Lou on Ed

I'm not always a big fan of Lou Dobbs. To me, he's one of the new breed of editorial show hosts that began as news programs (see other idiots like Bill O'Reilly). While I rarely agree with him, he made some good points in an editorial post at CNN.com.
The whole gist of Mr. Dobbs' editorial was that schools are failing and that fact, one that is rarely mentioned by educational administrators or government officials, is going to be biting us in the butt as those people become part of the society. As a teacher, these kind of statistics and the placing of blame squarely on the teacher's shoulders always frustrates me (keep reading before you comment on my participating in TV news bashing), but I'm not so naive that I think our system is perfect.
My theory is that there are two factors that are contributing to the downslide of our academic system: the teachers and parents.
The old joke is that people go into teaching when they can't do anything else. That theory made me laugh, until I started hanging out with more teachers. I think that, unfortunately, there is some truth to that. One thing that I like from Dobbs' article is paying teachers more and holding them more accountable. I do not, in any way, shape or form, agree with merit pay, or paying for how well your students perform on tests. It's not hard to adjust test scores, whether you administer the test a little differently or you use an eraser in your grade book. Also, there is still some "good ole boy" systems in schools, and even more schools in which you get that administration job by kissing the right butt. Therefore, I guarantee that the merit pay will be criticized by all of us who give the students the grades they earned and don't sniff our boss' ass.
There are three kinds of parents: Those who have been snowballed to think that their child does no wrong, those that "get it" and realize their child is not a saint, and those that rarely realize they have a child. Each class I've had has a mixture of all three. The last group, those that don't realize they have a child, is the one I try to focus on to make sure they realize by the end of the year. But home life is the largest factor (yes, even more so than teaching) in how a child performs in school. Therefore, no matter what tricks I use to get a child to learn, it takes that much more to get it to stick if there isn't any reinforcement from home.
I will say that this is one of the few times that I've agreed with Dobbs and thought he had some good points. I used to watch him more until every time I turned on the TV it was something more about Mexico (you can only hear so much). To improve education, it doesn't take more testing, newer schools or prettier textbooks. It takes teachers being paid to be accountable and parents that realize they have kids that are not perfect, no matter how badly they want to live vicariously through them.

A lapdance and a trailer

I couldn't leave without commenting on this:
It seems that the debit cards that FEMA handed out to those displaced from Hurricanes Rita and Katrina have been used for everything from "a divorce lawyer" to "adult erotica products." Don't even tell me you are surprised. And you wonder why it takes so long to get aid to people who really need it? Its because some idiots work so hard to mess with the system. Whether its filing fake death certificates after 9/11 or giving the address of jail inmates to get a FEMA debit card, some morons will stop at nothing to rip off the government.
My two favorite quotes from the CNN story:
After ellaborating on some of the items that had been purchased FEMA "auditors concluded (many of those items) were 'not necessary to satisfy legitimate disaster needs.'" Well, a lapdance can be very relaxing..so I've heard :)
Also,

Spokesman Aaron Walker said FEMA has "revamped the registration process" and has a contract with a company that will verify immediately the identity and address of anyone for assistance.

"We are confident in the system we have in place at this point," Walker said. "We are prepared for the upcoming season."

Well, I would've hoped you had this system last year, but I guess we shouldn't ask for too much.
It does go on to say that about 1/2 of the money has been recovered, but still I would guess the strip club is the one out the money, not the person who saw the boobies. While I joke, it is ridiculous that people are this inconsiderate. This is why I am always very hesitant to donate to charities. I feel bad having those reservations, but this just reaffirms it.

Bit of a Break

The CWS is in town, and my summer job is at Rosenblatt, so I plan to be away for a while. Got to go hob-knob in the press box. Looking for something new? Go back to the archives and relive the early days.

Be Very, Very Quiet

Watching the President this morning. I know, we are all shocked. I've already watched SportsCenter, and I've still got coffee left.
Some first-time reporter just showed her stupidity/cahones. The first question she asked as a White House virgin was, "The Democrats think they can do a better job of running the country...do you expect to still have a majority in Congress after the elections?" (probably paraphrased). He, surprisingly, disagreed. I've never been a big Bush supporter...at all, actually. But she made me chuckle. I bet she thinks she's pretty cool now. Now he's on a big rant about how great the Iraq government is going to be. I keep hearing from the paper (couldn't find the link...didn't look all that hard) and from him that he wanted to "look the prime minister in the eye." That's great. I bet the prime minister feels more comfortable. I know we have troops there and I support them 100%, but I keep hearing him say all of this crap how they've killed al-Zarqawi, government installation. Now he's saying, after a reporter brought up his comments from the week before, that he "shouldn't have said that the tide was turning in Iraq, maybe that progress is being made."
Next question that I hear: "Was there concerns about the inner circle of the prime minister that caused you to only tell him 5 minutes ahead of time?" Duh. Its Iraq.
He's showing how tired he really is and his patience seems to be wearing thin.
That's enough for now. Time to go watch the grass grow.

A New Reign in KC

On Wednesday, the Kansas City Royals named Dayton Moore their new GM. While he won't take over until after the draft (June 6-7), there is renewed excitement in the kingdom. It has been said for years that former GM Allard Baird was the cause of the perpetually inept Royals. Between trading all of the young talent for next to nothing and inexplicable free agent signings, it is exciting to get a winner from a winning program. The Braves have won their division for the last 200 years (OK, I think 13, but its a lot).
While listening to the Big Sports 590 (Royals local flagship station), a reporter from the KC Star (names aren't important) also hinted that Omaha would be used for up-and-coming players instead of just rehab and aging veterans (i.e., maybe Alex Gordon will spend time with the O Royals! ). The Double A team in Wichita is supposedly loaded with young studs which is why they've had televised games on the local FSN TV channel the last two nights. Bringing those young studs to Omaha, coupled with the zany but effective "speciality" nights that the AAA club has promoted lately, could continue the rise in attendance at Rosenblatt (yes, attendance has been up...media coverage has been better, but the promotion of the O Royals has a ways to go...would be sped up with Gordon in town). With the core of the Omaha club coming back to town after stints in KC and the renewed hope because of the new GM, there could be a rejuvination of Royals support in the midwest. I don't expect season tickets to exponential increase, but right now, if revenue and interest isn't plummeting, its a good thing.