We cannot afford to keeps such large numbers of people in prison. The cost is robbing us taxpayers blind. We have to roll up our sleeves and buckle down and find a way to mainstream these people. And if it means that my taxes are CUT or LESSENED, because it is cheaper to keep them in school and educated and employed than it is to pay for their welfare or prison, then I’m all for it.

And for the bozos who suggest the the job ideas I mentioned would be outsourced to Mexico. That’s bunk. Do you even think before you type? Hello? Homeowners need plumbers. If you have a car, you need a mechanic. If your are remodeling your kitchen, you need someone to install the cabinets. I can’t dial 1-800-Mex-ican and have someone pop on over from south of the border. I have to get a skilled person working in this country. And if you’ve ever had home repairs done, then you know that many times they are backed up for weeks or months or years.

Thats what we need in this country. That is what EVERY country needs. Highly skilled workers. That would be plumbers, electricians, computer repair people, health care workers, dental technicians etc… That is something you can’t outsource to Guatamala. You need someone who lives in your neighborhood.

Good education always starts at home. For most people to put all the blame on school is totally unfair. It’s true that problem kids from poor/uncaring families will impact public school in a big way, that’s why parents need to pay a lot more attention to their kids during middle and high school. As we Chinese have a saying, you get red when you stand in the mid of red paint and you get black if you stand in the mid of black ink. Your kids association will effect them. Your time spend on your kid’s education will effect them even more.

Also remember that every kid is different and need different approach. I and my sister both went to the same public school when we first came to this country. She graduated top three in her class and went on to graduated top three in her class at UC Davis. I, the suppose smarter one, barely graduated form high school and went into the Navy. The difference, I had short attention span and she’s the studious type. Both of our parent work 60 hours work week to put food on the table and have very little time for us. In short, private or public school need to be tailor made for each kids need. I support choice for parents who truly take the time to find out what’s best for their kids, not sheep who follow the public or private school crowd.

I choose to send my daughter to a private preschool at the age of 3. It cost me close to 10k a year. The reason, she’s a lot like me instead of more like my wife who was the studious type(with a master). She can learn things quickly but have very short attention span. I need to seat with her couple hours each day to make sure does her homework and learn new things daily. I will put her back into public school by her high school year because I believe that the shielded environment of private school can not give her real life experience she need in the real world. I choose a non religious school because I don’t want her to be force into a religion before she can make the choice with detail understand of them(otherwise, the tuition would be half that amount in religious school).

Granted, I can afford the cost. But most lower middle income people in my city was forced to make hard choices. They consider anyone making over 40k a year high income, therefor unable to receive government subsidized childcare. Believe me, 40k in San Francisco is really low income when your rent for a 2 bedroom is 1,800 a month. So, they are forced to send their kids to day care that don’t do much in terms of preparing their kids for k-8th. So vouchers, tax credit or charter school will help parent with the need of choice, especially in the pre-k to 5th grade kids. But they will only work if the parents put the time and effort in their kids, not just put them in the teacher’s lap. So often, parents send their kid to school and expect the teacher to do all the work. It’s a joint effort, stop putting blames on the teachers!!! Teachers are the most under paid job in this country and they have their hands tied by the liberal ideology. And we need public school in this country!!! It’s a shame that both side using teachers as scapegoat. It’s the government that screw up the school system, not the hard working teachers. How do you expect the teacher to teach kids who won’t listen in class and get away with sloppy homework at home?

Learn personal responsibilities to your kid and family.

Even my Obamabot son……:)

I have privvy to his political postings. He’s in his early 30s. I’ve yet to see, and he’s a bright guy, a single idea that is really his own. It’s all right out of the playbook.

I remember being that way. It bothered me, too. I was bugged by my own lack of true opinion.

When I finally got into grad school, I took a course in imatative essay writing. We had to write essays in the style of past essayists.

That’s when I got it. I was very good in that course.

I was, indeed, imitative.

That’s a stage in political thinking. Frankly, that’s a stage in life.

What emerges, if you’re lucky and do your homework, is a much more authentic, experience-based, and centered position in life.

You don’t much care what Rove says or what Powell says.

You know that your own opinions are as solid as their opinions are. You can tell from the catch words people use if they are still in that imitative stage, and it doesn’t bug you so much.

This is, in short, human nature. Imitative is normal. And that’s probably why Democracy works. It allows for slow change, really.

It allows for the real nature of people, which is to parrot others to find security.

I couldn’t have devised truly independent thoughts on most issues below the age of 30 or maybe even 40.

I simply didn’t have the real experience.

Today…..different.

I don’t really agree with the “Obama is a socialist…….fear, fear, fear! crowd here.” I find him incredibly vacuous. That worries me much more.

He’s likely to be a suit for whichever the way the wind blows.

About public schools: People often mistake the description “public” as meaning only inner-city and we know that’s not the case. There are many suburban public school systems that are doing a very good job. A lot of people around where I live abandoned the city once their children reached school age to take advantage of the superior suburban schools. This helped to make urban schools even worse — less quality parental involvement, less accountability, less boosterism, etc.

When McCain says education is the civil rights issue of our times, I agree with him.

BTW…in comparing the difference in Catholic grading systems vs. public snosandy…Your neices would be getting a low B…and a Low C if they were in Public School…Tis True in this part o the Prairie

you can find them on http://neverfindout.org/
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Send them to friends get them out there make your favorites go viral:

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IRONY…IT’S FOR DINNER…

I taught in NCLB schools. When your population consists of 24% ESL and 3% Special Ed., that’s a huge chunk of students that are going to underperform.

Now, factor in ESL students who “vacation” in Mexico from November to February and don’t go to school in Mexico therefore losing approximately four months of instruction. The burden on the school increases to insurmountable odds.

When Special Ed students are required to take grade level/placement tests even though their IEP instructional levels are 2 and one half below grade placement they are expected to perform at grade level for NCLB.

It’s a freakin’ recipe for disaster.

Don’t place too much faith in NCLB. It was meant to break the backbone of public ed and force students into private schools. Private schools are a nice new industry, don’t you think?

Give me a flipping break. This sector is the ONLY one that is still viable!

And they attack it?

Good gravy.