A Little Redecorating

Check out my new blog header! Pretty freakin' awesome huh?

I'd like to give my heartfelt thanks to my dear blogging buddy Malicious Intent, the artist responsible for this lovely work. I opened an email over the weekend to discover that MI had been "playing in her coloring book" because, you know, she just doesn't have enough to do to keep her busy (wipe your feet - some of that sarcasm just dripped on'em) and low and behold she created a beautiful banner for my blog. Only it wasn't this one.

Seems I have some kind of weird matter-antimatter, electromagnetic field or something. Maybe it's superpowers that I haven't yet discovered, I don't know. Anyway, the predominant background color in the original was dark blue. After several attempts by me to upload, MI resending, me re-uploading, Blogger seemed to think that the picture should be RED. Go figure. MI solved the problem by designing and creating a completely new banner.

The new one is different from the first but every bit as beautiful and I love it and it uploaded without a hitch. It captures the very essence of that which is my Quixotic Hierophantness. Go forth to pay homage and to lavish worship upon MI (she likes that and it keeps her from getting cranky). I caution you however to not incur her wrath for though art soft and not chainsaw resistant.

Thank you MI!!!

AHHHHHHHHHH!

No Child Gets Ahead strikes again.


Survey Finds Teenagers Ignorant on Basic History and Literature Questions


I know, I know. I'm...



But honestly, this was in today's New York Times and reports the results of a new study that were released yesterday. 1,200 seventeen year olds were surveyed in January and asked 33 multiple choice questions. The conclusion that was drawn as a result of the study was "that a significant proportion of teenagers live in “stunning ignorance” of history and literature". Really? Hmmmm. I wonder why?

Okay class, here is our curriculum for the year:

Math, Science, Standardized Test Taking.
Math, Science, Standardized Test Taking.
Math, Science, Standardized Test Taking...
Please write it on the board 100 times.

Can you for a moment imagine how mind-numbingly dull and boring this crop of students will be when they are adults? How one dimensional they will be? Math and science (at least how they are commonly taught) are about rules. The laws of physics, constants, equations, learning to repeat the steps that others have already taken. Mindlessly marching along trails already traveled. Without history and literature and the arts, without the creativity and passion and longing of an open, expanded mind does anyone seriously believe that the people who blazed those well traveled trails would have ever taken the first steps? Would have ever dared to break the rules and veer from the well traveled roads of their day? If we are going to stand on the shoulders of giants shouldn't we at least know who the giants were? Leonardo DiVinci was a genius. A scientist and a student of just about everything he laid eyes on. And oh yeah, he did a little painting on the side didn't he?

To be fair to the kids that were surveyed, I didn't know the one about Ralph Ellison's novel "Invisible Man" (though I could tell you who wrote "The Invisible Man" and I bet they couldn't). Also the fact that the majority weren't familiar enough with bible stories to know about Job was in some weird way, encouraging. Still, the overall results were dismal and very discouraging.

The article concludes by saying "the Bush administration and some business and civil rights groups warn against weakening the law (No Child Left Behind), saying students need reading and math skills to succeed in other subjects." The only problem with that plan is that students will never succeed in other subjects if those subjects are NEVER TAUGHT because school administrators live in fear of losing funding because of "poor performance" on standardized test and not meeting requirements of No Child Left Behind!

Students may "need reading and math skills to succeed in other subjects" but I believe they desperately need those "other subjects" to give reason to reading, math and science and to not just succeed but excel, in life.

Okay, horse thoroughly beaten*.


*No actual horses were beaten during the writing of this blog.