Todd Akin no Longer Achin' for the Win!

New polls indicated that in just two short weeks, Congressman Todd Akin has closed the ten point gaffe-gap which emerged following the media and the political class' overblown reaction to his comments on rape and abortion. In one poll, Akin now has the lead, in another poll the race is now in a dead heat.

The people of Missouri have sent the message loud and clear: they choose their senators, not the Washington Beltway Elite, not the timid Republican Party Establishment.
Todd Akin is listening. He apologized and has moved on. Senator Claire McCaskill has never listened to her constituents. She voted for ObamaCare, even when voters throughout the state lectured her that the Constitution contains no provisions whatsoever about providing health care to the American People.

Washington is out of control, taxing, spending, regulating, and frustrating interstate commerce, while diminishing individual liberties and private enterprise. The Progressive vision of President Barack Obama has been a regressive failure, and Senator Claire McCaskill, one of the first Democratic Senators to endorse Barack Obama in 2008, has marched in line with every failed policy, from the failed stimulus which failed to stimulate, to the toothless, overwritten Dodd-Frank Bill which is punishing small banks and financial firms instead of reining in the fractional reserve banking of the larger financial institutions, whose reckless investments coasting on the government-backed moral hazard has only gotten worse under the Obama Administration.

The Mainstream Meadia screamed anti-woman condemnation on the Republican Party because of Congressman Todd Akin's "extreme" views on abortion.

Yet the Democratic Party platform reads as follows:

"Choice: The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right.The Democratic Party also strongly supports access to comprehensive affordable family planning services and age-appropriate sex education which empower people to make informed choices and live healthy lives." Democratic Party Platform on Abortion

The Democratic Party platform pretty much amounts to "Abortion on Demand", an untenable position which the vast majority of voters do not support in this country. Claire McCaskill stands by her party and their extreme platform. When will the Mainstream Media hold her accountable for standing by such an unacceptable position on abortion?

In one townhall meeting, when a McCaskill surrogate was attempting to drum up support for ObamaCare, which then and now remains unpopular, one nurse shared about a harrowing experience of aborting a child, in which she saw the severed head after the "procedure." I was shocked, that poor woman still had nightmares about the terrible abortion.

Not Todd Akin, but Senator Claire McCaskill should get out of the race. Her party and her views are extreme, not mainstream, from the explosion of the federal government, to the improper expansion of taxation, to the views of her party on abortion and other social issues.

First Day of School

"Good Morning! Good Morning! Good Morning to You!"

"The Day is Beginning! There's So Much To Do!"

I remember singing this song the first day of SRLDP, a pre-K program at Myler Street School in the Carson-Harbor City area.

I went to that school for three years. Pre-K, Kindergarten, first grade.

It was good while it lasted, although my parents told me that they took me out because the teachers were spending less time teaching us the core subjects and more time teaching many of the other students Basic English.

Either way, I wrapped up the rest of my education in Torrance Unified.

The first day of school, for better or for worse, brings mixed feelings to many.

From a book that I read, which was supposed to help me be a great teacher, to a recent article by Jennifer Evans in The Beach Reporter, the First Day of School is the first for a bunch of things, including long-lasting friendships, transitions from crayons to perfume, and from childhood to adulthood, to moving on up in the neighborhood.

I wish that our students today could enjoy their first days of school the way that we did.

In the past, we did not have to contend with forty to fifty students in one classroom. We knew that the teachers we liked from year to year would still be there.

The First Day of School is celebrated with fanfare in many countries. Who knows if there will even be a First Day of School for future generations.

Self-Pity is a Pit of Self

Self-pity, what a terrible way to live.

Self-pity, the wrong attitude, the wrong take to have on this life.

If you are a believer, then you have no reason to feel sorry for yourself:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

"Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will." (Ephesians 1: 3-5)

Wow! You are a child of God, and in Christ we receive all the Spiritual blessings!

You have no reason to feel sorry for yourself.

But you and I, Beloved, do have a part to play, one which is so simple that people seem to pass it by without even realizing that they have skipped over it:
"Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (John 6: 29)

and

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive [lit. are receiving]abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5: 17)

and
"That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus." (Philemon 6)

We need to renew our minds (Romans 12: 2) to the truth of who we are in Christ Jesus!

Self-pity is a pit of self, but we are called to live life in the Way, the Truth, and the Life:

"As he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

Immaturity Stems from Insecurity

What defines "immaturity"?

I used to think it had something to do with how many people you knew.

Then again, perhaps maturity depended on how well a person could manage his emotions.

I am now convinced that maturity depends to a greater extent on --- security.

How secure do you feel in your own skin?

How secure do you feel in the truth of who you are?

Do you define who you are by what you do, what you have, what you are?

I know beyond the shadow of a doubt -- that who I am has nothing to do with who I am:

"But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." (1 Corinthians 15: 10)

For God's grace to flow in my life, I learned that I had to be established in righteousness:

"In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee. " (Isaiah 54: 14)

This was a promise in the Old Testament, fulfilled in Christ:

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

This gift of righteousness, this new identity of grace, these two God invites us to receive and keep receiving:
"For if by the offence of the one the death did reign through the one, much more those, who the abundance of the grace and of the free gift of the righteousness are receiving, in life shall reign through the one -- Jesus Christ." (Romans 5: 17, Youngs Literal Translation)

There is no surer sense of security than a life of receiving and receiving again by faith the imputation of no condemnation and power to do all things through Christ!

So immaturity will  melt away in the life of a believer who is transformed from glory to glory, who receives righteousness from faith to faith in Christ Jesus!

The Classroom Management Class

Pia Alexander was a great teacher, an instructor at Cal State Long Beach.

She was from Canada, but her parents were from Denmark.

At that time in my life, I was a major "Kierkegaard" fan, and so I asked for her opinion on anything that she knew about the writer.

She was a lot of fun. She commanded a great deal of respect in her classroom.

She expected us to get as much work done as possible.

She also taught, in my opinion, the most important class that any teacher can take -- Classroom Management.

The teachers in training, including myself, wanted to know everything that we could about how to control our classes, how to keep students in their places, how to get through lessons without anyone of the students taking advantage of us.

Our greatest fear -- disrespect! We were so afraid that students would not listen to us, that they would walk all over us.

I remember one gentleman, a Vietnamese who spoke French, who shared with the class this pressing fear.

I was with him all the way.

Teaching is not for everyone. That's just the way it is.

The class met once a week every Wednesday night. I was working with an interesting assortment of teachers. I was also so high-strung in those days. I could barely tie my shoes, spiritually speaking. I cannot believe how insecure I was in those days, so unsure of what I wanted in this, so unclear as to where I was headed.

There I was, going through another year of schooling, putting off the real world. Classroom Management was supposed to move teaching from the theoretical to the empirical, yet even this class had more fluff than substance.

Not that it was Pia Alexander's fault. My frame of mind was simply not ready for the rigors and demands of the teacher profession, and the turmoil which runs most public schools throws almost any learning in the classroom out the window from the first day that we walk into an actual classroom.

I liked some of the activities that we did in that class. We created posters discussing the different ways to plan lesson while minimizing student misconduct and disrespect. I remember watching a video with a teacher now teacher-trainer telling us how where we stand in the classroom will assist us in keeping tabs on anyone who is out of control.

The whole class made teaching seem really easy, even whimsical. The reality was quite the opposite, sadly.

I liked some of the students whom I worked with, fellow teachers-in-training like me who had no idea what to expect.

In that class, I got hired for not one but two sub jobs -- as a paraeducator for the county, as a substitute teacher for a local school district. So far so good, so it seemed.

I remember the continuation school principal from the Long Beach district. He was a tough, tall, bald black man who brooked no argument from anyone. He demanded respect from the students and the teachers, but that evening he came to talk to us about interventions. He got so tired of the pile of referrals which came to his office, that he got in the teachers' faces, telling them that they better start doing more to deal with their kids on their own time, instead of merely sending them out of class.

He hired the worst kids to play security on his campus: "You get an A, or you get an F, depending on how well you keep the campus." That was an unorthodox method, in my opinion. If it worked for him, then so be it.

For that class, I had to read a bunch of books. Two of them dealt with classroom management tips and scenarios. I answered all of them with nary a hitch, but none of that could really prepare me or anybody else for the challenges which would face every one of us during student teaching.

I cannot forget another compelling element of the class -- some of the teachers were already in their own classrooms. They were already teaching, and at the same time they were completing all of these courses in order to complete their preliminary credential. One of the ladies, Samantha, was so burned out, she could barely keep up with the mess that she was going through. She even shared with the class that one of the students whom she was tutoring had screamed at her, the result of a drug-induced frenzy. Apparently, the student got afraid because he felt that the teacher was threatening him in some way.

Samantha was still worked-up about the whole thing. Nothing had prepared her for a student addicted to drugs. Wow! I had no idea that this was the insanity that would fly in my face in the years to come.

Teaching was going from bad to really bad during that time. Teachers were getting more students, classrooms were getting bigger, and the education budget was getting the ax. There we all were, teachers in training, with no idea what was headed our way.

The Classroom Management Class imparted some unique and nifty insights, but nothing really substantial, at least nothing that I could easily remember. Such is the sad state of education then as well as now, and now it has only gotten worse.

And no class today or ever can prepare a teacher for the mismanagement that has taken over our public schools.

A History Teacher's False Assumption

I remember what my mentor teacher said to one of his classes when I had the chance to observe him:

All economic systems are about keeping people poor.

This is the nonsense that our teachers are learning when they get their credentials.

This is the folly that they then foist on their students throughout the academic year.

Is it any wonder that so many students despair of ever finding a job once they leave the university?

Is it any wonder that these people have no working knowledge of economics, either?

I am appalled that I had so poor a working discernment to sense that this teacher was just no good.

I did not trust him from the first day, in part because I was so nervous, in part because I perceived him to be "too nice" and not diligent enough with the students.

I had still so much that I needed to learn in those days, and there was so much falsehood at the time that I had not been able to filter through!

Schizophrenic Adolescents

I think that teenagers demand a special type of person to work with them

It's not all entirely their fault, mind you. This world presses on the 13-18 set so many rules and regulations, almost all of which are in total conflict. With their parents, they are expected to act one way. With their teachers, they have to do and say different things, and for the average high school students, he or she has to contend with at least six different teachers, each of varying competence and character. What a mad-house it can be!

Then there are the peers! The other kids, different cliques, different followings, and all the pressures that come with the tangle of relationships!

It's just maddening when I think about it!

I used to be so frustrated with some students. One day, they were beaming and smiling, the next day they were in your face about something, then the day after that they would not say a word to you.

They were the enthusiastic friend, then they would be your worst enemy after that. When did the insanity stop for these students?

If I met a students one-on-one, they were cool, calm, and collected. In a peer group or in the classroom, they would act very differently.

The middle school set can be the most demanding, the most demeaning, the most challenging. They are wrapped up in all kinds of hormones, they have no idea what they want out of life, they leave the safety of one classroom for many teachers, and there is nothing to do during lunch and recess except to find one place where they can hang out every day and avoid the weird "loner" stares from the cool kids.

The adolescent set is a real challenge, no matter how anyone looks at it. That's just the way it is.

Give Tenure to the First and Second Year Teachers

If any teachers need job protection, it would be the first and second year teachers, many of whom stress out because they are just beginning to learn the ropes, yet at the same time the face the most scrutiny from administration, who can fire them for any reason.

New teachers need support, support, support, not scrutiny without end.

The politics of the job have become so fraught and apparent, that students who know more about the school than the teachers can take advantage of new teachers. Parents can intimidate them, too.

"Is this your first year?" Some parents will snidely comment. This is an attack, one which school officials prepare for by making sure that first-year teachers never go into a conference alone.

I learned this lesson the hard way, when I was a student teacher at Dana Middle School. Parents can go on the attack very quickly, especially when they choose to believe their kids at the expense of the truth.

Teachers need protection, definitely the first and second year teachers. They need to know that they have the protection and the backing of the school, that they can make mistakes, that they can stand up to parents and not worry about losing their jobs.

I cannot remember how many conflicts I had to deal with, and the lingering upset at the back of my mind always informed me to be very careful. I felt that I had to look over my shoulder all the time, for fear that students could spread rumors, or that parents would take any one word and run to the principal to rat me out.

Give first and second year teachers iron-clad tenure, then ease up with visits and evaluations throughout the rest of their careers. Tenure of life is just not acceptable, but more protection in the beginning would go a long way toward helping teachers to work out all the kinks in their professional lives.

Guilt Being Put Aside

I cannot believe that it has taken this long, but I feel no regret, whatsoever.

We are called to live the life of faith, not in our works, not in our deed, not in our intuitions about anything.

We are called to live a life of faith in the Son of God, whose faith then moves us to walk as He would have us walk.

I have lived for so long trusting my own efforts. I had really believed that if I made some sort of effort, if I just measured up to what I could do on my own, then all would be well in my life.

The truth is that we are called to walk by faith -- not to figure everything out in our lives.

We are called to trust God with everything -- and why shouldn't we?"

"Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

"For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

"And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

"And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

"it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

"And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven." (Colossians 1: 15-20)

Wow! This same Jesus who made and holds and rule the Universe, also lives in me!:

"To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1: 27)

Why has this been so difficult for people like me to accept? The slave, work, earn everything mentality punishes so many of us. I had no idea of my identity in Christ, until I learned that He came not just to die for my sins, but he came also to free me from myself, granting me His life!

No wonder I was so frustrated --- no wonder I had lived life so depleted and enraged. This life of grace in Christ is the very thing that makes me what I am, and gives me the strength to do all that I am called to do:

"But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." (1 Corinthians 15: 10)

I love this verse, and now more than ever this verse has become so real and apparently to me. It is God's grace that moves in me, and Jesus lives in me to do all:

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4: 13)

This assertion is no fluffy nicety, but a declaration of complete dependence and honor.

The only question left -- will you believe Him or not?

"Write a Referral"

Brian Spencer was one of the counselors at Dana Middle School in San Pedro.

He was a real help to me, unlike the staff that I had to contend with at North High.

He gave me the best advice:

"Write a referral."

I was afraid to be so easy with the referrals, since my mentor teacher had told me to go easy on writing them. I was also a little intimidated by the guy who ran the Referral Room, Mr. H. He was not a nice guy, one who would openly challenge teachers who refused to call parents or engaging in other interventions before sending students to the referral room.

He told me not to worry about it:

"Look, the kids are not giving you respect. You do not have to put up with it! That is the priority: respect!"

I really liked what I was hearing. It took a great deal of strain off me for the rest of the semester. Unlike at the previous assignment, which I failed in large part because I had no support, and I was just expected to put up with students’ folly, at Dana I would write kids up and send them out of the room if they refused to cooperate or they insisted on giving me a hard time.

Writing a referral turned out to be the best way to get through a lot of issues.

Perhaps most educators would differ with more over this method, contending that there is no point to being a teacher if the teacher spends more time sending kids out of the room.

I can only answer that sometimes, the only thing that we can teach students is:

"If you cross this line, you better be prepared for the worst."

They never learned this stuff at home, and now the teachers are expected to step up and hold them accountable for these things.

I think that if more teachers wrote referrals, more learning would take place in our classrooms.