IT IS NOT WHAT THE TEACHER KNOWS OR HAS TAUGHT

IT IS NOT WHAT THE TEACHER KNOWS OR HAS TAUGHT

By Domenick J. Maglio Ph.D. traditional Realist

In our present educational industry we are producing teachers with an erroneous belief that the more courses, certificates and degrees obtained, the better teacher they are. It is true they will receive a higher pay level with more credentials but these pieces of paper do not insure the quality of their teaching.

Being a great or even a good teacher does not depend on the teacher’s ability to regurgitate information, have a large vocabulary of educational jargon or even the know-it-all aura that she or he is the next Robin Williams in the “Dead Poet Society.”

It is not how much the teacher knows or has lectured about, but rather what each of her students has absorbed and really knows.

When a child passes a current test, it does not indicate the child has placed the information in his long-term memory. Short-term memory is what most of our public schools are testing. Children learn particular information, which they are tested on during the week although not all the questions are corrected or marked. The teacher moves on to other material regardless if the student knows it or was even present.

There is no flexibility for the teacher to assist each child individually because of time constraints. The teacher is mandated to move the entire class forward. The teacher has to religiously follow this top down curriculum, which is highly influenced by the state and presently by the national administration through Common Core. The standards and expectations are rigidly set for particular grade levels not considering the developmental level reached by each child.

The detailed script given to the teacher by the administration restricts her creativity with rigid time lines to be met. The creative freedom they can take is limited to augmenting the lessons. This can be accomplished at their own peril since it can interrupt the pace causing the entire class to fall behind the tight schedule.

This robotic process governing modern teachers is killing the teacher’s gratification of being a significant person in student’s lives. They no longer have that daily time or the years of student involvement they had in neighborhood or small schools. The fifty-minute or even two hours is not enough exposure to develop the strong student-teacher relationship that is necessary to impact academic and character development of the student.

This handcuffing of our teachers is making many caring and wonderful people resentful. Their best ideas and inclinations in teaching are being stifled against their better judgment to conscientiously follow their detailed instructions.

The worst part of this process for the teacher is the students that she taught overwhelmingly forgot what she had conscientiously taught them. The teacher initially gets upset with students that are unable to perform well in their subject areas. “I taught you this information. I can’t believe you forgot!” Eventually the teacher realizes not only her students but most of the students in other classes are not doing well on normative testing. Her anger rightfully turns directly to the unreasonable approach she is forced to use.

The only conclusion that any honest teacher can make is the directions from above are flawed because they are not working. On deeper analysis the teacher realizes that the students needed more reinforcement and review to put the information permanently into his long-term memory. Too many teachers feel there are too many things to learn in too short a time for the majority of students. There is also no time allowed for internalizing new information and integrating it with other knowledge to gain a clear understanding.

These counter productive educational practices are happening all over the country and are devastating the morale of teachers. They want to make a positive impact on the lives of their students as teachers did in the past.

The spotlight has to be shifted from the elaborate school facility, the incredibly complicated educational programs and “entertaining” highly credentialed teachers. The emphasis has to be returned to enhancing each student’s academic ability and ultimately to his performance to be a self-learner.

Education is and should be all about the student’s mastery of academic skills and character development not a vehicle for social engineering of a utopian society.

The individual student’s performance should guide the teacher not unrealistic standards that sound good on paper but are creating unnecessary failure for bright students and dedicated teachers.

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.

COMPROMISING WOULD BE FATAL FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS

COMPROMISING WOULD BE FATAL FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS

By Domenick J. Maglio, PhD. Traditional Realist

Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue. Barry Goldwater

Starting with republican president, Theodore Roosevelt, and the democrat president, Woodrow Wilson, the progressive movement has gradually eroded the Founding Father’s principles on which our country was founded.

In a century we have moved from being proud to be free and doing what we want with our own property. Today many of the dependency class are demanding more and more government services. In exchange for these services there has been a significant increase in the size of government and a corresponding loss of personal property and freedom especially in the middle class.

As the size of government has exploded so has its arrogance. Instead of the government serving the people the citizens need to comply with government bureaucrats, “expert’s” demands or suffer the ridiculous consequences of government penalties and enforced regulations.

The bloating of government has resulted in increased confiscation of citizen’s money through a creative array of taxes.  These policies of government have reduced the motivation of the people to be self-reliant, moral citizens. As the government has crept into every crevice of our lives we have become a weaker, more fearful people.

The middle class sees everything that it has struggled for disappearing. The earning power and opportunity to climb the socio economic ladder has dwindled.

Retaining office has become the major goal of career politicians. They have made outrageous promises that are impossible to keep regardless of the money confiscated from middle class citizens.  The productive middle class is the small businessmen and middle management in corporations that drive our economy.

The ruling class has exponentially increased the debt with wasting tax dollars by bribing uninformed “give me” adults for their votes. This rapidly increasing snowball of debt rolling down a hill is the reason citizens unknown to each other have realized the government has gone wild in its spending and has to be stopped. These diverse middle class people have become a formidable force that could change the direction of the nation.

These isolated yet like-minded citizens were originally known as Tea Party members. These law abiding middle class people quickly realized that most politician’s words, regardless of political affiliation, should not be trusted. They have concluded the major concern of our representation was to be re-elected to maintain power not serve the interest of the people or the nation.

This movement had horrified republican and democrat progressives. Compromising of principles has been the strategy of progressives to chip away at the foundation of our constitutional republic. The status quo political establishment had to attack the middle class faithful and their supporters. They used nasty diatribes with such words as “teabaggers”, “right wingnuts,” terrorists and worse to discredit them.

Instead this has morphed into a broader middle class movement by shining the light on the political shenanigans, finance and Constitutional disregard, which is undermining our governmental system.

People from both parties have realized that the only way to save our nation from government servitude is to elect principled representatives who will do what is best for the nation in the long run. These leaders realize that continual compromise will only slow down our march to totalitarianism.

These committed believers of the blueprint of limited government through our Constitution and Bill of Rights are willing to stand up to be heard. Patriots comprehended we need a new breed of representatives. We need those who would fight courageously for principles of limited government rather than the self-interest of returning to office.

This strategy of filling the halls of congress with representatives for the people necessitated the voters be vigilant to make sure that politicians’ words match their deeds.

Only by weeding out political opportunists can informed voters accomplish their goal of a solid base of representatives with integrity.  Honesty and sincerity are essential for returning the local and state governments back to the people.

The American public stood up in the 2014 midterm elections by selecting principled candidates who will pay long-term dividends for liberty. All freedom loving Americans should be committed to turn our national ship around again towards the land of opportunity and freedom.

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.

PARENTAL SCHOOL INVOLVEMENT: A DOUBLE EDGED SWORD

 

PARENTAL SCHOOL INVOLVEMENT: A DOUBLE EDGED SWORD

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

A widely held belief in our culture is that more parent involvement in schools results in a better academic environment. Close teacher and parent contact should increase communication and trust. This bond between teacher and parent would supposedly facilitate the student's learning.

This idealized interaction between parents and teachers is based on too many assumptions that do not hold true in our current culture. Many parents today may have as much or more formal education than many teachers. Even those parents less formally educated have access to experts in education and child rearing in the media and on the Internet. This pop culture knowledge has fostered arrogance in many people in dealing with other professionals even if they are in a different field.

This easy information access has made everyone and anyone an educational "expert." It is a striking contrast to the less formally educated parent of a few generations ago. As a greater proportion of our population has graduated from college, the awe and respect once reserved for teachers has decreased accordingly. Teachers today are less involved in the community and they often do not share similar value systems with our more diverse population. 

Modern parents are more concerned and suspicious of trusting their child’s education to schools than in the past. The accessibility to teachers is being blocked by a maze of internal obstacles and administrative assistants to overcome before obtaining a direct meeting with the child’s teacher. An intimidating bureaucratic complex has replaced the friendly neighborhood school.  What happens in school stays in school with little transparency for the parents.  With every media report about chaos in the classroom and the lack of quality education in the schools parents’ paranoia has increased.

No wonder when their first child has to enter school they are armed with a long list of questions. These lists are written by educational/child development experts, which are found in women’s magazines and Internet sites to help them evaluate a school. The educational jargon satisfies most parents although the complexity and enormity of the schools leaves many of them with undefined apprehension.

In our upside down culture today’s parents are fearful for their child’s future experience in school. Unlike their parents who were more critical of their children’s actions modern parents are their child’s advocates. Most parents inform their interviewer that their child is brighter than the average child. They want the teacher to understand the child’s unique abilities and brilliance that he occasionally displays at home. In our materialistic/self promoting culture whenever parents have the opportunity to give their child a leg up or protect him they feel they need to do so regardless or the unfairness to others.

These parents fail to realize their child’s performance can be very different in a group as compared to a one-on-one situation with a loved one. These parents do not fully support the teacher in the daily complex position of dealing with the instruction of a group of children. Rather, the teacher is the one who is guilty until proven innocent.

Even in more innocuous settings such as volunteering in the child's classroom or on field trips, the parent's allegiance is quite clear and startling. Modern parents are not there to be objective assistants in the classroom or on trips but have a specific agenda to give their own child an advantage over their classmates, which was unheard of in the past.

These parents often take an aggressive role to advance their child's interest over other students. The parents more often than not fail to follow proper decorum. The volunteer wants her child to receive preferential treatment from the teacher. The benefits the child should receive vary from being chosen first on line, to being allowed to skip certain rules that the parent disagrees with. The parents believe the teacher owes them for their volunteering in the school by giving the child special consideration.

It is true these volunteers provide teachers with an extra set of eyes and hands in the classroom. They can be assigned simple clerical duties such as marking papers and monitoring different areas for behavior management concerns. Although parent volunteers can come with a significant price tag not only with favoritism towards one’s child but dependability, consistency and judgment issues. Many schools should reevaluate the benefit/cost aspects of volunteerism of having parents in the school.

Schools should be open for parents to know the child’s progress and level of performance, what and how their child is being taught. Insuring communication with parents is essential for quality education. No parent, like no child, should receive preferential treatment regardless of their power or friendship with school personnel.

School districts and their administrators should make it quite clear that parental favoritism will not be tolerated. All American students deserve a level playing field to fairly earn their grades to compete in a meritocracy society.

When a parent volunteer believes her time in school should entitle her child to special treatment, it is time for the school to provide clear policy guidelines. It should state it is never the case to treat one child better than others even if it is their own child.

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 FEW CONTROL THE MANY

THE FEW CONTROL THE MANY

By Domenick J. Maglio, PhD., Traditional Realist

“We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to anything it pleases while the citizens may act only by permission.” Ayn Rand

Our country has been transformed from a federal to a national government. Everything is being channeled through the centralized bureaucracy in Washington, DC. Healthcare, energy, finance, environment, education, corporate and small business decisions have to be granted by the government.

“Operation Choke Point” is using government power to coerce banks to stop servicing legal businesses they frown upon. Since gun shops and ammunition are targeted it is a way to circumvent our Second Amendment right to protect ourselves.

Over the past decade it became politically incorrect to speak one's mind without fear. Certain words have become taboo through the state controlled press. Bum, normal, Columbus Day, welfare recipient, Christian, social radical, righteous, oriental, fat, black, illegal immigrants, broken homes are only a few words that have become unacceptable. This has limited, constricted and altered our language and thinking. Political correctness and hate crimes are major steps to instituting thought control that usually leads to totalitarianism.

Currently we are witnessing a more brazen frontal attack on our freedoms by eliminating our First Amendment rights. This administration has unleashed the minority's resentment to undermine the rights of all citizens, which we are granted by our Constitution. Under the guise of social justice the administration and the media has stirred up minority grievances by manufacturing crisis after crisis.

The non-existent pay differential between males and females has been used to sell the “war on women”. Eric Holder, Attorney General in 2009, accused America of being a “nation of cowards.” He proceeded to stoke racial fires. He prejudged Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown as being innocent victims before all the evidence was considered and the judicial process completed. He has aligned himself with the rabble-rouser, Al Sharpton, who is known for his agitation on racial issues that divide the country.

The Duke Lacrosse and Virginia University fabricated rape cases by the Rolling Stone Magazine were examples of white men being convicted by the media. Everyday is open season on white males since social radicals portray them as a privileged class in a racist society. They have no rights in the world of social justice.

The non-controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act recently passed in Indiana was an attempt by the state to reinforce our First Amendment rights, which were already granted by the First Amendment of the Constitution. It is undeniable that our founding fathers believed in freedom of religion and freedom of speech. They risked everything for it. This simple RFRA has been hysterically turned into a divisive political issue.

Everyone in our nation is supposed to have the right to express his beliefs and opinions. “Marriage is between a man and a woman” is not a discriminatory act. It is a Muslim, Christian and Jewish belief that has been accepted for centuries.

The state run media has been a staunch advocate for homosexual marriage. They feel the issue has already been settled by dubious polls. A reporter walked into Memories Pizza shop aware the owner was a devout Christian. The owner's daughter said to the reporter that she would serve anyone coming into the pizzeria but she honestly stated that she would not cater a homosexual wedding. However, it is doubtful anyone would want pizza for that type of occasion.

This law abiding, decent American family was bombarded by false orders, hate mail and even death threats. The family felt they had to close the establishment. This is another example of the tyranny of the minority against the majority. It was a vicious campaign of hate by minority members against a family with traditional moral beliefs.

This is tyranny of the minority against the majority. “Social justice” divides us into interest groups. It does not unite us. As citizens of the USA we have been granted unalienable rights to be free, which comes from God not from spokesmen of the ruling class.

The politicians who wrote non-offensive RFRAs throughout the nation capitulated like cowards appeasing the national government, media and corporations such as Apple and Wal-Mart. These spineless politicians refuse to defend the law. The reason for the law was to protect people from harassment for following their religious beliefs and conscience. A few malcontents should not control the majority.

We should not and cannot depend on politicians to do their duty of fighting for the Constitution and the rule of law. Most are career opportunists, not leaders. It is up to the majority to stand up and make their voices heard against a vocal few. The majority did this with Memories Pizza by sending hundreds of thousands of dollars to keep the pizza shop open.

Once we accept the government telling us how and what to say and do with our businesses and beliefs we all have lost our souls and the nation we love. We should never submit to asking the government permission to do what is within our rights under our Constitution. The government should be halted by the American people from using minorities to undermine our First Amendment rights.

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.

ANTI ESTABLISHMENT IS NOW OUR ESTABLISHMENT

THE “ANTI ESTABLISHMENT” IS NOW OUR “ESTABLISHMENT”

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

The 1960s anti establishment radicals hated everything that made the United States the super power of the world. They knew better than everyone. Almost all of these youthful “know it alls” thought their hard working parents, who provided money for college to give them irresponsible freedom, were boring bourgeois fools. Most rebelled against any authority, morals and values which held our nation together. Most mocked our founding fathers and traditions and some openly burned the flag. These Marxist radicals were indoctrinated in our educational institutions to despise our historical accomplishments.

The former anti establishment rebels took over a substantial number of positions of power in the Clinton administration. With the aid of the progressive press in 2008 these progressives under president Obama became the entrenched establishment. These Marxist progressive “educated geniuses” ushered in the most secretive, repressive and incompetent leadership our nation has ever had.

The US has gone from a super power to a laughing stock. We have alienated our allies and foolishly have been exploited by our enemies. We have talked about  “red lines” and watched silently as they were crossed time and again. We have lost all credibility with friendly as well as enemy nations. Our private sector middle class economy continues to shrink while the welfare rolls balloon out of control.

The perverted 1960 counter culture, now mainstream, has poisoned the minds and souls of our children through the media and our government’s educational institutions. Celebrity worship has replaced our historical heroes that made America great. Everything that has made America good is viewed as bad and everything that makes us weak spiritually, physically and financially is promoted as good. Our world is turned upside down daily. 

Our resources are not utilized because it would be unfair to other nations for us to have a robust economy. Slackers are applauded while producers are viewed as greedy. Abortion has been legitimized as a woman’s right and 4000 innocent babies are killed a day. Redistribution of other’s wealth is fair game although it is unfair to resent healthy, employable people on the dole.

Our present establishment has stated that big government is inherently good since people are too stupid to rule themselves. People need to be controlled by bureaucratic  “scientific experts” who understand what is good and bad for the masses. Freedom of choice has to be limited for the non-elites to preserve our resources.

These past haters of any form of government establishment are so infatuated with their opportunities to handle the levers of power they have disregarded our constitutional laws to forcefully nationalize healthcare. They are doing the same with our public school education through the Common Core initiative. The ruling class believes everyone should be under the control of an all-knowing government for the common good.

These formerly political cynics currently have no concern over the NSA surveillance records of every citizen’s actions and speech. They are no longer preoccupied with the possible government establishment of a totalitarian state since they are in charge of it. From their perspective prosperity and freedom are solely for the ruling elites, not the shrinking middle and expanding dependent class. The non-ruling classes will all shortly be dependent on the government.

These former revolutionaries have built a shadow government with which they plan to seamlessly replace our Constitutional Representative government. These previous anti authority advocates should look back on their beliefs, actions and writings to begin to understand they have become the elites they detested. 

The 1960s anti establishment youths have become older but they do not realize they are on the road to enslaving their own countrymen. These are the same people who railed against the government in the 1960s. It is a legacy they should reconsider before it is too late for themselves, our nation and the rest of the world. There will be no opportunity for freedom. It will be crushed worldwide.

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.