High School Diploma & an Associate Degree

The push for college degrees in the United States is not all bad if adapted for students of all interests and abilities and correlated with career and technical education (CTE).  Several schools in Colorado are on the cutting edge of a streamlined process for associate degrees in skilled labor through the incorporation of concurrent enrollment (CE) classes at the high school level.  The latest developments are happening in conjunction with the Ascent program in Jefferson County Public Schools.  This effective high school innovation was recently profiled by The Denver Post.

JeffCo schools have teamed with Red Rocks Community College and/or Warren Technical School to enable highly motivated students to graduate with an associate's degree at the same time they are handed their high school diploma.  And this is at no additional cost to the student.  This way students like Eduardo Duran can become the first of their family to earn a college degree - and they are doing it tuition free.  The only question is why all high schools in the Denver area are not developing similar programs.

Born to Run - and Still Running Strong Forty Years Later

With the arrival of Memorial Day weekend, we can successfully kick off summer, and with that comes an official start to the running season.  Here in Colorado, we high country runners will celebrate the return of warm weather with the 34th running of the BolderBoulder.  The running lifestyle in America is really "in stride" in its fourth decade, having taken off earnestly in the early 1970s with the early fitness craze and the launching of distance races like the New York marathon.  John Meyer of the Denver Post documents the rise of America's running culture - including criticism that warned against the runner's lifestyle - in a great piece designed to promote the BolderBoulder, the art of running, and the summer season.

Runners have been told by various people at various times that running is not great exercise and is actually detrimental to their health.  We've heard about the stress on the knees and other joints as well as the unnecessary strain on the heart that comes with distance running.  And certainly running can lead to a variety of injuries.  Yet, overall there is little to criticize the running lifestyle, and there is almost no doubt that man was "Born to Run."  Running is an uplifting and healthy choice that can add years to your life and numerous other health benefits, from lower blood pressure and cholesterol to greater peace of mind.

So, maybe this summer is the year you get your run on.

The NRA, Tyranny, Armed Rebellion, and Lunacy

At some point rational discussion about the Second Amendment and gun ownership crosses the line into crazy conspiracy politics - and that point has apparently become the foundation of the new National Rifle Association (NRA).  Keep in mind that up until the late 1970s, the NRA was an association of gun owners focused on sportsmanship, hunting, and gun safety.  But that has all changed, and the change is nowhere more clear than with the election of new NRA president Jim Porter, a man "still fighting the Civil War."  And, that's not so extreme when you learn that Jim Porter, living in the twenty-first century, actually referred to the Civil War as "the War of the Northern Aggression." Perhaps nothing is more disturbing than Porter's assertion that it is the responsibility of the NRA to train citizens in the use of military style weapons in preparation for the fight against tyranny.  Clearly, in opposition to the feelings of most Americans, the NRA has finally detached itself from reality.

Granted, in response to mass shootings in Arizona and Colorado and Connecticut, there has been a concerted effort by gun safety advocates to limit the possession and ownership of firearms.  Yet, pro-gun forces seem unaware that gun ownership has never been unregulated in the United States.  And that attitude - that "liberty" is found at the end of the barrel of a gun - becomes all the more disturbing when people like Jim Porter are pushing an anti-government, borderline treasonous, agenda.  Of course, it's not just isolated fanatics and the gun manufacturer's lobby that promote a fight against tyranny, as some recent polls have indicated as many as one-third (30%) of Americans believe armed rebellion "may be necessary" against the United States government "in the next few years" as a hedge against eroding liberties.

And that's the point where we depart from rational discussion.  Many pro-gun advocates have seemed to imply the second amendment is grounded in a belief by the Founding Fathers of the people's right to overthrow the government.  It's not.  For, if it were, the definition of treason and the penalties against it would not also be engrained in the Constitution.  And, the early leaders including Washington would not have used the power of the federal government to suppress such armed rebellion, as he did during the Whiskey Rebellion or Shay's Rebellion.  In fact, the Civil War was fought against the very idea when the federal government responded to insurgents firing on Ft. Sumter.  That was armed rebellion against what "the South" felt was the encroachment of tyranny on the liberty of the southern people.  Clearly, history indicates that gun ownership and the second amendment do not provide "license for treason, or armed revolution."  And, it's not simply left wing liberals that believe this.  In fact, as Jay Bookman points out, the very idea was written into strict Constitutional interpretation by one of the strictest of all strict constructionists, Antoin Scalia.

America's Best High Schools List

It's that time of year again - the release of Daily Beast's/Newsweek's list of America's Best High Schools - a popular and often controversial ranking system that seeks to define success and student achievement against a backdrop of standardized test scores, graduation rates, and other data. Notably, departing from Jay Matthew's limited scale from the past, which he called The Challenge Index and which was myopically focused on AP participation, the Daily Beast/Newsweek scale ranks schools based on six areas:  graduation rate, college acceptance, AP/IB tests taken, average of AP/IB scores, average of SAT/ACT scores, and AP/IB enrollment. For a full explanation of the ranking methodology, check this page.  Of course, beneath the data, there are always interesting stories behind the schools that top the list, and the Daily Beast profiles one such school - Bartow High School, a middle-to-low income school in Florida.

P-Tech High School/Early College Offers CTE with Business Connections

Education Week profiles the continued advancement with career training in high schools by focusing on the Pathways in Technology Early College High School in Brooklyn.  The technology-based curriculum was developed in conjunction with local universities and the corporation IBM to foster a better path for students.  Students at P-Tech can earn an associate degree while in high school, and they can potentially parlay that into a job with IBM or other technology companies.  We desperately need this sort of business-education partnership committed to innovation and design oriented thinking.  And, it is happening across the country in places like the High Tech High schools in California.  If you know of more schools and school models that incorporate this idea, make sure to post links or write about them.  Spread the word about effective instruction.

Valley Girl Celebrates Thirty Years

"Freeeed. Stacy.  Freeeeeeed.  Staaaaacyyyyy." "If they attack the car, save the radio."

It's hard to believe, but it was thirty years ago when a little known cast and a potentially cliched script made its mark on the teen film genre with the release of Valley Girl starring Nicholas Cage and Deborah Foreman.  The movie which was riffing on the teen speak of southern California popularized in Frank Zappa's song, and which put a surprisingly fresh spin on Shakespeare's star-crossed-lovers motif, was well received at the box office.  And, on its way to becoming one of the most well-known and cited teen films of the eighties, the film also launched a hallowed soundtrack of eighties post-punk and a theme song which would be come synonymous with the decade itself - Melt With You by Modern English:

This week MovieFone takes a look at where the stars are now. Some faired very well while others drifted into respectable careers and some literally dropped off the map map.  However, the most disturbing news is that studios are planning a remake of the film. That said, we'll always have the original, and it's still great every time I see it.  And, even in an era of Facebook and text messaging, the story of a young punk falling in love with a girl from the Valley seems honest and fresh in its treatment of adolescence, love, angst, and music.  The soundtrack was one of the first time I remember a movie's music making all the difference in the story, and teen movies of the 80s did that in an impressive way.  These days, the killer soundtrack is a standard component of teen movies and television shows, and it became an art form with shows like The O.C. and One Tree Hill.  But it was the young kids rocking out to The Plimsouls at a club in the Los Angeles that really put movie music on the map for me.

For a look back at the highlights of the original, check out this montage:

Career Paths for High School Students

Great things are on the horizon - and already happening - for career and technical education, as many states are starting to break from the bachelor-degrees-for-all focus and instead offering students the option of career training at the high school level.  From the old days of shop class, schools have come a long way in offering skilled training.  In Denver, the rise of the culinary arts is transforming high schools like Standley Lake High School which was recently profiled by Kevin Simpson of the Denver Post.  No doubt, the Food Network has renewed interest in the culinary arts, and that publicity has turned the job of chef into a bit of a glamorous career option.  In a rising culinary mecca like Denver, that is good news for students who are looking to develop solid career options.  One of the new angles in what used to simply be called "home ec" is the establishment of the ProStart program "which is a national program that offers curriculum, competitions and industry mentors through the Colorado Restaurant Association Education Foundation."  The ProStart program has taken the culinary arts into the classroom with great results for aspiring chefs.  Of course, the culinary arts is simply one field where students can make great use of time in high school to get started on careers.  More states are committing to developing career pathways for students in fields such as nursing, technology, and business.  Writing for EdWeek, Stephen Sawchuck profiles the growth of career classes in states such as Illinois that heeded the warning in 2011 from a Harvard study expressing concern about students not served by the strict college focus so prominent in high schools these days.  By focusing on developing education-business partnerships, schools like Wheeling High School in the Chicago suburbs are offering teenagers the sort of training and career paths that were once reserved for college internships and two-year associate degree programs.

The Reagan Myth

Fifty years ago, Ronald Reagan famously quipped, "I didn't leave the Democratic Party; it left me."

In 2013, while the Grand Old Party high fives efforts to stifle background checks legislation in Congress as solace for the empty feeling of losing the last two presidential elections, many people are beginning to argue that Reagan's quote could now be applied to the Republican Party.  The latest salvo comes from Washington Post writer Jennifer Rubin who says "Tear Down this Icon: Why the GOP Has to Get Over Ronald Reagan."  It's a rather moderate position and analysis, at least in the eyes of moderates in and out of the party who lament the government's seeming inability to get anything done these days.

The legacy of Ronald Reagan should be open to debate - as should any president's.  Yet, with the near messianic devotion some Republicans place upon the Reagan years, it's actually quite apt to review the facts on the 1980s.  The primary issue is one of nostalgia and looking at the past without the benefit of context.  One of the first people to adequately address the disconnect is political journalist Will Bunch who warned the Republicans in 2010 to Tear Down this Myth: The Right Wing Myth of Ronald Reagan.  Bunch's analysis is certainly written with bias, but his arguments are not entirely invalid.  The Reagan years were not the Golden Age, and the Reagan tax cuts are not the only thing anyone needs to know about fiscal policy and strong economic times.

Clearly, the world and the economy did not simply change with the election of Reagan in 1980 and the passage of the 1981 and 1983 tax cuts.  The national and international economy is so much more complicated than that.  For one, there is a monumental and not replicable difference between dropping marginal taxes rate from a stratospheric high of 80% to 30%.  The effect is bound to be dramatic - though other factors also played equally significant roles in reviving the stagnant 1970s economy.  The lesson for Republicans comes from the law of diminishing returns.  Just as effective tax rates have a ceiling, they also have a floor.  And dropping rates by 6 or 8 percentage points will not have the same effect as dropping them nearly 50%.  They may even do more damage, as seen by the exploding deficit and debt under Reagan, Bush II, and Obama.

A more palatable source for Republicans should be (but probably isn't for the true believers) former Reagan domestic advisor Bruce Bartlett.  Bartlett is considered by many to be a primary architect of "Reaganomics," but he has valid criticism of the current GOP and the revisionism regarding the Reagan agenda and legacy.  Bartlett outlined the reality in The New American Economy: The Failure of Reaganomics and a New Way Forward.  Obviously, it was never simply about supply side tax cuts.  The economy turned around in the 1980s, though not really until Reagan's second term.  And the economic rebound had as much to do with the basic end of inflation and the dropping of interest rates engineered by Paul Volcker as it did with taxes.  Other factors in the 1980's economic boom had to do with new oil discoveries in Mexico and the North Sea that effectively busted OPEC and basically "fueled" the boom.

Ronald Reagan was a great president, no doubt.  But much of the current Republican message is based on myth and misinformation.  And the GOP would do as well to understand Reagan the moderate deal-maker who raised taxes eleven times during his presidency.


**NOTE - For a bit of commentary regarding charges of "revisionism" and myth about the presidency of George W. Bush - in the midst of his presidential library dedication - consider checking out and cross referencing Alex Seitz-Wald's criticism "How to Debunk George W. Bush's Attempts at Revisionism" published in Salon.

Swearing News Anchor Fired - Gains a Fan Base

Getting fired may be the best thing that ever happened to A.J. Clemente.

Clemente was fired for swearing on the air last week, and has since become a bit of a celebrity as many people have come to his defense for what is generally being seen as a mistake.  Granted, using the "f-word" to express frustration while cameras are rolling is not simply excusable.  Apparently, Clemente was literally on his rookie broadcast, anchoring the first show of his very short career, and while he waited to be introduced by his co-anchor, he was stumbling over lines and cursed, unaware that his microphone was on and live.

Now, that is a certainly embarrassing and not remotely professional mistake.  And, this is a young man who wants to be a broadcaster - a news anchor.  So he clearly should be held to a high standard, and this sort of slip is quite egregious.  However, the fall-out from his slip of the tongue was rather harsh.  Clemente was suspended initially and then outright fired after the clip of his error went viral on the Internet.  That seems to be a bit of an over-reaction from the network, and probably represents some pretty prudish and small-minded studio execs.

Swearing is obviously much more prominent than it was even twenty years ago.  And there's really no excuse or justification for it in the public square.  And, this kid is a bit ... uncouth ... to be sure.  As a teacher I occasionally encounter situations where students let the "f-bomb" slip in class and they're not even aware of it.  This usually becomes quite the teachable moment, as I warn them about such language becoming so natural that they lose awareness of situation.  And, they may some day swear in a job interview without knowing it, and never understand why they didn't get the job or a call back.  This is, of course, quite different from a student who knowingly and willingly cusses in class or the hallway.  That can, justifiably, be a disciplinary situation.

Alas, the firing has seemed to work in A.J.'s favor, as he has parlayed his ignominy into guests spots on the Today Show and the Late Show with David Letterman.  Clemente is apparently hoping the waves of support for him will generate interest from the Holy Grail of male broadcasters, ESPN.  While I doubt that will come to pass, I hope somebody picks up the kid.  While he certainly didn't seem smooth in his first delivery on the air, I'd rather see him fail on genuine lack of skill, rather than a silly mistake.

Adam Shepard & One Year Lived

"Everything has been figured out except how to live."

I don't know where I first encountered that quote, but it puts a lot in perspective for me as a teacher, as a parent, as a citizen, and as a human being.  Much of the job of character education tends to fall on English teachers, especially in high school, and I have used a variety of personal journey stories throughout the years to engage my students in their own.  Many of my recommendations are the usual suspects of personal growth, but occasionally I encounter a new voice offering penned ponder-ings of a thoughtful life.

That is the story of Adam Shepard whose new book One Year Lived will be available in a paper and e-book format on April 22.  One Year Lived is a narrative account of Adam's year-long trip around the world when he "mustered cattle, scuba dived, volunteered with children, grew a mullet, fought bulls, made love on a beach," and countless other experiences on his way to "living the dream," or, in the words of Henry David Thoreau "living the life he has imagined" so that when he "comes to die" he doesn't discovere that "he had not lived."  Adam's journey over the course of a year was centered on a blend of "leisure, volunteerism, and enrichment."  Catch the video below of Adam bullfighting in Nicaragua:

For as long as I've been teaching, I've encouraged my students to get out of this country.  Having lived abroad, teaching English, for five years, I highly recommend as much of a taste of the expat life as you can achieve.  Whether it's a dream vacation or a semester abroad, experiencing the world beyond our comfort zone is integral to personal growth.  And books like Adam Shepard's are sometimes the perfect travel agent for getting us up and on to what comes next in our lives.  Learn more about Adam Shepard and his fascinating life on his websites One Year Lived as well as his motivational speaking site, Shepard Speaks.

As a bonus, Adam Shepard has agreed to provide a free copy of the book to readers of A Teacher's View.  All you need to do is re-post or tweet this page, and send me a copy of the link.  I will email you a copy of One Year Lived in pdf. format, or you can request a link to Adam's page to download the e-book in one of three formats (epub or mobi for Kindle).  And, while you're at it, take a few moments and comment below on the one place you would love to visit and why.  (Forgive me - I'm an English teacher :-) ).  The offer for the free book is only good through Wednesday, April 24, so make sure to re-post or tweet this out as soon as you've finished reading.

In a world of uncertainty and disillusionment, Adam Shepard is a fascinating young man who offers an intriguing look at life beyond the suburbs.  His first book Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream was an inspired attempt to challenge the conventional wisdom about life at the fringes chronicled in Barbara Ehrenreich's best seller Nickeled and Dimed.  Adam Shepard's self-published response was featured in the New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, the Atlantic, as well as the Today Show, Fox News, CNN, and even 20/20.  Certainly, this is an inspired young writer with a strong message about how we live our lives.

Top 10 Most Important Lessons in Life

John Lennon wisely told us, "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans."  The question, then, is how to keep perspective on what is important while you're worrying about other things that really, probably aren't.  To a question originally posted on Quora, pastor and former police officer Justin Freeman offers a list of "The Top 10 Things We Should be Informed about in Life."

Here's what we should keep in mind:

1. Realize that nobody cares, and if they do, you shouldn't care that they care.
2. Some rule-breakers will break Lesson #1.
3. Spend your life with the rule-breakers.
4. Money is cheap.
5. Money is expensive.
6. Learn the ancient art of rhetoric.
7. You are responsible to everyone, but you are responsible for yourself.
8. Learn to see reality in terms of systems.
9. Account for the threat of "black swan" events.
10. You both need and don't need other people.
11. Always give more than is required of you.

A little advice and help along the way is never a bad idea.

Are Relationships the Most Important "Skill" for Success

As my seniors wind up their high school careers and my juniors prepare for AP exams, college applications, and school leadership, my English classroom often becomes a place more overly centered on character education than it is earlier in the year.  Specifically, I am engaging them in reading, writing, and thinking, but the subject is as much themselves as it is the text.  For example, while my seniors work their way through Daniel Pink's A Whole New Mind, we discuss their "emotional intelligence" and encourage them to cultivate empathy as much as literacy.  It seems there is much support for this approach, as revealed by Emily Smith for The Atlantic this month with her article "Relationships are More Important than Ambition."  What do you think?  Are they?