STATE OWNERSHIP OF CHILDREN WILL IMPROVE EDUCATION

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THE STATE OWNERSHIP OF CHILDREN WILL IMPROVE EDUCATION

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

Parenting is not easy. With both parents working, keeping up with their social media and placing their children in many extracurricular activities there is little time for them to have a life of their own. Parents are having a difficult time prioritizing and making time to do their parental duties. 

Today the reality is modern children are basically being raised by our federally controlled education system. Seventeen and a half million students receive free or reduced price lunch each day at school. There are numerous before, after and evening school programs that are taxpayer financed. The government wants children to be in their schools longer than they are at home.

This time of an extraordinary increase in our governmental safety net has made it advantageous to enlarge these programs to include all American citizens. The economy of scale allows for the government to more cheaply provide services than can families. The government’s financial flexibility gives each child equality and opportunity in his world.

Children benefit from the generosity of our central government more than from families. The continued rapid growth of government will produce a country where there will no longer be a difference in finances, nutrition, parental motivation or education level for any child. Privileged children will be all students. The playing field will be leveled for all children giving the state a free hand to better manage them. The state is more effective in arranging students to be cogs in a wheel to better serve.

Schools can more efficiently utilize their existing facilities. The government could extend the school day and year. It could extend the meal programs to weekends to allow everyone the same healthy meals. The weekdays can be extended into the nights.

Even though the positive effects of the Head Start preschool program disappear by the third grade, the government should continue to indoctrinate children and begin even earlier. New infant-toddler programs would allow the state to scientifically train and select children for maximum utilization for the state. The state will place the best people in positions to build a super power nation.

We have increased three fold the funding of education since 1970 and spent more than any other nation in the world except Switzerland, although there has been no improvement. Experts agree with the need to make a greater investment in our children’s education.  Not until American children belong to the state will schools receive sufficient funding to provide real quality education.  

As MSNBC reporter, Melissa Harris-Perry has stated,  "We have never invested as much in public education as we should have because we've always had kind of a private notion of children: Your kid is yours and totally your responsibility. We haven't had a very collective notion of these are our children. So part of it is we have to break through our kind of private idea that kids belong to their parents, or kids belong to their families, and recognize that kids belong to whole communities. Once it's everybody's responsibility, and not just the household's, then we start making better investments."

Americans should remember the great results of the Soviet Union, People’s Chinese Republic and Cuba’s fantastic ability to equally and fairly educate all the children of their nation. We have no other alternative but to follow their successful lead.

 The collective good motivates us to present the children to the state. They will be snatched from the incompetent hands of parents. This will encourage us to make a larger investment in our schools. The family is an obsolescent idea that is dying a quick death.

Each child will have a bright future belonging to the state. Government controlling the children will lead us forward towards a world where equality, fairness and peace will prevail. More productive mind controlling education techniques will enhance and streamline the functioning of our institutions.

Every citizen will be told what and how he must do to aid the state. No longer will false property rights of parents over children stand in the way of government establishing a utopian society.  This society will be implemented by the scientific educational child development from cradle to grave.

We will deserve the total destruction of our families, traditional moral values and freedom if we accept this above propaganda.

STUDENTS SHOULD BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR EARNING THEIR DEGREE NOT GIVEN IT

STUDENTS SHOULD BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR EARNING THEIR DEGREE NOT GIVEN IT

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD, Traditional Realist

Money or power does not buy happiness or high grades, although many affluent and minority students are bailed out of irresponsible behavior by their families and/or government programs. There are many times in the beginning school years that inattention, laziness, cheating and misbehavior are overlooked to appease parents. There comes a time when parental power cannot intervene on behalf of the child.

This parental and overall institutional lowering of standards, expectations and lack of meaningful consequences for unacceptable behavior is having negative results on students being able to remain in college. They may pass through high school without  much effort or meet any behavioral standards but they have difficulty remaining in college. Many students believe they are entitled to a college degree without any need to prove it by their academic performance and social appropriateness.

Our modern, overly protective parenting and non-judgmental society has delayed this day of reckoning for too many students. The dumbing down of standards in school through grade inflation, false self-esteem, everybody winning and disregarding outrageous abusive behavior towards others is fostering young people's illusion that they will not be held accountable. Sooner or later an impenetrable wall is reached where parents or bureaucrats are unable to erase the justifiable consequences for young adult’s actions.

A recent study, “More is More, or More is Less?” was published in The American Sociological Review by Laura Hamilton of the University of California, Merced. It found when a major portion of tuition is paid by the parent it leads to lower grades. Students who do not have to contribute to pay for their schooling have less invested in their education and more time and money to become consumed by the social scene.

Taking out $10s of $1000s in loans and scholarships without GPA requirements attached has the same adverse effects as parents being too generous. Hamilton found on the other hand, scholarships and grants contingent on a Grade Point Average requirement to maintain the grant and scholarship money does not negatively affect grades. It motivates students to work harder. Like many things in life, the harder you have to work to obtain your goal, the more you learn and appreciate it.

Students should not believe they are entitled to remain in college just because their parents can easily afford to flip the bill for college or because they are somehow selected to participate in an affirmative action program. These students may be unfortunate to have parent or government program advocates because eventually they will have to perform academically and professionally. Grades should be earned not given to those with powerful family or government ties. We are not a privileged society but one based on merit.

Character and the work ethic do matter. Responsible college professors, employers and judges do make judgments. Eventually, no matter the economic standing or minority status, a person has to demonstrate competency and appropriate social skills. This climb toward excellence takes perseverance

It is best that good work and moral values be established pronto. Delaying the establishing of them by over protective, micromanaging parents, affirmative action short circuiting the system and lax institutional standards is weakening our young people and the overall society.

When a person honestly earns what he receives, everyone gains. The person grows in knowledge and dignity while others receive the pleasure of seeing their child, student, and employee becoming a productive solid citizen of the community.

Receiving a college degree without maintaining high standards of academic excellence and behavior is a disastrous strategy for everyone involved.  Giving someone a valuable degree for not mastering the curriculum is a recipe for corruption. Striving to reach a positive stated goal like a higher education degree strengthens the person’s ability to be independent and a self-reliant citizen who has what is necessary to be a future leader.

Our society has to stop rewarding mediocrity and return to a standard of “nothing but quality effort” to earn recognition and acknowledgement of achievement.

Dr. Maglio is an author and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.

OUR PROGRESSIVE RE-EDUCATION IS DESTROYING OUR NATION

OUR PROGRESSIVE RE-EDUCATION IS DESTROYING OUR NATION

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

There is a large influx of well-to-do Russian and Chinese tourists and immigrants into the United States. They have something very much in common. Both are from communist nations that have established a freer market economy. These countries have deregulated their economies to unleash capitalist forces. This has allowed their people to have more money to enjoy an affluent lifestyle, while we are doing the opposite. We are moving to a controlled central economy by repressing and redistributing our material wealth.

Too many of the younger generations are oblivious to this ironic economic reversal. Almost 50% of them believe socialism-communism is superior to capitalism. They have been blinded by years of non-judgmental, politically correct indoctrination in our schools. Our younger generations have lost the knowledge and ability to distinguish between ideological rhetoric and historical fact. 

Our public schools elimination of history, geography, civics, de-emphasis of classical literature and Biblical knowledge has created a knowledge and value vacuum. This makes it almost impossible to rationally judge the results of different values, behaviors and political systems in the past and present.

This value and knowledge gap has been exploited in the public schools and colleges by the introduction of new areas of concern. Diversity, racial/ethnic, reproduction, alternative life styles, social justice, equality, gender inclusion, recycling, multiculturalism, climate change and globalization are courses and concepts that have become staples of American reeducation replacing traditional studies.

This process of dividing into minority groups and conquering process has been radicalized to the point that professors have been emboldened to demand students stomp on the word “Jesus” they had written on a paper, recite poems and songs glorifying particular political leaders and unleashing “academic exercises” blaming America and white American males as the evil doers of every imaginable world problem.

The solution to America’s leadership, according to this new view, is a utopian world based on equality, fairness and redistribution of wealth. These Marxist ideals are supposed to transform countries of the world into peaceful, prosperous countries that will unite into a one-world government.

This is being sold while European socialism is falling apart before our eyes. Their welfare economy is unsustainable because they do not have the treasury to fund their wonderful sounding giveaway programs that end in the people being slaves to the totalitarian governments. 

The United States is going down a path that has repeatedly failed to live up to its promises, while socialist-communist countries are moving towards capitalism. Students have not been taught the historical facts of the Soviet Union's demise, Castro's Cuban dictatorial fiasco and Chavez's plundering of Venezuela's oil resources to remain in office. These are politically incorrect topics. Students remain unaware that these men amassed billions of dollars in their personal accounts while their people live in squalor. Instead students are programmed to accept the slogans of equality and fairness for all as being the salvation of man.

Ignorance of the people is one of the ways evil establishes itself. Our ruling class elites are dumbing down our curriculum to set us up for indoctrination. The lack of verifiable facts and strong moral values to make decisions leaves us no reference point to detect political chicanery.

Our nation is under attack from within. Our most vulnerable: the young and the old are being frightened into accepting a “freedomless” society for the promises of economic prosperity and security. These promises are lies that are not allowed to be challenged in progressive education and the politically correct media.

The welfare state is seductive if one does not realize that all central governments quickly will run out of people to tax. When the economy has no more wealth to redistribute, the young and the old will be the first to suffer and be eliminated. We are beginning to witness this process in late term abortions, “morning after pill” for preteens, infanticide and the withholding of lifesaving health care for the elderly.

Most importantly we must observe the results of political promises and policies. If they consistently have failed to fulfill their hype then we should change directions. Moral values and common sense should prevail. We will not toss away 250 years of freedom and prosperity for a Marxist system doomed to failure.

Our citizens have the advantage over other nations in the past that have allowed Marxist doctrine to get a deadly foothold. We have access to the Internet to study and obtain information that we have been denied in our formal education. It is up to each one of us to self-educate and share our knowledge with others. We have too much to lose to roll over and play dead. Americans will peacefully stand up by the millions refusing to accept our central government elite’s attempt to bypass our Constitution. We The People have the power and duty to halt the brainwashing of our children and put our house back in order.

Dr. Maglio is an author and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.

DISCIPLINE IS NEEDED TO BE A WELL ROUNDED STUDENT

DISCIPLINE IS NEEDED TO BE A WELL ROUNDED STUDENT

by Domenick J. Maglio PhD., Traditional Realist

Excellence in any area takes discipline. We may do an activity that naturally comes easily but to improve our skills it takes constant repetition. The same work ethic is necessary whether a subject is easily understood or not to become a quality student.

Most of us had favorite subject areas in school. Even as preschoolers students display a greater ability and interest in language arts or mathematics. These inclinations often remain the same throughout the school years although successful students overcome their genetic predispositions and become competent in both areas.

Normally students gravitate to activities that are less difficult for them to accomplish. Children who have natural abilities in language arts easily find success, which leads to self-reinforcement to continue the activity. The student then receives acknowledgment by others of how well he is doing. This translates into pleasant experiences whenever he participates in many things related to language arts. This same type of positive feedback loop takes place with children naturally endowed with mathematical skills.

Areas of strength can be used to build motivation to spend the necessary time to improve and begin to enjoy difficult material. At the completion of the less interesting subject the child can be rewarded with activities he enjoys. As the student learns new skills in these previously shunned subjects these activities become more tolerable. These subjects can then be used to reinforce the things the child finds more difficult. Eventually, as the student's abilities increase the like-ability of the new learning activity increases.

The most difficult challenge for most students is to conquer their reluctance to fail in areas of difficulty and limited interest. Things that are hard to master take perseverance. These students need to develop mini skills that allow the person to begin to experience some sense of being on the right track. Stringing these skills together gives the student the foundation for future success in the once difficult area of studies.

In other areas besides the critical math and language art areas for academic success children have natural abilities such as in sports, drama, science, music and fine arts. This strength area should be recognized and used as motivation to improve areas that once were difficult. These natural abilities should be the foundation to teach lessons of excellence.

To show the child he is uniquely blessed the teacher should exploit these natural talents.  These strong ability areas can be highlighted in the classroom to increase peer acceptance and boost the child's own competency level.

Students should not be un-empowered by allowing them to voice a stream of nonsense excuses that erode their resolve to accomplish their academic goals. The manipulative games they play to soften up the teachers to give them higher grades than they deserve should immediately be stopped.

Short cuts need to be exposed. The insufficient work should be redone in a correct and thorough manner. Students should be shown that doing something right the first time might initially take longer but in the long run it is shorter than doing it several times.

By the teacher hammering home these obvious careless mistakes by the pupil, the student will eventually realize that slowing down to be precise and neat is a better policy than trying to rush through his work. Students will learn the need and art of self-editing.

Children will realize that through working carefully until an idea, a series of concepts or skills are internalized they can learn anything they choose independently. The students begin to appreciate the power of their minds. The person has been converted to be an enthusiastic learner.

These exercises of one's mind to improve skills and abilities take discipline. Any well thought out regime of activities that are established by self or others can change a weakness into a strength. Through learning to increase one’s focus a person can gain his goals.

Learning discipline in one area spreads to other areas until the student knows making excuses for not doing something is nothing but lies. If a person is willing to pay the price of applying his "willpower" he can accomplish the seemingly impossible. The student that learns how to focus the power of his mind is launched as an incredible independent learner.

Dr. Maglio is an author and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.