New Board Member

Richard Mazich of Rockland Township was appointed to fill the open term of George Cherrie until December, 2005

Different Approach To Teacher Education

"Hillsdale's liberal arts emphasis means no students major in education. Instead, students major and minor in the subjects they will be teaching, specifically art, biology, chemistry, English, French, German, history, Latin, mathematics, music, physical education, physics, science and Spanish. The choice of minors is slightly expanded, in order to include computer science and early childhood education, with early childhood education requiring the addition of a minimum of two liberal arts minors, one of which must be English, history, mathematics or science. Hillsdale's unique aproach to teacher education was recently recognized in an essay entitled 'The Hillsdale Approach to Teacher Education,' which appeared in Educating Teachers: The Best Minds Speak Out (June 2002), a book containing a collection of essays that analyze the problems with America's teacher colleges and the educational philosophy that guides them.

Future teachers at Hillsdale spend many hours on campus observing, assisting, and, if desired, student teaching in the College's Mary Proctor Randall Preschool and Hillsdale Academy, with all grades-pre-kindergarten through 12- available. Moreover, the future teachers are taught by the very faculty members who selected the entire curriculum for both schools and then wrote the schools' accompanying parent/student and teacher handbooks.

In addition to the approval of the Michigan State Department of Education, the Hillsdale College Teacher Education Program's effectiveness is recognized by other independent sources. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland reports that 'while Hillsdale may be virtually alone in its diagnosis of the modern educational disease, it is confident that the future of teaching lies in the practices of the past.' The National Monitor of Education in Alamo, California, writes, "The Hillsdale approach to teacher training is solid meat and potatoes, a practical approach opposed to theoretical, pie-in-the-sky doctrines often advocated in teacher training programs. There would be few, if any, failures of new teachers in the classroom if as student teachers they had the opportunity to participate in programs similar to Hillsdale's." Hillsdale College

The Economist Explores Naming Patterns

"HAD Apple Blythe Alison Martin?the offspring of a celebrity couple, Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin?been born a boy, it is quite possible she would have had been given something of a more normal name. This suggestion arises from research into changing fashions in children's names, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society. Alexander Bentley, of University College, London, and his colleagues are studying the mathematics of cultural transmission. For this sort of work, birth records?which contain every instance in a country of one sort of cultural object, namely people's first names?are a particularly good source of data.
Dr Bentley looked at the frequencies of different first names in American babies. One of his findings was that the ?mutation rate? in names is higher for girls than for boys. Parents, in other words, are more liable to be inventive when choosing a name for a baby girl. The researchers have found that for every 10,000 daughters born in America there is an average of 2.3 new names. For sons, the figure is 1.6. "Economist.com | Cultural evolution

One reason is that boys with strange names are more likely to be beaten up by their peers.

OK when Did Locus become Cicada Is It More PC or what

Anyway here is important information on how to protect yourself. Also don't forget to protect the children.

Some take alternative route to reach Web

Seems a shame to have all the computers, especially at the high school locked away nights and weekends. WIth the high speed connections and all the terminals could be a great benefit to many in the area. From research for home work to researching medical problems when the school is not in operaton. It is not like the computers will be worn out from overuse they will be outdated long before that even if they are in operation 24/7. The maximum use of the equipment why not interferring with its prime objective should be explored for the benefit of all the taxpayers in the community.

Reading Eagle 1 day article. *****************

George Lukeweller doesn’t know what he’d do without the Bethel-Tulpehocken Public Library and its four Internet-ready computer terminals.
Lukeweller, 14, a seventh-grader at Tulpehocken Junior-Senior High School, recently spent some time surfing the Internet, researching an extra-credit project about Socrates for a math class.

He doesn’t have a computer at home, so he depends on the library in Bethel for his access to the Web.

The Internet is a convenience that many people in rural areas can’t afford or may not have access to, said Gail Savage, president of the Bethel library’s board of trustees.

“You just think everybody has a computer and Internet access, but that’s not really the case,” she said.

Savage said a few Amish and Mennonites come into the library to check e-mail and research various topics. And many local people use the computers as part of a home-school curriculum. More

An Ideal for a Sunday Brunch

Video

High school essays graded by computer

Now instead of teaching the test it will be teaching how to fool the program. Maybe useful in checking grammer and spelling but how can it grade for oveall content and grammer. Sometimes the rules need to be broken intentionally to make a point, which a human could pick up. Seems to be a way to promote unispired writing just to fullfill some mandate.

"Indiana is the first state to use a computer-scored English essay test in a statewide assessment, and its experience could influence testing decisions in other states. Eighteen states now require students to pass a writing test for high school graduation.
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'In five years at least 10 more states will be at or beyond the pilot stage' of automated essay scoring, predicts Richard Swartz, executive director of technology products and services at the Educational Testing Service, designers of Indiana's online essay-grading software."

...

"With the increasing number of mandates to test student writing, 'there's a certain inevitability to computerized essay grading,' said Stan Jones, Indiana's commissioner of higher education. Indiana's computerized essay scoring, he said, will reduce by half the cost of administering a pencil-and-paper test and will free teachers from distributing, collecting and, above all, grading thousands of test booklets. Moreover, automated grading will yield almost instant results, allowing teachers to provide immediate feedback to their students. It would take weeks or months to receive grades on a statewide pencil-and-paper test.
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To dispel skepticism over computer scoring, student essays were simultaneously graded by a computer and trained readers during a two-year pilot program. Using artificial intelligence to mimic the grading process of " MORE :

Speaking of Folowing Your Dreams

If you really really want to be an Olympic Athlete bad enough.

"LAUSANNE, Switzerland ? Transsexuals were cleared Monday to compete in the Olympics (search) for the first time.

Under a proposal approved by the IOC executive board, athletes who have undergone sex-change surgery will be eligible for the Olympics if their new gender has been legally recognized and they have gone through a minimum two-year period of postoperative hormone therapy.
The decision, which covers both male-to-female and female-to-male cases, goes into effect starting with the Athens Olympics in August." More :

But taking drugs for enhanced improvement like steroids is still banned go figure.

Open Board Position

Wednesday May 19th is the last day to apply for the open board position. An excellent chance for anyone to give the board a test drive before committing for four years. All the complaining about the old and current board members and at last count only one person has applied. Gotta love it.

Nothing important was ever begun in a prudential frame of mind

Great Op-Ed today in the NY Pravda by David Brooks "In Iraq, America's Shakeout Moment" The article is about how we will probably fail to establish a Jeffersonian Republic in Iraq but we will probably muddle through and at least have something better.

"There's something about our venture into Iraq that is inspiringly, painfully, embarrassingly and quintessentially American.

No other nation would have been hopeful enough to try to evangelize for democracy across the Middle East. No other nation would have been naïve enough to do it this badly. No other nation would be adaptable enough to recover from its own innocence and muddle its way to success, as I suspect we are about to do."
He goes on to show how this country from its beginning at Jamestown to the Westward expansion was made by people with boundless optimism and not enough regard for the hardship they would encounter. The country is riddled with people trying to create a utopia always failed in the ideal but still made things better then they would have been if they at least hadn't tried.

His one line "Nothing important was ever begun in a prudential frame of mind" could also apply to seniors about to graduate. You may not become the President of the United States or the next Bill Gates but you can have a more interesting life and hopefully make a difference for others by trying. Do strive to achieve your dreams no matter how impractical and no matter how many people try to discourage you. Aiming high and failing is nothing to be ashamed about and beats the hell of taking the prudent course right from the get-go.

What makes a painting more valuable

Since Brandywine has an excellent art program, with many students going on to art school. To these students if you don't want to be a starving artist here is what sells.

Many of the results are not surprising. Light colors sell better than dark colors, happy portrait subjects sell better than widows, and horizontal pictures are easier to hang over the fireplace. Here are a few other points of note:
1. Landscapes can as much as triple in value when there are horses or figures in the foreground. Evidence of industry usually lowers a picture's value.
2. A still life with flowers is worth more than one with fruit. Roses stand at the top of the flower hierarchy, chrysanthemums and lupins (seen as working class) stand at the bottom.
3. There is a hierarchy for animals as well. Purebred dogs help a picture more than mongrels do. Spaniels are worth more than collies. Racehorses are worth more than carthorses. When it comes to gamebirds, the following rule of thumb holds. The more expensive it is to shoot the bird, the more it adds to the value of a painting. A grouse is worth more than a mallard, and you had better show the animal from the front, not the back.
4. Water adds value to a picture, but only if it is calm. Shipwrecks are a no-no.
5. Round and oval works are extremely unpopular with buyers.
6. A Boucher nude sketch of a woman can be worth ten times more than a comparable sketch of a man.
The bottom line: Buyers prefer artworks which in some manner reflect high status.
For the full story, see 'Why some Pictures Go For More Than Others,' in the May 2004 issue of The Art Newspaper"
Tyler Cowen in Marginal Revolution

Two-Thirds Of Federal Workers Get a Bonus (washingtonpost.com)

"Almost two-thirds of 1.6 million civilian full-time federal employees received merit bonuses or special time-off awards in fiscal 2002, according to a comprehensive examination of federal records obtained by The Washington Post.


Of the 62 percent who got awards, half received $811 or more. The typical bonus amounted to 1.6 percent of salary. The awards ranged from less than $100 to more than $25,000. At some agencies, more than 90 percent of General Schedule workers collected a bonus. Government-wide, about 2,900 employees received cash bonuses totaling more than $10,000 each. " More

Next Year Take A Real Limo To The Prom

Teacher Assaulted At School

From Friday's Reading Eagle on Dead Trees. Could not find a digital version. Why did the teacher have to be the one to call the police? Regardless of the budget we can at least afford a safe environment for both teachers and students.

A Brandywine Heights High School Student grabbed a substitute by the throat, then scuffled with the teacher in a hallway, state police said Thursday.
Susan Bower-Koneski, 56, was assaulted Tuesday between 11:30 a.m. and noon in the hallway by a female student as Bower-Koneski was escorting the girl to the office for misbehavior, troopers said.
After the brief scuffle, Bower-Koneski too the student to the office, they said. Bower-Koneski, who did not seek medical attention, called police after school, troopers said.
Troopers did not have further details. They said an investigation is continuing.
Acting Superintendent James A. Gilmartin said administrators have taken statements from witnesses and troopers will review those.
Principal William C. Hays and Gilmartin had no further comment.

Free practice day offered for SAT

Sounds like a wonderful way to spend a spring day.
Article: "Local high-school students preparing to take the revised SAT in spring 2005 can take advantage of a free practice day sponsored by The Princeton Review.
The new full-length practice test will be administered May 22 at 9 a.m. at Riveredge, Greenfields.
Seating is limited, so advanced registration is required and can be made by contacting The Princeton Review at 1-800-2REVIEW or by visiting www.princetonreview.com.
Changes to the SAT format include the following: An increase in testing time from 3 hours to 3 hours, 45 minutes; an increase in the highest possible score from 1,600 to 2,400; the addition of a graded essay; the elimination of analogy questions; and the addition of algebra II questions. "

Judge Orders Kansas Public Schools Closed

TOPEKA, Kan. ? The state must immediately close its public schools while it fixes constitutional flaws in its system for distributing aid to those schools, a district judge ruled Tuesday in a case that is already under appeal to the Kansas Supreme Court. Beause the case has already been appealed, it was not immediately clear how soon schools would close, or whether they would close. " MORE :

Top Names

Top baby names have familiar ring: "WASHINGTON -- Emily again topped the list of most popular baby girl names last year, registering as No. 1 for the eighth straight time. Jacob led among names for boys for the fourth year in a row."

2003			1903
BOYS	GIRLS		BOYS	GIRLS
Jacob Michael Joshua Matthew Andrew Joseph Ethan Daniel Christopher Anthony	Emily Emma Madison Hannah Olivia Abigail Alexis Ashley Elizabeth Samantha		John William James George Joseph Charles Robert Frank Walter Henry	Mary Margaret Hel Anna Ruth Marie Elizabeth Florence Dorothy Lillian

Happy Mother's Day

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE:
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside -- I just finished cleaning!"

2. My mother taught me RELIGION:
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL:
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My mother taught me LOGIC:
"Because I said so, that's why!"

5. My mother taught me FORESIGHT:
"Be sure you wear clean underwear in case you're in an accident."

6. My mother taught me IRONY:
"Keep laughing and I'll give you something to cry about."

7. My mother taught me about OSMOSIS:
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper!"

8. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM:
"Will you look at the dirt on the back of your neck!"

9. My mother taught me about STAMINA:
"You'll sit there 'til all that spinach is finished."

10. My mother taught me about WEATHER:
"It looks as if a tornado swept through your room."

11. My mother taught me how to solve PHYSICS PROBLEMS:
"If I yelled because I saw a meteor coming toward you, would you listen then?"

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY:
"If I've told you once, I've told you a million times -- don't exaggerate!!!"

13. My mother taught me THE CIRCLE OF LIFE:
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION:
"Stop acting like your father!"

15. My mother taught me about ENVY:
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do!"

What A Concept - Pay For Performance - Works Everywhere Else It Is Tried

"In March, Denver's teachers became the first in a major city to approve, by a 59 percent majority, a full-scale overhaul of the salary structure to allow 'pay for performance,' a controversial approach that rewards teachers for the progress of their students.
At a time when more and more superintendents are supporting moves away from the traditional salary structure for teachers, and finding their efforts stymied in an atmosphere of suspicion and financial austerity, Denver teachers' vote is a major breakthrough.
Under the city's plan, teachers and other school employees would earn raises if students meet academic targets. The system would also reward teachers for obtaining advanced certification, working in high-poverty schools or teaching subjects like math and science, where qualified instructors are in short supply. The plan would raise the maximum pay for most teachers to $100,000, from $60,000.
'Teachers should be paid more, but we should have accountability,' said Jerry F. Wartgow, the superintendent of schools. " MORE :

PYONGYANG CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

It is now official everyone has a Web page even North Korea, where the people eat dirt and are proud to have dirt. If you are considering a joint venture in the People's Repulic

To Google or To Libray

The British paper Guardian recently put the most poplular web search engine to the test

"Google, the world's most popular internet search engine, is about to offer shares to the public. It has built its reputation on being the fastest and most accurate way to find information. But is the internet really the quickest way to access facts - and get them right? We put Google to the test against more old-fashioned methods. " RESULTS .:

If you are not broke after school taxes

Why College Tution Is So High: "College tuition and its add-ons make higher education the second largest expense (after home mortgages) for most American families. As a consequence, the cost of college has great potential as a political issue. Senator Kerry's recent proposal to award $4,000 in public funds to every college student who signs up for a period of national service is only the latest in a long line of attempts to entice voters with the promise of easing this particular burden. "