Oil Company Gluttony

All right you lazy complacent Americans, when are you gonna start yelling "Uncle" and show a little spine??? Oil prices are gonna drive me to look for a "carmate", yesterday my electric bill was raised 24.00 a month, and groceries required a small pay day loan...and where are you?

Charging everything as usual.....

The Hispanic Soldier in Iraq

A lesson in irony. Let's decide the fate of thousands of people in our country. While we are doing it, watch them fight and die in a war with no purpose, representing our country.

Last week my third grade class won a pizza party for donating the most cans to the food pantry. This from a one of the poorest neighborhood schools in the district.

We won because one of my students' older brother, (home for two weeks from Iraq) brought in a huge box of cans.

Yesterday when we talked about Memorial Day and what is means, she began to cry.
You see, she has TWO brothers in Iraq fighting this war. It's not about faceless men -in our classroom. It is about someone we love, her two brothers and her family.

Each day she carried this worry with her, when she hears about men dying in Iraq.
Her parents are US citizens. But barely.

They still have family and land in Mexico.
As our Congress takes up this immigration bill I want them to think about Gladys and her two brothers in Iraq, not some faceless, stereotypical image of Mexican immigrants they want to shoot down at the border.

Welcome Hispanics and thank-you for what you do for our country.

Tony Snow is the new Merlin??

Even Merlin had credibility with his homies.

How can Tony Snow say some of the things he does with a straight face?

He must live in some kind of fantasy land.

I am assuming he must be when he denies Bush ever made an Al Quaida-Iraq link to the American Public.

What a joke.

Perception is 9/10 of the law

It's hot this time of year. 96 degrees by 11am . Summertime in the desert is reliable that's for sure-the constancy of the unbearable heat. knowing each day endures-I wonder how our weather reporters keep a straight face???

It was in this environment last week that my third grade class had a bad day. They couldn't seem to line up for lunch and the new vice principal grew frustrated. Since then, the label of "difficult" has been their doom.

We talked about perception. We discussed how we had to be 110% based on that distinction. At this point, no matter what they do, they are now last in line for lunch, leaving them with the leftovers and ten minutes to gobble down their food.

What do we do to change that perception? Continue to do our 110% and take the lumps of distortion?

This happens in the adult world as well. There is no more dangerous profession than education when it comes to perception. I have seen it happen to many good teachers. Something gets into the bonnet of a new administrator about an event. Followed by constant visits and observations of the particular teacher's classroom, looking for evidence to reaffirm the perception, the road to dissidence begins. Until the teacher finds a job at another school, the constant stress of wondering begins to wear. Place that stress on top of the already stressful job of working in an at-risk school, with incredible demands from many levels, and the teacher either 1) transfers to another school, 2) moves to another state or 3) leaves the profession.

Our school district is short 1300 teachers for the 2007-2008 school year.

It's no wonder teachers leave the profession.

All it takes sometimes is one incident to incite the 9/10 rule.

For my kids, it is a tough lesson -unlikely to be forgotten. I am not sure if any good will come of it in their minds. I balance it with challenges that agree with their talents and skills.

They may not have been able to get it together to get in line one day but is that the sum of their behaviors? Like adults, I think not. They just don't have the choice of opting out like we do.

Government Statistics.? hahahahaha.

I'd have to mortgage my house for a cross country trip...lol Could someone tell me where these oil refinery outages are located??

Motorists Unfazed by Climbing Gas Prices

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: May 16, 2007
Filed at 7:42 a.m. ET

NEW YORK (AP) -- The rising price of gasoline has certainly increased the amount of complaining from drivers paying $3 a gallon or more to fill up their cars, but it so far has done little to curtail how much people are driving.
That's the message from government statistics showing that demand for gasoline is only just starting to level off even as refinery outages and tight supplies have sent pump prices soaring by 43 percent since the end of January.

The pain in the ass in a group think...

Don't you just hate them? Just when everyone is getting along and agreeing on just about everything at work-and all goes smoothly-they have to jump in and say something totally not within the realm of all those who are working so harmoniously?? Major pain in the ass kind of people!

Who needs it! We work hard all day and they have the nerve to question -when we all AGREE that this is the best way...

They don't always get along with others. Don't eat lunch with us, don't meet after work for a drink...don't always stop by to chat ..they really don't belong-so why don't they just go somewhere where they can find their own kind??

What do they know? We are younger, fresher, have new ideas-we just came out of school-times are different....

So what if they believe they are effective? How can you be effective when you are questioning the status quo?

We don't need their bullshit. We wish they'd just go away....

..So said Enron to those who questioned their business practices...

So said the Bush administration to those who question leadership

So said the Republican Party who questioned Jeffers a few years ago when he followed his conscience..

So said the British monarchy when the loyal citizens of Britan began to question the King's rule...

So said...

So said...

To those with the courage to question, the fortitude to examine and speak another truth..

those with the willingness to speak despite the consequences of resisting group think...

Thank-You. I bow to you.

False accusations made of eight year old girls...

The health aide marched up to me during my lunch hour. She handed me a memo.

"student came to the nursing office before lunch crying, with her friend. Her friend stated during recess four eight year old girls(names listed) wrapped a rope around the girls necked and choked her.

Checked her neck and saw no marks. Asked student if she wanted to remain in the nurses office and she said she wanted to go to lunch."

Four of my third grade students were listed.

The Vice principal trailed behind her.

"Your kids are out of control, her tone accusingly dangerous.

"I read the statement", I replied.

"I don't believe this for a minute. I know these girls and they are some of my best kids. They would never do this."

"I don't want your kids outside for recess, they are out of control.", she stated.

"Not a problem, I told her, if you don't mind my not doing my duty outside I will keep them inside."

I asked the girls about it and they were mortified. In tears.

"That never happened, said one.

"We were playing jumprope and she fell", stated another.

"We would never hurt her", another tearfully replied.

Later in the day the child in question admitted that is exactly what happened and no one tried to choke her.

But it is in writing, in someone's file.

And this old lady does not like that one bit. Those kinds of dangerous accusations can follow a kid through all the years of school and it better not.

I sent an e-mail expressing my concerns that such an accusation was documented before the truth was even ferreted out. I want that memo trashed, and any one who has a copy to return it.

My girls are owed a big fat apology and this kind of garbage needs to stop.

Not one of my students have been written up or sent to the office this year. Not one.

This place needs to get it's act together. School records are dangerous weapons in the wrong hands.

And sadly, we have too many wrong hands in education administration.