I Speak of Dreams

Draft Horse Classic

Want to see some really good, really big horses?  Get tickets now, and go to the  Draft Horse Classic at the Nevada County Fairgrounds are now on sale. The Classic  opens Thursday night, September 15th, 2005 and runs through Sunday the 18th, 2005;

CEDU Closing: On Edison Schools

In July, 2003, Frontline did a long investigative piece about another for-profit educational organization, Edison Schools.

[Investors] when push comes to shove, [are] going to put investors first ahead of kids," [what do] you say?

I would disagree with that. I would say that we can balance those interests. And by the way … there is a tension between multiple interests that exist in American public education. It's not that we are the first time there's a tension that exists. The question is, can we possibly do it in a way that actually winds up making it work better? The academic data would indicate that we are, and I think that's the point.

It turned out that the principals at McCown deLeeuw did put investors first, over the interests of emotionally-fragile children and their families.

And it turned out that the Edison for-profit model didn't work, exactly, as promised.

More on College Catering to Students' Perceived Demands

Across the country, high school seniors are receiving college acceptance letters this spring, and amenities are becoming a factor in their decisions.  There's a previous article on colleges are catering to students' perceived demands--in McUniversity, the sizzle sells. 

As in the business world, where branding and company recognition are paramount, schools have adopted a business mentality and are striving to differentiate themselves.

"The puzzling thing is that as these kinds of [amenities] are increasing in their frequency on the national level, we all have mounting concerns about the affordability of higher education," Kalsbeek said.

Be Careful Of What You Offer

Many schools -- public and private-- use auctions as fundraisers.  It can be fun, and my experience as an item donor is that the items are often not redeemed.

Some people think it is wrong do auctions at all, and others object to animals being auctioned. 

In this case, it sounds to me like political correctness gone amok. 

Inside a Special Education Classroom

I've been searching for a blog written by someone who is in the trenches with not-for-profit or for-profit  "therapeutic schools".  No dice so far.  Thanks to Carnival of Education,  I have found Mrs. Ris

My job as early primary teacher in a special education program for emotionally disabled elementary students doesn’t completely define me!

Colleges Catering to Kids' Perceived Demands

I have a great idea!  Let's so cater to our children that they will be dissatisfied with life on their own -- trying to lower their expectations to meet the lifestyle they can afford on an early-career paycheck-- that they'll move back in!  No empty nest!  No dissatisfied kids!

Oh, wait...we already did that, and now the colleges are following suit.

Some people call them the "Baby On Board Generation"  others the Millenials:

A note to all those Millennials who demand the same private bathrooms and vegetarian meals that they got at home: College dorms are supposed to be yucky for the same reason that your parents aren't supposed to wait on you hand and foot when you're a teen - it's so that you eventually want to grow up and move out and take care of your own precious self.  College is something you leave for something better.  And unlike at home, you won't get to hang around for years for free if you get hooked on those comfy dorm rooms.

Mel Levine's new book, Ready or Not: Here Life Comes  touches on the modern middle-class (and above) habit of making home life so sweet for teens that they don't want to move into adulthood.

Teaching Writing in An Online World

I found the blog, Teaching Writing In An Online World some time ago.  It is a joint blog from Nick Carbone and Tengrrl -- an interesting blog overall, especially for those interested in education. 

But the fun part was different.

Eudamonia

We flew home from New York last night on Jet Blue, and there on Direct TV was Doyne Farmer. What?  It was the story of Eudamonia, or the Newtonian Gamblers.
Letty and Doyne were fellow Jordanites*.  Doyne  has gone on to other types of games of chance.

What struck me wasn't the gambling but both Letty and Doyne's memories of the motive: longing for right livelihood.   

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*on-campus cooperative house at Stanford, 1970 to ?  1979?  don't know.

What To Do

"When in danger or in doubt
Run in circles, scream and shout."

It's DT's tagline.

More of Murphy's Law

• Murphy's Tenth Law: Mother Nature is a bitch.
• Murphy's Eleventh Law: It is impossible to make anything foolproof, because fools are so very ingenious.
• Murphy's Twelfth Law: Things get worse under pressure.
• Murphy's Thirteenth Laws: 
  
  • To study a subject best, understand it thoroughly before you start.
  • If an experiment works, something has gone wrong.
  • If mathematically you end up with the incorrect answer, try multiplying by the page number.

When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout!

It has been identified as

"Mongolian General Prudential Rule:
‘When in danger or in doubt,
run in circles, scream and shout!'"

When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout.-- Robert A. Heinlein, "The Cat Who Walks Through Walls"

Clint's Cure-All:
          When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout!

The Elusiveness of Diagnosis in Special Education

What is "special education" or SpEd, anyway?  Who ends up there? 

I've been thinking a lot about the concept of "diagnosis" relative to learning disabilities. When most folks hear "diagnosis", the word invokes certainty and a quality of finality, of the known.

In the realm of learning, of cognition, and the variations of human excellence, it is a different thing-- more ephemeral, more elusive, .  For example, the College Board requires a specific diagnosis for accomodations.  Public school districts have other unscientific (unvalidated, varies from district to district)  criteria.  Wrightslaw  (for my money) is the best place to get a handle on some of the slipperyness.   

The following article, from the June 1999 issue of Washington Monthly,  also reveals some interesting points.