krys

from Branble: I guess I don't understand why such schools don't horrify more parents into taking action I don't believe many of these parents understand the value of education. They themselves have none and they survive. Also, there are quite a number of families where one parent works days and the other nights. You and I may say that the home parent should get a babysitter.....not so easily done when everyone is on the same back to school schedule. The working parent's boss will not allow "I have to pick up child's report card" as an excuse so they would lose a day's pay! I don't agree with the decision, but I understand why it was made by the parents. Inner cities are a whole other world. Many places are not safe due to gang activities - - I know it sounds like a scene from a movie or the evening news but it really isn't. [We used to have to keep our eyes open for gang tags]

We in Jersey tend to speak very fast. Our son, before he could read or understand what printed words were used to call it "Powerful Abundant Living". Too bad it wasn't really like that!

I was never part of things like this never having been Corps. But from reading what's written on this thread I think he was using "musician's ego" as an excuse. I think he was simply jealous of the attention he WASN'T getting IF any attention or appreciation was going to musicians. Maybe he didn't realize it himself -- but it sure looks like he wasn't willing to share any of the limelight or glory....[glowry] The more I read what you guys write, the more convinced I am that he was nothing but a sleazy pig! [that sounds like an understatement]

Sheessshhhhh - - - and I thought things were bad in Trenton and Newark!

In fairness, I'm sure all schools in the country are not like the ones here in NJ. And, most of the suburban schools are better....some of them even excellent. In California I know many schools are top notch. The same is true in NY State. I attribute those successes to a different state of mind in the community and also those states have Regents Exams which in most cases....students need to pass them in order to graduate.

In my opinion, the educational system is, yes, I'm so sorry to state that. There are several of us teachers here....give us the reins and time to figure it out...with the help of a few other professional individuals, and we would straighten it out so it worked a whole lot better! I would love to take some of the things used in some of the better charter schools and put them all together. Wow! My grandson is in kindergarten in a charter school in FL. They have uniforms, but they are liberal...several colors and they can be mixed and matched shirts and bottoms. Would you believe that as part of his phys ed program they are teaching him yoga and he [and the rest in his group who are studying it] love it. He even practices it at home because he wants to win a prize for who is the stillest! I know that the private schools are totally different. I've taught in them. It is like night and day.

I don't think this is off topic and I think if we considered all the factors we discussed here as well as others that pop into our heads in the coming months.....we can state that quitting high school would be quitting on your country. Not just the students, but the parents who can't be bothered....the teachers who don't care any more etc. Look into the NEA the national teacher's union. Go search them and find out what they really really do! I had to pay them $48 every single paycheck [one can refuse to join unions in NJ but it's not easy or practical to work that way] That means $960 from me every year. There were about 112 teachers in my building so that comes to $107,520 from my school. There were 7 other schools in the district. This was one medium-sized city in NJ. Do the math.....How much do they [NEA] pull in each year and what do they spend it on???? I honestly do not know. I don't know how to find that kind of info. However I never saw a program for students or teachers come from them. now that is off topic, sorry Anyway - if all these things could be addressed properly we would all become proud of our educational system and our students. If that doesn't lead to patriotism, then maybe it's time for me to leave the country and spend my last days in Costa Rica.

It wasn't always like this, but the last decade or so that I taught, there were fewer and fewer parents coming to Back to School Nights or to pick up their student's Report Card. The last two years I had fewer than 3 oar 4 parents come to homeroom to get the report card. Then during the conference times scheduled for later that evening, I had perhaps a half dozen parents come to discuss things. I had between 103 and 120 students those years. A face to face conference isn't always necessary and certainly I understand why parents could not come out in the evenings. Younger children at home (in a single parent home) in poor inner cities could make such evening visits impossible. But phone conferences work just as well many times. The only ones I ever had were ones I instituted myself! I can't speak for the whole country as I taught in north Jersey as a rule, but there are many very serious problems facing all or nearly all of the public schools in this area. Poverty and parental lassitude are only a few of them. Many of the buildings are very old and need so much repair work, that IMHO it would be more cost effective to tear them down and start from scratch [but there is precious little land available in our cities now]. Also, IMHO in order to upgrade the curriculum, you would need to expand the school year. You cannot teach 250 days worth of chemistry, foreign language, science or math in 180 days. Fight the unions over that one. I saw the problems and there are solutions I could suggest but they all cost money or go against the grain of the unions. I'm not anti-union necessarily - - if teachers have to work 200 days....pay them for 200 days. If there is sufficient money given to the schools in ways they can use it [not only text books or equipment] it wouldn't take very long for this situation to turn around.

Since, as Mark reminded us, we are to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength then everything we do potentially is worship. You really cannot have one of those without all the others [if you have a whole living being] so all of them together in an individual pretty much describes or defines that person [since we're all different]. So - theoretically, every time we act out of love, it's a kind of worship. The sum and substance of what we are, how we do our jobs, how we treat each other and even how we behave in a dark movie theater or a subway could be an act of worship. Now that I read that over, it sounds like gibberish, or maybe like it came from the mind of a 2 year old! I'm sure some of you may think that's what it is!

It would be like returning to my own vomit!

Thanks for that list Shell. If anybody could find it fast it would be you :). I have mixed feelings about this too. Although judging from a quick scan of the people on that list, I believe they would have been successful even if they had finished high school and/or college. The same is true of many other individuals who are not quite so famous. I think it's also important to state that "education" is not the same thing as a diploma. Additionally, many excellent kinds of employment don't require those kinds of diplomas. IMO the single biggest reason why kids quit high school before graduation is that the "education" doesn't serve the students. I don't believe in pandering to them, but by serving the students I mean things that they need or want to know. One of the biggest mistakes made in high schools was removing the non-academic programs. Auto shop, print shop etc. But - there are a number of other things that contribute to the very high rate of student drop out. In many places it is close to 50%. I don't know about today, but a few years ago, Boston was a smidge over 50% drop out rate.

hmmmmm Things are not always what they seem.

Thanks. I enjoyed experiencing that again. It is good to be reminded once in a while.

Skyrider said No mention of love, concern and welfare of the kids through the years. No mention of the service to the community. No mention of the thousands of hours of monthly workload that such an undertaking entailed. The twi a-g-e-n-d-a was to promote "the law of believing"......to promote the wierwille cult. Selective scriptures........selective teachings.......cherry-pick here a little.......cherry-pick there a little. It seems to me that everything a teaching ministry does or tries to do can be done from an easy chair - no sweat involved. The upper echelons of such "ministries" avoid sweat at any cost. Now-a-days, you don't even have to lift those heavy books....just alt/tab your way through the pages and then copy and paste. On the other hand, I don't think there is anything that a service ministry does that can be done sitting down. And you can't do any of it without sweating... rivulets of sweat or sheets of it - - depending on the body part. Funny thing, though - - it's easy for me to imagine Jesus Christ in both venues.

WOW! thanks guys.

Brushstroke - - you've got a lot of reading to do! You might like to start with a "search". Plagiarism, believing, PFAL errors....just those 3 will keep you busy until summer....at least!

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">By the way No it is doubtful that free will contributions to charityor other free will decisions that one may make,or not are considered extortion by legal definition.</span> It's not a "free will" "offering" when the powers that be scrutinize your paycheck and your checkbook and you've been screamed at and scared silly about God leaving you! That IS extortion. And every one of us witnessed it first hand although in the beginning we didn't realize what it was.

Bingo! The link works perfectly! I hope everybody gets some sleep tonite!

I suffered a massive crash this past summer and I never want that to happen again! I'm still collecting some of the items I lost....and there are a few items I'm afraid I'll never find again. I had a really cool program for timing....as an alarm clock or as a telephone call timer.....or as a stop watch. Oh well - - My point - - - what do you think is the best way to back up your computers. And.....why? I appreciate your input. krys

When will they let you take them home?

What a beautiful boy! Raf, I think he has your cheeks. Enjoy him! Let's hope he the first of others whom you'll also enjoy!

I enjoyed that very much! Thanks.

Congratulations to the family. It is so much fun to watch them grow. I guess everyone is on cloud 9 and I'll bet it feels pretty good up there!

.....two.....

Good morning Mr. Linder. How's your day going?