Category: "Announcements"
A Vision for an Educational Community
This was written as an assignment in one of my teaching classes around 2006. I think the ideas are still solid, if not particularly practical to implement.
Vision for Educational Community
Our philosophy: The student should be responsible for his own participation, both in life and in school, to the extent there is any such formal institution. It is the older generation's job to facilitate innate learning processes and to provide exposure to new materials so that a student may continue the process of discovery throughout his life. If a child learns to love to read, he will naturally learn to read. He should be exposed to the beauty and application of math and science, and he will naturally look to the underlying principles and start to derive relevant knowledge for himself. If the community can move a child to be curious, think for himself and act upon his own inspiration, it has done its job. If he is inspired into action, he will need to communicate, and may even find it fun to communicate in English. It is my job to facilitate that communication.
To a Union Man
I would like your vote. I would love your whole union's vote. But to earn that, I must articulate a vision that would make me worthy of your trust.
The truth is my gut reaction when you say union is not a positive one. I think of the teachers we don't fire because it is just cheaper to have them sit their days out and get paid for staying away from students.
Yes, Please Protect Innocents
I have to push back. Mr. Mannan (Protect Innocents, CT Post, Oct. 26, A13) claims to condemn the escalation of violence at the same time he makes excuses for it.
Hamas was elected to run Gaza by the Arabs who fashion themselves Palestinians. Instead of spending billions in aid on building a Singapore on the Mediterranean, they spent it growing an army. Hamas did not attack Israel with sticks and clubs.
On Guns and Mental Health
I get this is an incendiary post given what happened yesterday (18 killed in Lewiston Maine).
I was teaching in Israel when the Mercaz HaRav shooting occured in 2008. At the next staff meeting, the principal said to the teachers, “if you have them (meaning guns), wear them.” In Israel, every school is completely fenced in and already has an armed guard.
Every mall, every grocery store, also has an armed guard. I am not suggesting this should be the case here. We face different threats.
Deciding the Primary
It's funny that the same people who rally for greater voter access have no interest in voters actually thinking. Rather, it looks like initiatives to expand voter access also provide opportunities for more voter fraud.
The case between Messrs. Gomes and Ganim is easily enough decided. Both remain on the ballot. Those are already printed. Let intelligent voters choose the candidate that they think is best for them.
