While perusing the local paper today, I came upon this interesting tidbit (August 29, 2009 in the archives)..seems that the oh-so-brilliant "professional educators" in the Brownsburg school district have decided that they will drastically cut back on the teaching of cursive writing in their grade schools. It isn't enough that the curriculum in the public schools systems has been "dumbed down" to the point where they are graduating functional illiterates so that little Johnny can't read, but they don't think Johnny really needs to be able to write, either. They will teach him to be able to write his name with a pen, but for the most part, they decided to concentrate on his being able to type instead.

I remember how much difficulty I had in learning cursive when I was in the second and third grade (sorry for being such a trial, Mrs. Biddle!), and I still have handwriting more worthy of a doctor's prescription pad than any sort of calligraphy in anyone's estimation; it was still a project worthy of the attempt, for the discipline it imposed if nothing else. This is just the latest example of the declining quality of a public school education ever since the Federal government became involved with public education with the founding of the Department of Education in 1980.

The DoE currently has 4,200 full time employees and an annual budget of $68.6 billion. I believe we as taxpayers have been totally remiss in demanding a decent return on our investment. Turning over our children's educations to the tender mercies of the NEA and other professional Teachers Unions has been an unmitigated disaster by any reasonable measure you could propose.

The NEA would have you believe it's because we aren't spending enough, yet expenditures have risen every year since the DoE was founded, and the end results have grown more dismal with every passing year. Those districts that spend the most, on the whole, tend to have the worst results by every accepted standard.

WE the PEOPLE need to get more involved with the process and DEMAND that REAL reforms be made, beginning with the abolishment of the National Department of Education. Control needs to be remanded back to the local level, where parents AND teachers can have more control over what is taught and how it is taught.

If the Brownsburg parents allow their school district to get away with not doing what they are paid to do, they are being remiss in their responsibilities to their children. IMHO They should fire the person(s) responsible for this idiotic decision and get people in those positions of power to actually effect real school reforms. They shouldn't have to fear the threat of a loss of federal funds because they refuse to follow the dictates of the latest fad in educational theory.

The old truism is that "them that pay get to make the rules" and the Federal government should never have gained the power to dictate to the local districts.
It's up to us to strip that power away and put it back in our own hands, where it belongs.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 07:48 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 527 words, total size 4 kb.

Why is it that when protests are held by every Left wing America hating fringe group, the MSM media portrays them as being "freedom loving activists" but whenever a protest is held by those that merely want the Constitution to be held to that they are "out of touch" Rightwing wacko's ?

This pResident is proposing to nationalize one sixth of our GDP without so much as a question raised, and those questioning that trend are portrayed as "haters", "Racists", or worse.

Question the pResident? Unpatriotic! Dangerous! Un-American!

Yet look back over the last eight years and I challenge you to find a day where President Bush wasn't vilified by protesters, or worse, members of the MSM itself.

Remember this?

This is one of the signs that President Bush was greeted with by hostile protesters on a fund raising trip to Portland, Oregon, in August 2002. Patriotic? Mild?, Americanism at it's finest? I dun't theenk so, Lucy!

Those afflicted with a bad case of BDS are STILL blaming President Bush for everything under the sun from the economy to the heartbreak of psoriasis, six months after he's been out of power.

Accuse me of ODS if you will, at least I can point to FACTS WHY I detest the actions of the current occupant of the Oval Office, not some amorphous accusations that he's evil incarnate.

At least the anti-ObamaCare crowd isn't being paid to appear!

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 08:35 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 244 words, total size 2 kb.