Trustworty blog? i think not

While searching for blogs about teachers / parents who help teach children with disabilities I came across this extreemly rude blog. www.tard-blog.com
I've been reading it trying to figure out what it's about, but basically i think its a blog where teachers can relieve stress about silly happenings in the classroom. I find this site extreemly offensive and the horror stories that are on there i can't believe to be true. I then looked at some of the links on the side and i'm thinking all these blogs are to make fun of whatever they're about. A site like this scares me about how trusting can we be on the internet?
How can we let our children / students have free range, when we ourselves aren't sure of all the options yet?

Inspirational Poem

Don't Quit

~Author Unknown~

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you're trudging seems al up hill,

When the funds are low and the debt are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is Queer with its twists and turns,

 As everyone of us sometimes learns,

And many a failure turns about

When he might have won had he stuck it out;

Don't give up, though the pace seems slow-

You might succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than

It seems to a faint and faltering man,

Often the struggler has given up

When he might have captures the victors cup.

And he learned too late, when the nigh slipped down,

How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out-

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt-

And you never can tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems afar;

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-

It's when things seems worst that you mustn't quit.

ASB Chicago!

Last Spring Break I lead an Alternative Spring Break trip to Chicago IL.  Now you my think, "Spring Break, you're supposed to be going somewhere warm, not were there is more snow"!  I took a group of 12 U-Maine students to work with the boys and girls of the James R. Jordan Boys and Girls Club.  

It was such an inspirational time as well as challenging.  First off we were a bunch of white people, most of us from Maine, going to an area of strictly black and Hispanic cultures.  It took a day for the students to trust us, because unfortunately they've been taught not to.  After that first day when the 3 boys on our trip, schooled some of the club boys at basketball, we had some respect.  

We tutored, played games, played sports, taught, danced, laughed, smiled, and had just an amazing time!  

The Last day we were there, Friday, March 7 2008 there was a shooting at the local high school only 2 miles down the road.  The Club was on full alert and we were kept very safe.  The shooting was over a hat that had a clock in it.  The shooter was actually at one time a member of the club.  The student who was shot was killed and another student was beaten to death wit a golf club. 

It sound horrendous, and i bet you're wondering why i say this was an amazing trip.  You never know once you have violence in your face, how bad some folks have it.  We were able to make these students happy for a week.  That was our job and we did it well!  

How to get involved?

You will:

• Develop and lead a hands-on learning project in your field of expertise
• Lead a small team of middle school students once a week for 10 weeks
• Help students create a real product, performance, or presentation- what we call a WOW!
• Receive close support from a Citizen School' trained educator

For Example:

Marybeth is a consultant at a Stock Brokerage in Boston, MA. She got involved with Citizen Schools as a volunteer with help from her friend David.

Her job was to help the 14-16 year old students learn how to save money for a car and where the best deals to by a car was.
She helped the students work with spreadsheets on how they'll save the money they earn or are given. They class went on field trips to car dealerships and banks for talks about loans.

After her time spent with the students they all had an upper hand in budgeting and saving their money!

A Week in the life of a Citizen School Kid

A Week @ Citizen Schools:

Monday

3:00pm Opening Circle

3:15pm Academic Support:  Reinforce school-day learning with academic support, team- building activities, and a culture of achievement.  These professionals contact the students teachers on a regular basis and stay on top of the lessons in class.  

4:30pm Apprenticeship I: Citizen schools recruits volunteers from business, civic institutions, & communities.  These professionals teach a 90-minute session twice a week for 11 weeks, with hands on learning projects.  they teach leadership, teamwork, oral communication and about technology.

6:00pm Dismissal

Tuesday:

3:00pm Opening Circle

3:25pm Academic Support

4:30pm School Navigation: Teaches 6Th grade students study skills in order to become better students.  

5:30pm Team-Building

6:00pm Dismissal

Wednesday:

3:00pm Opening Circle

3:15pm Academic Support

4:30pm Apprenticeship II

6:00pm Dismissal

Thursday:

3:00pm Opening Circle

3:15pm Academic Support

4:30pm Exploration: Exposes apprentices to the cultures, flavors and traditions of their city.   youth are challenged to test new ways of thinking about their world through experiences both in and out of the classroom.  off-campus explorations may take students to a local university, a distinctive neighborhood, a museum or a nature center. On-campus explorations teach students everything from new dances to hunger awareness, bringing the community into the classroom.  

5:45pm Closing Circle

6:00pm Dismissal

What is Citizen Schools?

Citizen Schools! It's Time!  It's time for Maine to get on the bandwagon and create one of these schools for themselves.  Citizen Schools was founded in 1995 to bring new solutions to the challenge of young adult education: more time, more relevance, and more caring adults.  This program deals with students from grades 6Th, 7Th and 8Th.  Their Programs complement classroom learning by engaging students in hands-on learning projects by adult volunteers after school and supported by a staff of professional educators.  

Children spend just 20% of their waking hours in school.  but a child's capacity to learn doesn't en with the final bell.  After-school programs can do so much more than what we so often expect of them--just keeping kids off the street-- and make real impact on their education.  

When People learn by doing, and teach others, too, research shows that kids (and adults) learn faster and more deeply. That's why Citizen Schools apprentices (students who stay after school) don't just study newspapers-- they publish their own.  They don't just use the Web-- they design websites for their schools.  The result is feelings of confidence, self-discipline, and mastery.  

Every Community is blessed with thousands of born teachers.  Professional and laborers, athletes and artists, young and old-- all of us can teach from the unique textbooks of our lives.  citizen Schools trains and supports these Citizen Teachers to play powerful roles in the lives of kids, and builds strong links between parents and school, neighborhoods and downtown institutions, and kids and adults.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeqoWmUPChl