Acknowledging that there is more than one way path to success, some schools in the New England area are participating in a federally funded program which puts the Arts at the center of the curriculum, rather than placing them at the periphery like most traditional education models.  We have known for quite some time that students learn differently, and are motivated by different things, yet because of budgetary concerns which often result in policies harmful to the education process, many schools across the country do not, cannot, or will not recognize the enormous value that strong arts programs can have in the academic, personal, and professional success of students.

The program, called “Turn-around”, allows students the opportunity of self-expression, often denied in traditional education settings.  But don’t be fooled, we are not simply talking about drawing pictures; the program includes instruction (through the Arts) in all major subjects and focuses on increasing cognitive abilities for struggling students.

As America struggles to figure out how to make our students more competitive with those of other nations, it may be time to actually address student needs and play to their strengths and interests instead of spending so much time and energy fighting against technology and trying to make all students fit inside one neat little “standardized test” box. 

As the struggle to makes sense of the events which took place in Connecticut last Friday continues, we must remember that even in the midst of such ugliness, that there are still beautiful and good things in this world; and we have the power to make the world what we want it to be.

This past week an event of sorts went viral on Twitter and Facebook as people began to perform random acts of kindness.  On Twitter the hash-tag used was #20Acts, the “20” in memoriam to the twenty children killed at Sandy Hook, later the #26Acts began showing up to include the teachers who died during the assault as well.

We may have been powerless to stop what happened last Friday, but we are definitely not powerless in making this world, even in a small way, a better place.  A random act of kindness is simply that; a small, simple act done for another person, without expectation or request; an act done out of purity for the purpose of spreading some of that beauty and goodness which seems so elusive in times like these.

If you are a little short of cash this holiday season, don’t despair, there are plenty of random acts of kindness you can do which cost little or nothing;  donating blood saves the lives of three strangers; leave a note to a friend, teacher,  or coach and let them know how much you love or appreciate them; try to be more accepting of people who are different from you; instead of laughing at or walking by the kid in the hallway who just dropped all his stuff, help him out; make the lives of those around you a little easier by doing what you KNOW you are supposed to do;  offer a smile to a person who needs it…

There is so much we can do in our daily lives to make the world a better place in some small way…  I’m a firm believer in “good gets better” – meaning all those small acts added up, really will make a difference.  

Instead of commenting on this blog, post your #26Acts. 

Each of us has our way of dealing with topics which make us uncomfortable; some us choose simply to not deal with them, while others decide that facing the issue or problem head on is the best way. Me, I tend to make jokes about those things of which I am most afraid. 

One of the things I fear the most is flying… I hate to fly, but I love to travel.  I do not like the feeling of not being in control, and when you are up there at 30,000 feet, you in anything but control.  To deal with this fear I usually make some stupid comment about having some Nyquil in Boston and waking up in Rome, and if the plane goes down, I will be fast asleep and none the wiser.

Confession time:  Flying is not the thing I fear the most.

At the start of each school year, among other questions, I ask my students, “what is your greatest fear?”  The responses usually include things like spiders, heights, clowns… the usual stuff.  I offer my greatest fear as flying.  However in light of the events of this past Friday in Connecticut, I will confess the thing I truly fear the most, and that is a school shooting.

Friday afternoon, and throughout the weekend, as more and more details emerged concerning the events which took the lives of 27 people, 20 of which were children 7 years old or younger, I went through a range of emotions.  I thought of my nephews and my niece, of their innocence, their trust in adults, and their ignorance to how ugly and dangerous this world really is; I thought of those students at Sandy Hook Elementary School and the terror they must have felt, the confusion, and the chaos; I thought of the shooter with disgust and hatred; I thought of my own students and whether or not I would make smart choices in the heat of the moment.

My greatest fear is not for my own safety, it is for the safety of my wife who also teachers in this building and that of my students.  My greatest fear is making a poor decision which costs a student or students their lives; my greatest fear is that I miss a warning sign of a student on the brink; my greatest fear is that in my heart I know that this school is unprepared for such an emergency; my greatest fear is that no amount of preparation will stop someone bent on creating destruction with no regard for his personal welfare; my greatest fear is that teachers and students do not take lock down drills seriously and that at any given moment there are unlocked doors all over the building.  My greatest fear is the foolish belief people have that ‘this will never happen to me, or to this school’   My greatest fear is of self-absorption and desensitization  to the point that people on Social Media were complaining that they couldn’t watch Ellen because of the shooting…

I suppose considering all those other things I’m afraid of, flying doesn’t seem all that bad anymore.

Stephen Rald (sp) a teacher employed in the Providence Public School System, disheartened and frustrated with the current state of education, has publicly resigned from his teacher position via YouTube.  He defines his personal teaching philosophy as being, "...the creation of lifelong learners by providing an educational experience that is both rewarding and enjoyable..." he also stresses the importance of having students, "...understand how the knowledge received in the classroom will benefit them in the real world..."  He argues against longer instruction time as well as the removal of social interaction time for students; something he views as essential if children are going to focus on their studies during class time.  

Mr. Rald (sp) states that he has always attempted to find new and innovative ways to educated his students, and to that end he has been using new technology and methods to help his dyslexic students read, he even tutored students on his own time for free after school.  According to Mr. Rald (sp), because his methods and his tutoring sessions were not expressly stated in the district curriculum he was no longer allowed to conduct the activities.  He claims that instead of creating lifelong learners, the focus of education now is simply to make good test takers - something with which he no longer wants to be associated. 

I invited you to watch his YouTube video and respond with your thoughts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sBSgchJe2Z0#!

Stephanie George was a twenty seven year old woman, never charged, convicted, or even suspected of committing a violent crime... yet when she the left a Florida court room fifteen years ago, she did so after being given a life sentence.  Her crime was that she was involved in a drug sales operation. 

This past Monday Jack McCullough was sentenced to life after being found guilty of the murder of 7 year-old Maria Ridulph.  The twist is that Maria was killed in 1957 and McCullough is now 73 years old.  The Illinois case is the oldest "cold case" to ever be closed with a conviction.  

McCullough, who was 17 at the time of the murder, still maintains his innocence, and his lawyer says they will appeal the conviction on the grounds that many key witnesses have long since died, and those who did testify did so over five decades after the event.  He feels that the jury decision was an emotional one not based on evidence or the rule of law.

McCullough's age raised another question; what does a life sentence really mean for a 73 year old who will not be eligible for parole until he is 93.  What is the purpose of prison?... is it to punish the criminal, or is it to protect society against future crimes?  Is the 73 yearold McCullough a danger to society?  Perhaps that is irrelevant - if he is convicted of the crime, should he pay the price?  

Thoughts? 

Movies can entertain, they can horrify, and they can literally change the world – like everything else however, that change can be either negative or positive.  The power of film is something that producers, directors, and public figures have long understood.

In 1915 the film, Birth of a Nation was released.  It’s racist content inspired the revival of the KKK, an organization that was essentially defunct before the film’s release.  Giving the film even more popularity was then President
Woodrow Wilson's comment calling the content of the movie, “absolutely true.”

In 1991, Oliver Stone released his epic JFK, a film chronicling the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.  The film raised so many issues and created such a public outcry that the United States government was forced to release thousands of documents related to the assassination.

The 2006 release of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth focused the scientific community as well as the general public to the dangers of global warming.  Since the release of the film, interest and funding concerning global warming is at an all-time high.

 In 2010 a film entitled The Rubber Room highlighted New York’s controversial teacher discipline policy, which included removing ineffective and suspended teachers from the classroom and essentially placing them in a secluded room during the school day.  They no longer were teaching, but they were receiving full pay and benefits.  Almost immediately after the release of the movie, New York began to reform its policies.

In 2011 producers were ready to release a film entitled, Zero Dark Thirty, a film which covers the killing of Osama bin Laden.  Republicans requested that the movie makers delay release until after the 2012 elections for fear that the movie would help President Obama get reelected.  They did in fact hault the release date… although as President Obama was overwhelming reelected, it didn’t seem to make much of a difference.

Earlier this year the short movie trailer, The Truth About Islam, created controversy around the world as the short 10 minute film trailer depicts the Prophet Mohammed as a less than flattering figure.  The film inspired violent protests around the Muslim world and has even caused one country to block YouTube for the entire nation.

I invite you to offer any other films that you feel had a dramatic effect on the world or the nation.  Remember, I’m not asking you about your favorite movies…offer only those films which resulted in some sort of dramatic reaction or change.

Yesterday NATO moved to provide Turkey with a stock pile of Patriot missiles to be deployed along its border with Syria as reports were coming out of the region that embattled Syrian president Bashar Assad is preparing to use his stockpile of chemical weapons against the rebels in his country.  Unlike Tunisia and Egypt, Syria’s Arab Spring Revolution has been anything but peaceful as Assad has clung to power creating an all-out civil war in Syria… a war where as many as 45,000 people have died.

President Obama has urged Assad to step down in order to save lives, however he has yet to concede his position.  Even Russia, normally a staunch ally of Syria has said that it draws the line on the use of Chemical and Biological Weapons… it would seem the only nation still supporting Assad is Iran.  President Obama has also said that if Chemical Weapons are used, the United States, its allies, and the world will be forced to act.

Despite evidence to the contrary, an official from Syria has publically stated that, “even if such weapons exist in Syria, they will not be used against the Syrian people.  We cannot possibly commit suicide, Syria is a responsible country.”

In an effort to reach out to an ever dwindling flock, the leaders of two of Christianity’s largest churches are diving into social media as well as environmental issues. 

Throughout his time as the leader of the world’s orthodox churches, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople has earned the moniker , “The Green Patriarch.”  Bartholomew I believes that taking care of the environment is a religious imperative, and that leaders of all major religious denominations and the scientific community must work together to help solve the world’s environmental concerns, concerns which, according to many mainstream scientists stem in large part to Global Warming.  The Patriarch said that the moral decline of society, the world’s over-consumption and materialism, and environmental issues are all linked and that people must draw distinctions, “between what we want and what we need.”  Bartholomew’s stance on moral decline and the environment represents a major theological shift in orthodox religion, one which could be aimed at attracting new, youthful, ‘Green’ membership.  According to Kallistos Ware, an orthodox theologian, “Traditionally in Christianity, sin was what you did to other humans, but Bartholomew insisted that what you do to the animals, the air, the water, the land, can be sinful, not just folly, and that was quite a change.”

As the leader of the largest Christian church in the world, Pope Benedict XVI is the spiritual authority the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, and this past week the Pontiff has embraced a new way to communicate with that large membership… Twitter.  Official announcements from the Vatican this week informed the world that the Pope’s Twitter account, @Pontifex will most likely not follow anyone, but will be followed by many.  The Pope will send out weekly messages which address major theological concerns, contemporary world events, and words of wisdom.  While embracing Twitter and other forms of social media will no doubt help the Vatican modernize, it does raise some theological questions.  To some the Pope’s words and decrees are considered to be infallible… does that now mean that his Twitter posts will be such? 

The Papacy, long criticized for not embracing modernity, has actually had a history of using the newest technology:  In 1896 Pope Leo XIII became the first pope to appear on film.  In 1931 Pope Pius XI was the first pope to make a radio broadcast.  In 1949 Pope Pius XII was the first to appear on television.  

Plagued by alarmingly low test scores in comparison to international standards, school districts in five states have decided to lengthen both the school day as well as the school year; the result will be almost 300 more hours of instruction for students aimed at improving skills in reading, writing, and mathematics.  The states participating include Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Tennessee.

School officials argue that more classroom time will result in giving students a more well-rounded curriculum which will allow students greater access to the arts and music, and also allow for more individualized assistance for those students struggling with math and science skills.

Arne Duncan, the United States Education Secretary, said that, "Whether educators have more time to enrich instruction or students have more time to learn how to play an instrument and write computer code, adding meaningful in-school hours is a critical investment that better prepares children to be successful in the 21st century."  Duncan has also argued that schools should be open six or seven days a week and should run eleven or twelve months out of the year.

This new project is the latest in an effort to increase student performance.  Other contemporaneous efforts to do so include new student testing, new teacher evaluation systems, and charter school programs.  

Whether or not you agree with more instruction time, the fact remains that American students are under-performing in comparison to much of the rest of the world.   Something needs to be done - the simple fact of the matter is, if students performed better on national standardized tests, then there would be no need for an increase in the school day or year.

So if you don't want more in school hours, offer another possible solution aimed at increasing student performance.