Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Teaching Our Kids - The New Education

Teaching our Kids
When our kids go to school, what do they learn? They learn from two levels, one level is from the schools curricula, the other from their peers, but it's not so much what they learn, but how they learn to learn.
Learning "what" involves remembering what happened yesterday. We don't have to create a new writing system every year, we can use the one developed years ago. In the same manner, we learn how to become engineers, doctors, and attorneys. This is one level of necessary learning; by memorizing the past.
There is another level of learning, however, a level that in many ways is far more important than any other - a level of insight. Insight is another way of saying spontaneous discovery without books or lectures; a discovery about ourselves and about life.
At this level of insight, a student might be studying about world wars, which would be about yesterday. Then, suddenly, the student might spontaneously question the whole concept of war itself. He or she might even come to a conclusion that war is caused by individuals, the microcosms of countries that fight with each other. This might in turn challenge the student to discover a solution, within each individual, to mankind's Achilles Heal; the wars that tear humanity apart.
This type of insight and inquiry is quite removed from dreary memorization, so mundane, yet admittedly necessary in education. This insight is the life that is missing in education, and why students are dropping out in droves. The spontaneity of life, the adventure, and discovery of life is missing, and we search for ways to instill this passion that students so need and deserve.
So, how do we promote this spontaneity among our students? How do we encourage them to think for themselves instead of conform to a failed system that turns its back on life's realities and continues to promote illusions through dry concepts and dated ideology? It all begins with each teacher letting go of his or her past.
The past is tradition, security, and beliefs, and completely ignores this very moment and what is actually happening in it. The teacher that teaches current events from a standpoint of teaching how the past influences current human behavior does a service to her students, but if that teacher has not gone deeply inside of herself, and discovered her own thoughts and feelings, and how her thoughts and feelings create the hypocrisy of tradition and the illusion of security in beliefs and ideals, then she can never teach passionately, and passion is the difference.
When she sees clearly that conformity in education is safe, that it is risk free, but that it is also killing all hope of positive change in a world that is becoming more aggressive and violent each year by spitting out little automatons that recite the dogma of economics that so separate us, only then will she teach differently.
Street smart, intelligent kids aren't buying it anymore, even though they can't communicate what they are feeling. It is an isolation from life that they feel in our educational institutions, an estrangement, a disconnect, and they are simply dropping out. This is what is actually happening, and the drop outs aren't unintelligent; in many ways they are heads and shoulders above our outdated systems.
The kids want to know why we are struggling to make so much money, why things have become more important than people. Is it because we are fearful that we don't have enough? The dress codes of our kids, the old, ragged, baggy clothes, are a dead give away of their feelings. They are mocking our values.
Our kids want to know, for themselves, what life is really about. But since their educators have never taken the time to find out for themselves what life is all about, and are themselves simply products of the establishment, we are in a gigantic "Catch 22" with no way out. But our kids are taking a way out; they are dropping out.
As with many things, such as health care and a basic, respectable standard of living, this article will be ignored by policy makers, the ones in power, the ones perpetuating an educational system that is a dinosaur. Nothing changes until change is forced upon us, because we become comfortable. "Let them drop out, who cares? Let them live on the street and starve, who cares; I am taken care of."
It's only when the tide becomes overwhelming that the ones in power are replaced, but if the students still have not learned to go deep within themselves and actually question power, and question the hatred and greed that separates us, then the new ones in power will only succumb to the same pressures as their predecessors, and humanity will continue down the same road of violence since the beginning of time.
Who will instill in our kids the passion of discovery, the challenge of the inward journey so that things can change? What religious institution is teaching this instead of indoctrinating their youth with stale ideals and rote dogma? Who has the courage to forge a new, brave world?
Who will teach our kids to awaken themselves and discover their real potential, not the potential to be a successful businessman, but to be a human being, a potential that lies dormant? How do we teach our kids to be visionaries, fearless and unencumbered to change a world that is on the verge of self-destruction? We need visionaries, not robots.
Teaching our kids begins with teaching ourselves anew, in radical ways that we have never before considered. It takes warriors.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Online Schools - The New Education Frontier

Online schools have become the new education frontier due to the possibilities they provide for those who cannot attend traditional college. Accredited online and distance learning programs can offer studies that will help students obtain the education necessary for entrance into a professional career. Students can study around their current employment and personal lives to prepare for a better future. Numerous online schools and colleges offer training that can be completed at different levels and specific fields of study, allowing students to follow the career training path that meets their goals.
Prior to enrolling in an accredited online program, students should decide on the career that they will be pursuing. Many options are available to ensure that the training received will meet the standards for the desired occupation. Studies can be completed in areas such as:
  • Accounting and Finance
  • Graphic Design
  • Business
  • Management
  • Travel and Tourism
After choosing the profession that will be pursued, students will need to select the level of training that they wish to obtain in order to enter the workforce. The level of certificate or degree that is available will depend on the career that is chosen.
Various levels of accredited online learning are available to those who have an interest in obtaining an education through distance learning. Students can choose to earn a:
  • Certificate
  • Associate
  • Bachelor
  • Master
  • Doctoral
...degree depending on the career they are pursuing. The level of educational study that is chosen will determine how long students must spend on their studies. Certificate programs can range from a couple of months to around one year. Undergraduate degree training programs typically last two to four years, and graduate degrees can take an additional two to four years of training to obtain. Coursework will vary by level of online schooling and the career being pursued.
Students can choose from specific areas of study that will help them obtain the education they deserve. Different fields offer a variety of career and specialization options for students. Online schools offer training in technical writing, real estate, education, computer networking, and more. Other opportunities for online training include the study of media studies, information technology, human services, and much more. After selecting the career and training area, students can enroll in an accredited online program and begin completing the training needed for a professional career. Once training is completed students can seek employment in a number of professional workplaces.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Education Secretary Michael Gove's New Education Policy to Turn Schools Into 'Academy' Faces Hurdles

In one big of the biggest policy changes to have hit the Britain education system in over a decade, Education Secretary Michael Gove sent invitations to over 20,000 schools in Britain to upgrade to Academies. According to his new policy academies will be able to work independently without having to report back to the local authority and prepare their own teaching method and curriculum. This bill does not place a cap on their salary that will be offered to a head teacher, meaning head teachers are in for one heavy treat this time around. This policy is aimed at improving stagnant British education system and to lower existing corruption in it. All the responses to his invitations, estimated to be around 2000 primaries and 500 secondary, will be put on a fast track processing system, providing the title 'academy' to those schools which prove themselves outstanding.
There are also people who are skeptic about the amount of freedom this bill offer to academies, despite the assurance offered by Michael Gove that no school will be entitled with the title 'Academy' without sufficient inspection. Since this freedom can be miss-utilized by bad companies or religious extremist groups to bring forward their agenda.
It has not even been a day since Michael Gove announced his new education plan to revamp the existing education system in Britain; his policy has already started facing flak from many influential corners and think tanks associated with the Britain education system. Chris Keates who is the general secretary of the teaching union NASUWT, expressed her disapproval towards this new policy saying the policy was disappointing. She also said that this policy fails to improve the existing education quality as the term 'academy' does not mean the school associated with the term offers excellent quality of education. She made his point on basis of statistics which clearly proved that existing academies were no better in their performances when compared to ordinary schools. Given the current economic scenario in Britain where tackling the budget deficit should be the frontline concern of the existing government, this policy offers a very costly solution to a problem that is not known to exist.
One of the current members of the Shadow Cabinet, Ed Balls points out towards the fact that this policy will end up creating a divide, on side there will be academies, which will have full independence and financial support from the government and the other side will have schools deemed as second graded, creating a two tier education system, which is completely against the motto behind the creation of Academies Programme. There also lingers another danger which has gone unnoticed. The academies, which no longer have to answer to the local governing bodies and with their financial might backed by the government itself, will suck all the talented teachers from other smaller schools, leaving them in further deteriorating conditions.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Our New Education System

Throw out the old standards of reading, writing, arithmetic. Forget the patriotism of the founding fathers that gave us liberty and freedom. Make sure we recite the Pledge of Allegiance with politically correct words. And let's learn about the environment and its global warming.
As your little ones go off to school, keep in mind that our new education system is one that is more globally focused and that sheds any influence of its national patriotism. The new motto is "We Are The World," rather than "God Bless America." Everything reflects on banishing the thoughts of traditionalism, and to progress to new standards that are more worldly compatible.
The new criteria has dumbed down our generations, and the mindset has indoctrinated our children for Liberalism. Each generation gets a little more off track from traditional ethics. It is replaced by Liberalism and relativism rather than absolutism and in some cases truth, which must take a backseat to compromise.
Look around at the result. Our teens today forgot how it is to be respectful. As God has been stripped from our society, they have been indoctrinated with the narcissism of this age that has encouraged them to question authority. They get out of college and expect jobs that puts them right at the top. And somewhere along the way they have lost touch with common sense. The education standards have slacked and some of our teens are as dumb as nails having no initiative. They lost sight of our American system. The only "system" they know is the latest video game console.
No child left behind has come to mean that no child will be given a failing mark. In some Liberal districts, educators are restricted from passing the whole class until all children exceed so that the self-esteem is not harmed. If they can't pass, the grades are curved so that each one can succeed. So the whole standard of the class is based on the dumbest kid.
Experiments of the 21st Century
Goals 2000 led the way for a politically correct environment where global indoctrination could be introduced into the schools. It was a radical experiment, but it brought in the Liberalism that helped fuel the declined of public education. The idea was to socially prepare students for the future. It focused more on recognizing alternative lifestyles, different family structures, and to instill in them the right to activism.
They have been redirected from the knowledge of the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the rights of the Constitution, of what men have fought for to bring them freedom, but they sure know that a family can be made up of two mommies, that single parenthood is normal, and that you can have safe sex by using a condom. And if you get that wrong, there's always the "right to choose."
The message they have been taught by some of your teachers is that war is evil and is the result of greedy Capitalists who want more oil. They have been led to believe that Democrats are good and Republicans are selfish. And they want you to know that with the government's help, you can have what you can't provide for yourself and that it should be a right.
Social Experimentation
It isn't by accident that the heritage of our country has been suppressed. Your children are under a grand social experiment where they are taught that "We are the world." They are being told that to recognize multiculturalism, we have to know about the customs of world cultures, as they are more important than our American culture. They want us to know that we are all one on this big ball we call Earth. And while that may be true under God, they want you to believe it without God, because not everyone believes in this "God."
Our Hijacked System
The reason for this shift in education isn't because we have become wiser than our primitive ancestors. It is because global Elitists have found a way to indoctrinate our generations. In an interview with G. Edward Griffin, Norman Dodd, Directer of Research under the Reese Commission in 1954, revealed that several tax-exempt agencies took over the education system in the 1950's. Foundations like the Rockefeller, Ford and Carnegie Endowment were given the power by government to restructure the education system. But these foundations were actually fronts for Communist and Socialist agendas. Their mentors were followers of Socialists such as Karl Marx and Cecil Rhodes.
What the heads of the foundations vowed to do was to reverse the student's influence from an American mindset to a Social Union style mindset. In that manner, they could indoctrinate students towards globalism that they, the Elitists, control. Their goal was to redirect students from the knowledge of the principles of the Declaration of Independence and of the Constitution, so that in the next generation they would have a Socialist world view. Our generation is experiencing the effects right now. Social Security, National Banking, multi-tier tax system, and government funded education are all influences of Socialism..
History Re-Written
In that interview with Griffen, Dodd claims the foundations set up an agency, called the American Historical Society, in which they hired their own people to oversee an operation to rewrite history so that it was compatible with their new agenda. The Elite then positioned their agents in strategic places in education where they would control the boards, assuring the progression of their agenda.
The plan is for the heritage of America to be exchanged for a Liberal Socialist style mindset where the Elitists have control over the masses. Through public funding, the government would be used to offer incentives to districts that used their syllabus. Many have caved since funding is slacking. Home-schooling has been a problem for their plan, since home-schooled children have access to information that exposes their historical tampering. In the future, there will be bills proposed to regulate home-schooling so that mandates can be put on the criteria.
The plan is to get all citizens on board with their agenda for a New World Order. Some agents in the government are doing all they can to stifle the voice of those in criticism with the agenda. They want no one to stop their fascist dictatorship. And they will try to get to your children through the education system. The same tactic was used by Hitler. Just another example how it mirrors the Socialism system.
Our Defense
Wise parents can monitor their children's teaching and question what they learned. They should discern the tactics and head it off by "debriefing" their children to know the truth. And that is why you need to be active in your child's education.
Attend school board meetings and have a voice. If they shut you up, remind them that this is your forum as well. Better yet, run for a position and be involved directly.
And most important, if you are concerned, then vote the party politicians out of office. Keep your ears open for grass root movements that eventually will unite to have a strong influence.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

The Story of New Education

After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans school districts were in shambles. Eighty-five school districts were hurt by the natural disaster. A district called Jefferson Parish was granted twenty million dollars from Cisco to turn sixteen of its schools into models of the new education 3.0. Education 3.0 is a new model for schools that have full wireless connectivity, all new network upgrades, advanced classroom technology and upgraded date centers, plus a lot more. The education 3.0 is a total overhaul from the traditional school ways. Not only does education 2.0 incorporate technology into its classrooms, the classrooms revolve around it.
By having all classrooms and educational buildings begin to change to the new education 3.0 it will greatly impact learning on the 21st century student. Educators and officials need to realize that the 21st century kids learn different than back in the day and schools need to change their curriculums according to the new technological standards of this century. How are schools going to prevent dropouts and prevent failure if they don't catch the student's attention? As much as we think that school is school and a student shouldn't have to be entertained at school, its important for school officials to realize that maybe bringing in more interesting lesson plans will help the students to get better grades. Not only do better grades help the student but also it boosts schools ratings by having a majority of successful students.
With education 3.0 not only do the students reap the benefits from this, the schools do also. The more technology a school has to offer and the more technology it utilizes the smoother a school operates. In turn a smoother operating school produces better jobs, better students and happier teachers and staff. Teachers are beginning to have fun while teaching and instead of the old, watch a lecture and take notes; every lesson now revolves around technology. Weather it be talking to a class while presenting a 3-d lesson plan, utilizing computers or the internet, using handheld technological devices to help assist with class work or something as small as a new projector to project information fro the internet, all of these assist education 3.0 in making the schools fully technological.
Education 10 was the basic lecturing in front of a chalkboard. The old education 2.0 was a program designed to incorporate 21st century technology into the classrooms. As this began to be a success, Cisco realized they needed to go above and beyond to make a real difference in student's grades and demeanor while in school. While education 2.0 replaced chalkboards with projectors and educational software, education 3.0 replaced traditional projectors with 3-d projectors and glasses for all the students to be able to dissect a 3-d image.
Its so important for schools to change their traditional ways and fully make the classrooms based o0n technology, this world revolves around technology now and if students don't have the correct skills technology wise, jobs will be hard to find.
Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Patricia has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues.