A Spirited Valentine ...

[Pixieish]

People love dance parties. It's just when Disney does it, it's like grandma rapping along to the 17 year old closeted church organist thowin' down a heavy groove on the Wurlitzer.

The Incredibles Dance Party in particular...what are they thinking with some of the song and dance choices?!? We've seen a couple that were FAR from "family friendly".

 

[Pixieish]

I believe he said Avatar, the movie, is anti-capitalist, which it is. Laughably heavy-handed and cliched, too.

But he still compared it to Marxism.

Eh, it's more anti-exploitation than anti-capitalist. That said, the premise of Pandora the Disney park land is centered on a made up eco-tourism company, which seems like a pretty pro-capitalism idea.

Exactly, but to some (in Hollywood) there is no difference. [Sorry. I know there's another forum for this, but when you're 300 pages into a Spirit thread...]

It's the same story as Pocahontas and what happened in Ireland during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. So, it's anti-colonization and the scorched earth attitudes of cannibalizing the local population and/or resources.

 

[Pixieish]

Orlando's better than that. I went to a Six Flags once. No desire to return.

We refer to Six Flags as the Seventh Level of Hell in our house.

 

[brb1006]

The Incredibles Dance Party in particular...what are they thinking with some of the song and dance choices?!? We've seen a couple that were FAR from "family friendly".

At least have songs or remixes of Disney and Pixar songs and even attraction theme songs.

 

[matt9112]

In your scenario, how would you insure the poorest of the poor could afford a good education in our country?

vouchers likely. in a perfect world you would be tackling poverty separately and thus make your question moot but understanding that's not likely to happen vouchers and inner community education centers to replace the parents that don't exsist. (root cause of problem) if you go to school and than after and before there's no mentor or discipline or anything why would you care about those 8 hours or so. under the current union led system the poorest still score and grade the worst. you can build all the new schools you want in Dorchester but the graduation rates and education levels don't change. simply spending money in a poor community isn't translating to better performance. so in my system it can't guarantee that beyond financial help if that child is excelling. so to summarise the problem you point out is a different problem in my opinion that bleeds into education as an effect but not the cause.

 

[bcoachable]

vouchers likely. in a perfect world you would be tackling poverty separately and thus make your question moot but understanding that's not likely to happen vouchers and inner community education centers to replace the parents that don't exsist. (root cause of problem) if you go to school and than after and before there's no mentor or discipline or anything why would you care about those 8 hours or so. under the current union led system the poorest still score and grade the worst. you can build all the new schools you want in Dorchester but the graduation rates and education levels don't change. simply spending money in a poor community isn't translating to better performance. so in my system it can't guarantee that beyond financial help if that child is excelling. so to summarise the problem you point out is a different problem in my opinion that bleeds into education as an effect but not the cause.

Thanks for putting some thought into this.

I agree, competition would be helpful to the education system. My concern would be that the competition could possibly leave our children who are stricken by poverty with no opportunities to escape their current situation. I would not support voucher systems unless they fairly included this section of our countries population.
I see k-12 education as
a. a slim chance or opportunity for them to escape
and
b. very important in a society that is allowed to have free choice

Again, I would like to say thanks for considering my inquiry.

 

[ford91exploder]

That is flat out not true.

Oh yes it is, The union bosses are doing fine pulling down multimillion dollar salaries while they connive with CEO's on stuff like two tier pay systems looting the pension funds for 'investmets' run by their buddies.

Meanwhile the rank and file sees their pension benefits cut and jobs shipped overseas

The rank and file union member did better in the days when they were tied into the mob

 

[Pixieish]

vouchers likely. in a perfect world you would be tackling poverty separately and thus make your question moot but understanding that's not likely to happen vouchers and inner community education centers to replace the parents that don't exsist. (root cause of problem) if you go to school and than after and before there's no mentor or discipline or anything why would you care about those 8 hours or so. under the current union led system the poorest still score and grade the worst. you can build all the new schools you want in Dorchester but the graduation rates and education levels don't change. simply spending money in a poor community isn't translating to better performance. so in my system it can't guarantee that beyond financial help if that child is excelling. so to summarise the problem you point out is a different problem in my opinion that bleeds into education as an effect but not the cause.

Poor schools and districts are a huge issue that need to be addressed - not just at the school level, either. Proper funding for the schools is just the tip of the iceberg. The parents need to be more involved, but they're cynical (and who can blame them) about education and "the system" that continues to fail them, and that bad attitude spreads to the kids, so the kids don't care either...it's REALLY bad. I'm not sure vouchers are the answer either, but something drastic needs to be done. (I'm in MA, too.)

 

[Pixieish]

The rank and file union member did better in the days when they were tied into the mob

That last line may be true, but my husband works for a non-union flooring company and the difference in pay and non-pay benefits between where he is and a union company is quality-of-life-changing.

 

[matt9112]

Thanks for putting some thought into this.

I agree, competition would be helpful to the education system. My concern would be that the competition could possibly leave our children who are stricken by poverty with no opportunities to escape their current situation. I would not support voucher systems unless they fairly included this section of our countries population.
I see k-12 education as
a. a slim chance or opportunity for them to escape
and
b. very important in a society that is allowed to have free choice

Again, I would like to say thanks for considering my inquiry.

kids of any wealth level would have the same access if you start at kindergarten they would be on the same footing as more wealthy children. there are still some other factors that won't change alot unless the entire community changes. for example do teachers want to work at a school that for exampled serves only the projects? and transportstio n for poor children is a problem too. luckily inside city's walking is often not too harsh but if you wanted to send your children to a better school far away how do you get them there? tax payers shouldn't have to pay for a bus that might only pick up one child. (exegerated example) I'm by no means some big corporate shill. I myself although never the poorest period started from a relatively point and I have worked hard to get to where I am (irony is I dropped out of school) so I know people from any walk of life can make it but there needs to be effort more hard work and less give me give me.

 

[bclane]

I’ve taught in both public and private schools. One public school was very high performing and the other two were a mixed bag. Both private schools were/are excellent. Anyway, one thing I’ve learned over the years is that all kids can learn, but not all kids want to learn what/when we want them to. That can be a HUGE barrier to learning. A setting change might help in many situations but probably won’t matter if the kiddo in question has simply checked out of the education process and this can sometimes (but not always) be a reflection of parental attitudes. At some point, a kid has to take responsibility for their own success or failure if they are to meet their full potential. I think the best we can do as teachers is to create a safe learning environment, encourage our kids, offer them compelling reasons that what we are teaching is relevant/important to them personally, create awesome lessons that are fresh and relevant and that meet the different learning style needs of our students, and most importantly, never give up on them. But beyond that, it is up to the kids to want to learn. I’ve seen kids succeed in the worst conditions/situations and fail in the best. But yeah, it’s easier to just blame the teachers and schools so that is what a lot people seem to like to do.

 

[Pixieish]

I’ve taught in both public and private schools. One public school was very high performing and the other two were a mixed bag. Both private schools were/are excellent. Anyway, one thing I’ve learned over the years is that all kids can learn, but not all kids want to learn what/when we want them to. That can be a HUGE barrier to learning. A setting change might help in many situations but probably won’t matter if the kiddo in question has simply checked out of the education process and this can sometimes (but not always) be a reflection of parental attitudes. At some point, a kid has to take responsibility for their own success or failure if they are to meet their full potential. I think the best we can do as teachers is to create a safe learning environment, encourage our kids, offer them compelling reasons that what we are teaching is relevant/important to them personally, create awesome lessons that are fresh and relevant and that meet the different learning style needs of our students, and most importantly, never give up on them. But beyond that, it is up to the kids to want to learn. I’ve seen kids succeed in the worst conditions/situations and fail in the best. But yeah, it’s easier to just blame the teachers and schools so that is what a lot people seem to like to do.

VERY well said!!!

 

[Pixieish]

Thinking Sonic the Hedgehog would have any kind of pull today also shows your age. Maybe in the 90's he could've but today, yeesh.

Sorry, but I disagree. My son and his friends are all hugely into Sonic. (They're 11)

 

[ford91exploder]

Poor schools and districts are a huge issue that need to be addressed - not just at the school level, either. Proper funding for the schools is just the tip of the iceberg. The parents need to be more involved, but they're cynical (and who can blame them) about education and "the system" that continues to fail them, and that bad attitude spreads to the kids, so the kids don't care either...it's REALLY bad. I'm not sure vouchers are the answer either, but something drastic needs to be done. (I'm in MA, too.)

Unfortunately in MA the unions ARE the problem as the unions need as many dues paying bodies in the schools as possible to maintain union leadership's lavish pay and benefit package.

Look what happened in Wisconsin once union membership was made voluntary and dues could not be collected via payroll deductions. Membership dropped by 2/3'rds.

Now it's up to the union to show that it adds value to its membership rather than its current role as funding an extravagant lifestyle for its leadership and serving as a slush fund for 'labor friendly candidates.

Now as anti-union as I appear to be I think unions are more necessary now than ever but they need to go back to to their roots in the early days of the labor movement where they represented the interests of their MEMBERS rather than the interests of union leadership which of late has been more aligned with CEO/Political class rather than 'working class'

As for public sector unions they need to go away because even FDR thought they were a bad idea, They came into being by one of JFK's executive orders as a reward for unions 'helping' him win key states.

 

[Disorbust]

Act 10 killed the teachers union here in Wisconsin because it killed their wages. Yes I know they had cheap health insurance but the pay also reflected that. Teachers lost roughly 20% of their income following Act 10 and I am sure/know many who needed every penny they lost and couldn't justify paying union dues to a union that held no power anymore. Act 10 was all about busting the teachers/ nurses etc union because it DID NOT effect the police and firefighters union at all. Yes get rid of public sector unions but it should be all of them. Not just the ones you cherry pick so you have their support on election day. I 100% agree that labor leaders abused the system but now it just a different kind of abuse.

 

[raymusiccity]

Unfortunately in MA the unions ARE the problem as the unions need as many dues paying bodies in the schools as possible to maintain union leadership's lavish pay and benefit package.

Look what happened in Wisconsin once union membership was made voluntary and dues could not be collected via payroll deductions. Membership dropped by 2/3'rds.


Now it's up to the union to show that it adds value to its membership rather than its current role as funding an extravagant lifestyle for its leadership and serving as a slush fund for 'labor friendly candidates.

Now as anti-union as I appear to be I think unions are more necessary now than ever but they need to go back to to their roots in the early days of the labor movement where they represented the interests of their MEMBERS rather than the interests of union leadership which of late has been more aligned with CEO/Political class rather than 'working class'

As for public sector unions they need to go away because even FDR thought they were a bad idea, They came into being by one of JFK's executive orders as a reward for unions 'helping' him win key states.

Unions have outlived their usefulness. I'll just use Tennessee as a quick example. We are a 'right to work' State. Growing by leaps and bounds. No State Income Tax. Budget surplus year after year. Nissan and Bridgestone are just two major business leaders who have just relocated their Headquarters to Nashville.

 

[Quinnmac000]

Unions have outlived their usefulness. I'll just use Tennessee as a quick example. We are a 'right to work' State. Growing by leaps and bounds. No State Income Tax. Budget surplus year after year. Nissan and Bridgestone are just two major business leaders who have just relocated their Headquarters to Nashville.

Lack of unions are good when there are labor protection laws that are adequately enforced. The issue comes from the lack of enforcement of said labor protection laws to the point where we then hear stories of Truck Drivers who get fired from getting out a broken vehicle as its negative 4 degrees out because it was against company policy despite the fact he was already going through hypothermia.

 

[bclane]

As an up and coming English teacher, this is the one component I know I will struggle with the most. What does reading a novel written in the 1930s have to do with young adults in the present day? Why is it even worth picking up an "old and dusty" book when we can just watch the movie? What does learning to be a good reader and writer have to do with my goal to be a scientist? Its a challenge I'm looking forward to undertaking because I'm so passionate about the field.

The struggle is real! I'm sure you already know that what works for one kid won't necessarily work for the others and finding what works for each class and each student within the class can be a challenge even for very experienced teachers. Getting to know your students individually is obviously extremely helpful/important and your your passion for your field will hopefully rub off on the kids. But some subjects/topics within subjects are just easier to teach. Anyway, good luck to you and know that I am rooting for your success!

 

[bcoachable]

The struggle is real! I'm sure you already know that what works for one kid won't necessarily work for the others and finding what works for each class and each student within the class can be a challenge even for very experienced teachers. Getting to know your students individually is obviously extremely helpful/important and your your passion for your field will hopefully rub off on the kids. But some subjects/topics within subjects are just easier to teach. Anyway, good luck to you and know that I am rooting for your success!

I would like to add,
It is not a bad plan to stay out of the lounge if it is filled with those who are tired and filled with negativity (and find someone that is not either of these two things to learn from, and bounce thoughts off of)..
I wonder how appropriate this advise would be if it was someones first day at Imagineering!!

 

[truecoat]

Unions have outlived their usefulness. I'll just use Tennessee as a quick example. We are a 'right to work' State. Growing by leaps and bounds. No State Income Tax. Budget surplus year after year. Nissan and Bridgestone are just two major business leaders who have just relocated their Headquarters to Nashville.

True but the health ranking is 40th, education is around 36th and overall Tennessee is 3rd in depending on money from the federal government.