Your knowledge
of NYC and Vermont seems restricted to the local Starbucks.
This blog keeps on growing and we are still a largely US blog. Your claim that my blog is one year older then yours was made before this blog was even a year old.
Keep crying Hankie but only Nanc knows your other claims here.
Thanks, Nanc! I ramble on, though, because I'm a composition teacher.
i have two i'd like for you to ask beamish, but i don't want him to see them until the time comes - are you taking requests for beamish? they're tough... as for me - i'll take the test on monday morning as i don't spend much time on the www on weekends and if i have to study for them need dead silence in the background - i sure hope they're not as difficult as that last urine test i had to study for...
okay, for beamish - they are coded so only you and i can decipher them: 1: have you ever invoked your right to remain silent only to have your inability to do so upstage you? and 2: what do you have in your glove compartment? if anybody else breaks this code, i will have to reconfigure it.
beak is right - hank SAYS he has a blog and i've asked if i could attend and have been turned down, me, a homeless blogger. how cruel is that?
you're welcome aow - i wish i could compose myself enough to teach someone something. as for rambling - you'll never gather any moss.
I'm here for an interview. You're hiring, right?
No but any time you want to sit for the first Presedential interview let us know. Warren's idea that grenade fishing is a better alternative to standard dynamite fishing is practical
fyi - beak - someone is requesting plaut remove the rachel corrie post at autonomist - the noive!
I have a sinking feeling the Democrats are going to cheat in 2008 and I won't get elected President. So I might not get to do a "Presidential" interview. But I'm up for being interviewed.
I await my interrogation.
do you think warren will sit for an interview? as head of fish and game (aka: cats and dogs)? beamish, warren would make a wonderful white house chef - i can tell by his recipes.
Is it delivery or is it Di Giorno?
we live 15 miles from town; nobody delivers here, well, except for mothers out of wedlock...
Warren, shouldn't that be:
"Is it delivery or is it Doberman?"
AOW said:
"enrichment activities--[...]--often interfere with mastery of the core curriculum. What good does it do for a student to explore an area if, at the same time, that student doesn't cover skills which lead to mastery of the 3R's?"
I agree!
I was appalled at my daughter in law's lack of basic education skills when she graduated from high school. She attended public school. My son attended a Catholic grade school but graduated from a public high school.
I had to teach her basic math skills so she could balance a check book and do the small amount of math necessary for her job. She thought that Brazil was a country in Africa. and didn't know the difference between a noun and a verb. She had to be coached through basic government and economics classes in high school plus a rudimentary mathematics class (mandatory classes for seniors except for the math which they can "test out" of), so she could pass her finals.
I really don't understand how she received a diploma.
"Crossing the corpus collosum is the key to critical thinking, but most teachers, unless trained in certain types of special education, have no clue as to the neurology involved in the learning process."
I know what you are talking about.
Warren,
There are lots of people like your daughter-in-law out there. And teachers as well. One time, a fellow teacher asked me, "I have 27 questions on this quiz. How do I figure out the percentage grade?"
My reply: "The number correct divided by the number wrong."
He divided the numbers out on his calculator, then didn't know how to round off to the nearest 100th. In fact, he didn't know that 100th's were involved in the conversion to percentages. And this guy was teaching 5th grade math! He was state-certified to teach elementary school. Ye, gods!
BTW, the significance of crossing the corpus collosum cannot be overemphasized. I once had in my class a student with a damaged corpus collosum (brain-tumor excision). She was incapable of learning much of the required material in 6th grade. Her mother finally withdrew her from school and enrolled her in a prestigious music school and worked on the academics at home. Music was the girl's strength, and she had the singing voice of an angel. I've lost track of the student after all these years and hope that she's working in the music field.
you're right aow - we know two people who graduated h.s. and neither could read. one of the men was a prominent business man in the town where we're from. when his wife finally figured it out, she bought him "hooked on phonics", made him watch game shows and by golly, he was reading with the best of us within a year! which goes to show - learning begins at home and sometimes ends up there.
aow:
they have been putting them on dvd. i own volume 1 of the definitive collection, which is pretty much a season by season. they have also released another set, but i don't really see a difference other than maybe the commentary.
Nanc,
Hooked on Phonics is very effective. I learned phonics with an earlier series called Bremer Davis.
DM,
I'll check out the TZ DVD's.
aow - he was in his fifties when he learned to read proficiently - i find this amazing in itself. as i get closer to fifty myself the lessons i learn become more difficult.
Hooked on Phonics proves that Noam Chomsky was Academia's biggest fraud ever... and that universities need to go back to doing their primary mission SCHOLARSHIP and leave research into the FUTURE to entrepeneurs.
No wonder this country is on the wrong track. Everything is bass ackwards.
A tribute to Neil...
Far
We've been traveling far
Without a home
But not without a star
Free
Only want to be free
We huddle close
Hang on to a dream
On the boats and on the planes
They're coming to America
Never looking back again
They're coming to America
Home,
Don't it seem so far away
Oh, we're traveling light today
In the eye of the storm
In the eye of the storm
Home,
to a new and a shiny place
Make our bed, and we'll say our grace
Freedom's light burning warm
Freedom's light burning warm
Everywhere around the world
They're coming to America
Every time that flag's unfurled
They're coming to America
Got a dream to take them there
They're coming to America
Got a dream they've come to share
They're coming to America
They're coming to America
They're coming to America
They're coming to America
They're coming to America
Today, today, today, today, today
My country 'tis of thee
Today
Sweet land of liberty
Today
Of thee I sing
Today
Of thee I sing
Today!
-FJ
I especially like the line "never lookin' back again". It's so, so, absolutely fifties.
-FJ
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