POETRY: THE LIGHTEST ROSE

THE LIGHTEST ROSE

The lightest rose

Falls into the stream of joy

Wanting to keep its shape

To no avail, falls again

The lightest rose

Flutters with the wind

Knowing it will place a seed to grow

Into a flower of thought

The lightest rose

Hides beneath the stream

Wanting to climb its way out

And burst into life

A rose of thought

A rose of travel

A rose grows

Only to gain better color in the spring

*Grace

HUMOR: WANNA KNOW WHY TEACHERS DRINK?

Dear Readers,
I received the following email and am sharing it because in teaching, as in any profession, there is stress and aggravation at times. A little humor can go a long way to help one regain one's equilibrium. No disrespect is intended.

As Robert Frost said, “If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane.” 

WANNA KNOW WHY TEACHERS DRINK?

(SMILE)

The following questions were set in last year's GED EXAMINATION.  “GED is actually the process of earning the equivalent of your high school diploma, which is called a GED certificate or credential examination. The process requires attending classes, studying, and passing a five-part test.”

http://adulted.about.com/

 These are genuine answers from 16 year old students.

Julius Seizure! You’re killing me. 

                

Q. Name the four seasons.

A. Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.

Q. How is dew formed?

A. The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire.

Q. What guarantees may a mortgage company insist on?

A. If you are buying a house they will insist that you are well endowed.

Q. In a democratic society, how important are elections?

A. Very important. Sex can only happen when a male gets an election.

Q. What are steroids?

A. Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs. (Shoot yourself now, there is little hope.)

Q. What happens to your body as you age?

A. When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental.

Q. What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty?

A. He says goodbye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery. (So true)

Q. Name a major disease associated with cigarettes.

A. Premature death

Q. What is artificial insemination?

A. When the farmer does it to the bull instead of the cow.

Q. How can you delay milk turning sour?

A. Keep it in the cow.  (Simple, but brilliant.)

Q. How are the main 20 parts of the body categorized (e.g. The abdomen)?

A. The body is consisted into 3 parts - the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain, the borax contains the heart and lungs and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels: A,E,I,O,U. (Really?)  

Q. What is the fibula?

A. A small lie

Q. What does 'varicose' mean?

A.  Nearby (One of my favorites)

Q. What is the most common form of birth control?

A. Most people prevent contraception by wearing a condominium.  (That would work.)

Q. Give the meaning of the term 'Cesarean section'

A. The Cesarean section is a district in Rome.

Q. What is a seizure?

A. A Roman Emperor

(Julius Seizure, I came, I saw, I had a fit.)

Q. What is a terminal illness?

A. When you are sick at the airport. (Irrefutable)

Q. What does the word 'benign' mean?

A. Benign is what you will be after you be eight. (Indeed)

Grandma Meg     

      

  Live simply.

Speak gently.

Love unconditionally.

A TEACHER'S PERSPECTIVE ON STANDARIZED TESTING

A TEACHER’S PERSPECTIVE ON STANDARIZED 

TESTING

Dear Readers,

I have always been a keen advocate for Education Reform from the time I entered the classroom in 1970. I taught in Anne Arundel County, Maryland for 30 years and have seen many changes to improve the quality of  education. To meet State Standards, teachers were required to attend several inservice days to increase their knowledge of  effective teaching methods and be apprised of available materials and tools to enhance learning.

The state assessment test at the end of the school year would be used to measure an individual's academic achievement, identify learning problems, and/or  identify a need for intervention.

It wasn’t until 1993 that pressure was put on educators,  (school superintendents, principals, testing coordinators, and teachers) to succeed in high-stakes performance tests. 

“Tests that are  "high-stakes" are used to determine whether a student passes into the next grade, whether a teacher retains his or her job or receives a bonus, and whether a school receives penalties such as the removal of the principal or the teachers or more comprehensive changes to the school's approach. Tests that are "standardized" are those in which every student receives the same test across school, district, state, or nation. … The rise of high-stakes standardized testing has taken place over many years with the support of politicians from both major parties.” 

 http://www.democraticeducation.org/images/idea-logo-new.png

Should politicians be dictating what kind of standardized test should be given? It is my opinion that most federal and state politicians have yet to improve the living and working conditions of the majority of the American people. That being said, what qualifications do they possess that would make them experts in the field of education?

True education was never meant to be  a competition between educators, schools, or localities. Education should be a partnership between school and community.  If we truly want the best for our children, then we must use our voices to demand authentic and lasting change.  Everyone should be accountable for the successful education of present and future generations.

WEBSITES

http://www.fairtest.org/sites/all/themes/fairtest_theme/images/logo.gif

 http://edglossary.org/high-stakes-testing/

http://standardizedtests.procon.org/

http://www.bing.com/images/

Grandma Meg     

      

  Live simply.

Speak gently.

Love unconditionally.

REVIEW: NESTA TUOMEY'S, THE STRAW HAT and other STORIES

5.0 out of 5 stars

 Irish Short Stories to Warm the Heart

I was fortunate to take a tour of Ireland in September of 2012. Breathtaking scenery, traditional Irish music and dancing, in addition to learning about the history, people, and culture of Ireland made for an awesome adventure. That is why I recommend reading The Straw Hat and other Stories. These are moving, well written short stories that will appeal to everyone, especially visitors to Ireland, Irish Americans, or anyone blessed enough to have their roots in Ireland. Ms.Tuomey is a natural storyteller. Her stories evoke a variety of emotions in the reader. The settings and dialogue are so authentic, one gets a true sense of Irish life. Read The Straw Hat and Other Stories. You will not be disappointed.

Meg

South Carolina

DISGRACE

On April 1, 2015,  Alan Blinder’s New York Times’ article shouted, “ Atlanta Educators Convicted in School Cheating Scandal.” 

This does not come as any surprise. I often wondered what dire consequences educators would pay as a result of high stakes standardize testing.

The cheating scandal is a case in point. The Atlanta educators included Superintendent of Schools,  Dr. Beverly L. Hall (deceased), principals, testing coordinators, and teachers.  After reading several accounts of the trial and convictions,  it is evident that Superintendent Hall created an environment which fostered cheating throughout at least 44 schools, which comprise 43% of all school sites in Atlanta. Even one school is one too many.

 Unfortunately, Georgia isn’t the only state in which this appalling practice occurs. A new survey by Fair Test reports, “Confirmed cases of test score manipulation in at least 37 states including Washington, D.C. were found in the past four academic years. The analysis by the National  FairTest Center reports there are at least 50 ways in which educators manipulated test scores during that period.”  This behavior is reprehensible.

(http://fairtest.org/fact%20sheets)

If this isn’t a wake up call for all citizens, I don’t know what is. Our national educational system is a disaster. All students have the right to the best education possible; one in which each student will reach his/her  full potential.

“Teaching to the test is an educational practice where curriculum is heavily focused on preparing students for a standardized test.”

“Opponents of this practice argue that it forces teachers to limit curriculum to a set range of knowledge or skills in order to increase student performance on the mandated test. This produces an unhealthy focus on excessive repetition of simple, isolated skills ("drill and kill") and limits the teacher's ability to focus on a holistic understanding of the subject matter."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

What some schools are doing to inflate their standardized test scores is criminal.  Not everyone who is an administrator or teacher is guilty and should not be judged as such. Behavior such as we have seen in Atlanta is a disgrace and must be stopped.

Live simply.

Speak gently.

Love unconditionally.

AWARENESS

I live in a small town with an even smaller  University Campus. There is a two lane road 

dividing the University and additional parking lots. Before crosswalks and speed limit signs 

were added, there were several serious accidents.


The requisite crosswalks were painted, in hopes that students, staff, and visitors would be 

safer.  However, both pedestrians and drivers have responsibilities. Drivers must 

observe the speed limit, be alert, and drive defensively.  Pedestrians must be observant, 

cautious, and use common sense.


I have seen students not use the crosswalks at all. They just meander across the street 

expecting people will stop for them. Some walk blithely across the street texting. 

Others step off the curb without hesitation. Do they not understand that they, too, must 

perform an action to keep safe.  



All is not lost. I applaud those who stop and look before  proceeding. I, especially, appreciate 

those who wave or smile a thank you.  Common courtesy  is still alive and well.


All drivers and pedestrians whether in small towns or large cities must be aware of how their 

actions impact  lives, theirs and others.

Live simply.

Speak gently.

Love unconditionally.

SOUTHERN BAPTISTS ADVOCATE YOUNGER MARRIAGES: SAY WHAT?!

SAY WHAT?!

After completing my five part post about why waiting to get married and/or having children is so important to a healthy and stable marriage, I eagerly joined friends for lunch and scintillating conversation. Knowing that I had posted my article on my blog, one friend directed my attention to an astounding piece of news about young marriages. You have to believe me when I say my mouth literally fell open. Just when I thought the Christian Right couldn’t go any further right on the Liberal - Conservative continuum, I do believe they actually fell off. I kid you not!

“Andrew Walker, director of policy studies for the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, and Jon Akin, senior pastor of Fairview Church in Lebanon, Tennessee, made the argument in a column for the Baptist Press earlier this week.”

"We do not advocate a specific age; rather, we believe that young people should make themselves 'marry-able' younger," wrote Walker and Akin. Are Walker and Akin trying to coin a phrase with marry-able younger? The phrase is awkward on the tongue and the argument even more unpalatable.

I tried to think of ways to paraphrase this next quote, but I could not get my head around it. Walker and Akin state, “It's impractical and unhelpful to advise and encourage young men and women who reach sexual maturity at the age of 12 or 13 to wait 15 years before marriage and still remain pure.”   So, are they giving Southern Baptists’ Teens a mandate to get married at the young age of twelve? 

This is a throwback to the Dark Ages when girls were married off at a ridiculous age.  High maternal and infant death rates significantly lowered the over all life expectancy of that time and continued to do so well into the 19th century. Of course, causes other than the young ages of the mothers also contributed to high maternal and infant mortality: basic hygiene being a big one. But the bottom line is that anyone without adequate resources (financial, access to good health care, daily living skills, education, etc) is at greater risk, and children born into such situations fare far worse than their more fortunate counterparts.

An impressive number of research studies have been conducted on teen marriages. The unquestionable truth is early marriages are detrimental to achieving a healthy and stable family.