My Recent Comments

• The problem is more than class size. I was raised in a system where the number of student is more than 60 per class. Our teachers has these rulers though that they use to swat/spank the students for being unrudely. It is amazing when you have an orderly class room where the kids are well behaved and paying attention that you can still actually teach your subject matters when you have a 60:1 ratio of kids to teachers. Those who are impervious to the ruler will be expelled after a number of times acting out in a class room. It is because we were not afraid to punish bad behavior and we focus on the good of many and not the few trouble makers. We should go back to that and watch our cost per student drop and accomplishment over all rise. I say ... Bring back the paddle.
  2 days ago
• It is just hyprocracy. What ever is the convenient stance to take. Even Dr Gosnell turns to be pretty prolife when it comes to his own pleading to avoid the death penalty. Joe Baxeter, aren't you glad your mother did not take the path of abortion? It is funny that all those who are here to day and who supports abortion were all spared by a caring and well informed mother and or father.
  2 days ago
• Steve, but that is what a pro big government liberal does; he/she supports more money expenditures under the assumption that more spending is better. Most of the time, it is like giving cash to crack addicts. There are a few issues that have influence the outcome of our public school system and it isn’t the amount of money spent. • We the tax payers must come to grip with the fact that not all kids are college material; some aren’t even high school graduate material. There need to be separate tracks for those who are academically inclined and those who are not. Those who are not should be learning a trade versus starting to learn a trade after high school, after turning 18. Parents, if you kids are having a tough time with long division in the 10th grade, perhaps it is time to consider trade school. • We as parents must realize that the government is the wrong entity to raise our children. We must get totally involved with their education and remain so until they have diploma in hand. Yes, that is 13 years of checking homework, 13 years of voluntary work at the school, 13 years of helping/being involved with/guiding your children pick their friends and tell them how they are to spend their free time. 13 years of actually babysitting your children not let the boob tube and recently YouTube babysit your children. Limit time on the PS3 and Xbox game consoles or better yet, tie it to timely homework completion and test scores. • As parents point out to your children that life and what you get out of life boils down to the trillion of possibilities that is the results of a series of decision making and that good decision making skills in the long run will always yield better results than poor decision making skills. Be consistent, be relentless, be reasonable and be ready to be hated at times. You must decide to first be your children’s parents and then, if possible, be their friend as well but never the reverse. • We also need to look at education as a privilege and not a right. To be able to get into a school at a certain grade level, the student must test and prove that the student has the aptitude for that grade level. Social promotion must be abolished. Education as a right makes absolutely no sense. If it does, perhaps any one should have the right to drive. How crazy would that be? That would be like if you have interest, you should be allowed to drive a car. After a few years behind the wheel of a car, you should be allowed to go to a 10 ton truck or bus and a few years after that, how about a 20 ton tractor/trailer? It is crazy but we do that with schools and with social promotion. That is why we have fourth grader that does not know their alphabet. That interferes with the rest of the class rooms with kids with appropriate level of knowledge for their grade level. • There are also smart spending and wasteful spending. The public school system does not need to show a profit and has no competition. Higher salaries does not do it, more money per student does not do it so what does? Anyone can see that for the Public School system to be better, they need to have competition. Sure, there are private school but they have tuition cost that is prohibitive for most families out there who wants their kids in that system. The parents and other tax payers already paid into the public school system so it is “free” therefore public school offers a huge financial advantage if you can even call it completion between public and private. Now, even if there was a 50% voucher (50% of what is spent per student) would make the public school fight to keep the student within their walls. In regard to the “Another is the massive influx of immigrants into this country, especially in our state. Students with language barriers are behind and cannot "catch up" with their native-born peers. While programs exist to help develop English skills, at the same time, California state-mandated graduation requirements make it very difficult for these young people to meet "one size fits all" completion standards.” I can’t totally agree with this statement. I was an immigrant student myself and without the crutch that is 2nd language instruction and in school ESL classes, I manage to catch up quite well within 2 years. The fact around those who can’t seem to catch up is because they arrive without the proper background and aptitude for the school system, they are no different than those 4th graders who do not know their alphabets. The 2nd language instruction does nothing but hinders them and keep them from truly assimilating. As an immigrant student without oncampus ESL and 2nd language instruction. I have adjusted well. Seeing how “we” the immigrant from the mid 70s era has done versus the 80s and the current ongoing immigrant and how they aren’t coping as well tell me that the 2nd language instruction is that unnecessary crutch that keeps the legs from properly developing. I have come to the conclusion that California legislatures are insane because why else would you do the same thing over and over again and expect to get different results? It is time for real reform of our school system and not just throw more money at it. If not, we would eventually be like Camden NJ. We must make kids "earn" their achievements just like a school must earn its funding if we are to turn this thing around.
  3 weeks ago
• I made balloon animals in Balboa Park in SD and worked for gratuity to help with college costs. I stole from no one and forced no one to pay me. The parents who got balloons for kids were happy, the kids were happy and I with my hat full of change/bills were happy. Where is the harm? Was the director's son on the park's payroll or something? What is the harm? Did he just suck at his guitar playing? You indicated you gotten closer to "enjoy" it so perhaps you should drop a few bills in the hat. I am one of those who am grateful that there are some who are willing to perform for tips. If it should get to be too popular, a permitting system will help keep things under control. Then perhaps if there was favoritism shown, you can come back and complain.
  4 weeks ago
• It is only the law abiding and safety concious people that turns in old defective and posibly dangerous fire arms that are not wanted. None of that fits the population segment that are currently comitting the crimes. Gun control and Gun buy back only act to reduce the number of guns in law abiding citizens it does nothing to reduce the number of firearms that are in the hands of criminals.
  4 weeks ago
• How useful was this expenditure of Tax Payer's funds? This is what Law Enforcement officers has to say. http://www.policeone.com/Gun-Legislation-Law-Enforcement/articles/6183787-PoliceOne
  4 weeks ago
• Advance degrees in the hard sciences are always in demand. Google and the likes can't find enough so they are importing workers. It is important to be educated but you need to pick a field that has high demands for its graduates. To be in demand, the kids has to step up and take the path of the hard sciences.
  2 months ago
• Is there a public schedule so that can come out and watch the matches? Please let me know.
  2 months ago
• Lots of luck to you. Please don't give up. You can make a difference in a child/children's life/lives by taking them in and giving them love. As Trista have stated, foster to adopt will help you with cost.
  2 months ago
• All our politicians are working only to be reelected, not to serve the people.[sad] That is on bothsides of the isles.
  2 months ago