unCommon Core

Approximately 2 years ago, I embarked on a research journey into the world of education.  Unfortunately, there were compatibility issues between my browser and virus software.  Losing the browser meant losing all the bookmarks I had accumulated.  I will do my best to recreate some of  it  for your reading enjoyment.

What is a Lexile?  If you click on the link, you'll find out that it's "an educational tool that uses a measure called a Lexile to match readers of all ages with books, articles and other leveled reading resources." That sounds pretty clear, right?  I'm just kidding ~ there's nothing clear about it at all.  Lexiles came about because of  "work that A. Jackson Stenner, MetaMetrics chairman and CEO, was performing for the national evaluation of Head Start, when he had to compare different programs from across the country that used different outcome measures.^[12] These different outcome measures were due to the different tests that were used to measure academic skills."  Ahhh........that makes more sense.  A. Jackson Stenner was confounded.  Thus, a company was born.  Metametrics, Inc has a few white papers that fully explains all one would ever want to not know about standardised measurement for reading.  And once they had buffaloed convinced school districts across the country to adopt their system of measurement, it was on to bigger and better things.  Ever hear of Common Core?  You can follow up on the  psychometrics of it all,  just like I did.  It'll hurt ~ don't say I didn't warn you.

So, we have administrators who are adamant that children read at their Lexile level!  Which has been determined through testing assessments.  Some administrators really like to micro-manage by continually checking testing assessment scores results and hounding teachers to let no child read a book that is 25 points lower than their Lexile score.   Or else.  (okay, I just threw that in there to make me laugh)

I've got a secret I'd like to share.  Get in close so I can whisper it to you.

Reading should be a joy, not a chore!!

What the hell is wrong with adults in education?!!  Have you forgotten what it's like to get lost in a good book?  Or laugh out loud in the middle of a page?  Or cry when you can absolutely feel the pain of the underdog?  How can you so easily get caught up in the educational buzzwords issued each year?  Differentiated instruction, my patootie!!

I still retain a vivid memory at the conclusion of high school ~ the exhilaration when I realized I would never have to read another book that wasn't of my choosing!  Always being an avid reader, I then turned into a voracious reader.  Gobbling up authors, genres, subjects of interest. Guess what?  I continued to learn.  Not in a formal or guided way.  Nope. I was done with that.  My teacher would be the world of words.  So my heart hurts for children these days.  I had choices in school that they  no longer have, and even I felt shackled.  What will today's crop of children feel on their last day of high school?  Will they feel ready for the college or careers that Common Core will supposedly prepare them for?  Will they feel relief at never reading another book as long as they live?

If your hands are tied, you are no longer an educator, but an inmate in a system that bills itself as being all about the children, when it is anything BUT.  I know and adore so many teachers.  I can only hope that some of them will take time from their busy lives to read something that may give them courage, ideas, or hope:  The Underground History of Education in America.  One could purchase the book and hold it in their hands. Or actually read it online. One chapter at a time.  Each word in the preceding sentence is a separate chapter from the book.  Just read 5 pages of any chapter and then tell me you don't want to read any more. I can accept that.  But if you read 5 pages and discover you want to read 5 more, then 5 after that, do me a favor and tell a friend about it.

I've read several articles about various teachers/groups turning their backs on Common Core.  What I find most interesting about these articles are the comments sections that follow.  I've gotten a sense that some teachers truly dislike Common Core, but are afraid to speak up for fear of losing their job.  Guess what? MANY people have that fear, MANY people have already lost their jobs, and many more people WILL lose their jobs.  That's what happens in a Depression.  I submit the story of Ann Barnhardt for inspiration. While she is not in education, she has deliberately blown up her life in order to do the right thing.  Read her letter and see if you don't agree.

It's Spring. Can I start to grow now?

For some who aren't quite sure about having a garden, I highly recommend this gardening documentary as a place to start one's information journey.  As much as I have read (and personally experienced) over the years, THIS documentary actually made me stop, ponder, and acknowledge the sense it made.  Of course, nothing is applicable to everyone all the time, so it's well worth the investment of your time to examine other resources.  There are many ideas in the world of container gardening that can be done on a small OR large scale.   I have found a plethora of ideas and suggestions in the  permaculture world.

If one is contemplating backyard chickens, you can just bet there are TONS of suggestions on how to build or buy whatever your heart desires. Who knew there was so much to learn about eggs?   They've even figured out how to keep chicken poo out of their water.   This was my education in how to process chickens by Joel Salatin.

Does it sound tempting to build a smoker and give meat an unmistakable flavor?  Have you gone paleo or decided that you'd like to limit your contact with fluoride?  A 14:41 Youtube video comparing water filtration systems.  This is the solution I chose for everyday use.  And a little use of toothpowder further reduces the fluoride from your body.

At one time, people were actually encouraged to do some things for themselves.

Times sure have changed, eh?

We really can make a difference in our own lives. One seed at a time.

Have you entered the Twilight Zone?

We need better educated children if they are going to compete in the global market.
Headlines like that are pounded into our heads every day.  Do you ever ask yourself "why"?  A short article discussing manufacturing in America does NOT list "higher education" as a reason why factories relocated to southern states in the '80's and other countries after NAFTA was signed into law.   What would be a good reason companies relocated?  If you guessed highly educated workers cheap labor, you would win the prize.  The garment industry is well known for their use of sweatshops and child labor.  What might not be as well known is the myriad of tales regarding the electronics industry.  iCrap  manufacturer  Foxconn is one company that has received a lot of scrutiny. And there are others.

So, if Americans want to compete in the global market, we need to become more like third world countries?  Apparently so, since that's where our jobs have gone.  I'd like to say it's important that we be able to compete with China, but I'd have to say we already are.

I'm beginning to think a few things aren't adding up. Maybe you can help me out with this one:
   Our education system has been reformed from No Child Left Behind to Common Core, which will educate the children in a manner never before tried  to allow them to compete, after college graduation, for jobs that don't exist.  Explain to me how any of that makes sense. And factor in jobs that will surely never come back + increases in automation.

There's a competition, alright.  For finite resources on a finite planet.  It was an old coot who helped me figure that one out.  Amazing how one is able to learn without the foundation of  the CC curriculum to guide the way.

It all starts with baby steps.



                                                                           

Aw man ~ is it time to wake up already?!

While it has been many a month since I  last posted, rest assured those months have not been wasted.  I simply did a total information immersion. If it could be read, listened to, or watched, I did.  And I also did something else:  took precious time to let things swirl about my gray matter  until order settled the chaos.  If I were to write about all I've learned, it would be less like a simple blog posting and more like a PhD dissertation.  Boring!  If I want anyone to read this, I have to keep it interesting, fresh, and above all else, SHORT.  Because we have devolved to becoming humans interested in only what we can learn in 30 seconds or less. You can safely bet the farm that THAT has been by design.  How does it feel knowing you are being manipulated?  Is it enough to know I'm telling you the truth ~ or must you go down the same path I did? Trust, but verify?  I get it.  Let me provide just a few links to help you get started........if you dare.

To Read:
Edward Bernays
"a republic, if you can keep it"
Operation Mockingbird
Operation Northwoods
No longer theories, but facts.

To Watch:
JFK - Secrecy is repugnant
Promoting democracy ~ the American way!     (This is disturbing. Very. But is also necessary to be aware of.)
How language masks the truth.
Dr. Paul Craig Roberts
Hmmm........I tried to link in 4 more videos. Amazingly enough, they have "poofed".
Be that as it may, you may bookmark the following for later viewing entertainment.
Eustace Mullins

"Wait. These links are all over the place!  Where is the "order" that came from the chaos?"  Good question, Grasshopper.  It would be possible to list links neatly organized by topic.  There will be a day for that, but this is not that day.  Just keep in mind what Conan O'Brien pointed out and know that it goes on and on and on some more

This could be the day when you begin a personal awakening and decide that staying wrapped in the normalcy bias blanket is no longer as cozy as it seemed.
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