EDUCATION IS NOT SOLELY THE TEACHER'S RESPONSIBILITY

EDUCATION IS NOT SOLELY THE TEACHER’S RESPONSIBILITY

By Domenick J. Maglio,  PhD Traditional Realist

Our culture is doing our children a disservice by pretending that youngsters can reach their goals by just wanting something and demanding it over and over again. " I am going to be a Hollywood star." "When I grow up I'll marry a millionaire, have a mansion with servants, become a professional gamer, NFL player or a famous rapper.” The list of wannabee upscale lifestyles or occupations might vary with time although the lack of knowing the necessary steps to achieve the desired goals remains minimal.

In our culture adults are not supposed to deflate the child's dreams or self esteem even when they are obviously out of touch with reality. We should placate the child by playing along with him. It is supposed to be cruel when an authority figure presents legitimate criticism as it will end the childish belief they are always right. Supposedly this accurate information will harm or shatter their self-esteem and dreams. Our fragile children are supposed to be blissfully ignorant of the hard realities of life. In other words they should be allowed to be delusional.

The same sentiments exist with most parents in dealing with their child's education. They want school to be a more pleasurable experience then they had as a child. Learning should be enjoyable and fun at all times. According to them, children today are brighter than ever before and should be sheltered from any anxiety caused by high performance expectations.

Learning should not be stressful; it should be effortless for today’s child. It is the teacher's job to present stimulating and exciting lessons day after day that the child would easily absorb. We have forced teachers into being stars of the classroom and the students the audience to be entertained. This process does not produce an independent, self-reliant learner, but rather a self absorbed, handicapped one.

Parents are aware of the assorted facts the children know from watching television shows or searching the Internet when they are interested in the subject. This is proof that their precious child is brilliant. Modern parents think any teacher worth her salt should make even the most mundane lessons interesting to keep the student learning.

It is no wonder in our instant gratification society that junior and senior high school students should feel the responsibility for their education resides solely in the teacher's efforts and not with them. They have been allowed by the parents to be passive learners throughout their lives. Children should not be expected to do anything in which they have little interest. It is always the teacher’s fault.

 An energetic and personable teacher cannot compensate for an unmotivated student with poor academic fundamentals. "Teach me teach" sums up the attitude of the modern student. It is a reasonable conclusion given the modern parent's opinions of the teacher's role. Teachers are supposed to be in charge of the child's learning without considering the effort and actual performance level of the child. The child's laziness, excuses or obnoxious behavior too often is attributed to an uninspiring and ineffective teacher not the student’s attitude and actions. It is the teacher's fault.

As long as a teacher appeases the parent with inflated grades, the teacher is off the hook for not "being interesting." Parents do brag about their child being on the honor role no matter how pathetic the actual skill level.  Actual mastery of the subject matter is unimportant as compared to their happiness. Receiving high grades, for doing little to earn them, is a win-win situation for students, parents and teachers. Parents are delighted by the overinflated report. Students are overjoyed by the parental rewards while teachers and administrators are off the hook from both.

This public relations gimmick has a major flaw. The flaw is the increased competition when these students enter college where almost a third of them are required to take remedial courses before earning any college credit. This is educational fraud.

Domenick Maglio, PhD. is a columnist carried by various newspapers, an author of several books and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.

Grade integrity in the past was a reality check for students and their parents. The actual grade earned taught the student that the more effort put into something the better the result. This reality motivated students to be more conscientious in their studies.

Learning in school is similar to learning to swim. A person has to want to swim to learn how to do it. An instructor can encourage and help the individual overcome unreasonable fears but ultimately the person has to have sufficient desire to work at it until he succeeds. A child learning to ride a bike has to suffer the bruises of falling until he learns to stabilize it and ride on his own. A student has to develop basic skills, frustration tolerance and self-discipline to internalize knowledge to become an excellent student.

Successful students have pride of ownership in their studies. They are more focused on learning than on their grades. Once a student takes ownership of his education, then and only then can he become a lifelong learner and outstanding citizen.

Domenick Maglio, PhD. is a columnist carried by various newspapers, an author of several books and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.

SACRIFICING BABIES ON THE ALTAR OF PROMISCUITY

SACRIFICING BABIES ON THE ALTAR OF PROMISCUITY

by Domenick J. Maglio Phd., Traditional Realist

Sacrificing animals to appease or ask for specific blessings from their gods was an integral part of primitive religion. There were critical occasions when even human babies were offered on the sacrificial altar. These offerings of infants were incredibly painful events. For the parents to give up the life of their child for the well being of their tribe was done with great religious devotion and personal sorrow.

For the past 50 years in America we have aborted approximately 60 million infants at currently 1.2 million a year. This holocaust of fetuses is a stain on America’s soul. The immature infants were not killed for any noble reasons. They were aborted in a majority of cases because the mother did not want the inconvenience and/or responsibility of raising the child.

The killing of these fetuses has been justified as " a woman's right to her body." There is no consideration given for the future infant's right to life or any rights for the father. The life of the fetus is not even an afterthought in the mainstream cultural discussion of abortion. It is entirely ignored, buried as a legitimate issue.

The sacrificing of fetuses on the altar of a promiscuous lifestyle has become acceptable in today's culture. There is no discussion of female responsibility to prevent being impregnated although the taxpayer is required to pay for free birth control and many abortions.

In our culture virginity has been ridiculed although it is still practiced in various cultures of the world to avoid the life and death issue of having an unwanted pregnancy. It has been eliminated as a viable alternative to indiscriminate sex in the United States. Promiscuity has been placed on a pedestal, while virginity is denounced as a foolhardy sacrifice for females.

Young females are incessantly propagandized that sex should be a recreational activity.  Sexual activity will be protected by our government against “the burden” of unwanted pregnancies. Our government has practically proclaimed the woman’s right to an abortion on demand as a “sacred one.”

Modern societies have created contraceptive drugs and devices to eliminate any possibility of procreation. The glut of these products has not prevented unwanted babies. It is not the lack of reliability of contraception products that is the problem but the lack of discipline, responsibility, consistency and using them appropriately. 

These contraceptive drugs and devices have resulted in an epidemic of casual sex at earlier ages. Promiscuity has been culturally endorsed as a chic acceptable lifestyle. The natural consequence of unprotected sex has been declared to be unimportant and expendable.

We have made the killing of fetuses a legal act, which promotes superficial and temporary relationships. These throw away relationships are counter productive to the individual and society. There is mounting evidence that abortions have negative psychological impact on the females that endure and suffer through them. Many females have to deal with the trauma years later, others regret not having experienced the birth of their child especially if they became infertile. "What if" becomes the psychological theme for women who went through multiple abortions.

Our entire nation has been scarred by the elimination of 60 million lives wiped out by this brutal, selfish act. Our society is paying the price through the spiritual destruction of the lives of people who personally suffered the pain of the abortion process and the lowering of our natural replacement process. All the anguish of the process spills over affecting other lives around them.

The uncovering of Philadelphia doctor, Kermit Gosnell's abortion clinic was a demonstration of a journey through hell. Any woman who has to experience the conditions and practices of this "service" should no longer consider the woman's rights position. It is certainly not a process to take lightly. It has a devastating downside that should stop any rational person from walking down this path.

Our society can no longer sanction the killing of fetuses to protect irresponsible women. American females would be in an uproar if there were 60 million dogs and cats systematically killed over the past 50 years. The murder of 60 million immature infants should elicit an even greater reaction. As it is, our society is not producing a sufficient number of children to maintain our current population.

It is time human life is placed on a higher pedestal than the freedom of females to live without consequences for a hedonistic lifestyle.  If we do not end the slaughter it will continue to shred the moral fiber of the United States of America.

Domenick Maglio, PhD. is a columnist carried by various newspapers, an author of several books and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.

OBAMA IS HIGHTLIGHTING THE VIRTUES OF A LIMITED GOVERNMENT

OBAMA IS HIGHLIGHTING THE VIRTUES OF A LIMITED GOVERNMENT

By Domenick J. Maglio, Ph.D. Traditional Realist

Everyday we wake up to another absurd piece of news. God has now become optional in the Air Force Academy's pledge. The NSA is gathering detailed information on all American citizens. Congressional bills are passed before our legislators have read the contents. The LGBT sexual rights have surpassed the First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and religion.  The EPA will probably charge us for use of the air since they are already charging some of us for water.

Government has become a prowling monster devouring our liberties. Obamacare has taken control of one sixth of the economy impacting every citizen’s life. The expanding IRS has immense financial and personal health knowledge of all Americans leaving us insecure. It is so large that our personal information is easily accessible by even a mediocre hacker. There were no computer safeguards put in place to prevent hacking into personal information of millions of Americans. It is an understatement to say that the implementation and implications of this program have not been well thought out. Even progressive comedian, John Stewart, does not understand how the Obamacare roll-out fiasco occurred.

Americans who believe in the founder’s beliefs of limited government are being relentlessly attacked. Supporter’s of President Obama made references to Tea Party members as "tea baggers," which is a vile, sexually explicit term. It is a disgrace. President Obama should have denounced his supporter’s demeaning of the Tea Party but he has not. People who  identify with or support the Tea Party have been estimated to be a quarter to half of all voters. The "inclusive" President Obama speech, "Red states, blue states we are all Americans", is another broken promise by a divider, not a uniter of America.

The Obama administration has been asleep at the wheel in navigating the USA through foreign and domestic dangerous waters that are an inevitable part of being the free world leader. They did not respond to 9/11 warnings or react to protect our people and assets in Benghazi even though the president was briefed in the first hour and was viewing it in real time. We are supposed to accept that President Obama was not aware or involved in Benghazi even after these revelations.

The IRS not allowing Tea Party groups to operate with tax exempt status before the 2012 election and even now, the Solyndra fiasco, Fast and Furious, NSA surveillance, spying on reporters and on the phone calls of foreign political leaders are some of the identified scandals. The lack of knowledge of what happened has been constantly used by the administration, which in itself is an indictment of malfeasance and incompetence of the leadership.

The expanding government and its debt, redistribution of wealth, the picking of winners and losers in industry after industry, the corruption, the unprincipled foreign policy disasters, the broken promise (lie) of keeping your health care insurance, stonewalling on investigations of scandals and the lack of transparency is becoming obvious even to the average citizen. The in-your-face, “I’ve got a phone and I’ve got a pen,” dismissing of the Constitution by the use of executive orders and all of the above abuses of power are devastating to President Obama's poll numbers. To various degrees, everyone is learning first hand that progressive big government does not and cannot work.

There is no better medicine to cure a people of hope, change and promises of progressive, socialistic/communistic policies than watching it up front and personal. The Germans, the Nazi Party (National Socialist Workers Party), the Russians, the satellite countries of the former Soviet Union, the Chinese and Cubans have learned the effects of a centrally controlled Marxist leaning government. These people suffered the loss of freedom and experienced economic decay.

This administration has been a teaching moment in history for all Americans especially young voters. It has opened up all of our eyes. We will forever have in the back of our minds that a politician who smiles and promises things too good to be true usually makes false promises. They should remember for many years that lies that are posing as gospel truth may sound wonderful but when the bottom line arrives it does not work.

Americans stand alone in our traditions of limited government.  Our Constitutional republic is the longest lasting one in history.  It has resulted in unprecedented prosperity and social mobility of our people.  We have enjoyed the benefits of our economic system although many of us have taken it for granted.

We no longer should be ashamed of our historical accomplishments and strength. Our freedoms to do the things we want without government interference defines America.

Americans are awakening to false promises that are easy to make while keeping them is not. The maturation of the American voter will revitalize our nation.  Government handouts rob productive citizens of their assets while individual initiative has propelled our nation to greatness.

Domenick Maglio, PhD. is a columnist carried by various newspapers, an author of several books and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.

THE CULTURE WAR IS NOT SETTLED

THE CULTURAL WAR IS NOT SETTLED

By Domenick J.  Maglio Ph.d. traditional Realist

No matter how much the progressive media, the university and political indoctrinators attempt to convert America to a progressive perspective, it is unable to close the deal. Changing our culture can only be accomplished by citizens forsaking traditional morals and values for a modern non- judgmental egalitarian society.  This does not seem to be happening regardless of the media claims. The  majority of citizens are adhering to the traditional views and resisting radical change.

The progressives are realizing that their politically correct strategy has resulted in traditionalists taking a low profile to fight a guerilla war. This struggle to maintain their beliefs is occurring in their minds and with their families and friends. They are resistant fighters who against all odds have retained strong traditional beliefs.

The media’s reaction to Duck Dynasty’s patriarch, Phil Robinson, has been an illustration of the perseverance of America’s traditional values. Television network company A&E like most progressive media organizations, thought by suspending Phil Robinson indefinitely they would win brownie points with other progressive elites.  At the same time they would cause Mr. Robinson to squirm, denouncing his Biblical views and beg for his job back.  They thought he would fold to continue to rake in the “holy dollars.”

The American people powerfully voiced their objections to A&E censorship of his free speech right, on and off his comedy/reality show.  They petitioned and bought Duck Dynasty products to show support for his right to express his traditional beliefs. They turned the tables on A&E.

This spontaneous support surprised and infuriated the company’s brass for nine days. Quickly they realized they were quacking up the wrong duck stand. They had to do an about-face and surrender to keep the number one cable show in their flock for the big bucks.

Phil’s reinstatement resulted in a spastic media meltdown. They quibbled with a story line until they settled on making it about corporate America’s right to make money. All of a sudden A&E’s inexplicable reversal was heralded as a smart and rational business decision not a surrender to the staying power of Judeo-Christian moral values. The company had a right and a responsibility in our corporate structure to maximize their profitability for their stockholders.

The rest of the media cabal did not like this business cop-out on this significant cultural issue.  They could not allow this Neanderthal to continue with impunity to express these vile Biblical references. They increased their attacks by referring to a magazine interview where he states he is “with the blacks: I’m white trash.” He stated that they worked side by side. He summarized that, “the blacks were godly, they were happy and no one was singing the blues.”  This, according to the media pundits, was played up as an insensitive racial remark. These observations of Phil were from his working alongside blacks who possessed the same moral values and behavior as he did. This was an inclusive, not a derisive statement.

After a short period when the saga was losing traction, the media attack dogs introduced a four-year old video to contrive another controversy.  In his speech to a group he made a joke about marrying a teenage woman instead of an “older” 20 year-old woman who would be looking to pick his pocket. This was pointed out as further verification of his “character perversion” of liking young girls. This statement was an attempt to discredit him for his attraction to younger women since he married his wife when she was 16 and he was 20.

The fact that they have been married for decades was irrelevant to the cartoon characterization of Phil Robertson they are trying to create. This strained line of demeaning him only reinforces how out-of-touch the media is with the average American audience.

The only way the Robinson family loses this battle with the media is to sell out their values and beliefs to appease the media elites so they stop the attacks on them. They would lose their credibility as Freedom of Speech heroes. Duck Dynasty members would become just another in a long list of weak, hypocritical entertainers.

No matter how much the media relentlessly derides traditional values, the American people continue to stand by them. Duck Dynasty’s continuing success shows the American people will not be brainwashed to abandon what they know is right and decent.

Americans may remain silent or not answer polls the way they really feel so as not to be seen as politically incorrect in front of progressives. Nevertheless American people will continue to support and believe in traditional moral values. The culture war is silently being fought in the minds of the majority of American people. The end might shock the elites that they cannot snuff out traditional American no matter how sophisticated and pervasive their use of Marxist propaganda.

Domenick Maglio, PhD. is a columnist carried by various newspapers, an author of several books and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.