TexasCHLforum.com

Cedar Park Dad wrote:

VMI77 wrote:

chasfm11 wrote:

n5wd wrote: <snip>

I know it's water under the bridge, now, but I'd suggest making an appointment to talk with the board member in a private session. I know our board members do that regularly, because there's usually not enough time to talk something through at the board meetings, plus it's really unfair to ask someone to state their case in 140 characters like a Twitter message.

In any event - hang in there. I'm going to be in the same situation in a couple of years when I retire - my grandkids will be attending the district where I now work (one's already in Kindergarten with one of my former students as her teacher! ) and I fully expect to be active in speaking my mind to the board, then.

That's a good suggestion. I was going to follow up with some written inputs to several of the board members. If she does arrange a meeting for me with the security person, I suspect that she might want to sit in as well. She seems genuinely interested in the subject and I'm glad about that.

I just happened to see her at the church and we talked about several other unrelated topics before I asked about her school board position. Surprisingly, there was no intervention on any of those other subjects. Isn't amazing how just the mention of guns brings out the best in people?

The only way to change the schools is to withdraw your support. As you said, money is power. Power is money. I realize that this doesn't apply to you, but taking your kids out of school is not only good for your kids, it deprives the school of money. When the school district is being strangled financially by people removing their kids from school, then those people have some power to effect the kind of change they want. There is still some chance of effecting change at the ballot box on the local level, but we're already at the point on the national level where the majority of the electorate, a good 60%, is either receiving means tested government assistance, or is employed by the government. As the Federal government continues to assert power at all levels we're eventually going to reach the point where the local ballot box is no longer a recourse.

Unless its a good school district of course, in which case that would be a bad idea.

Of course we could argue about what a "good" district is, but yes, and to some extent we can define a "bad" district as one that is unresponsive to the concerns of parents.

I'd define a bad district as one thats not top notch in scores and classes. The concern of the ability to have CHL on campus is a concern, but its a statistically insignificant event.

chasfm11 wrote:

RoyGBiv wrote:Sometimes it's OK to tilt at windmills.
Change, real change, can be a slow process.
Persistence and calm, rational action will prevail.

That was exactly my approach. I'm not going to have any influence if I try the hard sell. But to be interrupted in the middle with a blatant, unrequested intervention was not useful. The important part to me was that the teacher was not at all interested in anything that I had to say. She was pontificating. She knows what is best for the schools and noone else is entitled to an idea or an opinion that differs from hers.

But to be interrupted in the middle with a blatant, unrequested intervention was not useful.

Try “Oh, were we talking while you interrupted?”

I don’t know much about “common core” but I can’t believe Cursive writing is not required.

"Cursive and keyboarding"

"The standards do not mandate the teaching of cursive handwriting, although states are free either to add a cursive requirement or to permit individual school districts to require it. The standards include instruction in keyboarding."

For me, a good district is one who teaches that kids. A bad district is one who teaches the tests. I understand the difficulty of trying to get the students to learn the material in a way that will allow them to pass the tests. But teaching the tests renders the entire educational process irrelevant.

VoiceofReason wrote:

But to be interrupted in the middle with a blatant, unrequested intervention was not useful.

Try “Oh, were we talking while you interrupted?”

I don’t know much about “common core” but I can’t believe Cursive writing is not required.

"Cursive and keyboarding"

"The standards do not mandate the teaching of cursive handwriting, although states are free either to add a cursive requirement or to permit individual school districts to require it. The standards include instruction in keyboarding."

Common Core is the Federal government's attempt to channel propaganda into the schools by offering financial incentives to use the "standard" approach. Of course, like everything else that comes out of the Federal government today in the way of policy, it is heavily Liberally slanted. I'm a strong believer in local control of the schools so I would object to Common Core even if it completely followed a Conservative way of thinking. It isn't even close to that.

As one who has always had terrible handwriting, I'm not at all passionate about cursive. I had to take a business typing class while I was in high school. I hated it and the teacher who nearly beat me senseless over it. Now, there is not a week goes by now that I don't silently thank her for being as hard on me to learn typing as she was. Keyboarding skills in today's world are very important and I'm very thankful to have them. I cannot remember the last time that I used cursive except to sign my name.

As far as cutting the teacher off abruptly, I was worried that I would create the wrong impression with the school board member. I want her to think of me as being tolerant but having some strong opinions. I didn't discover what the teacher's agenda was until she took over the conversation and conducted her own private filibuster. By then, it was too late. I've not had many Liberals who were wiling to trade thoughts with someone else. They would much rather not allow anyone else to speak. This teacher was a master at that.

Not to hijack the thread, but Cursive is not a 21st Century skill. I view the school as a place that prepares students for the future. Going forward 20 years, will a 5th grader be better served and ready for college/career knowing how to write in cursive, or being able to type 40wpm? We live in a high tech world and many of our skilled labor positions have shifted from manufacturing to technical jobs. We communicate extensively via email, twitter, facebook, MESSAGE BOARDS, and typed memorandums. Cursive is essentially fancy handwriting and is no longer a symbol of a highly educated person. I think it is a waste of time!

Do we want our children to be able to read documents written before the computer (like the declaration if independence, or the constitution, or the letters that came back home during the wars)? Yes? Then cursive reading is a VERY important skill set. If they don't teach your kids to read cursive, those you have outsourced your children's education to, you should.

We do not want to condemn our children to depending on translations done by people who have agendas in mind. I seem to remember of late a school curriculum that substantively changed the second amendment. If no one can read the original or early copies the social planners win.

Blindref757 wrote:Not to hijack the thread, but Cursive is not a 21st Century skill. I view the school as a place that prepares students for the future. Going forward 20 years, will a 5th grader be better served and ready for college/career knowing how to write in cursive, or being able to type 40wpm? We live in a high tech world and many of our skilled labor positions have shifted from manufacturing to technical jobs. We communicate extensively via email, twitter, facebook, MESSAGE BOARDS, and typed memorandums. Cursive is essentially fancy handwriting and is no longer a symbol of a highly educated person. I think it is a waste of time!

That appears to be a common thing now. Considering that people no longer write letters etc. appreciably, and noncursive is used for forms etc. its understandable.

Cedar Park Dad wrote:

Blindref757 wrote:Not to hijack the thread, but Cursive is not a 21st Century skill. I view the school as a place that prepares students for the future. Going forward 20 years, will a 5th grader be better served and ready for college/career knowing how to write in cursive, or being able to type 40wpm? We live in a high tech world and many of our skilled labor positions have shifted from manufacturing to technical jobs. We communicate extensively via email, twitter, facebook, MESSAGE BOARDS, and typed memorandums. Cursive is essentially fancy handwriting and is no longer a symbol of a highly educated person. I think it is a waste of time!

That appears to be a common thing now. Considering that people no longer write letters etc. appreciably, and noncursive is used for forms etc. its understandable.

You don't necessarily have to be able to write in cursive to read it. My cursive sucks, so when I write anything on paper I print....but I can still read cursive. I agree with Mamabear that an educated person should be able to read cursive. My kids couldn't read a note or letter from their grandmother if they couldn't read cursive.

VMI77 wrote:

Cedar Park Dad wrote:

Blindref757 wrote:Not to hijack the thread, but Cursive is not a 21st Century skill. I view the school as a place that prepares students for the future. Going forward 20 years, will a 5th grader be better served and ready for college/career knowing how to write in cursive, or being able to type 40wpm? We live in a high tech world and many of our skilled labor positions have shifted from manufacturing to technical jobs. We communicate extensively via email, twitter, facebook, MESSAGE BOARDS, and typed memorandums. Cursive is essentially fancy handwriting and is no longer a symbol of a highly educated person. I think it is a waste of time!

That appears to be a common thing now. Considering that people no longer write letters etc. appreciably, and noncursive is used for forms etc. its understandable.

You don't necessarily have to be able to write in cursive to read it. My cursive sucks, so when I write anything on paper I print....but I can still read cursive. I agree with Mamabear than an educated person should be able to read cursive. My kids couldn't read a note or letter from their grandmother if they couldn't read cursive.

Ours will likely be the last generation that can read cursive. No one writes in it now. Heck no one writes now.

Cedar Park Dad wrote:

VMI77 wrote:

Cedar Park Dad wrote:

Blindref757 wrote:Not to hijack the thread, but Cursive is not a 21st Century skill. I view the school as a place that prepares students for the future. Going forward 20 years, will a 5th grader be better served and ready for college/career knowing how to write in cursive, or being able to type 40wpm? We live in a high tech world and many of our skilled labor positions have shifted from manufacturing to technical jobs. We communicate extensively via email, twitter, facebook, MESSAGE BOARDS, and typed memorandums. Cursive is essentially fancy handwriting and is no longer a symbol of a highly educated person. I think it is a waste of time!

That appears to be a common thing now. Considering that people no longer write letters etc. appreciably, and noncursive is used for forms etc. its understandable.

You don't necessarily have to be able to write in cursive to read it. My cursive sucks, so when I write anything on paper I print....but I can still read cursive. I agree with Mamabear than an educated person should be able to read cursive. My kids couldn't read a note or letter from their grandmother if they couldn't read cursive.

Ours will likely be the last generation that can read cursive. No one writes in it now. Heck no one writes now.

You say that, but I see plenty of it around my workplace.....notes, messages, etc....especially when the writer is a female. My mother receives letters from various people, one in particular is a young couple from Mexico.....all in cursive. We get Christmas cards with notes that are often in cursive. And if I was part of some future generation that couldn't read cursive, I'd make sure I learned how to read and write in it, so others couldn't read my private notes.

Of our boy's teenaged friends (now in college) none of the boys write in cursive.

I am 33 and I can read and write cursive very well. We were teaching cursive 6 years ago when I left teaching to be a mom and a teacher of my kids. My kids will learn cursive as it is a good skill to have. Cursive is not yet Latin, and even Latin has its uses.

mamabearCali wrote:I am 33 and I can read and write cursive very well. We were teaching cursive 6 years ago when I left teaching to be a mom and a teacher of my kids. My kids will learn cursive as it is a good skill to have. Cursive is not yet Latin, and even Latin has its uses.

So, we'll have a future generation where only homeschoolers can read cursive. We're also going to have a generation with a million or so young people who haven't been indoctrinated by the State. That may be the difference between liberty and slavery.

VMI77 wrote:

mamabearCali wrote:I am 33 and I can read and write cursive very well. We were teaching cursive 6 years ago when I left teaching to be a mom and a teacher of my kids. My kids will learn cursive as it is a good skill to have. Cursive is not yet Latin, and even Latin has its uses.

So, we'll have a future generation where only homeschoolers can read cursive. We're also going to have a generation with a million or so young people who haven't been indoctrinated by the State. That may be the difference between liberty and slavery.

I am not sure of the relationship between cursive, State indoctrination, and slavery. Indeed, forcing persons to learn cursive when there is no use for it fits more into the "indoctrination" category then anything else.

Frankly if I want to get my point across I don't use cursive, unless that point is to see if people think I am having a seizure due to horrific handwriting.

Blindref757 wrote:Not to hijack the thread, but Cursive is not a 21st Century skill. I view the school as a place that prepares students for the future. Going forward 20 years, will a 5th grader be better served and ready for college/career knowing how to write in cursive, or being able to type 40wpm? We live in a high tech world and many of our skilled labor positions have shifted from manufacturing to technical jobs. We communicate extensively via email, twitter, facebook, MESSAGE BOARDS, and typed memorandums. Cursive is essentially fancy handwriting and is no longer a symbol of a highly educated person. I think it is a waste of time!

I retired July 2012 and unless everything has completely changed in 15 months, there is still a use for cursive.

I would call the work I did a “high tech-technical job” and we used cursive every day.

I worked on satellite communications uplink and downlink, terrestrial microwave communications, microprocessor based, communications switching, vhf/uhf radio communications and a lot more.

Many times during troubleshooting or modifications, I grabbed a pad of “blue line” paper and wrote notes as to what work I did as I went, my readings, along with my findings and at the end of the day sat down at a computer workstation and input the information. The technicians would leave each other notes and/or instructions in writing and short handwritten interim reports were left for the supervisor.

I am good on the keyboard but it is difficult to imagine no one in our work unit being able to write in cursive.