Cake for All!

...here I am again!  This is fun.  I am so proud of America.  She takes on challenges and hardly winces.  She is full of ideas and allows those ideas to turn into dreams and realities.  We should all lead by her example...it can be done.  Why not allow ALL people to pursue their own happiness?  Problems occur when people want more and share less...let's take a trip to Chuck E. Cheese...okay, so we're in a van (America) with six kids (citizens and tenants) on the way to a play date.  Everything is great, until tokens are missing or limited, the pizza slices aren't the same size, and some of the machines are discovered broken after depositing tokens.  We're so much like those little kids who have nothing else to worry about except a few tokens.  America is young, too.

Why do individuals have the right to pursue their own happiness? This whole idea of individualism and conservatism is being played out right now in Washington, D.C. One party wants everyone happy and the other party wants the ones, who deserve it, happy. These sociologies or ideologies are both modern liberalism and conservatism.

Modern liberalism reflects on taste. Personal reflection and identifying with others in the group lead to major decisions and choices. Thinking one has an obligation to one’s country because of position, status, race, gender, and intellect, keeps things tidy and provides easy decision-making. This can lead to choosing “bells and whistles” over content.

Classical liberalism wrote the Constitution and other documents created during early America. Rights, liberty, natural ability, legitimate problem-solving, and equality were viewed as positive change agents. These brought about peace, economic liberty, and political choice. When classical liberalism was neglected, a complete opposite effect took on the system. However, amid depression, war, and despair, liberty has survived.

Yes, thankfully, liberty has survived. All people are seeking representation and respect. All needs are being considered. Varying ethnicities are evident on government forms and in documents. I do think that if one is an American or a new American, one should try to make positive change and give, rather than expect. America is built on a nation of people who care and believe in fairness. She will withstand even this test of time...

Where is God in our schools?

    
...Okay, so I entered this in the discussion board on Topic 1 about exclusion of students. It is a problem in schools. Yet, I also know it's a bigger problem after school. Living in other countries growing up gave me a broad perspective of people and cultures. My family encouraged my sister and me to accept, respect, love, embrace, and view ANYONE different. Our home had a value system that encouraged peace. Once again, schools are taking on another task and being blamed for not correcting the problem. Where is God in our schools? If the basic Commandments were allowed to be referred to can you imagine the impact on our schools and society? We need to teach love...      
      An individual’s identity provides a relationship to the world. People create their own survival patterns when choosing groups. Some people choose to remain in their comfort zone. They may choose to only associate with others of their race, gender, social category, academic status, and nationality. Identity development is important in all people; especially children. Self-esteem, well-being, and adjustment to environments are a few areas influenced by one’s perceived identity. Educators are not only responsible for the minds of their students. The educational system should promote self-worth. I believe that when students think they have a purpose, they pursue positive relationships. Bullying, drop-out rates, and poor attendance are problems schools could eliminate if campuses were welcoming and successful for “all who enter”. However, that is not the case. Accountability has caused leaders to view students as products. Their emotional needs are hardly considered in comparison to their academic needs.
      I think educators have such big hearts and sincerely care about people. The system swallows them up and squeezes out hopes and dreams of “making a difference in someone’s life” because so many good intentions were mandated before careful research. Inclusion seemed like an ethical idea. All children can learn and need to have the same experiences. It sure sounds great. If it keeps certain groups from being neglected, then more power to it. However, there is an imbalance. Policy makers keep administering Band-Aids…
      Teachers can best address expolitation and exclusion through professional development on the nature and needs of all students, valuing differences, and accepting challenges another culture or variable a student may present. ADMINISTRATORS NEED TO SPREAD THE LOVE. OFTEN, ONE OR TWO MORE EXPERIENCED OR NEW TEACHERS ARE SADDLED WITH THE "NOT-SO-LOVEABLE" STUDENTS. THE IMBALANCE WITHIN ELEMENTARY POPULATIONS IS A TRAVESTY. WHEN EACH TEACHER IS TREATED FAIRLY, THE STUDENTS WILL BE, TOO...THE EXPLOITATION AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION STARTS AT THE TOP.

First Day of Class

Well, after a sleepless night, I finally decided to check "my courses".  They look interesting.  The first two classes were such a great introduction to my new journey...

Blogging today has been my first area to complete.  The introductions on the discussion boards were nice.  I'm relieved to see so many colleagues returning. 

Now, I will post this and see if anyone can see it...hope it's correct...

Testing

This is my very first BLOG!  :)