Get politicians the hell out of education!

It is essential to continue to point out the flaws that exist with many charter schools, but that doesn't solve the problem. The problem is systemic and until we face that, we will continue to fail the children. Without systemic change we will continue to muddle through, pointing fingers and accomplishing little. Over ten years ago I stated on my websire "if traditional public schools don't change, they will perish". Little has changed since then. The politicizing of schools has forced them into the abyss with little hope for the future. Superintendents have fallen under the control of politicians and have lost their perspective as to the fundamental purpose of education. For change to happen we must realize that it won't happen from the top down. This is a call to action for teachers to take back their profession, for children to be empowered to find their pathway to success and parents to become full partners in the process. It is time for the agenda of children to overcome the agenda of politicians. It's time for an agenda that embraces a culture of critical thinking in everyday life. It is time for chilkdren to rise above the confirmation bias, to leave their comfort zone and sretch their minds to the stars and beyond. While our politicians are stumbling and bumbling, chasing their tails trying to force children into a tiny box full of word games and math riddles, the time is right for those teachers in the trenches to sabotage the system from the bottom up for the betterment of children. In the words of historian James Anderson, "We are still trying to develop both the philosophy as well as a system of education which really does respect the intelligence and abilities of ordinary people." Envision a school where all children have equal access to a quality education, taught in a way that is real, taken from “where they are” on their pathway to success at their best rate. Where learning opens doors to the dreams of every child, recognizing that no one will ever know where or when genius will unfold until it evolves. Imagine a school where assessment is not cheapened by the narrow scope of the standardized test, but broadened to become a stepping stone for the whole child learning experience. A school where, as in life, learning is a constant flow of problem solving experiences driven by the reality that failure is not only an option but an integral tool, guiding students on their pathway to success. And where teachers have the freedom to innovate in the best interest of their students. The time is now to subvert the systen of education in a clandestine manner, from the bottom up and force the change that we as educators were prepared for.  A step by step road map to this sabotage will be found in my new book "Stop Politically Driven Education". Take this book and use it as a guideline for your teachers, children and parents to bring the agenda of children to your school. (but don't tell the politicians) Go to www.wholechildreform.com for a link to order.

Why do we vote for fools?

STOP POLITICALLY DRIVEN EDUCATION

Book release scheduled for January

Why do we vote for fools?  It begins in schools! The confirmation bias is at epidemic levels. Critical thinking in every day life is at a new low as evidenced by recent political campaigns. As education moves more and more to the “teach to the test” mentality, creative thinking is diminished.

To resolve this problem educators must take the opportunity to sabotage the artificial education system, from the bottom up, and replace it with the agenda of children.

Here are some excerpts from the book!

1.    Once you establish a certain belief you tend to favor that belief, although that belief is not absolute in nature. According to Science Daily, ¨Confirmation bias is a phenomenon wherein decision makers have been shown to actively seek out and assign more weight to evidence that confirms their hypothesis and ignore or under weigh evidence that could disconfirm their hypothesis.” This happens especially when that belief provides a comforting conclusion to an emotionally charged experience, it then becomes locked into one’s thoughts.

 

2.    Once fear takes hold, it is nearly impossible for one to talk their brain out of that thought. The solution however, is critical and rational thinking. What is the probability of those evil acts taking place? The statistics will give students a better idea of whether they should really succumb to fear or simply ignore another political deception. Don’t believe anything you hear or see. Study it, research it and search for the truth.

3.    The role of education is not to take one side or another in a political debate. It is to create an environment conducive to rational, critical thinking with the hope that students will internalize that and carry it with them throughout life. And they must go out of their comfort zone for the sake of truth.”

4.    Here are comments from University of Virginia Psychologist Dr. Jim Coan on the Netflix series “Brain Games”: ¨When you hear an idea or a statement your pre-frontal cortex helps you decide if it´s true or false. In order for your brain to make sense of a new idea, it will initially believe it, but then your brain immediately begins to check the idea against your memory to see if it fits with everything else you know to be true. For a moment, your brain will believe almost everything it hears¨

5.    The broader the student´s background knowledge, the better chance they will seek out a more rational answer. Put science out in the forefront and let them dig into it. Then when they take that second look and check the initial idea against their memory, they will have a basis of fact to work from.

6.    When a student is involved in a project that relates to the subject at hand, their thinking goes far deeper than simply stating the first step of the scientific method. The student develops a hypothesis, tests it, retests it, refines or rejects it, fails and moves forward until that student achieves success.”

7.    “when achievement is restricted to grades, (test scores) attendance, and behavioral compliance, the robust nature of learning is inadvertently restricted… traditional school outcomes as level B achievement can occur in the absence of learning how to work and learn independently; (A level learning includes) learning how to synthesize, transfer and apply knowledge to the world beyond the classroom; learning how to value self as subjects and not as objects; and learning how to engage in and share power in democratic spaces.” Dr. Angela Dye

Cap Lee

www.wholechildreform.com

Caplee68@yahoo.com

Watch out for the SPIN

Watch out for the Spin in politics because it happens all the time. And the media continuously falls for it as do we the ordinary citizens.  The SPIN starts out with a statement that is rational and then switches to one that is logical but not rational.

Example number one: The rational statement is that many Democrats support Roe vs Wade. The SPIN then suggests that Democrats want to kill babies due to that stance.  And that is not rational.  I put an amendment in the North Carolina Congressional District 11 platform that Democrats do everything possible to eliminate the need for abortion, such as free birth control, education etc. And here, in the South, that amendment was accepted unanimously.  Does that sound like baby killers to you?

Example number two: Chuck Todd had a discussion with Rudi Giuliani that talked about why the truth isn't the truth.  The question was about the credibility of Jim Comey's statement about what Trump told him in a private meeting.  Rudi suggested that special counsel Mueller would believe Jim Comey over Donald Trump regarding statements made about Michael Flynn.  They argued that point back and forth.  Giuliani said Mueller would believe his friend Comey while Chuck Todd questioned why would Mueller believe a know liar.  They both missed the point.  It is not what Mueller believes, it's what the jury will believe.  Juries seldom believe he say she say.  Mueller will present what the jury will accept. That should be the conversation.  Chuck Todd fell for it!

Example number three:  The rational statement:"Mueller is investigating the Russian involvement in hacking the recent Presidential election.  Now the SPIN,  "The Russia probe is a witch hunt."  Let's go back to the beginning.  Can you say "Russian investigation"?  Why is the Russian investigation a witch hunt when numurous Russians have been indicted?  Because the spin has changed the subject.  It appears that paranoia or fear by those who are involved in wrong doing have flipped it to a fake investigation into the actions of the President.  The issue becomes how to protect the President, in the process the politicians are protecting Communist Russia.  That is the question that must be asked.  Why are they protecting a Communist country that is fighting a cyber war on our country?  Keep the focus on the facts,not the spin.

Example number four:  The Steele "dossier" brought out information that may or may not be helpful to the FBI and ultimately to the Mueller investigation.  The Clinton campaign and/or DNC hired Fusion GPS who hired Michael Steele to investigate Trumps background. Now the spin.  The "dossier" was biased and it influenced the Mueller investigation.  The bottom line of reality is simple.  The Steele "dossier" did not cause the investigation but more importantly, it doesn't matter who paid for it.  If it came from Attila the Hun it would still be investigated if it was determined it had information that might be helpful.  The importance was the information was a tip that the FBI found worthy of checking out.  That's all!  If confirmed, they act on it.  If not confirmed, they shred it and move on.  The FBI is obligated to check information regardless of where it comes from and determine it's value. It's just another diversion.  And is spying on Russia the same as collaborating with Russia?  I think not.  DUH!

And don't let me get started about uranium.

Check out the progress of my book "Stop Politically Driven Education" at www.wholechildreform.com  And remember, Don't believe anything you hear and half of what you see.

Cap

Ma Barkers Gang, or how to keep Trumps base in line.

According to Science Daily, ¨Confirmation bias is a phenomenon wherein decision makers have been shown to actively seek out and assign more weight to evidence that confirms their hypothesis and ignore or under weigh evidence that could disconfirm their hypothesis.”

The Confirmation bias is at epidemic levels.  Can you fathom the amount of crap thrown at us that somehow people believe? Everything from the snow ball in the halls of Congress to “only Congress can fix the immigration separation issue” is believed by many.

          In every election the confirmation bias is used to convince unsuspecting citizens that their candidate is right, and the opposing candidate is a liar.  And the danger of this issue is that this artificial branding of a candidate works.

          If you ask those inflicted by this bias who the biggest liar is between Trump and Hillary, they will still answer Lying Hillary.  Even when fact checkers indicated that Hillary was tied with Bernie as telling the least lies during the campaign at 28% and Trump was slightly behind Ben Carson at 75%, it’s lying Hillary.  When Trump has over 3000 documented lies since being inaugurated, he is still believed.

          The reason is the confirmation bias!  People only listen to what confirms their previous beliefs regardless of facts right in front of them. And when the liars can get more people to repeat their lies, or at least be silent if they disagree, those lies will be believed.

          Why does the President have so many family members as his advisers? For a reference just look at history.  Ma Barkers Gang!  Ma Barker had her children do bad things under her control. 

          When Pa Trumps gang spews his evil lies, all his loyalists, extensions of his gang, sell their soul to the devil and his family is guarantied to support him or remain silent, thus allowing the confirmation bias to become active in his cult of believers.

          This will repeat itself at election time. Trump supporters running for office will depend on the confirmation bias to get elected. 

          It is time for all true Americans to rise above the confirmation bias. Don’t believe anything you hear or read and only half of what you see in person.  Find reliable sources to research all issues yourself. 

You never know what information is provided by Russian bots or lying Pa Trumps Gang! So we must shout the truth over and over again!

www.wholechildreform.com

The 2nd Amendment

In Heller v District of Columbia, the Supreme Court found the Second Amendment to protect “an individual right to possess a firearm” for self-defense and held that a total ban on handguns violated that right.

However, this did not mean there could not be restrictions put on guns. In an article in the Economist, February 20, 2018 it states:

“The Heller majority opinion did not, in the words of its author, the late Justice Antonin Scalia, secure an “unlimited” right to buy or carry weapons. The Second Amendment would not, for example, scuttle bans on concealed weapons or machine guns. And Justice Scalia emphasized that nothing in Heller “should be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings”. Nearly every gun regulation under discussion today—from expanded background checks to bans on military-style weapons—would seem to pass constitutional muster.

To the dismay of the National Rifle Association (NRA), which takes a much wider view of the Second Amendment, the Supreme Court has consistently refused to embellish the constitutional right to bear arms.”

And guess what? The Supreme Court interprets the Constitution, not the NRA. So when someone says they support the 2^nd amendment, just say, “so do I”. If they say they are against restrictions on guns you might respond: “So what are you afraid of? Do you have a mental illness, or a criminal record or a planning on killing someone? How many more dead children do you want to see?

Whole Child Reform  for more words of wisdom.

Securing your school

SECURING THE BUILDING

Building security is of utmost importance in providing for the school as a safe house. This is only one piece of the puzzle but an important piece. Of course getting control of guns is essential. Within the school, however, begin with a security check that assesses every possible means of entry for someone intent on doing harm. Every possible entrance to the building must either be locked, or covered by a staff member. A buzzer system to control entry combined with a camera, or a supervised entry will help to assure no one enters the building with the intent to do harm. And will provide a welcoming environment.

Be alert! If someone wears a trench coat and has stiff leg, on a 90 degree day, he might be carrying a gun. 

Always give consideration to having a friendly environment that allows for student and parents to be comfortable in the school setting. Given the focus on that environment, security is always an issue. 

A check around the doors should show that there are no adjacent windows that can be broken to allow access to a door handle and easy entry. When adjacent windows are a problem, security is easily provided through a door handle guard. This simple hardware change could make the difference between life and death. Added to that, an alarm system and well-placed cameras can help monitor any suspicious activity.   

            In addition to securing the building, a check of the perimeter must be ongoing. It is much better to observe potential problems as they approach the building rather than after. In severe cases that gives police a head-start on dealing with the problem. In potentially less severe cases, it gives school safety or teachers in charge to meet the problem outside the school long before disruption to students occurs.

There are many ways to do this. Currently the use of technology allows various options including the use of drones. They are inexpensive and would be good for the use of perimeter control in areas where crime is more active. If not available, cameras or personal surveillance would also be valuable, not only to the school but to the immediate community. More “eyes” in the community equals less problematic activity. All children must feel safe in their school. Knowing that every entrance is secured, every potential violent act is dealt with and every educator is alert to assure the comfort and safety of every student. There are no short cuts when it comes to the safety of every child. No school, wherever it is, is exempt. The teachers, parents, children and community must know that the school is the ultimate safe house. 

Security begins at the front door with every policy rigidly enforced. We want to assure all visitors that they are welcome to the school; at the same time, we must assure no dangerous individuals are allowed to enter. There are some simple steps that can stop trouble at the front door:

·         Every visitor entering the building must immediately be escorted to the office to check in.

·         Every visitor must receive a pass that is visible, to go to their designated location.

·         The employee or student to be visited must be contacted prior to the visitor leaving the office.

·         Schools should consider metal detectors if deemed necessary.

·         An emergency buzzer may be considered for every classroom to alert administration to the need for assistance.

Although this seems cumbersome, the process will take only a minute or two and all will feel safe.

PROTECTING AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE

In schools around the country gun tragedies are happening.  The data shows most guns involved in the shootings came from the perpetrators home. Due to so many recent tragedies in schools, every school must be secured both by a well secure building and a crisis plan for all emergency situations. 

The reality is that gun violence can happen anywhere. High powered weapons are available to anyone who wants them. This is a problem that faces every school in the nation. No school is safe from gun violence as evidenced by the actions of the past years. 

The numbers of shootings in schools are a reality check indicating schools are at risk everywhere, no matter how large or how small. Every school shooting, even when there are no injuries or deaths, are traumatic to students. According to the United States Center for Disease Control, ¨Not all injuries are visible. Exposure to youth violence and school violence can lead to a wide array of negative health behaviors and outcomes, including alcohol and drug use, and suicide. Depression, anxiety, and many other psychological problems, including fear, can result from school violence. ¨ This is a major health concern for all young people. The problem is evident but what is the solution?

            A plan of action is necessary for the safety of all. Short of having police officers in the school, it is essential that they are nearby and prepared for any incident that might occur. Communications with local police departments must focus on a continuous update of the needs of the safety of the school. A close relationship with the police is always a good policy with regular visitations to the school not only for visibility but to make presentations to classes on a variety of issues related to safety.

            Teachers must always be vigilant no matter how safe the school seems to be. Remember, word of mouth is the best way of determining potential problems. Know your students, have good connections with your students because someone usually know when something bad will happen. 
Utilizing professionals in psychology, they must be trained to recognize danger signs in the action of students. These signs must never be ignored. Although it is important not to over react, it is as important to make teachers and support staff aware of the slightest signs of problems. Remember, with 81% of school shooters, someone had information that the shootings might happen.

It is important for a team of educators and police officers to form a committee to devise security related policies in the school. A referral process must then be activated. Upon activation, a wide variety of responses would be implemented. Everything from simple school counseling to a psychiatric referral must be on the table. Teaming with parents and community members will assure a better chance to prevent a crisis from happening.

            The most noticeable warning signs include students displaying social problems, especially social isolation. For adolescents, being a part of a social group, no matter how small, is extremely important. Those who deliberately choose not to be a part of the group may need help. According to www.skylandtrail.org , ¨another warning sign is thoughts or actions focused on violence. Expressing violent fantasies or engaging in acts of aggression toward animals may indicate a problem.” Finally, a change in behaviors and performance in schools is another indicator. The school psychologist would be able to provide more detailed information and must be consulted on a regular basis. Do not let any of these concerns pass you by. Respond accordingly before it is too late. as for students, if you see something, say something.  word of mouth works best.  Also if you see someone who needs a friend, be a friend.  Lives might be saved.

            Mental health and drug and alcohol involvement go hand in hand. Those afflicted are more likely to be involved in gun violence. Alcoholism is a family disease. It affects everyone in the family in one way or another. Those who have the disease have a tough road to beating it, while those family members who are left to deal with it on an everyday basis have tremendous emotional stress. This disease is one that may not be allowed to persevere in schools or anywhere else. It is easy to believe the alcoholic can stop drinking whenever they want, but that is simply not the case. Although not curable, an alcoholic can be in recovery. The beginning of that process is when an educator recognizes the problem.

            According to Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs program, these may be signs of addiction;

·         Appearing under the influence in class

·         Smelling of alcohol during the day

·         Missed coursework or classes due to alcohol or drug use.

·         Preoccupation with alcohol and other drug use, which may be evident in conversation.

·         Changes in academic performance

·         Changes in mood or behavior

·         Getting into fights or becoming aggressive while under the influence

·         Inability to control drinking; drinking more than intended; inability to have just one or two drinks.

·         Increase in tolerance to alcohol use.

·         Trouble with police or school officials because of alcohol or drug use.

·         Expressed concern from others because of the usage

·         Blackouts (loss of memory) from alcohol or drug use

·         Drinking or drug use as a main priority.

As for intervention, it is important not to let any inappropriate behaviors go unnoticed.

·         Privately let the student know you are genuinely concerned.

·         Describe to the student the specific behaviors that have caused you to be concerned.

·         Speak to the student in an objective, unequivocal way.

·         Have resource information available.

·         Attempt to redirect the conversation when the student provides irrational excuses.

·         Offer to assist the student in making the contact with the appropriate program that deals with alcohol and/or drug abuse.

Remember, as an educator, you are the one who can make the difference. Often the student will have to hit rock bottom before finding help. Hopefully that will allow them to live.

When a major problem occurs within the building, a policy must be in place to deal with it. All staff must know what they are going to do to protect the safety of the children. This begins with a signal from the administrator. It is often best to have a code word that can be announced over the public-address system signaling teachers to act without causing students to panic.

Every teacher will have an assignment. Those with classes will shut and lock the doors. Others will have assignments to go to specific checkpoints or prepare a staging area for police and as a communication center. Two will be assigned to call police. As the problem progresses, further directions would be given. In the case of shots fired in the building, an additional signal will notify teachers.

Following the incident, a room will be made available to meet with the press and make calls to parents. If the building is made safe, parents would be able to come to that area to pick up their children.

Although this may sound harsh to those who live in areas they perceive are safe, simply remember, mental health issues can happen anywhere. Hate is spreading like wildfire to every corner of the world and those who are on the edge are the most vulnerable.

There are many ways to do damage to children during their tender K-12 school years. Whether it is protecting their souls from the spoken evils in today’s world or from the dangers that lurk around every corner, nothing should be ignored. Although there are many irrational fears, a strong, well thought out safety plan must be in place for those fears that may become real. 
Cap Lee
www.wholechildreform.com