Mar 19 2013: Ignite the students passion for learning. Test the fundamentals, but inspire every student to create or participate in projects that will reinforce the fundamentals while expanding knowledge, skills, wonder and awe. If your classroom is not like kids happily playing in the park, try to make it more so. My passion for learning was not truly ignited until I was doing my Master's degree in Special Education, when the professor asked, "is this project going to be something you will use in your own classroom? No? Then, why are you doing it? Pick a project meaningful to you." Wow, I realized. School is supposed to be about learning that is meaningful to me? Fasten your seatbelt, Frank, we're kicking in the afterburners.
Mar 19 2013: Capitalism is a tool. It has been around since the beginning of social development, even before money was invented. If a community was willing to feed and house creative people, those inventive types could produce better tools to improve the lives of those around them. Capitalism can be of great benefit if used wisely; see micro-loan organizations like Kiva. Or, Capitalism can do great social harm, such as by Manufacturers growing their profits by pulling out of advanced economies to take advantage of serf societies. Look at the decline of America, living on credit instead of goods produced.
Feb 16 2013: If you are looking for a win-win that everyone will accept, Stephen R. Covey points to a method that really successful companies and societies employ. His 2011 book “The 3rd Alternative” describes how Think-Tank groups employ people with widely different viewpoints and ideas to develop amazing products and social solutions. They welcome conflicting ideas, because those conflicts point out where the biggest improvements can be made. Instead of my way or your way, they strive collaboratively for our way. Unless everyone agrees that the results are excellent, the team keeps on trying for improvements that everyone can support. The big gun violence question may be: will both sides work together for a mutually acceptable solution, or does some serious pressure need to be applied to certain players who are happily benefitting from the status quo? Will 3rd Alternative thinking help America reduce gun violence? New York City has been using 3rd Alternative strategies for 20 years and has reduced violent crime by 80% during that time, Scientific American August 2011. Can any other city in America say that?
Jan 13 2013: There is an August 2011 Scientific American article entitled 'How New York Beat Crime.' It describes how New York City reduced violent crime over the last 2 decades, homicide, robbery and burglary dropped by 80%, car theft by 90+ %. It accomplished these results mainly by taking the police out of the cars that respond after the fact, in proven high crime areas. They had most police on foot patrol enforcing socially acceptable behavior. For 2 decades, the NYC police have been really tough on misdemeanors. Year by year, the violent crime rate has dropped, as better behavior is expected and strictly enforced on the street. I ask, would expecting more responsible gun behavior help America's gun problem? In Canada, we probably own as many guns per person as folks in America. However, mostly we keep them unloaded and locked up at home. We don't carry our guns on the street. We only take our guns to the shooting range, or out hunting. When I "Googled" how many Americans carry sidearms, the answer seemed to be about 2-3%, not the 60% that pro-gun propaganda would seem to indicate. Apparently, the silent majority of Americans (98%) that feel safe enough walking down the street unarmed, are willing to show a lot of tolerance for the wishes of the handful of pistol packers.
Jan 5 2013: I think welfare payments only weaken poor people. If they were given a training allowance instead and were paid to show up 5 days a week at the Skills Training Center, unemployed people could learn and practice employable skills. They could also be taught all kinds of lifestyle skills that would help them improve their lives and benefit their children. Showing up for daily training would also build up their mental and physical stamina so that they can do a productive day's work and keep a job. If some people spend their whole lives in training, at least they will be doing something to benefit themselves and society, instead of being a burden or a criminal outside of productive society. I was a Special Education teacher for 28 years. Everyone can learn to do useful things. Nobody should be pushed aside because they are not skilled enough, or productive enough yet.
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A comment on Conversation: How can we best engage college students in the idea of learning instead of just getting a degree?
A comment on Conversation: Is capitalism sustainable?
A comment on Conversation: Solving gun violence in the US in today's insane political climate requires a solution that makes it painless for everyone.
A comment on Conversation: Has the time come for the U.S Second Amendment to be repealed or amended?
A reply on Conversation: What can governments do to end poverty in their countries? Is a solution possible under capitalism?