"The whole people must take upon themselves the education of the whole people and be willing to bear the expenses of it. There should not be a district of one mile square, without a school in it, not founded by a charitable individual, but maintained at the public expense of the people themselves." -- John Adams

"No money shall be drawn from the treasury, for the benefit of any religious or theological institution." -- Indiana Constitution Article 1, Section 6.

"...no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinion in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish enlarge, or affect their civil capacities." – Thomas Jefferson

Saturday, March 22, 2008

It's not on the test...Tom Chapin

Not on the Test by Tom Chapin"


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Read the Declaration of Independence From High Stakes Testing


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No Child Left Behind is leaving thousands of children behind!
Dismantle NCLB!
Sign the petition by clicking HERE.
More than 32,000 signatures so far...

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Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Chew toys and 6 year olds

I went to pick up a group of first graders on Monday. As we walked out the door I noticed that Ryan, the shortest one of the bunch, had his shoulders hunched forward as if he was freezing cold. In his scrunched up fist was his t-shirt collar which was obviously soaking wet.

I said, "Ryan, are you ok?"

In his most dramatic voice he responded, "I can't help it. I chew on my shirt."

So I suggested that he let go of it...and let it dry.

To that he replied, shivering slightly, "I can't let go of it...if I do I will freeze myself up."

"Ryan," I said, "If you let go of it and it dries you will get warmer." He just shook his head.

Later on, in my classroom, I noticed that he was chewing on his shirt again...

On my way to school today, maybe I'll stop at a pet store and pick up a couple of "chew toys."

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Read the Declaration of Independence From High Stakes Testing


-----
No Child Left Behind is leaving thousands of children behind!
Dismantle NCLB!
Sign the petition by clicking on the link on the side.
More than 32,000 signatures so far...
Posted by at 1 comment:
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