Unusual Cloud Formations

I like clouds. I find their shapes and formation beautiful and fascinating. I am not one who sees images in clouds - maybe I am not imaginative enough - but I do like spectacular clouds. In the days when I was a more serious photographer I usually incorporated clouds in my images. Tricky business, that. Sometimes clouds can add to the mood, sometimes distract from the subject.

Here is an interesting discussion of different cloud types, the mechanism of their formation (when known), and some striking images as well.

Post Something Positive....

Normally I am an optimist. However, there are times I get cynical - sometimes it seems there is so much drek out there that it is difficult to see the positive side of a story. This will be three posts in a row in which I point out the negative side of public education. I will post some upbeat pieces next. Meanwhile, here is another example of why we home school: the way in which history is taught, as exemplified by a story on Columbus day.

"...the whole Columbus being the founder of the United States, doesn't sit well with a lot of people, myself included," said Paul Prussing, deputy director of Alaska's Division of Teaching and Learning Support.

Perhaps Mr. Prussing should take a history course before opining on history. Christopher Columbus, of course, did not found the United States, the U.S.A. being a political entity that was not founded until nearly three centuries after Columbus' journey to the Americas. And whatever opinion Prussing has of the man, he should still encourage history to be taught factually, and see to it that the actions of historical figures are taught in context with the culture of their times, not through the filter of a different age and culture.

From the same story, "Every hero is somebody else's villain," said Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, a scholar and author of several books related to Columbus.... "Heroism and villainy are just two sides of the same coin."

Alright, so let's look at an extreme example. I'm sure that the firefighters who gave their lives rescuing people from the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, were villians in the eyes of some people. But can you truly say that selfless heroism in the effort to save lives is the offset to the mindless hate that villainizes these heroes because they prevented deaths?

Moral relativism has no place in teaching. Sure, Mussolini was a vicious dictator, but he made the trains run on time! This type of attitude attempts to bridge the gap between good and evil; it minimizes accomplishment and excuses atrocity. It judges action and intent from the court of political agenda.

Children taught by the incompetent and the activist will suffer a terrible loss of perspective- they will be unable to perceive the currents in the world and will make faulty decisions based on the inaccurate data they have been given. To refer back to Dr. Sowell, they should be taught how to think, not what to think.

"...schools are supposed to prepare children..."

Thomas Sowell has an interesting comment on the recent problems we've seen in the schools. This link leads to Townhall.com, a fine political web site, but be warned that sometimes the readers comments can be rude and crude.

I normally don't quote articles at any length, but this section is well worth it:

The mindset that sees children in school as an opportunity for teachers to impose their own notions, instead of developing the child's ability to think for himself or herself, is a dangerous distortion of education.

Parents send their children to school to acquire the knowledge that has come down to us as a legacy of our culture-- whether it is mathematics, science, or whatever-- so that those children can grow up and go out into the world equipped to face life's challenges.

Too many "educators" see teaching not as a responsibility to the students but as an opportunity for themselves-- whether to indoctrinate a captive audience with the teacher's ideology, manipulate them in social experiments or just do fun things that make teaching easier, whether or not it really educates the child.

The commentary is well worth reading. Whether we home school, or choose private schools, we, as parents, will have greater influence over the education of our children. We cannot leave their education to the discretion of others, "experts"or not.

Another Reason to Home-School

It seems odd, but I have trouble working up some righteous anger over this - it has gone so far that it is now in the realm of being ridiculous.

You may have seen the classroom video (since removed from YouTube) of children singing (chanting) their praises of our President. Well, really, they are singing what the instructors taught, as I truly doubt these young children would sing songs about equal work for equal pay.

The religious imagery used is just silly. Taken from the children's hymn ("Jesus Loves the Little Children"), the verse is changed from:
Red and yellow
Black and white
They are precious in His sight.
Jesus loves the little children
Of the world.

To:
Red and yellow
Black and white
They are equal in His sight.
Barack Hussein Obama.

The Principal of the school, on learning of this controversy, was justifiably outraged. Outraged, that is, that the video was leaked without permission. The indoctrination and pseudo-religious motif were not, evidently, problematic.

Let us forget the political aspect of this event; we can only laugh at the religious implications of these teachers using slightly altered Christian hymns to make obeisance to any political figure. But we can ask ourselves these questions: What did the teachers think they were going to accomplish? What did the teachers think the students would gain from the exercise? After all, isn't school about the kids, not the teachers? Why did they think this was in any way appropriate in a public school setting?

Of course, if we lack a Masters Degree in Education, we are told we are not qualified to second guess these educational experts. As parents, however, we are qualified to make decisions on whether this type of activity, rare as it may be, truly meets the educational needs of our children. That is why we home school.