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On Education, Curriculum, and a Terrible Week: Thoughts re American History, and of "Not Cooling It"

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Surely this was one of the worst weeks in America in my lifetime: a pandemic death count hit 100k and the elected leader of the country chose not to speak to memorialize those deaths (he did go golfing though, so there's that); record-breaking weekly unemployment announced again, and the economy in free fall, but Congress has still not passed further relief for workers, and the Fed instead began buying corporate junk debt ("bail out") with our tax money; the nation's leader promoted conspiracy theories of murder against a former congressman; there was a noteworthy racist incident in Central Park, NY widely share on video; news of continuing injustice in the murders of a woman of color in Kentucky and a man of color in Georgia; murder by four white police officers of an already-subdued African-American man; rioting across the nation over three nights; a robber-baron POTUS decried “thugs,” and threatened to use the military against the American people....
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Profits or Health Care?

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"Gouging patients is part of the game" in a health care system built for profits, not health. This from a doctor who found himself on the other end of a big bill. An example of gouging: this doctor was charged $360 for "PREVENTIVE CARE VACCINE", a tetanus booster shot. He uses them in his own practice. His cost? $27 each. Good stuff from the L.A. Times: The emergency room bill is enough to make you sick.
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We're Still at War

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Yesterday's (Fri, Nov. 20, 2009) Mother Jones reminds us that we're still at war with their photo of the day: Members of the rifle detail perform a 3-volley salute during 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment's memorial service for nine Marines and one sailor killed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Hundreds attended the memorial service Tuesday morning that took place between Hangars 1 and 2 aboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii. (US Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Mark Fayloga.)  http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2009/11/were-still-war-photo-day-november-20-2009 One of my brightest students asserted in class this week that you wouldn't know our nation is at war if you just walked around any big American city all day.  I think she's right.  What a shame. But not "shame on you" to the American people.  Shame on the Bush administration for insisting on a policy of keeping the images from us.  Shame on the military for following the policy. Recently the Oba...
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Wacky Priorities

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"Too Many Teachers, Not Enough Money, 125,000 Positions Cut" The Education Blog at change.org shares how difficult it is becoming for teachers to find a job. Wait, don't we have an "education crisis" in this country, according to every politician? Shouldn't we be shrinking class sizes and employing more teachers? Hmm, guess there isn't a "war on ignorance" yet. http://education.change.org/blog/view/too_many_teachers_not_enough_money_125000_positions_cut
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Ivy League Admission & Social Logic

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Malcolm Gladwell shares in the New Yorker how it's more about you than your grades. "And the most important category? That mysterious index of “personal” qualities. According to Harvard’s own analysis, the personal rating was a better predictor of admission than the academic rating. Those with a rank of 4 or worse on the personal scale had, in the nineteen-sixties, a rejection rate of ninety-eight per cent. Those with a personal rating of 1 had a rejection rate of 2.5 per cent. When the Office of Civil Rights at the federal education department investigated Harvard in the nineteen-eighties, they found handwritten notes scribbled in the margins of various candidates’ files. “This young woman could be one of the brightest applicants in the pool but there are several references to shyness,” read one. Another comment reads, “Seems a tad frothy.” One application—and at this point you can almost hear it going to the bottom of the pile—was notated, “Short with big ears.” "Ivy...
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