Teachers, Truth, and The World

      As I read and hear about the events in CO last week a thought emerged.  In the last 20 years we have become a society where education systems are told no one can be left behind.  No one can be told they are not the smartest, fastest, strongest, etc.  Parents want a feel good society in schools.  Teachers and coaches can not be honest with those kids.  So when someone is told the truth, the first reaction is to act out.  Tragic events are caused by all of us, which means it takes all of us to prevent them.  Parents, you should demand teachers and coaches that expect the best from your kids.  You should demand honesty, even if it hurts.  Teachers who expect nothing and want all to feel good are NOT helping your kids OR the world.

      Any teacher and / or coach who is liked by all is NOT doing their job.  I hope all like and respect me, but I know that will never be the case if I do my job.  No matter what I do, some will be upset.  Others can say what they want, but I know that I do not sugar coat things.  While others say the words "It is for the kids" they do not mean that as their actions show.  School boards, administration, staff to often say those words but they really only mean "for SOME of the kids".   Sadly I have witnessed educators say they want to hear from the students and what they want, but then they ignore those same voices because of a few people who believe their "names" mean more than everyone else. 

      The sick feeling I get when I read or hear of these events is because we can do better.  More money is not the answer.  The answer is a return to honesty.  Yes that will hurt at times, but it will help all to improve their lives.  By improving each of our individual lives we will be improving the world we all live in.  Parents, continue to want the best for your children but also balance that with what is best for the whole.  As a teacher and coach I have to do what is best for the whole.  I can not worry about one or two.  As a parent I had the luxury of only having to want the best for my son.  But I have always tried to see the whole picture even if it meant my son did not star. 

      Any of my former players will know this to be true.  ALL were treated the same, from starter to the last sub.  ALL of my students know they were treated the same.  I hope to always put into action the words I speak.

The New Pope: I like Him!

'I'm no Marxist', Pope Francis tells conservative critics

Reuters By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis, responding to conservative criticisms that his economic and social ideas smack of communism, said in an Italian newspaper interview on Sunday that he is not a Marxist but that even Marxists can be good people.

Francis also denied reports that he would name a woman cardinal, said there was good progress in cleaning up Vatican finances and confirmed that he would visit Israel and the Palestinian territories next year, La Stampa said.

Last month, American radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, who has a huge following in the United States, railed against the pope for written comments made on the world economy.  Limbaugh, who is not Catholic, said that parts of the document were "pure Marxism coming out of the mouth of the pope" and suggested that someone else had written the papal document for him. He also accused the pope of going "beyond Catholicism" and being "purely political".

Asked about the accusations, which sparked a debate in the media and blogosphere last month, Francis, a member of the all-male Jesuit order associated with progressive social policies, said, "Marxist ideology is wrong. But in my life I have known many Marxists who are good people, so I don't feel offended."

He has also been criticized by other conservatives. In last month's document, seen as a platform for his papacy, Francis attacked unfettered capitalism as "a new tyranny" said an "economy of exclusion and inequality" had proven to be deadly for many people around the world. In his response to the critics, Francis said he was not speaking "as a technician but according to the social doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, and this does not mean being Marxist". He said he was just trying to present a "snapshot of what is happening" in the world today.  In another document last week, Francis said huge salaries and bonuses were symptoms of an economy based on greed and called again for nations to narrow the wealth gap.

Conservatives in the 1.2 billion member Church have expressed concern and disappointment about some of the pope's pronouncements, such as when he said he was not in a position to judge homosexuals who are people of good will sincerely seeking God. Asked about speculation that a woman could be among the new cardinals he will appoint early next year, he said: "I don't know where that idea comes from. Women in the Church should be valued, not 'clericalised'." In other parts of the interview, Francis also said a committee of eight cardinals from around the world who are advising him on changes to the Vatican structure would make its first formal recommendations to him in February but that reform would be a "lengthy task".

He said that reform of the Vatican's sometimes murky finances was "on the right path" and expressed satisfaction that last week a Council of Europe committee called Moneyval gave the Vatican a good evaluation of its efforts to abide by international financial standards. He said he had not yet decided what to do about the Vatican bank, which has been touched by scandals over the decades. In the past he has not ruled out closing it.

Francis said he was "getting ready" to go to the Holy Land next year to mark the 50th anniversary of when Pope Paul VI became the first pope in modern times to visit there.  He has been invited by both Israel and the Palestinian Authority to make a visit, which is expected to take place in May or June.

How the Other Half Lives - 2013

     How in a country like ours does this type of thing happen?  This is a disgrace to all of us.

http://www.nytimes.com/projects/2013/invisible-child/?chapt=1#/?src=mv?WT.mc_id=NYT-YHO-NYT-IC_P1?chapt=1&chapt=1