Poll about Public vs Private schools

So the results are in. I guess they answer a couple things. The readers of this blog do parallel the general populations opinions. and I need to do something to get more readers.

There is a great Japanese saying

There is a great Japanese saying

Hear the cry of the forest,buried beneath the city streets.
   It makes me think about what  we built the  Bozenageles Metroplex upon. Yes we are a great people and we've bent the valley to suit our needs but can we ? should we always win ?  Is spending more to build more the best answer ? Why not bend  a little and let the  city green a little more.
  The Bozeman Magpie has an article offering a simple solution to the yearly flooding of Bozeman creek. Will the City adopt it ? have they ever done it the easy way ?

http://www.bozeman-magpie.com/

Memorial Day not just about deals at the Mall

Okay an extra day off , a cold beer and a steak on the grill is pretty nice  , but don;t forget what tomorrow is all about . Right now  young women and men are spread across the globe, defending your right to go to the mall and watch the Indy 500.   Our cemeteries have rows of tombstones marking the final resting spot,, of some soldier who gave the full measure for our country  .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt4SwrspQ1U


Politicians  will spend tomorrow making speeches about what the future will bring and why you should let them take you there. But  think about the soldiers out on the battlefield and what decisions sent them there.

Just Passing Through

.  One of My co-Workers is leaving, heading off for the high plains of northern Montana. Going to get married and take up ranching. Shes a hardy soul and a little stubborn so she should fit in well up there. We wish her well and will miss her.

 It made me think about the history of Bozeangeles and other western town on the edge of the frontier. They were always jumping off points are escape valves for people looking for something new. The Bozeman trail was the gate way to Oregon , the mining towns of Butte Anaconda , Virgina city, etc. The Wagon trains rolled through here and after

the wagon trains the rail came through , pushing the Indians out and making way for ranchers , sheep herders, hookers and lawyers. Bozeangeles Is still a jumping off place on the edge of whats left of the American wilderness. College Kids come out to the mountains to find themselves or lose themselves.  Libertarians , anarchists, hell fire and brimstone end of dayers and Militia types stake their claim to refuges of their design .Its good to have wilderness to escape to, but what happens when we run out of wilderness ?

Blog Brain cramp

  I've got nothing... this deadline pressure is killing me. So here is a picture, Is that worth a thousand words ?

  I don't think there as any right answer to  the question  of home school or public school , but there are problems with public education and our societies commitment to it . We face a huge deficit both in our national budget and in our brain trust. How do we keep our  next generation motivated and prepared to excel in the future economy.
   increasing Ly we are seeing a two tiered education system.  If you have the money to buy a private or semi corporate education for your child , that child will  receive a leg up on his/her peers who have to go to public schools. perhaps that is the capitalist  way. You have the right to  pursue happiness but are not guaranteed  finding it.
   there are certain advantages to both our national financial deficit and our educational deficit. Our economy in shambles means we are going to be struggling to buy foreign goods and our educational deficit means we will be unprepared to make those goods that  the rest of the world wants. We will have a lot of marginally paid Americans making marginal products , for domestic consumption.  Made in America will be back.


       Okay I guess I went off the reservation on the issue of Home school vs public school , but the answer is the same . Grab the opportunity where you find it. Why not make education a home/public combination. Certified teachers provide the shell and parents  become responsible for daily instruction. Bloomberg magazine this week published an article on  a great f step towards empowering parent and student  on educating a step beyond the class room.
      Okay I plunged into the depths of my paranoia about my kids future to simply  encourage you to check out the two links below. One is  a Bloomberg article on the founder of Kahns academy .. I think this is a blue print for the future of primary education, both for home schooled education and public schools. ( I still not sure about dealing with the real world experience of home schooled kids) . The second link is to Kahn's  academy itself it is a great teaching source fro parent and child.  I would be interested in any similar sites you might know of, for history or English ?

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_22/b4230072816925.htm

http://www.khanacademy.org/

  I promise the next few posts will be simply about Bozeangeles.
If you have not already , take the poll at the bottom of the blog. I have not figured out how to move the poll closer to the revalent  subject.

      Thank you

            Goat Creek aka (Old Goat )

Educating our Children

  So  this post is sort of a preamble to  a larger post I have in my head but my lovely daughter did her best to keep me from  writing today . The bones of the post will appear tomorrow but here's what got me thinking.  Mother Goat and I have been discussing  the education of our two year old ( Already ?) Discussing , the idea of home schooling vs public school.
  With home schooling the child gets the attention he or she needs, I have met a lot of home schooled kids who are very  well educated and the test scores  of a sample show home schooled kids generally preform  on a par or  excel at  standardized tests. The question is  does home schooling prepare them for the real world in terms of interacting with their peers ? 

   There are several  kids  in my neighborhood  in a range of ages of 6 to 11 and they go to  three or four different schools around town despite having a  multi grade school  two  blocks away .Although I have not quizzed the parents I assume it is their opinion that the  education opportunities are different and better at the school they have chosen .
  My wife favors home schooling , maybe in a group with other children. I'm not too sure.my time in elementary and Jr. High was horrible. I was beaten , bullied and harassed , but  doesn't that kind of thing occur throughout your life  ( if you let it ) ?
   The big discussion I hope to bring up  tomorrow is  the public school system going to survive in this era of budget cuts and does it need to survive ?

  theres a poll  on this subject  further down the page , check it out

Days of Whine and Rain

  Its been a fairly wet spring here in Bozeangeles, Where do you take a two year old to tire him/her out ?  There are only  a limited number of times you can  run up and down the Galatian Valley Mall, and eventually you will feel like you have to buy something. Guess that's why they put stores and food stalls in Malls.  Have you noticed the  increasing number of empty spots in the mall ?  CJ Banks last week and so did the sports jersey place.

  Anyways  my child is a little young to  brave the pools or the  library for any length of time. So we decided the Museum of The Rockies would be a good  tactic .It has a great kids discovery center on the third floor and  right now the Frogs of the World  exhibit will thrill and chill children of all ages.

  However , let me encourage you to check ahead to see if it is a field trip day for the regional schools.  We got inside before the majority of the buses  released their passengers like the Vikings  preparing to plunder Paris .   The good thing was they  were apparently banned from the kids  Yellowstone  discovery area upstairs . It is a great place to spend a couple of hours with a 2 to 6 year old. a lot of interactive games and toys. wildlife sounds and a periodic  geyser eruption. The kids can  play and maybe learn  something too .

getting Outside Inside Bozeman

  I have found it is pretty easy to get outside with out leaving the Bozeangeles  MetroPlex limits. It has a great bike and trail system and numerous city parks and play grounds

  With a path system that will let you take your bike, dog and child to a place where everyone can run to their hearts desire  The amount of traffic made up of cars and SUV's filled with dogs and kids going nowhere as fast as they can makes one wonder.

    I really appreciate what Bozeangeles has to offer  my family   , I do regret the general  effort of the  Montana  economy to reshape and push wildlife and wilderness to the far limits of the  daily world.

http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/article_963976e0-84b8-11e0-99e8-001cc4c002e0.html

“I sincerely believe that for the child, and for the parent seeking to guide him, it is not half so important to know as to feel when introducing a young child to the natural world. If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds must grow. The years of early childhood are the time to prepare the soil.”  -Rachel Carson, A Sense of Wonder

  A beautiful  Sunday in the Bozeangeles area, After  a morning walk with wife and kid and the second lawn mowing of the year I escaped downtown  for an exploration of  life on main street. It was quiet, the college kids have fled after exams and the locals are up in the mountains, on the river or in church . A couple years ago the downtown was rocked by a gas main explosion that flattened a block and killed one young lady.

  The  downtown economy was all ready  suffering from the economic down turn and this explosion shuttered quite a few businesses. And its taken a while for any kind of recovery

  However I was pleased to see the block is being rebuilt  and tenants are already shaping it in their image

The Rocking R is returning to its old site and a couple of restaurants are moving in  Of course  most new business popping up downtown are bars or restaurants . In my short walk I saw a new Wine Bar, A Thai restaurant  and a pita palace . There are still  quite a few Mom and pop places hanging on, toy stores, some used  bookstores and a record store that sells  real vinyl as well as Cd's.

  Main street is a great place to find a   burger ,  a steak or a cold beer. I  decided to  help the downtown economy and have a cold draft. Despite the lack  of go-cups, ( that great New  Orleans tradition of open containers on the street ) off season in Bozeangeles is a great time to have a nice cold draft in a quiet corner.
  In my bar of choice there was a quite vocal group discussing the hunt for post ski season and off season jobs. I know how hard it is to find retail work in this town but it was interesting to hear the Anthony Bourdain crowd talk about the job hunt .
   the upshot of the story was, what places to stay the heck away from and who was checking into rehab so their old employer might be looking for a new  bartender or line cook. There are a lot of stories in the city. Some of the real ones are crazier than the imagined ones.

Rapture Canceled due to Rain ?

  Judging by the traffic on the streets this morning the Rapture has been delayed . My neighbors, who are Good , Bible thumping Christians made an appearance this morning as well. Anyone missing in your neighborhood ?

  I have been informed that this picture is mis leading as when you are taken up in the Rapture you do so naked, leaving  clothing , jewelery and earthly possessions behind .Now I was not expecting to be taking this flight ( If any of you do, please put in a good word for me )but I would imagine there is a lot of pressure  on today's  Rapture's (SP ?) On top of the whole Judgement Day thing you have to appear in front of God , Saint Peter and the heavenly host naked !
  Now I know god is forgiving, but I imagine she will frown upon the over weight , out of shape Evangelicals we have in America.Have you seen them on TV protesting outside  women's clinics and at Tea Party rallies.

A crime of stupidity vs a crime of negligence

  which is worse a crime of stupidity or a crime of negligence ? I think driving with out wearing a seat belt is a crime of stupidity . I think driving while texting or talking on your  cell phone is a crime of negligence.
    Today while  driving on 19th St. in a rain storm , approaching the downtown Bozeangeles  metroplex , my two year old daughter and I saw several drivers either talking or texting on their cell phones . The  most blatant of which had two little ones in car seats in the back and a preteen ( who should have been in school ) in the passenger seat. She was clearly steering with her left hand and thumbing away at the key pad with her other hand.  I know the city of Bozeangeles has  budget issues, they could make up a good portion of that by having their Police force  ticket these people for endangerment.
  Well according to the news channel a lot of people believe the Rapture will  occur tomorrow followed by Armageddon, if that fails to occur I will post more on Saturday

    Just back from a Real Estate meet and greet at a local mansion. A chance for free food and drink  and a chance to hear the mood of agents and  house hunters. Suffice to say the sellers out number the buyers. Between the economy and the paranoia of mortgage lenders and banks, its hard to get a place sold or bought.  Maybe that's a good thing in the long run those buyers who are willing and able to commit to a higher down payment are more likely to  be able to meet their obligations and the lenders now have to know more about their  customers.  But those people who are trying to get out of a now too expensive house or follow the jobs  to some other city or state are also suffering. And if you are trying to sell a condo you are going to be waiting a long  time. Yet the city and county continue to raise property taxes
    Also eavesdropped on some commercial Real estate types  talking about the number of empty slabs and rumors of other existing  occupants struggling in this economy. it is a tough town to make a living unless you own a bar  or a bank. How come there is a new bank on every corner  and the country is in a recession ?