(no subject)

[vicarz]

I'm pimping http://www.koolrockradio.com/ still. I don't think that they actually play electroclash - it's mostly classy indie oldies, kind of electroclash predecessors.

Va voters: VOTE TODAY!!!

more info,
http://www.miller2006.org/
Against national debt / against deficit spending
Pledges to help middle-class, end corporate welfare
Increase min wage, give health-care tax credits to small businesses
Education - more teacher recruiting, accountability (uh oh), and don't forget vocational education (remember this guy worked in a steel mill!), mid-career loans and grants!
Fuck Iraq, get exit strat
Energy - increase fuel efficiency standards, tax oil companies, create alternative fuels
Manage growth

http://www.webbforsenate.com/index.php
This guy used to be a vet, and had great abs! Just sayin...
Iraq - we went in wrong, but leaving we should be cautious (I'm with that)
Uh, here you look him up yourself at http://www.webbforsenate.com/issues/ because the illusive sonofabitch doesn't actually voice any views. His website paints him as every bit the whore people accuse him of being.
His views on transportation are awful. He wants to get federal dollars for VA roads. This same guy is pledging that he will attack the huge federal deficit. See a slight inconsistency? Sure Fed - stop paying for special state projects, except in our state!

I voted Miller. No, I don't feel guilty for these long political posts.

Comments

[topaz720.livejournal.com]

Why the 'uh-oh' after accountability for education? Not baiting, just curious...

[vicar.livejournal.com]

I tend to think they are speaking of those standardized tests, which I've heard teachers criticizing as moving away from learning and instead "teaching the test" or just memorizing factoids w/o connecting them.

[topaz720.livejournal.com]

I would agree with that criticism, and note that it seems to be getting even worse. For example, I taught a remediation class before school for students who failed the 3rd grade SOL English (writing) test. The deal is, they take the remediation class, retake the test and pass it. Only, sometime early this year, 'they' decided that there wasn't going to be a 3rd grade SOL English test this year. So, these kids had nothing to retake. It doesn't mean that they didn't need (oh boy, they did need!) the class or didn't get anything useful out of it, but it gives you an idea of the amount of crap that teachers deal with when trying to prepare students for these standardized tests. Every year, the hoops we have to jump through multiply and change. All the while, the threat of what happens when the students don't pass the test is hanging over our heads.

Doesn't seem to keep 'them' from changing what/when is tested, however.

And before you (or anyone else) says, 'but shouldn't they be learning this stuff anyway'? Well, yes, but not necessarily in this order or at this time. Another example, the big 4th grade SOL is Virginia history. The history is taught to be so Virginia-centric that it is almost ridiculous. They study the civil war, but only the parts that were in Virginia! Also, there is a 5th grade test (I can't remember which one) that students have to take (and pass) that is actually the 6th or 7th grade curriculum.

And don't even get me started on having kids who can't speak English or are severely mentally retarded take these tests.

On the total flip side, though...accountability is not a dirty word. It depends on what is being measured, how it is being measured, and who is measuring it. There are teachers out there, trust me, that could use some accountability. In my own experience at my school, NCLB hasn't weeded those out at all. And again, how NCLB measures a 'qualified' teacher is another freakin' test. Tests don't measure how a person actually teaches real students in a real classroom.

My bottom line is still this: let educational decisions/mandates be made by educators, people who have actually been there and know what works and what doesn't, instead of a bunch of politicians who bought their grades and who couldn't pass the tests they require students half their age to take.

And stop blaming teachers for everything. Always remember that a child's first ever teacher...is a parent.

Sorry for getting on my soapbox in your journal!!!

Feel free to soapbox education in my LJ, Ms. Teacher-Lady!

[vicar.livejournal.com]

Holy shit it is pathetic that we would teach anything Virginia-centric. How utterly pointless.

I'm a huge fan of your bottom line, but instead we are probably going to switch to a faith-based federal standard!

I love teachers, and am very quick to blame parents. Parenting has gone by the wayside, but how much of that is the economy is not clear. Is it harder to support a family on one income, or do people believe they need 2.5 SUVs and a 50" plasma screen more than time with hte kids? I hate how whenever a kid goes bad they blame the school...not the family. And so on.

Re: Feel free to soapbox education in my LJ, Ms. Teacher-Lady!

[topaz720.livejournal.com]

Just in the small county of Arlington, I've seen both situations...parents not parenting because they are working three jobs to put food on the table, and parents not parenting because they are too busy with themselves, their career, and their trip to the Bahamas. Just leave the kids with the nanny!!!

But, if there is one thing I've learned this year it is this...there are a whole lot of teachers that could benefit from a bit of accountability as well. Maybe it is because, in my school, we have a priviledged population that comes in well educated and prepared which makes it easier to get away with, but I've seen lots of shoddy stuff this year. And it makes me mad, 'cause I'm working my arse off!

[freja999.livejournal.com]

I've read all of James Webb's books (you know me...). I think it is still valid to recognize that there is more than issues involved in elections. There is also strategy. Who do we want running against a Republican for a Senate Seat? In the Commonwealth of Virginia? Who is not easily intimidated by politics? Looking at his past as Secretary of the Navy and his work, I think Webb is likely to be a free thinker. Remember, he is a former Republican with quite the amazing record. He carries a lot of respect from those of both sides of party lines. I think if we want a Democrat to actually win, we have to think about who will be able to beat a Republican in Virginia.

[vicar.livejournal.com]

That's what I covered in my previous post on this subject - I'm sticking with Miller because I'm tired of trying to appeal to socially conservative fiscally reckless republicans. I'm proud to have the views I do and while I will vote for the lesser evil, when there is anything but a snowball's chance I'm sick of settling for someone who sucks less.

However, I'm the first to concede that the view that it is better to compromise and win something than stick to your guns and win nothing. Webb is a respectable strategic choice.