The President's address to children

The President of the United States wants to address children on the importance of education. I cannot for the life of me understand why people are upset with this. What 'he will indoctrinate them?' With what...the importance of educating themselves? The importance of doing your best and learning all that you can? It is the responsibility of parents to give their children morals and values- what so our government should be amoral and valueless? Sheesh, he isn't tell them to run naked in the street.
And what if he did? What if the President tells kids something that their parents don't like. What a wonderful opportunity to explain your values to your children ! What a starting point for dialogue! When I was young my parents required us to watch every presidential speech. Then we talked about what ooints we agreed and disagreed with the president. How wonderful that was!
My school district is waiting for guidance from state ed. My heavens, we don't censor our libraries, but we need to censor the President of the United States!
When did I move to a nation where opposing opinions were silenced?
I teach history. I will stream the president's speech.

FEARLESS

Good grief she has gotten stronger

Vacation and other stories

We finally made it on vacation. Things were touch and go for a while. The week before my 85 year old father was in the hospital. Fortunately, he is out and doing well.

This vacation was a real vacation. We were with people we love (one of my college roommates and her family). We actually left the county. We were sight-seers. It was lovely.

Memorial Day

For the historically uninformed, Memorial Day was originally created to honor the Union soldiers who died in the Civil War. It was later to honor all soldiers and sailors who have given their life for their nation. My family has always used it to honor all our dead. For years and years we went with my Grandma Gert to graves all over the county to plant flowers. Then the torch passed to Mama and to Geri. Now that all three are gone and my surviving sister lives out of state, well, now it is my turn. I am fortunate. Many people don't remember the stories of their ancestors, I do.

To return to the original purpose of the day, however, I am posting perhaps the greatest speech ever made: short, sweet, and to the point:

"Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation: conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war. . .testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated. . . can long endure.

We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate. . .we cannot consecrate. . . we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us. . .that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion. . . that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain. . . that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom. . . and that government of the people. . .by the people. . .for the people. . . shall not perish from the earth. "

Kids can be so stupid

Sometimes life is a giant roller coaster. Work has been like that lately. It is getting toward the end of the school year (We finish June 25th.) My state exam is June 2nd and 3rd. I am doing everything in my power to do cool reviews. Anyway, it is also Spring and life goes nuttier in Spring in middle school. Friday four of our students were suspended: two for bullying; and two for being boys- shoving books leads to kicks and punches. Today four more were suspended: one girl for bullying; a boy for not being able to keep any semblance of a civil tongue in his head; and two kids for drugs. One students was in possession, the other was possession with intent to sell.
Fourteen years old and *poof* on your permanent record.
One of the problems with believing in the instrinsic worth of every child is the heartbreak when you can't stop them from screwing up.