Parents are the Primary Teachers

PARENTS ARE THE PRIMARY TEACHERS

BY DOMENICK J. MAGLIO, PHD. Traditional Realist

A child’s education begins at home. Functional parents naturally provide role modeling that is fertile ground for the child’s moral, emotional social and educational development.  Children spontaneously imitate speech patterns, vocabulary, thinking and the value of continual learning of the parent. 

In the past families was a cohesive group that did almost everything together. Sitting down to meals, working around the house, recreation, visiting relatives, church attendance were practically rituals for the family.  It was the most important social unit in society.

Modern parents are often AWOL in crucial areas. Although parents work hard chauffeuring their children to extra curricular activities they miss the exposure to many of the child’s important behaviors.  Infants are often left in centers to be cared for by “professional” strangers. The majority of parents enroll their children in preschools instead of keeping them at home. Both parents often work long hours and are lucky to spend a few quality moments with their child.

Many parents take for granted the school is educating their child. This can turn into an educational disaster that can threaten the child’s abilities and opportunities to succeed later in life. Parents are the primary teachers. The abdicating of this responsibility is dangerous to society.

Parents are so preoccupied with their own careers that they assume their child is doing well in school since the report cards from early elementary normally indicate he is an A-B student. Often he is granted Honor Roll status. The child usually is a compliant child who stays out of any trouble at home and in school. 

This typical child’s academic, social and emotional issues are not being adequately addressed. Eventually in the transition to middle school or after a comprehensive state exam the parent becomes aware of a significant two-year or more deficit in one or several academic areas.  These problems prompt them to put the child in another classroom setting or school to avoid the stigma of being labeled or held back a grade.

Then reality hits them hard, the mother’s tears flow and the child realizes that his inflated grades can no longer hide the truth. The child does not know simple math no less algebra and/or is unable to write a coherent paragraph.  The student and parents are crushed knowing their options are not going to correct the errors of the past without a lot of work and pain.

Students being held back or labeled are only the tips of the icebergs. Both the parents and student have to accept they have been delusional. The child has to accept a drastic change in behavior and thinking to have a chance to rehabilitate himself as a student. The parents have to restructure their lives to make a total commitment to assist the child in filling in his academic and work ethic gaps. 

These incidents can be drastically reduced if parents would take the time to observe the child’s initiative, work habits and become aware of what the child actually knows. Reading the child’s reports and essays as well as reviewing math tests enables the parent to evaluate the child’s knowledge. Through daily monitoring and questioning the parents must maintain awareness of what the child is learning. There is no excuse for the parents not assessing their child’s education.

Modern parents can no longer rely on our dysfunctional education system to take over most aspects of their child’s life. We are supposed to protect and teach our children the things they need to know to prosper in life.

Casually leaving our children’s education to the schools is not a wise decision. Too many adults are more concerned with their pet’s grooming than with their child’s education. In school there are many social temptations, many opportunities to take short cuts such as cheating and little follow-up by teachers and administrators concerning academic deficiencies. Parents should more closely evaluate their child’s academics, social abilities and skills.

Parents can either shirk their duty to pass on their wisdom suffering the pain of a dysfunctional child or witness the child creating his own success.

The ability of their child to be self-reliant and successful lies primarily in the hands of the parents by training them to have positive habits, skills and values. The parents’ focusing on the children when they are young will reap them the satisfaction of participating in their success.  The legacy of their children is determined by how well they were able to train them when they were young.

It is not about spending more money on education but parents placing a great value on learning. Parental observation as well as direct involvement with the child’s academics and after school activities is powerful antidotes to preventing an inadequate and disabled human being.

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 FALSE DICHOTOMY: BIG BUSINESS OR BIG GOVERNMENT

THE FALSE DICHOTOMY: BIG BUSINESS OR BIG GOVERNMENT

By Domenick J. Maglio Ph.D. Traditional Realist

The democrats are noted for their belief in an all-encompassing government, a government that is supposed to meet the needs of all its citizens especially the poor. On the other hand the republicans are supporters of big business.  “When big business does well, the whole country prospers” is a Republican notion. These supposed specific party values have become the conventional wisdom passed down over the years from political leaders and pundits. 

“Too big to fail” is an anti capitalist policy of assisting large international corporations with billions of US dollars, easing of regulations and limiting competition for certain corporations and not others. Goldman Sacks was chosen while Lehman Brothers was not.  This protecting of certain international corporations was supposedly to prevent a Wall Street meltdown and global financial collapse, instead it was a reward to politically connected cronies.

Both presidents, George W. Bush (the Compassionate Conservative) and Barak Obama supported this policy. This exposes the fact that these supposedly diametrically opposed politicians both favored big business and big government. During his 8 years in office President Bush significantly increased the size of government while President Obama doubled down on assisting Wall Street and government bloating.  Obama established a close relationship with particular corporations by granting federal money and special regulation exemptions to keep them economically viable. General Motors became Government Motors for several years while the stockholders and dealerships were shortchanged and the unions were rewarded.

Both parties pick winners and losers to increase their power to receive political donations and future high-level positions for themselves and their cronies.  Big government and big business have gone hand in hand to develop a base of power for both. Yet both parties and commentators act as if the expressed differences were actually religiously practiced.

This false dichotomy has become more obvious to thoughtful independent voters. People on the left and the right of the political spectrum are realizing that campaigns are nothing more than kabuki dances. Each party uses its particular catch phrases to win allegiances and votes but once in power only rule to increase the bureaucracies in government and business to maintain their office.

Centralized power in business and government has lead to greater exploitation of citizens and workers. The Tea Party and young leftists are becoming more aware that decentralization of power going back to local communities is the best method of keeping independence, freedom and increasing economic opportunity for the people.

There has been a political enlightenment among many of the American voters. Centralized power in government encourages large corporations to join with big government to eliminate competition with smaller businesses. Government picks winners though passing specific laws and regulations. They insure an unfair playing field to prevent start-ups from ever stepping on the playing field. The winning corporations support the enlargement of the government bureaucracy. Everyone else, especially the people, lose in this charade.

The American people should demand capitalist principles be practiced in the USA. No longer should small business be burdened with ludicrous paperwork and unnecessary regulations. This does nothing to protect the public but does everything to create more government positions and stifle new business start-ups.

Government should remove its crushing boot on the throats of smaller companies and allow the free market invisible forces to operate. 

When companies regardless of their size become inefficient to operate at a profit, they should not be bailed out but be allowed to cease. This process cleanses the economic system of mismanagement. Other better managed businesses, although small, will fill the vacuum.

A major dividend of government keeping its hands off a free market naturally encourages more competition, which prevents large inefficient companies to perpetuate themselves. The increased competitive businesses will heighten accountability that sets a standard for government operations limiting the opportunity for blatant graft.

Both parties have played ball with their greedy hands held out for big business to fill. The only way to beat back and break up this fascist marriage between big government and big business is to vote for representatives from either party who are more concerned with citizen’s liberty than personal power and money.

This will curb the unholy alliance. Our freedom as a nation depends on it.

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 NATIONALIZATION OF EDUCATION AND HEALTHCARE DIMINISHES QUALITY

THE NATIONALIZATION OF EDUCATION AND HEALTHCARE DIMINISHES QUALITY

By Domenick J. Maglio Ph.D.

Affordable Healthcare and Common Core are using the same template. Both are being sold as being reasonable incremental cost saving quality changes to improve the delivery system of these two major institutions.

The truth is these are the first steps in nationalizing two of the most important  aspects of our daily lives that touches every American. Health care concerns are expanding as we become more of an aged society.  We are more dependent on the medical establishment today to care for us. The majority of us are taking less and less responsibility for our own health.

Our schools have morphed into social service sand social engineering centers.  Education has moved away from teaching children academic fundamentals to become independent learners. It has become a massive cultural change industry that is able to redistribute wealth for social restructuring through a multitude of grants, programs and directives.

The fiasco of the rollout of Obamacare was politically motivated. They could not be transparent with one sixth of the economy when they have proclaimed an economic savings that could not happen. Increasing the number of participants by 45 million obviously would balloon the cost of health care.  The only way to accomplish this feat is to increase fees and or decrease payments to the doctors. This had to be subtly phased in so not to create a public backlash. 

The statement that “you can keep your doctor” needs to be revised to “you can keep your doctor if you are willing to pay out of pocket if he is still in business.” Many doctors are not enthusiastic from going to running their own practices to being an insignificant cog in a system directed by national bureaucrats.

Even their independent professional healing decisions will  cease with a payment schedule. This plan dictates specific treatments modalities for each and every diagnosis that is determined by a checklist of symptoms. Doctor’s status has been degraded from the pinnacle of all professions- almost gods- to people who are told every step of the way what to do and how much they will be paid.

Teachers never had the exalted status of doctors nevertheless their professional creativity to help students, which attracted most of them to the  field was written out of the script.. The Common Core rationalized educational format will reduce teachers to robots filling in bureaucratic forms and following directions for specific tasks. The human initiative and relationship development factors will be squashed by a highly scripted system of teaching to the test.

The major reward of being a part of a highly  self-gratifying position of helping students to reach their full potential will be a thing of the past.

The intangibles of a doctor being a physical healer and a teacher being an inspirational guide for developing the mind cannot be written into the guidelines of these nationalized guidelines. It is impossible to define and quantify these intangibles. The quality of these systems will be naturally tarnished by removing the intrinsic interpersonal value of doing a meaningful job. It will be sacrificed for the supposed effectiveness of a “one-size-fits-all” approach.

The Affordable Care Act will not be affordable as it will be used as a major tax revenue stream for socialistic programs. The quality of healthcare will deteriorate as doctors are no longer allowed to practice healing and leave the profession.

Common Core will be a nationalized system indoctrinating our youth to usher us into a one-world government. Students will not be taught to critically think but will be propagandized with uncritical group-think. Future teachers will be scripted pawns who will not be allowed to treat students as unique individuals. All students will be treated in the same manner to arrive at the same goals.

Nationalization of industries or institutions throughout history and throughout the world have a common denominator of standardizing declining mediocrity. The

The top down approach chokes out individual initiative that encourages excellence. People do as little and as quickly as possible to do what is required but nothing more. It demoralizes the workers as well as the recipients.

Standards and expectations drop until everyone begins to accept the new normal of incompetence and broken promises.  The striving for excellence becomes a fading memory. 

 

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.

SARAH PALIN WAS RIGHT ABOUT OBAMACARE AND RUSSIA

SARAH PALIN WAS RIGHT ABOUT OBAMACARE AND RUSSIA

By Domenick J. Maglio Ph.D. Traditional Realist

The media, Democrats and even Republicans made a mockery of Vice President candidate, Sarah Palin, in the 2008 election. They crucified her for her Affordable Care Act comments of predictable inferior service, long waits, high costs, MDs leaving and fewer entering the field of medicine and especially the “death panels” as a necessary part of the future implementation.  The unfolding facts are proving her right and them wrong.

Imagine an insignificant, non-Ivy league educated, attractive mother of five, governor of the isolated state of Alaska, audaciously contradicting the media and the political establishment. The elites had no alternative but to target and destroy an outsider who raised objections to many progressive sacred cows.

Even the Republican campaign staff of John McCain limited Palin’s opportunities to speak openly. She was taken out of the campaign limelight for raising concerns about global warming, big government, inherent inefficiencies and corruption. This resonated with citizens.

The establishment relentlessly hammered her statement that Russia was still an adversary of the United States. This was preposterous to the One World Government, progressive establishment who wanted to initiate a “reset button” with Russia. She was viciously ridiculed in the media for the remark, “I can see Russia from my back door” even though Tammy Fay made that comical statement, not Palin.

Yet the establishment’s greatest fury was reserved for her prediction that the death panels would become a fundamental part of Obamacare. The media and political elites counter argument was to double down by singing the praises of the Veteran’s Administration Healthcare, Canada’s and England’s medical programs.  Everyone paraded in front of the cameras could not have been happier with all three nationalized delivery systems.

Most Americans were confused. They knew people from all over the world including Canada and England who came to the USA to receive advanced medical treatment.  These ordinary thinking citizens heard about the long lines and waits in the nationalized medical programs in other countries and did not want to abandon the most advanced healthcare system in the world.

The individuals who were most surprised about the glowing reports of VA hospitals were our veterans. These patriots had first hand experience of horror stories and horrendous service at the VA hospitals across the nation. Now we all know.

President Obama stated as a senator and announced to the nation on May 30 as commander-in-chief that the veteran’s health services have been in disarray for decades.  He acknowledged inspector generals reports revealing these problems in over 57 hospital medical centers all over the USA.  Even with tripling the VA budget since the year 2000, the VA centers have “cooked the books” to hide incredible waiting times. 

The inspector general even found 17,000 veterans not on any list. There have been 68,000 veterans who have never gotten appointments after requesting them. The initial time to get an appointment was 115 days, which is 5 times as long as reported. Only half of the veterans with PTSD received treatment. This bureaucratic time scam resulted in some preventable deaths of these heroes.

This behavior is understandable when you grant 65% of the senior executives bonuses to lower the waiting time of patients. These quotas would encourage schemes to fake a decline in waiting hours.

The VA medical service is a central government model. The workers are government employees who are rigidly protected by union derived practices. Eighty percent of these VA employees were viewed as exceeding expectations. They are driven not by the consumer of services, the veterans, but by the internal politics of a government bureaucracy. The protocol of working hours is established from the top down.  The budget is set, the wages and hours are locked in. Thus the only way to cut costs is to cut the quality of service. 

Of course Sarah Palin was right about “death panels.” Inevitably government healthcare costs will rise and quality of service will decline. As in England, a committee of “experts” will have to make decisions to lower healthcare expenses by cutting back on coverage.

The Affordable Care Act will ration services especially for older patients.  They will, in essence, pull the plug on many older or severely ill patients in the system.  “Death panels,” as many people have referred to these medical expert committees, seems to be an accurate label. Indeed, Sarah Palin was right on the money about Obamacare limiting service to control costs.

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.