Tuesday, May 21, 2013
It is a shame that the Department of Education is telling us that the measure is the answer. A ruler never helped anyone grow an inch.
Most people believe that graduating from high school is important. Statistics abound detailing the effects of dropping out of school or failing to graduate. While there are cases where young people have overcome school difficulties to meet success most experts assert that not graduating high school can make things difficult. With this being said, how will we come to grips with the prospect of 40 percent of Rhode Island’s 2014 graduation class not getting a diploma? Due to the emphasis paid to the NECAPs this is about to occur. I wonder if this is a case where the "cure" is worse than the illness it was intended to address. Much has been written about "learning gaps," "limited English proficiency" and "no excuses." For those who are on top…
Saturday, May 4, 2013
What to love and hate about living in East Greenwich this month.
RAVE: Now that the same sex marriage has been legalized in Rhode Island, may I (I am trying to use correct grammar because I am about to talk about an English teacher) take a moment to say how surprised (in a good way) I was to read Karen Izzo’s commentary on the issue on this site the other day? In these divisive times, where those in public positions like teachers, religious leaders, town employees, sports figures and celebrities are lambasted for speaking their minds on even the most mild subject – like a preference for peanut versus chocolate M&Ms – it was refreshing to read Ms. Izzo’s remarks. Let me hasten to say that I would write the same words even if Ms. Izzo’s POV did not happen to coincide with my own. (Which is why, even …
Saturday, March 2, 2013
What we love and loathe about living in East Greenwich this month.
RANT: The recent hoopla over whether certain businesses should receive liquor licenses has left me scratching my head. A coffee shop is ok, but a dessert store isn’t? (In case you are thinking that it makes immense sense as those who over-imbibe at the coffee shop can quickly sober up with a few shots of high octane joe, studies published in Scientific American show that combining large amounts of alcohol and caffeine simultaneously can actually be lethal. So there.) OK, I don’t live with my head in a can. I get that laws can change attitudes and oftentimes, they can be the first step towards a change in mentality and our society’s values. The reality of this hit me on the noggin just last week when my kids and I were on vacation in Las …
Friday, February 15, 2013
Bob Houghtaling opines on zombies, prescription drugs and ... , in verse no less.
I just read about some kids from Providence who dressed up as Zombies in protest of their schools placing too much emphasis on standardized testing. Maybe it’s "The Time of the Season" for such concerns. There is little new to be said here but much to be reminded of. Some take heed of such offerings, yet many still don’t, choosing mirrors, tests, scales, bank accounts and the DSM-V for wisdom instead. What I have written here is a tale about living during times when images are valued over substance. While we argue about budgets, guns, immigration, politics, etc., etc., the argument often becomes larger than its intent. Maybe the kids are on to something. Enjoy the show. The Circus Hello gents…
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
The fire in Brazil that killed hundreds Sunday is a painful reminder of the 2003 Station nightclub fire.
Today Rhode Island's eyes are on the tragedy of the Brazil nightclub fire, which is a painful experience of deja-vu for the state. A fire tore through the Kiss nightclub in Brazil Sunday morning has killed more than 200 people and left 120 injured, reports CNN. The Brazil nightclub was allegedly packed with more than 2000 people, double its capacity. The story has startling similarities to February 2003, when a fire resulting from Great White's use of pyrotechnics at The Station nightclub in West Warwick resulted in 100 deaths, and 230 injured. There are reports that the Brazil nightclub's insulation foam ignited the fire. The pyrotechnics used at The Station set fire to flammable soundproofing foam that lined the walls and ceiling. …
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Writer Stephen J. DiGianfilippo says such action "threatens our freedoms."
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Tuesday, January 15
The President again is threatening to take what amounts to legislative action via executive order. As you may recall, right before the 2012 election, Mr. Obama unilaterally cleared the way for certain illegal immigrants to become US citizens; this type of policy change needed to be implemented by Congress. Now Mr. Obama again is threatening to circumvent Congress and unilaterally alter national gun policy. Irrespective of how one feels about the ends the President seeks to attain, we all should be mortified at the unconstitutional manner in which he is pursuing those ends. In the long run, this behavior diminishes the Constitution’s separation of powers and threatens our freedoms. The media has been mostly silent about the President’s …
Bob Houghtaling's take on gun ownership.
I shouldn’t have a gun. Under the present rules it’s an absurdity for me go into a store, undergo a bit of a background check and then come back, in a few weeks, to pick up my spanking new firearm. If someone were to check my background they would find no criminal record. They would also find no mental illness or involvement in violent activities. I’ll pass any drug screenings given to me. In fact, I don’t even drink any alcoholic beverages. Still, there is no way that I should be able to get a gun so easily. I have been a counselor for close to 35 years. In addition to my employment with the Town of East Greenwich, I have also worked at Ocean Tides (with juvenile offenders), as a Consultant to the R.I. State Training School and as the …
Saturday, January 12, 2013
What we love and loathe about living in East Greenwich this week.
RANT: My life is all about negotiation right now. I live with a teen and a pre-teen. ‘Nuff said. So I get that the teachers' union and School Committee are about to enter so tough discussions. One suggestion though – we try and do the Oprah and Dr Phil talk: “I feel that when teacher appointments are based on seniority and not performance that you are limiting principals’ and administrators’ control over who gets placed in their schools and that makes me feel powerless.” “When seniority is not considered as a criteria for teacher appointment, you don’t appreciate my expertise and experience and that makes me feel bad and scared.” I am not sure if it helps us solve anything more quickly, but it does make us feel like Charlie Sheen might …
Saturday, January 5, 2013
What we love and loathe about living in East Greenwich this week.
RAVE: My family is one of the crazy groups who did the Frozen Clam Plunge to welcome the New Year on January 1, 2013. We are actually Plunge hoppers, testing the waters at different local beaches for the past five years. We have Polar Bear Plunged at North Kingstown Beach and Penguin Plunged at Narragansett Beach. There were definite advantages to using a home-front beach. The first being that we actually were close to home so it was a quick hop back to hot showers and cocoa (although the downside is that the car engine never really had a chance to warm up so it was also a cold ride). Also on the plus side are the logistics of Goddard Beach, which has a short span for both sprinting and for reaching deeper water, making head plunging (…
Saturday, December 22, 2012
What we love and loathe about living in East Greenwich this week.
RAVE: It turns out that I needed to be at several of our public schools just days after the Newtown shooting massacre. What struck me almost immediately was that it was mostly business as usual. Obviously, the administrators and teachers were taking more stringent precautions, but in a way that did not make school – which is, after all, the place that our children spend most of their time, a place to fear or hate (at least no more than usual). In the midst of our fear and sadness, the ramped up safety drills and increased security measures, the moments of silence and the anxiety, it is easy to lose sight of the environment all parents ... all adults want to create for children: not just a world where you can go to school, to the mall, to …
EG Resident
1:51 pm on Thursday, May 23, 2013
Wendy Fachon, I think it is a good move to consolidate schools. How many school districts and schools we have in RI? How many central offices, principals, office secretary, librarian, etc. we have to pay for? Bigger school will have more programs for kids and less overhead for taxpayers. more ›