Snoozing and Losing!

What happens when we sleep through life without paying attention? We lose big time!

Of course, the sleep I'm referencing is figurative--not literal. Although there are some people who literally sleep through life. The others--tend to close their eyes, not willing to see what's happening right in front of them. And these are the people who go through life, wondering what happened and why life didn't treat them better.

Who's sleeping? Apparently, all those frustrated, bitter people over what life has handed them or at least what they think is the fault of life--are asleep--walking with blinders covering their eyes and it is evident in the way a buffoon is racking up delegates in the GOP race. No rationally, sane person could ever believe a non-stop, talking detonator could ever believe that Trump is a any kind of Christian and what's worse--is that he supposedly has the support of some evangelicals. They must be sleeping.

But they're not the only people asleep as they walk. Parents in Detroit should be outraged at what is happening to their children's opportunity for a quality education. Governor Snyder has no love for them or the impoverished in any city--he's the businessman who had a plan (and shipped jobs to China) and then arbitrarily ignored the signs of what an emergency manager was doing--siphoning money from an already cash-strapped school district. But it appears that's what emergency managers do--take--from the people who need it the most and become the sacrificial lambs for greed. The teachers in the Detroit Public School deserve better than having their salaries sliced thinner than Swiss cheese and pastrami, paying more for healthcare than anyone with their jobs should ever have to pay, and being forced to adhere to an educational strategy that many have said won't work; especially when kids are tested beyond endurance. After all that--they are subjected to punitive evaluations that are not designed to assess what they do and do well, but what they don't do--adhere to the cookie cutter standard in presenting information to students.

It's time for people to WAKE UP! Prop open eyes and see what's going on around them. They need to stop listening the political rhetoric deliberately formulated and executed by the media to make Trump sound like he has any potential to win the presidency. Of course, if people (those who claim they know and love God) don't vote according to the directions of The Word--we may have the most laughable and comedic buffoon living in the White House. Trump has already earned the disrespect of many other nations' leaders and it is justice since he has no respect for anyone--including himself to continue to delude himself into thinking he'd make a great president. Of course, the slogan--take America Back resonates with all those bigots who have resented having a black man in the White House. We don't need anyone to take America Back--America hasn't gone anywhere and anyone with half a brain--understands exactly what he and others mean when they use this phrase.

Back to the parents in Detroit--most of the sleep induced fog is evidence of a lack of education for themselves. They do not understand the importance of an education and unfortunately, their drug of choice--whatever it may--keeps them in a deep sleep--unable to see through the fog of their addictions to understand their children are in danger are following in their footsteps--uneducated, and addicted to poverty.

If this blog post sounds extremely rigid and harsh--good--I've made my point. It's time for people to get off their hind parts, put some cleansing drops in their eyes, and find their way to the polls--after praying and seeking direction from God. And if they don't believe in God--they need to read the information that is so easily accessible about every candidate--if they can read. If they can't read, there are a number of apps out there that will read the information to them. But they must do something and do it now!

Wake up America--and see with clear, unobstructed vision--the direction we're taking with allowing Trump to think he can be president. Wake up Detroit Parents--before it's too late and your children suffer the fate of third world countries--held in captivity to poverty because their parents refused to take action in the situation when they had a chance. Stand up and protest--understand that your children's future is at stake and if they are held back--chained to the mistakes of your past--their lives will be worse than those of their parents.

Educating Our Future!

Some schools--depending upon where one lives--are already in session for a new school year. Others are going back soon! What are the students going back to do?

Speaking from experience with Detroit Public Schools, many of the inner city students are going back to chaos--overcrowded classrooms, overused testing, and demoralized, unhappy teachers. None the chaos is the fault of the students, but they are the ones who will be negatively impacted by it the most.

First of all--PARENTS--get your act in gear and teach your children to respect authority and property of others. One of the reasons for the overcrowded classrooms is the budget allocation for textbooks which students either take home to keep or deliberately desecrate with profanity--making them inaccessible to others. The other reason for much of the chaos--ill-mannered, ill-behaved students who interfere with the process of learning. They have never learned to do school and when a teacher meets some of the parents--they know the apple truly did not fall far from the tree.

If parents truly want a quality education for their children, they need to engage in the process--get actively involved with the schools and the legislators making decisions about the schools.

The Detroit Public School district has had an assigned Emergency Manager for five years now that has not made a difference in the debt accrued. Why? Too many people coming into the system with the sole purpose of "lining their pockets" and totally forgetting about the kids they are supposed to help educate. This would not happen if we had anyone with integrity having oversight of the Detroit Public Schools. For those who know the power of prayer--it's prayer time--pray for all Emergency Managers to develop a conscience and do their jobs--not line their pockets with the funds that should be spent on educating the children. Everyone needs to get out and vote--getting rid of all those politicians who are only interested in promoting their own--self-serving agendas--not the benefit of all the people.

EDUCATORS--FIGHT BACK--and stop the testing nonsense and spend the time--TEACHING your students. Students do not learn anything from over-testing; they learn from educators who have time to teach them the skills for which they are being tested. If they have not been taught, why are they being tested? A little common sense is needed here.

ADMINISTRATORS--grow a pair--and move out of the way of those teachers who are "still interested" in teaching children what they need to know to survive in this world. Using threats, being demeaning, humiliation and coercion will not accomplish anything other than unhappy, rebellious staff who will only do the minimum required to get you off their backs.Abusing your staff does not make you a great administrator--understanding what your staff needs and supporting them in their efforts will get the job done. If you are an administrator and are only a doormat to the district--resign! Get out of the way so our children can learn!

From observation and research, I know there is a conspiracy afoot to keep students from Detroit in a rut--for manual labor only and everyone who is involved in the system and is not willing to change the way we do education in Detroit is guilty of being a participant in the conspiracy. Our students need to know grammar--for conversational purposes as well as for writing. When the District decided that grammar did not need to be taught (almost 20 years ago)--that should have been a signal for all to understand the complicity in keeping our children--illiterate. Now, we graduate functionally illiterate students who cannot read above the seventh-grade level. Where do they get to work? Fast--food restaurants and anywhere they do not have to think or read with comprehension. Just take a look at the cash registers being used today and you'll understand my point.

So now, what are you going to do? Get mad at me or do something about educating our future?

You can read more in my book, If Parents Cared Enough, Johnny and Juaneshia Could Read  found here: http://www.amazon.com/Mary-M-Hall-Rayford/e/B00BAW31CQ/

Get mad, but get busy when you get over being mad!