President's Day

[kapkomet]

I wish I were a government employee, or a bank employee, or a postal worker.

 

That is all.

[Texsox]

My kids schools are open. With his union contract, I'm surprised Nuke isn't on and posting

I kid because I care™

[Rex Kickass]

There is a town near where I live where city employees actually get the following paid holidays in February.

 

President's Day.

Lincoln's Birthday.

Washington's Birthday.

Valentines Day.

 

And your birthday too.

 

If only I worked for them.

[Queen Prawn]

The only benefit I had for working today is that the ride in was a breeze. I just hope the gym is open tonight.

[LowerCaseRepublican]

Lucky for me the school I'm student teaching at had off. w00t for 3 day weekends!

 

/working on Project Discrimination for next week's class to really have the whole racism and discrimination thing hit home with students -- we're talking about Indian Removal with Jackson...so I'm having students talk to relatives about what happened to their families when they came over to the US -- and then looking at historical books about what happened to the Irish, Germans, Chinese, etc. etc. when they came to the United States. They'll get to write a little piece up on it and discuss it in class if they want. I've got a ton of photos to show and some audio as well.

[SnB]

I miss the days of high school, when we got off for fake holidays.

 

Hooray Pulaski day!

[WilliamTell]

Hats off to all 42 presidents.

[CrimsonWeltall]

I will give hats off to 27 presidents. The rest can go f*** themselves.

 

YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE

[Rex Kickass]

I will give hats off to 27 presidents.  The rest can go f*** themselves.

 

YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE

 

That's the funniest thing I've read in days.

[NUKE_CLEVELAND]

My kids schools are open. With his union contract, I'm surprised Nuke isn't on and posting

I kid because I care™

 

 

I wasn't on and posting cause I was too busy sleeping till noon.

 

 

Edited February 21, 2006 by NUKE_CLEVELAND

[YASNY]

Lucky for me the school I'm student teaching at had off.  w00t for 3 day weekends!

 

/working on Project Discrimination for next week's class to really have the whole racism and discrimination thing hit home with students -- we're talking about Indian Removal with Jackson...so I'm having students talk to relatives about what happened to their families when they came over to the US -- and then looking at historical books about what happened to the Irish, Germans, Chinese, etc. etc. when they came to the United States.  They'll get to write a little piece up on it and discuss it in class if they want.  I've got a ton of photos to show and some audio as well.

 

And I'm sure you're going to present a fair and balanced look at this to your classes.

[southsider2k5]

And I'm sure you're going to present a fair and balanced look at this to your classes.

 

Not to hijack this thread too much, but we as American's have a long history of treating immigrants like s***, even today. It still pisses me off to see signs that proclaim their businesses to be American owned, as direct shots to the people who migrated here and own a direct competitor down the highway... Or listening to the high school dropout mumbling something like "They should know how to speak the language" when their grammar might be worse than the immigrants they are looking down upon. Its a pet peeve of mine when "new" Americans are deemed lesser than "old" Americans.

[YASNY]

Not to hijack this thread too much, but we as American's have a long history of treating immigrants like s***, even today.  It still pisses me off to see signs that proclaim their businesses to be American owned, as direct shots to the people who migrated here and own a direct competitor down the highway... Or listening to the high school dropout mumbling something like "They should know how to speak the language" when their grammar might be worse than the immigrants they are looking down upon.  Its a pet peeve of mine when "new" Americans are deemed lesser than "old" Americans.

 

On the other hand, there have been a lot of immigrants come over here and have been extremely successful. They left oppression and violence in their homeland because there was a better life for them here.

[southsider2k5]

On the other hand, there have been a lot of immigrants come over here and have been extremely successful.  They left oppression and violence in their homeland because there was a better life for them here.

 

And no doubt this is the over wealming story when compared to what Apu is going to spend his classtime teaching. To be honest I don't think he even needs to focus on the history of it, when in reality there are probably kids in his class today who think are basically committing the same acts of racism that their forefathers were a victim of. Irony, huh?

[YASNY]

And no doubt this is the over wealming story when compared to what Apu is going to spend his classtime teaching.  To be honest I don't think he even needs to focus on the history of it, when in reality there are probably kids in his class today who think are basically committing the same acts of racism that their forefathers were a victim of.  Irony, huh?

 

Yes, ironic as hell. But, to have our educators teach only the negatives when it comes to treatment of immigrants in this country, and not talk about the fact that the symbolism of the Statue of Liberty has been, in fact, the reality for millions upon millions of immigrants and their decendants borders on treason to me.

[southsider2k5]

Yes, ironic as hell.  But, to have our educators teach only the negatives when it comes to treatment of immigrants in this country, and not talk about the fact that the symbolism of the Statue of Liberty has been, in fact, the reality for millions upon millions of immigrants and their decendants borders on treason to me.

 

And still is today for that matter. The US would have zero population growth if it wasn't for immigration, and people are still coming here in numbers larger than we are willing to handle. I can't help but thinking if it were THAT bad, and the US was hated THAT much, that we wouldn't have millions upon millions of more people still trying to get into the country. But at the sametime, it doesn't make the "English only" crowd any less narrowminded than they were 150 years ago.

[YASNY]

And still is today for that matter.  The US would have zero population growth if it wasn't for immigration, and people are still coming here in numbers larger than we are willing to handle.  I can't help but thinking if it were THAT bad, and the US was hated THAT much, that we wouldn't have millions upon millions of more people still trying to get into the country.  But at the sametime, it doesn't make the "English only" crowd any less narrowminded than they were 150 years ago.

 

I don't have a problem with diversity within our borders. I do, however, have a major problem with our educators presenting a jaded view of the US, which has been happening throughout our educational system for decades, and increasing exponentially as time goes by.

[Balta1701]

I don't have a problem with diversity within our borders.  I do, however, have a major problem with our educators presenting a jaded view of the US, which has been happening throughout our educational system for decades, and increasing exponentially as time goes by.

Do you have evidence of that claim, or is it just an opinion?

[LowerCaseRepublican]

Oh yeah -- I don't get to focus on anything really. The majority of the project is just going to be what their families experienced.

 

And yes, we have come a long way from the past (especially post 1947 and 1954, respectively -- with Jackie Robinson and Brown v Board) but we've still got a long way to go.

 

I got lots of stuff about good and bad of what happened to immigrants. All I ask them to do is look at the experience as a whole and decide what they think. The main thrust of the grade is going to be the justification for the position they take.

 

I told them stories about my dad's side of the family that came from Italy and ran a successful grocery store without any repercussions. But at the same time I think it is important for kids to see a lot of what happened in the past -- not only because it shows how we got to where we are but also for the simple fact of "Never again." in regards to discrimination.

 

When my co-op and I told stories that there used to be black schools and white schools, their jaws dropped. Some kids even laughed at the idea of pre-1960s that there was such a hubub about JFK being Catholic. My co-op grew up in the town and has taught there for 34 years so he was telling a lot of stories of his experience pre and post-Brown v Board in the community. Interesting stuff.

 

Plus, when you show how the bad parts changed -- it shows them that their actions can change things if they put their mind to it. We've spent a lot of time on value analysis. We'll take situations like Jackson in Florida or Jackson's Indian Removal and weigh pros/cons (with me always playing Devil's Advocate) and pressing for reasons why people think the way they are. Then there's the role reversal questions (if thought it was good, how would you feel if you were being harmed by the situation and vice versa) and universal consequences (what happens if everybody commits the action in question) and what alternate ways could this have gone down? It isn't so much telling them what to think but how to think and formulate an opinion with facts/justification. Whenever we've had a discussion I make up a page or two of readings -- 1/2 supporting the action with reasoning and 1/2 against. Then the class goes into debate mode with me just throwing questions out to play with their minds a little bit and not having me commit to either side of the argument.

[YASNY]

Do you have evidence of that claim, or is it just an opinion?

 

It's my opinion.

[YASNY]

Oh yeah -- I don't get to focus on anything really.  The majority of the project is just going to be what their families experienced.

 

And yes, we have come a long way from the past (especially post 1947 and 1954, respectively -- with Jackie Robinson and Brown v Board) but we've still got a long way to go.

 

I got lots of stuff about good and bad of what happened to immigrants.  All I ask them to do is look at the experience as a whole and decide what they think.  The main thrust of the grade is going to be the justification for the position they take.

 

I told them stories about my dad's side of the family that came from Italy and ran a successful grocery store without any repercussions.  But at the same time I think it is important for kids to see a lot of what happened in the past -- not only because it shows how we got to where we are but also for the simple fact of "Never again." in regards to discrimination.

 

When my co-op and I told stories that there used to be black schools and white schools, their jaws dropped.  Some kids even laughed at the idea of pre-1960s that there was such a hubub about JFK being Catholic.  My co-op grew up in the town and has taught there for 34 years so he was telling a lot of stories of his experience pre and post-Brown v Board in the community.  Interesting stuff.

 

Plus, when you show how the bad parts changed -- it shows them that their actions can change things if they put their mind to it.  We've spent a lot of time on value analysis.  We'll take situations like Jackson in Florida or Jackson's Indian Removal and weigh pros/cons (with me always playing Devil's Advocate) and pressing for reasons why people think the way they are.  Then there's the role reversal questions (if thought it was good, how would you feel if you were being harmed by the situation and vice versa) and universal consequences (what happens if everybody commits the action in question) and what alternate ways could this have gone down?  It isn't so much telling them what to think but how to think and formulate an opinion with facts/justification.  Whenever we've had a discussion I make up a page or two of readings -- 1/2 supporting the action with reasoning and 1/2 against.  Then the class goes into debate mode with me just throwing questions out to play with their minds a little bit and not having me commit to either side of the argument.

 

Excellent!