This is such a simple idea I found online, but it is helping me SO MUCH with keeping organized this school year! I’m constantly making lists of what to do, this helps me.
Papers have been piling up on my desk at school, I need to reorganize that this week.
I may create another one of things to do at home….. Because it is SO HELPFUL.
This is truly beautiful.
Always reblog. Sometimes The Simpsons is just so fucking ridiculously on point I just can’t even. Seriously.
the Truth in black and white
IMO it’s a “must see”.
Why, they’ll wonder, would the citizens of a country that had become the richest and most powerful in the world, a country that had accumulated patents, Pulitzers, Nobels, and other national and international awards out of all proportion to the size of its population - why would it hand over its system of education to corporations, politicians and a wealthy guy who went to private schools? That wealthy guy, of course, is Bill Gates. To sell a particular theory, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has funneled millions of dollars to a broad range of parent, professional and political groups , including the Parent Teacher Association, the ASCD (formerly known as the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development), the National Writers Project, the American Federation of Teachers, The National Council of La Raza, many universities, the Aspen Institute, the National Governors Association, the Council of Chief State School Officers, and, very importantly, to the manufacturers of standardized tests. The Gates theory? America’s schools were “soft”; they needed to be “hard” - rigorous. The “soft” part of the theory wasn’t based on research, didn’t emerge from public dialogue, wasn’t a conclusion reached by knowledgeable observers, and certainly wasn’t a view held by those actually doing the work - classroom teachers. The “hard,” or rigor, part of the theory has now been in place long enough to demonstrate that it doesn’t work. A report from the National Academy of Sciences says what even longtime fans of the test-and-punish school of reform now admit: it’s been a fiasco. Specifically, the National Academy of Sciences finds, “The tests that are typically used to increase performance in education fall short in providing a complete measure of desired educational outcomes.” Never mind all that. The sales pitch for the need for tough love has been phenomenally successful. The idea that greater rigor will breathe new life into American education has become the conventional wisdom, promoted by liberals and conservatives, the leaders of both political parties, the US Department of Education, the US Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the Center for American Progress, Democrats for Education Reform, the Gates, Broad and Walton Family foundations, and by the producers of educational materials. They quote each other and the media echo chamber amplifies it.
Click the link to read the entire article.
That’s what you get for naming your cat Nelson Meowz.
Teachers matter. Most work tirelessly, with modest pay, sometimes digging into their own pocket for school supplies — just to make a difference. They give everything for our kids – and in return, we should invest in them….
This is a country where no matter what you look like or where you come from, if you’re willing to study and work hard, you can go as far as your talents will take you. You can make it if you try. I am only the President of the United States today because of the chance my education gave me. I want every child in America to have that chance. That’s what I’m fighting for. And as long as I have the privilege of being your President, that’s what I’m going to keep fighting for.
- President Barack Obama in his Weekly Address, August 18th, 2012 (via talesofan8thgradeteacher)
Dear President Obama,
Please revise the word sometimes in your speech to often.
Thanks,
PPT
(via positivelypersistentteach)
Welcome Paul Ryan!
With Mitt Romney’s choice of Wisconsin 1st District US Representative Paul Ryan, the 2012 Presidential election is now in full swing. With the exception of the final convention nomination and voting formality, our candidates are chosen and although Roseanne Barr might be the most honest candidate in the race, she is not a viable presidential pick.
I think, as does Bill Kristol, that Ryan is a risky/brave choice. He brings to the GOP ticket something that Mitt Romney cannot—unquestionable Republican credentials. I highlight unquestionable for the shear fact that many questions will come out in the very near future about how conservative Rep. Ryan truly is (http://votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/26344/paul-ryan).
Paul Ryan is a fairly normal guy. He has a BA in Econ and PoliSci from Miami of Ohio. He is married to a brilliant woman with a JD from GWU and has 3 kids. He is intelligent and well-spoken. He is likable. He is unquestionably Christian (Obama and Romney both have tenuous relationships with the religious right as they decide whether Obama is a Muslim or Christian and whether Mormons are a Cult or Christians). He is fairly unknown and if he and the campaign are smart they will seize the opportunity to define him as the intelligent conservative idealogical leader that he is and not have him branded as the neocon Ryan Plan extremist that the Obama camp will undoubtedly spend money on painting.
I think Romney/Ryan is beatable. I have been nervous that with the selection of a strong hispanic VP or a swing state native son or daughter the election might be swung patently to the right and the hopes of Obama and Biden returning to Pennsylvania Ave palace would be dashed. However, I do not believe that is the case. This is why:
- Romney/Ryan is less likable than Obama/Biden (or Obiden as Sarah Palin once mistakenly said). Mitt Romney presents as a robot and Paul Ryan is quite likable, but very unknown. With the proper media saturation and SNL, Letterman, View, and Bill O’Reilly appearances he may be able to define himself in a public enough way to swing some love to the right, but as it stands today the left has it in likability. Barack is more charismatic than the other three candidates combined. Like it or not—he is compelling.
- The Ryan Plan is almost as toxic as Romneycare, unreleased taxes, and Bain. The left will try to brand Paul Ryan as the man who wants to kill Medicare and Social Security and will do it in partnership with Romney on Day 1 of their presidency. While this is likely not the case—Romney has already made attempts to distance himself from the Ryan Budget—it will be an effective tactic with older and middle aged voters who may see their future lives diminished in some way if Romney and Ryan are elected.
- Ryan represents…………..the people who are already voting for Romney. Paul Ryan is a 42 year old white Christian from a state that cut the legs from under unions and supports a cuts in the budget that would cause a good part of the current system to collapse (maybe for the better, maybe for the worse). He does not bring women to the ticket (as did Sarah Palin), he does not draw minorities (as does Barack Obama), he is not a foreign policy expert (as is Joe Biden), and he is not a successful business man (as is Mitt Romney). He is the Republican party base and they were already voting for Mitt Romney.
We are in a unique political epoch in the United States. Democrats have gay marriage as a part of their platform and Republicans are not bashing the idea outright. You can choose between a black man and a Mormon for President. The candidates range in age from 42 (that’s seven years older than the constitutional minimum age) to 69 (that’s less than a decade away from average US life expectancy). The choice between big government and small government is more apparent than ever. Companies are people. It is an amazing time to be a part of politics as a spectator, commentator, or participant.
I believe that the 2008 campaign changed something in the way politics will be done for years to come. I think that the Obama v McCain election established a new unspoken expectation that the top of the ticket MUST represent more than the traditional “four white men” that has been the case for 232 years (that’s 2012-1776=236-4 years since 2008=232). America is DIVERSE. The political parties must represent diversity. The Republican ticket does not and seemingly is not striving to.
There is a reason (or many reasons) that with over 8% unemployment and perpetually low polling numbers that President Obama is still polling ahead in this election. I do not believe that Paul Ryan’s addition to the Romney ticket will be enough to upset the incumbency. Now, the question will be can money upset the power of the incumbency? Romney and Ryan alone cannot do it, but with the help of Charles and David they just might.
