Shining Thru

I was browsing the internet the other day and ran across this website http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/ Now, what’s interesting about this website is that it exists at all.  If you go to this website, it challenges you to do nothing but relax for two minutes, and there is a clock that counts down.  I would really like to know how many times people fail before they get to the end of their two minutes.  It’s not even like the computer would know if you did things that didn’t involve the computer, but I am willing to bet that most people cannot just sit there and listen to the soothing wave soundtrack they have playing on the site for two minutes without touching the keyboard or mouse.

I really think that we have gotten to the point where we are always multitasking or on the move in our society.  I am torn between thinking that is a good thing or a bad thing.  But if you think about it, I think it is pretty true for almost everyone I know.  We are either watching tv while we work, or listening to music AND talking on the phone AND driving AND drinking coffee.    How often do we just take the time to relax, or even just do one thing at a time any more?

The question was posed, what do you wish other people understood?  My answer….

I wish people understood that teachers have a life outside of the classroom

That although they care about the students, all 140 students are not their children

I wish people understood that it is not a realistic thought

for a teacher to see a student for one class five times a week and undo 15 years of bad habits or misinformation

I wish people understood that teachers are more than a babysitter

For on a daily basis, a teacher has to play the roles of teacher, mother, father, brother, sister, friend, counselor, nurse, and police officer

I wish people understood how involved a teacher is to their child’s future

….to the future of the country.

I wish people understood that although a school is responsible for the child’s well being during the day,

the parents are still ultimately responsible for the child, and an answer like “they’re your problem until 3″ is just pathetic

I wish people understood that a good teacher doesn’t start work at 8 and leave at 3

That the day begins early to prepare and set up and the grading goes late into the night, and summer vacation without work and preparation, is a far and distant memory

I wish people understood that the disrespect you show your child at home,

or the disrespect you accept from your child at home, gets transferred to the teacher during the day

I wish people understood that a teacher often loves their job,

while not in it for the money, they still has to pay their own bills, provide for their own kids

I wish people understood that not every child comes from a rich family with plenty to eat and love to go around

and that teachers are charged with making up the difference

I wish people understood that along with the academic standards for instruction,

a teacher is also expected to develop character, morals and ethics, behavior, work ethic, etc.

I wish people understood that just because something is announced as a good idea on the news

Doesn’t make it one.

Please check out the details of the new teacher pay bill and consider if we did everyone’s job this way:  a five minute survey after a police officer gives a ticket, or how about the police officer gets docked in pay if the same person gets another ticket for the same offense.  What if we gave a public survey out on all politicians and based their pay on the results?  What if doctor’s lost 30% of their pay because someone came to them with something that simply can’t be cured?  What are we teaching with a bill like this?

I believe this will only keep good teachers away from the students who need them the most.  And it’s funny how the only suggestion they have for getting the school districts more money is to give teachers less.  http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=14222574 It’s also interesting that they say that the pay incentive plan has not been set, but they are not saying that something has been released and circulated in the education world, here is what teachers have been said will determine their pay:

-All teachers will be paid on what they do (subject and content areas will determine your pay base)

-All Teachers will go through SAFE-T (ADEPT) every year – 4 evaluations (2 teacher and 2 administrator) – 50% of your score for pay

-Pre and post test data for your students (probably MAP 75% class growth) – 30% of your score for pay

-School collective test data – 10 % of your pay

-Professional responsibility – 5% if your pay (parents and students will be part of the evaluation process)

-Professional development measured by instructional practices – 5% of your score for pay

All of these points are outlined in the bill.  You can gain access to the whole bill at http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess119_2011-2012/bills/3363.htm

What is the purpose of an education?  Teachers today have to teach their content area, act as a mother/father, counselor, nurse, teach manners, etiquette, coach…and basically just fill in the gaps.  Why is it that some parents can be so wonderful and supportive of their children, while others can’t wait for school to start back up because they feel like schools provide free child care and comes with statements like:  “let them deal with them” or “they’re your problem now.”  It amazes me that some people don’t even want to own up to the fact that they have children, have no interest in raising them, simply give birth and leave it at that.

It’s amazing how some kids can be sent to school without having had anything to eat, no money, and haven’t slept at all the night before for whatever reason.  Then teachers are suppose to get that child ready for college when that kid really needs a good home life, not to know his times tables.  Not that they don’t need an education or don’t deserve it, but how can we expect these children to concentrate on academic work when all that they can think about is how hungry they are?

Are teachers suppose to work on the character of the student, the academics of the student, the extracurricular activities and abilities of the student, or supporting the student?  The truth is that they are expected to do all of that and make sure that the child is ready for college and “the real world.”

Today teachers are held accountable, which sounds like a good idea, until you realize that the people coming up with the standards and the evaluation process have never had anything to do with education.  They aren’t putting the students first, they are putting the numbers first, and that is not the way to help our students.

I know that “ignorance is strength” seems like a contradiction, I mean we are taught that our power comes from our education which is true…however, if you look back at history it is always the ignorant and people of the lowest class, generally also the largest class, that are used to actually fight the wars and the revolutions.  It takes someone who is not ignorant to get plant the seed of knowledge, but when you are ignorant you allow yourself to be open to only the knowledge that someone you trust wants you to know.

This quote comes from one of my favorite books, 1984, it is an excellent book that truly shows how the people with the knowledge control the people of ignorance with that knowledge and how much of it they choose to tell those who do not know.  In the book they take away words because if you take away words, you have no way of expressing your thoughts, and if you cannot express your thoughts, you eventually will have no thoughts.  They also always provide someone for the people to hate, because in finding someone to hate outside of their society, they provide something for the people to unite in.

I think that this book is an exact guide to taking over the people of society….and if you look at a lot of these things, it’s kind of scary how much of it resembles our society today.  How easily people will believe anything they see in the news, how ready the media is to give someone to hate.  And our younger generation is taking care of the destruction of language ….. so there’s not a whole lot left except to have big brother watching and take away all privacy, which eventually eliminates the feelings between people.

If people are not free to think and feel whatever comes naturally, they are in the power of those people who are controlling their inner selves.

We wonder why our society is going down hill, why the younger generation is less educated and more demanding…and then we read stories like the one found here http://fortheloveofya.blogspot.com/2010/10/censorship-at-its-finest-honoring-end.html and it all makes sense.  It is ridiculous that parents, educators, administrators, and community members would go to these types of extremes to hurt their children and obviously go against what is in the best interest of their children.  Stories like this make me sad, knowing that there are people out there who care and are doing everything, literally everything in their power to make a generation and help us to build a strong and educated younger generations, and then to see them get slammed down and attacked for caring and for doing their jobs.  Ridiculous that this is the state that we find our society and our education system in.  We wonder why we are stuck with the gimme generation as our future, when that is exactly what we are creating them to be…don’t work hard for what you want, simply ask until someone gives in after all you’re entitled to whatever you want because this is America….ridiculous that these are the values we are teaching our children by our examples that we set forth as parents or community members, by not standing up for what we know is right, but not holding them to a higher expectations, even what it is so obvious that is what they are craving the most.  My heart is breaking for the students who loss an amazing opportunity to be taught by someone who really cared about their future and really wanted them to learn and love to learn, someone who was indeed getting results….instead they were shut down, and shown by their parents and community that wanting to expand your mind simply wouldn’t be tolerated.  Those students may remember that they were taught to love reading and were introduced to new and wonderful things, but they will also remember that those thoughts and ideas persecuted someone who they held in high esteem, who they cared about and recognized that they cared about them.  This teacher’s story is one that should be shared and reviewed by everyone, no matter what country, simply because everyone should know that their actions are watched by the younger generation and maybe, just maybe people should give up control long enough to realize that maybe something they didn’t think of is actually in the best interest of their child or children.

I think it’s interesting that people throw a fit over how much violence is in the movies that kids watch today, but they never seem to worry about anything else.  I think that we should be more worried about not that kids might watch aliens or fighting with light sabers, but that they are being desensitized to much more realistic things in our every day society, like responsibility or hard work.  Today more kids than not are not held accountable for their own actions, and they do not realize that things that you get in this life need to be worked for.  I cannot believe how many teenagers and even younger kids that are angry with their parents because they didn’t get the latest IPhone, or whatever they are looking for.  Even though they still have nicer clothes, phones, and sometimes cars that I do and I have a job.  Many children these days don’t know what it’s like to have to work for anything.

I think that our society is worried about desensitizing our children to the wrong things.  I know there is the occasional crazy kid who thinks that the big battles on Star Wars are real, but I think for the most part kids only have healthy imagination and don’t actually feel the need to kill anyone after seeing a movie or playing a video game.  I do however think that we are doing our children a huge disservice by sheltering them from the realities of the real world and giving them more chances than anyone will give them as an adult.  Kids today get to go to summer school, or protest their grade, or have their parents protest their grades, or do online make up credits, all sorts of things, simply because they didn’t feel like doing the work the first time around and failed.  I don’t understand why we keep giving chances like this to children, it would be different if they were actually trying and just didn’t get it, but the ones I know will tell you out right that they simply didn’t feel like it.  Too many young people think that the world will bend to their whims and desires…it’s kind of scary when you think about a future of an entire generation that will be shocked when the realities of adulthood hit them…if they hit them….they might just keep going not understanding why things aren’t working out or letting their parents and grandparents continue to shelter them and do all of the work for them.

It’s amazing what a big influence tv shows have on our society sometimes.  Some characters that we get attached to and watch them like they are real people, feel sad or happy for them as the situations call for….it just seems crazy that we allow real emotions to become attached to fiction….  Now sometimes, fiction can be used to reveal the truth, that’s a quote from V for Vendetta.  And I agree with it.  I think a lot of people find personal truths in tv shows or amongst characters or movies.  There are a lot of great and memorable characters, story lines, and quotes that have entered into our society…. but sometimes I think it prompts people to believe in things that aren’t real or to expect life to be something other than it is.  Sometimes I think that some people expect life to be like a fairytale or a movie plot where the good guy always prevails in the end, even when you think he’s dead, somehow they bring him back in the sequel.

But life isn’t like that, and I think it’s hard sometimes for some people to realize that, or come out of denial and accept that fact.  I think that sometimes it’s easier for people to believe that like in the movies, your best friend will always have the perfect timing and show up right when disaster strikes and they will help you overcome whatever overwhelming odds you seem to have come up against….but in reality, friends come and go, and many times they don’t magically reappear down the road….sometimes they are gone forever, sometimes they simply don’t care, and sometimes they are there…but you never know for how long or for what purpose.

It’s always great to see an uplifting movie, sometimes they even make me cry…..I do wish that real life could be like that, where friends stay friends for life and are always there to look out for each other…but it simply isn’t so many times in real life.

It’s amazing the advances that have been made in communication in the past 100 years, and yet it seems like people are communicating less and less, which is hard to believe with emails, twitter, facebook, blackberries and everything else that people have become addicted to in the past several years.  With all of the comments and remarks that are made back and forth between people these days, I have to wonder how much actually gets said.

Some people have emotional breakdowns over what is posted on facebook, or someone’s blog, or God forbid, there is something wrong with their internet and they are cut off.    It’s funny when the power goes out and you see people look at each other in wonder, asking what are we suppose to do, as if there are not activities outside the world of technology.  It gets even funnier when someone does come up with something and they think, I’ll just message someone on the computer or email them or some other form of communication that doesn’t work, instead of simply calling them or going over to see them.

Actually going some place just to visit with people seems to have almost completely disappeared.  I have to wonder why we allow ourselves to rely on technology the way we do.  What is so important about checking our email as soon as it comes to the inbox, or feeling lost when we have no signal on our cell phone and can’t receive the text messages?

I’m not denying that communication and technology are important, I use them all of the time, in fact, I am one of those people that feels lost without access to the internet, even though I don’t use it every day, there is some type of comfort that comes with knowing that it is there if I want to be able to use it.  We expect communication to be instant these days, I can’t remember the last time I actually sat down and wrote a letter, even birthday cards are becoming fewer and fewer, when you can save the postage and simply send an ecard or message them on facebook or send a text.

So is it better to have instant communication or more heartfelt conversation?

I thought it was interesting today watching CNN…someone brought up the fact that the Media must have gone crazy…the only things that they have to say against President Obama is that there is an extra in a music video that looks like him and that he’s not showing enough emotion about the oil spill.  I mean, what do these people really want?  him to break down in sobs so that he can appear weak to the entire nation instead of strong and level headed.  They even insulted the fact that he was in business pants when he was down on the site…what did they expect for a Presidential Press Event?  I thought that the reporter who was commenting about this whole drama made a good point when he posed the question, do you want the President to play act the part for you, or go ahead and actually do something…

I have to wonder how often it is that the media gets people all hyped up about the wrong issues and how often people are pulled into the drama of the media craze….How often do people put their own priorities, thoughts and feelings aside because they have become caught up in the media frenzy and are now stuck on the point that has been driven into their head every time they have turned on the news or looked at the paper.

I wish our country would go back to thinking for themselves instead of being programmed into thinking whatever other people want them to think.

What is normal?  What seems normal and obvious to you may be the exact opposite to the person sitting next to you.  You never know what their experiences have been and you don’t know that your perception is shared by those that share the room with you now.  We have all come from different backgrounds, even if you grew up in the same neighborhood, maybe even as next door neighbors, that might mean that you have a better general, mutual agreement of the term “normal” but in reality, normal doesn’t exist.

Normal is some type of thing that we have fooled our society into believing.  Normal is a fake term that is used when people expect the other people around them to understand what is going on inside of their head.  The truth is that nobody can really be inside your head, and it shouldn’t be assumed that other people know your thoughts as if they are being broadcast on the wall behind you at all times…like the people you are talking to have cue cards.

I think that a lot of misunderstandings could be avoided if people were more open to the fact that not everyone has the same background, the same beliefs or the same views on things…and that is ok.  So many people get so defensive like their livelihood is being challenged simply because someone else has a different thought about something.  So instead of opening their mind up to a new experiences, they lock it down and dig in their heels to argue, when no argument is necessary.

“Normal”….that is something that doesn’t exist and probably never will.  What is normal is what the media tells the younger generations to believe is normal…but then what media are we talking about?  What stations are people watching?  What magazines are they reading?  What radio stations are they listening to?  All kinds of things define “normal” for our society, but in reality it is all a matter of perception.