Center for Media and Democracy has this post up on the slanted nooz for Wisconsin taxpayers…and, sadly, there are too many folks who will believe what is written…because it’s written.  See, they think that anyone who puts their name next to an article is actually taking pride in that article and that they’re are trying to report the news fairly.  They don’t understand that news is created, and that the newspaper editors (along with news directors) get to decide what news is reported, and HOW it’s reported….they are gatekeepers.

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Next, we have the story on Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp being a member of ALEC.  I’m shocked, shocked, I tell you! /snark

I was also shocked that Murdoch is joining in the destruction of public schools with the financial free-for-all that’s going on with these greedy bastards.

From the article:

Last November, News Corp. dropped $360 million to buy Wireless Generation, a Brooklyn-based education technology company that provides software, assessment tools, and data services. “When it comes to K through 12 education, we see a $500 billion sector in the US alone that is waiting desperately to be transformed by big breakthroughs that extend the reach of great teaching,” Murdoch said at the time.

Um…what “big breakthrough” could possibly be beyond the “reach” of great teaching…?

More from the article:

Last year, when New Jersey lost out on millions of federal education funding due to a screw-up on its grant application, the company landed at the center of the debacle. The state, after all, had reportedly paid the firm $500,000 to ensure the accuracy of its application, among other things.

Okay, schools having to apply (beg) for money for grants for the children’s education irritates me to no end.  I tried to look up exactly when the whole schools-begging-for-money-through-grants-thing started, but I couldn’t find it.  If I recall correctly, it was when my kids were in elementary school, some twenty years ago (I just noticed CMD has stated this started about twenty years ago, but I don’t have time to read the link).  It seems that the grants and No Child Left A Mind have combined to transform our good school systems into the soulless, art-less, music-less robot creators they are…schools had to play nice in order to get needed money.

Here’s one school that stood up against this shady bullying.  Good for them. I love that they questioned the ranking, especially when they had been rated as a good school just prior to the failing ranking.  I love that someone also mentioned the faults of testing–it’s been given a golden status as the true measurement of one’s intelligence, when it should be a tool, but not the concrete answer of the question of intelligence.  And, as I’ve mentioned previously, testing was originally devised to help a child in trouble…but the eugenics crowd leaped on it to use as a tool to decide who is worthy and who is not.  I saw this as a Substitute Teacher–the kids were tested, and based on that test, were labeled–and that label will follow them all of their school career.

A side note~ I remember one time when I was subbing for a teacher that I didn’t know.  It was one of the first experiences I had as a sub.  There was one particular child who was having great difficulty with the Math lesson, so I used more time to devote to the lesson–going over it three times and then helping him individually with it.  He finally “got it”.  However, this meant that I didn’t get through all of the lessons for that day.  The teacher came in the room at the end of the day, and her face turned red with anger as I explained that I didn’t get through her entire plan.  She was furious because I had taken so long with the Math lesson.

With NCLB, there isn’t time, really, for the kids that are having difficulty with lessons.  Your time is tightly controlled to cram everything that is required in.  It is so controlled that a teacher is not able to teach creatively.  It also puts such pressure on the little ones to complete a task in a given number of minutes, and if they fail, they’re labeled as dummies.  And if they do successfully complete a task, this doesn’t in any way mean that they’ve actually learned anything–they’re just repeating what they’ve memorized, because, basically, that’s what NCLB is all about–not learning creative skills, critical thinking skills, thinking outside the box–it’s about repeating what you’ve been told.  There’s a reason that teachers “teach to the test”….if their school does not show “improvement” they lose the $$.  It’s all for show, folks…

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On to other things…

Gotta love this. 

Rahm Emanuel is apparently afraid the renegade nurses would start…I dunno, giving out free health care…?

From the story:

In the lead up to the eventful weekend in Chicago, NNU had a hard time securing permits for their rally and march from the mayor of Chicago, and former chief of staff to President Obama, Rahm Emanuel. At the last minute, Emanuel tried to move the rally and kick Morello off the bill, but the nurses would not yield. After much negotiation, they were allowed to rally, but not to march, so the nurses decided to take a stroll, walking on the sidewalks, stopping at red lights and courteously maintaining a path for passers-by. Despite their decidedly well-behaved march, they were followed by watchful police officers from countless agencies, in the streets and on the rooftops.

Nurses, folks.  Emanuel is afraid of nurses exercising their right to assemble and have their grievances addressed…hmmm…now I *know* I’ve read that we have the right somewhere…oh, yeah, the Constitution….hmmm…

There’s more on CMD, but I’m out of time here.  More tomorrow.