The terrible events on April 16 on the campus of Virginia Tech University have been recorded, reported and debated ad nausea in all media outlets for the past few weeks and when everything was said and done, they started all over again by looking at different angles etc. We do not intend to contribute here. Instead we want to focus on the recommendations and suggestions of those who allegedly ‘want to prevent these acts of terrors in the future’. As it shapes up, there are two clear fronts of attack: The liberals want more gun control laws and the conservatives suggest cutting back on political correctness.

It was amazing to see the reactions to the massacre at Virginia Tech within days if not even hours after it had occurred. The European press (liberal) blamed the massacre on the proliferation of guns in America, on the NRA and Charlton Heston while our American liberals decried the fact that there were just not enough laws controlling guns. In fact, MSNBC’s Keith Olberman in his blind hate for the President found a way to blame the VT massacre on President Bush and Republicans for not renewing a gun law a few years back. On the opposite side of the spectrum, conservatives argued that ‘Political Correctness’ had gone too far and was to be blamed for the massacre.

We here at Back to Common Sense believe that both sides have it, if not wrong at least partially incorrect. Common sense should tell us that we will never in this country do away with guns, we will never abolish the Second Amendment in our Constitution. On the other hand, Political Correctness is a reality in America that can also never be abolished or totally rescinded. Where does that leave us? Let’s not talk in terms of extremes but concentrate on the middle by asking the following questions:

• Is it acceptable that political correctness prevents parents who pay for their children’s education to obtain any scholastic information including grades about their kids from a University or College without the written permission of the children? Had this crazy gunman’s parents known more about their son and his demeanor/behavior on V.T.’s campus, would they not have been able to do something about it by possibly taking him out of V.T. or attempted to provide him with proper mental health care and treatments?

• Should we continue to have a “wall” preventing information sharing between the medical/mental health doctors or institutions and law enforcement agencies? From what is known in this case, complaints from other students and faculty members about this gunman went to a judge in a Virginia court but did not get shared with law enforcement agencies that could have possibly posted such incident on his record prior to obtaining the guns he bought?

• Is the overwhelming concern about not ‘impairing a person’s record’ so strong that the complaints about this fellow’s behavior and demeanor where simply considered not serious enough to put this in his criminal record or to at least keep an eye on him? Possible to even have procedures for follow-up interviews or counseling etc?

• From what we have heard and read, this guy did not act even remotely normal when he was on campus and even before that time when he attended high school. He shared a room in his dorm with other students but reportedly never spoke to them, never made eye contact, never participated in any group activities, even refused at times to speak up in classes he attended. The question is: Was it more important “not to crowd him and invade his space of privacy” than to maybe question him about it? If his behavior was not weird enough, what would constitute weird behavior in the eyes of school officials, be they faculty, administration or student organizations? This guy’s statements on video and in writing cite his objections to the behavior of ‘rich kids and their debaucheries’ among other things. From what we understand, this fellow was NOT bullied by other students; nor was he excluded from group activities in high school or at V.T.; he wanted it that way! He acted weird and the others left him alone. He was a loner and political correctness allowed him to become so isolated and to become so extreme that it would result in him going totally off the deep end.

Which brings us to gun control:

Does the Constitution guarantee everybody the right to buy any and as many handguns that are commercially available in a gun shop or elsewhere? Is it perfectly proper to sell handguns with clips that hold 30 bullets and buy as many of these clips as desirable? Reportedly, this murderer fired off over 200 shots in a very short time frame, this means that he bought many of those clips that can be easily ejected once emptied and replaced with loaded clips.

• Why is it that law makers at the federal and state levels pass gun laws and then put a time limit on them, in other words, why feel strong enough about this type of legislation but then allow it to lapse after five or ten years? If these lawmakers think that any type of gun control law is necessary, do not put a time limit on it! If in the future, other lawmakers write other legislation that either strengthens or weakens that particular law, they can include a clause that the existing law is “herewith superceded”. But why pass a law for a limited time only? It is absolutely absurd!

• Why can databases for background checks by gun shop owners not include anything pertaining to existing medical/mental health issues involving an individual? Poor eyesight (a medical condition), for instance, does not get you a driver’s license without wearing glasses. Should it be easier to buy a gun or as many guns as one wants to possess than to obtain a driver’s license? Why can these databases for gun purchases not be expanded to include any previous gun purchases by an applicant as well as data pertaining to mental health? We do this with driving violations and we record speeding tickets and other such incidents so that insurance companies know who is applying for insurance before providing insurance.

• The constitutionally guaranteed “right to bear arms” (in order to defend oneselves or pursue the hobby of hunting since nobody has to hunt for food anymore) does not put a limit on gun purchases, but does anybody need multiple guns with 30-clip ammunition for these purposes? 

These are questions that reasonable people should be able to discuss and debate in a search for recommendations for change together with other actions that can be taken without severely infringing on individual freedoms. To be realistic, we will never be able to prevent these kinds of atrocities or massacres in the future but let us also not fall into the trap of making major revisions in our society as a reaction to such events. Let us definitely not change our Constitution. We can make amends in our lives without changing the foundation of our country!

This article and others on Back to Common Sense are designed to provoke further thought and investigation.   It is not the intent for the articles to be politically biased. Sources are referenced in each article to encourage readers to delve into the supporting material.  We welcome all readers to participate with their point of view either in support or contrary with additional information sources.

Political Correctness versus Gun Control is a post from: Common Sense University

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     By sheer coincidence, we came across a book written about Jaime Escalante, the truly phenomenal teacher from Bolivia who enabled students at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles to master calculus and become shining examples of excellence in learning. His life’s story is incredibly impressive and was a joy to read: Escalante; The Best Teacher in America.

     Without reviewing his life in too much detail, it is prudent to remind ourselves that there have been giants in many professions and there are but a few who have experienced Jaime Escalante’s level of success. He was born in Bolivia and taught physics and mathematics there and developed the formula for his life-long creed:

Determination + Discipline + Hard Work = Success 

     In 1963, he immigrated to the United States and it took about ten years before he attained his teaching credentials, while working several other jobs during those years to sustain himself and his family. In 1974, he began teaching at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles where he was dismayed by the lack of preparation in his students, considering they were in high school. They barely understood fifth grade math. These students were not motivated at all. There were gangs and drug problems at this school. But Escalante doggedly continued by teaching basics, sticking to his principles and over some time, he not only gained the respect of his students, he inspired them. It took about five years before he could teach his first calculus class with only five students, two of which passed the Advanced Placement (A.P.) exam.

     The A.P. exam was a test of college-level math skills that was reportedly only taken by 3 percent of seniors preparing to enter college. Escalante considered these tests to be essential for his students to obtain skills they needed later on, to apply for and get high-paying jobs. It would force the students to learn analytical and problem-solving techniques they could apply throughout their professional life.

     He was right; many of his students continued their educations at such reputed institutions as Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Berkeley, UCLA and later became successful attorneys, dentists, research engineers, program managers, and administrators, among other such elevated professional positions.  Where are they now?

     In 1982, his calculus class had grown in size and 18 of his students passed the Advanced Placement calculus exam. The Educational Testing Service considered these scores suspect and failed the students accusing them of cheating. After some debate and negotiations, it was agreed that 14 of these students, could take this exam again and 12 of them passed the next test. This received attention in the national media and Escalante became known nationwide. A book was written about him and in 1988, it resulted in the movie “Stand and Deliver” featuring the events in 1982. Escalante received many awards for his achievements, such as the National Teachers Hall of Fame, the Presidential Medal for Excellence in Education (presented to him by President Ronald Reagan) and several honorary doctoral degrees from a variety of educational institutions.

     Of course, like many other successful persons, Escalante had his detractors. There were some administrators at Garfield High School who felt that he pushed his students too hard and they did not like his teaching methods, calling them simply too unorthodox. As a result of these spats, in 1991, he moved to Sacramento and continued to be the excellent teacher he had been and taught algebra and calculus until 1998 with equal success. Today, Escalante at age 76 is retired and lives in his native Bolivia but comes to the United States to visit with friends and his son’s family.

     Escalante is a great example from the past, however every year teachers like Escalante who are an inspiration to their profession are recognized by the National Teachers Hall of Fame, USA Today, etc. Unfortunately, these unsung Heroes don’t seem to get as much front-page attention as topics such as No Child Left Behind or poor student testing results.  Last week USA Today  recognized the determination, discipline and hard work that some of today’s teachers have employed to inspire and educate their students.  We here at “Back to Common Sense’ highly recommend Escalante’s book or the movie “Stand and Deliver,” or read the profiles of USA Today’s All Star teachers to fully appreciate the efforts of those that choose to educate America’s youth with similar dedication.  Please stay tuned for other educational articles. 
     This article and others on Back to Common Sense are designed to provoke further thought and investigation.   It is not the intent for the articles to be politically biased. Sources are referenced in each article to encourage readers to delve into the supporting material.  We welcome all readers to participate with their point of view either in support or contrary with additional information sources.

Inspirational Teachers . . . is a post from: Common Sense University

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     It does not seem to matter how much money the State of California allocates for education, it appears that it is never enough. During the just completed campaign for governor resulting in the re-election of Arnold Schwarzenegger, members of the teacher’s union attacked the governor relentlessly that he was not trustworthy because he had broken promises he had made to them earlier. These campaign slogans were repeated endlessly until election-day even though the 2006/2007 state budget had been passed in June of this year. The annual budget had allocated over 66 billion dollars towards education according to their website - yes, that’s billions!

     According to an editorial in the San Diego Tribune published on December 3, 2006, page G2, the schools in the State get $11,268 average ($10,996 according to CA budget) per pupil for school year 06/07. They further assert in the article that budgets will jump 30 percent by 2010, i.e., in four years. The article also states and we quote:

     “Some administrators complain that the declining enrollment will erase the gains, because schools are paid by the student. San Diego Unified, for example, has lost 20,000 students since 1999. This ought to be good news. Fewer students mean fewer teachers, buses and portable buildings. Well-managed districts will scale back operations accordingly and use the extra cash to improve education”.

     Let us compare this with a private High school (grades 9 to 12) in West Los Angeles called Chaminade College Preparatory School. On their website one can find that the annual tuition for each student is $9,350 for the current school year. This school is much sought after by those who want their children to get an excellent education and they are willing to pay the tuition, the school received the ‘National Blue Ribbon School’ award in 1998 for outstanding achievements.

     Comparing public and private school funding shows that, at least in California, there is no big gap in favor of private schools, to the contrary, we now have achieved parity when it comes to funding. Under funding education in public schools should therefore no longer be an excuse used to explain lower achievement averages for students in public schools.

     Enter the California Teachers Association (CTA), the largest professional employee organization – union – representing more than 340,000 public school teachers, counselors, psychologists, librarians and other non-supervisory, certified personnel. CTA is affiliated with the 3.2 million-member National Education Association (NEA). In addition, more than 1,100 chapters or local teachers associations are chartered as CTA affiliates: The California Faculty Association (CFA), the bargaining agent for professors in the CaliforniaState University system and the Community College Association (CCA), representing members in 42 chapters who work in 72 community college districts across the state. This information can be verified on CTA’s website.

     The numbers clearly show the power that this union has and it is using its muscle at every opportunity. When Governor Schwarzenegger in 2005 placed Proposition 74 on the November ballot, it was defeated on the strengths of the vehement opposition by the teachers union and their allies. As the San Diego Union Tribune stated main goals of Prop.74 were to:

v     Increase the probationary period for beginning teachers to five years from two years.

v     This would only apply to teachers whose probation period began during or after fiscal year 2003-04.

v     It would allow school districts to fire a teacher without offering a specific reason during this probationary period.

v     And it would allow school districts to fire a tenured teacher who received two consecutive unsatisfactory performance evaluations. The teacher would have 30 days to request a hearing before an administrative law judge.

     And while it was a fresh and good attempt by the Governor at school reform, the proposition failed! There are hardly any other professions were employees get tenured. No job is guaranteed for life in any industry that we know of, but teachers just have to meet standards for two years before they can become tenured, i.e., a paycheck for life!

     Any attempt at giving parents vouchers whose children are in poorly performing schools to spend the money at private or other better performing public schools is almost instantly attacked with venom by the teachers unions. Even the 2001 Federal legislation called the “No child left behind” Act is still considered “seriously flawed and has been under funded” by the Federal Government according to CTA. There is that excuse again: Under Funding! That is the reason for not achieving the set goals under this Act. According to data on CTA’s website, 44 % of California’s public schools failed to make the annual yearly progress (AYP) under the NCLB and 19% of schools failed to meet the federal AYP for the second consecutive year and are now subject to federally mandated sanctions. This is truly a sad state of affairs since the law’s implementation.

     This now warrants the question: How much money is needed to achieve satisfying results? What if we were to double the annual school budgets in California, would that bring the desired results? It should allow for significant pay raises for the teachers, should it not? Would increased pay lead to better teaching or would this money simply be absorbed into educational bureaucracy?  Since increasing budgets has led to declining test results, common sense tells us that money isn’t the answer and the system is fundamentally broken.  Fifty years ago the system wasn’t broken and it was “fixed.”  Now the system is broken and no one is discussing fixing it.

     There is apparently no easy way to reach consensus among the people. But in fairness, we want to clearly state that we think Not all teachers are performing at the same level. To the contrary, there are many impressive teachers and educators that can truly do what their titles imply: Teach and Educate! But if we as a country are serious about ‘Not leaving any children behind’, then we have to have competent teachers and educators in every classroom not just in California but, in fact, in every state of America.

     To summarize then the facts:

1.      The teachers unions reject serious reforms but want more money,

2.      The legislatures in California seem to agree with that and give in to the unions by allocating more money for education.

3.      Test scores and grades by students do not rise across the board.

4.      We the people do not like it but seem to be unwilling to do anything about it.

     We here at Consider Common Sense are disheartened when we believe that there will never be enough money for education to end the excuses and explanations by the members of the teachers unions for underperformance by our public school students. Why is accountability not applied when it comes to educating our children, our future? Or are we simply asking too much when we want to see higher test scores by every child in every school, especially when we spend at least as much if not more money per pupil in public schools than is needed in private schools where the results are much better? Is the status quo acceptable? It should not be!  Are the multiple excuses, reasons and explanations by the teaching establishment not to be questioned by the public? They should be!  We would like to invite all to a dialogue on this topic.
     This article and others on Back to Common Sense are designed to provoke further thought and investigation.   It is not the intent for the articles to be politically biased. Sources are referenced in each article to encourage readers to delve into the supporting material.  We welcome all readers to participate with their point of view either in support or contrary with additional information sources.

Will there ever be enough money? is a post from: Common Sense University

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