Category Archives: Education

What’s Lost as Handwriting Fades

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03WRIT-articleLargeBy MARIA KONNIKOVA

Does handwriting matter?

Not very much, according to many educators. The Common Core standards, which have been adopted in most states, call for teaching legible writing, but only in kindergarten and first grade. After that, the emphasis quickly shifts to proficiency on the keyboard.

But psychologists and neuroscientists say it is far too soon to declare handwriting a relic of the past. New evidence suggests that the links between handwriting and broader educational development run deep.

Children not only learn to read more quickly when they first learn to write by hand, but they also remain better able to generate ideas and retain information. In other words, it’s not just what we write that matters — but how.

Read more at The Washington Times

Coconino Community College district to raise your property taxes.

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COCONINO COUNTY – The Coconino Community College district will raise your taxes on the next property tax cycle based on public input today. Elisha Dorfsmith of the Flagstaff Liberty Blog noted that a Truth in Taxation notice appeared in the May 4th edition of the Arizona Daily Sun for the Coconino Community College. A public hearing was held today on the CCC campus in Page. There is nothing on the web site of the Coconino Community College about the proposed tax increase.

The notice read:

TRUTH IN TAXATION HEARING

NOTICE OF TAX INCREASE

In compliance with Section 15-1461.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, Coconino County Community College District is notifying its property taxpayers of Coconino County Community College District’s intention to raise its primary property taxes over last year’s lever. The Coconino County Community College District is proposing an increase in primary property taxes of $140,690 or 1.98%.

For example, the proposed tax increase will cause Coconino County Coummunity College District’s primary property taxes on a $100,000 home to increase from $46.95 (total taxes that would be owed without the proposed tax increase) to $47.88 (total proposed taxes including the tax increase).

This proposed increase is exclusive of increased primary property taxes received from new construction. The increase is also exclusive of any changes that may occur from property tax levies for voter approved bonded indebtedness or budget and tax overrides.

All interested citizens are invited to attend the public hearing on the tax increase that is scheduled to be held May 27th, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. in the D10 classroom at Coconino Community College, 475 S Lake Powell Blvd, Page, Arizona.

John Moore, Mayor of Williams, said that he was not aware of the proposed tax increase, but he opposed it. His opposition, however, was not specifically targeted at this proposal. He opposes an increase in taxes anywhere in the government in this economy.

We spoke with Gioia Goodrum, elected District 3 board member who could not comment on the issue and referred us to Coconino Community College.

Scott Talboom, of the public relations department of CCC, informed the Gazette that the statute cited in the notice allows College Districts to increase taxes by 2.5% per year. This increase is allowed to be automatically generated by the College District independent of voter intervention according to the statute cited in the ad. Apparently even the elected Coconino College Community board has nothing to do with the increase.

It is when they ask for an increase of more than the 2.5% that they must make a proposal to voters as with the failed initiative last November. The Arizona Daily Sun reported in January that Coconino Community College lost its bid for a hike of $4.5 million in the November 5, 2013 special election. Only four of Flagstaff’s 10 voted districts supported the override and it was defeated by Williams voters.

The questions that Mr. Talboom could not answer are why the comments are being taken in Page and if there are any other alternative means of making public comments. This is one of the issues raised by The Flagstaff Liberty Blog. Reaching the Page campus is difficult even under the best of conditions. With highway 89 impassible it creates even more of a burden.

The college could not confirm if there are alternative methods of public input, but they do have a contact section on their web site for Faculty and Staff.

High school text book really does re-write Constitution

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04160E9CCD6B405ABE832FB368757512BreitBart reports that one high school text book publisher literally does re-write the Constitution. It overturns a Supreme Court Decision, as well.

Page 102 of United States History: Preparing for the Advanced Placement Examination (PDF) gives brief descriptions of the Bill of Rights to the Constitution. Their version of the Second Amendment states:

The people have a right to keep and bear arms in a state militia.

The official Second Amendment reads:

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

In 2008, the Supreme Court decided in District of Columbia v. Heller (PDF) that the right to bear arms is independent of being a member of a militia. In 2010, the case of McDonald v. Chicago (PDF), the Supreme Court held that the Second Amendment restrictions on government applied to State as well as national government.

The book is authored by John J. Newman and was published in 2003 by Amsco School Publications Incorporated.
Continue reading →

Student: Prof Warns Ted Cruz-Teabaggers To Leave Class Or Go Home In Body Bag

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AliceGilbert-500x290by Austin Yack – UC Santa Barbara on May 5, 2014

SANTA BARBARA – Alice Gilbert can vividly recall her first day of class last fall in a black studies course called “The Obama Phenomenon” offered by Professor Otis Madison at UC Santa Barbara.

That’s because before his introductory lecture was over, the scholar “warned Ted Cruz-supporting ‘teabaggers’ to get the hell out of his classroom before he sent them home to their mother in a body bag,” Gilbert said in an email interview with The College Fix.

“The comment is from memory, however there were other students with me in the class who can attest to them,” Gilbert said. “When Professor Madison made his comments in the very first lecture, I was taken aback and offended.”

Gilbert said as a conservative student, she enrolled in the course to broaden her horizons and learn about the president from a perspective other than what she is normally exposed to, but dropped it after Madison’s remarks.

She never complained to administrators.

Read more at The College Fix

View the heavens Friday

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You will not see this.

You will not see this.

WILLIAMS – The Coconino Astronomical Society will be holding a viewing of the night sky on Friday, March 2d between 7:30 and 9:30 pm. The viewing will be held in the vacant area across from the laundry and Rod’s Steakhouse on Railroad avenue. The viewing is free.

The Society held a viewing last month in the same location and hopes to make this a monthly event. Tourist and residents of Williams are invited to come tour the skies.

The group picked this day because the brightness of the moon will not interfere with the viewing of other heavenly bodies. The group donates their telescopes and time to interest people in the science of astronomy.

Greatest play in baseball history.

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“And from time-to-time people ask, Well, are you upset because you spent nineteen seasons in the major leagues and your known for primarily stopping two people from burning the flag? If that’s all your known for, it’s not a bad thing at all.”

rick-monday-youtube
There are a myriad memorable plays in baseball history. This play by center fielder and Arizona State University alumnus Rick Monday on April 25th, 1976 in the 4th inning at Dodger Stadium was voted one of the best 100 plays of all times.

It did not set up a triple-play. It did not stop the winning run. What it did do is something more important to most people serving, or who have served, this country in the armed forces of the United States.

Source: Madison Rising

Governor Pence Signs Bill Taking Indiana Out of Common Core

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mike-penceIndianapolis – Governor Mike Pence today signed Senate Enrolled Act 91, which requires Indiana to adopt its own academic standards. The Governor issued the following statement:

“I believe our students are best served when decisions about education are made at the state and local level. By signing this legislation, Indiana has taken an important step forward in developing academic standards that are written by Hoosiers, for Hoosiers, and are uncommonly high, and I commend members of the General Assembly for their support.

“As the task of writing our new academic standards continues, I am grateful to the more than 100 Indiana educators who have put thousands of hours into a comprehensive, transparent, and rigorous process of academic review and am confident that our state will produce Indiana standards that will prepare our students for success in college, careers, and life.”

National Common Core victory in Arizona.

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PHOENIX – There was an unfortunate victory for the Common Core cirriculum in Arizona. Senate Bill 1310 failed on March 5 by a vote of 12 for and 18 against. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer and Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction John Hupenthal made an attempt at convincing Arizona citizens that Arizona controlled the standards by calling it Arizona College and Career Ready Standards.

S.B. 1310 would have prohibited the Arizona State Board of Education from implementing the Common Core Standards and require Arizona to withdraw from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). The bill would have prevented the Board of Education for implementing any standards that would effectively implement common core.

It would have require the Board of Education to adopt an existing college entry examination accepted by fifty-percent of the colleges in the country to measure the academic performance of students.

Common core standards ask students to rewrite the Bill of Rights.

Common core standards ask students to rewrite the Bill of Rights.

The common core standards have been under attack for some time. YouTube videos show common core proponents explaining that it is not important for students to get mathematical questions correct so long as they can “logically” explain their reasons for the incorrect answer. This seems to be a turn-around from the outcry a few years ago when it was discovered that United States students fared poorly against foreign students in math and science.

It was reported in November of last year that sixth-grade students of Milam Elementary School in Tupelo, Mississippi were told not to tell parents about one assignment. Digital Journal reported on an assignment to rewrite the Bill of Rights to the Constitution of the United States to make it compatible with the PATRIOT act.

According to the London Telegraph, fiction books are being replaced in the Bill and Melissa Gates foundation funded program in favor of non-fiction works such as Levels of Insulation by the US Environmental Protection Agency. According to this article:

Supporters of the directive argue that it will help pupils to develop the ability to write concisely and factually, which will be more useful in the workplace than a knowledge of Shakespeare.

Parents and grandparents locally have expressed concerns about the standards which are removing a requirement to learn cursive writing from the curriculum. This would make it difficult for students to read the original documents of the founding of the country such as the Constitution of the United State of America.

S.B. 1155, still in committee, will allow school districts and charter schools to opt out of the common core standards. S.B. 1095, also still in committee, would require the SBE to withdraw from PARCC and not implement common core standards. It would require the SBE to notify the speaker of the House and the president of the Senate before entering into any contracts with outside entities that develop multi-State academic standards.

In an 1816 letter to Joseph Cabell, Thomas Jefferson warned about the undue interference in local affairs by the national government.

No, my friend, the way to have good and safe government, is not to trust it all to one, but to divide it among the many, distributing to every one exactly the functions he is competent to. Let the national government be entrusted with the defence of the nation, and its foreign and federal relations; the State governments with the civil rights, laws, police, and administration of what concerns the State generally; the counties with the local concerns of the counties, and each ward direct the interests within itself.

In this letter he extended his opinion to the relationship between State and county government.

But if it is believed that these elementary schools will be better managed by the governor and council, the commissioners of the literary fund, or any other general authority of the government, than by the parents within each ward, it is a belief against all experience.

In 1800 he warned in a letter to Gideon Granger of Connecticut;

Our country is too large to have all its affairs directed by a single government. Public servants at such a distance, & from under the eye of their constituents, must, from the circumstance of distance, be unable to administer & overlook all the details necessary for the good government of the citizens, and the same circumstance, by rendering detection impossible to their constituents, will invite the public agents to corruption, plunder & waste.

Vladimir Lenin explained common core in 1917.

“Give us the child for 8 years and it will be a Bolshevik forever”


(Common Core mathematics explained)