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