"Keeping Students Safe in Texas," a blog written by one of my classmates, regarding fingerprinting of employees of the Dallas school system reveals the frightening truth about some educators in the Texas school systems. Over 10% have criminal records, some with very serious convictions.
It’s also very unsettling the number of criminal records which were revealed after these teachers were hired which must mean they did not complete their job application honestly. I’m relieved to know that the state is now running fingerprints that will ensure that applicants with a criminal background will not be teaching our children. For those criminals, especially with serious convictions, who have already been hired and placed in the classroom, those teachers should lose their jobs for two reasons – 1. They dishonestly completed their job application and answered “no” to the question: “Have you ever been convicted of a crime?” and 2. I don’t want a person convicted of a crime, especially a felony, teaching math, English, phys ed, or any other subject to our susceptible and trusting children. Although I don't have any children, one day I will.
It is an unsettling and frightening world and we need to protect our children to the best of our political ability and if that means finger printing educators before putting them in a building with hundreds of other kids, then I say so be it!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
To Teach, Or Not To Teach
A survey that was released on Monday reported that 98% of Texas scientists favor the unadulterated teaching of evolution in public schools. More than 450 biology and biological anthropology professors at fifty Texas colleges and universities participated in the survey. The state board of education is preparing to look at the controversy and weigh the pros and cons. The scientists believe that a student would be harmed if a weaker version of evolution was taught to the students.
I believe students should be exposed to all sides of the evolution controversy. If a weaker version is proposed, two things will happen. One, the student will do more research and become disappointed to know that their hard-earned tuition money is not being used to its full advantage, or two, not care because they don’t believe in that theory anyway. Different educational theories enable a student to think critically and outside their normal box. I know of some debates saying that if a student is to be taught the evolution theory, they must also be taught the creationism theory. I don’t believe that should be done because most scientists heavily favor and support the theory of evolutionism. If they are forced to teach the creationism theory, they will more than likely just “teach” from a text and I would rather be taught from someone who actually believed in the creationism theory, instead of just going through the motions.
One of the great things about going to college is to be taught to think for yourself. If a student chooses to not accept or be open to a particular theory, let them agree to disagree. The “agree to disagree” approach will better prepare them for the future and the stance they chose to take on controversial subjects.
I believe students should be exposed to all sides of the evolution controversy. If a weaker version is proposed, two things will happen. One, the student will do more research and become disappointed to know that their hard-earned tuition money is not being used to its full advantage, or two, not care because they don’t believe in that theory anyway. Different educational theories enable a student to think critically and outside their normal box. I know of some debates saying that if a student is to be taught the evolution theory, they must also be taught the creationism theory. I don’t believe that should be done because most scientists heavily favor and support the theory of evolutionism. If they are forced to teach the creationism theory, they will more than likely just “teach” from a text and I would rather be taught from someone who actually believed in the creationism theory, instead of just going through the motions.
One of the great things about going to college is to be taught to think for yourself. If a student chooses to not accept or be open to a particular theory, let them agree to disagree. The “agree to disagree” approach will better prepare them for the future and the stance they chose to take on controversial subjects.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Comment on "A Matter of Tar and Money"
I absolutely agree with “A Blue Dot in a Red State” about the state of our infrastructure. It’s bad and getting worse.
I work in downtown Austin and drive to work on 5th street then take 6th Street to Mopac to go home. The excessive pot holes, patched up old potholes, and random road construction screams that our streets are suffering incredible disrepair. One morning there might be a giant hole in one of the already tiny lanes and the next day it might be filled. Unfortunately, the fill does not make it much better and it becomes a circular speed bump. Cars swerve down 5th and 6th to dodge unfilled potholes and bounce off the bumps created by the fills, then swerve again because of the lane closures. It is frustrating and potentially dangerous. However, it is also somewhat embarrassing because there are luxury condos being built all over downtown. These upscale residents have to drive their luxury cars on these hazardous roads.
Enough venting. How do we fix it? I realize it is our hard-earned tax dollars that pay for our infrastructure, new and used. I don’t want to raise our tax base. So, I wonder the point of our toll road system? Wasn’t that revenue supposed to help pay for road repair? Bottom line – The state of our roads are in bad shape and dangerous for our drivers. It’s time to do something about it.
I work in downtown Austin and drive to work on 5th street then take 6th Street to Mopac to go home. The excessive pot holes, patched up old potholes, and random road construction screams that our streets are suffering incredible disrepair. One morning there might be a giant hole in one of the already tiny lanes and the next day it might be filled. Unfortunately, the fill does not make it much better and it becomes a circular speed bump. Cars swerve down 5th and 6th to dodge unfilled potholes and bounce off the bumps created by the fills, then swerve again because of the lane closures. It is frustrating and potentially dangerous. However, it is also somewhat embarrassing because there are luxury condos being built all over downtown. These upscale residents have to drive their luxury cars on these hazardous roads.
Enough venting. How do we fix it? I realize it is our hard-earned tax dollars that pay for our infrastructure, new and used. I don’t want to raise our tax base. So, I wonder the point of our toll road system? Wasn’t that revenue supposed to help pay for road repair? Bottom line – The state of our roads are in bad shape and dangerous for our drivers. It’s time to do something about it.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Going Door-to-Door
Harry Everett is the co-director of student services for the Richardson Independent School District. He has been going door-to-door to verify students’ addresses. With many foreclosures, parents have been lying about their child's address to keep them enrolled in the RISD district. Many parents feel that particular school district is more superior to the school district that they should enroll their child in because of their true residential address. Everett has even discovered addresses that lead him to local dry cleaners because that is where the parents work. This deception can keep students who legally live in the district from attending an RISD school. The district does make exceptions for students living with relatives or a guardian, but they must complete an affidavit explaining the reason for the living arrangement. Last year, the district received 3,300 affidavits. Everett also makes house calls for excessive absences, to make sure students are where they are supposed to be.
I think this interaction is absolutely needed. The more involved faculty and staff are, the better the success rate for their students. Everett's intention is to get them in school and keep them there, not to run them out. Private schools have such high success rates because the faculty gets involved with the students and their parents. They know everything about families and their circumstances. A friend of mine works for a high school in AISD, and she was shocked at the negative attention that she got from parents when she would try to contact them about their failing child. Sadly, they didn't want to be bothered. I think the grade average of Texas K12 students could be raised if the school faculty and the students’ parents would take more initiative and interest in each of their students/children. I think teachers need more of an initiative to care about each of their students. If teachers were given somewhat of a bonus if none of their students dropped out or failed, I think more Texas teachers would have the same approach of Everett. I feel the more care for their students the higher the success rates for Texas schools. Everyone should be more accountable. Every teacher should want all of their students in class, learning, and wanting to make a difference in their futures. Every parent should want the same educational success for their child, as it leads to achievement and success as adults. If all Texas schools take the interactive approach, I don't see why parents would continue to lie about their child's address in order to keep them in the more prestigious school.
I think this interaction is absolutely needed. The more involved faculty and staff are, the better the success rate for their students. Everett's intention is to get them in school and keep them there, not to run them out. Private schools have such high success rates because the faculty gets involved with the students and their parents. They know everything about families and their circumstances. A friend of mine works for a high school in AISD, and she was shocked at the negative attention that she got from parents when she would try to contact them about their failing child. Sadly, they didn't want to be bothered. I think the grade average of Texas K12 students could be raised if the school faculty and the students’ parents would take more initiative and interest in each of their students/children. I think teachers need more of an initiative to care about each of their students. If teachers were given somewhat of a bonus if none of their students dropped out or failed, I think more Texas teachers would have the same approach of Everett. I feel the more care for their students the higher the success rates for Texas schools. Everyone should be more accountable. Every teacher should want all of their students in class, learning, and wanting to make a difference in their futures. Every parent should want the same educational success for their child, as it leads to achievement and success as adults. If all Texas schools take the interactive approach, I don't see why parents would continue to lie about their child's address in order to keep them in the more prestigious school.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
In Who Do We Trust?
GREED, GREED, GREED! It’s a criminal shame that some “resources” turn greedy in times of disaster. And, it’s even worse that, without knowing it, we end up trusting them to handle our personal crisis in these disasters. Most of us assume we will never have a crisis so we don’t do our homework and check out those we are entrusting to help us through our times of trouble.
Greed has hit Texas and it could not come at a worse time. Local television station ABC-13 in Houston is reporting that as many as 75 Pasadena households may have been ripped off by an insurance agent from American National Insurance Company. The agent, Darryl Golter, apparently oversold homeowners windstorm coverage on their homeowner’s insurance coverage then turned around and pocketed the premiums. Conveniently, the agent has been out of town to comment on the matter, probably on a beach somewhere sipping daiquiris.
In the Burnt Orange Report, DeeceX wrote a blog about this unsettling issue on Thursday, October 9th titled “Surprise! People Getting Screwed By Insurers”. DeeceX brings up an interesting issue. What are homeowners supposed to do about the coverage they thought they paid for while they are trying to file claims from Hurricane Ike? The Texas Department of Insurance told them to call FEMA if they have had damages from Hurricane Ike. What? FEMA’s job isn’t to cover for greedy agents who pocketed the premiums and ran. Let’s see how fast FEMA repairs the damages from Ike for homeowners whose premiums didn’t really get paid. DeeceX calls this scandal “a Texas version of the Wall Street deregulation that is blowing up.”
And, about that. Isn’t it interesting how we can watch TV and feel so bad for those poor homeowners who are affected by the housing foreclosures and plunging stock markets yet we never think anything like this can happen to us. Well, it does happen to us!
The consequences of not doing our homework before we sign on the dotted line make us ultimately responsible for our actions. Yes, we can panic now about our large home purchase we made three years ago and now we can’t step past the foreclosure sign. We can regret buying the insurance from the shady insurance salesman who is now enjoying the beach at sunset. But better yet, let’s take a little time and check out the terms we are agreeing to before we actually agree to them to make sure everything is legit. Then we can be our own hero against the greedy villains.
Greed has hit Texas and it could not come at a worse time. Local television station ABC-13 in Houston is reporting that as many as 75 Pasadena households may have been ripped off by an insurance agent from American National Insurance Company. The agent, Darryl Golter, apparently oversold homeowners windstorm coverage on their homeowner’s insurance coverage then turned around and pocketed the premiums. Conveniently, the agent has been out of town to comment on the matter, probably on a beach somewhere sipping daiquiris.
In the Burnt Orange Report, DeeceX wrote a blog about this unsettling issue on Thursday, October 9th titled “Surprise! People Getting Screwed By Insurers”. DeeceX brings up an interesting issue. What are homeowners supposed to do about the coverage they thought they paid for while they are trying to file claims from Hurricane Ike? The Texas Department of Insurance told them to call FEMA if they have had damages from Hurricane Ike. What? FEMA’s job isn’t to cover for greedy agents who pocketed the premiums and ran. Let’s see how fast FEMA repairs the damages from Ike for homeowners whose premiums didn’t really get paid. DeeceX calls this scandal “a Texas version of the Wall Street deregulation that is blowing up.”
And, about that. Isn’t it interesting how we can watch TV and feel so bad for those poor homeowners who are affected by the housing foreclosures and plunging stock markets yet we never think anything like this can happen to us. Well, it does happen to us!
The consequences of not doing our homework before we sign on the dotted line make us ultimately responsible for our actions. Yes, we can panic now about our large home purchase we made three years ago and now we can’t step past the foreclosure sign. We can regret buying the insurance from the shady insurance salesman who is now enjoying the beach at sunset. But better yet, let’s take a little time and check out the terms we are agreeing to before we actually agree to them to make sure everything is legit. Then we can be our own hero against the greedy villains.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Live and Learn
Remember the common motto --“Live and you learn”? That is exactly what we need to be practicing. Another catastrophic hurricane has come and wiped out part of the Texas gulf shore. An editorial in the September 24, 2008 edition of the Austin American Statesman titled “Razing Texas, Raising Questions” brings up some serious issues involved with Texas coastal living.
Hurricanes will occur and chase residents away, but then these same residents can’t wait to come back to rebuild in practically the same place. With Hurricane Ike, new and old issues are being brought up yet again. Should people be allowed to rebuild with their backyard being the Gulf of Mexico? I have mixed views. When I go for a vacation to the beach, I want to be as close as I can to the water. I want to wake up to the sound of the ocean. It would be wonderful to have that life every single day, but that is the selfish side of me. The practical side is hurricanes will always come and that is just the way it is. Yes, there is hurricane insurance, but it affects taxes for others miles and miles away from the coastal areas. All Texans eventually end up helping to foot the bill and compensate coastal Texans for their losses. Damages from Hurricane Ike are estimating $2.1 billion. Why should we have to pay for their selfish living? There have been government efforts to move them further away from the coast for their physical and economic safety, but these residents have resisted the efforts. In January when the Legislature is scheduled to meet, they will confront questions such as how much insurance risk coastal residents should bear and how close to the shore should anyone be permitted to rebuild. With the threat of global warming and the rising sea waters, something needs to be done for the safety of our Texas gulf coast residents and the shores themselves. With a struggling economy, our state cannot afford anymore disasters like Ike.
I agree with the editorial. Something needs to be done. It is obvious to me that people and businesses will always want to locate by the ocean because of its sheer beauty and exquisite nature. That is never going to change. Not only do people want to live by the ocean, they want to vacation there as well. My proposal is once we clean up and rebuild the damages from Ike and the affects from Katrina, we need to save for the next big disaster. Instead of panicking after the damage, we need to be proactive and do what every American is being encouraged to do in this plunging economy – SAVE!. We need to save for the next hurricane whether it is next year or four years from now. We need to be prepared. Instead of raising taxes and pulling money from places where there is no money, there should be a fund ready to be distributed.
To see the full article click on the title of the editorial above.
Hurricanes will occur and chase residents away, but then these same residents can’t wait to come back to rebuild in practically the same place. With Hurricane Ike, new and old issues are being brought up yet again. Should people be allowed to rebuild with their backyard being the Gulf of Mexico? I have mixed views. When I go for a vacation to the beach, I want to be as close as I can to the water. I want to wake up to the sound of the ocean. It would be wonderful to have that life every single day, but that is the selfish side of me. The practical side is hurricanes will always come and that is just the way it is. Yes, there is hurricane insurance, but it affects taxes for others miles and miles away from the coastal areas. All Texans eventually end up helping to foot the bill and compensate coastal Texans for their losses. Damages from Hurricane Ike are estimating $2.1 billion. Why should we have to pay for their selfish living? There have been government efforts to move them further away from the coast for their physical and economic safety, but these residents have resisted the efforts. In January when the Legislature is scheduled to meet, they will confront questions such as how much insurance risk coastal residents should bear and how close to the shore should anyone be permitted to rebuild. With the threat of global warming and the rising sea waters, something needs to be done for the safety of our Texas gulf coast residents and the shores themselves. With a struggling economy, our state cannot afford anymore disasters like Ike.
I agree with the editorial. Something needs to be done. It is obvious to me that people and businesses will always want to locate by the ocean because of its sheer beauty and exquisite nature. That is never going to change. Not only do people want to live by the ocean, they want to vacation there as well. My proposal is once we clean up and rebuild the damages from Ike and the affects from Katrina, we need to save for the next big disaster. Instead of panicking after the damage, we need to be proactive and do what every American is being encouraged to do in this plunging economy – SAVE!. We need to save for the next hurricane whether it is next year or four years from now. We need to be prepared. Instead of raising taxes and pulling money from places where there is no money, there should be a fund ready to be distributed.
To see the full article click on the title of the editorial above.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Article Introduction
Texas delegates were showered with an assortment of gifts the week of the Republican National Convention by two of the state’s most popular political figures. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson and Governor Rick Perry were sending their love and praises to many of the GOP delegates attending the convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. Hutchinson attended the convention and posed for pictures with just about anyone who asked. Many delegates were wearing cowboy hats autographed by Hutchinson. She also gave out red tote bags with her name on them, filled with treats for each of the delegates. Perry stayed in Texas due to Hurricane Gustav, however, he did sponsor both a breakfast and after hours party, and also organized a prayer service for the delegates. His wife, Anita, did attend the convention to spend a day "glad-handing" the delegates. Are we starting to see potential candidates for the 2010 Texas governor’s race? All of the signs are there.
The Dallas Morning News posted an article on Friday, September 5th titled Hutchison, Perry keeping their names out there with gifts for Texas delegation, written by Christy Hoppe. Bill Lawrence of Highland Village said “Logically, this is where it would start.” Both individuals are supported and thought of very highly in Texas. This could be a tough choice for future voters because many are predicting these are the candidates in the race for the 2010 Texas governor.
I think candidates do need to start this “buttering up process” of voters and delegates early to make it known that they might be considering running in the next election for such a prominent elected position. The national convention seems to be the ideal time and place to start when everyone’s spirits and enthusiasm are so high.
To see the full article, click on the title of the article above.
The Dallas Morning News posted an article on Friday, September 5th titled Hutchison, Perry keeping their names out there with gifts for Texas delegation, written by Christy Hoppe. Bill Lawrence of Highland Village said “Logically, this is where it would start.” Both individuals are supported and thought of very highly in Texas. This could be a tough choice for future voters because many are predicting these are the candidates in the race for the 2010 Texas governor.
I think candidates do need to start this “buttering up process” of voters and delegates early to make it known that they might be considering running in the next election for such a prominent elected position. The national convention seems to be the ideal time and place to start when everyone’s spirits and enthusiasm are so high.
To see the full article, click on the title of the article above.
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