Not a good sign

It can't be a good sign when your kids math homework regularly requires them to write more sentences than numbers. Just saying...

Everyday Hell

So my kids are getting deeper and deeper into Everyday Math. It seems like every day I have google some new algorithm in order to help my totally confused kids.

Yesterday, we learned all about Partial Differences.

Of course today, when my daughter had to go back to the standard algorithm she was completely confused, and started mixing up the two methods.

One step forward, two steps back.

Final Wrap-Up

I know the phrase "wrap-up" is probably wrong considering the sparse posting I have done lately, but here it is anyway.

8th grade girl - Straight A's - Honors classes next year in High School

5th grade boy - Straight A's - Scored 600 our of 600 on the Math SBA (NCLB test) - Taking pre-algebra at the local middle school next year.

5th grade girl - A's and B's - Scored advanced on math SBA's

3rd grade girl - Improved 2 grade levels on reading in a single year - Scored advanced in reading and math - Definately gets the "Most Improved" title

3 year old - Can count to 10 - Can say her ABC's - Thinking about starting her on 100 Easy Lessons to read next year

Soon to be born girl (Octoberish) - Trying to decide on a cool old school name - Kicks pretty well

Test

Ing

Straight A's

Yey!  I got two A's in college courses, despite being TDY (traveling) every other week during the entire session, and basically hacking the final projects and papers in a few hours on the day they were due.

Four classes to go to get my Bachelor's degree!

I am taking the next 6 week session off though.  I think I am going to do one class at a time starting in the summer, finishing up sometime in October.

Time to start looking at graduate degrees.  I am thinking about accounting.

Volcano update... and stimulus dollars

The wind was with us... no ash here in Anchorage.

On education funding, Palin, and Alaska.

I am of mixed emotions regarding the possibly rejected education stimulus funding.

On one had, it just seems silly to turn down free money.

On the other hand, for a few years now, I have been utterly convinced that the secret to improving our education system is curriculum reform, not more money.  I am also sort of sceptical about whether the school districts will be able to go cold turkey in two years once the money runs out.

For example, let's say the funds go to free after school tutoring for disadvantaged kids... great idea, but expensive.  In two years, once the money runs out, is Alaska just meant to turn of the spigot?

Too bad we couldn't take the money, spend it all on building brand new insulated fuel efficient schools, and set ourselves up for less spending over the next 10 - 15 years.

Strings attached, blah, blah, blah...

Mt Redoubt Eruption...

Regularly scheduled blogging will be suspended due to volcano eruption...

Unfortunately, the ash looks like it's heading for Anchorage.  Going to make things nasty here for a while.

Kid Update

Collectively my three kids in 5th and 8th grade earned 14 A's and 4 B's.

My 3rd grader doesn't get grades, only S's and O's.  She is still struggling with reading, but was recently diagnosed with ADD.  Supposedly a classic case.  She is now on a mild medication that is will supposedly help her "focus" during the day.  We will see.

Palin screws the pooch...

ADN: Palin rejects over 30% of stimulus money By SEAN COCKERHAM and ERIKA BOLSTAD

The biggest single chunk of money Palin is turning down is about $170 million for education, including money that would go for programs to help economically disadvantaged and special needs students. Anchorage School Superintendent Carol Comeau said she is "shocked and very disappointed" that Palin would reject the money.

Anchorage Democratic Rep. Les Gara suggested that Palin is pandering to voters outside Alaska to further her own political ambitions.

"I'm worried the governor is taking this sort of national political stance which is that she's going to be the opposite of Barack Obama on everything," he said. ," he said.

Got to agree here.  Always take free money.

It's silly to worry about the money being taken away in a few years... when was the last time the government got rid of spending...

She is trying to be a Sanford wannabe.

Almost forgot...

My wife is preggers again... baby #6 on the way.

Cuz we just can't get enough of the struggle...

I will confess that with 4 girls and only 1 boy, I am chucking traditional political correctness and openly advocating for a boy.  

None of that "I'll be happy no matter what" malarkey here.

I can't take anymore estrogen.

Anchorage Daily News Misguide Editorial

The Anchorage Daily News has an opinion piece advocating supporting "Pre-K" funding by the Feds and the State.

They make all the usual argument's.

Wrong as usual.

Blatantly ignoring policy

Shhhh... off the record

Un-named teacher at un-named school in un-named grade confesses that they:

- ignores a lot of Everyday Maths curriculum.

- use the "alternate" methods algorithms to demonstrate how the old ones are better

Rory out...

I'm back and I'm mad

Despite promises to the contrary, I just found out that my kids elementary school is implimenting Everyday Math in all grades next year.  They had told me that Everyday Math would be implimented only in 1st grade then progress up the grades.

Do you get the feeling...

Do you get the feeling that Congress and Economists need to take less economic courses and more accounting classes?

I wish Sarah Palin had never ran...

I'm a news junky, and I like to read the comments, but ever since Sarah Palin ran for VP, the comments section over at the Anchorage Daily News have been unbearable.

Seriously, the paper has been invaded by lower 48 trolls who seem to comment on almost every single story, blaming Sarah Palin for the ills of the world... even things that she has absolutely nothing to do with.

It's really taken the fun out of reading the comments.

p.s.  Obama had been pretty impressive until this whole fiscal stimulus waste of money package.

What a DH

Great article on MSNBC / The New York Times on the different "styles" of Obama and Bush.

This bit caught my eye:

“I’ll never forget going to work on a Saturday morning, getting called down to the Oval Office because there was something he was mad about,” said Dan Bartlett, who was counselor to Mr. Bush. “I had on khakis and a buttoned-down shirt, and I had to stand by the door and get chewed out for about 15 minutes. He wouldn’t even let me cross the threshold.”

Seriously.  What a dickhead.  No wonder he screwed everything up.

Wow...

Wow... it's been a while since I posted.  Christmas, work, school, life, etc...

I'm not dead, not been sent off to the desert, just lazy.

I resolve to post more often.

Ok, that's it.

What did you expect?  I'm out of practice with this blogging thing.

Here's a thought...

Here's a thought.

President-elect Obama chose not to send his kids to Chicago Public Schools, and then chose the head of the Chicago Public School District to be his education secretary.

Reminds me of that old saying...

What's not good enough for me, is good enough for everybody else. 

Or something like that.

I blame housing porn...

I don't want to get in to what caused the economic crisis.  It's all complicated and controversial.

What most people can agree on, is that the underpinnings were built on a housing bubble.  Some blame Fannie and Freddie, some blame deregulation that led to lax lending standards.

Me... I blame housing porn.  I blame all those flip this, flip that, moving up, real estate pro's, trash T.V., etc...

Now I have a confession to make.  I was addicted to them.  Whenever I had a few moments to watch T.V., I could always count on one of these housing porn shows to entertain me.  

It got so bad, that my wife came to hate the word "pop".  As in, wow this room really "pops".

I'm a cynic.  I don't believe anything.  Yet, I fell for all the housing propaganda.  I can see what happened in the rest of the country.  Mass hysteria.

Silly.