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Thanksgiving; Time with Family. No Thanks

copyright © 2009 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org As Americans ponder the Thanksgiving Day holiday expectations are high. Young children look forward to all the activities loved ones plan. School age individuals are told tales of the Pilgrims and the Indians that befriended early settlers.  Most imagine that on this November day, people come together peaceably.  That, for the little ones is a welcome thought.  Too often, tension exists in the parent child relationship.  Some say angst increases as the offspring age.  Whilst many wish to believe the strain occurs over time, as a child becomes more autonomous, indeed, recent research shows early interactions give rise to the relationship that will be. Toddlers and tots rarely have opportunities to quietly, calmly, and genuinely converse with parents or the caregivers they are fond of.   Hence, lads and lasses feel a sense of loss.  By the teen years, the thought of another Thanksgiving celebration with relatives evokes an almost automatic response, "No thanks."

What Pulls Us Apart

Defending Islam at a McCain rally

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

It was a cool Fall evening in South Florida. The breeze was gentle; the sunset glorious. As I approached the intersection where, each weekend I stand in support of peace and tranquility, I did as I do when at this crossroad. I placed my arm out the window. My digits were extended and formed the symbol associated with serenity. When I am in a vehicle, at the locale commonly considered the Peace Corner I work to preserve the intent of my Saturday mission. I strive to advance awareness for the notion, this nation remains at war. Soldiers are slaughtered far from the shores of home sweet home. Civilians, in their native country continue to lose their lives for a want of war. I crave global harmony and will work to restore some sense of civility worldwide. However, as I sat silently in contemplation cries of "Country First" startled me.

The Lesson; All Beings Are a Beautiful Bundle of Love

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

The day was delightful. The water was superb. The sun was full and bright. A few billowy, puffy clouds floated through the sky. They were white, cumulus, fluffy fellows, the type that excite many a child as they gaze into the heavens. In parks, on lawns, little ones were likely looking up and pointing. "Look," they might say, "It is a horse, a donkey, or perchance a unicorn." It was a day for whimsy. The children, playful in the pool, barely noticed the graceful shapes as they danced above their heads. Instead, they were focused on what they decided were June bugs.

Three young sweet girls stood in the warm water near their Daddy. All were calm, content, and serene. The sisters chatted easily. Father smiled. The youngest lass expressed her curiosity. As her sibling searched for bugs on the plastic rope line, the "baby" in the family asked of the insects. "Are they icky to touch," the cautious curly haired youngster inquired. The more confident elder sister said, "No! They are cute," she said. See." The "older" child showed the girl of fewer years.

A stranger, in the adjacent lane was preparing to swim. Becky was her name. She was much older than the children, and perhaps no wiser; nonetheless, she share her assessment of the beetle. Becky said of the six-legged lovelies, "They are life; all creatures are beautiful." With that thought, the father beamed, and the older lady plunged head first into the water filled cement reservoir.

Homage to Lawrence King. Teach Tolerance To Adults and Children

Love Not Hate

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

“The opposite of love is not hate; it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness; it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy; it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death; it's indifference.” ~ Elie Wiesel

It was February 14, 2008, Valentine's Day. Love was in the air. However, the expressions of appreciation offered were mournful. Doctors informed the family and his friends, Lawrence King, 15, was removed from life support. Two days earlier, young Larry was in the computer lab at E. O. Green Junior High in Oxnard, California. He sat with 24 other students when Brandon McInerney walked into the room with a gun. The armed classmate, fourteen-years of age, approached Lawrence with intent. Brandon aimed his weapon, pulled the trigger, and shot Lawrence in the head. Without hesitation, the shooter ran from the building. Circumstances led observers and police officers to conclude the act was intentional, calculated, and a conscious choice. Brandon committed what is commonly defined as a "hate crime."

A Climate of Fear Permeates; Morton High School Students Protest

Climate of Fear

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

"The tragedy of our day is the climate of fear in which we live and fear breeds repression. Too often, sinister threats to the Bill of Rights, to freedom of the mind are concealed under the patriotic cloak of anti-Communism [terrorism, nationalism, or compassionate Conservatism.] It's far easier to fight for principles than to live up to them." ~ Adlai Stevenson. 1952 [Governor of Illinois, Democratic presidential candidate]

It was a quiet day in America; yet, the feeling of fear was palpable. Oceans away, in Baghdad, the air was filled with the smell of napalm. Frightened, as the young contemplated their future, seventy some courageous and committed students filed into the Morton West High School cafeteria in Berwyn, Illinois. Trepidation for their lives, and the lives of friends, family, and those innocent Iraqi citizens they never met prompted these pupils to take action. The young and eligible enlistees protested the war in Iraq.

No Child Left Behind Leaves Children Behind

HEY YOU - help leave no child behind, really!

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

A parent profoundly effected by property taxes and academic programs that teach to tests, decided to speak about a societal dilemma that has long haunted Americans. A mother or father enlisted the help of their very bright son. He or she enrolled the child in the political process and submitted a question for state and national politicians. Perhaps, only a youngster can truly speak to the issues that effect our future. Perchance, the sweet face of child can melt hearts hardened by budgets, years of chasing the almighty dollar, and no sense [cents?] Leonard Hornbach says to Presidential hopefuls and the Governor of Florida, Hey you, help leave no child behind, really!

Students, Schools, Society; When We Pass, We Fail the Whole

Please view Visual and Musical Ode: Whole Child Education

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

Educators today learn more than they teach. However, often the lessons are as is the curriculum, limited in scope. A Math instructor tells his tale, and again the sum of the parts do not express the "whole". At the High School of Arts and Technology in Manhattan, instructor Austin Lampros received a lesson he never expected, poor, underperforming students can slide through the system more easily than a well-educated diligent instructor might. Indeed, the circumstances of pupils are perceived as special; mentors are incidental. This realization struck Mister Lampros as strange, or as the New York Times reported, A Teacher Grows Disillusioned After a ‘Fail’ Becomes a ‘Pass.’ Ultimately, this much esteemed Math guru left his position at the High School of Arts and Technology in Manhattan after a "disastrous year"

Overweight Children - Adults Face Widespread Stigma and Strain

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

In America and the European Union Overweight Kids Face [a] Widespread Stigma. Only days ago, I contemplated this truth. As I watched a family shop, I was struck. She was young, perhaps ten years old. She was very heavy. I wondered how could one little girl carry so much weight on such a small frame.

The lass was sweet, quite petite, although clearly troubled. She had been shopping with her Mom, her grandmother, and her younger brother. From appearances, it seemed this family was in Target gathering wares for Grandmamma. They did not give the impression of being poor; nor did they look to be wealthy. They were average folks; they could have been you or me.

Boys Will Be Boys; Write, Reclaim Their Voices

Jacques Derrida - Fear of Writing

© copyright 2007 Betsy L. Angert

I have not read the book; thus, any recommendation would be based on very little knowledge. Nevertheless, upon seeing the title and a short review of the text, the book, Boy Writers, Reclaiming Their Voices, I was reminded of an important topic; boys have been denied their right to be heard. As men, they do not speak freely. As I looked at the title, I pondered what I think is a serious problem. I was intrigued by the prospect of promoting a method of teaching that honors and motivates boys to speak, to share their voice in the writing.

Ed Week. 'Math Anxiety' Confuses the Equation for Students

© copyright 2007 Betsy L. Angert

Education Week is discussing "Math Anxiety." The American Association for the Advancement of Science is about to embark on their annual endeavor, assessing Math and Science in the schools. A seminar is planned and educators are looking forward to the analysis. A precursor to the meeting evokes this discussion, 'Why might people, pupils have anxiety about Mathematics." I know why. I lived with this angst for decades.

Social scientists thought the reason for such stress was a simple one. I loathe that notion. For me, nothing is "just that simple!" I believe life is complex. Learning is an intricate process, more so than any of us might imagine. The individual nuances that comprise our unique being cloud an already complicated reality. Each step involved in erudition expands our horizons. Every aspect of a problem is part of a broader evolution. The whole is far greater than the sum of the parts.