The Agenda on Education

The Obama-Biden administration has a great deal on their education agenda. I wish them luck with what they want to do, considering the problem is typically state congress/board of ed. interpretations.

This language excites me greatly:

Reform No Child Left Behind: Obama and Biden will reform NCLB, which starts by funding the law. Obama and Biden believe teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests. They will improve the assessments used to track student progress to measure readiness for college and the workplace and improve student learning in a timely, individualized manner. Obama and Biden will also improve NCLB's accountability system so that we are supporting schools that need improvement, rather than punishing them.

Amen is all I have to say to that.

Address the Dropout Crisis: Obama and Biden will address the dropout crisis by passing legislation to provide funding to school districts to invest in intervention strategies in middle school -- strategies such as personal academic plans, teaching teams, parent involvement, mentoring, intensive reading and math instruction, and extended learning time.

Wow. Recognition of the pivotal middle level years! Extended learning time! Maybe even being able to have enough staff to help the students who have no IEPs and no parent support. I'm tingly, but skeptical that the money will ever make it to the schools. For now, our middle school has to RIF three more full-time educators this spring.

Support College Outreach Programs: Obama and Biden support outreach programs like GEAR UP, TRIO and Upward Bound to encourage more young people from low-income families to consider and prepare for college.

Don't forget those of us in the middle, please. It's backbreaking to pay for an entire car in a year, yet we're supposed to pay for college, which is as much per year as a car in many cases. Let's realize that we are all feeling the economic crunch. I see further along in the agenda, the American Opportunity Tax Credit is mentioned, but not without forced public service as retribution. Interesting.

Districts will be able to design programs that reward with a salary increase accomplished educators who serve as a mentors to new teachers. Districts can reward teachers who work in underserved places like rural areas and inner cities. And if teachers consistently excel in the classroom, that work can be valued and rewarded as well.

Oooh, Mr. President. Have you discussed this with your NEA supporters? Merit pay... good luck with that one!

It's Back!

The Agenda that was up on the "President-Elect" site is back. Today, I finally had a chance to take a peek at the Executive Orders that have been instituted by our new President. The one I am going to discuss is EXTREMELY disturbing to me.

I am decidedly and unwaveringly anti-abortion. I don't believe it is acceptable to kill our unborn children under any conditions. The Executive Order found here, named Mexico City Policy and Assistance for Voluntary Population Planning, negates our government's stand on what Federal grants, MY MONEY, can be used for by foreign countries. The grants have now been expanded to include money for "voluntary family planning," aka abortions (not my words... the order specifically states this). Apparently, it is not bad enough that the United States kills its young. We want to share this "technology" with other nations.

This is one of the key reasons that I could not stand behind or vote for our new President. This is a key issue for me for whomever I vote. I have had discussions with family members where it has been stated that the President doesn't have much to do with decisions on abortion. I think this Executive Order proves that notion to be wrong. I guess all that's left to do is pray for a reversal of this... or run for President myself. :)

Shoot Some Hoops

Ignatius is participating in his school's Hoops for Heart Fundraiser. If you would be interested in donating to this cause, here is his website: Hoops for Ignatius

Thanks for your support! This fundraiser benefits the American Heart Association.

Time keeps on slipping....

... into the future. Tick tock tick...

Yep, feeling a little old. Ignatius will be turning 12 this week. Max is almost completely potty trained. Rights of passage... fast passage.

Ignatius also found out today that his teacher has throat cancer. He LOVES his teacher, and he was very shaken by this news. We had to remind him that cancer is not a death sentence, and he knows several survivors, like his grandmother and his cousin. Alas, he also has voids in his life due to cancer: one of his godmothers and both of his paternal grandparents. I think the prognosis for his teacher is good (as translated through what Ignatius reported was said). Still, it's a dirty c word.

Cancer just sucks.

Fabo at 40: Keeping Track

The supplement regime seems to be going well. At the very least, I have been taking them each day and no adverse effects have come to me, that I know of. I have a cold, but I don't think it was caused by the supplements in any way.

Scott and I started to track our food intake using the Weight Watchers Turnaround Points. This is about the third time I have used a program of Weight Watchers. The company has the most realistic weight loss program, as you are eating "real" foods. The program that we are using I had used a few years back, and I was fairly successful. I lost about 25 lbs., and then I got sloppy, which seems to be my pattern.

This time, I am not doing this to meet a magic number, though that would be nice. I am doing it to get us back in check with our eating. We were relying way too much on take out food. Consequently, our butts and our budget were battered by that. So, last night, I spent quite a bit of money at the grocery store and purchased some food that would benefit our collective health.

It's interesting to actually write down what I eat. It can be somewhat of a controlling factor in my choices. There is also a points value for activity, which will come back into our lives slowly. I got on the elliptical the other day, and Scott and I have done a good deal of shoveling over the last two days. I am not one of those people who can workout through an illness... I would just rather get better, then get with that program.

So, one more step in the walk of good health. I'm off to drink more water!

Fabo at 40 - Tablet Regimen

Scott has been a bit of a research crazy man lately. He's been taking a look at supplements. The typical "multivitamin" makes me sick to my stomach. I have tried several different combinations with the same results. He has been looking specifically at the symptoms of fatigue, listlessness, weight gain, and stress. We seem to both exhibit these more than we like.

His research began as his one-man quest for a cure for autism. You know how that gets from time to time. Perhaps someone is hiding something? Perhaps there is some magic pill that will make it all go away. I guess I am not looking at autism as something curable. It's not a disease. Just a condition of human genetics. Kind of like having blue eyes. At least that's how I see it. Or maybe that's what gets me out of bed in the morning. It may not be "normal," but it's my normal.


So, here's the regimen, the daily dosages, and the alleged effects. After about a week of taking these and appropriately hydrating ourselves, I will report back. Feel free to comment if you currently take any of these or have had experiences with them.

Soya Lecithin Dietary Supplement; 400 mg; "a natural fat emulsifier, is found in every cell of the body and is a significant part of nerve and brain tissue;" so, maybe I'll be able to find my car in the Meijer parking lot?

Magnesium Glycinate Dietary Supplement; 100 mg; advertised as the best absorbed magnesium for the body; might help with: bone health, muscle contraction and relaxation, nerve impulse transmission, blood pressure, heart function; magnesium deficiency is typically attributed to foods grown in magnesium-poor soils or the consumption of processed foods that eliminate magnesium; magnesium is typically eliminated from a multivitamin because it tends to make a vitamin bulky and hard to swallow; deficiency is said to play a role in anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, depression, muscle twitching, high blood pressure, leg cramps, menstrual cramps and constipation; it is also said to play a role in diabetes

Coenzyme Q-10; 50 mg; "plays an important role in cells and is utilized in the normal process of energy production...key nutrient that may help maintain a healthy heart"

Vitamin B12 Dietary Supplement; 500 mcg; "contributes to normal brain and nervous system functions"

Taurine; 500 mg; supposed to support a calm mood

Odorless Garlic; 1000 mg; supposed to promote heart health and good cholesterol

We shall see what, if anything, changes. This and water consumption are the only variables for this week.

And so this is Christmas...

I kept forgetting to post these photos!! Geez! Here's Christmas (a little before and after) with the Platos.