Articles are available for reprint as long as the author is acknowledged: Domenick J. Maglio Ph.D.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

SCHOOLS ARE WEAKENING OUR KIDS


SCHOOLS ARE WEAKENING OUR KIDS
By Domenick J. Maglio Ph.D., Traditional Realist

Modern children are supposed to be shielded from not only physical pain but also psychological pain. Stress and anxiety are not supposed to enter the lives of our children. Modern children are not being allowed or challenged to become strong. We are raising a future generation of weak adults.

There was banning of physical games during recess. Dodge ball, was targeted as a harmful game as it might sting a child hit by a ball. It supposedly makes a child feel inferior because he does not possess the skills of throwing or catching a ball. This type of thinking has gone so far as banning the game of tag due to some child becoming upset when he gets tagged.

There is no score kept in many games as it results in some children being losers. Everyone has to be rotated sharing a certain time limit while playing all positions. This is done regardless of talent, motivation or skill of the students.  Our schools have been obliged to create equal mediocrity, not strive for excellence. They should not go through the experience of playing because it might hurt them physically or emotionally. Children need to toughen up by getting up after scraping a knee. Protection overrides the benefits of increasing fine and gross motor skills, developing stamina and perseverance through physical activities.

Even limited homework is under attack. A recent study from Stanford University stated that homework could not go beyond two hours for high school students and 30 minutes for elementary students. They stated it would have harmful effects such as anxiety, lack of sleep and depression.   The recommendation by this organization has disregarded the students who are more than willing to sacrifice their time and effort to excel in school.

Not to lower the self-esteem of students many school districts have resorted to giving 40 points to every student so no one would receive a zero.  Grades earned could no longer be posted so a child would not feel badly that someone received a better grade.  Teachers no longer are allowed to give red marks on children’s papers because it would devastate the child to be criticized even though he was wrong. Many school districts have stopped correcting homework and tests because the process was too stressful for parents and students.

Zero bully policies are often based on the premise that there is not a difference between people in a squabble. They do not want to call anyone a victim because if they defend themselves, the other person would have to be called the perpetrator. This would be offensive to the bullying child. Each child has to be treated equally so as not to make a value judgment of right and wrong behavior. A value judgment about the child’s inappropriate and intimidating behavior might affect the child’s self-esteem. Besides it is too time consuming to make a thorough investigation to determine the facts.
Students in school, as in other arenas in life, should compete with their peers.  It is a natural part of life. They should not be pampered as fragile beings who are too delicate to handle any type of pressure. This lack of faith by administrators, teachers and parents in the resiliency of youngsters is a major element of this wimpification.

The hypersensitivity of school administrators and parents to a child’s natural everyday stress is misguided. These “stressful” incidents which are supposed to be avoided can range from taking notes, studying, playing physical games, testing, defending oneself from verbal put downs from peers and honest evaluations from teachers and others. These avoidance strategies are detrimental to the child’s development of competitive abilities in the real world.

Students should be encouraged to deal with all reality.  Failure is a great motivator that encourages a person to improve. A certain amount of stress is vital for optimal function. The child should not be put in a bubble to appease over protective parents because it would make running a school less difficult. The student should have the opportunity to gain strength in social and emotional areas to become a well-rounded, courageous and healthy individual.

Totally isolating a person from any stress would be impossible for every activity has a certain amount of it. We can reduce stress at a cost. Usually the more a person is able to control and overcome it, the better he will be able to perform in difficult assignments that exist in everyday life. Learning to handle stress is essential in most endeavors that pay positive dividends. Children have always had to conquer anxiety in confronting reality to be successful. They did it in the past and they can do it now.
















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Monday, October 20, 2014

A FEMINIST BY-PRODUCT: HE IS ALWAYS GUILTY


A FEMINIST BY-PRODUCT: HE IS ALWAYS GUILTY
By Domenick J. Maglio Ph.D., Traditional Realist


“Girl power” has blossomed into full blown “woman power.” Even though the media and the Democrat Party have promoted the “war against women” the actual facts paint a very different picture. Men have lost considerable power in this society while females have made great strides. The real war has been against men, not women.

Females have gained an enormous amount of political power. Single voting age females are a powerful voting bloc that many pollsters believe had a decided impact on the past several presidential elections.

Females comprise 60% of undergraduate and graduate students in college, while males are on a steady decline in undergraduate and graduate programs. The traditionally male dominated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) initiative is focusing on recruiting females instead of plugging the dike of males leaving the college ranks.

Females have been liberated from the home and motherhood. They have become independent socially and financially whether unattached or married. Although mothers do a higher percentage of domestic chores, fathers are doing more of them than ever before. Female salaries have increased to almost be on par with male’s salaries when you factor in similar positions and seniority.

Women’s rights have become so ingrained into our culture that even an allegation of sexual misconduct by a female will have significant consequences for a male. University of Florida quarterback, Treon Harris, not only was removed from the team but also was not allowed on the campus to receive his education. This was all done on the whim of a female without any hard evidence or investigation. She later withdrew her complaint and he was allowed to return.

Now males are being held accountable for any incidents of sexual interaction. On college campuses men have to receive female consent every step of the way.  California lawmakers are considering a policy of “Yes Means Yes” to protect female students. This “affirmative consent standard” is being tied to a university receiving federal funds. However lawmakers are insisting that consent can be nonverbal. This means a nod can be “yes.” “He nodded, she did not” gets back to “he said, she said.” This does not solve the problem of consent, it is only government overreaching by attempting to micromanage sexual affairs on college campuses.

President Obama has called sexual assault an affront to humanity. This is nothing more than pandering to single female voters. This has taken on the form of the “It’s On Us” campaign. He is asking men to become involved when someone subjectively thinks it might turn into an abusive situation. Of course anyone should attempt to stop an actual sexual assault, however, interfering in a social relationship of any couple is a dangerous practice as many law enforcement personnel have learned. The usual female “victim” often turns on the officer who is trying to protect her. President Obama is asking civilians to try to do this impossible task.

In our current PC world men are guilty until they can prove themselves innocent in physical and sexual incidents with females. In domestic violence situations when the police arrive they overwhelmingly respond by taking the male to jail. Even though studies show 40-45% of the woman striking the man initiates the cases of domestic violence.  The man is usually physically more powerful and regardless of the facts in the situation they are held to the old traditional standard that they should never hit the opposite sex.

In our PC legal system men are being denied equal protection under the law. Women are given preferential treatment. The decision to have or abort a child is solely the choice of the woman. The man has no legal right to keep the child when the woman does not want it. In reverse even when he does desire to keep the child he is held responsible for supporting until age 18.  Furthermore, men usually receive the short end of the stick in alimony decisions.

When you focus on political power men have lost the war. Men are seen as losers who are constantly ridiculed by the media as overly sensitive wimps or physically and mentally brutes. Men have been propagandized by our PC culture to hide their natural responses to strongly verbally counter when put down by a female in mixed company. Instead men have become conditioned to acquiesce to be seen as sensitive to the woman’s feelings. In essence they have become lap dogs- emasculated.

Women’s study indoctrination programs in universities are dividing females from males. The instructors of these programs throughout the country have become paid advocates of “women’s rights,” which has drastically skewed the political landscape. These educators have demonized males while elevating females to sainthood.

These radical feminists are poisoning the harmony between males and females and are weakening our social fabric. Enough is enough. Truth has to come before a narrow focused political interest group’s agenda. The present feminist agenda is unjust and mean spirited for half of the essential part of our population. The pendulum should swing back towards the middle where both females and males are treated with the utmost respect socially and legally to create a more united society.

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.








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Thursday, October 09, 2014

VOTING IS A PRIVILEGE AND RESPONSIBILITY TO PRESERVE FREEDOM


VOTING IS A PRIVILEGE AND RESPONSIBILITY TO PRESERVE FREEDOM
By Domenick J. Maglio, PhD. Traditional Realist

Many Americans are ignorant concerning voting. Few countries have honest elections. Voting is a responsibility and a privilege not a right. In many nations people have to be coerced into casting a vote for the leader of the nation.  They understand their vote is meaningless.  When the ruling class selects all the candidates on the ballot there is no real choice.

Participation of ninety percent of the vote for a candidate may impress the uninformed although it would most likely be a process of rubber stamping a pre confirmed person. People reluctantly cast their vote out of fear of government reprisal. It is not the voice of the people but a charade perpetrated by an all- powerful government that has no inclination to give up power to the citizens.

In the U.S. media there is a constant drum beat that we have a low voter turnout in elections. Many commentators interpret this as the disenfranchisement of minority voters. These intellectuals view a low turnout as delegitimizing the electoral process. At times it seems they would like a voter process similar to one used by American Idol: vote as many times as possible for your favorite candidate in order to show we have a “true democratic system.”

In Los Angeles, California, city officials proposed a $100,000 lottery prize to be used as an incentive to increase voter turnout. It never dawned on these officials that the difference between candidates was miniscule thus lowering voter turnout. Los Angeles is a progressive bastion where the vote is only based on looks and personality, not on policies.

When people are provided real choices voters will respond. In the recent referendum in Scotland on breaking away from or remaining a part of Britain there was an 84% turnout. The same significant voter turnout took place under threats and explosions in Iraq when the people proudly showed their purple thumbs for the democratic voting in the country. In the 2012 U.S. presidential election a higher percentage of blacks voted than whites dispelling the fear of disenfranchising minority voters. There is no need for prizes or missions in promoting elections when there are meaningful choices for voters.

Our nation has been blessed by having noble and intelligent founders. They created a governmental system that entrusted the people to determine the direction of the country through free, legitimate elections. Under the constitution our founders enabled the citizens to have the responsibility to study candidate’s character, thinking and previous actions before selecting a representative. These men and local leaders realized that voters had to have “skin in the game” in terms of owning property, being literate, law abiding citizens, be of good character and be known by the community.

Often these voters had to travel difficult distances to vote. Most of these original citizens of the United States understood their voice was important in maintaining  freedom. This was ingrained in them after fighting a brutal revolution against a repressive empire. They understood their vote was a privilege that was earned by the valor of citizen soldiers. They had a strong investment in the process by being informed to select representatives to this republic.

This is not the case with the tsunami of illegal immigrants who continue to dilute legitimate citizen’s votes. Our elections are becoming easier to manipulate by the ruling class. The billions of state and national dollars poured into the election and the monolithic media controlled by a few rich individuals allow the elites to influence the outcome negating the voice of the people.

This duty to vote by citizens has changed drastically. Many elites argue that everyone should have an equal right to vote at their convenience. Voters should be given mail-in ballots and given as many days as possible to vote not to be reduced to the traditional one day to cast their ballot. Besides increasing the possibility of fraud, it leaves many voters without all the events and information that would have been available if they had voted on Election Day.

It also means anyone should be able to vote. This translates into even hardened criminals, illiterates, non-citizens and people of poor character should count equally with honorable, educated voters. Many people do not feel a person should have to show any identification when  voting to curtail fraud even though they are often required to show identification when they are using a credit card or merely checking into a hotel.

Our freedom as a nation is being jeopardized by an out of control voting process. The diluting of our standards and regulations for proper voting safeguards is a cancer eroding our responsible citizen’s ability to have their voices heard. Every uninformed and fraudulent vote cancels out a well-informed one.

Citizens who believe in our constitution have a sacred duty to vote. Being aware and informed protects our nation from exploitive power-seeking government officials.
Our heroes of the past will be smiling down on us for our sacrifices. Their legacy of free elections is worth our civic effort in order to pass on stability and freedom to our next generation.


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.





Thursday, October 02, 2014

HIGH STANDARDS AND EXPECTATIONS HAVE TO BE REALISTIC




HIGH STANDARDS AND EXPECTATIONS HAVE TO BE REALISTIC
By Domenick J. Maglio Ph.D.  Traditional Realist

The setting of high standards and expectations is a traditional means of encouraging an individual to increase his performance. When a person reaches a certain level the authority figure would nudge the level higher to incrementally increase the proficiency in a skill or task. This has been successful in motivating people to obtain their optimal level of performance and has kept the person focused on continuing to improve.

This approach works as long as the adult does not overwhelm the youngster with too much, too soon. When the approach is done gradually and realistically the person has the ability to reach the objective, building the competence one step at a time.

Students are all unique. There are socio economic and physiological differences that contribute to early or late bloomers and relationship incidents that affect test results. Some have time management issues working too fast or too slow. Others have problems with organization, socialization or behavior. Overlying these behavioral and skill issues are different innate abilities and interest in academic areas that influence student performance.

The reality is that children develop academically, socially and emotionally at different rates and times. This is being ignored on comprehensive testing even in kindergarten. These tests take away from children’s learning time.

It is ridiculous to mandate high standards and expectations for every student of a particular chronological age where it is not the only criteria that should be considered. The educational establishment’s Common Core Standards have arbitrarily set standards for each level that might impress the uninformed although it is setting up a substantial number of students to become frustrated and develop a defeatist attitude.

The establishment of unrealistic standards and expectations for an individual is detrimental to the self-concept of individuals. No matter how hard they try, they are unable to reach this impossible goal. They begin to view themselves as losers. This experience only reinforces the person’s urge to protect himself by shutting down and not trying.

The person’s resentment to their perceived failure can be turned inward towards himself or outward towards other authority figures. Since the parent or boss seems never to be satisfied, he learns to play games like looking busy rather than focusing on completing the task at hand.  Often others become perfectionists, which results in procrastinating out of fear of failure rather than tackle the deficiency and overcome it.

When extremely pressured by parents, teachers or an employer, a youngster can give up all together or have outbursts of hostility towards the authority figure. Eventually the person stops even pretending to want to reach the unrealistic expectations set for him not with or by him.

Any person’s present skill level has to be determined in the process of setting goals. The more readily attainable the goals the more likely the person will be motivated to reach them.  The more the person consistently reaches his mini objectives the more he develops a “can do” rather than a “can’t do” attitude.

Through this process the individual begins to internalize the steps necessary to attain his goals. His frustration tolerance increases. He realizes that when he follows a certain sequence of behaviors he will gain the results he wants. This becomes a habit in setting all sorts of minor goals in daily life. When these check lists are completed they bolster the person’s self-competence. This allows them to stretch and expand their standards and expectations for their own future success.

These individuals understand they have to mark a path with milestones that end where they want to be. These mini objectives guide and encourage them to finish the particular task. The person himself knows if he gets to a certain point, the next juncture will require a little more focus and energy but he knows it is do-able. There is no reason to give up. He has accepted the fact that he can be independently successful.


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.




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