Real Failure of Educations Systems

     How many Alternative schools are there in the United States? I only know too many but what I don't know is why.
    Personally I feel we have to change things. Does anyone know the success of these schools and at the end, are these kids getting a diploma for an alternative school, but won't get them into a well paying job? Here's why. Most of the kids in alternative schools are either special ed students or kids with behavioral problems and I don't know the stats concerned with kids returning to the traditional school system.
   I met a local High school teacher the other day and he too felt schools are wrong to get rid of wood shop, not the kind where a kid gets an hour a week but can make a career out of it and in return built more sports programs and that many parents loved the sports programs-BUT WHY IS THAT? Do they think their child will be a wealthy player in turn making them better off? If not why is it the parents aren't more concerned with a right education to prepare for a future-no wonder kids are moving back home!

    We need to do what's best for the whole, not just one slice of pie. Instead of alternative schools why not within traditional school have vocational education so kids who aren't meant to be A students, academic stars, doctors, business people, writers, movie stars,  and well, you get my drift.
Make these schools a union of academics and vocational careers. Offer Carpentry, Electrician shop,sewing shop, culinary shop/arts, creative design, Plumbing Repair, Auto mechanics and more.
   Now schools will say, whine whine, we can't afford it-oh no way-but they built  anew football stadium, a new High School, added more staff to the Alternative school, added a new program for younger students to an alternative school which previously was only for middle school and high school students.
    Do you see what happening? Younger and younger kids are in trouble but watch then at home when they play with Lego's. They are content, as with art, sewing, make believe cooking and much more=HANDS ON EDUCATION!!!

Moral Monday in North Carolina

       What a joke, to call it Moral Monday. A man named Art Pope who is very wealthy has changed the way people are allowed to vote and to make it worse is a judge, Justice Newby who is in agreement. A justice stands behind a wealthy Art Pope who is trying to keep Blacks, The young, the poor and disabled from voting as well as making sure if a person in college makes a mistake on a home address also doesn't vote and is charged accordingly, in front of Justice Newby.
      A young college student put her home address on her voting card, instead of the college address where she resides during her college career.
   If a wealthy Art Pope and a justice named Newby can change how voting happens in North Carolina, it can happen in any state where the wealthy exist and have a justice in their back pocket. This smells ie back pocket :)
    Please see this story. Look up Art Pope and Justice Newby in North Carolina and if you're wealthy you don't have to worry, but if you're not, according to these two male persons, you just do not matter.
   

Small boy Shovels Large Driveway

      This is a pint-sized child who without any qualms when asked, in the cold air simply dressed warm, grabbed a shovel and out he went. I went out too to clear my car and watch to see how he would do with directions. Well snow went in and out like little mole hills. The shovel was easily twice his size. But I let him alone for a while until I noticed him stopping, looking around and seeing me asking how he was doing. It was at that point I joined him.
      With continued direction he continued to work. No complaints. no questions like many would do as in, hey why isn't the other kid helping...none of that. Two different people, two different values. He wouldn't grab that concept so I just said, let's just get this done so we can go out tomorrow, and he will be well rewarded. I never told him I would pay him to do the driveway as I wanted first to see if he has a work ethic at his very young emotional age and indeed he does.
      SO knowing he was going at it as best as he could I gave him a price, then seeing all of the hills knew I had to redo it, so explaining a CUT In PAY, he was okay with that too.
       Little guy, you're a big man ! Thank you

Calling IKEA-worse than CHINA

     I called, or tried calling Ikea today to buy a storage unit for a little guy, but alas, I was put on hold, transferred, no human vice at all, given an 888 number, more of the same. I wanted to speak with a person in a store which is closest to me, or at least where I know the area. So then I did the,"give us your zip, yup, it takes me to another store-voice and transferred again.
    All I wanted to know was where are there products made. I finally gave up, hung up and looked up the simplest way to get info on IKEA. On line asking the question where are Ikea Products made-the answer ? All Over The World. I will not buy from IKEA ! They don't even give a person the courtesy of human to human contact and I do know many companies are like that today, but also many are changing because of competition.
     Because IKEA would not answer with a human and because I couldn't not find an answer to at least where was the product made that I wanted to buy...I will not shop there.
     I could have CALLED CHINA faster !

Those Brooklyn People...

       As we approach another year left behind and try to plan for a new one, I find myself looking way back, so far back I almost trip myself.
       I think about the streets, the kids, baby carriages, cars, hair styles, music, church, police, freedoms, foods and everything life gave us then.
      So let first look at the neighborhood streets, many made of cobblestones, a black topped looking little brick, rounded and smoothed and filled in with more black. Wearing old skates made of metals, a kid could feel their feet make that brr sound, almost like your feet were doing hic cups. Then the lam posts. So tall, fancy designs and odd shaped lighting, but classy. The sidewalks were squares of concrete, nice enough to play box ball. Combined streets and sidewalks kids could play all day and night outside without getting into trouble.
       From marbles, hit the stick, stick ball, punch ball, monkey in the middle, running bases, blinds man bluff, cork cork a levio, pitching cards, flipping cards and so many more, we were never bored.
       Baby Carriages were almost like making a statement, poor or not. Any new mom seemed to find a new carriage and a fancy blanket comforter style would lay across the bottom, winter or summer. My baby brother Jimmy had the fanciest on the block-until a new baby was born and we were considered poor. I never thought of things that way even when told. I just thought we didn't have a lot of money. That was okay too.
      Remember Old Spice, Brute, English Leather, Chantilly, Tabu, and those great hairstyles. Friday night the closest Catholic church held dances and my brothers all went as well as my sister. Me? I ironed shirts, slacks and made sure the hair tonic bottle was ready and with a younger brother shined shoes. Then got my baby brother ready for his crib...think he stayed there until he was about fifteen :)
         We had hot summer days with the ice cream truck coming around, you know the kind a uniformed man reached way in with freezer air coming out, reaching for a toasted almond. Yeah, The Good Humor truck ! Night time brought mister Softee, neighbors sitting and drinking ice tea, windows open with blinds raise up to the top. Well that depends what block you lived on. If you were very poor, your blinds were all the way, but somewhat poor, blinds were half way up.
       Even on those nights when it was sweltering hot, it was never too hot for pizza from the local pizza place, walking around the corner with a best friend and talking about a latest crush.
     What made all of those times work better than other's would be the neighbors, the sounds of accents, laughter, whispers and just spending time on stoops, after all what were we if without a stoop? Those stoops were our hangouts, our homes, almost a safe haven. We knew if we didn't see one another during the day, that sometime later in the afternoon, one of us or a parent would be on the stoop.
      That's Brooklyn and the people in it. If you can make it there...you know the rest, now smile that knowing Brooklyn smile.