Sign a petition asking textbook companies not to produce textbooks based on the Texas Board of Education’s politically charged curriculum standards. Our children deserve education standards based on sound scholarship and expertise, not personal partisan political agendas. Sign the petition today:
Posts Tagged ‘Education
From People for the American Way:
Thomas Jefferson banned in Texas schools? Maybe… if the Right has its way. The fight is still on to keep absurd changes out of the Texas social studies textbook standards, with the final standards set to be adopted by the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) on May 21.
Right-wing members of the SBOE are using the textbook standards in Texas to rewrite history in a way that could impact students across the U.S., tossing out facts in favor of propaganda like:
- America is a Christian country, founded on “Biblical principles.”
- Conservative icons from Ronald Reagan to Newt Gingrich, Phyllis Schlafly, the Moral Majority and even Sen. Joseph McCarthy are history’s “good guys,” but progressives and progressive values are at odds with what it means to be “American.”
- Words like “democracy” (sounds like “Democrat!”) have nothing to do with America — we’re a Republic — In fact, “capitalism” has sort of a negative connotation to some, so they want that word to be universally replaced with “free market.”
- Some of the major contributions of Thomas Jefferson — arguably America’s greatest thinker — are on the chopping block, as are the contributions of other important figures not favored by the zealots on the Texas State Board of Education, like Cesar Chavez and Thurgood Marshall. (Who’s next? Martin Luther King? FDR?)
Texas is just ground zero for what is clearly a national effort. We need to make sure that whatever standards are adopted in Texas, they do not affect the social studies textbooks used by students in other states.
The Texas State Board of Education traditionally has tremendous power in determining the content of textbooks not only for Texas students but for students across the U.S. Texas reviews and adapts textbook standards for the major subjects every six years, and because of the size of the state’s market, textbook publishers often print books consistent with the Texas standards. Last year, they attracted national ridicule for trying to inject creationism into science textbooks. This year, they’re voting on social studies standards.
The right-wing majority on the State Board wants indoctrinate Texas students into this new perverse revisionist history. PFAW is supporting our allies on the ground in Texas who are working to make sure students have the chance to learn history as it occurred, not how the Far Right wish it had happened. But we need to do all we can to make sure this is not exported to other states and school districts as well. Help us take extremism out of textbook decision making and let our children learn the truth in the classroom.
From the Arizona Education Association:
Last Friday, Governor Jan Brewer released her budget proposal, which includes cuts to education programs, funding for health and services for children and mentally ill. View a summary of the major items and the education budget impact online.
The governor’s budget proposes permanently eliminating several non-formula education programs as well as funding for full-day kindergarten. The proposal also targets health care for Arizona’s children and families by cutting funding for several health and human service programs such as KidsCare, which provides health insurance for nearly 47,000 children, and AHCCCS, which provides health care coverage to over 300,000 Arizonans. In addition, the budget eliminates behavioral health services for people who aren’t eligible for Medicaid, impacting over 17,000 seriously mentally-ill adults.
The budget proposal also includes a three-year, one-cent sales tax increase, which requires a super majority vote (40 in the House and 20 in the Senate) in order to approve.
This budget outlines the dire situation Arizona’s children and families are facing. With a $1.4 billion deficit this year and a $3.2 billion deficit next year, the governor’s proposal balances the budget with deep cuts to programs that service Arizona’s most vulnerable and high-needs population – even with the sales tax increase.
Arizona’s governor and legislature need to look at other budget options. The Joint Appropriations Committee will review the governor’s budget with legislators on Wednesday afternoon. The governor’s budget is only a proposal at this time. There will hopefully be bi-partisan negotiations that take place to resolve the deficit for both FY10 and FY11. E-mail the governor and legislators today to consider a comprehensive, bipartisan approach to balancing the budget without raiding funding that services our children and families.
Additionally, make sure to take this message out to your community. It isn’t enough to send one message to lawmakers. You need to get your community involved and get people you know to send messages and take action. On March 4, 2010, at 4 p.m. thousands of education supporters across the state will be mobilized in concurrent community outreach activities. Get involved with the AEA March4Schools Statewide Day of Action by visiting www.march4schools.com.
26
May
09
Long weekend blues
It’s now Monday night and somehow, against all odds, I made it through the long Memorial Day weekend with my family. Of course, there were a few problems along the way – like when I ended up spending most of Sunday afternoon at my local urgent care clinic because my right eye was red and throbbing (apparently I have uveitis, which is a fairly common complication of lupus) – but even that unfortunate experience yielded an unexpected benefit: it gave me a legitimate excuse to stay home while the boys went to see Wolverine. So tomorrow we return to our normal routines, thank goodness…I mean, I adore my family but after spending three days in a row cooped up with them in our small house, I start feeling like a trapped animal – ready to gnaw my own leg off in a desperate attempt to escape at any cost.
It is going to be a busy week since I have two projects to work on, one of which must be completed by the end of this month. Coop is out of school now so I’m going to have to find things to keep him occupied so we don’t end up driving each other absolutely insane. Ken is leaving tomorrow to work out of town for the rest of the week, which will be helpful…although I’ll miss him, I get more done when he’s not around.
On June 1st I’ll also start taking the classes I need to get certified as a teacher. This is something I’ve been interested in doing for quite a while but I’ve been distracted by other projects and my ever-present health issues. I’ve finally realized, however, that I can’t put my life on hold indefinitely – the only way to know if I’ll be able to do something or not is to try it and see…and I’m way overdue on trying something new.
14
Apr
09
Low points in parenting
This has been a pretty rough week: I haven’t been feeling well, work has been stressful, and I have basically been running myself ragged trying to keep up with everything. For a little extra excitement, I also have the wild mood swings and frequent emotional outbursts of my 13 year old son to deal with. I try to be as patient and understanding as I can be with him – after all, I do remember what it’s like to be that age so I know it’s no picnic for him either. But even though I have the best of intentions, sometimes I just can’t take it anymore. I reached a low point yesterday when I was arguing with my son for the umpteenth time that day and I found myself telling him to “quit acting like a dick”. Now, in my defense, he WAS acting like a dick but since this is probably normal behavior for 13 year old boys, it wasn’t helpful or productive to point it out. I felt bad almost immediately after saying it since I don’t usually lose my cool like that. After I said it, he looked stunned for a moment and then stormed off, slamming doors and banging on the wall as he went to lock himself in his room. When he emerged later after we’d both had a chance to cool down, we apologized to each other and things went much better for the rest of the day. He brought it up later, telling me that my telling him he was acting like a dick had really bothered him and caused him to think about his behavior. It seems that my telling him he was acting like a dick was a more effective corrective measure than the usual grounding or taking away the X Box…who knew? Used sparingly and judiciously, this might be a great new addition to my parenting arsenal…
06
Feb
09
What I learned today
How to Make a Ballet Bun
from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Making a strong, durable ballet bun is very easy, but it may take a little practice if you're unfamiliar with it. Go over these steps and try making a bun at home before you use it for class or a performance.
Steps
- Brush hair and make it so that there are no tangles.
- Pull back into a ponytail using a comb to remove the bumps. If necessary, spray the hair with a cheap, quick-drying hairspray. You have already used a comb to remove the lumps, so now use hairspray to smooth with your hand all of those wisps up and into the bun.
- Put an extra rubber band around your ponytail, just for extra security. It is important to have a strong foundation for your bun so it doesn't fall down.
- Separate your ponytail in half.
- Take one half and twist the whole strand together, tightly.
- Tightly wind the strand of hair around the ponytail holder, as if curling around it, not over it. You should probably use heavy-duty hairpins such as Scunci Bobby Pins to hold up your hair. They are about $2.00 for 18. Most people find that an actual hair pin versus a bobby pin can hold their hair better. You will want to get the thicker kind, especially if you have thick or curly hair, because the thin ones are easily bent out of shape.
- Securely fasten the hair. You can do this by putting a bobby pin in like your bun like it was a clock. 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, and 9 o'clock. If the first half of your bun feels a little shaky, put more bobby pins in where desired.
- Repeat these same steps for the second half of your ponytail.
- For extra security, cover your bun with a hair net that matches your hair color. (Hint: If you have blonde hair, don't use the gray hair net because then your bun looks purple. If you're a brunette, don't use the blonde hair net because then you have a lighter bun than the rest of your hair and that gives you the air of being unprofessional and/or colorblind.)
- If there are any wispies, or frizzies, lightly spray with hairspray, all over.
Video
Tips
- If your hair is long, don't use standard sized bobby pins. This won't hold your hair up.
- The location of the ponytail will determine the position of the bun. A bun looks good when it is just below the crown of the head. There it looks elegant and gives you a better line.
- Make sure these bobby pins match your hair color. It will look odd if you have dark hair with light pins.
Things You'll Need
- Heavy duty bobby pins or hairpins that match your hair
- Hair net that matches your hair color
- Regular bobby pins that match your hair color
- Hair spray
- Ponytail holders
- Hairbrush
- A mirror or some sort of reflective device
Related wikiHows
- How to Make a Messy Bun
- How to Make a Donut Bun
- How to Make a Hair Roll
- How to Perfect a Pirouette
- How to Tell if You Are Ready to Go on Pointe
Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make a Ballet Bun. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.
