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Re: Harvard prof wants government to ban 'authoritarian' practice of homeschooling

Barbara Leary — Wed, 22 Apr 2020 04:09:16 -0000

In some places there are standards. In others not so much. If the parent is good at this, then of course the outcome will be better than a public school. If I could teach just ONE kid and focus all my attention on him/her then that kid would be amazing.We could get through the regular curriculum in half the time and spend the rest going on field trips, doing projects, all kinds of things which public schools - with 30 student classes - don't have the resources to do. But then I'm a teacher with a masters degree and 50 years experience (not an exaggeration). The program is as good as the parent running it.

Re: Harvard prof wants government to ban 'authoritarian' practice of homeschooling

Barbara Leary — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 17:03:35 -0000

Teaching is hard. I'm not talking about ideology - I'm talking about English, math science, history. How many parents are actually qualified to teach those things. You can't deny that some home-schooling parents don't do much. Some parents are great at finding the resources to teach their kids but others don't have a clue. At a certain point if the kid can't prove he can multiply or write a paragraph or know what photosynthesis is, do you really want to let that parent continue to "home school?" The kid will be unemployable as an adult.

Re: Mario Lopez walks back remarks on kids and gender identity

Barbara Leary — Thu, 01 Aug 2019 04:25:39 -0000

Just what qualifications do celebrities have to tell other people how to run their personal lives? Respect other people and mind your own business. This guy, and all entertainers, should stick to things they know something about. I don't ask my 20 year old hairdresser with great vision whether I should have cataract surgery.

Re: Florida school principal removed after parent says he refused to call Holocaust 'factual' - ABC News

Barbara Leary — Tue, 09 Jul 2019 03:16:54 -0000

Schools are supposed to stand up for truth. Denying factual truth is certainly conduct unbecoming an educator. I suppose this guy can't say with certainty that the earth is round either. This guy needs to be fired - he's going to be a "distraction" no matter what position he holds in the school system.

Re: Schools still struggling with how to teach about slavery

Barbara Leary — Sat, 06 Jul 2019 13:24:16 -0000

Slavery still exists all over the world and has throughout history. Why? Because people can make money from taking advantage of less powerful people. If we are going to teach the facts, we are going to have to teach that the people who benefit from slavery are immoral scum. Yet many, especially in the south still object to taking down confederate memorials or banning the confederate battle flag. To me that says many really don't accept that slavery was wrong and their ancestors were garbage. (White people who think they are better than blacks today are garage in my opinion.) Before we can teach about slavery we have to accept that it was WRONG.

Re: Princeton High School yearbook photo stirs controversy

Barbara Leary — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 12:37:18 -0000

OK, folks. I'm a yearbook advisor. When I get this submission just what do I do? Tell the girl she can't use it and be accused of censorship or start a controversy apparently because she used the word "nigger?" If I tell her she can't use anything controversial, who decides what that is? Recently a yearbook advisor was put under investigation because "Trump" was photoshopped off their shirts. No one can say Trump isn't controversial. There is no winning here.

Re: Stephen King Says Republicans Are Mean To Poor People. Here Are 7 Statistics Showing They're Not.

Barbara Leary — Sun, 26 Mar 2017 17:04:20 -0000

If you right wingers think your way is so successful, then why are the red states so much poorer, less educated, and less economically successful than the blue states? Why does the economy always do better under democratic presidents (do some research and you'll that's true) while republicans bring recessions and wars? Why can you possibly think that health care is not a basic right? I live in MA, the bluest blue state, where health insurance was required before Obamacare. We have the best public education, best higher education, best hospitals, a high average income, and low unemployment. Unemployed? Move here and you can have your choice of unskilled jobs paying at least $10 an hour to start. Instead of hoping for coal mines to reopen, get some education - even just a technical education - and earn a high salary. Ironically, a lot of the taxes paid by blue liberals like me go to help poor states where uneducated people call me a "Libtard." If the red states were on their own they would sink like a rock.

Re: Gov. Baker Slashed Funding for Opioid, HIV, and Elder Care Programs

Barbara Leary — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 18:46:19 -0000

I'm a taxpayer. I think you are missing the point. Short term savings that result in higher expenses later do the taxpayer no favor. I see this constantly in government - failure to invest in maintaining things, whether it be bridges and highways or programs which solve human problems, results in higher costs down the line. How about, for example, we take all the money we waste jailing people for non-violent crimes and spend it on keeping old people out of nursing homes.

Re: WOW! Facebook analytics reveal a clean sweep for Donald Trump in this election! Sweeping 42 of the 50 states! INCLUDING NEW YORK!

Barbara Leary — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 05:03:42 -0000

Calling Obama a monkey disqualifies everything you say.

Re: 2016 President – Winner – PredictWise

Barbara Leary — Sun, 28 Aug 2016 09:51:53 -0000

Clinton isn't perfect, but Trump is nuts. Is he capable of getting up every day and working hard at a job where he can't make extra money by scamming people? I doubt it. He'll have to work really hard because he knows NOTHING about the job. Does he really even want this job or is it all a big publicity stunt? There's a reason why polls give Hillary a 90% chance of winning. Most people are not stupid. The poor coal miners support Trump because he says he supports coal. I guess they don't realize that nearly everything that comes out of this guy's mouth is a lie. I'm curious. Just what do you Trump supporters think that Trump is going to do for you? Seriously? What? I realize you want change, but sometimes change is worse than what you have now. People tell me I'm good at my job, which is teaching math, but that doesn't mean you should hire me to be the new chef in your restaurant. Let's use some common sense here.

Re: Secret Service Whistleblower: Hillary Has Major Neurological Problems » Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!

Barbara Leary — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 06:59:54 -0000

This thread is a riot. Is there ONE person on this thread who is a doctor and who has either examined Hillary or her medical records? I'm betting not.

Re: Duck Dynasty Star Thrown Out of Trump Hotel – Then Donald DOES THIS!

Barbara Leary — Sun, 21 Aug 2016 20:30:24 -0000

There are approximately 150 million registered voters in the whole country. Polls say about 40% of them support Trump.

Re: Paul Ryan's Primary Opponent Asks 'Why Do We Have Muslims in the Country'

Barbara Leary — Sat, 06 Aug 2016 04:11:49 -0000

Why do we have Muslins in this country? He said that? News flash. Muslins are the third biggest religion in this country. They have been here for generations. Muhammad Ali was a muslim. Even Dr. OZ is a muslim. If most muslims were out to kill the rest of us, then we'd all be dead. Maybe this guy should read a history book about why American was founded. This is like saying most (maybe all) serial killers are white males, so we should deport all white males. We could start with him.

Re: A Message For Christians About Donald Trump

Barbara Leary — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 13:16:22 -0000

Maybe, Mr. Root, Trump is God's way of testing us to see if we really follow the teaching of Jesus (love your neighbor) or we prefer hate.

Re: 11 States Sue Obama Administration Over Transgender Bathroom Directive

Barbara Leary — Wed, 25 May 2016 18:27:03 -0000

File all the lawsuits you want. Discrimination is illegal. If these states want to waste their taxpayer money trying to prove how bigoted they are then go ahead. I'd be outraged if I lived in any of these states.

Re: ‘Clock Boy’ Ahmed Demands $15 Million from Taxpayers

Barbara Leary — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 04:47:15 -0000

If my kid was treated this way then I would sue. I would hope any parent would sue if their kid was mistreated this way. The school and police used bad judgment on a child. Not cool. However, the way they are going about this isn't too smart either. Just take it to court and see what the ruling is - don't make it look like you are trying to "shake down" the city first.

Re: 10th Obamacare Co-Op Closes Down

Barbara Leary — Sat, 31 Oct 2015 06:59:20 -0000

Here in MA everyone has been required to have health insurance since 2006, ironically a Romney program. I don't see anyone here protesting against that. Health care should be a basic service, like plowing the roads or putting out fires. The fact that many don't think that is bizarre to me. We so called "liberals" would be happy with a more efficient system such as single-payer. Obamacare is a compromise because the insurance companies are not giving up their honey pot. The real issue, however, is the unnecessarily high cost of health care. Why aren't the pols talking about that? The "failure" of Obamacare is that a lot of people STILL are not insured. Why are people not enraged that our life expectancy is lower than dozens of other countries? The "greatest country in the world" should have the highest life expectancy and the lowest infant mortality rate. We don't come close. It appears that a national health service is the only way to fix that.

Re: Judge jails Kentucky clerk for refusing marriage licenses - WGME - Portland ME Top Stories - News, Sports, Weather, Traffic

Barbara Leary — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 15:49:01 -0000

Liberal or conservative, the judge had no choice.Sadly this woman needs to be kept in jail until she agrees to resign. No matter what she is told, she really thinks her views are more important than those of the Supreme Court.

Re: California Dad's Amazing Reaction to Son Choosing a Doll for a Birthday Gift

Barbara Leary — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 05:12:46 -0000

Do people think that letting boys play with dolls will make them gay? Is that why this is even considered news? I'm a non-gay woman who played with trucks and construction sets as a kid. I never wanted doll. So what? Let the kid have what he wants.

Re: Clovis Unified says Anthony wasn't forgotten. Technically, he wasn't a student at the school | abc30.com

Barbara Leary — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 07:10:32 -0000

I'm a yearbook advisor. People think that yearbook deadlines are in April or May. Mine is in February. Without more information we don't know if including a memorium page was possible - probably not. The article implies that the young man was not officially a student at the school. Yearbook staffs go by the roster lists given to them by administration. At my school, if a student has no class schedule, then he is not considered a student and would not be on the roster list. If the student wasn't on that list, then he would not have been included. Staffs and advisors are not in the business of deciding which kids to include. This kid was an underclassman so the advisor may not have even realized he why he didn't have a photo or wasn't on the roster. I doubt the yearbook staff knew about this kid, thought he was going to die that spring, and made an intentional decision to leave him out to be mean. That's absurd. It is entirely possible that the following year's book - when he would have graduated - would include a memorium page. I personally was screamed at by a parent for leaving her son out of the senior portrait section of the yearbook. We did that because the administration said he didn't have enough credits to graduate - therefore he wasn't really a senior. Deaths are a much more difficult thing to deal with. No matter what you do, someone is upset. The bottom line, however, is that if that student wasn't officially enrolled as a student then it is not the yearbook staff's fault.

Re: Clovis Unified says Anthony wasn't forgotten. Technically, he wasn't a student at the school | abc30.com

Barbara Leary — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 06:20:52 -0000

I'm a yearbook advisor. My final deadline is the third week in February. Each book is different. Don't make assumptions.

Re: Seattle Sees Unexpected Fallout from $15 Per Hour Min. Wage

Barbara Leary — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 07:55:02 -0000

So a few people are gaming the system - they have had to be on assistance so long they don't know how to function without it. That is the result of underpaying people for decades. Ultimately this is going to work out to be a good thing. Everyone should be paid $15 an hour minimum. If the minimum wage kept up with inflation for the past 20 years we would be paying $20 an hour. Somehow those businesses back then managed to function just fine. Too many places have managed to make profits on the backs of people who were desperate for employment. Now they don't know how to function when they have to pay a living wage. Of course it's a shock when they have to make up for two decades of underpayment in on shot, but well-managed places will survive just fine.

Re: ‘You’re Fundamentally Wrong': Rachel Maddow and Rick Santorum Face Off

Barbara Leary — Thu, 23 Jul 2015 04:19:26 -0000

Does the state have a pressing need to outlaw gay marriage which is stronger than the equal rights issue? Obviously not. The objections come from right wing religious groups - government should stay out of religion. Now, polygamy has a long history, going back thousands of years. It has a longer history than one man- one woman. The question is, does this harm society in some way? I will leave that question to the sociologists, but if the answer is no, then why shouldn't it be legal? If such families tend to create cults, end up on welfare, engage in child abuse, and so forth, then it will require a harder look. In the absence of PRESSING social need, however, people should be able to do what they want.

Re: Massachusetts court offers guidelines on spanking

Barbara Leary — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 18:46:32 -0000

The toys for teenagers are phones, cars, going out with friends, and using the computer. Studies indicate that a child who is hit is more likely to grow up to be violent and consider violence the solution to problems.

Re: Inside 'The Wolfpack,' Six Brothers Who Grew Up Locked in an NYC Apartment

Barbara Leary — Sat, 13 Jun 2015 19:34:51 -0000

Anyone who thinks this is an appropriate way to raise a family needs counseling. I'm not sure if these parents need to be in jail or a mental institution. It is not clear from the article if these parents were control freaks or scared of the outside world, It's amazing these kids are not more messed up. One of the functions of parents is to teach their kids to function in the world. That is not what they did.