Going off of Heather's feedback, yet again, she has a great point. Maybe Votec schools should be available to every age! If someone were to loose their job at an older age, it would be important to offer them another marketable skill. What kind of rules should there be regarding who is applicable, then?
First: I think that everyone who is interested in furthering their education should have one free chance to attend a program for a marketable skill, such as their CNA. However if later down the road, they decide that their career path is not for them, they should have to pay some amount of money to go through a second program.
Second: Obviously, there needs to be an application process helping those who need it most..

Maybe there should be two different branches of government sponsored Votecs.
My original idea was to address Votec for high school students in poverty who have no way of affording a college education. However, as many of you have expressed, there are so many people in poverty who could use the extra education, but are out of high school. With that being said, I don't think high school students and adults should fight for spots in the same program. Also, because of the age difference, there will be a difference in learning abilities and such.

So maybe I should look into making a high school votec, and sort of a "second chance" votec that focuses on those who have already been in the workforce and not succeeded or those who never made it in at all.

Last Project Post

I'm not sure if we had to do another project post or not. But here is one anyway.

I do believe I came up with a title that will fit in: Famili-Care.

I think this would be best because I am try to focus on child care to help with the family. I did some research and found out some information about Head-Start/Youth-in-Need. I will be sharing this in class tomorrow.

Now that I have this information I need to find a way to improve the funding they get now. Of course the way to get money is through taxing people more. One thing that I don't find fair is taxing those who can not have the service of these programs.

The first thing that needs to happen is that new locations need to be added, current locations need to be evaulated and fixed, taxes need to be raised locally in those areas, and there needs to be a better system or one at all the evaultes these locations yearly.

Doing this will create new jobs on many levels, help parents be able to have good child care, children will be feed at least two healthy meals a day, and education will be started earlier in lives of children who may have a troubled background.

-Heather

Funding

Funding tends to be the greatest problem for drug rehabilitation centers. However, I believe the best way to combat these problems would be to allow a certain percentage of those client's income who reside in the facility to subsidize the cost of the facility. For programs that run approximately 90 days, I believe this is the norm. However, programs that essentially run only 1 month have major issues with providing services, and although some healthcare covers treatment additional expenses are accrued. So, I believe 30-day programs should utilize the same process and therefore, reduce the government costs of some of the programs. However, this isn't to say that government would provide less funding, I just believe that this would be an outlet in which governmental funding can aid in other neccessities of the program besides just treatment alone.

Just so you all know, there are members of the House and Senate who are working on proposals that at least some of you would find acceptable.  The Progressive Caucus of the US House has a budget proposal called The Budget For All.  http://grijalva.house.gov/uploads/Executive%20Summary%20FINAL.pdf

Jobs and Unemployment 4

This post's solution is probably the best solution out there that the American government can use to get rid of poverty and unemployment once and for all.

Private sector is such a huge employer of a big portion of the American work force, therefore, if the unemployment rate is high, that also means the private sectors have stopped hiring new workers or they are laying off workers, considerably.

The approach to this is simple, the government needs to meet with the private sectors and discuss how they can work together to make them hire workers or stop laying them off.

One of the policies that can be changed is to stop giving the unemployment benefit money to unemployed people and give that money to the companies or corporations that will hire the unemployed people. 

By giving money to these companies to hire the people who got laid off, it will increase the productivity rate of an economy, but also it will considerably reduce the rate of fraud caused by people who secretly work, but yet claim to be unemployed just so they can receive the unemployment benefits.

There will not be any doubt that, unemployment will be significantly reduced by this technique and as a result the economic growth rate will rise too.

More solutions to come, y'all.

I have to admit, I am a little bit stuck. I want to figure out a way to not drastically cut funding from richer schools, but bring the poorer school closer to their level. I don't think it would be beneficial to even the playing field by simply redistributing the wealth, I think the taxes need to go up, especially for those who make more, and then slight budgeting cuts to the wealthier schools. I want to enable the poorer schools to be able to afford the same textbooks and teachers and technology as the wealthier schools. I think those three are the most prevalent needs right now. I am totally and completely open to suggestions, I'm kind of grasping at straws at how to actually go about working this program up.

After much thought I have come up with the basic outline of my AmeriCaid Health Care System.

1. All Americans will have affordable access to health care, from the richest to the poorest.
2. This will be achieved through public-private partnerships as well as a single payer system.  By this I mean that the federal government will raise taxes to pay for a new health care system, and some of the tax burden will be alleviated through private donations and funding.
3. There will be an initial block grant (of an undetermined amount at this time) to pay for the following measures.
4. In order to assure everyone has access to health care the government will install new clinics in the first 100 most critical "heath deserts" across the country.
5. In order to assure everyone can reach these new clinics, and already existing clinics and hospitals there will be transit services to and from the clinics and hospitals.  Not ambulance rides in case of an emergency, but a clinic car that will come and get you for a simple check up to having strep throat. 
6. I have yet to figure out how to convince doctors to take a pay cut in order to make the costs of this program more feasible. 

I think what I have outlined here will help, but it can't be my final solution.  There are still some bugs that I need to work out.  Mostly with private insurance and privately owned hospitals and clinics. 

To further my project, I think there should be rules regarding who can use the program and age limits.
There should be an avaliability to students and young adults up to age 30. (subject to change)  Some people get a late start in life and it is important for these programs to be avilable to them.
If someone would like to enter the program, butis older than said age limit, there should be credientials to determine their eligibility.

Project Post 4

I don't really know what to do from this point. In the last post I made statements about the many points that I wanted to focus on. I still don't have a name for the overall thing.

I guess you could say that I am just stuck were I am. If anyone has any advice that would be great! Otherwise I just need to write down the list that I have made and figure out how to put it in words. I don't really know what else I need to do and bring to class for next week.

-Heather

Ideas on how to increase the living wage

We mentioned in class the extremely outdated ways in which our government determines what is an acceptable minimum wage in America.  It was mentioned that for a short rule of thumb, take the average amount spent on food and triple it, which in today's culture just doesn't work.  No one spends a third of their money on food, more like between a fourth and a sixth.  I wouldn't automatically institute this as a new minimum wage, since that could prove disastrous to businesses.  What I would do instead is to perhaps institute a law that makes it mandatory that any corporation in the United States currently paying only the minimum wage to its employees must provide the option to unionize (outside of Right to Work states, of course).  Secondly, I would institute a departmental entity on the state level that would reconfigure the COLA adjustment in that state on a bi-annual basis, making changes accordingly.  This particular institution would be placed on every state, not just the ones free to unionize.  One other thing I thought about would be to add a section to the job training sector of AmeriCares that would, given the type of certificate the person holds, give the person information on companies that allow unionization, and maybe even take care of enrolling the person, relieving them of having to be educated on the subject.  Companies nowadays, as we discussed, sometimes manipulate their employees by not letting them know they are entitled to certain benefits.  A section of AmeriCares, which I would call the WBA, or Workers' Benefits Administration, would fight those companies in Right to Work states that prevent employees from being defended.  It could be a sector embedded in the judicial system, having an entire law-making and practicing infrastructure behind it to ensure its authority.

Okay, ideas about my final project.

First, I have decided that embarking on writing about the entirety of my envisioned AmeriCaid is simply going to be too much for me to handle, so I'm gong to center in and focus on providing access to affordable health care for all Americans.  I think that accomplishing that goal will be more than enough to keep me busy formulating for a while, and if I should discover that I am struck with brilliance about any of my other envisioned areas, I will write about them as well.

Transitional living

       Transitional living services provide much needed help to those who find themselves without shelter after leaving rehabilitation houses. However, recovery is still a necessity, so I would like to suggest a renovation of practices concerning transitional living services. I would like to provide transitional living homes with mandated outpatient services around the clock from morning to noon. As a way to boost attendance for these services I would mandate that clients attend at least two of the sessions a day. As an incentive for attending the services, I would use positive reinforcement as a way to encourage clients to maintain a free lifestyle while away from the facility. However, I would stipulate a maximum residence period. Clients are only allowed a period of only two years of residence before they must venture out into independent living after receiving the necessary tools to do so.

Project

Heather asked an excellent question about what I would want to do with Votec programs. I think now, they offer great programs with a variety of skills available to be learned. For example, at the votec school I attended there were programs for graphic design, printing, automobiles, welding, nurses assistant, etc. That is quite a bit of jobs. It is probably unrealistic to want tons of different classes available  because this is a high-cost idea. I think that maybe it would be good for the governor should figure out what jobs are most needed in that said state. Skills sometimes are enough when those jobs are in need.

The English System...

I did a little research into England's school system, originally looking for how the government sets up schools and how they are paid for, but stumbled across an article on their testing and became more engrossed in that. I was wondering if I should go back to focusing more on creating equal schooling or continue on this tangent of testing, or can I focus on both?

Heather brought up an extremely good point in her question on my previous post. I think that with a test reform, it will better equip teachers to fully comprehend the mastery and retention students have of the material learned that year, so they can better know whether the student should proceed with their schooling or be held back a year. (I attempted to respond on the previous post, but my phone wouldn't let me publish it so I answered it on here!)

Jobs and Unemployment 3

 

Another good solution that the government can do to reduce unemployment rate is to set good policies that will help lower taxes for companies and corporations that higher a considerably big portion of the American work force.

By lowering taxes, these companies and corporation will not out source jobs overseas where they can find lower tax rates for their operations and cheap workers too.

The government needs to recognize the impact and the importance of big companies decisions like these. Companies such as GM, Apple, Micro-soft or Ford are considerably big enough to present significant impacts on the economy due to out sourcing jobs and other major decisions that these companies can make and will result into a huge economic flow change.

One more solution that the government can make is reduce strict laws that binds others companies from other countries to operate in America. Having a good number of foreign countries companies will increase jobs options for our American workers, increase domestic business competition and will result into high quality of the products that are produced in our country.

More solutions on the way fellas...

The Newer Deal

"We should have learned a lesson from the New Deal and put 2 million people to work in twenty-first-century versions of the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration (59)."  I just had to start with this because I firmly believe that the New Deal, had it not been for the discriminating nature of it, would've been flawless.  I came up with an idea that would work as a pseudo-alphabet soup plan.  I'm calling it the HSRA, the Historical Site Restoration Administration, which would work in congruence with the National Register of Historic Places.  Its main goal would be to rehabilitate historic structures across the U.S.  Utilizing construction, interior design and landscaping skills, this association could put many people who either have degrees or certificates in these professions, or those who are being trained in these professions to work.  What do you all think?

Project Post 3

Okay. I don't really know what to do from this point. I have my idea. I don't have a name.

1. I want to increase the number of Head Starts/Youth in Need in the United States.
2. I want to increase aid to families who don't have Head Starts in the area to be able to send children to day care.
3. PAT, Parents as Teachers funding needs to be increased. (Emily, if you want to cover this you so can!)
4. Calling in abuse for children doesn't need to be a three strike thing, if it is reported then it needs to be invesgated and stronger action needs to be taken.

These are the main things that I want to address.

What do you guys think?

-Heather

Jobs and Unemployment

There are many solutions that both the government and the society would collectively decide to do to reduce unemployment rate.

One of them is creating government projects that will require hiring people. These projects can be in form of road construction, bridge repair programs or public schools renovation projects. All these projects will create more jobs for people who mostly need jobs but at the same time it will help improve our infrastructural systems. I personally do not feel comfortable driving on an old bridge worrying whether i will be safe, while there is a good number of unemployed construction workers waiting to be hired to do something.

I will keep posting more solutions as new posts come up.

Thank you

Another idea, though much more contraversial

After talking about unions today, I considered a new option for increasing jobs.  What if we give unions a little more slack?  Perhaps set a ceiling on the amount unions can charge for dues, or something to that effect?  It's just that in my mind, and from the information provided in Massey's book, one thing that most successful industrialized nations seem to have in common is a significantly unionized manufacturing sector.  Giving more power to the employee would allow them to bargain for better wages.  This, in turn, may not be increasing jobs, but it is increasing the amount we currently have that offer wages one can live on, which is a start.

Rehabilitation Centers

I find that the major problem is the focus of rehabilitation centers. With my years working at a detox facility the common theme and problem is the revolving door. It is a reoccurring theme present in drug rehabilitation centers, in which clients promise to make changes in their use of drugs and alcohol, however, a couple months or less the client returns worse off than before. However, I would like to put stipulations on reforming rehabilitation centers in which clients who refuse after care services are only allotted three visits to detox centers. If each visit results in the client not seeking after care treatment or preventative programs they will not be allowed to seek treatment again. Although this may seem harsh, it will hopefully solve the problem of funding by giving others a chance of overcoming their addiction. Currently new clients are turned away because of the lack of funding which undoubtedly been used of previous clients again and again. The overflow of clients and little funds can destroy any possible future funds for mental health services for drug and alcohol addiction. So I believe this to be a possible way of solving this problem.

We all know that our Education system in America has some serious flaws. That is not a debatable topic. But what is debatable is how to fix those flaws. One of my main concerns is the unequal education. I want to look into some of Europe's education systems to try and find a better way for America to structure their school system. Another problem I have with our system is the standardized testing craze that we have. I do not feel they test a students intelligence, rather they test a students memory. I want to look into designing a more "real life" assessment that shows truly if the student has mastered the material.

Le project

In regards to my project, I want to start with how important a votec program would be for all ages. I think that there should be a fund that pays for classes and offers free supplies and uniforms, and there should be at least 50 hours of job shadowing where students can make job connections. This would give students a fresh take on school, because they are studying something they like. I do not think that each school should offer a technical school, but there should be one that other students from different schools could be bused to in a timely manner. These schools should also be available to adults who want to go back to school, but cannot afford to do so.

Project Post 2

The decision has been made that I am going to do something withe helping children.

First and foremost I need a good name. This part is not something I am good at. Anyone have an ideas?

First I would like to make a fedral packet of information about all programs avaiable after a women gives birth. I would imagine that the packet would be given to a women when she gets her dicharge papers at the hospital. A staff memeber would go over the information with the women informing her of what is out there.

Next I would like to do something to increase the funding of Youth in Need/Head Start. I need to look more into what they do now and see what needs to be improved or changed. At this point I just know they need more funding to take more children.

I also want to increase the amount of money avaible to families who do not have a Head Start or Youth in Need in their hometown area so they can get their children in daycare.

Doing this will allow parent's to be able to work a full time job, the children to get a good start on their education, and to make sure that the children are at least getting one healthy meal a day (I would like to make sure breakfast, two snacks, and lunch are served to the children in child care for a full day).

What do you guys think?

-Heather

SO RICH, SO POOR

One of the greatest things about this book is that fact the author seems to offer more solutions to problems than just telling us what is wrong with this world and leave everyone hanging not knowing what or how to solve the problems surrounding different situations.

Just in the beginning i could already tell that this book will be useful in my final project which has more to do with jobs and unemployment.

This book is very different from the two previous in that Edelman is more directly linked, and is not simply reading facts or talking about people's stories. So far I have actually really enjoyed the way he has broken down different policies and what the different administrations have done with said policies. I look forward to the rest of this book!

I haven't put much thinking into my final project this weekend... oops!  Way too busy.  However I will put a bit of planning in before Thursday.

You all have heard my platform before, that everyone should have access to all of the things to keep their family healthy.  Now I just have to figure out how to go about achieving that.....

Drug and Alcohol addiction Project postings

         I have decided to focus on the problems of drug and alcohol addiction as it pertains to poverty. What I would like to include in my presentation is the inner workings of mental health clinics and how the lack of funding results in the revolving door complex that is commonly seen within drug recovery centers, such as detoxes, and transitional living houses. I would also like to include within my presentation some possible reforms that could aid in better results for the victims of drug and alcohol addiction. Finally, I would conclude with the benefits of these reforms, defending the reasons I believe them to be a positive change in the mental health treatment of drug and alcohol addiction. Also because we are working from the point of Ameri Cares, I thought Ameri Free would be a great subtitle of this particular problem, which emphasizes a life free from the constraints of drugs and alcohol.

Collars for Collars (I know, not as cool as AmeriCares)

Okay guys, here's what I'm thinking, hopefully this will work.  If not, then back to the drawing table.  How about an organization, maybe as a suppliment to food stamps, or a sister-organization or something to that effect, that, once poor people graduate from training for jobs, gives them professional looking suits and dress clothes that other people and stores donate?  Call it Collars for Collars, you know, like the job distinction.  Have a catch fraise and some famous person to endorse it, like George Clooney, just standing there saying something like, "no matter the collar job, blue, white or pink, we got a collar for you!"  Corny, yet effective.  Took me a while to come up with a name for it.  And then maybe include a taxi-type service that can take people to their interviews?  I think that could work.  Maybe hire people that can act as self-esteem builders, kinda like the coaches in a boxing match, helping people tying their ties, helping them work on their first impressions, giving them pep talks, something cool.  What do you all think?

This was fantastic book, i wish Shipler offered more solutions to the issues he was raising in this book. This is still a wonderful and a great book that i would recommend for people especially my friends who constantly provoke me with their arguments about how star-spangled awesome America is.
My full attention goes to my final project about jobs and unemployment, that's all i need to worry about.
It been real, Mr Shipler.

Project Post 1

So, I don't have a topic for my project yet! Haha!

I have been thinking though and after reading the first two chapters in So Rich, So Poor I would like to look more into some of the programs tha Peter Edelman talked about. I have also had a somewhat negative veiw of Youth In Need but after reading something sparked an interest in me.

Maybe fore my project I could do something on funding for programs for children in America? I don't know this is an idea and it might spill over in some others topics... It's just an idea.

What do you guys think I should do for my project?

-Heather

Finito

Bravo, Shipler, bravo.  I feel that he concluded this perspective-changing book very well.  I guess I never truly realized that every single problem the working poor face are interrelated.  I knew that there was a vicious cycle, as we have discussed in class before, but literally EVERY aspect that hinders the ability of the working poor to ascend from poverty seem to coerse.  I would also like to add that I'm all for how Dr. Myer is doing the paper for this book.  They need to hear what Shipler has to say.

My last one apparently didn't post, so here's a very quick response to a very short chapter.

I loved how Shipler called us out at the end--what a phenomenal conclusion!

I like that Shipler suggests that we have to change the whole SYSTEM, I think that is just brilliant.

Thanks,
Joe

Just the Basics!

       While reading the last chapter I get a feeling that low wages seem to be the greatest problem of the working poor. These individuals are not making enough to scrape by and because so their burdens become almost unbearable. Minimum wage which was discussed throughout the reading poses a barrier to these families struggling to make ends meet as they progress from the beginning of the month towards the end which adds stress and produces extreme difficulties to the family and especially those who head the household. The word "minimum" is such a striking word in this sense. Minimum the bare basic wage you are allowed to pay someone, yet this wage can't even account for the basic necessities of those who earn it. The answer to why companies and business stick to this small wage earning capacity is clear. However, in paying these individuals such a low wage it says something about the position of which they are paid. It says that this position is meaningless, anyone can do it, and that anyone fulfilling these positions can be replaced. Yet, again these positions are ones that serve Americans everyday from the cook behind the counter, the housekeeper and maintenance staff of the hotel, and the babysitter. All are service positions that aid to make life easier for American consumers. In paying these positions such a low and bare minimum wage are we sending the American consumer the message that they are not highly valued either in comparison to the person who just served them a Big Mac and fries on their way out of the drive-thru. Food for thought.

I think supporting a family on minimum wage. The thought of caring for myself, and paying my own bills on minimum wage when I am fully insured and I make tips as well, also, I only pay for myself. I feel hopeless when I imagine if I was in that position. These people cannot survive without help. They are unable to save money. Minimum wage is not enough.

And We Come To An End

I feel like the final chapter in Shippler's book really brought things to a close. I like how he admits to the fact that not everything that happens to the working poor is the government's fault. I think that this will make Emma a little happy to know that Shippler admits some working poor don't have the drive.

Shippler's statement about how we have to attack all the issues that are affecting the working poor and not just one makes sense. Though attacking everything at once is easier said then done. I believe that there are many issues that need to be dealt and it is going to take time to deal with them all, even though we don't have time.

The last paragraph in the book is a strong one. We should all really be ashamed.

I don't really have much to say about this chapter because I feel like Shipler is just summing up his book. But I agree with him on the fact that it's not entirely the governments fault. Some does lie with the working poor, they have have skills to do better, the lack of programs and their own will is holding them back. The numbers on how few people vote in the lower classes surprised me, I didn't think they would be that low. If these people don't vote, and vote with knowledge of what is actually going on, they will not have any voice in their own lack of programs and assistance. They cannot move up in the world if there are not people fighting for them, and they cannot fight for them if the working poor doesn't elect them. The rich are excellent at suppressing the politicians that want to help the poor, because it means more taxes for them to pay.

chapter 9: Dreams

This chapter in my opinion addresses one of the toughest or hot button topics in America that not so many people want to talk about.

Raising children to realize their dreams is one of the toughest jobs in the world that, both teachers and parents needs to work jointly and hand to hand.

Children are innocent souls, they have the right to dream bigger on whatever they want, however they want. As an older generation, it is our responsibility to make sure that we provide our children with all the necessary resources to help them achieve their dreams.

There is no doubt that at some points life circumstances may change children's dream, these circumstances may be in or out of our control, but that does not take away our responsibilities as an older generation or the people our children look up to. 

We are obligated as the people and the government to create better policies that will help our children achieve their goals, let us recognize that this is a problem before we start solving it.

LET THE CHILDREN DREAM BIGGER

Chapter 9 really hit me. We all know that the education system in America is unfair. Wealthier areas have more taxes to support the schools with, making those school better than the schools in poor areas. But the fact that this teacher, who knows most of her students won't achieve their dreams, actually tells them that fact is part of the reason that they won't! These kids already are kept down by their environments, but if they do not believe that their dreams are attainable, they won't try at all!

When reading this to chapters there was a little spark of hope inside of me.

Chapter 9 was interesting to me and something that I am very passionate about-education. I believe that everyone needs to have good well rounded education. The fact of it is that not everyone in America get a good and fair education. In this chapter I really liked reading the sections from teachers that teach in some of these lower income schools. I see where some of them are coming from. I do think that some of the teachers Shippler talked to had good educates themselves.

Chapter 10 really made the point to me that people who are in poverty need to have support and training. They need to be able to build themselves up and get out of the poverty that seems to be a cycle that they are stuck in. One little thing that Shippler mentioned was the fact of prostitution. I wonder if there are any numbers on home many prostitutes were homeless so they joined that working field to make money.

Excited for class!!

It is painfully obvious how difficult it is to dream and see those dreams come true in life. Poverty ridden families have no way to better their children's education due to lack of funds and lack of education on their part. Therefore if a poverty ridden child is going to fight their way out, they have to exceed the norm. I wish it was realistic to say that each child could make it to being doctors and famous athletes, but it isn't true. Even rich children struggle to reach their dreams, even with all of the extras their parents can afford.

Realism is a Neccessity!

      Today's reading struck a chord with me as I was reminded of the public educational system of which I am from. Throughout the course of grade school, we all started out with specific dreams and goals that we wanted to accomplish. I had one goal my entire life. Looking back it is so different from what I envision now for myself. As a young girl I wanted to be a gynecologist with an emphasis in obstetrics, and I was sticking with that "dream" up until several years ago when I decided that practicing medicine in the "traditional" sense was no longer the path that I wanted walk. I can't lie and say that I got this aspiration to be a physician from knowing someone in my family with this specific career choice. However, I was influenced by Bill Cosby's show "The Cosby Show", in which the actor/comedian portrayed Heaf-Cliff Huxtable, a gynecologist or obstetrician who lived an upper middle-class lifestyle in a prominent neighborhood with several children along with his powerful attorney wife, Claire Huxtable. I wanted this lifestyle and career and it followed me well into my twenties. Although I didn't ultimately choose this path, I have a future career in behavioral health and I'm happy with this decision.
       However, although I was motivated by my "dream" to be a doctor, my dream alone wasn't enough fuel to gas me up and force me through the many barriers and obstacles that lied ahead of me. Realism, is extremely important to dreams. Dreams are titled "dreams" because they are aspirations, that should be paved with hard work. They are not miracles that just happen to happen to us. No one reaches a dream on pure talent alone, motivation and skill, and most importantly effort is a necessity. The reading very much hinted at the inner city children, which is telling not only regarding the book but regarding the population in which the context of this chapter is targeted. The inner city is filled with everlasting dreams. Some are simple, some more complex, but all are dreams nonetheless. However, what makes some dreams obtainable and other void of true ambition and attainment is the hard work and dedication to the dream itself. We can't instill within our children the power of dreaming without instilling the importance of putting effort behind those dreams. I have been friend and classmate to those who have had both realistic dreams that are backed by the much needed hard work and I have also witnessed those with highly ambitious dreams with no means of attainment. However, it is those with the skill to back their realistic dreams who are graduating from college, entering into successful careers, and starting their families on the road to what could be that middle class lifestyle that their parents could only "dream" of. Empty dreams with little to any work or realism are the true killers of the poor Americans' spirit. It robs them of the truth and slaves them to a life of "I should have" and "I could have".
        I'm grateful for the "harsh teachers" that I have encountered while in my youth as a child growing up in the inner city school system. They held a mirror to my face and other students like me so that we can see the truth behind the work of turning our future dreams into realizations. Instilling within us the importance of having great verbal skills, writing skills, and the ability to grasp more than just the basics were the tools that they provided us. They were not the nicest teachers, or people for that matter, they yelled and screamed and pushed and sometimes cursed and used profanity to get to some of our classmates who through the lack of discipline at home needed an authority figure to rectify their chaotic lifestyle. I'm the product of these "harsh teaching methods", but no way in the world would a soft-spoken laid back teacher have changed the students of my youth. For some students where I come from, soft methods produce few if any results. However, strict and brutally honest, forward and invasive, and tough loving teachers leave everlasting impressions and produce everlasting positive results that can aid an inner city child to reaching their true potential and most importantly their dreams.

Chapters 9 & 10 were less depressing, which was nice.  I am particularly interested to hear our future educator's opinions on chapter 9, since that is an issue I am not as familiar with as some of the others Shipler has covered.

No questions left after reading, sorry for my lack of guidance :(.

Excited to bring more together in class!

Thanks,
Joe

Chapter 10

I really liked the SOME organization, and the whole "welfare to work" movement.  I had never heard of an organization that could evolve with the social problems, as opposed to the single-problem initiatives that I've heard of before.  It's not hard to understand how difficult it must be to replace an entire social institution such as the family with a government association, yet it is comforting to see that change is happening.  Leary's story was really sad.  Just when you think the depressing stuff's over, it happens again.  And yet, it ended well.  I think all those Republican senators that are pushing for spending cuts should read this book and see what that spending is really doing, and how many people it is helping.

Chapter 9

There is something wonderful about hearing a young child's dreams of a bright future.  In their minds, it is so simple, so perfect.  The world to them is one that is honest, fair, efficient, goal-driven and nice.  Why it cannot be that way bothers me.  It makes no sense.  Reading about that teacher that was, to put it bluntly, crushing the hopes of the kids who dreamed of such a world was angering.  Our schools are home to many social issues covered in this chapter.  Shipler explains that teachers need to be supportive, yet firm.  In my opinion, it is WRONG to tell any person, young or old that they cannot do something.  Being encouraging would probably do more good than people realize.  Instead, teachers tell these kids that they cannot achieve these dreams, they can't do what they want to do because it isn't realistic.  That's stupid as hell in my mind because it is US that make it how it is, WE are the ones that make life how it is.  If the world was how we wanted it, we would never have to tell a kid they couldn't do something.  And I'm not trying to be hard on teachers, I understand that it is a very rigorous profession.  It's not just them, it's the void that exists between them and the kid's home lives.  Shipler makes a good point about the obvious void between home and school.  This is one of those things like Joe talked about with the vicious cycle, parents have no money, have to work, the kids have to fend for themselves, their grades suffer, they can't get into college, they're poor, and so on.  In my opinion, if we start fixing these smaller problems, such as being advocates for associations such as Home and School (St. Mary's Elementary in Glasgow has this) these will act as stepping stones, and turn the cycle around.