A Feared World With Reefer

My classmate suggests the legalization of marijuana as a way to improve the budget loss in Texas. I think this is a horrible idea and have always been totally against it. To many, this isn't such a bad thing and might seem like a reasonable way to fill some of the lingering budget gap that Texas suffers from, but for me however, it seems like a terrible idea. The legalization of marijuana would personally drive me crazy. Anyone under the influence of marijuana, well I will say the majority of people, have a totally different mindset then when they do not have any drugs in there system. Marijuana causes slower activity in the brain and therefore results in.. well... slower people. What people do in their own home is their business, and well I am not totally against the use of it, if we legalize it, a lot of people with be so stoned that it will be unbearable to those more responsible people while in public. I can't imagine working with people in my job environment while they are high, it just wouldn't be feasible, and unfortunately there are a lot of irresponsible people in the world that would abuse the drug more than they already do if it was legalized.

Texas Education Ethic Codes-- Time For a Change

The Texas is proposing changes to the “Texas Educators Ethics Codes,” ones that should be common sense but apparently need to be written on a piece of paper for educators to understand. The changes are regarding a recent phenomenon, social media. The changes are being implemented to prevent communication from teachers to students by texting, blogging, or using social networking sites such as facebook or myspace. It is unfortunate that teachers don’t understand the inappropriateness of communicating this way with students, or maybe they do but just don’t take the consequences seriously. Under the new provision, educators are prevented from communicating with students or any minor by means such as texting, email, instant messaging, blogging, or other social networking communications. Factors that will be taken in to consideration are 1) the nature, timing, and amount of communication that occurred, 2) the subject and content of the communication, 3) whether the communication was being made openly or in secrecy, 4) whether there are obvious signs of sexual or romantic gestures, 5) whether the communication was sexually explicit, and 6) whether the communication involved talk of physical attractiveness or sexual history between student and teacher.

Currently, a school district employee can be charged with a second degree felony if they engage in sexual contact with a student who is not their spouse, however, it is undecided what the punishment will be if there is communication electronically. I think that the new ethic code is a good idea, that way there can be no misunderstanding as to what is right and wrong when taking into consideration student and teacher relationships. Now that technology is readily available, these type of laws need to be adjusted to keep up with the changes in society. The Government must be strict and enforce the laws to protect the children and improve education.

WHAT is Irvin School District Doing?!

In my fellow classmates blog, "Adjusting Grades For Failing Students," I learned that the Dallas Irvin school district has eliminated the need for homework and even giving students a chance to retake tests if they score badly. This amazed me and I think it is a horrible idea. If they don't want their students to succeed in college, then they are on the right path. Claudia believes this is hurting the kids in the school district, and I couldn't agree more.

College is almost completely about homework and outside studies. If a college student only went to class and never thought of class outside of the hour and 20 minutes or so they spend in the class, they would not make it. Sure, there are some blow off classes that every student will experience in their college career where this may be possible, but classes pertaining to majors and several other classes, require an adequate amount of time of outside studies and homework. In high school, like Claudia mentioned, homework is a good way to track the success of a student's learning abilities on a subject. Homework also allows the student to track their progress and understanding of the subject, and lets them know areas they might need to focus on more if they are struggling. The fact that this was even an option in a school district absolutely amazes me.

Also, the students are given special advantages during testing which is almost not even worth discussing due to it's absurdity. Now, there are chances for retest in some college classes but it is not one to be taken advantage of. If a student is caught cheating in college, they are done and most likely expelled from the school, but in high school its ok and even given a second chance?? Give me a break!

The Irvin school district is ruining the future of their students by enforcing this law. How it even passed is beyond me, but they really need to consider how it is effecting the future of our society and the impacts it is causing. They obviously have one focus of getting the kids through high school to make them look better, but have no cares for their future.

Mexican EXPENSIVE Business Trades

According to a KVUE.com article, more cash was smuggled in to Mexico through Texas ports, than Texas paid out in lottery claims for the year 2007. That is a huge amount of money to be crossing the border! This is becoming a major problem for both Mexico and Texas. Now, Texas has another problem to control other than immigrants crossing the border. Most of the money smuggled is believed to be from drug trades. This creates a question that the Government must address: exactly how much drug activity is occurring in Texas through Mexico inhabitants? The people from Mexico are choosing to use Texans as their primary "business partners" and although some action is being taken against the trade, it has had little effect. There is patrolling of the border, but how much? The answer is... not enough. Unfortunately, if we were to patrol every single car that passes border lines looking for significant amounts of cash and drugs, traffic would be backed up past Texas. Also, not all the money is being crossed from the border, some is being transferred electronically through wiring and other similar processes. Not really, but you get the idea. What can be done about the huge profit that Mexico is making off of Texas' proud drug users? Maybe they should start paying taxes on their profits....?

Magnet Schools-- Are they worth it?

In "Reviewing Charter Schools," Charles Kuffner, who attended graduate school at Rice university, discusses how Houston Magnet Schools are being reviewed by an outside auditor that could effect how much money the schools will receive in the future. Magnet schools are used to attract a different type of population of children and parents around the world. I know and can relate because I attended one, that, in my opinion, definitely needs to be reviewed. The Government and other organizations donate more to the schools because of their "advanced teachings" but this may or may not be appropriate. Kuffner believes the audits are necessary to determine whether or not the money is being put to a good use, in other words, are the magnet schools effective? It is important to know if our tax money for this type of education is being used fairly. This information will be good for not only the general public, but for those children and parents interested in attending a magnet program.

Fixing the Dream Act

In the article “Fix the Dream Act so it can work,” Alberta Phillips from the Austin American-Statesman, argues that the dream act is a good idea, but the standards are too low. As it stands now, illegal immigrants who enter the country before the age of 16, finished high school or obtained a G.E.D., showed “good moral character,” and complete two years of college or military service have the chance to obtain their citizenship. Although the idea is a good one, Phillips does not believe that this is enough. She believes that the immigrants should have to do more, particularly when it comes to serving the community. Instead of forcing some to join the military, why not have them do other activities like habitat for humanity or volunteering at a reputable charity? She also believes that maybe a four year education might be better, but then later states that some hard working immigrants don’t have the desire to attend college, but should have the same chance of obtaining citizenship which leads her thoughts back to the public service requirement. Phillips is trying to reach out to those that might be for or against the Dream Act, and seems to try and cover both perspectives, although making it pretty clear she is for it BUT with certain revisions. I agree with Phillips that there must be more of a challenge for obtaining citizenship, one that includes public service indefinitely as well as other test, for example an English test. However, at the same time we must make it fair and take into consideration that the people that came here before they were 16 didn’t have much of a choice, but try to see their improvement within the United States. It can not be an easy ride, but still needs to be fair and consistent.

Grants Being Cut From Needy Students

This article discusses how grants are going to be cut in Texas, specifically those that are going to low-income graduating seniors from high school. This is going to dramatically increase the number of low-income students that decide to go to college simply due to the fact that they won't be able to afford the costs that come with it. This article is important to me because I received a grant when I was in high school for graduating early, and it motivated me to begin college earlier than I would have if I had not received the grant so I can only imagine how it is affecting the low-income population. The state plans on cutting the number of grant recipients in half for the next coming year. Approximately only 37,000 students will be receiving the grant for the following year, decreasing the number of low income students that even think about applying for colleges. Texas is doing this due to a “budget downfall” and one representative suggested that instead of decreasing the grants to save money, Texas tap into the state's “rainy day fund.” Although I do not think that decreasing the grants is a good idea, I wonder... what exactly does Texas' “rainy day fund” even consist of?