About Me
- Faye
- Recent retiree--35 year's experience teaching reading, English, adult basic education and volunteer leadership skills. Started this blog to exchange ideas and commentary with friends and others having an interest in joining the discussions. Greatest life accomplishments include: 1.organized my 3rd grade class to check out library books for me to get around librarian's weekly limit--Amazon.com, the Mullins Elementary 3rd Grade Class of 1956 is still waiting for "thank you" notes; 2. volunteered in the Peace Corps, island of St. Kitts, West Indies; 3.taught adults to read, earn their GEDs., and speak English as a second language; 4. bought a border collie puppy for $6, got evicted rather than give him up, and began a life-long love affair with all things "Dog"; 5. joined a physical fitness boot camp in my mid-50s--don't mess with someone who's been doing regulation pushups in wet grass at 5:30 a.m.; 6. walked across Northern England with best friend Sally--over 80 miles from the Irish to North Seas; and 7. travelled to many foreign countries for pleasure and work.
4 comments:
Sure, I'll throw out a few thoughts, just to get rid of that "0 comments."
Why does our school curriculum consist of stuff we already know? Why don't we pose problems about things we need to know but don't and let the kids tackle them? We can provide the basic skills and tools as they need them. But is there anything more boring than being asked a question when the questioner already knows the answer? I think not.
Some things I'd ask:
Why doesn't Kentucky (or each of our communities) solve the pet overpopulation problem as some other areas of the country have done? Is this a solvable problem in Kentucky? What strategies work in other loctions? WIll they work here? Why should I care?
How would an investigative journalist go about getting the real story of the April murder of Aaron "Shorty" Hall? He was a 5'4", 100 pound, 34 year old man, brutally attacked by three younger men and not mentioned at all in the Courier that I can find. Think Crothersville is not in their reader area or is there a cover-up? Is adequate information already availble on the internet? What could an ordinary citizen do to bring the truth to light?
Why is Kentucky's congressional delegation supportive of Holsinger for Surgeon General? Are they just desperate for another Kentuckian to join them in Washington? What is it about what he believes that they think is right for the position?
And then, a couple of topics to continue Faye's focus on reality tv shows:
Can you explain the physics that enabled a contestant on "America's Got Talent" to break and bend objects with his gluteus maximus?
How can we stage an effective boycott of Larry King's interview of Paris?
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OK, to be perfectly honest, I'm much more interested in seeing the topics that Faye chooses, and seeing her points of view about those subjects. But I do have a couple of suggestions. Shorter paragraphs, please, for those of us whose attention spans have shrunken with age, and let us know via email whenever you post a new entry.
I think you're so smart to be doing this, Faye!
- KH
Wow Kittyhawk! You sure set the bar high, but here's my two cents worth.
School curriculum--never thought I'd say this, but when I was working with agriculture education programs for Farm Bureau began to think that home-schoolers were getting a better deal than in public schools. These kids always seemed to have more freedom to go off on learning tangents of special interest--not being so limited by a dictated curriculum. The downer to that--on a recent Republican presidential debate all ten candidates raised their hands in support of the literal interpretation of evolution as a six day wonder. However, John McCain got points for qualifying his answer by saying that he could not help believing God had a hand in this when he's hiking out of the Grand Canyon. Smart answer John, for those who say you're too old at 72 and tired to be runnning for president!
Pet overpopulation -- part of the problem in KY is, I think, economical. In rural areas, especially farms or where animals are kept outside, one more litter of puppies or kittens is not the issue that we suburb-city dwellers would feel. Many people are not able to afford spaying or neutering a whole litter, much less licensing and shots so the problem just snowballs. Also, attitudes about the role of animals differ in the country--dogs guard, work livestock and cats control varmits--then they provide companionship. These attitudes are reflected in our not pushing county governments for adequate funding for proper animal shelters.
Investigative journalism -- I found several articles originating out of Bloomington and Indy concerning Shorty Hall's murder. What was good in these articles was a lot of reader suspicion about how the case was being investigated and defenses of Hall from family and friends as a good guy. The really ugly "defense" for the suspects was that they were caught up in a "panic heat" at the threat of being solicited by a presumed gay man,leading to their beating him to death over a day-long period. . . I didn't see much coverage by the Courier Jounal which surprises me since they did a good job in reporting on the murder and trial of a young girl from Crothersville last year.
Holsinger for Surgeon General -- think that our Pols would consider it a feather in KY's cap to have one more D.C. big wig. For myself, am still deciding whether a person's thinking on an issue can change in 10-15 years to the point that it wouldn't influence on-the-job decisions. We may be letting presidential candidates get a pass on flip-flopping and for sure our new "Supremes" Alito and Roberts are are making court decisions based on personal beliefs as well as the law.
World of Un-reality -- I haven't watched "America's Got Talent" as am trying to go on a reality TV diet for the summer. I intend to NOT watch Paris Hilton on Larry King tonight, but am feeling like may cave. . .
Matters of style -- to all my blog supporters, July's posts will be a lot more concise with paragraphs a lot shorter in honor of the ADDs in the readership. After all, we can't have our brains explode in the summer heat!!!
I'd like to weigh in on Kittyhawk's question re school curriculum....... In Ohio, it seems we don't even have time for students to explore answers to questions already answered. We have so much stuff in our elementary grades' content standards the kids can't even have time to "discover" their own answers. they are expected to learn so much in a surface only way, but rarely if ever can delve deeply into a topic that interests them. I am especially concerned that there is not enough time to allow students to read enough to learn to love it! Maybe i've been teaching too long, or maybe ol' Dub and the gang need to rethink what it truly means to leave a child behind!
I was thinking the subjects I suggested earlier were too heavy, so was thinking about suggesting magazines, make-up, and music as possible topics. Something like that column in the COurier on "The Best" in those categories.
But then this afternoon we got the pardon for Scooter Libby from the POTUS! If that doesn't put the nail in Bush's presidential coffin, nothing will.
Oh, how I wish Elizabeth Edwards were running for office! She has all the qualities I'm looking for.
KH
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