Obama photo in every school? City portrait proposal stirs debate over setting precedent

I guess that if I thought the question relevent, I would answer it.

Do I pass your test?

I am truly hopeful that when you edit textbooks, you have use for a spell checker.

I am fascinated by the wide range of opinion about how education works best—public vs. private being one debate—assessment tools being another.

I have my own theory—read to a child, read often, teach them to read, encourage them to read often—feed them, clothe them, give them shelter, give them love.

They don’t need a heavy dose of political grandstanding, that’s for sure.

Whether its in the water, or in the genes, my theory doesn’t seem to have harmed my children. I won’t bore you with the outcome.

I am a product of public schools, until college anyway. My children, half and half. My major complaint with public Middle and High School education in this area is 1) safety, and 2) administrative nonsense.

In theory, I don’t know much about boxing, or unboxing kid’s potential. I am skeptical that any test does anything—perhaps because I’ve made a habit over the years of making monkeys out of test-makers.

I enjoyed hooking up with a young man in second grade named James this year. Apparently he tested poorly in his reading ability. You could have knocked me over with a feather when—on our second “date”—he read fluently, above his grade level. His problem was that he hated school—or so he said. If he hated it, he did not miss a Tuesday after we met. we’d do that lesson plan—knock it out to make ‘teach’ happy—and then we’d read and write together a remaining 15 minutes, and in between. We’d do a kind of show and tell. It was fun.

As far as I know, James was not a poor child, an abused child, a child who appeared neglected. He was “hungry”; and we feasted together, one hour a week.

James reminded me of the kids I once worked with at Carver.

Anyway, good luck with your tests. I am glad my children do not have to worry about being “unboxed”.

Aint, isn’t, giverment, government… let me dwell on the strategery of putting W’s cherub face on the wall as an inspiration to aspiring young minds.

LOL

Yes, I am willing to say that Obama has “earned” his current job title. We elected him (whether individually you did or not). And, yes, I stand by my remarks—lest they be misunderstood—that this brouhaha is not some high-minded vigelance on behalf of freedom from politics and/or religion—but that it is definately a public lynching of a black man making a perfectly reasonable proposition concerning a President—one who has a father who is from African descent (Kenyan) and a mother of largely English descent (a caucasian from Witchita, KS)—one born in Hawaii, raised and educated for a time in Indonesia, educated at Columbia and Harvard, active in Chicago politics, a State legislator, a Senator, and now President.

That a mixed race individual is embraced almost universally—across political lines—for his achievements and his accomplishments—by African Americans—yet seen by White America as a “black” President that has to “prove” his worth—yeah, that really hacks me off.

We can throw words back and forth—we both know that we can sling them with the best of ‘em—the fact remains, a large segment of white society in this community—many of them friends and neighbors of mine—cannot deal with race honestly.

And, yes, I’ve met more than a few African-Americans with a destructive chip on their shoulder that make it difficult to find common ground.

My point is, and has been, this is a remarkably simple, easy, cost-free way to inspire kids of any race and color—if we let that be. maybe that’s too much to expect.

I disagree that MR has been “driven underground”—its quite well exposed—you just know it by another name.

What’s the big deal with putting up the picture of the president? 2 members have already said that each new president should be put up in each new school (not each classroom). 
It is not just an Obama-only thing.
$90K for a sb member? Try $3000.

Fine.  Lets talk about the achievement gap.  Latest C’ville city schools overall sol pass rate by race was 94% white, 78% Black, 88% Hispanic. 

So then if a few less white and Hispanic kids failed some SOL tests then that would narrow the gap, and you’d be happy?

Are SOL test how you define success in school?  So how exactly would you like to see that happen? And should it be solely a school responsibility?

How about another measure?  Grad rate.  Actually I think it means something these days after the bogus measurement methodology of past years. 

It requires looking at the number of grads compared to the class 4 years prior.  For Whites it translates to 80% grad rate.  For Blacks….57%.  No listing for Hispanics that I could see.

It doesn’t break it down but generally boys graduate at a lower rate than girls.  So probably half or less of Black males are graduating. I don’t need to tell you what they means for economic outcomes or chance for incarceration.

That should be where your main concern lies, not SOL test results.

“rjma”: Wade is a freakin’ IDIOT!!!! Now go report me for this and while you’re at it, snitch me out to the White House for opposing the Joker/Coward in Chief, B. Hussein Obama’s socialized health plan! {BTW, he’s a freakin’ IDIOT also!)