MEG WHITMAN

Meg Whitman for Governor of California. Web. 02 Nov. 2010. http://www.megwhitman.com/media/video/11281/I'm-Ready.

 

 

This add is about Meg Whitman. She talks about her strong determination for about one minute. I don't like it because she doesn't really say much about anything that she is going to do. Also there are no examples or any evidence that she will be a good senate that will "change America." She also says that if we want America to stay the same, then vote for her opponent. The fact that she doesn't give evidence bugs me.

Small School Vs. Big School

This article talks about how Brockton High school in Massachusetts was a failing school. They spent time and money making big schools into small academies. They also held a campaign to hold reading and writing lessons. As a result their school was the best of all Massachusetts high schools. I think all high schools should follow their example. I mean their scores went up dramatically and being a big school did not stop them.

 

Dillon, Sam. "4,100 Students Prove ‘Small Is Better’ Rule Wrong." The New York Times. 27 Sept. 2010. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/education/28school.html?ref=education>.

Interview With Mr. Roby

During my interview with Mr. Roby, my psychology teacher, I asked him what he thinks about merit pay. He said it is a bad idea because then teachers will only teach what is on the tests. I agree with him, but then I found out that the state checks up on them so it would not be that easy for teachers to get away with that. What I asked him next was if he thinks La Sierra High school is overpopulated and of course he said yes.  He said our school needs more electives when I asked what our school needs improvements on. Next, I asked would he be willing to take in more students and he said that there isn’t enough room physically and it’s only about the space limit. What I found interesting was that he already spends his own money on his classroom. I didn’t realize that before.  

Merit Pay: Good or Bad?

In this article, it says that some of the pros would be that teachers would start teaching smarter and any change would be great to improve education. Next, one of the cons is that teachers are already getting paid less so how low could their pay go? I am for merit pay because I think it would make America smarter. Plus, if the students do not want to learn, then the teacher must not be doing their job right.

 

 

 

Lewis, By Beth. "Merit Pay for Teachers - Pros and Cons of Merit Pay for Teachers." Elementary Education - Lesson Plans and Teaching Strategies for Elementary School Teachers. Web. 13 Oct. 2010. <http://k6educators.about.com/od/assessmentandtesting/a/meritypay.htm>.

REFLECTION(:

During the class discussion yesterday, I could not decide if I was for or against the Immigration Law in Arizona. My initial opinion was that it breaks up families and that it is not fair for children that are US citizens to have to go back to where their parents came from. Then, I heard Terecita talking about how some immigrants don’t deserve to be here because they are not doing anything good. She also said that we the citizens have to pay higher taxes because of the immigrants that are on welfare. So that kind of had me thinking. Then, I agreed with Raelena on making the process of illegal immigrants trying to become a citizen shorter. I agreed because it would stop the law from always bugging about the immigration status. Next, I realized that what Martina said about how once the economy started going bad, that’s when everyone started complaining about immigrants. That is really true. How come it wasn’t such a huge deal before? This world needs to stop being so ignorant but at the same time, everybody is always going to have different opinions. Overall, I think everybody made some pretty good points about SB 1070.

Arizona Billboard Warns: Racial Profiling Just Ahead

The Huffington Post. "Arizona Billboard Warns: Racial Profiling Just Ahead."August 10, 2010.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/10/arizona-billboard-warns-r_n_676767.html.September 15, 2010.

There is a group called Culver City, Calif.-based Brave New Foundation who put up a billboard that says "Have Your Papers Ready-Racial Profiling Just Ahead." They put this for tourists and local in the ares to be warned. They are obviously against the Senate Bill 1070. I think this is a good way to be protesting and letting people know what is going on. Next, I agree that the bill is all about racial profiling. They can't base an immigrant off their looks. What I mean is not all Mexicans look Mexican, not all Canadians look Canadian, and not all African Americans look African American. So in my opinion, this bill should not become a law.

SB 1070 Legal Challenge Update

http://ondemand.azpm.org/videoshorts/watch/2010/9/3/1525-sb-1070-legal-challenge-update/

Buckmaster, Bill."SB 1070 Legal Challenge Update." September 3, 2010.web.September 13, 2010

Dennis K. Burke is the US Attorney for AZ who says SB 1070 is “unconstitutional, unfunded, unworkable, and should go away because it does not help the situation.” When Linda Valdez, a member of the Arizona republic, comments on how prosecuting just leads to criminal files and that they should just send the immigrants back to where they came from instead, Burke says that prosecuting prevents border crossing and there is actually a decrease rate in it. He also comments on the headless bodies in Arizona, saying that “they are all made up and gives an unfair fabrication of the people of AZ.” I do not agree with prosecuting instead of just sending them back. I believe they should give them a warning. This is where it would be the right thing to do. Now, if they try to do it again, then that’s when it is okay