All Schools are Systemically Racist!

The current racist system of education crosses all boundaries from public to private to charter, to choice, to chance and it is unlikely to change.  With the help from the words of George Carlin, "The owners don't want it to change. the real owners. the ones who own the corporations, who own the politicians, who own the educators, who own the schools".  They are quite satisfied with the system the way it is.  They have no problem having students in a race to see who is first rather than serving all children.  That way they can keep school's elite by pushing out those students they believe have no value while keeping those who don't quit as constant failures.  And they have money invested from everything from testing companies to efforts to maintain the subclass to the advantage of their elite. 

This concept, however, is not new.  Back in the late 1700's Thomas Jefferson referred to the purpose of education as raking a few geniuses from the rubbish. The "geniuses" went to the universities while the rest did the jobs of their parents.  And some didn't rise to the level of rubbish in their eyes.  What is significant is THAT SYSTEM IS STILL IN PLACE TODAY

Racism is entrenched in the current system of education.  Most parents of successful students are satisfied with the fake success of their children.  They love the accolades.  They get to brag about their children and universities are eager to accept them.  They are unaware that straight A students have not been challenged.  To be challenged you must fail and learn from it.  This means if a student receives an A, to be challenged they will move on to the next level where they would begin at a D or F level and be immediately challenged to advance.  

Some poor folks whose children have obstacles in the way of learning have accepted their reality that their children will drop out and work menial jobs.  Others want to prove their children can win while they accept the D and F grades that prove, in some minds, their child is stupid.  Although that is not true, that gets pounded into their heads in an endless drumbeat like:  "Students in this zip code are failures".  Perceiving that every student in a particular zip code is the same is not only false but leads to low expectations for those students. Remember poverty is not destiny? Poverty is not destiny for some children, however under the current system, designed in the 1700's, when poverty leads to childhood stress, malnutrition, sleep deprivation, and lead in the drinking water, learning is affected. And failure becomes destiny.  Under the system described in my books, www.wholechildreform.com, failure is an opportunity to learn, your next best teacher. It is nothing to be ashamed of!

As everyone believes their children must be first and their schools must be first, they will not stop until that fake reality is accomplished. The bottom line is that everyone wants their child to be first, not realizing that when someone finishes first, it is mathematically impossible not to have someone finishing last.  And the first win and the last lose.  That's what the owners want. They want those with obstacles in their way to lose so they can blame the teachers.  The goal is to maintain the subclass. And the owners win!

The result is that everyone is satisfied or accepting of the current system.  And no one cares about those who finish last.  We give up on failing students and are satisfied when they drop out.  It saves money.  As one teacher told me as I looked for a particular student to support "don't worry, he will be 16 soon and will disappear."

By the way:  Realize that the students left behind might well be smarter than the fake straight A students.

Either you act against racism, or you enable it.  Which side are you on?

INDOCTRINATION! YES WE DO!

There is a big discussion, led by the right, trying to say teachers are indoctrinating Chidren in school as they themselves are developing programs of indoctrination.  Here's the scoop.  students have been indoctrinated for centuries but not in the way you might think.

Think about textbooks the standardized test, the true leaders of education known as corporations and even the politicians stick there nose where it doesn't belong.

Did students do their research to determine who discovered America?  Or were they forced to believe it was that wonderful, kind man Columbus?  Further research, if the text book companies cared to do it painted quite a different picture of Columbus and it isn't pretty.

What about the standardized test.  Are students even allowed to research, analyze their research, collaborate with others and debate their conclusion?  Of course not.  Pick up your #2 pencils, don't say a word and give the answers the testing companies want.

And then their is the chapter tests especially  in history.  What an unbelievable white wash of history.  Do you think they might have missed a few things that were uncomfortable with.  Isn't it time to turn the students loose to do their own research?  To come up with their own answers.  Then we might realize, like Stuart Stotts says in song, there are "so many ways to be smart."

DIVERSITY IN UNIVERSITIES, A SOLUTION

Diversity continues to be a problem in universities.  Considering the recent actions of the Supreme Court, this issue must be approached in a systematic manner.  The problem is NOT that young black people are less capable than there white counterparts.  The problem is that more roadblocks are thrown in the way of some black children while they are in K-12 schools.  Childhood stress affects the learning process according to Dr. Kara Fitzgerald.  "That a stressful environment coordinates three kinds of responses in the body: an immune response, a metabolic response, and a behavior response."  With all that going on, the test answers might not pop out at the student at all.  Consider Monday night football.  A player was near death on the field.  The players did not continue the game.  Why?  Stress!  Some students deal with death and shooting on a regular basis.

Assumptions can destroy children.  No longer may we assume everyone in a particular zip code has limited skills?  Some are protected from roadblocks while others are not.  When a student enters the classroom, however, the teacher has no idea how skillful that child is.  Therefore every student must be held to the highest expectations.  It's when a student does not achieve a goal, the education community steps in with support, not with failure.

What is the solution?  I completely support affirmative action, however, that is simply akin to shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic.  The solution is systemic.  The current system of education is a race to see who scores best on a variety of standardized tests for the purpose of, according to Thomas Jefferson, raking a few geniuses from the rubbish.  We did that in the 1700's and are still doing it today.

A glimps of the plan I have in my book, "A failed System", has students developing wide ranging portfolios throughout their final years of high school to present to Universities for acceptance.  If the plans meet the needs of universities the student is accepted.  If they don't, the University will explain the shortcomings and welcome the student back when they are ready. 

Those students who are lagging behind, may need additional support and/or simply more time to improve their desired skills.  Once they reach age 18 or so, they would receive the required classes at a community college.  If the student is low in English and had high skills in math, they would take college math courses and high school English classes at the community college .  They move ahead when they are ready, in the direction they choose. 

If students are exceling at a faster rate, they would attend a University of their choice at an earlier age.  No longer would 15 year old geniuses be held back for the sake of their age.  It is important to recognize that straight "A" students are not being challenged to the point of failure.  And those students who have been considered failures will realize, failure is simply are part of the learning process.  No longer woud they be considered stupid, because the aren't.

We have destroyed students for over 200 years by forcing them into the school to prison pipeline when they may simply need a little more time and to be taught in the way they learn best.

In addition, as the discrimination continues, you would have a solid argument to sue.

 

Eldon "Cap" Lee

www.wholechildreform.com

A CRISIS IN EDUCATION IS COMING!

In September of 2023 a crisis will come to those schools that begin their school year at that time.  Those students who are still lagging behind in reading, due to the pendemic, will be in the cross hairs of history.  It is possible and even probable that thousands will be retained in line with their current reading scores. Tennessee has already made moves in that direction. 

Others will become victims of the usual sneaking and conniving of the current system of schools.  Is it possible that students will be sent to tutoring for the sole purpose of exchanging learning for sitting time?  Will naive school system administrators and school boards pretend that by going to tutoring, they may now be promoted?  Are grade levels really an indicator of achievement?  Have they ever been?

It's easy.  When students of lower level reading skills are discovered in classes aligned with their age, THEY CAN SIMPLY BLAME THE TEACHERS!

wholechildreform.com

Tennessee needs systemic change

The Tennesee law on retention has been updated to allow for as many as 2/3 of third graders to be retained!  What is happening in Tennessee will happen all over the country as well as all over the world.  All over this country thousands if not millions of students will be held behind putting them on the pathway to the school to prison pipeline.  Once held behind, their age of graduation will increase.  And so will drop outs.  Not to mention the feeling of failure will be massive.

So many students will be retained, or to cover up the sysremic failure, they will move them ahead without learning.  They will graduate on time but be ill prepared for their life ahead.  

Straight "A" students are not challenged and are held back due to the school average.  An "A" is no longer an "A" in this system.  The time for action is now!

The solution is documented in my books, especially " A FAILED SYSTEM"  "Pandemic - Related Solutions to a 200 - year-old Education Crisis"

The damage we do to hundreds of thousand plus students will be felt all over the country.  

The crisis is here and the solution is in systemic change.

www.wholechildreform.com

Restraint? Yes or no.

The decision whether or not to restrain a potentially violent person must be carefully and quickly thought out.  When involved in a posible restraint situation there are several steps to be considered. The safety of the "target" person, others in the area as well as the the respondent must be considered.  In my experience, several steps allowed the process to be effective.   

The first step I took was supportive.  In other words, try to verbally de escalate the crisis.  As long as the "target" person is responding, that effort must continue.  However, the supportive time frame might be very short as violence may increase. When this happens step #2 will be implemented.  That is when I would take charge of the situation and call for assistance. Anything to avoid handling the situation alone is good.  First you have an additional set of eyes, and the second responder can step in to mediate if necessary.  If a conflict occurred between me and the "target", I would steps back and my partner would take over.  Often this will deescalate the situation.  If not, there is more than one person to become forceful.  

My partner was of utmost importance when it came to stage 3, the restraint. Restraint should only be used when absolutely necessary like breaking up a fight, a physically aggresive person, and only when every other option has been tried. If possible, we would avoid restraining someone alone.  It is not safe.  We knew there were ways to control someone physically with out hurting them or us.  And never, ever would we put hands on or even near the throat, the head, the back or the chest.  Not only is it dangerous, it is not necessary.   

We only restraint a person to the ground in extreme cases.  BE AWARE THAT A COMMON MISTAKE IS TO ASSUME THAT A LOUD, ARGUMENTITIVE PERSON IS VIOLENT.  THEY ARE NOT!  When I did this I used the following steps:  1. My partner and I stood on each side of the "target".  2. We both placed one hand on the shoulder of the 'target" while placing the other hand on the wrist stretching out the arm. 3. Then we used our inside legs to trip the target while gently controlling their descent to the ground.  Because of the position we were in, the fall was fully controlled.  

Once someone was on the ground they would be held with 2, 3 or 4 people, one hand on the shoulder another on their outstretched arm for those near the front.  Near the feet, each person would hold one foot.  Never ever would we put any weight on their chest, neck, head or back.  First there would be dead silence, and then one person would quietly ask if the target person is ready to cooperate.  Patience is the issue here.  We would wait until there was full compliance or when police arrived. 

For more information contact: www.crisisprevention.com 

For a link to my blog or information about my books go to www.wholechidreform.com

Assault weapons thoughts

 ASSAULT WEAPONS THOUGHTS

• “Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.” ...Justice Ginsburg.  With that in mind, here are some suggestions that will take the steps necessary to make the children safer

 

1.  No one under the age of 25 would be allowed to purchase an assault rifle.

2.  ALL persons purchasing assault weapons must have a background check and register their guns.

3.  ALL dealers, gun shows, online etc.selling assault weapons must be registered.  That includes personal sales.

4.  Assault weapons may not be carried in public, for any reason.

5.  Due to the increasing number of car thefts for guns, assault weapons being transported to and from home to a private location must be locked, secured  in an impenetrable case.

6.  Red flag laws must be followed in all states.

7.  Those who like to show assault weapons in public will be allowed to march in parades with toy wooden guns.

This will get assault weapons off the streets.  Anyone carrying one will be arrested immediately.

IMPORTANT!  Rememer when all stores are sold out of white hats, how can police tell a good guy with a gun, from a bad guy with a gun.  HINT:  THEY CAN'T  If you have a gun in your hand in public, prepare to die!

Brown Vs Board of Education: Solidified (update, 10/21}

    Brown vs Board of Education clearly disallowed school segregation at any level.  "The Kansas case was unique .... that there was no contention of gross inferiority of the segregated schools' physical plant, curriculum, or staff." -  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_v._Board_of_Education 

This clearly rejects any exception to the rule under any conditions.  

However, what it does not consider is the equality of preparation necessary for students to be successful, not only on a pathway to a university, but a pathway for daily living beyond the four walls of the school.  Hidden in the depths of the curent system and philosophy of education is the lack of equality created by a lack of understanding that all students are different and perform in different ways.  I call this the EQUALITY OF DIFFERENTIATION.  

As the microscope focuses on individual students, the system is designed to see all through a blurred lens.  Why isn't every child in the same place at the same time taking the same standardized test. In reference to the movie Stepford Wives, we do not have Stepford Kids  as in the movie. Can you imagine what life would be like under those conditions?

Those conditions will never exist in our lifetime and hopefully will never, ever exist.  In an academic sense, students will never have the same ability to take a standardized test, or invent a new mouse trap or overcome failure, or graduate after four years.  This is clear with the wide range of those with special learning needs as well as those in general education and even gifted programs. 

When considering equity, we only need to look at the recent pandemic for the answer. "The amount of time students were confined to their homes, away from in school learning, was devastating to their education. It soon became clear that with skill levels now all over the board, those students would not return to school fitting into the 'one size fits all' education curriculum currently available." - A Failed System; Pandemic Related Solutions to a 200-Year-Old Education"; Roman and Littlefield, Eldon "Cap" Lee. author.

Questions that arose, without answers in the current system are:  What grade are the students in?  Are they promoted without learning? Are retained into oblivion taking the first steps to the school to prison pipeline?  Will they be excluded by an SAT or other standardized test designed to, in the words of Thomas Jefferson, "rake a few geniuses from the rubbish?"

The lessons of the pandemic are clear.  The system is not working for those students, and never will. It was never designed to serve all students.  What is clear to some, but not clear to many, is the system has never worked for some black and brown as well as occasional white students for the last 200 years.  The systemic goal of education is to maintain the subclass by ALLOWING roadblocks to learning to be systematically placed in front of unwitting students.  

Learning is slowed by childhood stress, malnutrition, lead in the water and a host of other issues especially including a "failure system" that is designed to push kids out of school.  Once behind, the current system makes it nearly impossible for students to catch up and graduate on the same day at the same time as the "accepted" norm.  It is important to understand that all black and brown students are not subject to these roadblocks.  In fact many, if not most, are protected from those roadblocks and will do well undermostl circumstances..  

However, when students enter a classroom, no teacher knows which students have faced roadblocks and which haven't.  That is why all students must be met with high expectations to allow those skilled black and Brown students to advance to their fullest potential regardless of the assessment methods.

This discussion is not about what students can or can't be successful under the current admission system  It's about the real way students can demonstrate the skills needed to move forward to their pathway to success.  Real demonstrations of learning will be documented to indicate their real skills.  Letter grades and the test are artificial and therefore must be excluded from the process.

Solutions are available if only we could get around the massive roadblocks put in the way of educators.  The reality is that corporate leadership and pandering politicians demand the status quo by simply blaming the teachers. The Pete Seeger song "Where's the Trouble at the Bottom?" points out the confusion that exists trying to fix a failed system of education. Those who are pushed out of the system are acceptable to the corporations and politicians and, as an added bonus, it saves them money in their education budget.  Of course, the prison budget is another story.

What if, as a solution, students developed a portfolio throughout their final four years of secondary school.  And this portfolio was presented to the University Admission Department without meaningless letter grades and test scores.  And that portfolio was scrutinized by a team of Professors, Social Workers and others. Think of the possibilities. The results could be a completely different approach to University or College admittance  

Consider this: A student is accepted and admitted to a University with a specific focus as determined by their portfolio and the passion of the student. Or, they are not accepted at this time but when they increase their skills in well defined, specific areas, their application will be reviewed.  Community Colleges would then be seen as an extension of high school, a stepping stone to a University and/or preparation for a career of ones choosing.  Most are already proficient in those roles, however under this plan, there would be specific learning goals for specific students.

Of utmost importance is, unlike letter grades and a standardized test, the portfolio would allow students to access their background information.  This demands the complete acceptance of cultural differences.

When this becomes the norm, an even playing field would be available with guidance from Brown vs Board of Education.  The law would then demand fair integration on all levels and take away excuses of PERCEIVED lack of abilities determined by an artificial test, fake grade point averages and any school discrimination.. ANY DISCREMENATION WOULD BE LOUD, CLEAR AND INEXCUSABLE!  The EQUALITY OF DIFFERENTIATION would take every child to their maximum potential! 

Please visit my website for my books with details on how to fix a failed system.  www.wholechildreform.com or E mail at Caplee68@yahoo.com

Looking for Red Flags

 

          Whenever something serious is going to happen, someone beside the potential perpetrator knows about it. In 81% of school shootings, someone knew it was going to happen before it happened.

These “red flags” may come from comments on the internet, or the actions of an individual. This is not an easy task. It is difficult to read minds, but it is possible to read body language and listen carefully to spoken words to understand the actions of a child in trouble.

It is essential to bring in professionals in the area of mental health to present red flag information to school staff as well as parents and students.  There are always signs of potential violence and these might show up anywhere.  Once they are recognized, action MUST follow. 

Psychologist’s and social workers are qualified, as therapists, to take caseloads for counseling. It is essential for the school to team with a local hospital that will provide the services of a consulting psychiatrist to meet with an administrator and the therapists on a monthly basis. This will allow for a discussion of students in need as well as general issues facing the school.

It is essential for all educators to develop a rapport with their students.  If educators have a good rapport with students, these students are more likely to pass information to a staff member.  Explain to students when they see dangerous words on social media, they may save lives by informing the proper school staff and their names will be kept confidential.  

Utilizing the school psychologist, the social worker and a consulting psychiatrist from a local hospital, parents and educators can be taught how to look for “red Flags” when they show up. Often these “red flags” will be subtle and difficult to discern.  Here are some recognizable warning signs:  

     1. The most notable warning signs are when students become isolated. It is the nature of children to belong to a group. If they avoid groups and even friends, they would be worth watching.

     2. Additional signs might include fantasies of violence or acting out violence. This will be difficult to determine as today’s video games utilize violence on a regular basis. When observing those acts it would be valuable to see if they were connected to a specific game. If that is problematic, simply ask the student what game they are emulating. If they don’t respond, pass that information on to the school psychologist or social worker.

    3. Violence toward animals, even pets, if noticed near school or at home is an indicator of more problems to come.

    4. Changes in academic performance. The lack of focus on academics as well as projects may be an indicator of a potential crisis.

    5. Getting in to fights or other forms of aggression must be monitored and dealt with in a way that will bring forth deep seeded information.

    6.  Kids who are bullied might often keep their frustrations inside.  This could be dangerous.

These warning signs won't always lead to violence, however, when they are recognized, more observation followed by therapy would be essential to curbing school violence.  Therapy might help turn someone around, but at the very least, school staff will be alerted.  And parents will have a heads up to secure any weapons in the house and look for unusual activities by their child.

Therapists must be prepared to recognize severe problems and take action.  Often there isn't enough for police action.  However, once red flags are noticed, everyone must be alert to the possible dangers that exist.  Families, teachers, administrators must be on alert at all times.  Eyes must be everywhere!

These are jumping off points to slow or stop violence in schools.  Here are some other pros and cons:

1.  Devise "safe paths" for children who walked to school utilizing families and business to come out at the start and end of the school day.  

2.  At the beginning of the school day, have security, teachers and administrators in front of the building.

3.  Secure every possible entrance to the building allowing only one legitimate entry that is locked during the school day with a staff member monitoring it.

4.  All classrooms are to be locked.

5.  Security plans are in place.

BAN ASSAULT WEAPONS!  

There are many more ideas that would be available for schools including but not limited to Security cameras, metal detectors, drones etc.  Let nothing stand in the way of the safety of the children.

Cap Lee was an adminstrator of an alternative school that served not only students with behavior problems, but those with psychiactric problems. In a public school setting he worked with 5 therapists and a consulting psychiatrist with a student population of 75.

Do we "teach" CRT?

 Do we teach Critical Race Theory?

Well, here I go, off the deep end without a life jacket.  Do we teach CRT, do we teach the Bible, do we teach about pretending Colombus discovered America?  These questions are endless.  Do we continue to have school board members and textbooks telling our kids what to learn.  As the old saying goes, What's good for the goose is good for the gander. 

It is past time when we stop politicians from deciding what kids must learn.  If the door is open to CRT, it is open to whatever that community wants to brainwash kids with their philosophy of life.  That has been and will forever be a disastor.  In my book I talk about kids making choices, not just puking out what they are told.  Colombus didn't discover America yet many cities, counties, days of celebration etc are named after him.  And all the Vikings get is a football team in Minnesota,

It is  time to let children research, analyze, debate, and defend their thoughts, wherever they land. Use CRT and a wide variety of intellectual writings as references especially as we teach  the history of the country.  As real learning progresses, students will talk, aloud, about their thoughts and all musty be respected as the debate goes on.  

With this process, they go beyond the headline and dig deal into the gits of our history.  If their parents tell them not to read about CRT, fine, but they are not told they can't explore the atrocities of this country no matter where they fall.  And they are not told they can't listen when some students talk about CRT.  And if time goes by and a part of history is not touched, the teachher will guide them to the issue, not the headline.

When children discover learning, they are more apt to internalize it rather than memorize what they have been told.

Cap Lee

www.wholechildreform.com  

REPLACING A BROKEN SYSTEM OF EDUCATION

Pandemic Solutions to a 200 year old Crisis

  

After the Pandemic, what now!

 After  the Pandemic:  Fail  without learning or retain into oblivion?

As students return to in school learning the reality is their skills and abilities may be all over the board. As educato, do we move students forward to stay with their class recognizing their skills may not be consistent with their placement? Or do we fail students into oblivion, retain them with younger students while making their graduation date even further away?

Parents must be aware of the trickery that may follow when administrators place students in a short summer school or allow promotion from the number of minutes receiving tutoring. Sitting time is not learning time. 

    Another reality smacks us in the face. Their is no solution under the current system of education.  And if someone says there is, they are lying.

    With systemic change comes the reality that letter grades are a lie often used to cover up for the lack of learning. They are designed to promote children without learning simply by giving them a feel good grade. Grade levels also come into play as rarely do grade levels encompes children with that grades level of skills. Remember, a "D" student along with an "A" student end up in the same class. Are they all on the same level?

    The solution is complex and I tackle it with my new book soon to be released entitled "Replacing a Failed System of Education". www.wholechildreform.com to learn more.

    Simply put, under the new plan, grade levels are no longer indicators of achievement. The truth be told they are not indicators of achievement and may have never been. And letter grades are replaced with proficiencies as demonstrations of learning. As these innovative ideas are implemented a wide range of "dominoes" will fall until the system of education becomes truly about learning, rather than about winning a race.

Cap Lee

www.wholechildreform.com

Does Poverty + Pandemic = Disaster?

We have all heard, by some, that poverty is not destiny.  We have also heard from others that poverty is destiny.  Let's now explore what poverty plus pandemic leads to.

It is easy to justify ones point of view when they talk in generalities.  Of course there are some who have lived in poverty yet escaped the roadblocks that might bring them down.  On the other hand, (other than four fingers and a thumb) There are many who live in poverty who are brought down by roadblocks such as childhood stress, and they are troubled.  They become the destiny that others talk about.

So, now that we know how politicians and educators alike scam their constituents, let's take a deeper look at the current problem.  Most students are away from school for longer than an year.  Some have computers, parents at home, computer knowledge, and learn best through that technology.  Many, if not most, are missing some of these elements as well as living with the road blocks that hinder learning.. 

I will focus on that last group.  Here is one scenario on how this could play out.

1.  A child is forced by poverty to live in a rough neighborhood where shots are fired daily.  For that reason alone, that child has undo stress.

2. Childhood stress, in the words of Dr.Kara Fitzgerald, "When something stressful or threatening happens, it's not just our brain that is involved.  We have to recruit everything from the immune system, to that fat system to the heart."  "And they are kind of altering multiple systems to deal with hard life."  Damn, try to study with all that going on.

3.  Now that child enters our current system of education.  As that child develops slower than most, teachers have a fundamental choice.  They can pass a student with D- or retaining them.  Of course there are tweeks like summer school or tutoring etc.  Those are ok but often lead to the student being taught in the same way and thus progressing, or failing, in the same way.  Although there are exceptions, there will be those who return at the same skill level at which they left the class.  Again, passing without learniing or being retained.

4.  Of course when they are retained, whether it be for the whole grade level or one class, they move one year away from graduation.  The second time retained, they reaize they will be over twenty when they graduate and drop out.  This realization usually occurs around ninth grade.

5.  Now we add the pandemic.  As I mentioned before, those who do not have access to the computer, have parents hustling for a living because their job closed down leaving little support at home, do not have computer skills, and who do not learn best through a computer, will return with their collective skills all over the board. 

6.  As students return, educatiors will recognize that one size fits all doesn't work.  And summer school and other tweeks will make little difference.  They then slip into the horrible system of failure that was developed in the eighteenth century and still exists.

7.  And who will the politicians blame?  CORRECT, BLAME THE TEACHERS!

As children return to in school learning, there will be a huge wake up call, a large slap in the face to those politicians who have no clue how to serve kids in this generation.

Now you might ask, what are the solutions?  I'm glad you ask.  I have a whole book full of solutions. You can go to any dot com or my website www.wholechildreform.com and they only cost $25.00.

Infiltrating the education system with the arts

 Infiltrating the system with the arts!

“The arts have been a mainstay in societies throughout the world and throughout history. They are not only used for the esthetic value but for a means of communication. If you look at everything from rap and folk music to classical and pop the artist tells a story about them and their community. The concerns are expressed just as if they were written or given in a speech.”  - “Stop Politically Driven Education”, Cap Lee.

John Lennon penned “Give Peace a Chance”, which became an anthem for the peace movement in the seventies. “We shall Overcome” was the rallying cry of the freedom movement of the sixties.  “Oh Freedom” was a statement made by the Igbo tribe from Southern Nigeria as they refused to enter the new world as slaves, instead they walked into the water to “take them home” to a better place. The message there was “Before I’d be a slave I’ll be buried in my grave and go home to my Lord and be free.” That message evolved from the Igbo Landing in 1803 and resonated for more than two centuries to tell the story of their quest for freedom.

A strong message resounds in many forms of the arts.  Comedians like George Carlin and Stephen Colbert make statements through their comedy to get all politicians to sit up and listen.  Paul Robison spread his message through the arts.  He stated, “As an artist I come to sing, but as a citizen, I will always speak for peace, and no one can silence me in this.”  Martha Graham was quoted as saying “Dance is the hidden language of the soul of the body”.  A message is sent every time a dancer sets foot on a stage. The artwork “The Scream” may express how many of us feel today.  The list goes on and on. To the day he died, Einstein insisted that the reason for his success was that he played the violin. According to G. J. Withrow, his lifetime friend, Einstein worked on his theories while improvising on the violin. It helped him think.

Plays were shut down in many countries when they were provocative in nature in the eyes of the dictators, yet they kept on persisting. “The Suicide” in 1928 was written by Nikolai Erdman. It talked about Russians taking back their lives from Communism. It took Stalin one performance to understand what it advocated, and he banned it. It continued playing on under the name “Dying for It” and could not be silenced. Recently the Broadway play “Hamilton” became a history lesson as well as a message for the future.

Artist of all kinds possess political power.  Rock musicians for example, possess a power that state authorities cannot ignore, a power that cannot be arbitrarily repressed.  Artists can be stopped but their music and their plays, their art and especially their recorded presentations cannot. Pete Seeger was blacklisted from performing, especially on television because his song “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy” talked about the Vietnam war.  Tom and Dick Smothers had him on their television show anyway and later quit the show due to restrictions demanded of them by the network. But Seeger’s music carried on to this day.  Paul Robison was blacklisted everywhere in the US, so he went to foreign countries where he was treated like a king, so the U.S. government took away his passport. They may have stopped him for a time, but his music and thoughts continue to this day. 

Throughout history, the arts have been a mainstay in the process of communication. The history of the world can easily be found in the songs, the writings, the paintings, in dance and the list goes on. From paintings on a cave wall to a play, to an opera, to the songs of Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, and the New Freedom Singers, and the comedy of George Carlin, stories have been told. Now it is time for the students to have that experience.  What if students wrote their own plays with a strong message and performed them.  Or how about writing and performing their own songs and artwork, and dance, and comedy and on and on.  What a skill to be developed. They research, read, write, and most of all, think!  What a new concept for the education curriculum.  How about bringing in artists from all areas to educate through the arts?  The possibilities are endless, and the message is strong. 

The arts can say what the politicians cannot silence!

For more great ideas go to www.wholechildreform.com and check out my new book.

Systemic racism pushes kids out of school. Who's responsible? Look in the mirror!

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?

Systemic racism is embedded in schools so deeply that it is hardly noticeable to the trained eye of educators and parents alike.  It is this current system of education that drives many students to drop out of school and often pushes them into the school to prison pipeline.

Following the systemic structure of yesterday, todays education system continues to rank and sort students.  The losers are then chosen by an outdated system skewed to assure they are permanently left behind.

The reality is while some children have a clear path to learning, others have devastating roadblocks that slow the learning process. According to Dr. Kara Fitzgerald, “when something stressful or threatening happens, it’s not just our brain that is involved. We have to recruit everything from the immune system, to the fat system, to the heart. … And they are kind of altering multiple systems to deal with hard life.”  And add to that those who have to learn English as a new language.  Yet, those students are mandated to perform in the same way in the same time frames as defined by our current version of eighteenth-century education. A system that was never designed to serve all children.

It is extremely important, however, to understand that as students enter the classroom, educators have no idea whether a child is afflicted or not.  We must realize that those in certain zip codes, or of a certain race or gender or any other group subject to stereotypical beliefs are not all the same.  Low expectations are the curse that drives children out of school.  To stigmatize children by demeaning a certain zip code is unconscionable. Within any zip code are those who have roadblocks but also those who have a clear pathway to learning.  As educators we may no longer assume anything.

Too high expectations also force children into failure or even worse, passing without learning, leaving them to flounder once they enter today’s society.  It is damaging to force children beyond their abilities.  To assume every child will learn the same simply because we have high expectations is a fool’s mission.

It is time to break through the fog and see clearly the reality that all children are not the same.  According to Dr. Howard Gardner, “the biggest mistake of past centuries in teaching has been to treat all students as if they were variants of the same individual and thus to feel justified in teaching them all the same”

The damage begins when a child fails a course or does not learn to the same standard at the same time as others. The system then fails them and retains them in the same grade knowing that every retention leads to a delayed graduation age? When students realize they will be in school at least until age twenty, dropping out is assured. 

Understanding the damage continued failure causes students, many educators head down a more destructive path and pass students with a D- thus moving them ahead without learning, totally unprepared for their future. Those are the fundamental choices the system leaves with educators.

From the base of a broken system of failure comes a wide range of systemic issues that forces the racial divide to grow.  The dominoes begin to fall as one concept is piled upon another to maintain a failed system of education.

The systemic destruction begins with the facade that grade levels are an indicator of academic achievement.  As evidenced by a wide range of student skills in every grade level, they are not and have never been a true indicator of achievement. Yet the students are all taught as one.

The most devastating of failed concepts is the farce of letter grades.  Parents are told their children are average, by giving them a C.  However, they aren’t told what “average” means simply because a letter grade does not describe what children have learned.  More important, grades are easily used to cover up what children have not learned so they can move to the school to prison pipeline without being noticed.  

As students return from the long virus “vacation” it will become evident immediately that their skills are all over the board.  During this long time off some students will keep up with distance learning, some will not have the equipment necessary to keep up and others will have a variety of obstacles in their way. 

Now is the perfect opportunity for educators to prepare for the wide variety of skills students possess.  This means design a system that truly respects the intelligence and abilities of all children. 

When you, the reader, look in the mirror will you scream RACIST?  Or will you commit to changing the system of education? 

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?

There are no neutrals here!

Go here for solutions  www.wholechildreform.com

Creating small class size through innovation

As students return to school it is evident that their health and safety be maintained.  Essential to this is small class sizes to allow sufficient space between students.  Social distancing is literally imposible with 30 students and more in a room. However, there are creative ideas that could help achieve the goal of a safe environment.

First, of course, is to creatre small class size with an emergency increase in the school budget.  This is ideal but unlikely.

Another thought is through a team teaching concept we used at Milwaukee Village School.  We teamed two teachers, a special ed teacher and an educational assisstant with 60 students.  All for educators were simply called teachers.  The special education teacher would serve general education students as well as those with special education needs based on their individual needs.  There are many students regardless of "labels" that have the same needs.  This would also work with two teachers and two educational assistants.

The educational assistants in many states can do the same things certified teachers do under the direction of the teacher.  Educational assisants could over see a project, a computer lab, a review group, a discussion session reading clubs as defined in my books at www.wholechildreform.com and many other activities.  The ideas are endless.

Additional small spaces could be located throughout the building as well as in nearby facilities to assure for social distancing.

Another thought is to utilize community learning centers such as those run by the TMCA and other groups.  While one group of students could attend school on M, W. F, T. TH, alternate days could be held in a separate facility where they could be involved especoally in activities such as art, music, debate, physical education, dance, dramatic arts and many more.  Again the possibilities are endless.

A meeting with educators and community organizations would allow the development of many more ideas as well as a framework for implementation.

Adding a nurse to every school would not only support a healthy environment but also one additional teacher of health education.  This is well needed at this unique point in time.

When the confirmation bias becomes dangerous!

THE CONFIRMATION BIAS IS AN EPIDEMIC THAT IS DANGEROUS!

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 or ignore or under weigh evidence that could disconfirm that hypothesis”. This is understandable to a degree, but when politicians have lied or deceived over 10's of thousands of times and when they have echo chambers that top that number, one would think that more people would catch on. But yet the deception continues while we continue to shake our heads in disbelief.

Let's look at some of the scary realities:  

It is beyond obvious that Communist Russia is interfering with our elections.  It is in the Mueller report, and guess who else supports this reality:

1. Central Intelligence Agency

2. Office of the Director of National Intelligence

3. F.B.I.

4. National Security Agency

5. Justice Department

6. Department of Homeland Security

7. House Intelligence Committee

8. Senate Intelligence Committee

President Trump: On Putin, "He said he didn't meddle. He said he didn't meddle. I asked him again. You can only ask so many times," 

"Every time he sees me, he says, 'I didn't do that,' " Trump said. "And I believe, I really believe, that when he tells me that, he means it."

SERIOUSLY?  TRUMP BELIEVES LITTLE LYING VLADIMIR?  HE BELIEVES A COMMUNIST LEADER OVER THE USA?  NOW THAT'S DANGEROUS!

We look at pictures of Los Angeles on a normal day and see the pictures now, when the city is shut down, and see the difference. Do normal minds really believe that the tremendous amount of polution seen with our own eyes is not harmful?  When extreme weather exists right before our eyes. When droughts are happenning world wide and icebergs are melting at a record pace, do we still not see the reality?

Some quotes:  

President Trump:   "The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive."

"When will our country stop wasting money on global warming and so many other truly "STUPID" things and begin to focus on lower taxes?"

Senator Inhoffe: Once compared the Environmental Protection Agency to the Gestapo, and brought a snowball onto the Senate floor to ‘disprove’ global warming.
He 

Well some groups disagree:

American Association for the Advancement of Science
American medical association
American Meteorological Society
American Chemical Society
American Geophysical Union
American Physical Society
The Geological Society of America
US Academy of Science
US Global Change Research Program
International Panel on Climate Change 

Check out these quotes from the Coronavirus:

Ron Paul: “People should ask themselves whether this coronavirus 'pandemic' could be a big hoax".


Congressman Nunes:  “Let’s not hurt the working people in this country that are relying on wages and tips to keep their small business going,” .... “go to your local pub.”


Congressman Jim Jordan:  “I’m not too concerned about the Chinese virus. This is the worst economic crisis we’ve seen in 200 years. We’ve got to end the ridiculous ‘shelter in place’ orders. I’ve spoken to many senior citizens and they’re willing to take the risk and go back to work. If a few senior citizens die, I can live with that. Plus we won’t have to pay them their social security ‘handout."

President Trump:  “It’s going to disappear. One day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.”

Like Chico Marx in a Marx Brothers movie said: "Well, who ya gonna believe, me or your own eyes?"

LOOK AROUND YOU

WAKE UP AND RISE ABOVE THE CONFIRMATION BIAS BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!  IT'S NOT AS MUCH THAT POLITICIANS LIE, IT'S THAT SO MANY BELIEVE THEM.

It is time to, stop the epidemic!  Remember, everyone has a confirmation bias.  I work hard to rise above mine.  You must work hard to rise above yours.  If not now, when?  Isn't this the perfect time to rise above the confirmation bias?  

Go to www.wholechildreform.com for my book STOP POLITICALLY DRIVEN EDUCATION to see how we have been diminishing thinking in schools and how we can change the system so students can 

THINK WHILE IT IS STILL LEGAL!

When Kids Get Back to School

BE READY WHEN THE KIDS RETURN

These are unique times that require unique responses to education.  When kids get back to school, teachers will not know what level they are on or what priorities their education plan will take.  Their skills will be all over the board. 

The time has come to realize all kids are different, they learn at different rates, in different ways, with different background knowledge and different experiences.  And that is only the beginning.

To begin, educators must make every effort to gather information about every student.  This includes a small pre-test as well as additional class assessments.  These evaluations must not be in test form but be demonstrations of learning to assure we understand what the child can do.  i.e. science project

It is important to recognize that the big standardized test will be outdated and is too slow to get back to the teachers. Not to mention that it is only a snap shot in time and by itself is fundamentally useless. It should be discarded completely because educators have a better way!  

1. Before kids return , educators should gather information about every student from their past performance. This does not mean grade point averages or test scores. This means actual information.

2. Previous teachers should document goals achieved and goals to be achieved for every student.

3. Once students arrive, designated educators should give small pre tests in reading and math, one on one, to the students. This is not rocket science, educational assistants as well as social workers, psychologist and any educator without a class can do it. This is done one on one to assure accurate results. This information goes directly to the students new teacher.

4. All subjects should be assessed, however not by a written test. Develop a demonstration of learning that will help teachers plan for the student's future. A good example is a science project or a challenge in orchestra.

5. It is important to recognize that the big standardized test will be out of date and a new one will take too long to get back to teachers. Written tests are an artificial snap shot in time and are basically useless when compared to small assessments that go directly to teachers. The big test should be discarded completely.

6. Having gathered this information, teachers along with the student and parent should develop a MAP (My Action Plan) that guides the student toward their future.

7. This MAP will also be a guide to assess the needs of the students, It will work as a portfolio. Imagine handing that portfolio to the university rather than an artificial test.

8. The concept of pass and fail must be put on hold as now the focus is directly on student needs.

9. Most teachers are adept at differentiated instruction. For this, sufficient planning time must be made available along with small class size. These are non- negotiable.

There is plenty of time to develop these ideas while teachers are off due to the virus crises.  And of course they must be paid.  This is essential to education as a whole and will be mind boggling when complete.

As well, there are no more excuses not to reduce dramatically, class size.  Class size and planning time is essential to quality education and after the current crisis, the children will suffer dramatically without a plan of action that is realistic to implement.  This can be done creatively using educational assistants. Teachers should simply not return without a plan for planning time and small class size.

If not now, when?  The only way we can bring kids back to a full education, after this crisis is to pay attention to the needs of all students EQUALLY!

FOR A DETAILED PLAN FOR THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION GO TO:  www.wholechildreform.com AND CHECK OUT MY NEWEST BOOK "STOP POLITICALLY DRIVEN EDUCATION".

Opportunity for teachers

As many schools have closed, this now becomes an opportunity for teachers to take back your profession. When students return, administrators will be chasing their tails trying to fit kids into that little standardized box full of word games and math riddles.

They will not know how to deal with the time frames relating to the test. Get together with colleagues, be it in person or on line, and develop that plan to subvert the system for the benefit of all kids.

It is easy to say you don't have enough information to give a letter grade.  But you can make a statement telling parents what their child has learned and what they will be studying.

It is easy to say they are behind in reading.  But you can say "let's stop school two times a week for 45 minutes and put kids on their reading levels using every available educator to bring group sizes down dramatically".

It's easy to say you can't retain kids in their grade, but you can say "we will use failure as a learning tool to re teach kids immediately.

There are many more thoughts in my book as well as others.  This time off is an opportunity to show what teachers are made of.  Go to it!

1. TELL ADMINISTRATORS THERE IS NO TIME TO DO THE TEST IN A CORRECT MANNER.

2. PUT ON YOUR TRENCH COAT AND PULL YOUR FEDORA OVER ONE EYE.

3. READ MY BOOK ( www.wholechildreform.com ) FOR IDEAS.

4. DEVELOP THE PLAN TO SUBVERT THE SYSTEM IN THE BEST INTEREST OF CHILDREN.

5. PRESENT AND IMPLEMENT THAT PLAN. (administrators will not know what hit them)

IF NOT NOW, WHEN?

THE CONFIRMATION BIAS IS AT EPIDEMIC LEVELS!

 The confirmation bias is at epidemic levels

How many times have we listened to politicians make such ridiculous comments even the village idiot wouldn’t believe? 

At first thought, we are convinced those believers are somewhere beyond stupid. Although some simply understand they are listening to lies and go along with them, many truly believe the lie or conspirator theory du jour. The reality is those who believe those crazy things are not stupid.  They are very intelligent people. However, they are victims of a disease sweeping the country. They are victims of the confirmation bias

 

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 or ignore or under weigh evidence that could disconfirm that hypothesis”. This is understandable to a degree, but when this President is said to have lied or deceived over 20,000 times and when his echo chamber tops that number, one would think that more people would catch on. But yet the deception continues while we continue to shake our heads in disbelief.

Why does this “bias” have so much power? This bias is not only strengthened by the comfort it gives but by those who surround the believer. When a lie comes down, no matter how ridiculous, as long as it is supported by their favorite cable news network, by the select friends they talk too combined with their effort to ignore a variety of news sources, they will continue to believe.

This lends the question, where does this begin and how can it be changed?  Looking back in history, the conning of the American people by politicians has gone on for decades if not centuries. What are the solutions? One belief holds that if we didn’t expect politicians to be perfectly aligned to our thoughts, they wouldn’t have to lie. No politician can ever be in agreement with all citizens and no citizen should expect perfection. All citizens should be encouraged to rise above the confirmation bias and embrace critical thinking, choosing the issues that are closest to them while developing a willingness to compromise on others.

The problem, however, goes much deeper. In school, children are taught to respond to a standardized test and give the answers the test wants. Even worse, students must respond to the textbook and the chapter test simply regurgitating the answers they were given. As schools shift more to the “teach to the test” mentality, they move away from those projects that encourage children to think, analyze and come up with their own answers and then debate them with others.

According to Dr. Angela Dye:  “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.”

A shift in the fundamental system and philosophy of education would not only have a strong effect on the students but could easily trickle up to adults.  When they talk politics at home, the child could easily pass on what they are doing in school. Maybe it is time for the children to teach the adults. Children, when at home, show your family you can think beyond the confirmation bias.  Show them what it looks like.

The point is DON’T BELIEVE ANYTHING! QUESTION EVERYTHING! 

Remember, everyone has a confirmation bias.  I work hard to rise above mine.  You must work hard to rise above yours.  If not now, when?  Isn't this the perfect time to rise above the confirmation bias?  Who would believe that a "scientist", Judy Mikovits, discovered a deadly virus transmitted through vaccines and was thrown in jail for 5 years without charges because she talked about it?  If you do your homework, she did not discover any deadly virus and spent a short time in prison for stealing equipment from the company that fired her.  Don't believe anything!  

Would anyone believe that the corona virus will go away like a "miracle" in April? Oooops, it's May already. 

Would anyone believe that  The Trump White House “inherited” a “broken,” “bad,” and “obsolete” test for the coronavirus? The virus was not in humans during the previous administration.  A test couldn't be developed.

Would anyone believe that "Anyone who needs a test will get a test?  Nope.

That Trump and White House personnel  have been vaccinated and therefore don't need masks?  When the entire world can't get a vaccine?  Just another lie.

And on and on.  People believing this junk keep the lies alive and thus are dangerous to the country. ¨Don’t just teach your children to read…teach them to question what they read.  Teach them to question everything¨ - George Carlin

Go to www.wholechildreform.com for my book STOP POLITICALLY DRIVEN EDUCATION to see how we have been diminishing thinking in schools and how we can change the system so students can THINK WHILE IT IS STILL LEGAL!