Author: Roger

CMP

 

 

Preparation

 

I dislike being forced to sit through a class lecture or presentation where the presenter is obviously unprepared.   Whatever the reason they decided not to prepare, the truth is, many of the presentations we saw this fall were marginally prepared if at all.   Presenter must do more than read slides and ask questions.   If a presenter does nothing except read slides and ask questions I am inclined to busy my mind with something more enriching like my 8-times tables or the contemplate the essence of cultural uses of the Cor Anglais between the St Petersburg and Paris schools displayed in Tchaikovsky and Debussy songs of the late 19th century.   Yikes! Preparation is key to setting the tone for the entire lesson, unit, semester and year. Part of this preparation is what is done before school starts. Building community with students is the cornerstone of CM and will be the overarching goal in preparing before school.   (Alber, 2011) This endeavor will include organizing and preparing the physical space, laying the foundation for strong teacher/student relationships and preparing rules, procedures, and academic expectations to be discussed and finalized with the students on the first day of school.   Figure 1 is a 3D version of a cartoon classroom.   While it would be nice for the first day of school, the chairs would likely need to be a little taller for the HS student.

Safety will always be the first priority in teaching and learning.   At times, when dangerous activities are required, all risks will be mitigated to the highest degree and agreed upon by parents and guardians.   If a student wishes to opt out I will have other means for them to earn the point load.

 

 

A clean, organized and uncluttered classroom (as shown in Figure 1 above) will give the students an indication of how they can expect the year to go. The horseshoe setup may control but will allow for maximum discussion, represented here in figure 2.   Changes for collaborative work will be necessary but will be pre-positioned to a large extent to minimize time spent moving furniture and maximize discovery, instruction, and group time.   Group areas will be easily setup.   Seating choices are often a subject of some consternation among students.   The mission should be to learn.   If the class can accomplish mission without leaving anyone behind, then seating should be by choice.   If behavioral issue arise assigned seating might be the most unobtrusive way to mitigate the problem.   The walls will eventually be covered with posters and graphic organizers.  Someone always uses permanent marker on the white board.   Damage to furniture or fixtures always happens but none of these should not be evident at the beginning of school.   The hallways approaching the classroom should reflect the classroom environment.   They will be decorated throughout the year but should be clean and clear to start in the fall as shown in figure 3.   The school, the hallway, and of course, my classroom will be prepared for the work that will be done there.

Electronic and analog tools are important as well and should be in good working order before the first day of school.   It is critical in any endeavor to have the necessary tools available to perform the activity. The classroom is the central tool of formal education for students.   The average high school classroom seems to give a slightly cluttered appearance as the tools available have increased since junior high or even the previous year.   For some students, this environment isn’t the most ideal, but the teacher must strive to maintain organization and limit clutter.   If clutter exists it should have a purpose.   Technology has increased greatly over the past four decades.   Every student, regardless of location, should be afforded the opportunity, not only to learn, with these tools but also use these tools to open their world to present and future possibilities.   Tools should be used but always put away for the next usage.   Figure 4 is an example of what happens when tools are used but not put away.   This SHOULD NOT be found in any HS classroom.   Electronic tools seem to have more pitfalls than mechanical ones, therefore, the teacher must mitigate these pitfalls having a “plan b’ in the event the electronic failures.   Consistent tool failure cannot be tolerated as the norm, but appropriate use and consistent maintenance must be the culture.

 

Stakeholders

Stakeholders in these environments are likewise different in their view of formal education and their level of investment and involvement in the student’s learning.   Laying the foundation for strong teacher/student relationships is a “must do’ before the school year begins.   A note to parents/students builds a strong bridge and send a message of accountability.   Recently, a point was made by an experience administrator/educator that some teachers detest having parental involvement. The community, parents, teachers, and administrative involvement and positions must be seen as positive, effectual, and influential to support student learning.   Too much emphasis cannot be placed on the importance of these groups and individuals to the profitability of formal education.   Seldom can a group of people, with variety of cultural and belief systems come together to accomplish a goal.   This group of people should have the students’ formal education as its common and highest goal.   All deference and support should be given to parents who desire a quality educational experience for their child.   Naturally, there will be times and situations the parents don’t want to be involved.   The teacher must encourage the parents to engage their child and provide a home or other non-school environment to support formal learning and incorporate it into home, community, and cultural learning.   The community must make every effort to accept student led projects and support them logistically and financially.   Administrators must be creative in combining school and community; they should seek differentiated instruction and student opportunities for involvement in community solutions were community leaders may assume or be hesitant about including students in extra-curricular community activities.

 

Rules and Procedures

The most obvious aspects of effective classroom management are classroom rules and procedures. Rules and procedures convey the message that “my primary mission is to present information and your mission is to learn.’ (Marzano, 2005) They give students the structure and framework necessary to help them feel the classroom is a safe and predictable place. Based on the student handbook, the rules for my class will be agreed upon by all and posted in a prominent place.   A student’s self-image as a learner or “grasper’ of concepts taught in class has to be, at least, adequate for the student to accel in that subject.   In my own experience, I find safety and predictability to be of utmost importance.      Having an atmosphere in which to learn is a major part of why I did so poorly in HS.   I believe all students have a desire to learn and be acceptable to the groups they find themselves in but a large portion of them were taught at home or have chosen to accept the rules that have been laid out for them by other teachers and classes.

Typical rules and procedures hinge on the age and maturity level or developmental point which the class or student has attained.   A great example from the text is one where the author has several listings from various grades.   These rules increase in complexity but decrease in number as the student matures and can be accountable for ever-increasing responsibility as is seen in here in figure 5.

 

Disciplinary events must and will be a last resort to correct behavioral or other problems in the classroom.   In observation this semester I encountered one student who refused to be a part of the class and even threaten the teacher’s life.   The village can be a very violent place but keeping cool and managing the situation accordingly will conclude positively.   Much has been said and written about administrative involvement in classroom discipline.  I will attempt to deal with challenges first and resort to administrative help when I no longer believe I can teach and handle the behavioral challenge.

Sometimes problem students, if their self-image is important to them, will take on appropriate self-discipline if they have a visual reminder of behavioral/educational rules from the past.   Rules and procedure will be agreed upon at the beginning of the year by everyone so that consistency will rule over impulse.   In the likely event new rules must be put into place, they too, will be agreed upon.

 

Safety

As has been a common theme, safety must be the first priority in the classroom.   It requires diligence to maintain safety standards and safe operations.  The classroom should be organized for ease of movt and interaction. The teacher should be able to move to any location in the room without touching students.   Distraction are not usually safety issues but doing away with distractions will help the learning process.   Classroom arrangement should be according to OSHA standards to ensure legal compliance.   My class will be arranged so that resources needed will be available.   Dividing attention between students must be kept to a minimum.

The teacher should not turn away from students unless absolutely necessary as is shown in figure 6.

 

Mirrors in the classroom can aid in encouraging responsible behavior.   On days that are particularly busy, having students write on the board will enable me to keep my eye on the class.  If I model respect for student safety, then that respect will become a classroom norm. (Duesenberry, 2012)

 

Legal Requirements

When there is any doubt about what legal issues there may exist, the student handbook, administration, or state guidance must be adhered to.   There will be times with every class that students will push the limits of behavior and acceptable responsibility.   As a normal practice student issues should be dealt with in the classroom.   However, whenever disruptive behavior severely threatens the physical or emotional well-being of the teacher or other children in the class, the disruptive child should be removed from the class. (Duke, 1978)

 

Student Diversity – Cultural

Culture, as acceptable or encouraged behavior in every facet of life, can be specific to a region or even a village.   More and more, teachers need to be inclusive of cultural differences, finding common ground and effective methods to encourage cultural differences while teaching non-cultural or acultural material.   Often in my visits to Native Alaskan villages I have noticed, in large group settings, children are permitted to exit and enter the event location freely.   While some would view this as less than ideal it is nonetheless acceptable in those villages.   Teachers must incorporate culture into the learning environment.   In the past classroom leaders demanded stillness and quiet.   This practice is not consistent with present-day life or educational norms in some villages.   Present practice has shown what used to be perceived as behavior, disrespectful to teacher and fellow students, is now viewed as learning support. (Vita, 2001) Good order and discipline can include learning support activities such as quiet talking between students or what is perceived as confusion by the onlooker.   The intentional disrupting of group or individual learning activities should not be tolerated but there exists a line the teacher must discover between cultural norms and a blatant attempt to disrupt.   It must be assumed every culture and environment is different and should be observed and analyzed before hard and fast assumptions and conclusions can be drawn.

 

Student Diversity — Special Needs

Attitudes toward classroom inclusion of special needs student are varied and sometimes hostile.   Most often, as seen in the Avramidis study, teachers who have more experience in this endeavor tend to have a more positive outlook on the additional effort and effects for the class and the special needs students. (Avramidis, 2000) Students will see and work with an ever-increasing amount of special needs people in their lifetime as has been my own experience.   Moving past the need to include and seeing the unique set of abilities or benefits each person holds will aid in the students view of common human talents and rights therefore transferring these views to their work, recreational and personal environments.

 

 

Planning and Conducting Instruction

Just as every person has unique fingerprints, everyone also has unique learning style(s); curriculum should be flexible enough to cover the necessary details but in a manner to accommodate the greatest amount of student learning styles.   At all times, the teacher must take all possible measures to ensure each student is learning the most they possibly can using whatever teaching style in the best possible way.   While individual work is paramount to individual success, group work is the favorite of many as the responsibility for work is shared by many but also the burden of creativity is not as heavy on the individual but spread over the group.   This collaborative learning can cause or require more work and creativity for the teacher.   As well, the nonfoundational understanding of knowledge will likely meet with some resistance before it is understood institutionally. (Bruffee, 1993)

Also, individual strengths can be used to a greater degree in making the group learning experience more intense and rewarding.   Group work is difficult to assess from the teacher perspective but if the class is growing through this method the teacher must find a way to set aside their individual likes/dislikes and beliefs, and support this kind of learning.   Individual learning also takes place in the group setting when those who are weak in a specific area observe someone who are strong in that area.   These learning events cannot be exploited to maximum student benefit unless the teacher is willing to work outside their comfort zone or within these confines to support group work.

Collaborative, place-based, personalized and differentiated instruction are all key to village application.   Collaborative is as well but considering the small size of most village HS, there may be a problem with having too few students to make the collaboration effective. Regardless, they are key to any educational approach in formal schooling, but many disagree. “…it wasn’t done that way in the past’ is a true statement but is it a legitimate argument to hold when these instructional approaches never had the opportunity to be analyzed and tested?   Often aspects of that argument are not holding the goal of student education sacred.   Again, I desire to have a classroom full of students that understand their place in their culture and environment and how they must progress as they mature to hold increasingly more responsibility for that culture and environment.

Entrance and exit tickets are a great method for teaching peripherals or essential unit items simultaneously.   The YouTube video on the Edutopia website showing tricks of the trade is an excellent example for including handshake etiquette into an entrance ticket. (McClendon, 2010) This video is available in the bibliography section.   I had not heard of these but will utilize them to ensure my students learn the “adult society’ side of history and make the inter-personal relationship connection.   They will “graduate’ from my class being socially comfortable.

 

Summary

In summary, I have offered my philosophy of education as well as my CM plan.   While feelings don’t educate the human being, feeling safe in an educational environment multiplies the effectiveness of all parties toward the educational goal.   Preparation will set the tone for a quality environment and eliminate many problems associated with poor instruction or lack of attentiveness. Expectations voiced, written, and agreed upon with students will be the foundation to begin instruction.  Rules and procedures will lay the ground work for interpersonal respect and student/teacher expectations.   Safety will be paramount in all aspects of my classroom and the learning environment overall.   Legal requirements in both student and teacher handbook will be adhered to so that both student and teacher will be comfortable to seek learning goals.   Any change or exception to the code by the district will be covered in writing from the principal to all concerned stakeholders.   As I am anticipating serving in a village, the likely demographic variation will be a white male teacher with mostly Alaska native students.   Having spent some time in the village I realize the environment is different and priorities can sometimes appear odd or taking focus away from education.   This focus will be a challenge, but I will seek to differentiate instruction to include the priority of the culture and not force educational requirements at the wrong time.   Special needs students might be a challenge for fellow classmates, but I welcome the opportunity to include them in critical aspects of learning and instruction.   Conducting instruction will require the lion’s share of time but as with classroom preparation before school, if good lesson prep is accomplished then good instruction and quality learning have an opportunity to flourish.

 

Conclusion

As with any public endeavor the people make the difference.   Key stakeholders must be engaged in this long-term endeavor if it is to be successful.   The village mentality or culture and indeed, reality are much different than the tolerant society we live in, even in Fairbanks.   The difficulty comes when the lack of toleration isn’t consistent.   Domestic violence and sexual abuse are rampant with no solution in sight.   Prosecution of perpetrators is difficult as they are from the same, very small, village or even family and the witnesses or family members won’t testify against them. Students who live in this environment don’t have a means of escape.   The school, and more specifically, my class, will be a safe place for them to leave violence and cultural distractions behind and focus on learning.

Within this CM plan are some of the keys to quality education.   Certainly, there are many more and to assert or believe this will be the best way to proceed is arrogant.   With the ever-increasing requirements put on secondary education and the challenges of cultural diversity and sensitivity, I believe teachers in general and me specifically, can be successful understanding and following these significant guidelines.   While I have left out some obvious traits like never being late, with a healthy dose of withitness, anyone using this plan, including me, will be able to “get with it.’

Blog 6 Suicide

Blog 6 Response

Suicide

 

High expectations from high achievers is average and normal.   After arriving at Penn, this young lady saw she was nothing special.   Wait!   This sounds like the “big fish in the little pond’ goes to “big pond’ and isn’t such a “big fish’ anymore.   That is the reality of life.   Why is it such a struggle?   Some parents are excessive and cause the children to depend on them.   They don’t know how to be a good PARENT even though they read and lived Dr. Spock’s “Baby and Childcare’.  When you read his bio make a mental note of his child rearing experience.   While the Huff Post seems to accentuate unsubstantiated news (fake) the story title referenced in this article says a lot. “In the Name of College! What Are We Doing to Our Children?’   The answer: what the parents want to brag about or cover up in their own lives or parenting mistakes instead of teaching their children the real world and how to deal with it.

In this article, the Standard dean saw a problem “She was also troubled by the growing number of parents who not only stayed in near constant cellphone contact with their offspring but also showed up to help them enroll in classes, contacted professors and met with advisers (illustrating the progression from helicopter to lawn mower (bull dozer) parents, who go beyond hovering to clear obstacles out of their child’s way)’   This will surely cripple a kid when they realize their parents can’t make things better anymore.   Alonzo Ball, the new LA Laker, comes to mind with his helicopter/bull dozer dad.   “Children deserve to be strengthened, not strangled, by the fierceness of a parent’s love,’ Ms. LythcottHaims wrote in a 2005 op-ed piece for The Chicago Tribune. If by adulthood they cannot fend for themselves, she asked, “shouldn’t we worry?’ …and the answer is yes.   These kids have yet to live REAL life and will have many huge struggles over little things in the process.

At the end, Kathryn says, “I need some experience before I make the decision. It’s nice to have the freedom not to know.’   How well this fits into something I had already written.

High expectations and reality come together all the time and often clash.   I have had over 100 music students in my career show up to their 1st lesson full of themselves then suddenly, in a week, humbled as a result of the reality of the competition.   College students who aren’t taught reality often end up in the same situation as Kathryn D.   Is it possible she and other successful suicides didn’t have a good grasp of the reality of where they fit within the competition.   I often compare like situations over time in my life and try to draw a cause and effect conclusion.   In the 70s, we had hippies but most of them had been raised by the “greatest generation’, so whether they liked it or not they had reality drilled into them.   By the time I went to college in the 80s, students still had a good grasp of authority and “pecking order’ especially in music.   If someone didn’t like their position in an instrumental section they could do the Interlochen challenge for a better seat.   This brought reality front and center.   Recently, most of these challenges were unsuccessful as the student had an overinflated view of how good they were when it came to competition and their instrumental proficiency.   Comparing students then to now, I see there are many more college students not in touch with reality.   Experience IS a great teacher provided one is not constantly referencing HS or a single event as life experience.   High School experience is now an equal substitute for professional experience.  That premise is rampant in the SOE here at UAF.   I don’t want to see anyone toying with the idea of suicide but there is reality out there that WILL teach everyone valued experience, but it will be lost if they continue to maintain their own greatness.

How will all this play out in a village school?   The same as it does anywhere else.   Students need to be shown and taught responsibility and the “hard stops’ at home and in HS by their parents and teachers.   If some of our classmates don’t think so perhaps they need to find a different major or vocation.   Suicide continues to be the 2nd biggest killer of 15-24 y/o in Alaska. (probably the highest in the village)   Having lost a very good friend to suicide in college I know it can sneak in without any notice but I will continue to be vigilant to protect students from it.

CM observed

Blog 5 Response

CM observed

 

 

Reflect on your classroom observation

1.) Describe effective management strategies you observed for opening a lesson, applied during a lesson, and for lesson closure.

Rules were written and in plain view for students.     She responded to the same problems with the same response keeping consistency above all.   Students have obviously become comfortable with continuing the lesson after the bell rings.   On 5 of the 43 students that day reacted negatively to the bell.   She waited until they had sat back down and continued with review and next period expectatios

The hooks that I observed were the same and fairly inoccuous.   There were no entrance strategies except the materials needed for class were posted outside the classroom so the students could see them and aquire them before class.   One class needed to be reminded to check the board outside for supplies.   A couple students didn’t have their materials. One of these was found out by the teacher but nothing punitive came of the situation.

 

Having an earthquake drill in Alaska is common.   It reminded me of the bombing drills we did in the 60’s.   Thankfully, that is not a concern any more.   The wisdom of preparedness is still necessary though and all the more with transitions.   After the E drill we had an F drill.   That took a while to recover from for the adminstration but it needed to be done and what better time to do it than after class had already been disturbed by the E drill.  The teacher struggled to get the class back to focused.   This particular class was generally unfocused the rest of the period.   In conversation with the teacher, this class is generally “scattered’ which makes any interuption difficult.   Getting started after lunch seemed to go ok.   By the time the teacher was recovered from the previous classes the students were coming looking for passes during final period study hall.   She waited at the door to ensure all students had their gear.   This class was obviously more needy in that regard when even during class they had to be reminded to get out their resources.

 

 

 

The observation I made this semester was very similar as last year in that the teacher had to work extremely hard to keep the class focused and moving towards gettting to the end of the material.   Having been trained to see/perceive details without looking at them I have an advantage over most.   It is difficult at times, to process all the information but it does lead to some interesting conclusions.   While factoring in all the details, chronology is not an issue.   Cause and effect happen over and over again in a sequence of events.   Knowing what cause and what effect are related can sometimes be difficult.   In a classroom of 8th graders it can be next to impossible.   This “impossibility’ is not mandatory but when there is an overload of stimulace or stimulants the effect can be multiplied by 10.   If one considers each stimulace can multiply the subsequent cause, then the subsequent effect can be in the 100s in no time.   Respectful behavior to those in authority is not taught at home in general except for the military families.   Military members tend to have much tighter control over their children which is reflected in the average student self-discipline between North Pole/Eielson and schools on the west side of town.   Village schools tend to reflect the discipline of the village council and elders.   It can also be seen in the cultural differences between the interior and the west coast.   My friend, who spent 22 years teaching in Yupik schools related to me the differences of student classroom discipline of villages that were dry or wet.  Classroom discipline isn’t meant to hold a student back but only to level the playing field for all the students.   Respect for teacher, student, parents, elders etc. is a reflection of the preparation needed for the student to progress to success in later life.   What better time for “respect practice’ than at school.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGuT9-_Y5J4

what I wish…

Blog 4

What I wish my professor had told me  is a statement made by all thinking youth who don’t pay attention to the lessons they are taught as youth.   Perception isn’t just what you think is true.   Perception is the work/conclusion of being perceptive.   This “work’ actually means you can learn from someone else’s mistakes. 130 years after Napolean made a huge mistake, Hitler says “that won’t happen this time.’   We all know how that turned out.

Real life requires all these.   As I read this piece it sounded like advise to young people wanting to raise children.   Here is a paraphrase of the points I read: 1. Watch out – loving kids only lasts till their not kids anymore.   2. To be a good parent one only needs to be perfect at everything they do, every day for 18 years. 3. Precious memories, how they linger.   4. There are no perfect parents. (see #2) 5. Don’t forget: kids are people too, not machines. 6. Finish the job.

It would seem the wisdom of this article is wrapped up in the statement on page 79: “You are there to transform students’ lives by connecting the content you teach to the skills they need to be successful in this big, bad world.’   It sounds like parenting advice…except the only thing missing is love.

 

This site has a lot of STEM videos.   I like it because it is life science not just the abstract lab.   I recommend the bicycle test.   I may make one this coming summer and see if his experiement holds true for drummers.https://www.youtube.com/user/destinws2

 

 

Personalized Learning from an article by Ann Tomlinson

 

Since my days working with the US Navy I have considered and now support personalized learning.   They insisted the instructor do “everything possible’ to accommodate the learning styles of the student…every single one.   That is not possible in a class of any more than 3-5 students. Maybe, but, everything possible isn’t EVERY THING right now!   The author raises some very good point for consideration and discussion but also some questions that seem to get “dah’ for an answer.   I’ll try to stay away from the dahs and stick with the topic.

What is it?  “Glossary of Education Reform refers to so many different ideas, programs, and strategies that it’s difficult to determine precisely what it refers to without qualifications, specific examples, or additional explanation.’   It will likely be implemented with the measure once, cut 3 or 4 times method instead of measure twice cut once.   Thorough investigation will help implement but a bog awaits this one without impetus for change.   Personalized learning works for everyone.   That has to be in the definition somewhere.   If students don’t think what’s happening works for them then it doesn’t.   Keep moving and find what does.   It’s personalized, FOR EVERYONE, dah.

What supports will teachers need?   Lots.   But they won’t get it.   They know that because it happens everyday with taskers they are assigned to.   Who will help teachers retool?   Leaders should begin asking where they’ll get the sustained staff expertise necessary to support a paradigm shift in teachers’ beliefs, thinking, and practice.

Herein lies the problem with many similar scenarios.   Good leaders look forward to see change coming and prepare as best they can with what they know.   If they are busy in their offices, on their phones, or dealing with too many discipline problems …   The leader will be the cheer leader for the new paradigm.   That’s what leaders do.   They will be all things to all people involved until others come to their aid.   Where are parents in the change process?   Parents probably have the purest motives of the people involved.   They want their children to be the best equipped when they leave school.   If your methods prove “better equipped’ then they’ll be with you.   Aspects needing change will likely cover the gamit of teacher practice except arriving early and be prepared for class.   Informed action, judicious planning, deep study, and vigilance in seeking possibilities.   I agree with the author; “The dialogue about personalization gives me hope. On the other hand, it also gives me pause’.

 

https://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar17/vol74/num06/Let’s-Celebrate-Personalization@-But-Not-Too-Fast.aspx

Glossary of Education Reform. (2015). Personalized learning. Retrieved from https://edglossary.org/personalized-learning/

Sinek, S. (2009). Start with why. New York: Portfolio/Penguin.

 

WEBSITE for further review

https://www.dreambox.com/white-papers/pathways-personalized-learning//–.:(

This site is a white paper of one method, for one class, for one school, in California.   It is very broad and covers very few points the author makes in our reading for today.   It is, though, one example of leadership, seeking personalization while focusing on student improvement, supporting the teachers, with coexisting paradigms, retooling their program, while using informed action, judicious planning, deep study, and vigilance in seeking possibilities.

What Everyone Wants

What Everyone Wants

 

I dislike playing games were the rules are not common from the start.   In my youth, I played these games only to prove to the other team I would win when the deck was stacked against me and my team.   We (Americans) are a nation governed by and kept orderly because we (supposedly) adhere to a code of conduct put forth in the constitution, the many laws passed since, and the US code. [code of Federal Regulations -(CFR)]   Many of us have not traveled to countries that are not like ours.   I can speak with experience only about Juarez, Mexico and China.

 

Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, is part of a law-abiding country but has been swallowed up in crime.   It is no longer like El Paso which is right across a very small river.   The rule of law, we hear about so much in the news, does have meaning and is necessary to keep everyone honest but it only holds good, honest people to the law, not the criminals.   The rule of law has failed there.      The fear people have who live there have is real because the “law’, no longer orderly, has not been adhered to but has been over-run by the lawbreakers and ignored or abandon by the law makers and enforcers.   China is similar but in a different way.   China is an orderly society.   Is it orderly like Germany, GB, or America?   In some aspects, even more so and respectful.   By comparison, France is orderly but the people can be rude.   Rude is not lawless or lacking in order…perhaps just lacking a little respect.   Common Chinese business practice is to use shortcuts.   Ex: An entire order (10k+) of manufactured goods can be produce and distributed knowing a defective part makes the item faulty but nothing will be said or done.   The company selling the part must then order another lot (1k this time) to ensure quality then proceed with another order.   This situation describes why so many Americans are living in Chinese manufacturing districts as liaisons or contract negotiators for American companies.   Dishonesty is a way to succeed in business.   This practice pertains to everyone, even Chinese-Chinese orders.   Shortcuts are fine if one gets away with them. If one can get away with giving a buyer the “shaft’ then so be it.   Laws in these places are understood for what they are and what they hold or not hold people to.

 

US Immigration law is written and well understood by everyone who reads it.   It isn’t hard to figure out the intent of the law. The following are taken directly from the US code:

 

Lawfully admitted for permanent residence means the status of having been lawfully accorded the privilege of residing permanently in the United States as an immigrant in accordance with the immigration laws, such status not having changed. Such status terminates upon entry of a final administrative order of exclusion, deportation, or removal.   (this doesn’t add “inclusion’)

Title 8,  Chapter I, Subchapter A,  Part 1, paragraph 1.2

 

A presidential memorandum is a form of final administrative order.   The problem with these and executive order is they are not laws, acts, bills, or any other form of law.   They are directives in place of laws…a temporary fix while the solution is ongoing.   The DACA memo of 2012 is not anything but breaking the US code.   The solution has been ongoing my entire life making the need for a memorandum obvious but this 2012 memo, as we see above was itself, unlawful.   Making this issue part of a Defense Authorization Bill is unconscionable.

 

 

Since most of our previous generation was in elementary school, I have heard about and reported on this issue from the news. The boat people from Cuba and Vietnam et.al. in the 60s and 70s…and on it goes.   If our elected officials, including the presidents, would have dealt with this issue through the system already set up in the US code and not in the media we would be discussing how to better deal with cell phones, behavior and literacy in the classroom and not a social issue, why our country is divided, or the pathetic excuse for journalism protected by the bill of rights we now suffer with and through.   What aggravates the mind is how a member of a law-abiding society can support lawlessness while expecting their privileges and benefits of the law-abiding society they chose to continue. (sounds a little like the #3 definition of insanity) This is a walk on the precipice that may eventually end in a lose-lose situation for citizens and illegals in the entire country.  Title 8 IS the law of the land and it should be upheld by all law enforcement agencies in the US, of which the POTUS is chief.

 

I have Cuban friends in Florida and Virginia, Mexican friends in, NJ, Atlanta, El Paso, Virginia, Fairbanks, and Filipino friends in Virginia who are all naturalized citizens.   My wife was born British but is now American.   These people all want the illegal aliens to leave now and do citizenship the right way, just like they did.   We are a nation of law-abiding people and if I’m not mistaken, everyone would like to keep it that way.   I don’t want to see the culture or events in Juarez coming to America.

A Long Road to Here

Hi.   My name is Roger Ridenour.   I’m an History Sec Ed major here at UAF.   I am working towards my certification with the goal of being a long term sub or even a full time teacher and working on my farm in the summer.   I grew up in Pennsylvania on a farm and now own one in North Pole where I grow things and have my own space.   I have a family with 4 grown children, which I love very much and wish they were all here right now. (Christmas is coming) I enjoy fixing things.   I enjoy outside activities of all kinds especially a good fire for cooking and good company.   I also enjoy music which I studied and performed professionally for more than 40 years.   I was a soldier in the US Army where I played and taught music for 20 years following in the footsteps of my grandfathers clear back to the 17th century. (did I mention I like history)   I love my country and consider all Americans to be special people.

School was never my forte as a teenager.   I had other interests none of which included books or being inside.   I had two good teachers in HS.   That was not enough to convince me teachers were good, caring people.   Most of my teachers openly shared their frustration with me in front of the class.   Forgive me if I seem bitter but looking back on it, that was and still is unacceptable.   In spite of them, I did anything the “2’ asked of me.   I enjoyed their classes (history, physics/chemistry) and even though I finished HS with a 1.6 GPA, I got As with them.   No one believed college was for me but my physics teacher told my parents they should send me because my grades were more of a reflection on my teachers than my intellectual ability.

I really don’t like to see young people squander their youth.   School is a great place to find peace when the rest of life isn’t going that great.   My end focus in education is pointed towards those who struggle with school like I did.   My military background is unique among teachers. My work with the Salvation Army in inner-city youth programs is unique among white people.   Growing up in the country is very unique among city-dwellers.   Because of these experiences and my love for family I think I am uniquely qualified to teach at Eielson or in a village in Alaska.