It’s been a little over a month since I did any serious blogging. The break was nice. Life has been busy. Coming back into the blogging world has been a shock – I forgot how rough and tumble it was out there. I guess I am a wus.
So, I have a new blog site -- http://joelgillespie.blogspot.com/. It is being interwoven with a new web site – www.joelgillespie.com. I am going to keep posting at my MSN Spaces site and work to build up the look and content of the web site and blog site as time goes on.
What’s on my mind today?
Our school district. Immigration. Iraq. Battleground and Horse Pen Creek. Books.
1. I don’t think our children are best served by accepting the fact that we are a mid level district and that Superintendents will naturally use us as a stepping stone to better and bigger districts. That tempts them too much to lead based on their own resume building. I don’t think that is best for our kids. I have pasted comments below I made on Patrick Eakes site.
2. I like President Bush’s position on Immigration, as exhibited in his call for a civil immigration debate. Conservatives would do well not to vilify the “aliens and strangers” amongst us. And they better keep out of the calling many churches have to minister to “aliens and strangers” for they will lose that battle, and lose many of their evangelical base. I think we need an Immigration policy that we can enforce and which honors the incredible contribution immigrants continue to make to our culture and economy. OK, I do think the border needs to be shored up, but the felony thing is too much.
3. I am maybe one of the 1-2 people who has changed from being so so on Iraq to more supportive of our efforts there. I don’t think I’ll be getting any kudos for my intellectual courage.
4. Does anyone have thoughts on the moonscape at Battleground and Horse Pen Creek. That developments will forever stand as a monument to our local government’s lack of courage and will as regards Open Space, Water Shed Protection, Reasonable Planning, and Good Sense. Is it possible for our leaders to say “no” to a developer?
5. I took the bait and joined Quality Paperback Books. Got a whole pile of books. Am reading (I read several books at a time, a little here, a little there) a most fascinating book entitled “Animals in Translation” by Temple Grandin. It offer incredibly interesting insight into the animal mind (and emotion) by an autistic woman. I hope to write a full review when I’m done. And I am reading Stephen King’s “Cell.” Not sure what I think of that yet. I haven’t read a Stephen King book in 25 years.
Joel
As shared on Patrick Eakes site:
Patrick,
I am with you on this. Here are a few thoughts and observations.
1. It seems to me from anecdotal evidence that teacher morale has plummeted in the last 2-3 years under all the mandated curriculum issues and whatnot. That is my biggest concern of all. I believe that in the end the teacher is the most important person in the whole education equation. What I hear from teachers in many schools is mostly very negative regarding Terry Grier. When I taught high school (for five years) there was not such a mindset about our Superintendent, so I don't think it's inherent to the teaching job to feel that way.
2. I would like to know if anyone knows what has been the change in both actual and percentage amounts of the money spent on district office staffing.
3. It seems again to me that under Grier there is more Central Office control of almost everything. Is that correct, and if so, is it best?4. What role should the present or a future school board play, and what responsibility do they share for the failings (as well as the successes). It seems to me that the Superintendent has had almost a free hand, but I am sure there is much I don't know.
5. It has seemed that many decisions have been made just to make Grier or our county district look good, like the decision to push and even in some cases force many students into AP classes. This decision seems only geared toward upping numbers. My concern is are decisions like this part of "resume building." That worries me. I don't think we have to accept a ladder climbing Superintendent. If that's what we get the person in that role ultimately is using our system for his benefit rather than really loving, embracing, and seeking good for our schools and our students.
6. How much of the hugely problematic "teaching to the test" and forced curriculum conformity has resulted from No Child Left Behind. This seems to be one of the issues that has torn most at the motivation and joy of teachers. Are we really dependent upon the federal money that requires such conformity and teaching to tests? Have Grier's hands been tied on this?
7. Well, now that word is out he is a lame duck. I think we should start searching. Maybe there is a local person who would do a great job and who would not be using us as a stepping stone to bigger and greater jobs.
All for now.
Joel
Monday, March 27, 2006
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6 comments:
Fancy shmancy new site! Congrats on the move. Glad you're posting again.
Yeah, me too. Thanks.
Hey Joel - just a short response on your immigration post. I hear what everyone's saying, but as an immigrant who payed upwards of $6,000 in lawyers fees and application fees to get my permanent residency legally (and waited 2.5 years for my green card!), I have to say that I find this "guest worker program" a tough pill to swallow.
If there is no incentive to immigrate legally, isn't that going to impact the whole immigration system negatively? Just asking :)
Rian,
I am no expert on the issue. I prefer the President's take to that of the more conservative republicans. Hey, my wife is an immigrant, and it wasn't a walk in the park for us either, and she had me as a sponser. But I am not sure I understand why you're saying there is no incentive to immigrate legally. Is there incentive to immigrate illegally? Do we or should we let anybody in the world stroll in willy nilly as they will. Seems like we have to a) have some reasonable controls on immigration numbers from various places in the world, b) for security reasons have a border that is not as open as a sieve, and c) offer some sort of legal identity for those who are already here illegally, rather than kicking them all out or making them felons in some fit of xenophobia. Immigration will mitigate against our declining birth rate and our declining work force, and add variety and spice to our culture, but there has to be some control of the numbers and methods. What do you propose?
Joel,
Thanks for the response. I might have not expressed myself clearly... I agree 100% with your points (a) and (b). What I would argue for is not an open border, but a more efficient immigration process. Having gone through it yourself, you know the issues we have to deal with - layers and layers of bureaucracy, files lost and found and lost again, endless hours on the phone... When I received my green card, my name was spelled wrong. I had to spend $70 and wait 6 months to get it corrected - wouldn't a more efficient immigration process have prevented the error, and left more time for immigration officers to spend on other cases?
The thing I love most about America is its diversity. I'm married to an American, we attend a multi-cultural church, and we love it! My frustration is with the process, not the value of immmigration. Hey, I'm here and loving it!!
Now, on to the second issue, which is the "guest worker" program. There are no easy solutions, and I'm leaning towards thinking this is more of a quick fix than a real solution. My question is this: wouldn't legalizing millions of illegal immigrants send a message that you don't have to go through the proper channels? Wouldn't a better solution be making it easier and more efficient to enter the country legally?
I know I'm missing a crucial point -- what about those who are already here? I haven't figured that one out yet, but that doesn't mean we have to go for a quick fix just because the problem isn't easy...
I'm certainly no expert myself, and welcome the debate!
Rian,
Yes, we need to streamline the process for legal Immigration, but that will take a lot of money. There are too few resources and too few people doing too much painstaking work.
I think if there is a one time clemency for people already here it won't send the wrong message, if it is accompanied by a clear, streamlined and enforcable process for future immigrants. I just don't think we can or should give the boot to so many millions of people already here, most of them working, and most of them contributing.
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