Friday, October 15, 2010

National Education Standards: Hopeful Change or Hollow Promise?

This is a video event I found on the Cato Institute Website. Very informative debate on the National Education Standards being pushed right now on our states (Common Core State Standards Initiative). This took place back in June. You need to watch this!

Friday, October 8, 2010

Troubling Aspects of Common Core State Standards Initiative:

Only one hearing took place in Congress concerning CCSI and no votes took place on whether or not all of this spending should take place. Can we say unconstitutional?

National standards lead to national assessments
A.      Assessments aren’t like tests.  There is no right or wrong answer.  They are subjectively scored
B.      This will lead to a national curriculum, which is already being written by Bill Gates (curriculum maps) for free.
C.      Teacher’s salaries will be tied to how well students perform on these assessments and in order for teachers to keep their jobs, they will have to teach these assessments  on a daily basis.
D.      This is how indoctrination of our school children will take place.
E.       All information about students and teachers performance will be kept online on a national data base, which is very intrusive. (kept in Washington DC)

How they tricked conservatives/republicans into being silent about this issue:
A.      Promised them charter schools
1.       These will not be traditional charter schools thought of by conservatives
2.       These will be charter schools pushing liberal ideology such as: gay charter schools, environmental global warming schools, social justice schools, etc. like the ones Arne Duncan, Secretary of Ed. was involved with while superintendent of the Chicago school system
B.      Tied student’s performance on assessments to individual teacher’s performance –Value Added Assessments.
1.       These will be online assessments which will have answers that are not graded as right or wrong, but will be subjectively scored
2.       The assessments will take 4-5 days where students will do projects and keep a portfolio and will be evaluated by someone else whose value system may be more left leaning in ideology
3.       If you as a parent have a complaint about his/her evaluation, where do you take it, the Dept. of Ed. In Washington? Where will be the local input?
4.       Teachers will feel constrained to teach to the national standards because they will want to make sure their students perform well so they don’t lose their job.
5.       Teacher’s job evaluation will be dependent on how well her students perform.  In California teacher's job performance were published on the web.
What will be the results of nationalizing standards through the Common Core State Standards Initiative?
A.      Dumbing down of our children
B.      Leftist Agenda –teaching our children to accept climate change, evolution, the gay agenda, anti-capitalism, Islamic ideology; such a Sharia law, anti religious speech, etc….-INDOCTRINATION of our children.

"...any set of test questions that the federal government prescribed should surely be suspect as a first step toward a national curriculum ... In its most extreme form, national control of curriculum is a form of national control of ideas
-Sec. of Health, Education, and Welfare Joseph Califano, 1977

Examples of Ideology which could be taught according to things they have said & written:
Sec. of Ed., Arne Duncan on making your kids “green citizens.”
Young school kids praise Obama
The Story of Stuff –anti-capitalism video shown in schools across America –produced by the Tides Foundation which is funded by George Soros

Texas Governor Rick Perry on the dangers of national standards.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

What's All The Fuss About The States Adopting The "Common Core Standards Iniatives....A Federal Takeover Of Education?"


I'm sure many people when they see headlines or articles posted about this subject just scroll right past it, not really thinking through what could happen to our children if a federal takeover of education takes place.  The far left liberal ideology of this president, all of his czars,  people he surrounds himself with, things he has said, things they have said, etc., GREATLY concerns me.

Click on the links below:

Should the Secretary of Education be campaigning for democrats on our tax dime? He should at least be outwardly non-partisan because of his high position of authority in our government.  Should we trust him and others who are like-minded to overhaul our education system? Do you think if our government develops education standards, they might possibly incorporate certain ideas, subjects and philosophies into those literature books the kids read, the history which is taught or the science/health curriculum? (Kevin Jennings has already stated in the above mentioned video what some of his goals are.)

Earlier last year we saw videos floating around the internet of small examples of indoctrination of our elementary age kids.

The Story of Stuff (anti-capitalism video showed in schools across the US) -Produced by the Tides Foundation funded by George Soros

This is only two examples. There are all kinds out there on the internet and in school textbooks and teacher lesson plans.  Remember right after Obama was elected before school started, he was going to address the nations school children and the US education department actually came out with lesson plans for the teachers to use with the students after he gave his speech.  There was such an uproar about it, I believe they ended up pulling the lesson plans.  Don't get me wrong.  I think it's fine for the president to address school kids and his speech was an encouragaing, inspirational speech, but I also read through the lesson plans before they were pulled and some of the activites (in my opinion) did cross the line of appearing to encourage the kids to almost idolize the president.  This was just another example of the blind ideology of this liberal administration and those in the education system who seem to worship him.  The Mmm, Mmm, Mmm video and The Story of Stuff are examples of the beginnings of indoctrination. 

Another concern is whether the local school board and parents will lose their voice and authority over curriculum content.  What will be the process involved when parents have a problem or objection about content?  Will parents be allowed to pull the student out of a class if they object to certain content?  I think not, especially if the content is one of the standards he will be tested on.


Right now they're talking about math and english, but the other subjects are being added and I just don't trust the people in charge enough to know for sure political ideologies that push the homosexual incoctrination, safe sex, abortion, anti-capitalism, etc.,  will not be incorporated into the textbooks and lesson plans.  I know what you're thinking....Alot of that stuff has been in the textbooks and is being taught now.  That's true, but if we allow a federal take-over of our schools it will only get worse and local school boards won't have any say in what is taught. Kevin Jennings, the Safe School Czar can hardly wait to push his homesexual agenda on our kids all the way down to kindergarten age.


Americans are awake now and we realize some of what's been going on with our education system.  That's what the big battle this past year down in Texas was about where the state school board argued for months about what was going to be put in or taken out of the social studies books.  For now it seems "conservatism" won one battle, but there are so many more.


Please parents, grandparents, concerned adults, get involved.  Make your voices heard. Speak out for the children's sake...for our nation....   * Sec. of Health, Education, and Welfare Joseph Califano advised Pres. Jimmy Carter in 1977: "...any set of test questions that the federal government prescribed should surely be suspect as a first step toward a national curriculum ... In its most extreme form, national control of curriculum is a form of national control of ideas."  We should be very concerned about the future of our children and thus the nation.  We have to speak out about what is going on in our children's schools because the next generation is being desensitized about good and evil and indoctrinated to believe liberal ideaology. The schools have become Godless zones promoting "political correctness" and an "anything goes" attitude in the name of tolerance.   Our kids will be the future adults and voters of tomorrow. Christians have been silent for too long. We have to become engaged in civil dialogue and what's going on in our schools and nation.   I'm preaching to myself, too.  I joined in the game late, but I'm not going to give up fighting for my daughter and my one day future grandchildren's future and for this nation.

Here's what Gov. Rick Perry and Texans decided for their state concerning "national standards."
Watch the youtube video:
Texas Gov. Rick Perry on the dangers of "national standards."

Allied Women on Facebook posted an excellent update on the Common Core Standards. 
Educate yourself on the issue.  Click below for info:
Try to attend one of the Common Core Standards meetings and ask questions.  Point out problems you see with CCS.


If you liive in Alabma, please call or e-mail your Alabama State Board members, especially Gov. Riley and tell them we do not support the Common Core Standards Initiative.  Click on the link below:
Alabama State Board Members Contact Info

If you don't know if your state has adopted the Common Core Standards, contact your state board of education and find out.  Even if they have, it may not be too late to back out, contact your governor and board members.  Tell them what you think.

Here's an informative article here:
Federal Take Over Of Education

Tons of Info About the Common Core Standards here: Common Sense On Common Core Standards

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Two Very Different Rallies In Washington Today...

Today, I watched the C-SPAN coverage of the "Restoring Honor" Rally at the Lincoln Memorial and later in the day watched part of the "Reclaim The Dream" Rally organized by Al Sharpton.

At the "Restoring Honor" Rally I heard uplifting patriotic, spiritual music and singing. People were honored as "real" American heroes, inspiring speeches were given encouraging Americans to turn back to God and the values and principles which our Founding Fathers established this nation upon and prayers were offered for our nation.

The "Reclaiming The Dream" Rally was very different.  Almost every speaker I heard seemed determined to say at least one or two derogatory remarks about Glenn Beck or what was going on at the other rally and how they had no right to try take part in anything that Martin Luther King spoke about on that infamous day.  Several of the speakers seemed to want to re-hash the past mistakes of our country, as if they didn't want people to come together, but to stay angry and continue to hold grudges and hate each other.

I'm sure if I sat and watched the two rallies again I would pick up on many other differences, but I guess the most obvious was the number in attendence at the "Restoring Honor" rally versus the "Reclaiming The Dream" rally.  I'll let you check out the info for yourself on some of the links below.
(My favorite is Glen's speech at the end of his rally.....Very Inspiring!)

Enjoy!

Here is a link to the CSPAN coverage:
http://www.c-span.org/Watch/Media/2010/08/28/HP/R/37513/Restoring+Honor+Rally+Draws+Protest+on+I+Have+a+Dream+Anniversary.aspx

Glen Beck's Speech Posted in 3 Parts on Medialites Website (not really a conservative site, but the only one so far I could find with his entire speech)
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/glenn-becks-rallying-cry-to-america-one-man-can-change-the-world/

The Washington Post has lots of links, videos and pictures of Restoring Honor Rally:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2010/08/28/GA2010082800047.html

Dr Alveda King Speech at Restoring Honor Rally "I Have A Dream"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKoIXeBo4DY&feature=player_embedded

Gateway Pundits have plenty of pics & links to click on about the Restoring Honor & Reclaiming The Dream rallies.  Make sure you look at the BBC pics!
http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/08/al-sharptons-counter-freedom-rally-manages-to-attract-3000-in-dc/

New York Times Slide Show:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/08/28/us/20100829-RALLY.html

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Experiencing God At A Tea Party?

The main stream media wanted to paint the Tea Party People as extremist, racist, and possibly even violent. We've been hearing that for months, but that wasn't what I experienced at the April 15, 2010, Tea Parties in Enterprise or Dothan, AL. In fact one thing that happened in Enterprise truly touched me to the point of getting teary eyed. It was the prayer at the beginning of the meeting by Deborah Irby.... a true prayer of intercession for our nation, full of scripture, calls for repentance and asking for God's mercy on this nation. Here's a link to it here:


http://www.facebook.com/JudgeRoyMoore#!/note.php?note_id=382855402277&id=1328534048&ref=nf

Toward the end of her prayer, she started saying the Lord’s Prayer and everyone in the audience spontaneously began to say it with her. I haven't heard the Lord's Prayer prayed in a public setting (other than church) since I was in high school.

Do any of you remember when almost every public assembly began with the Lord's Prayer? You COULD read the Bible in school. Now we have people being taken to court for praying in Jesus name, having the Ten Commandments posted or losing their jobs because they wore some sort of Christian symbol. We've tried to remove God out of almost all public settings other than church. It's affecting us and even more important, our children are being affected.  We've lost the awe and fear of the Lord. Seeing and hearing the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments often and in plenty of different settings helped to give most in my generation an awareness of God, a higher power, an appreciation and gratefulness for all that was around us....so as I listened to all of us praying that prayer, I had goose bumps and tears began to fill my eyes.....I knew God was pleased. I could almost sense His pleasure. He so wants us to welcome Him back in the public square. It's so hard to describe...It felt like coming home to something that felt so familiar and good.

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
-2 Chronicles 7:14

Saturday, August 21, 2010

God Uses The Foolish Things Of The World To Confound The Wise...1 Corinthians 1:27

This is my second blog which was also written about a year ago.  As I shared earlier in the first blog, I just want you to see where I've been and where I'm coming from in this "awakening" process God has had
me in.

Hope you enjoy the read!.

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 1 Corinthians 1:27

I believe Sarah Palin is going to be a living example of this verse, to us as Christians and to the secular world of Holleywood, intellectuals and media elites. Through no fault of her own, she and her family have been viciously criticised, belittled, and slandered and yet, she continues to draw crowds and fans by the thousands. What is it about this woman that brings out the most venemous blogs, commentaries and articles I've ever seen in my 52 years of living? I believe it is what the above verse says. Actually, I like how the Old King James version states it. Instead of using the words, "put to shame," it uses the word, "confound," a much better word to describe Sarah Palin and the real "gut" reaction the eletist have to her. They just don't quite know what it is they don't like about her. It's just there..."confounding" them.

I think I know. I believe God has raised her and others that we may not even be aware of yet ,"for such a time as this." There are many Esters, Deborahs, Daniels and Josephs out there who are not intimidated by the enemy and Sarah Palin is one of them. She has the elite media and intellectuals "confounded." They're all talking about her, trying to figure out what she is going to do and everytime they think, "aha, we have her now," she does something completely unexpected.

After Sarah gave her resignation speech, all of the commentators and politicians were in a frenzy trying to analize and criticize but when I heard her resignation speech, I knew. Here is a woman who is not afraid to speak the truth, even if it's not the "politically correct" thing to say. She speaks to the heart of middle America, the common men and women, you know, the ones who "cling to their guns and religion" and at the same time she has the heart of a woman and mother who speaks out for the unborn and handicapped and says their lives are of value in a country that has numbed its conscience to these precious individuals. This is a woman who has been ridiculed for her faith and her conservative values like no other woman in the public arena. I don't know what God has planned for Sarah Palin, but I am thankful for her and I'm praying for God to raise others up in our nation who will be willing to take a stand no matter the cost.

I love this "Mama Grizzlies" Sarah Palin youtube! I am a mama grizzly!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4hDpbzEv60