Four Year Old Says Pledge of Allegiance:Yes Some Schools Still Honor America This Way

     Over the years I've heard of many schools where it is not longer permissible to say the Pledge of Allegiance. This angers me because well, if the student body wants to say the Pledge of Allegiance they should be allowed to do so. Taking this right from people is no different than forcing someone to say the pledge who does not want to.

     It baffles me how  so many times some people only want the door to swing one way, theirs. If I want to say the pledge I should be able to. People will for sure fight for my right not to say it so why not fight for the right to say it...

     This being said, I actually have never been associated with a school where kids do not say the pledge every morning. Every school my kids attended and every school I have worked,
the kids say the pledge.

     The purpose of this blog is actually not to fight for or against the right of people to say the pledge but to share the fact that some schools still honor our country by saying the pledge and my little four year old grandson attends one of those schools on the Navajo Reservation.

     He wanted to say it for the camera at home one day...so here he is holding my little flag. He said that you put your feet together and your right hand over your heart. He will also learn to say it in Navajo but doesn't know it yet.

     Four Year Old Recites the Pledge

Potato Dance-Stop Motion

     I absolutely love to play with stop motion. Last year my students created claymation/stopmotion movies. They had a lot of fun and well, so did I.
    Over the summer I created a few movies using my son's Potato Head toys.
    Over winter break this year I was stressed out so decided that I would create a stop motion once again using Potato Head toys..However this time I also used some Playdough. It was a lot of fun.
     The credit for the music goes to my son Blake. He wrote the song I used in this video.
     It took me around 1000 shots to create this movie.
     Not much else I can say except
     Enjoy the Potato Dance...

Stop Motion Potato Dance

Colorado the State of Unconstitutional Double Taxatioin

     I have never cared much for the state of Colorado but this year when I filed my income tax return I realized what a total rip-off state it is. I earned my money in New Mexico but Colorado is taxing me for that income too.What is worst of all is that they are taking more of it than New Mexico. What a greedy, crappy state Colorado is.
     I had to leave town for work as a teacher because the pay is better. When I got my income taxes done the other day I learned that even though I did not make a dime in Colorado, they are taxing my income. This goes way beyond wrong. What a violation of the constitution. How can they tax me for money I earned in another state? Isn't it called "income" and shouldn't I only be taxed on income in the state where I earned it?
     Colorado has taxed me higher than the state I earned my money in just for living in the state. I believe that has to be one of the most unconstitutional things ever. I am being double taxed on the money I earned.Talk about a greedy bunch of animals.
     This all got me to thinking of how the middle, working class people are taxed to death. We are taxed to the point of barely surviving. The government, especially Colorado, does not want people to survive, they want to knock you down and kick you once you are down.
     This also got me to thinking, if President Trump wants to really make America great again he needs to make it illegal for states to rip off, cheat and steal from people just because they live there. He also needs to take a look at how difficult it is for the middle class to survive. I would do better if I quit teaching and got a minimum wage job and got on government assistance. You for sure don't get ripped off by the government then. But that is another blog.
     I would love to know who to go to regarding this matter...what public officials can help change this? Is this something that a person could find a lobbyist group to work toward stopping states like Colorado from ripping people off?
     I am struggling to survive and then get socked with this...now I not only struggle to survive, I also feel like I have been robbed by the state in which I live.

#Trump
#Constitution

Taking in a Homeless Person is as Dangerous as Picking up a Hitchhiker

     The other day I saw  conversations by many people discussing how they have taken in a homeless person in the past. This made me start to think about the safety of this act of kindness and how it is no different than picking up a hitchhiker. Many people will not pick up hitchhikers because they fear that the person will harm them. It is the same when bringing someone into your home, that person could also be dangerous.

     Many years ago before all of the fear about picking up hitchhikers  my aunt felt kind and picked up a man to give him a ride. Well this was a dangerous act of kindness. The man pulled a knife on my aunt causing her to wreck her vehicle.

     Around 30 years ago my dad met a man who was homeless. He felt sorry for the man so he bought him to our home. My mom was not happy about my dad bringing a stranger into our home but my dad said it was perfectly fine. The man was given a comfortable bed, warm meals and a roof over his head. How did he repay this act of kindness? He stole my dads car. I don't remember the details because it was so long ago but we did find the car. We were lucky that is all the man did.

     People think they are being kind when they take in a homeless person but I imagine most of the same people would not pick up a hitchhiker. So what is the difference? You know nothing about the person, the person could be a mass murderer or rapist. They might be homeless because they are dangerous. You don't know  the history of the person if you don't know them. The only difference between picking up a hitchhiker and taking in a homeless person is that you bring the homeless into your home, not just your car. You fall to sleep at night with a stranger in your home taking the chance this person might be extremely dangerous. You not only put yourself in danger but your family too.

     This issue has nothing to do with helping the homeless, it has to do with safety. The dangers of taking in strangers either in your car or in your home.

Four Year old Knows Colors in Navajo

I love that my little granson knows to speak in Navajo. It is just so adorable. He attends school on the reservation and now kows his colors and numbers in Navajo.
Here is a cute video of him saying his colors in Navajo.

He thinks it is funny when I say them wrong and some of them just make him laugh.

Enjoy

Colors in Navajo

My Philosophy of Gifted Education

    I recently wrote my philosophy of gifted education for my college class. I thought I would share it on this wall. It is in 3rd person because that is what the school required. I got 100% on it. 

      In a world of education that places its main focus on school scores, data, standardized testing, and teaching to the test. The shift in education has been heading on a downhill spiral for many years. The main focus has been on making sure all students “pass the test” so the school will score well. The echo of many administrators is “how well did your school score?” “Did the kids do well on the tests?” “We better make sure all students are proficient.” Words that are rarely echoed anymore are “are the kids learning, are they gaining new knowledge, are we preparing them for their life as adults?”  Education has been on the road to dumbing down for years. In this type of educational world the gifted and higher achieving students are being left behind. Their needs are not being met. They are not leaving school with new knowledge. It is important that education maximize advanced students potential. It is important for every educator provides gifted students with advanced materials and told they need to progress successfully (New Mexico Department of Education [NMPED], 2011).

     Gifted and talented students are our future leaders, philosophers and entrepreneurs. It is up to all educators to nurture, not hider those special skills so they are able to reach their full potential. To better meet the need of gifted students many schools hire highly qualified educators to work with the gifted and advanced students. These teachers study to understand the needs of these unique individuals. As a teacher of gifted students Ms. Miller’s philosophy of gifted education is to promote and enrich each student’s critical thinking and problem solving skills along with focusing on projects that progress their special talents. They must be provided with enriching and creative projects along with the tools they need to explore and enhance the world around them.

     Since the regular education classroom is not prepared to meet the needs of gifted students it important that schools provide accommodations for gifted students and high achievers. The purpose of gifted education for gifted students is to provide them with programs and services that focus on their individual talents. It is to serve as a stepping stone for future success. Students who receive services have proven to advance to secondary level degrees. Gifted education also helps student achievement and interest level while in elementary and secondary school by promoting student interest. Gifted education provides the students with a variety of projects and objectives so they are not learning subjects they have already mastered over and over again. This keeps them interested in school which serves as another stepping stone to success (National Association for Gifted Children. Society benefits if gifted students receive the nurturing and services they need which prepares them to become future leaders and productive members of society [NAGC]).

     An appropriate instructional environment for gifted students is one in which their individual needs can be addressed. Class size should be relatively small so the teacher is better able to provide individualized instruction and projects. The smaller classroom also gives the students more room to move around and explore the classroom while engaging in a variety of activities and tasks. The teacher is there to guide, not instruct. She creates engaging projects and opportunities based on each student’s area of giftedness. This way the students can create and discover. The classroom environment must be safe and comfortable to meet social and emotional needs (Sandha, 2017).

Cross disciplinary education influences the productivity of students as adults because through this type of education they are able to make meaningful connections across different subject areas. This provides them with a better understanding of ideas and concepts. This ability follows them into adulthood benefiting their future endeavors ("NCAG,”).

     Ms. Miller will prepare her students for a career in a multicultural society by providing them with projects and lessons that incorporate other cultures. Multicultural projects connect students to each other because they gain an understanding of one another’s beliefs, traditions and culture. The projects help build a community of learners. Through the projects students learn to take pride in their own culture while embracing others (Davis, Rimm, & Siegle, 2010).

     Ms. Miller’s goals for her students are that they leave her class enriched. They know how to think, not what to think.  She wants her students to be able to use their creative thinking and problem solving skills to the best of their advantage. These goals correspond with her philosophy by promoting and enriching their problem solving and critical thinking skills and placing focus on their special talents.

      Ms. Miller’s philosophy is evident in the classroom through the set up and style of her projects. Ms. Miller introduces a project, provides students with a list of expectations through a rubric and then provides them with the tools they need to explore their topic. This allows them to drive their own education. They know clearly what is expected of them and reach toward those goals. The students are offered different ways to reach the end goal which meets with their different learning styles. She is not telling them what to learn. She is teaching them how to think and how to learn.

     The thinker whose theory most supports Ms. Millers stance is Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligence. Gardner’s theory is that not all students learn in the same way. They are not all the same and have different styles and ways of learning. The tasks should be presented in different ways to each student. Ms. Miller presents her students with an idea and allows them to find their own way to explore that idea. Each student will use a different way and in the end will become enriched through the experience ("American Institute for Learning and Human Development,")

     Ms. Miller has high expectations and great plans for her students. Focusing on each students special talents by allowing them to create, experience and explore will promote critical thinking and problem solving skills students will keep with them thorough their school career and into adult life.

References

Davis, G. A., Rimm, S. B., & Siegle, D. (2010). Education of the Gifted and Talented (6th ed.). Retrieved from https://viewer.gcu.edu/GCKXME

Multiple Intelligences. (). Retrieved from http://www.institute4learning.com/multiple_intelligences.php

National Association for Gifted Children. (). Retrieved from https://www.nagc.org/sites/default/files/Position%20Statement/Arts%20Education%20and%20Gifted%20and%20Talented%20Students.pdf

National Association for Gifted Children. (). Why are Gifted Programs Needed? Retrieved from https://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/gifted-education-practices/why-are-gifted-programs-needed

New Mexico Department of Education. (2011). Gifted Education in New Mexico Technical Assistance Manual. Retrieved from http://ped.state.nm.us/gifted/Gifted%20TA%20manual.pdf

Sandha, I. (2017). Learning Environment for Gifted Children. Retrieved from 

Keep Trashy Commercials Where they Belong

     I believe that trashy commercials belong...well in the trash....but since society seems to think they are acceptable...which saddens me, it would be nice if they would at least keep them with trash TV or at least adult TV instead of wherever they wish to air them.
     There is nothing more annoying than to be watching a game show in the middle of the day only to have the commercial that comes up be about KY Gel. Seriously!! That is not an advertisement I would expect during a game show.
     Worse yet is when you are watching a children's show and granted it is at night but another commercial for KY Gel comes on. Do they think the audience they are targeting will purchase this item?
     It would not be quite as bad if they just stated what they are advertising but they don't they show the couple hot at it and talk about their passionate sex. Kids do not need to be exposed to that. There are adults who do not want to watch that. There used to be a time that people had respect enough for themselves to keep their sex private. Now they air it on TV for anyone to see.
     Many years ago my mom and I joked about how one day there would be a tampon commercial with a woman walking down the street with a red spot on her bottom. It has become that bad now.
     Thankfully due to my DVR I do not have to watch commercials much anymore. When I do though it is sad they are trashy. I certainly will not buy their product and if it keeps up I might stop watching the channels that air them.  
     This is a shout out of sorts to see if anyone else cares that trashy commercials are aired during just about any show these days. Any show that an innocent child might be watching. A show that a person who has some values is watching....Have we become such a trashy, immoral society that no one cares? I sure hope not.