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- A Tale of Two Teachers
- Four More Years!
- Largest Recorded Earthquake Hits Japan Followed By Massive Tsunami Kills Hundreds
Posted: 11 Mar 2011 12:30 PM PST By State Senator Paul McKinley This is a tale of two teachers. Everybody knows a Teacher A and a Teacher B. Let's introduce you to hypothetical Teacher A and B, both 4th grade teachers who appear in classrooms all across Iowa. Each has 15 students in their respective classrooms and have taught ten years with bachelor's degrees as required by Iowa code. The students in each of their classrooms are from similar backgrounds with comparable abilities. Iowa students, while becoming increasingly more diverse, are still some of the most homogeneous and teachable as compared to anywhere else in the nation. Teacher A is very dedicated to her profession and students and she recognizes that for them to succeed, they need to develop and master the fundamentals of math, science, reading and social studies. Teacher A utilizes tried and true methods that are responsible for Iowa's noteworthy heritage in education. A is very responsive to the needs of the students, often staying after work to help students who have questions and prepare lessons for the days ahead. A is usually available by telephone at home in the evenings and on weekends and identifies struggling students who need extra attention. Teacher A gives routine feedback to the students and parents about academic progress. Teacher B, while following recommended curriculum, shows movies in class, goes on many field trips and allows students to deviate from the fundamentals to pursue fun activities. Teacher B is out the door as soon as the bell rings and does not arrive at school until shortly before the first bell in the morning. Teacher B spends weekends pursuing his or her own credentials and exploring the newest untested education fads. At the end of the year, Teacher A has finished teaching students the fundamental skills and all of her students demonstrate at least one year of academic growth. They are now at 5th grade level and are ready to do 5th grade work. Teacher B's students, on the other hand, have not mastered the fundamentals and on average show only about a half of a year's worth of growth. These students will not be ready for 5th grade material and will only continue to fall behind their peers. So when it comes time to reward pay raises, how many believe Teacher A will get more money and benefits? If this were in any other sector of the economy – private sector companies, insurance, small businesses, manufacturing, community banks and others – not only would B be not be awarded with the same pay and benefits, B's employment status would likely be in question. But Iowa's education system is much different. Since both teachers are represented by union bosses, they get the exact same pay raise no matter how students perform. Unfortunately, Iowa's education system is becoming increasingly unfair to both our outstanding teachers and students and threatens the economic strength of our sons, daughters, granddaughters, grandsons. Because of this system, many of our best teachers become frustrated and quit and it is virtually impossible to remove an underperforming teacher from the classroom. Iowa's system has not discouraged the chasing after every new educational fad. We have spent billions of new dollars adopting the latest fads, provided generous teacher bonuses, increased teacher salaries and added technology into the classroom only to see Iowa's once proud heritage slip because of stagnant or declining student achievement. It is time to change course and begin to reward teachers based on whether their kids are learning rather than by tenure or credentials bargained for by union bosses. Not only is it time to pay our best teachers handsomely, it is time to remove teachers from the classrooms who are not performing. Additionally, we must put the focus back on classroom teachers and eliminate positions not directly dealing with student achievement. We must get back to the true definition and purpose of education. Iowa's education system needs dramatic reform, a serious attitude adjustment and a major effort to clean up its act – and soon! Senate Republicans will continue to work to make changes to our education system, but it is also time for the good teachers of this state, the ones who truly do care, to rescue their noble profession from the union bosses and out-of-touch education elite. The very kids we are supposed to be educating today – the future of our communities, state and nation – are counting on each and every one of us. It would be a tragedy to let them down. State Senator Paul McKinley (R-Chariton) is the Iowa Senate Minority Leader Share and Enjoy: |
Posted: 11 Mar 2011 07:30 AM PST Barrack Hussein Obama will be a two term president. We are four months past the historic midterm elections of 2010 in which the Republicans gained a net 63 seats from Democrats and retook control of the chamber they had lost in the 2006 midterm elections, erasing the gains Democrats made in 2006 and 2008 and picked up additional seats, making it the highest total House victory for a single party since 1948 and the highest of any midterm election since 1938. Sanity restored. Americans get it. Obama better enjoy his ride for the next two years because we are sending him packing after only one term! Not so fast. While the elections certainly buoyed the spirits and confidence of conservatives, it also had a tangible affect on President Obama. It motivated him to do something he had, up to this point, refused to do… move toward the political center. A move that many expected to take place prior to the midterms as the heat was turned up over his radical policies. Obama not only refused to pivot, as Bill Clinton had done after the 1994 midterms, he doubled down. Arrogance or ignorance? You make the call. Nevertheless… November proved to be the catalyst for his "change." Less than two months after the November shellacking, Obama extended the Bush era tax cuts. Subsequently, he offered an olive branch to the Chamber of Commerce and appointed business leaders to his management team. He is actually attempting to become the "jobs president." Or so he'd have you believe. The Tea Party movement, made up mostly of conservative Republicans, was able to siphon off enough disgruntled Democrats and Independents to help make it the powerful force that it proved to be in the midterms. But just how deep is their loyalty to the Tea Party and their principles? How much must Obama moderate to shake them loose and draw them back into the fold? Essential to reclaiming the critical independent vote will be his ability to manage public perception of key current events such as unemployment and rapidly rising gasoline prices. This task is made easier with his willing accomplices in the mainstream media. Case in point is the comparison of media reaction to rising gas prices in 2008, during the Bush administration versus the increases we are experiencing now in 2011. According to Julia A. Seymour, writing for Investors.com, "In 2008, network reporters mentioned “Bush,” the “president” or “government” in gas price reports 15 times more often than in 2011 under President Obama (15 stories to 1)." Make no mistake about it… despite these moves to the center, Barrack Obama is a hard left ideologue who stands firmly behind Obamacare, cap and trade, stimulus, extending unemployment benefits, card check, banning off-shore drilling, suing Arizona for enforcing federal laws against illegal immigration… need I go on? But he will continue to speak as a centrist. He will purport to be a friend of business. He will selectively "compromise" with Republicans. And the media will continue to report the favorable and ignore the unfavorable. Thus, just enough of the independents will rediscover their affection for the Pied Piper and America's first black president will have a second term with which to enact his radical, leftist agenda. If you despised his activity during the first two years of his term… just wait until the final four years. I hope I am wrong. Share and Enjoy: |
Largest Recorded Earthquake Hits Japan Followed By Massive Tsunami Kills Hundreds Posted: 11 Mar 2011 07:00 AM PST The largest recorded earthquake in Japanese history hit 80 miles off shore the eastern coast of Japan on Friday. The quake registered at 8.9 and unleashed a 23 ft. tsunami that hit the northeast coast of Japan killing hundreds. Fox News reports 200-300 bodies were washed up on shore near Sendai City. The Tsunami has already reached Hawaii, Alaska has felt its impact, and Southern California beaches are closed as they expect Tsunami waves to reach the west coast of the United States. @TimeOutTokyo is tweeting about the aftermath of the earthquake. Please be in prayer for victims families, survivors and rescue personnel as they deal with this disaster. Pray for their recovery as well. Share and Enjoy: |
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