Technology and Campaigning

I just finished reading a blog post by Will Richardson discussing the use of today's technology in the 2008 Presidential Campaign.

http://weblogg-ed.com/2008/preparing-for-participatory-politics/

It is amazing to see how today's candidates have and have not used technology to gain access to voters. It is not just used in the schools where our students are using computers to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic but they are using it in politics as well. Our family does not get the major daily news papers anymore because the webpages of the news sources are so much more accurate and updated more frequently. Many of the political candidates have rss feeds in order to update their supporters more frequently. A person doesn't even have to search for updates on campaigns, they are automatically sent to you. Being active in politics I have observed first hand how successfully candidates use email as well. Candidates are also being held accountable by bloggers who post comments that the major media outlets miss. If these avenues have an impact on a national presidential election still remains to be seen, but if they do, what impact will they have on state and local politics? If our young people or just society in general can become more informed politically, how will politicians react if their statements and actions are circulated via the Internet. Imagine being elected to a political office and being held accountable by an educated, well informed electorate...its something to think about.

Jon and Kate

During the summer my wife and I try to limit the amount of television our kids watch. We always start the summer very idealistic and by mid summer reality sets in and our limited viewing expands a little. Often this happens because we are trying to keep our own sanity. One of the shows that we all watch together is Jon and Kate Plus 8. I have to admit when I first watched it I was a bit sceptical and didn't want any of my NASCAR buddies to know that I watched the show but...I got hooked. First, the kids are hilarious, and second the husband has got to be a saint to deal with Kate's ocd. My wife and I discuss how TLC probably forks over the $$$ in order to do the show and how that probably makes raising 8 kids a little easier but money won't solve all of the problems. What I have noticed is how they value time together as a family, and yet they make time for each child individually. Kate does days out with the girls and Jon does male bonding time with boys. (You have to see the episode where he takes the boys golfing.) On one episode, the parents made a statement that was really important. The both stated that they would not allow the fact that there were 8 children to deprive any of them from what other children experience, whether it be golfing, skiing, or a trip to Disneyworld. As a parent I know I have used the excuse of having three children involved in a variety of activities to deprive one or all of them of something. Jon and Kate are not perfect and they readily adminit that but I believe that those eight children will grow up to be well adjusted adults, becaue their parents give them the most important thing in the world...time. Skeptics would say that because they are on tv that gives them the ability to spend time with their kids. It doesn't take as much time as one may think. How will this valuable time reflect on their education???

Summer Observations

As I sit here teaching summer school, I have had time to reflect on the state of education in this small community and other problems we face in educating our children. As a roamed the Internet I found some interesting statistics. Read A+ Illinois report and Senate Bill 2288
http://www.aplusillinois.org/toolbox/faqs.asp#2
http://www.ieanea.org/SB2288.aspx

If we look at the problems in our society...poverty, unemployment, overextended welfare system, crime, drug use, abortion, the decline of the family, etc. we have to stop and wonder what is the root of the problem and what is an achievable solution. I truly believe that a strong education system is a fundamental foundation on which a solution can be achieved.

To solve the problem we have to educate and motivate teachers, parents, tax payers, and government officials to see that education is a solution to those problems as well. It is embarrassing to see the attention that our state legislators pay towards education, continually creating more hoops for educators to jump through (hoops that cost more financially) yet they continue to cut funding. If funding becomes an issue then they propose gambling boats to finance education or selling off the lottery to do the same. (This is the same lottery that decades ago was supposed to be an unlimited source of income for education...that worked well!!!) Look at it this way, if we assume that a good education is the healthy future of our nation, why are we so willing to gamble with it?

Look at those problems again...

• Poverty - In many cases those people are poor because the school system did not serve them properly or they did not take the importance of education seriously.
• Unemployment - Did the schools prepare them properly for the workforce? Did parents and teachers instill the proper work ethic at school? Did the schools hold them to high achievement standards?
• Crime - Crime rates continue to rise. Many of these crimes are committed simply because people do not have a quality education to meet their own basic needs. A better education system would be one step in the direction of lessening crime.
• Drug use - Selling illegal drugs is in some cases how people make money to make ends meet. There are also consumers willing to make the purchase in hopes that this will help them cope with their day to day problems.
• The Decline of the Family - Higher paying jobs tend to allow parents to spend more time at home with their children. In order to compete for those high paying jobs, individuals must have better educations. In lower income households many teenagers must work long hours to help the family make ends meet, giving them less time to spend on their education.
• Abortion - How many choose abortions simply based on economic reasons? Young people who can't afford to take care of a child, or if they agree to adoption, young people who can't afford the health care necessary for a healthy pregnancy???

If we encourage education, we allow people to compete for better jobs. Better jobs increases income, increased income increases property values, increased property values increases property tax, increased property tax increases revenue for schools.

Educators, parents, community members and government officials need to remember what Aristotle said...

All who have meditated on the art of governing mankind have been convinced that
the fate of empires depends on the education of youth.

Obama and Father's Day

In the previous post I wrote of Tim Russert's bluecollar background and his goal of making politicians accountable to the people who elected them. This concept goes much farther than the political realm. As teachers, we should want to be held accountable for the job we do. Without accountability it is easy to become lazy, cut corners and become apathetic. As a result, our students suffer from our lack of effort. Students also perceive teachers as role models. If I come to school tired everyday or do my best to cut corners, the students will adopt that same philosophy. By the same token, if the child is not held accountable for his actions at home, he or she will not be willing to be held accountable at school or in the workforce. Parents also should be accountable unto themselves, because they also serve as role models for their children. Raising and educating children today is no easy task. Adults face more challenges rearing children than ever before. Higher education becomes more expensive. Gas prices rise daily as do the price of groceries. More parents are taking second jobs simply to make ends meet. That delicate balance to provide for a child's physical needs and emotional needs becomes more strenuous. To have a successful child we have to successful parents, successful teachers, and even successful elected officials. That can only come from each of us being accountable for our actions and continuing to strive to improve. I am by no means a Hillary supporter, but she did hit on something in her book "It Takes A VIllage". If we are to have a strong and successful America in the future, it will take all of us to raise children with strong morals, principles and work ethic. If you examine Senator Obama's speech on Father's Day, he present that "call to arms" for dads everywhere, of all races. His vision is nothing new...he merely has the avenue in which to express it.

http://time-blog.com/real_clear_politics/2008/06/obama_on_fathers_day.html

Tim Russert

This past week American politics lost a true friend and mentor...Tim Russert. I have always been intrigued by politics but at the same time somewhat intimidated by politics at the national level. Tim had the ability to put politics and government on a level that a "layperson" could understand. As Americans, we have become intimidated by politics and government. We have allowed our input in national government to slowly disappear due to low voter turnout and apathy. As a result Washington D.C. and even some of our state legislatures have become the playground for the rich or more fortunate. Tim Russert did his best to use his working class roots to restore our faith in government and to encourage us to become involved. Tim held himself accountable on Meet the Press every Sunday morning and he held other politicians and public servants accountable through his questioning/interrogation. If all of us would follow his example of faith in God, and the ability of man, and if we would hold ourselves and others accountable, how much stronger would America be?