Tag Archives: rcl11

CI#5: No Child Left Behind

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For this week’s civic issue blog, I would like to expand on a part of my persuasive essay. My essay was an argument in favor of public preschool, which was actually inspired by one of my previous civic issues blogs (CI#3). This post I would like to focus on just one of my reasons for mandating public preschool in the United States – the ever increasing education standards in our country.

In 2001, under the Bush administration, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was passed by Congress. The act pushed for a standards-based reform of education. By increasing standards to be met and also increasing the emphasis on reading in our nation’s schools, it is the goal that students will be better prepared for their future. The “standards to be met” are established by each individual state and each state must have a way of determining whether they are achieving their goals, normally through state assessments.

In my essay, I argued that the No Child Left Behind Act makes early education essential in a child’s life. As the name says, no child can fall behind – not to mention the fact that preparation for the standard assessments seems to be starting earlier and earlier. After doing some research, I found that one program, Study Island, that is used in schools to help prepare for the PSSAs (the standardized tests in Pennsylvania if you’re out-of-state) are actually designed to start in kindergarten! They even have specialized programs meant for pre-k!

Aside from early emphasis on preparation for the tests, it seems like as the years go on, more pressure is put on doing well on these assessments. Well, it doesn’t just “seem” that way, it’s actually a fact! Under NCLB, each year the percentage of students who must score proficient or higher on the tests increases. In Pennsylvania during the 2011-12 school year, 78% of students were required to reach proficiency in math and 81% in reading. These numbers are set to increase to 100% in 2014.

However, many schools don’t believe they will be able to reach one hundred percent proficiency by 2014, and the U.S. Department of Education has allowed to states to apply for a waiver from the 100% goal. This waiver allows states to set more realistic goals to reach. Currently, 34 states have been approved for waivers and others are still waiting to be approved. Those who do not file for a waiver must abide by NCLB and reach 100% proficiency by the end of the next school year. Thus far, Texas and California are two states who haven’t applied for the waiver. To check out a full map of the states that have been approved, visit: http://www.educationnation.com/index.cfm?objectid=8F412A4D-85BA-11E2-93ED000C296BA163&aka=0.

I personally don’t agree with NCLB and standardized testing. At my high school, we did not meet AYP (the proficiency goals) several years in a row. When it was time for the PSSAs, it seemed like everyone was on edge and pressure was put on the students to do well on these assessments. The focus of teaching as shifted to PSSAs and PSSA principles rather than learning what you should be learning as a ninth grader or a tenth grader. While I don’t agree with the standardized testing, I realized that if this is going to continue, preschool and early childhood education is essential to preparing a child to be ready when it comes time for kindergarten. It ensure all children come to kindergarten at similiar levels and to keep them from falling behind, public preschool should be supported by the government.

I’m interested to see what your opinions are on this issue.. What were standardized tests like at your school? Do you think preschool education makes a significant difference?

On a side note, to check out how your district (if you’re originally from PA) scored on the PSSAs, check out this website: http://www.education.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/school_assessments/. It’s interesting to see the breakdowns for each grade and each subgroup within a district!

PAS#7: Charlevoix

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Unlike my last two passion blog posts, this week I don’t have a legend to share about the focus of my blog: Charlevoix! Charlevoix is a small town located right on the shore of Lake Michigan. It is located about a half hour north of where I stay in Northern Michigan, and we normally try to go to Charlevoix for dinner at least once during our stay. Of all of the places I’ve written about so far, Charlevoix is actually one of the places newest to my personal list – we’ve only been going to Charlevoix for about six or seven years, whereas all of the other places I’ve been visiting since I was pretty young. Nonetheless, just as it was the case with every other destination location in Northern Michigan, I’ve fallen in love with this quaint little town and I’ve actually been known to say I’d like to live here one day.

Welcome to Charlevoix!

Like I said, Charlevoix is located right on the shore of Lake Michigan, but the town is also bordered by Lake Charlevoix as well. Michigan Route 31 runs right through the heart of town, where it is refered to as Bridge Street. As I’m sure you can guess by the name, it’s called Bridge Street for a reason! In 1870, a channel was created to connect Lake Michigan and Lake Charlevoix, then in the 1950s, a drawbridge was installed to allow the passage of boats into the harbor. It is still in use today, opening every half and hour. Everytime I visit, I make sure to watch the bridge go up at least once!

Walking along the channel past the bridge, you can head out to the beach and the lighthouse. At the end of the point, you’d think you were at the ocean, not the shores of Lake Michigan. The water is beautiful, waves crashing like ocean water, but minus the salt and shakes! This is actually a common t-shirt saying in Northern Michigan… “Lake Michigan: No Salt, No Sharks, No Worries!”

My favorite part of Charlevoix, however, are the famous Mushroom Houses. Designed by architect Earl Young, the houses are… awesome, for lack of a better adjective! I’ve always been very interested in architecture (and I’ve recently decided on architectural engineering as my major!) and I have a slight obsession with Young’s architecture. Located slightly out of town but still right on the shore of the lake, these series of houses are famouse for their funny roofs and use of Michigan field stone. I’ll just let the pictures speak for themselves…

Also, on a side note, located just outside of town, Charlevoix is home to the world’s largest cherry pie!

WIP#6: Advocacy Website Critique

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At first, I had a lot of trouble in finding an advocacy website… I had no clue where to start looking. I started by typing in “advocacy websites” in a Google search. I proceeded to find a few websites giving me lists of different advocacy websites, but the more I looked at the sites, the more I appreciated the work they were doing. It was like I couldn’t cut a break and find a “bad” website. Most of the websites I found at first also seemed very professional, and I couldn’t even critique the set up of the website.

I then went for a different approach, focusing on the monetary aspect of the advocacy sites, and typed in “donate now” into a Google Search and found the following website: https://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/outreaches

Dawn Farm’s motto is “Compassionate, affordable care for addictions,” but I found a lot of interesting aspects about this website. Looking first at that statement, I find it odd that they said care for addictions, not those who have the addictions. That might just be me being picky, but when you look through their “About” tab, it seems they are focused on other things besides addictions. Under “Dawn Farm 101,” it says “Since 1973, Dawn Farm has met community needs with compassion, creativity and hope.” Similar to their motto, I find it odd that the first sentence under their about section focuses on “community needs” rather than the alcohol treatment center that it seems to be. It does go on to describe the addiction and alcohol side of things, but it makes me wonder what kind of message they are trying to get across starting off emphasising community needs. Also, on this page is a picture of pigs. I understand that it is a farm, but I’m not sure how it all fits together. They also have a “random cool stuff” tab as well as a tab for renting the barn located on the grounds. The biggest flaw I found in this website is the creation of confusion about what the main purpose of Dawn Farm truly is… they are an addiction treatment center, on a farm, with a barn rental space for parties and receptions… what? They website causing major confusion as to what is the real cause here.

WIP#5: Topic for Persuasive Essay

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“Early childhood education is imperative for children at all social levels and thus public preschool should be mandated and supported by the federal government.”

For my persuasive essay I have chosen a topic that I have already discussed in one of my civic issues blog. When we first assigned this essay, I was really unsure what I wanted to focus on, and then I realized that the answer was right there in my blog. I have chosen to focus on public education, or more specifically public preschool.

Above is my tentative purpose statement and thesis to my essay. I believe in the prospective positive impacts of preschool and agree with the President’s plan. I think it is something important that many people do not necessarily acknowledge, but these children are the future of our nation. The essay will be of primary importance to parents and educators who will be directly affected by the implemented programs.

My main focuses will included looking at how preschool positively impacts children of low-income families and also how it affects all children in a general sense by preventing them from “falling behind.” In an article on the New York Times (referenced in my CI#3 blog), I found that some of the opposing views are that it will not make a significant difference and federal funding isn’t necessary, that older generations did just fine without preschool so it is unnecessary now, and that mandating public preschool will destroy the current Head Start programs. I plan to outline all of these points in my essay, showing how early childhood education is a necessity and public preschool is the answer we are looking for.

PAS#6: Mackinac Island

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In my last post, I told the Native American story of Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes, and for this week’s blog, I’m going to start of with another tale, The Legend of Mackinac Island...

Long ago, before there were any hills or valleys or forests or meadows, the earth was entirely cover in water – one giant sea with one murkey bottom far, far below. One day, a great turtle named Makinauk was told by the Great Spirit in the sky that it was time to create land. The turtle told the other animals that one of them must go down to the bottom of the deep sea and return with a handful of sand. It must then be placed on Makinauk’s back. Many animals tried and tried with no success, until finally a young otter was able to dive down deep enough. After all of their efforts, the animals grew very tired. The turtle offered them a place to rest upon his shell. As the animals slept, the sand from the bottom of what would be later known as Lake Huron transformed the turtle into land, just as the Great Spirit had asked. The land that was created by the turtle and the other animals became known as Mackinac Island after the great turtle.

Like the legend of Sleeping Bear, this is another one of my favorite stories from when I was a child, especially because I have visited the island multiple times and it is by far one of my favorite places in the world (besides the Cottage, of course!).

The island is located in Lake Huron between the lower and upper peninsulas of Michigan. From the island, you can also see the Mackinac Bridge, the third longest full suspension bridge in the world.

The island itself is only accessible by ferry, and once you’re on the island, your only modes of transporation are by bicycle or by horseback. There are no cars allowed on the island, except those for emergency purposes (the island has its own fire department and emergency response vehicles) and a few golf carts, if you want to count those! There is an airport located on the island, but it is generally only used by the governor when he visits the island or by residents of the island during the winter months when travel via ferry is impossible with the freezing of the lake.

Each time I visit the island, the first thing I do is take advantage of the lack of motorized vehicles by renting a bike and bicycling around the perimeter of the island. It is about an eight mile trip and absolutely one of the most beautiful bike rides you will ever take. Winding first along main street, then heading away from downtown alongside the shore of Lake Huron, then into the shaded woods of the island, every view is breathtaking.

The island is also home to the Grand Hotel. Built in 1887, the Grand Hotel is truly a sight to see. Its 660 foot front porch is the longest in the world, the movie Somewhere in Time was filmed on location at the hotel, and five presidents to date have stayed at the hotel – just to name a few of its impressive facts.

The island also features countless (adorable) shops, a butterfly house, a haunted theater, and a number of scenic trails. Out of all of the places I’ve listed so far in this blog, if you get the chance to go to Michigan, this is where you need to go. Seriously. I’ve already decided I’m getting married here, I love it so much.

^one of my favorite houses on the island.

**side note: It’s pronounced “mack-in-awe” not “mack-in-ack”

CI#4: “Public School Insanity”

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For our recent online deliberation project, I have been looking at articles from the opinion sections of both the New York Times (which is actually where my last CI blog spawned from) and the USA Today. In looking for a good post to comment on for my online deliberation, certain topics caught my eye… the things that I am particularly interested in. When I visited the USA Today’s opinion section today, I found an article entitled “Public School Insanity.” Given that I had chosen the topic of public education for this blog, I was drawn to the titled. I ended up leaving a comment and attempting to start deliberation on this article, but I thought this article was interesting enough to relate here.

The post was written by Glenn Harlan Reynolds, professor of law at the University of Tennessee, who is also the author of The K-12 Implosion as well as numerous other articles on public education. I have yet to read any of his other articles but Reynolds appears to be well educated in the problems of public schooling.

The article opens with Reynolds presenting the idea that he does not believe public education is getting worse, but rather the alternatives are just getting better and better, but then is quick to question this given recent news reports, including:

  • a seven year old boy is suspended for chewing his Pop Tart into the shape of a gun
  • a five year old girl is charged with “terroristic threats” for talking about her pink toy gun that shoots bubbles
  • two young boys were suspended for playing cops and robbers
  • a ten year old was arrested for bring a toy gun to school

Reynolds presents the idea that all of these cases show doubt in the quality of our school and police officials, and that all these stories of hysteria show “educational malpractice” and a lack of confidence in the educational system.

I had previously seen an article regarding the Pop Tart incidence, but I was unaware of the other examples Reynolds gave in his article. I was actually shocked by the magnitude the gun problem in the U.S. has taken on since the shooting at Newtown. I remember being a child and playing cops and robbers with the other children in my neighborhood and I’m pretty sure I had a small bubble gun, too. I can’t even fathom the idea of getting in trouble for these two things that seemed so simplistic and just plain fun when I was a child.

Aside from these examples, I also began to think about the debate over whether realistic video games involving guns have affects on children as well. Same principle, right? Only just a younger age. Quite frankly, I think it is all a little ridiculous. Children have been growing up for decades playing with fake guns and playing cops and robbers.

Given recent crises in our country, it is obvious that something needs to be done with regards to gun control and gun violence. I disagree with Reynolds, and I do not believe the recent hysteria shows a decrease in our public education systems. But what this article and the examples presented do show is that there is a new necessity to educate our children on gun violence as well as protect them without being extreme in doing so.

CI#3: Public Preschool

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For this week’s Civic Issues blog, I decided to head to the website I’m using for my online deliberation packet and see if I could find some sort of interesting deliberative piece on public education. Sure enough, in the Room for Debate section I found an argument entitled “Is Public Preschool a Smart Investment?” which features a discussion of nine different debaters short essays on the topic and a chance for “non-debaters” to leave comments.

In the introduction to the debate, it is explained that “high-quality preschool” for every child was a goal of the president’s in his State of the Union address, and his plan is to create federally funded preschools for low- to middle-income families. It then poses the questions:

  • Is public preschool really what the children of low-income parents need?
  • Would quality child care that included a preschool curriculum be a better national goal?

Personally, my original thoughts on this matter were about where this new public preschool would be integrated into.. would it become part of the elementary schools? This made me begin to think about the current system. Who decided that we should start schooling in kindergarten and what age children should be in kindergarten? I did a little research and found that, by definition, a kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. Also, in most states, compulsory schooling laws begin at age 5.Generally a child may begin kindergarten in the fall term only if age 5 by a state-set date, usually in the summer or fall. If they are older than 5 in a non-mandatory state, then they will be directly placed into first grade for compulsory education, even if they have not attended kindergarten. Would this change to require children to be enrolled in preschool by a certain age?

One woman voiced her opinion that the entire preschool system should not be overhauled, advocating for Head Start Programs and day care centers. She makes a point that three- and four-year-olds are not socially and emotionally ready to be placed in elementary schools and should still be kept separate.

Another debater, the senior director of educational studies at the Pacific Research Institute, says that the choice should be given to parents on whether or not their child should attend preschool. His studies show that low- and middle-class children who attended preschool centers prior to kindergarten actually had LOWER social skill levels than those who remained home under the care of a parent.

As I child, I went through two years of preschool at a local church prior to kindergarten. My mom likes to joke with me because one day I came home and told her that I did not want to go back because there were too many other little kids there. Being basically an only child, I was only used to being around adults, so I believe preschool was important for me socially, and I’m not quite sure how preschool could actually have a negative impact as stated by the debater above.

Regardless, I’m interested to see how the president implements his plan, because I do believe that public education for all children is important. What are your thoughts on public preschool programs versus what is already in effect? To read more of the debate visit http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/02/25/is-public-preschool-a-smart-investment/universal-school-programs-dont-recognize-the-diversity-of-needs.

PAS#5: Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes

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Roughly two hours west of the Cottage (passing through Traverse City from my last post) is one of the coolest national parks I’ve been to – Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes National Lakeshore. Right on Lake Michigan, you get some of the best views of the lake from the top of the dunes and also views of the nearby Glen Lake, and also have a chance to go right down to the waterfront.

[michigan+map.png]

I’m going to start off by introducing you to the legend of Sleeping Bear:

Many years ago, in what is now Wisconsin, a mother bear and her two cubs were gathering food one afternoon when a fire broke out in the forest. All of the animals ran to the waters edge, where Momma Bear told her cubs to start swimming to safety. The three bears began their swim towards Michigan, but the swim across Lake Michigan was long and hard, and the two cubs soon fell behind their mother. When Momma Bear finally reached the shore of Michigan, she realized just how far her cubs had fallen behind. She climbed to the highest point she could find in this new land. She waited and waited for her cubs, but realized they could not make the journey. She then knew that the Great White Spirit, who watched over all of the animals in the forest, would take care of them. One morning she woke up to find two islands out in the distance, and knew that these were her little cubs. Today, the two cubs are known as North Manitou Island and South Manitou Island. The mother, who could finally rest knowing her cubs were taken care of, fell asleep on the shore. The Great White Spirit covered her in sand to keep her warm, and she now watches over her cubs known as Sleeping Bear Sand Dune.

So this little tail might have sounded a little strange to you, but as a child this was one of my favorite tales. Michigan has many old Native American stories (I’ll be sharing another one in my next post about another national park), but this one is a personal favorite and I actually have a stuffed animal of one of the bear cubs 🙂

As I said, the sand dunes are a huge national park. The area includes a smaller dune on the back (inland) side which you can park near and climb up, a scenic drive with lookouts that give those great views of the lake I spoke of, and huge, and I mean HUGE, dunes that drop right down to the lake.

I still have yet to go down this steep bluff to the lake… My dad always seems to talk me out of the idea. But hopefully one day I’ll do it. I’ve been to the dunes five times, and it never seems to get old. It is always a fun trip and I definitely recommend it to anyone headed to the northwest region of Michigan!

^what the drop off looks like from the top…. Yes, you can’t see the bottom unless you get close and start down! Eeek!

WIP#4: Outside Articles

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http://www.nbcnews.com/id/50701485/ns/business-press_releases/t/study-shows-increased-profits-companies-embrace-sustainability/

My first article from NBC News is entitled Increased Profits for Companies that Embrace Sustainability. The article gives a summary of a report done by MIT Sloan Management Review (MIT SMR) and The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) that was recently published. It shows that many businesses have increased profits by switching to more sustainablility-focused business models. In just the past year, the number of companies reporting profits from these models has increased by 23 percent. It also gives, from the section of the report titled “Hitting the Sustainability Bull’s-Eye,” five common practices of the businesses that are finding the most sucess in these types of changing business models. I thought this article fit well with Option 1 in the Sustainability Deliberation packet. It shows that changing businesses and putting pressure on business to head towards sustainability can actually have positive outcomes.

http://www.powerincooperation.com/EN/Pages/abundant.html

My second article is one from ConocoPhillips’ Power in Cooperation Website. I believe this site does a really good job of describing a lot of different concepts dealing with natural gas, and I have used this website in the past. When I read Option 2, I was reminded of this article about the abundance of natural gas. The article describes that it was once believed that the ability to tap into North America’s shale gas reserves was limited but that has since changed due to increases in technology. It also defines what it is meant by “conventional” vs. “unconventional” shale gas and gives an overview on the outlook of natural gas. I think this goes along very well with Option 2, showing that technology really can change everything. While natural gas is still a fossil fuel and a non-renewable resource, it shows what innovation can do in any sector of the energy industry.

PAS#4: Traverse City

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In my last blog post I discussed the Antrim County Chain of Lakes that empties in to the Grand Traverse Bay, so I found it fitting this week to talk about the city located at the southern end of the bay.

Traverse city is the largest city in the northern region of Michigan, but its really not a major city. I would say its comparable to good old State College. The area surrounding Traverse City is pretty rural, just as it is around State College. Traverse City has an airport that’s very similar to State College’s small airport. Its mall is even pretty similar to State College’s mall I would say, except for the fact that Traverse City’s mall has a carousel inside the mall!! When I was younger, I thought this was absolutely the coolest thing ever! Now that I’m older though, it isn’t quite as big as I remember but it’s still pretty cool in my mind and I love riding it and picking out which horse will be mine!

What makes Traverse City a lot different from State College, however, is its location right on the beautiful Grand Traverse Bay of Lake Michigan. It’s strange how the Great Lakes seem so much like the ocean, and how this makes Traverse City seem like a beachy resort destination. Hotels and resorts line the shore all along the main road, and the city is a popular summer destination.

My favorite part of Traverse City, though, is something found on the opposite side of the main road than the hotels… Pirate’s Cove Mini Golf! In my opinion, this is the best mini golf course in the world. I’m sure that isn’t true, but I’ve yet to play one that I love so much. Maybe I’m slightly biased given I’ve been playing this course at least once a year every year since I was old enough to hold a putter, but they were ranked “Best in Michigan” for the finest mini golf course. Besides two awesome courses, Pirate’s Cove also has a ropes course, two water slides, bumper boats, and the best go-cart track ever. Again, I’m biased, but really, trust me, they are fun go-carts.

^one of my favorite holes!

Besides its beaches on the bay and it’s awesome mini golf, Traverse City also offers a lot more. Every year the city holds the National Cherry Festival around the fourth of July. Traverse City is actually known as the Cherry Capital of the World! Michigan’s cherry production represents 75% of tart cherries and 20% of the sweet cherries grown annually in the United States. The festival is basically a giant fair centered around cherry products. I went to the festival once when I was about ten years old, and every year since I’ve hoped to be in Michigan for the festival because it was such a cool time!

Finally, one thing I have always wanted to do in Traverse City but have yet to get the chance to do so is go parasailing over the Grand Traverse Bay. This looks like an awesome experience, offering great views of the city, the surround areas, and beautiful Lake Michigan. Though I can’t recommend it since I’ve never done it myself, I definitely think its something to check out if you’re in the area!