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This semester, Matilija Junior High teacher Denise Thomas asked students to write "respect" on the first page of their notebooks. They brainstormed words each letter could represent: "R" could mean responsibility. "S" could stand for security. Thomas wanted her class to be reminded each day about the meaning of the word. Thomas learned the exercise in August when 15 Ojai teachers took five days of tolerance training from the Anti-Defamation League. "We all need this kind of training because we deal with so many personalities," Thomas said. "Every religion, skin color, values -- in every class." A bill signed Sept....

WASHINGTON - After more than 25 years giving science tests to her middle-school students, Rebecca Pringle may have to pass one herself to prove she's qualified to teach the subject. Pringle has bachelor's and master's degrees in education, but that's not enough under federal education law. Because she doesn't have a science degree, she'll have to take a test showing her mastery of the topic or pass a state evaluation that could include a test. "I'm still in a state of anger and resistance," said Pringle, an eighth-grade teacher at Susquehanna Township Middle School in Harrisburg, Pa. "It's not fair...

Why New Teachers Quit Former CMS Educators Tell Their Stories and Offer Solutions BY SHANNON GRIFFIN In a post-Columbine world, what do you think of when you hear the word school? I bet you don't imagine shiny, red apples or the hometown football team. That's because we live in an educational era that has numbed our senses. Classrooms on wheels have created an odd landscape that brings to mind prehistoric playgrounds. The droning on and on about standardized tests has drowned out the sounds of heated class debates. Administrative rules take the place of inspiration. I know; I was once...

Teaching History: Fact Or Fiction? by Phyllis Schlafly Posted Aug 1, 2003 In rare moments when Congress isn’t preoccupied with the war, taxes or prescription drugs, Congress is worrying that American students don’t know any American history. Congress is right to worry because this is true, but it doesn’t follow that the federal government is capable of remedying the problem. The National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the Nation’s Report Card, reported that less than half of high school seniors demonstrate even a basic grasp of history. The American Council of Trustees and Alumni, in a report called Losing...

SANDPOINT, Idaho - Parents of a Sandpoint Charter School student are bringing a lawsuit against the school and the Lake Pend Oreille School District for promoting pantheism and violating state and federal law. Jeff and Gail Bradley say their son was forced to read the book "Mutant Message Down Under," which they claim promotes the worship of multiple gods. The Bradleys also claim teachers discriminated against their child and encouraged him to challenge their views. The school district denies any responsibility or control over the charter school. The Bradleys and the school refused to comment.

Teacher suspended for anti-gay letters Evangelical Christian expressed views in local newspaper, not in classroom By ROD MICKLEBURGH Wednesday, April 23, 2003 VANCOUVER -- As an evangelical Christian lay preacher, Chris Kempling believes that homosexual acts are immoral. While many might disagree with this view, most would also defend Mr. Kempling's right to his opinion. Except that he is also a public high-school teacher and counsellor, and he expressed his strong beliefs about homosexuality in letters to his local paper. Yesterday, the B.C. College of Teachers suspended him from teaching for one month after finding him guilty of conduct unbecoming...

North American Report/Fatherhood At-Home Dads Gather and Bond by Kristyn Komarnicki in Des Plaines, Illinois At a November 21 convention in suburban Chicago, 100 American men gathered to network, listen to experts, and exchange strategies for improving job performance. But any resemblance to corporate America ended there. Dress was casual, the atmosphere noncompetitive, and topics included ways to support working spouses, tips on defusing a two-year-old's temper tantrums, and the desire to see more diaper-changing tables installed in men's restrooms. Giving voice to the growing ranks of men engaged in full-time fatherhood, the third annual At-Home Dads Convention in Des...

This is our own corner of Free Republic where homeschoolers can discuss what curriculum we use, vent when needed, share our successes, compare notes, alert each other to things we find on the internet, and vent some more. Homeschool Forum Thread #1Homeschool Forum Thread #2 Free Republic links to education related articles (thread#8)

This is our own corner of Free Republic where homeschoolers can discuss what curriculum we use, vent when needed, share our successes, compare notes, alert each other to things we find on the internet, and vent some more. Homeschool Forum Thread #1Homeschool Forum Thread #2 Free Republic links to education related articles (thread#8)

This is our own corner of Free Republic where homeschoolers can discuss what curriculum we use, vent when needed, share our successes, compare notes, alert each other to things we find on the internet, and vent some more. Homeschool Forum Thread #1Homeschool Forum Thread #2 Free Republic links to education related articles (thread#8)

This is our own corner of Free Republic where homeschoolers can discuss what curriculum we use, vent when needed, share our successes, compare notes, alert each other to things we find on the internet, and vent some more. Homeschool Forum Thread #1Homeschool Forum Thread #2 Free Republic links to education related articles (thread#8)

Pennsylvania offers a lesson in what happens when taxpayers cave in to teacher unions and raise pay and school spending to astronomical levels. It is a lesson that is seldom told in the mainstream press. (My sister-in-law is a 28-year public school teacher in Pennsylvania.) The statistics pasted below were published by the Press-Enterprise newsletter and come from testimony by the Commonwealth Foundation before a Pennsylvania Senate committee on property tax reform. - In 1980, Pennsylvania spent $4,500 per student in inflation-adjusted dollars, or $8.72 billion in total on public education. It now spends $8,300 per student, or $15 billion...

This is our own corner of Free Republic where homeschoolers can discuss what curriculum we use, vent when needed, share our successes, compare notes, alert each other to things we find on the internet, and vent some more. Homeschool Forum Thread #1Homeschool Forum Thread #2 Free Republic links to education related articles (thread#8)

This is our own corner of Free Republic where homeschoolers can discuss what curriculum we use, vent when needed, share our successes, compare notes, alert each other to things we find on the internet, and vent some more. Homeschool Forum Thread #1Homeschool Forum Thread #2 Free Republic links to education related articles (thread#8)

Relegating Student Research to the Past By Kathleen Kennedy Manzo It was once a staple of the high school history class: an in-depth assignment that required students to delve into a single compelling issue, event, or figure. But now, there are signs that the formal research paper—a rite of passage for generations of history students—may itself go down in history Teachers across the country are abandoning this introduction to historical research, surrendering to the constraints of time, curriculum requirements, testing, and other factors that make extended student papers in history and social studies seem increasingly impractical. "When I started...

This is our own corner of Free Republic where homeschoolers can discuss what curriculum we use, vent when needed, share our successes, compare notes, alert each other to things we find on the internet, and vent some more. Homeschool Forum Thread #1Homeschool Forum Thread #2 Free Republic links to education related articles (thread#8)

This is our own corner of Free Republic where homeschoolers can discuss what curriculum we use, vent when needed, share our successes, compare notes, alert each other to things we find on the internet, and vent some more. Homeschool Forum Thread #1Homeschool Forum Thread #2 Free Republic links to education related articles (thread#8)

<p>In a few weeks or months the United States will probably begin bombing the Iraqi people. It should be a teachable moment for teachers to address peace. It won't happen.</p> <p>Only a few teachers will have debates on the impending war, and only a few will attempt to balance the overwhelming American cultural penchant for vengeance and violence.</p>

This is our own corner of Free Republic where homeschoolers can discuss what curriculum we use, vent when needed, share our successes, compare notes, alert each other to things we find on the internet, and vent some more. Homeschool Forum Thread #1Homeschool Forum Thread #2 Free Republic links to education related articles (thread#8)

This is our own corner of Free Republic where homeschoolers can discuss what curriculum we use, vent when needed, share our successes, compare notes, alert each other to things we find on the internet, and vent some more. Homeschool Forum Thread #1Homeschool Forum Thread #2 Free Republic links to education related articles (thread#8)