EDUCATION AND GEOMETRIC PROGRESSION

Are you familiar with geometric progression?

In mathematics, a geometric progression, also known as a geometric sequence, is a sequence of numbers where each term after the first is found by multiplying the previous one by a fixed non-zero number called the common ratio.

OK...that's tough.

Simplified it means a series of numbers resulting from multiplying any number by something and then multiplying each resulting number by the same something.

3 X 3 = 9; 9 X 3 = 27; 27 X 3 = 81.

Each result in the above example is multiplied by the same number, "3."

A special case of geometric progression is when a number doubles constantly.

3 X 2 = 6; 6 X 2 = 12; 12 X 2 = 24, etc.

This geometric progression demonstrates the reason why you would be a fool NOT to go to work for someone who offered to pay you a penny the first day of work and to double every day, 7 days a week.

By the end of the first month, you would be a millionaire.

That is what has happened in our government (formerly "public") education system.

In 1887, a very influential educator named, John Dewey, was an educational psychologist at the University of Michigan. He published two books: Psychology and Leibniz's New Essays Concerning the Human Understanding.

There were others, as well, but what you need to know is that his books set about to change the discipline of psychology, especially as it relates to the field of education.

He is the father of educational behaviorism, what has evolved into educational humanism, almost universally followed by teachers in government schools.

It was also from Dewey that we began the process of extricating religious thought from school.

Dewey, while honoring the important role that religious institutions and practices played in human life, rejected belief in any static ideal, such as a theistic God. Dewey felt that only scientific method could reliably further human good.

His ideas eventually became widely accepted in academia (though never 100% so).

So what has this to do with geometric progressions?

He taught a given number of students, a certain percentage of whom adopted his beliefs and teaching model.

A certain number of those students became professors and taught those beliefs and models in their classrooms.

In turn, a certain number of those students accepted their professors' beliefs and models and so-forth and so-on ad infinitum.

At a certain point, the majority of professors and teachers of teachers were teaching one form or another of "Deweyism," especially as it relates to the philosophy of education and its methodology.

It took years for "Deweyism" to reach the half-way point in terms of adherents, but then it snowballed until today, most government school teachers utilize his ideas.

Today, very few teachers know where the methods and ideas they teach by came from, but in one way or another most of them, in the educational system, can be traced back to Dewey.

To be sure there have been hundreds of variants on Dewey's philosophy revealed in his books, but the basics are still there.

In my state, using the methods Dewey espoused in one or more of their many variations, we graduate students from high school, 30% of whom cannot read their own diploma.

This has caused considerable concern among educational leaders who have seen as the solution a more stringent application of the methods and philosophies that haven't yet worked.

One of the methods used unsuccessfully in our government schools has been: a behavioral psychological approach that has diminished the requirement of knowledge and has replaced it with good intentions.

Thus if a student had the math problem: 2 + 2 + __, and put a "5" in the blank, and if in the opinion of the teacher, the student was really trying and meant well, the fact that he/she got the wrong answer is overlooked and credit is given for the effort.

Students taught by this approach are NOT the ones I want piloting the airplane on my next flight.

We need to contact our lawmakers and tell them that we would like to start a new geometric progression in education...one that returns our students to creating a foundation of knowledge upon which we can build in them logical, critical thinking by which they can arrive a correct conclusions about a problem, math or otherwise.

Also tell them that we would like control of our school systems returned to the local level, so that we will once again have public schools, not government schools.

Note: Schools became government schools when they began accepting greater and greater amounts of government money, with which came more and more government rules.

FULL OF IT

I have been accused of being full of it before, but let me tell you, today, beyond any shadow of a doubt, without fear of contradiction, as sure as taxes and death, today...

I AM FULL OF IT!!

Turkey, dressing, gravy, sweet potatoes, green beans, 7-layer salad, cranberry sauce, and apple pie, that is.

WHENCE THANKSGIVING?

I listened with interest and wonder as a newscaster proclaimed how he "...loved Thanksgiving because it came with no religious baggage."

Actually, it comes with plenty of Christian "baggage."

To begin with, the first thanksgiving meal was very like a church covered dish dinner.

The party lasted three days.

Now THAT's my kind of covered dish dinner!

It was held by the Mayflower survivors, of the Plymouth Plantation, after their first harvest, and was a celebration of food and feasting in the fall of 1621.

Indian chiefs Massassoit, Squanto and Samoset joined in the celebration with ninety of their men in the three-day event.

It was a day of thanksgiving to God.

Not to the Indians, as is often taught today, but to God for His provision.

Originally, the band of settlers had lived in Great Britain.

Unhappy because they were pressured to become part of the Church of England, and wanting to worship God in theie own way, they left the country and went to Holland.

Holland's politico/religious climate was not all it was cracked up to be, so they finally set sail for the New World, where they would have freedom of worship.

There were many hardships and illnesses, both at sea and when they reached what is now Plymoth Rock.

They held regular prayer meetings and worship services, asking God to bless their homes and their crops.

The harvest of 1621 was bountiful, leading to the covered dish affair mentioned above.

During the 1700s, it was common practice for individual colonies to observe days of thanksgiving throughout each year.

A Thanksgiving Day two hundred years ago was a day set aside for prayer and fasting, not a day marked by plentiful food and drink as is today's custom.

In 1789, George Washington issued a Thanksgiving Decree entitled "General Thanksgiving." The decree appointed the day "to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God."

Here is the complete text of the proclamation:

General Thanksgiving

By the PRESIDENT of the United States Of America A PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houfes of Congress have, by their joint committee, requefted me "to recommend to the people of the United States a

DAY OF PUBLICK THANSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to eftablifh a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and affign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of thefe States to the fervice of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our fincere and humble thanksfor His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the fignal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpofitions of His providence in the courfe and conclufion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have fince enjoyed;-- for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to eftablish Conftitutions of government for our fafety and happinefs, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;-- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are bleffed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffufing useful knowledge;-- and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleafed to confer upon us.

And also, that we may then unite in moft humbly offering our prayers and fupplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and befeech Him to pardon our national and other tranfgreffions;-- to enable us all, whether in publick or private ftations, to perform our feveral and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a bleffing to all the people by conftantly being a Government of wife, juft, and conftitutional laws, difcreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all fovereigns and nations (especially fuch as have shewn kindnefs unto us); and to blefs them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increafe of fcience among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind fuch a degree of temporal profperity as he alone knows to be beft.

GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand feven hundred and eighty-nine.

(signed) G. Washington

In 1941, Thanksgiving was finally sanctioned by Congress as a legal holiday, as the fourth Thursday in November.

So there you have it.

A holiday rooted in Christianity still celebrated, but fewer and fewer people know why.

But now YOU know why.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

CRITICAL MASS

I believe we have reached the point of critical mass.

What I mean by that is that we have ceded enough power to the federal government that there is no turning back.

The power has made them drunk and they will do absolutely anything to: 1)keep the power; 2) garner more power; 3) use that power to control the population (that's you and me).

This power is not exclusive to the Democrats.

This power has found its way into the Oval Office, the President's Cabinet, government bureaucracies, the Democrat controlled Congress, the Democrat controlled Senate and the Supreme Court of the United States.

The yielding of that power has reached the electorate, who are pleased to elect those who seek and know how to wield that power.

We have, in my humble, but correct, opinion, reached critical mass.

I DON'T UNDERSTAND...WHY DON'T YOU TRUST US?

I know! I know!

Here's what we'll do: We'll set aside $750,000,000,000.00 to apportion out to AIG, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and a couple of others, and we'll be out of this mess in a heartbeat.

No! No! No!

It won't escalate.

$750,000,000,000.00 tops. That's all.

No! No!

There's no slippery slope.

Trust us...we're your government.

We know what we're doing.

Why you tax payers will hardly notice.

Just $750,000,000,000.00...a trillion dollars, tops.

Not a penny more than a trillion-and-a-half.

Give-or-take.

Look...what we need is only half the value of everything produced in the nation last year.

Just $7,000,000,000,000.00. (For you public school students, that's seven-trillion dollars...just short of ten times the original estimate).

That's all.

(My grandchildren thank you, Feds)

Want to know more?: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=arEE1iClqDrk

Addendum: Please go here" Social Sense and watch the video. It's not too long, but it reveals everything you need to know.

WHAT TO DO WITH MSM?

I have been reading other blogs with posts about the mess we are in.

For the most part, they are well thought out, logical essays on where we are. A few offer some form of solution.

One of my current favorites is The Oklahoma Patriot, whose "Manifesto" post suggests some viable solutions, or at least a solid philosophy.

Another, Social Sense , has a video you need to see.

Then there is solution oriented, Conservative Convictions.

Fact is, almost all of the blogs in my blog-roll are worth the read, but are not the only ones around.

I have a slightly different viewpoint as to where the actual, if unlikely, solution is found.

It is my belief that the Main Stream Media, has gone beyond getting in bed with the political left, and has actually become one with them.

Their unmitigated delight at the election of BO is so obvious as to be more than a little sickening.

They have gone so far as to join with Al Sharpton in calling him President Obama.

To the best of my knowledge, George Bush is still the President of The United States of America until January 20th.

So my proposal is that we begin the process of finding ways to infiltrate, buy out or otherwise take over the MSM and return it to a protector FROM the government, instead of a protector OF the left wing side of government.

I would like your serious suggestions as to how this might be accomplished, if, indeed, it can be.

IT JUST FRIES MY GRITS!

Governor Sarah Palin pardoned a turkey today.

What made the news?

The fact that other turkeys were being slaughtered behind her.

Newscasters all read the story from the same whatever news feed, as they lamented the plight of the poor birds behind her.

Well, I wonder where people think that Thanksgiving feast comes from?

That golden brown, crisp, flavorful thing in the middle of the table, the one with the two little stubs sticking up and the crooked little thingies on the side and the little heart shaped gizmo on the back end we used to call "the pope's nose" (the tail, for those of you who don't get it), was in days of yore a feathered frenzy of stupidity, gobbling away on some turkey farm.

Then, some weeks before it got to your table, it was unceremoniously dispatched, de-feathered, washed and frozen. After that it was shipped to your local grocer, where it sat until you had mercy on it and bought it for your Thanksgiving meal.

My sister, having learned how animals are "prepared" for consumption, became a vegetarian.

That's a good thing.

Left more meat for me.

Eat your celery-heart out, PETA! I'm having turkey for Thanksgiving and, as long as "they" kept the salmonella out, I don't much care where it came from or how it came to be in my local supermarket.

I can hardly wait to sink my teeth into that succulent bird.

I want one of those behind Sarah Palin.

Being a sort of gross type, my favorite parts are (in order): the tail, the heart, the liver and the back...you know, the part with all the bones.

I have made myself hungry.

I'm going for a sandwich.

A turkey sandwich.