Tea Party Patriots welcomed Dr Anna Haynes

June 2011
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Tea Party Patriots welcomed Dr Anna Haynes

29 June 2011

George Rebane

This evening Jo Ann and I, along with a neighbor, attended the monthly Nevada County Tea Party Patriots meeting that filled the Easterly Hall of the Nevada County Realtors Association. We were happy to see Dr Anna Haynes sitting in the throng, listening with great interest to the speakers, and taking notes. Dr Haynes is not a stranger to these pages (some background here).

Dr Haynes is also a recognized liberal voice in Nevada County who writes the blog Nevada County Focus and is the creator/operator of Nevada County Voices, a true community internet resource, where even RR is recognized as one such voice (consigned to the rightmost ‘Denialism/Climate contrarians’ column).

What made her attendance noteworthy was that the lady is a dedicated investigator of all things tinged with conservatism. And in that TPP is proud to be a bit more than tinged because of its unique grounding principles – small government, fiscal responsibility, constitutionalism, and free market capitalism – that derive from our fundamental belief in individual liberty as interpreted by our Founders.

From Dr Haynes’ previous writings and personal encounters one might come away with the distinct impression that she is a collectivist’s collectivist in her socio-political leaning. So to now see her in attendance at a meeting of local folks who lean the other way is both hopeful and heartening. Perhaps, her study of our organization’s core principles, grass roots structure, and non-partisan political action has inspired her to give us another look; and who knows, even consider becoming a member? If so, I will be the first to celebrate her epiphany, and welcome her into our midst.

Posted in Current Affairs, Happenings, Nevada County

127 responses to “Tea Party Patriots welcomed Dr Anna Haynes”

Douglas Keachie

03 July 2011

Trust me, Greg, I would never want to claim to be Todd’s equal. Sorry Todd, you’re collateral damage in this skirmish.
We are experiencing technical and ecological difficulties in the neighborhoods where fraking is going on. How would you like a fraking operation in your neck of the woods, next to your well, Greg?
OPEC itself may no longer be the OPEC of the world, and when that day comes, I wonder which fork Greg will take?
Nice to have our nuke subs tucked safely away underwater for months at a time, isn’t it George? Shoreleave in Yemen leaves something to be desired, not to mention the “sitting duck” aspects of a sub on or near the surface at all times.

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Greg Goodknight

03 July 2011

“Trust me, Greg”
Not a chance. You’ve proven yourself to be unworthy of trust.

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Douglas Keachie

03 July 2011

That’s your opinion, and in my opinion, you have yet to prove yourself worthy of trust

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Greg Goodknight

03 July 2011

I’ve never lied on these pages, and I’ve never made up an anonymous sockpuppet to lie about you on TheUnion or other blogs. Since you’ve done both, you’ve proven your deceitfulness.
No, you shouldn’t trust me. I’ll call you on your BS whenever I see it.

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Douglas Keachie

03 July 2011

And this from a man who denied his own identity on The Union pages, despite using the handle “ggoodknight?” For all the times you bitched to Tom Harberts about me “revealing” your identity, I find your last post on this blog very amusing.

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Douglas Keachie

03 July 2011

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” – J.R.R. Tolkien

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Greg Goodknight

03 July 2011

Your misplaced class envy is showing, Keach.
No, I never denied I was ggoodknight. I just denied you the ability to use personal information in your posts about me, and you just couldn’t keep trying despite the rules of the paper.
It was Michael P Anderson, using his very public persona from The Nevada Free Press, “mandersonation” who established that little quirk of TheUnion blog. This not quite anonymous person was threatening me with “extreme approbation” like any global warming denying brownshirt on Broad Street should expect, and he had a number of my posts in my defense thrown out solely because I dared call him “Mike”. Sauce for the goose, Keach.

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Douglas Keachie

03 July 2011

Greg, addressing you by your first name is hardly using personal information. In addition you had already outed yourself in the paper several years before. I really know next to nothing about you, I don’t even know what you look like, so other than flying your plane, what also was so personally damaging, that you hadn’t already admitted in public or that hadn’t already been written about you and your family?
I do know that without knowing hardly anything about me as a teacher, you’ve made it a personal campaign to disparage my teaching career, and in general, those of many of the K-12 teachers in the state. is that really news or personal information?

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Greg Goodknight

03 July 2011

The stated rule was no using of personal information, Keach. Too bad that was so hard for you.
From my first post on 6/3/2008 to my last post on 4/29/2011, I used only one identity, ggoodknight on theunion. I suspect Doug Keachie can’t even remember all the socks he made up to harass others. That is not conduct one should expect from a schoolteacher.

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Douglas Keachie

03 July 2011

Even using an incorrect spelling plus a Mr. sent you off temper tantruming to Tom Harbert:
“Time and again we’ve discussed not giving out the names of others. I have no alternative but to put your account on premoderation.

“As far as AB32 never mentioning ozone, tell me how many ads you’ve seen for toilets, that mention by name the stuff you dispose in them, eh, Mr. GoodeNicht?”

Tom Harbert
Website Curator | Online Project Manager
The Union | 464 Sutton Way | Grass Valley CA 95945
(530) 477-4257 office
tharbert @ theunion . com

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Douglas Keachie

03 July 2011

“The stated rule was no using of personal information, Keach. Too bad that was so hard for you.”
So if that was the stated rule, where do get special dispensation that allows you to discuss my teaching career? Especially when you knew nothing of it? And what is your plan to replace all the teachers you can? Where are you getting the replacements, and just how are they any better? I assume you are not donating your ever so talented self to the schools, as I asked before, and have yet to receive an answer?

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Todd Juvinall

03 July 2011

Keachie, Greg has whipped your sorry butt, give it up.

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Douglas Keachie

03 July 2011

Not in the dimesions inhabited by most people, Todd.

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D. King

03 July 2011

“Where are you getting the replacements, and just how are they any better?
Home Depot, given current scores, they could hardly be worse!

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Douglas Keachie

03 July 2011

“Home Depot, given current scores, they could hardly be worse!”
So much for language, culture, and borders…

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D. King

04 July 2011

…and don’t forget all that wasted public pension money.
Question: What will public employees do when their pension money has been frittered away on environmental investments? Will it come as a complete surprise that Calpers has agenda driven investments that will fail?
CalPERS allocates $500M for environmental investments
http://www.sustainablebusinessoregon.com/national/2010/11/calpers-allocates-500m-for.htm

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Greg Goodknight

04 July 2011

I don’t think I’ve ever discussed Keachie’s “teaching career”, but among the educators I grew up with, creating multiple nom de plumes in order to harasss and defame others would have resulted in a good paddling and being sent home. And his inability to remain on topic and and discuss the issues of the day in a reasonable fashion have indeed led me to question his suitability as a teacher.
I do recall Keachie waxing eloquently regarding his ideas on a lesson plan at TheUnion blogs, and it was so devoid of instructional value I wondered if anyone would want Keachie teaching their kids. I’m hazy on the details so I’m traveling down memory lane and reading old TheUnion comments looking for what that one. Starting at the first posts of mine there and working forwards, my first mention of Keachie as a teacher is as follows: “I can see why a retired San Francisco public school teacher like Keachie might see Bill Ayres as a respected educator.” 10/16/2008
Keach, just wondering. Do you still view Bill Ayres as a respected educator?

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stevenfrisch

04 July 2011

Greg you certainly did not only mention but deride Keachie’s teaching career, along with the careers and personal choices of many others here and on other blogs. You are an arrogant, self-important, frustrated bully, sir.

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Douglas Keachie

04 July 2011

“”I can see why a retired San Francisco public school teacher like Keachie might see Bill Ayres as a respected educator.”
And so it began, with Goodknight setting up a Straw man on Day One. You know Greg, this is actually getting rather boring, but I’ll keep on playing for a while, if it amuses you. BTW, just who are you going to replace all your bad teachers with? You can’t quite stay on your own hobby horse, even. Exit stage right!

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Greg Goodknight

04 July 2011

Keach, it isn’t a straw man if you both wear your status as a certificated California public school teacher and refer to Bill Ayres as a respected educator. I gave you the date but sorry, I don’t have a record as to which sock puppet you were using at that time, you’ll have to guess if you want to dig it out. I’m sure I’ll find other references that are appropriate to the mud you’re slinging here but you’ll have to be patient.
Frisch, coming from a bully like you I suppose that should be considered a compliment, and fighting back against the assaults from the likes of you and Keachie can’t be done without hurting your feelings. So tell us, Steve, you’d like to have kids or grandkids in Keachie’s classroom? What subject would you like that to be? And how is just mentioning the suitability of Keachie to be in a classroom now a discussion of his entire career, or his actual performance in a Frisco classroom, neither of which I’ve ever done? If he is still “teaching” as a sub, I’m sure he’s discharging his duty of showing up on time and taking attendance admirably.

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Todd Juvinall

04 July 2011

Frisch is a failed short ordered cook and Keachie didn’t retire soon enough for a lot of kids but their life’s experiences make them soulmates in failure.

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Paul Emery

04 July 2011

George
Do you consider Todd’s response an example of going after the messenger that you lectured to me about some time ago? Your comment would be appreciated. Isn’t this kind of grammar school dribble what we’re trying to rise above?

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stevenfrisch

04 July 2011

Todd, I am wondering how it is that you disrespect working men so much? What is wrong with being a chef, owning a business, putting my own capital at risk, not once but several times, and employing hundreds of people over a career? What is it about you guys that disrespects hard work in others so much? Greg does the same thing, and Woodsey and McD. You think your lives are so productive–what have you guys produced that is provides real value to people?
What a sad, sorry bunch of frustrated old men you guys have become.
Paul, it is impossible to rise above this drivel because George tolerates it from his friends and then enforces the rules against those who disagree with them. He is a victim of his own permissiveness.

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George Rebane

04 July 2011

Gentlemen, I am indeed a “victim of (my) own permissiveness”. I wish I knew what knobs to turn to make the message the focus of discussion. The problem always seems to come when someone takes liberties with referring to a previous comment in the discussion thread, because that requires identifying the commenter and taking his logic/development to task. And that’s where the ad hominen crap leaks in, and off we go again to the mud wars.
Can we not refer to a commenter’s previous remarks in the third person? Example of refuting ‘x infers y’.
Preferred: ‘The assertion that x infers y is in gross error because of factor z, which is, perhaps, understandable to those for whom z was not accessible for one reason or another.’
Grade School Acumen: ‘Sam, your’e an idiot, and inferring that x leads to y is typical of the fools that you hang around with. And I suppose you’re also too stupid to consider that factor z had somthing to do with it.’
Sigh!

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D. King

04 July 2011

LOL!

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Greg Goodknight

04 July 2011

George, earlier in the thread I quoted Keachie and asked a question:
“”But there are rubber rooms for software engineers in Nevada county.”
George, is this sort of snark appropriate here?”
This is Keachie’s communication style. The Union dealt with it with a series of moderations, which he would cope with by creating brand spanking new socks. He can’t do it at The Union anymore and so here we are.
In Frisch’s defense against the uncalled for remark by Todd, I’ve every expectation he was a decent cook, I’m just unsure how that prepared Frisch to be the CEO of the business council-less Sierra Business Council and attempt to direct policy within the Sierra and statewide.

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Todd Juvinall

04 July 2011

LOL

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Todd Juvinall

04 July 2011

In my defense I guess when Paul and SteveE and F attack me or Greg or George, I have this innate desire to attack back. I have listened to the drivel and personal assaults by them for years and decided I cannot let their lies and distortions prevail anymore. Frisch attacks me on any post yet comes and cry’s a river when he gets exposed for it. Paul uses snarky name calling and then does a Frisch. I tried to hold my tongue and did so for many years but we now see what leaving the country’s discourse up to a liberal has accomplished. They are simply youngsters and need discipline. I recently recalled how George W. Bush tried his damnedest to bring civility to the discourse in DC and he never responded to the personal attacks by the Frisch’s and Paul’s and it drove us nuts because the liberals never got responded to. Well, now in the blogs and other new media, we don’t have to let the left hog everything. Frisch asks what is wrong with being a short order cook and I say nothing is wrong with that. What is wrong is that a failed short order cook now has a superiority complex and calls we conservatives unAmerican and unpatriotic (and then denies it) on these threads and over at the FUE’s. That will bring a response. I say, to the lefty’s, grow up a bit and maybe things will get better.

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Douglas Keachie

04 July 2011

Todd, shall we discuss failed spec house investors using other peoples money?
Why not leave the personal attacks out, as George has so brilliantly suggested, in his x,y,z example above?
Greg, as far as I know, only Sir Paws of Appledore, and Keachie, Release 2.0, ever got stuck permanently in the penalty box. I made up new socks for some initial concerns about self defense, especially with the tone the Scoggie Klan ws taking, and then I started making them up because it was such fun! Who can forget, Dr, GoodPhysics, or the one based on the plane you palmed off on some poor unsuspecting South African? Did I misinterpret that incident? It’s possible but I doubt I did. I amde no effort to hide who I was with the later socks. And, of course, you yourself took great glee in announcing the arrivals, as soon as you we sure it was me.
Anyways, onwards and upwards, tomorrow’s a new day.

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Douglas Keachie

04 July 2011

BTW, when you bounce back of the far wall, please answer the following question?
If software engineers are so concerned over schools and education, and know that having reliable and simple networked administrative software would reduce the costs of our schools, and the reliability and validity of record keeping, and bring joy to parents hearts, why haven’t they developed such software and appropriate training videos to go with it, sold as a package, such that the $12 to $18/hour techies (all the Districts claim they can afford) can handle and maintain a reliable system?
When I started, there were no networks, and then, on my own, I had to gain at least a working knowledge of Novell 3.11, in my appropriate free, and UNPAID time, in addition to teaching a full load of classes.
What’s with it that you bloody super geniuses in the software industry, after 30 years, STILL HAVE NOT DONE THIS? Are you not as bright as you’d like to pretend you are?

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Douglas Keachie

04 July 2011

If you want to talk snark, let’s look at the attitudes of the software industry towards the schools, all these years. There is absolutely no sense of responsibility there. I remember extreme annoyance when I learned years fter the fact that Microsoft had a one click CD disk to fix dead Win95 installs, and yet for the teachers like myself, doing double duty, they had a reinstall procedure that required sitting at a machine for nearly and hour, answering inane questions, just to fix one crashed machine.

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George Rebane

04 July 2011

As a software developer I tried to sell teaching and administration utility software to the LA Unified School District, one of the world’s largest school districts. No joy. I ran into a bureaucratic buzzsaw beyond description. In the final analysis, they wanted nothing to do with increasing efficiencies either in their administrative functions or in the classroom. I and other vendors were just cyphers to check off so that they could claim they were surveying the latest technologies for the education industry.
We entrepreneurs are pretty much one-trial learners and quickly adopted the motto of the Jewish Defense League toward the double dummies sitting administering our public schools – ‘Never Again!’.

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Todd Juvinall

05 July 2011

Keachie, you liberals can’t stay on track without personal attacks. You very neatly lived up to my previous point. You can never post without a personal attack and then cry a river when we respond. Regarding mu spec hose, it was published in the paper three times and as a investment it did not make it. Happens all the time all over the planet. You trying to make some moral equivalent hay bothers me not. I shudder at the fate of the poor students put into the world by crummy teaching.

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Greg Goodknight

05 July 2011

It takes a special kind of immaturity to be proud of the limited number of one’s sock puppets were actually thrown off The Union blog permanently. The Union blogging is no more and it’s a shame the actions of a few ruined it for the many.
Keach once again has his head firmly where the sun never shines when it comes to the disposition of a former plane of mine after a vapor lock aborted a takeoff, but then he likes to forget everything that isn’t fodder for ad hominems.. I “palmed it off” to the insurance company for the agreed on in advance insured value of the hull when they offered it. The initial FAA investigator told me it made him very happy to be able to talk to the pilot after an incident like that (there’s usually no one left to chat with) and the NTSB found no pilot error. A somewhat shady expat South African aircraft mechanic in the bay area bought it at auction, spruced it up, got rid of the log books showing the note from the insurer and the last I heard it was on the market in South Africa as a ‘never damaged’ creme puff at twice my insured value. Caveat emptor.
Parents who didn’t know much about computers would push for the schools to include them, even in elementary schools. My first wife was profusely thanked by the principal of Mt. St.Mary’s School when, at a parent meeting in the mid to late ’90’s, she eloquently answered a parent’s question about more computers with a convincing argument that more computers would hinder progress in the education that mattered, literacy and numeracy.
Microsoft isn’t in business to make software, they’re in business to make money and they’re good at it. While it warms my heart to think of the aggravation Keach had fighting software that wasn’t ready to be used in schools by naive and unskilled users, they would have been better off without it.

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Douglas Keachie

05 July 2011

I would agree with you George. Other than Harrington, most of SFUSD was in the Stonewall Age through the 1980’s and on into the 1990’s. The teachers and administrators who understood the potential were ignored, and, under, or not funded at all.
Now if I were a certain special person here, I would be all for firing the entire software industry, but I’m not, and I believe the country is up against cultural inertia in these areas, and the sooner we recognize the concept, the better off we will be. Since there are many engineers here, I will give a simple example: Back when the Bay Area bridges started getting too crowded, an engineer suggested collecting tolls one way only. He was roundly booed, by the powers that be, and the motoring public. I believe the suggestion came in the late 40’s or early 50’s. 20 plus years later, in desperation, they tried it, and we’ve all never looked back.
FASTRAK has followed a similar pattern. In my final years in the Bay Area, while commuting from Oakland, I watched in horror an amazement as thousands every day still used cash. The public seems to have FINALLY caught on these days…does that help explain, “Cultural Inertia?”
Todd, just try erasing “failed” from your vocabulary and see what a monk of silence you will become, when discussing others humans of the leftish persuasion.

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Todd Juvinall

05 July 2011

Keachie are you saying the liberals are not failed? Where have you been?

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Douglas Keachie

05 July 2011

“While it warms my heart to think of the aggravation Keach had fighting software that wasn’t ready to be used in schools by naive and unskilled users, they would have been better off without it.”
And I’m sure this country would be even further bombed into the Dark Ages and back waters of the global market place if teachers like myself hadn’t stepped up to the plate, and made those labs hum, despite the slings and arrows of outrageous cowards who ran from the classroom and then turned around to throw daggers willy-nilly at every chance, at those who stayed behind to meet the challenges with what resources the society provided.
Find me a job paying above minimum wage where the prospective applicant isn’t expected to be reasonably knowledgeable about at least two of the Microsoft Office/Star Office/OpenOffice applications. Being familiar with a cell phone is also an unwritten requirement, but fortunately by the time they came along, the younger generation had gotten it, far better than senior software engineers, so teachers learned from their students, instead of vs versa.

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Douglas Keachie

05 July 2011

BTW, writing to express oneself to others is a source of excellent feedback for improving writing, AKA, literacy. Is your wife’s former school still computer free? Do you advocate yanking computers out of all K12 schools, or do you advocate raising taxes so that schools can afford trained and skilled operators, so that the networks don’t turn June into a Pre-Summer’s Nightmare for teachers attempting to post grades?

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Douglas Keachie

05 July 2011

“Is your wife’s former school still computer free? ”
Should be:
“Is your wife’s former school still upgraded computer free?” Are they still running Win95? Or maybe even DOS 6.2?

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Greg Goodknight

05 July 2011

California would be much better off were our K-12 students not in the bottom of the barrel nationally for math and language. Nice going, Keach.
It takes 12+ solid years for most to go from ‘what is a number’ to a good math analysis or calculus class. It takes maybe 12 solid hours to learn enough Word or Writer to write a nicely formatted and printed paper, assuming one can read and write. As usual, Keachie’s rationality is missing in inaction.
Funny, my kid only got his high school diploma 4 years ago and he didn’t have a computer to use at his desk in any class. Did this mean they failed to properly educate him?

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Douglas Keachie

05 July 2011

“Funny, my kid only got his high school diploma 4 years ago and he didn’t have a computer to use at his desk in any class. Did this mean they failed to properly educate him?”
Nope , it just means you’re fishing for snarks again.
Is you kid making it through college without a computer in any class to use at his desk as well?
If so, maybe it is because he is expected to carry a laptop or IPad around with him?
If you were to de-snarkify your question so that it read, “my kid didn’t use any computer or computer like device, including terminals, in high school for any purpose, I think I could safely say you were lying.
Like I said before, you are getting trite and boring.

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Douglas Keachie

05 July 2011

“California would be much better off were our K-12 students not in the bottom of the barrel nationally for math and language. Nice going, Keach.”
I don’t recall teaching either reading or math? Do I have amnesia?
Barrels can be full, partially full, or all the way down to empty. Unfortunately, California is not, “at the bottom of the barrel.” You are incorrect in this matter. The national test scores seem to vary for the most part within a range of 10%, and possibly as much as 20%. So, if the topmost state is at 280 on a given score, then California might be as low as 224, but it is certainly not approaching 0. The vast majority of the scores are much closer to being above 252, where the top would be 280. Considering the makeup of the population, extremely diverse, with English often not the home language, that’s not too bad.
“assuming one can read and write” aye, there’s the rub. You take you word processing for granted, and are ignorant of the advantages it has for teaching writing itself. How long does it take to become proficient in Excel or Access? Or Photoshop?
“Funny, my kid only got his high school diploma 4 years ago and he didn’t have a computer to use at his desk in any class. Did this mean they failed to properly educate him?”
No, it means you are fishing for snarks again, and it is getting trite and boring.
“he didn’t have a computer to use at his desk in any class.”
except possibly in a computer lab where it wasn’t, “his desk?” and where it “wasn’t a class” it was a lab?” De-snarkify your comment and we can continue to discuss the roles of computers in modern education, k-12.
Can you also make the statement that your kid never made use of a computer or terminal or other computer like device in high school, whether provided by the school or by you?
Is he going to Troglodyte U. where he continues to use no computers or IPads as well?
I don’t think so…

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Douglas Keachie

05 July 2011

You can eat all the school statistics you want at the following:
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/states/

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Paul Emery

05 July 2011

George
As far as you being a “victim of (my) own permissiveness” I think you miss the point. It is fair game to dissect an argument and to hold writers responsible for the depth and validity of their comments. This can be done with a sense of class and respect for each others ideas. When Todd has to degenerate the conversation to childish descriptions of a persons appearance it degrades the level of discourse to the extent that makes me wonder why I or anyone else bothers to visit here other than to go ra ra and hi five to your posts, which to me me are often provocative and thoughtful. I wonder sometimes why I bother to spend any time visiting here. If driving me and others out is what Todd wants to accomplish with his childish blats then he may succeed because I have no desire to waste my time with such discourse.

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George Rebane

05 July 2011

My apologies Paul. Sometimes I wish I had knobs on everyone’s head so that I could tune the tenor of their responses, but I don’t. I think there are enough discussants here on RR for you to trade/critique ideas with only those you wish, and just ignore those who rub you the wrong way. In these jousts it almost always takes two to tango even if one partner is not giving tit for tat. Refuse the dance.

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Greg Goodknight

05 July 2011

No computer lab, Keach, and he did fine at Neanderthal U. The lack of any fine vocational-style instruction by unionized and certificated K-12 instructors was no hindrance.
There’s a big difference between using computers to get some work done and wasting any class time playing with them. The problem isn’t lack of instruction in using word processing software, it’s literacy and numeracy. Personally, I’ve never had any instruction in using any software application, outside of one very expensive CAE tool. Have you?
Yes, look at the nationsreportcard. California is as low as 47th in math (8th grade NAEP). Thank god for Mississippi and thank the California Teacher’s Assn for standing up for high priced mediocrity.

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Douglas Keachie

05 July 2011

You still don’t have a very clear picture of what happened at Lowell. Bill Hewlett wanted his alma mater to be a leader, and supplied the school with computers (terminals) as soon as 1978. The guy I replaced didn’t like the double duty of being responsible for all of Lowell’s machines, and teaching AP Chem at the same time. A great deal of my time was spent simply keeping the place up and running, probably at least 50% of it, and also figuring out just what we needed as we transitioned from 386’s, to 486’s, and finally Pentiums, with concurrent software changes as well. Did I mentions running wires through the ceilings to other classrooms, and the joy of bnc connector installlations?
Hewlett took care of the hardware purchases, but I had to scrounge like mad to get software grants, the local PTSA and the SF Ed Foundation helped a lot, and institutions as diverse as Lucas Arts and the Franklyn group and Borland International also chipped in. Some of my former students became employed at Logitech and other places, and they donated software as well, but coordinating all this took a lot of time.
As was pointed out in previous posts, these kids were about 50% GATES qualified, and, like your son, yourself, and myself, quite capable of learning most software by experimentation. As far as formal classes went, other than some general intro courses to qualify for the computer credential, I’ve only taken online training through http://www.lynda.com, and the stuff that now is finally available, after of course, I’ve retired.
I sure wish you would answer direct questions, instead of weasel wording your snarky way out of them. Did your son use a computer in high school or college?
Are 80 % of California’s test scores within 10% of the USA national averages? And do any of California’s test scores deviate by more than 20% of the national averages? I say, “no they don’t” and challenge you to prove me wrong, without using a doctored up non academic political site. The only bottom that is bare here is…..not a barrel’s.

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Greg Goodknight

05 July 2011

Is California’s 8th grade students is, or is they ain’t, 47th in the country by the NAEP math assessment?
You’re the snarky one, Keach. I never claimed or intimated no computer use, but my late 1st wife did argue against trying to make computers a main focus, and we were in complete agreement on that. As was Mt. Saint Mary’s School. A few computers were in the library and that’s where they belonged.
The problem in California schools is not being able to crank out a two page paper or finding free porn using a computer. It is literacy and numeracy. The bard’s English, 13th century al-jabr and 17th century calculus is the foundation. With that in place, being able to ‘keyboard’ is a given.

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Douglas Keachie

06 July 2011

I’m not answering your question until you answer all of mine.

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Douglas Keachie

06 July 2011

I note two things about your son’s school.
It is not a high school.
and,
they indicate a belief that the primary role of teaching students belongs to the parents. if that is the philosophy you believe in, then blame California’s parents, not the teachers.
“Mission Statement
Mt. St. Mary Academy, the educational ministry of St. Patrick Parish, was established in 1859. Our mission is to serve families primarily of the Catholic Communities of St. Patrick, St. Canice and St. Dominic as well as families of other faith traditions and surrounding communities. Recognizing that parents are the primary educators of their children, we collaborate to educate our students to achieve their potential in the areas of faith development, academic excellence, social awareness and emotional growth. We exist to inspire and motivate our students to recognize their call to be responsible, faith-filled leaders in the reality of today’s multicultural and diverse world.”

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