DSHS in 2002 in the courts stated in regards to the issues of health, safety and well-being of children in care and which the Washington Supreme Court rejected:
"the State’s arguments....children in foster care have no constitutionally protected rights or that the rights they do possess are no greater than convicted criminals in prison."
and:
"The Court also rejected the State’s defense that budgetary constraints allow it to violate the rights of children for whom it is caring...."
This is chilling. Who are the people running or connected to DSHS that have this mindset?
From: Braam v. State of Washington
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Eco-healthy family home child care
209 family home child day care providers in Oregon are certified "eco-healthy" by the Oregon Environmental council.
Check out the the link below for some inspiring stories and ideas about the nature connection that is so important to children.
One of these providers was in my class today. After visiting her and others' eco-healthy day care homes I'll post my observations.
Good stuff.
http://www.oeconline.org/kidshealth/ehcc/ecoqualified
Check out the the link below for some inspiring stories and ideas about the nature connection that is so important to children.
One of these providers was in my class today. After visiting her and others' eco-healthy day care homes I'll post my observations.
Good stuff.
http://www.oeconline.org/kidshealth/ehcc/ecoqualified
Friday, April 25, 2008
DYKNWHWPPLWRTNTHBGNNNG?
BNSTDYNGTHHSTRYFRDNGNDWRTGNDTSFSCNTNGWHTDYTHNK
Been studying the history of reading and writing. It is fascinating. What do you think?
More later. Can you guess what this is about?
Been studying the history of reading and writing. It is fascinating. What do you think?
More later. Can you guess what this is about?
Sunday, April 20, 2008
A Reading and Writing Story
I've been asking friends and students I teach what they remember about learning to read. Below my friend Grace Stueve shares what she remembers:
To be able to write is a skill that should not be taken for granted although at times I tend to do so. There are many people who actually cannot write. That seems incredible to me.
I think I learned to write before I went to school. I know my son did. I can remember him being seated at a table with paper before him and pencil in hand laboring to write a letter to his grandmother while I was busy with some household task that required my attention.
He would ask how to spell certain words and I would trace the letters out in the air with my index finger and he would copy the motions onto his paper. It served as well as a blackboard and made it unnecessary for me to interrupt what ever I happened to be occupied with at the moment, and in the process he learned to write.
It seems to me that most children want to learn to write before they are old enough to go to school. It is valuable to their sense of identity to learn how those marks on paper represent the sound that is their name and the names of all other things in the world. As it is written in the Bible, "In the beginning was the word." There is something awesome - maybe even holy about writing.
Such was the miracle that transformed Helen Keller who was struck deaf, dumb, and blind by an illness at the age of eighteen months. When she realized that the letters traced by her teacher into the palm of her hand represented the names of the physical objects of the world she was able, in spite of of her multiple handicaps, to make sense of her life and grow to fame in spirit and intelligence.
As for myself, I cannot imagine what life would be like if I could not write. At present I am attempting to file things - mostly unpublished - that I have written in my lifetime of 80 years. Some of it goes back to childhood, others are the reams of writing - that defies classification - which I have turned out in the last ten years while attending THE HUDSON HOUSE WRITER'S STUDY GROUP started by Mary Kirkendall.
I once mentioned my filing problem to another good friend who had the solution. She said, " You have a shredder don't you? Why don't you just shred them?"
And do you know what? I think she was serious. She is a remarkably sane person and I generally agree with her opinions. But obviously she not a writer.
Grace Stueve
To be able to write is a skill that should not be taken for granted although at times I tend to do so. There are many people who actually cannot write. That seems incredible to me.
I think I learned to write before I went to school. I know my son did. I can remember him being seated at a table with paper before him and pencil in hand laboring to write a letter to his grandmother while I was busy with some household task that required my attention.
He would ask how to spell certain words and I would trace the letters out in the air with my index finger and he would copy the motions onto his paper. It served as well as a blackboard and made it unnecessary for me to interrupt what ever I happened to be occupied with at the moment, and in the process he learned to write.
It seems to me that most children want to learn to write before they are old enough to go to school. It is valuable to their sense of identity to learn how those marks on paper represent the sound that is their name and the names of all other things in the world. As it is written in the Bible, "In the beginning was the word." There is something awesome - maybe even holy about writing.
Such was the miracle that transformed Helen Keller who was struck deaf, dumb, and blind by an illness at the age of eighteen months. When she realized that the letters traced by her teacher into the palm of her hand represented the names of the physical objects of the world she was able, in spite of of her multiple handicaps, to make sense of her life and grow to fame in spirit and intelligence.
As for myself, I cannot imagine what life would be like if I could not write. At present I am attempting to file things - mostly unpublished - that I have written in my lifetime of 80 years. Some of it goes back to childhood, others are the reams of writing - that defies classification - which I have turned out in the last ten years while attending THE HUDSON HOUSE WRITER'S STUDY GROUP started by Mary Kirkendall.
I once mentioned my filing problem to another good friend who had the solution. She said, " You have a shredder don't you? Why don't you just shred them?"
And do you know what? I think she was serious. She is a remarkably sane person and I generally agree with her opinions. But obviously she not a writer.
Grace Stueve
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Quit Blaming Parents
I sent a letter off this morning to the Columbian newspaper in Vancouver regarding an opinion piece they printed on April 17, 2008
RE: Parent Involvement key to education by Elizabeth Hovde
It’s not the parents fault. It’s Dr. W. Horsley Gannt, G. Stanly Hall, James Earl Russell, James McKeen Cattal and Edward Thorndike’s fault. They all studied many years in Prussian Germany to bring that educational system to America.
By 1930 we got “look-say” method of teaching reading. By 1935 all of a sudden numerous types of reading disabilities popped up.
Learning to read was easy. This small circle of men valued Prussia and made our school systems about social control. They specifically did not want voracious readers and independent thinkers.
Something that is both free and compulsory is a big red flag.
In “To Kill a Mockingbird” Atticus courageously went against the whole town to stand up for someone wrongly attacked.
But Atticus didn't stand up for his kid, Scout. It was the 1930's and Scout got in trouble at school for already knowing how to read. He had to do it on the fly. Why?
Longer days in school are not the answer.
With these continually failing bureaucracies cries for reform are heard. Oh, yeah and more money.
When history is hidden from us we lose.
RE: Parent Involvement key to education by Elizabeth Hovde
It’s not the parents fault. It’s Dr. W. Horsley Gannt, G. Stanly Hall, James Earl Russell, James McKeen Cattal and Edward Thorndike’s fault. They all studied many years in Prussian Germany to bring that educational system to America.
By 1930 we got “look-say” method of teaching reading. By 1935 all of a sudden numerous types of reading disabilities popped up.
Learning to read was easy. This small circle of men valued Prussia and made our school systems about social control. They specifically did not want voracious readers and independent thinkers.
Something that is both free and compulsory is a big red flag.
In “To Kill a Mockingbird” Atticus courageously went against the whole town to stand up for someone wrongly attacked.
But Atticus didn't stand up for his kid, Scout. It was the 1930's and Scout got in trouble at school for already knowing how to read. He had to do it on the fly. Why?
Longer days in school are not the answer.
With these continually failing bureaucracies cries for reform are heard. Oh, yeah and more money.
When history is hidden from us we lose.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Identity
It comes to me after all these years after a life time of watching people interact, labeling oneself may close the shutters to in-coming information.
It seems that is why is can be so hard to discuss religion and politics. The dialog, the interactions, the communication is really not about the subject. Rather people are defending their identities.
The only person I can think of at the moment who listened and experienced new information unhindered by his current identity; and then drastically made a change in his life was Malcolm X.
There may be others, but its not coming to mind at this moment.
It seems that is why is can be so hard to discuss religion and politics. The dialog, the interactions, the communication is really not about the subject. Rather people are defending their identities.
The only person I can think of at the moment who listened and experienced new information unhindered by his current identity; and then drastically made a change in his life was Malcolm X.
There may be others, but its not coming to mind at this moment.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Decoding History
The opportunity I was given to do research on the SEIU (Service Employees International Union) took me to the library to do broader research.
I found a book on the history of the NEA (National Education Association). Wow, wow and big wow.
More on that later.
I looked up the NEA's website. On the NEA website they don't tell you the names or history of the men responsible for forming the NEA; and where they were educated.
It's a big wow.
Check it out at the library: "NEA: Trojan Horse in American Education" by Samuel Blumenfeld.
I've been doing some informal research and I find people curious and thirsty for real opportunities to learn.
More about that later as well.
I love going to the library. And yea for librarians.
I found a book on the history of the NEA (National Education Association). Wow, wow and big wow.
More on that later.
I looked up the NEA's website. On the NEA website they don't tell you the names or history of the men responsible for forming the NEA; and where they were educated.
It's a big wow.
Check it out at the library: "NEA: Trojan Horse in American Education" by Samuel Blumenfeld.
I've been doing some informal research and I find people curious and thirsty for real opportunities to learn.
More about that later as well.
I love going to the library. And yea for librarians.
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