Crusading for cursive writing

Posted: January 16, 2024 by chrisharper in Uncategorized
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By Christopher Harper

Pennsylvania—like 28 other states—does not require students to write in cursive lettering.

Fortunately, at least one Pennsylvania politician is mounting a campaign to force students to learn how to write in cursive.

State Rep. Joe Adams, a Republican representing an area near Scranton, thinks it should be mandated and has proposed legislation to do so.

A former school superintendent, Adams said he believes it is important enough to find time to teach it, and he said so do experts in education, neurology, and psychology who offer up brain science and historical reasons to support the idea. He also gave some practical reasons.

“You can’t open a bank account without signing your name. You can’t buy a property or get a credit card without having to be able to sign your name,” Adams said. He added that a person’s signature can be a unique identifier that could be one thing artificial intelligence cannot reproduce.
“All those things pointed me to saying, this makes great sense,” Adams said.

Pennsylvania’s Education Secretary Khalid Mumin doesn’t consider cursive instruction to be vital.

“Secretary Mumin encourages schools to determine the best paths for their students to learn to communicate effectively in writing and achieve success, regardless of the mode of writing used to get there,” Education Department spokesman Taj Magruder Adams told PennLive.com.

Cumberland Valley, located in southern Pennsylvania near the Maryland border, decided to reintroduce cursive writing into the curriculum.

Robyn Euker, Cumberland Valley’s director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment, said the district chose to require cursive instruction after noticing an increasing number of students with poor handwriting in the upper grades.

When the district was looking to adopt a new literacy curriculum, she said, it decided to buy the cursive writing supplement to address the handwriting concern.

Two years later, Euker said the feedback she had received was positive.

“I think it’s a little bit of a creative outlet for students,” she said.
Euker also said it seems beneficial for students with reading and writing issues. Writing in cursive has fewer starts and stops than in print. Words appear as one block instead of a series of separate letters, which can help students with dyslexia.

Given the benefits, including allowing students to read handwritten cards from older relatives, Euker said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more states require it.”

After all, it’s not an instruction that needs to be taught repeatedly. Once students learn it, the neuropathways allow them to associate a manuscript letter with how it looks in cursive and understand what is written, said Lynn Baynum, chair of Shippensburg University’s Teacher Education Department.

“When we first began teaching cursive a hundred years ago, we didn’t understand it was a pattern of associations we were doing to create a literate society,” Baynum said. “It’s also why keyboarding is important to teach, too, because we don’t want students slowing down their ability to communicate because they have to find a letter on the keyboard.”

Teaching cursive is a no-brainer to me.

Medjugorje and Main Street What Do you Believe?

Posted: January 15, 2024 by datechguy in catholic, catholic devotions
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This morning when I woke up I noticed that Medjugorje was trending on twitter likely because one of the bishops that the Vatican under Francis has gone after is going there.

Nobody seems to have a neutral position on Medjugorje either they firmly believe in the apparitions or they don’t. The Vatican has not approved Medjugorje, which does not mean they never will, but they have not denounced it either. Catholic Answers has a pretty good summery of the Church’s position:

In 1985, Mostar-Duvno’s bishop Pavao Zanic determined that the apparitions were not authentic, i.e., not of supernatural origin.

In 1991, the bishops’ conference of Yugoslavia ruled that the supernatural character of the reported apparitions could not be affirmed. This is different than a definitive declaration that there is no supernatural character

No subsequent bishop who has authority over that area has overturned these rulings. As for the Vatican:

The Holy See, consistent with the rulings of the local bishops, has allowed pilgrimages to Medjugorje—and in May 2019 Pope Francis formally authorized them—provided they don’t present the reported apparitions as approved by the Church. The Holy See has also forbidden the faithful from participating in events where the reported seers present their reported apparitions as of supernatural origin (see this for more information).

Those who have experienced conversions—or a deepening of faith—associated with pilgrimage(s) to Medjugorje should know that the validity of their experiences does not hinge upon whether the reported apparitions are declared of supernatural origin. Indeed, the sacraments are valid at Medjugorje, and the Blessed Mother can—and does—fruitfully intercede for those who seek her sincerely, wherever that may be.

Emphasis mine

What it really comes down to in my opinion is this. 

If you are seeking God, if you are praying faithfully, going to confession, receiving the sacraments, reading scripture and loving your neighbor as yourself then you have already found him, even if you don’t realize it.

There is a tendency among people in general and among those in the faith in particular to go “hunting miracles”. It’s not unnatural thing to do. Man always sees awe and wonder in the natural, man made and even the supernatural world. That just human, but to those who chase miracles hoping to find God it me tell you something.

Its been my experience that those chasing miracles are forgetting Elijah in the cave.  The miracles of God are all around us. We just need to learn to notice them amongst the noise of the world and if you stick with prayer and the Sacraments you’ll eventually see what’s been around you all the time.

As for Medjugorje, if it’s not supernatural Christ and Blessed mother will do what they always do, make Lemonade of Lemons and if it is the Vatican will eventually approve it in God’s own good time.

If you want to go there, go ahead, if you want to stay away, that’s fine too just but keep in mind this advice from Christ:

But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.

Matthew 6:33

You don’t have to travel half way around the world to seek the kingdom of God. Worry about being a good and faithful Catholic where you are, anything else is just gravy.

Damning OIG report leads to an obvious conclusion: Chicago Public Schools system has too much money

Posted: January 14, 2024 by John Ruberry in crime, education, News/opinion, opinion/news, politics
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By John Ruberry

When I was in sixth grade at Palos East Elementary School near Chicago, for two semesters the school principal withheld my report card–pretty good ones by the way–because the shrewish school librarian said I failed to return a book. I told her that I did, but that wasn’t good enough for her. 

Eventually, the missing book turned up. It was a school library employee, possibly “the Shrew” herself, who misplaced that book. 

Which brings me to a story out of Chicago that is not getting nearly enough coverage The disappearance from mid-2022 to mid-2023 of electronic devices–laptops, iPads, and more–over 77,000 devices, according to a report from the Chicago Public Schools’ Office of the Inspector General. 

Sure, the local media reported on the OIG report for a couple of days. But they of course lean left, and the sympathetic media has moved on to other stories, such as criticizing Texas governor Greg Abbott for sending buses with illegal migrants to the Chicago area. Of course, our “betters” in the media rarely condemn the politician who is at fault for the migrant crisis–Joe Biden.

Back to CPS: The OIG says there have been no repercussions for the students who failed to return them. Their parents weren’t sent a bill–and yes, the kids certainly received their report cards. The value of those lost and stolen devices is massive, over $23 million. In 2021-2022, CPS spend $123 million on technology devices. “You can’t pin this on COVID,” CPS Inspector General Will Fletcher told CBS Chicago. “You can pin this on students who are just taking devices and not returning them.”

CPS, with COVID-related funding drying up next year, faces a huge deficit. But when reading the OIG report, one can conclude Chicago Public Schools has too much money. It’s time for CPS to go on a diet, or be put into some kind receivership, possibly under federal control–but only with a Republican in the White House.

Too much money? Yeppo. If $23 million in equipment goes “missing” and it only becomes public knowledge because of an OIG report, then there is not a lack of money issue for Chicago schools.

Let’s not place all of the blame on the students for the thievery. The report also notes that at three dozen CPS schools, every tech device was marked lost or stolen. All of them. An inside job? That’s likely, in my opinion.

Here’s some more waste: Could these devices have been tracked. Yes. OIG Fletcher also told CBS Chicago, “The district spends about two and a half million dollars on software that’s meant to track and locate devices, but the district just wasn’t using that software.”

The Office of the Inspector General previously discovered over a dozen CPS employees, some in leadership roles and collecting six-figure annual sinecure salaries, allegedly fraudulently obtained PPP loans. And one elementary school assistant principal has allegedly stole over $270,000 from her school.

Even worse than theft and incompetence is sexual assault. During the same time period covering the thefts, the OIG discovered eight substantiated adult-against-child incidents of sexual abuse.

Last year Chicagoans made the horrible mistake of electing leftist Brandon Johnson mayor. He’s a former CPS teacher and Chicago Teachers Union instructor. Johnson apparently is too busy criticizing Greg Abbott–a Google News search retrieved no comments from Johnson, the CTU pick for mayor, about the OIG report.

Chicagoans voted for more failure.

Are the students learning anything at CPS schools? Not really, over three-quarters of them test below grade level. 

Now back to report cards: Here is my grade for Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Teachers Union, and Brandon Johnson.

It’s an F minus. 

And I will happily hand out those report cards.

John Ruberry, who attended a CPS school as a kindergartener, regularly blogs at Marathon Pundit.

The Biden/Trudeau Administrations Accidently Producing The Best Argument Against the Death Penalty I’ve Seen

Posted: January 14, 2024 by datechguy in Blame Biden Administration, culture
Tags: ,

One of the weakest arguments against the death penalty, one that has annoyed me over the years has been the Pope’s implying God’s opposition to it. It’s an argument that to me doesn’t hold water if you consider Acts Chapter 5 which is all about how Ananias, literally dies at the word of St. Peter for lying about the price he got for a piece of land.

But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart so that you lied to the holy Spirit and retained part of the price of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain yours? And when it was sold, was it not still under your control? Why did you contrive this deed? You have lied not to human beings, but to God.” When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last, and great fear came upon all who heard of it.

Acts 5 3-5

And when his wife, not knowing he’s dead repeats the lie…

Peter said to her, “Tell me, did you sell the land for this amount?” She answered, “Yes, for that amount.” Then Peter said to her, “Why did you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen, the footsteps of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” At once, she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men entered they found her dead, so they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

Acts 5:7-11

Now remember these are people who believed in Christ, were part of the new Christian community even before they were called Christians and had just sold some land and given a portion of the money to the disciples. Their crime had been to lie about the amount and keeping it to themselves and yet there is no hesitation at all in what happens, no appeal no chance to go to confession or repent. Nope they’re dead (Now the question as to if they are damned is a completely different one and an interesting theological question but I digress).

C. S. Lewis has his own opinions on the subject:

Thus the weakness of the theological argument argument against the death penalty, but however there is a better one that we’ve seen lately.

That argument comes from this story out of Canada:

And this one out of DC:

And then I ask myself: Would I trust the people who are making these decision with the power of life and death over folks regardless of the charge or the evidence? That’s when I remember this excellent maxium:

Never trust government with a power that you would not trust your worst enemy with.

If there is a better argument against the death penalty, I don’t know it.

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