Category Archives: Education

Shelby County Schools

Posted in Education, Important things by

Understand Shelby County schools is looking for a superintendent. Been looking for one for about a year now. One thing is certain, the new one won’t be very good. It’s kind of the history of it all. They haven’t had a good super for the last 30 years that I have lived here.

Used to be the Memphis City schools. The city realized they couldn’t run a school system, so they dissolved city schools, which resulted in the same folks how ran the city schools are now running the county schools. Naturally, they run the county schools just as badly as the ran the city schools.

It’s no wonder that most cities in Shelby County that could, formed their own school systems. By the way, the little cities seem to be doing very well while the county is FAILING miserably. It seems that they can’t even teach their students to read and write.

It’s not just my opinion. It’s history. It is borne out in test score after test score. It is also borne out in in the exodus of people from Shelby County schools. They seem to be confirming my opinion with their feet; or in this case, I guess their citizenship. Many come here south of the state line. Many have moved north, which invariably means a longer commute to work. Some go to Arkansas, which means crossing one of two bridges each morning on the way to work. It is, perhaps a reason we need a third bridge. I’d guess not so many move east of the county. I suspect it is better to move to one of the cities in eastern Shelby County.

Sure hope I’m wrong this time. Somehow, I just don’t think it will happen. They’ve been practicing the wrong methods so long they just don’t know any other way.

Incidentally, I do have an idea or two, but I don’t think they want to pay any attention to me. Certainly, right at the top, put the priority in requiring teachers to teach… the important things. They really don’t need to get involved in all the garbage being passed down from DC. Also, if their students are don’t learn, fire them. Obviously, they aren’t doing their job. Why should they be paid for doing nothing?

Which is Worst?

Posted in Abuse of Power, Adam Schiff, AOC, Being woke, Biden, Bribes, Cancel Culture, CDC, Cheating, Christian values, Climate Change, college loan debts, Compromise, Controllers, Crime, Deceit, Drug Abuse, Education, Elections, Fauci, FOC, Gambling, Going Green, Hillery, Kamala Harris, law enforcement, Lawyers and Representation, Liberals, Liz Cheney, Lobbyists, Nadler, New York Mayor, News Anchors, News media, Newsome, Obama, Obama Care, Our Legal Systems, Pelosi, Planned Parenthood, Politally Correct, Psaki, Religion, Schools, Socialists, Unions by

Which one is worst? Is it the one who offers the bribe in hopes of getting his way, regardless of what is right?

Is it the one who receives the bribe, knowing that he is going to treat a person or person wrong as a result?

Maybe the worst of all is the one who stands by and observes the bribe and says nothing. Maybe he says nothing out of fear. Perhaps he keeps quiet and benefits from the bribe. I don’t know. There might be dozens of reasons for blinding himself to that which he knows to be wrong.

When I was a young man, still in high school, I was taught about the third world countries where bribery was a way of life. The officer, expected and received the little payment to turn his head. The government official knew he would receive the bribe to allow the immigrant into the country. The teacher explained that, of course those things did not go in this country.

Now, 50 or 60 years later…

As I surveyed the recent history, I came to the conclusion that it is what happens in countries that turn their backs on God. You might ask if I consider it a judgement. To be sure, it would be a righteous judgement. But it is entirely unnecessary. It is simply a natural result. When people turn their backs on God, they do things that result in calamity.

They might call it lobbying, or donations for campaigning. It all has the same result. In but a short while, unless we allow God back in our lives, back in our schools and back in our government, the US will be a used to be. We will join the ranks of third world countries. People will be going south over the Mexican border, not north. No one will want to live in a land that is ruled by the few, the rich, the powerful.

And, invariably, the few, the rich and the powerful will not let go of their hold on this nation.

So. What is your thought? Are you one who bribes? Are you one who accepts the bribes. Or are you one who simply looks away when you see a bribe. Hopefully, you are none of those. Yet, millions of people stood by and watched Biden offer a billion-dollar bribe and still voted for him. Millions stood by and watched what the dems did to our voting system. And still they voted for them.

It looks like they approved of the bribes to me. So don’t be surprised when they count the US as a third world country. Don’t be surprised when money by the wheelbarrow will not buy a loaf of bread.

Don’t be surprised when God turns his back on us as this nation has turned its back on Him.

In the past, the US was an example of a Godly nation. Nowadays. Not so much.

Intentional Meritocracy

Posted in Abuse of Power, Education, Politally Correct, Schools, Unions by

I have told the story before.  It bears repeating every other year or two, even if no one wants to hear it.  Mostly, the pro union people don’t like hearing it.  However, it is an objective example of how unions encourage meritocracy.

My father was a carpenter.  At fifty, he was on a major union job in California.  A short time after he started, the union rep approached him and said, “You’re going to have to slow down.  You’re making every else look bad.”

Well, of course, he made sure to drop his speed some.  He wasn’t really in much of a hurry to begin with.  It just was, at his age, he had experience and knowledge going for him.  He was also in good shape.  He could walk on his hands for a city block and he could run faster than most high school kids.  Mostly, he was very experienced at driving nails.  It was always one swing to set the nail and one swing to drive it home.  Then it was on to the next.  I have seen him do it.

With the new instruction, I guess it meant he had to take a breath or two between nails.  I don’t know.  He never told me that part of the story.

The problem is that every person who is a member of union really has two bosses, the supervisor and the union.  In some cases, I’m not sure.  Maybe they just answer to the union.  It causes problems.  It encourages meritocracy.  When people work too well, when they do too good a job, someone is likely to take them aside and have a short but to the point talk with them.  “Be careful.  You are making the rest look bad.”

I have said all that to say this.  There is plenty of blame to go around for poor results from the schools.  Everyone deserves some of the blame, teachers, schools, administrations and certainly colleges.  Even parents must accept some of the blame.  Certainly, we need to step back and have another look at methods and techniques.  However, I firmly believe that the bulk of the blame goes to the National Education Association, NEA.  Though it is called an association, it is a union and likely one of the most powerful unions in the country.

As a union, it is even worse with the NEA.  Not only do they encourage meritocracy with the teachers, but they also determine what the teachers teach, also known as the curriculum.  I suspect they’d just as soon us not know that, but it’s true.  There have been a few times they have let it slip.  They have made public statements that back up my point.

You might think that what your child is taught comes down from the district, from the principal and from the state.  I guess some of it does.  However, not without the approval of the NEA.  It is, my guess, the main reason they oppose private schools so much.  They would have to relinquish their control.  And make no mistake; the NEA is all about control.  Education is the one thing farthest from their minds.  They are a political organization and, as all unions, they have a solid allegiance with the Democrat party.

Are you looking around, trying to figure out why your child can’t read.  You don’t have to look far.  It’s the dems and the NEA.

Good teachers that excel are frowned on.  It’s the meritocracy that finds advancement.  Rid the country of the NEA and the schools will experience an overnight improvement of 15 to 20 percent.  It would be a different world in which the teachers would be encouraged to teach at their best.

The meritocracy would be discouraged and, in some cased not tolerated.  I am convinced at least 5%, maybe 10% of the teachers in our systems should not be permitted to teach.  They should find some other kind of work, assuming they can.

Now.  All we need do is find out some way to rid ourselves of the NEA.  At least, we need laws to keep them out of the curriculum and methods. Let them represent the members, not the public. They in no way answer to the public, or as near as I can tell, anyone.

Literacy Is Not Optional

Posted in Border wall, Cancel Culture, Drug Abuse, Education, Going Green by

A few days ago, I posted my remarks about a report I thought I heard. The report was about the abject failure of the Tennessee school systems to teach reading. When I say school that means teachers.

Since then, unfortunately, it has been proven true.

These teachers have been trained in universities, many with masters degrees. The schools are given massive amounts of monies. They are given all the most modern technological teaching aids.

I have heard the reasons, really excuses for failure. Yet, in tmes past, teachers with no more than 12th grade educations have taught using nothing more than Bibles to teach and far more successfully.

Maybe I’m wrong. Perhaps it isn’t the teachers fault. Maybe the fault lies with the teacher’s teachers. Perhaps, the problem originated in the colleges. Maybe they can’t or don’t want to teach how to teach. It is entirely conceivable that their modern methods are at fault.

Then too, I’d really like to see a breakdown by school, by area, by district and yes by teacher. I don’t think we will ever see that. I suspect many teachers and administrators would be embarrassed, or should be.

I certainly understand that some of the blame lies with the parents. Still, the the teachers of the early 1900s got the job done under much worse conditions, while we were much more an agricultural nation.

More importantly, as the title of this post implies, we are in a different world today. Even the farmers have college degrees. Even they must be able to read and perform basic math. In this modern world, failing to be able to read and write is a recipe for failure.

Finally, it is imperative we keep the drugs out of our schools, out of our communities and out of our country. If we don’t, we will certainly need to shoulder some of the blame.

Color Me Surprised

Posted in Education, Going Green, Reading, Schools by

For some time, I kept hearing about those Tennessee 3rd graders failing to meet third grade reading criteria would not be advanced to 4th grade. I thought little of it, though it did seem reasonable to me. The most important thing a child learn in early school is reading.

No one told me as much but I figured they would be holding back 3 to 5 percent. Then, I heard a news reporter casually say that 40 percent met the qualification.

Please! Please! Someone tell me the report was wrong or that my ears deceived me. If not, It does help me understand why Shelby County parents are trying to sneak their children into Desoto County schools.

Still, it would be far better if they fix their own schools. Somehow, I suspect that will not happen soon. I think they’re too busy teaching about going green or how bad Republicans are.

What is Your Diploma Worth?

Posted in Education by

So, how much is a sheepskin worth these days?  I don’t know.  I don’t have one.  I have looked around a time or two, though, and I wonder.  For years and years, I heard the term classical education, but had no idea what it meant.  Shows how much I know.

Then, one day I found out.  At least I think I know; for what good that is.  It seems that it is the study of history, classical literature and a little about science.  At one time, it was something that most college students strived for.  I don’t know.  I’m no expert.  They might still do.

However, I heard the other day that many people who run corporations don’t care too much for hiring college grads with classic educations any more.  It seems, before they can start pulling their weight within the company, they need to learn a few things, like how to be useful.

I suppose that, if a person has a small fortune, maybe a classic education would be really nice.  On the other hand, for those who need to pay back student loans while paying the rent, it just might be better to study business, engineering, or even simply math.

Then, there are those who seek degrees in anthropology.  I talked to a few folks who had degrees in anthropology.  I asked them where they could use it to make a living.  The truth is that there is not much need in this world for anthropologists.  To be sure, some are even now working in their field and making a good living at it.

My guess is that for every one that is practicing anthropology, there are likely ten who are doing something totally unrelated to put the meat and taters on the table.  I keep thinking of the one-frame cartoon I saw in a magazine.  The bearded man is standing next to the highway with a cardboard sign, “will do anthropology for food.”  My guess is that if real, not many would stop, except out of pity.

Today, I am looking at our college education system and I have come to the conclusion that there are three problems with it.  First, college loans should be 80% guaranteed by the collage.  If the graduate cannot get hired in the field of study, then the college should be required to pay 80% of the cost of the education.  It might not stop the teaching of unneeded courses or ridiculous classes, but it would certainly decrease the number of them.  More important, we would not have so many graduates in debt up to their necks.

Second, we need to get government out of our education, period.  As long as colleges realize they can keep raising prices they will.  Moreover, the government does seem to like such useless courses.

Third, just maybe they will start teaching students how to do things besides demonstrate.  Moreover, it might encourage those in the colleges to buckle down and learn instead of partying.

As an aside, it might not hurt to decrease the emphasis on sports.  I mean, it is about time we determine the purpose of schools.  Is their purpose to provide useful, intelligent grads for society or professional athletes to the pro leagues?  Maybe it is time the leagues start paying for the educations.  After all, the taxpayers are training the players for the pros.

Thinking over the above, the thought did occur to me.  Just what is a useful education?  What is it that college grads do?  Maybe it would be better to look at those who will not be able to work in their field of study.

Art, is a wonderful study.  It does add a lot to our society.  However, the vast majority of art majors fail to make a living at it.  Unless you’re independently, maybe it should be reserved for a minor instead of a major.  Certainly, tax payers ought not to foot the bill for the mass failure.

Some sciences.  Research is wonderful.  Have you ever seen some of the things they are researching on our dime?  I mean, really, shrimp on treadmills.

Even automobile engineers should be limited.  We only have three, maybe four major auto manufactures in the country.  Just how many engineers do they need in Detroit, anyway?  I don’t know.  However, I’d guess there are a few out of work right now.  Then, there will be more each year hoping to get on a GM, Ford or maybe Chrysler.

Certainly, we need lawyers, though I hate to admit it.  The problem is that we now have so many; they are inventing some pretty farfetched reasons to take a company or a person to court.  I suppose I should be thankful for them in one respect.  They are providing funding for the TV and radio.  Even there, they are using my money for it.  Every time they sue a store, I spend more in groceries.  Every time the car manufactures get sued, the price of cars goes up.  Certainly many suits are good and important.  However, you notice the planes some of these billionaire lawyers fly these days?  They bought the planes and limos mostly from settlements without proving guilt.  Those who pay, pay larger liability insurance.  In the end, they charge us more.  As I said, we paid for those planes.  Every one of them, and the fuel too.

In the end, the economy should determine who does and does not get loans.  It should be determined at banks, not by the federals.  The federals, I guess never learned math in school.  They keep spending money without limit.

Regardless of any of the above, do the smart thing when you go to college, loan or not.  Choose a major carefully.  You likely will not make much of a living on art appreciation.  Not much of a call for it.

While We Can

Posted in Abortions, Being woke, Border wall, Communist Takover, Education by

Invariably, the first thing tyrants do as they take over a country, it to silence populace.  One of the first things to disappear from a free country is the freedom to speak or publish freely.  It is odd here in the US that we have gained some freedoms of expression while we have lost others.  While books containing drag-queen literature is becoming prevalent, the Bible and literature about it are more frequently being banned.  If a teacher should have it on his desk, it just might be grounds for dismissal.

On the other hand, in my son’s intermediate school, the teacher thought it would be a good idea for all the students in the class to plot their astrological charts.  May I say, astrology is more of a religion than Christianity?

However, my point today only brushes with the subjects.  My real concern is beyond the argument of which religion is or isn’t true.  The fact is that Christianity is currently hated more than any religion from any country, and this includes religions that openly worship the devil.  Indeed Satan worship is protected in all military services and all chaplains are required to honor it.  It seems it is completely contrary to the reason to have chaplains in the first place.

To be sure, every time someone raises a voice against the way Christianity is treated, whoa to he who speaks it.  Oddly, in some cases, it is a person right within the church that speaks ill of him who has the nerve to say that homosexuality is wrong, though God, himself speaks against it many times.  For sure, it is the primary, if not the only reason for the utter destruction of Sodom and Gomorra.  It is at least one reason that God Brought Israel into the promise land.  God, through the hand of Moses said as much, though most would like to ignore it.

Most times, it’s not a matter of knowing right from wrong.  The vast majority of us know from our youth.  The two problems are getting people to admit to the obvious and then do that which they know to be right.

Let us take a look at it.  Do you find Bibles in porn stores?  When you enter a bar, will you see reruns of Billy Gramm sermons on the TVs?  Of course not.  To the current public, there are many other things more important, not to mention, they can get embarrassing…seeing such things in such places.  It is as if we can keep God from seeing us if we leave our Bibles at home.

So now.  I guess we can’t take our Bibles to school.  Why?  Because we just might do something that the Lord will disapprove of?  I guess, when it come comes to sex ed.; we really don’t want God looking over our shoulder.  We certainly don’t want God to see the encouragement of killing the unborn.  Boy, would that get in the way.

So, our neighbors, our community, our government is doing what they can to shut us up.

So, before they do.  Before they remove from us the most important right of all, while we still can, perhaps it is time to say something.  Or we may not be able to say anything.  While we still can, maybe we should remind one and all, just cause you say it’s right, doesn’t make it so.

If we lose the first amendment, most certainly the rest of our freedoms will soon follow.  Then.  You just might think, I should have said something.

Frequently Asked Questions

Posted in Abortions, Abuse of Power, Being woke, Biden, Bribes, Christian values, Education, Elections, Lawyers and Representation, Politcal Opinion, Schools by

On the subject of Frequently Asked Questions, I have this to say.  Are they truly frequently asked?  Out of all the times I have ever consulted frequently asked questions, I never found the one for which I needed an answer.  Worse yet, I could never find a category.  They always list 4, 5 or 6 categories, then “Other.”  Then when I look under other, I can’t find my question there either.  Not a thing comes close.

I guess that either makes me weird or their questions aren’t as inclusive as they would like to imply.  Moreover, it would seem that I am mostly on my own.  Frequently, I actually figure things out, though it takes some time.  On the other hand, I just tried to install a product that should have not taken over 3 hours to install.  I gave up after 16.  I don’t need any piece of software that I can’t install after 16 hours.  Moreover, it was also difficult to de-install.  Moreover, it was difficult to use.

Taught me a lesson or two.  Next time I am going to install something, I will make sure to mark the spot so I can return to whence I came.  Even that brings me angst.  I have not yet established much trust in the ability of the software that can restore that well.

Be that as I may, the whole thing prompted a thought.  Maybe the US government could establish a frequently asked question web site.  I’m not suggesting it would help much but it would be interesting just what questions they would post and what kind of answers they would concoct, for instance, “What is a woman?”

God’s law was clear, “Though shalt not murder.”  Simple.  Requires little in the way of explanation.  On the other hand, the government at every level has pages and pages on the subject.  Can you imagine querying murder on frequently asked questions?  Did you say you have a day or two to read the reply?

How about something on the subject of abortion.  No problem for the dems…any time, any place, by someone with an MD after his name.  No follow-up exam necessary.

Then, there is the matter of theft.  All you can get away with as long it has a value of less than a grand.  And, by the way, if someone stops you, you can sue their socks off, and get them too.

Contrary to the commandment, we are not to honor our parents.  The job of parenting has been turned over to the daycares, schools and colleges.  In short the government.  By the way, we’d better not forget it or the FBI will be after us.

Incidentally, if we ask who should be in control, it’s the dems.  We best not forget that either or we will be tossed in the hoosegow and we’ll not see the light of day for years, if ever.

I guess it would be a bad idea to look for that on the FAQ list.  They will look for you and prohibit you from publishing a book, being on TV or radio.  Your name will instantly be mud, perhaps literally.

Incidentally, lest I forget, bribes too are wrong, even the ones that are completely legal. The Bible does make that perfectly clear. You wouldn’t doubt what this had you read the entire Bible. It really is in there, plain and simple to see for all. It says something about the way bribes cloud judgement. I am sure that is indisputable, even if you do not believe what is written.

Really Neat Invention

Posted in Dyslexia, Education, Mistakes, Reading by

It’s about 3 by 4 by a quarter inch. There is a small monochrome LCD screen and it has a little microphone on it. You press a button on it and say into it the word you can’t spell and it displays the right spelling on the little screen.

There is but one big problem with it. To the best of my knowledge, it doesn’t exist. No one has made it yet. It has yet to be invented. Leastways, I can’t find it.

I looked to see if I can find an ap but couldn’t find any. Even if I found one, I’d prefer a separate device. I’d prefer no one looking over my shoulder, so-to-speak.

If properly configured, it would also display hyphenated words and differentiations for words with same or similar pronunciations. That way I’d know to use affect or effect.

Well, guess this one will have to just remain in the wishing part of my imagination ’cause I suspect it will not get into the design phase. I suppose the folks who design such things don’t figure there is a need of such things.

So, when I want to know how to spell some French word as soufflé, I will just need to try various combinations until I find the right one. Fortunately, I don’t have to use such words very often.