Author Archives: Jeffrey

Thousands of Public Schools at Risk of Closing as Enrollment Declines

Maybe it is about TIME!

In a trend that began with the pandemic, data shows ongoing school enrollment issues, and thousands of public schools nationwide are at risk of closing. According to the Department of Education , in 2023, 1.8 million fewer students enrolled in public schools nationwide compared to 2019.

Less students means less funding for schools, and with federal relief funding dwindling, schools are closing.

Jackson, Mississippi, has seen 11 schools close their doors, some of which have experienced a 30% drop in enrollment since 2018. That trend is not exclusive to Mississippi. Continue reading →

Meet Joe Black ~ ‘Ambassador for the game and life’

~ Foreword ~

Joe Black – when I knew him. ~ J.B.

I hadn’t seen Joe for about two and a half months and wondered why. Now I know the answer as to why.

I acquired my private mail box on Shea Boulevard in 1996 and while most of the folks remained private for one reason or another, I was soon introduced to Joe Black – for the second time in my life.

The first was in 1955, when I was seven years old and was just learning about the national pastime. I spent summers in Eagle, Wisconsin – I was a Milwaukee Braves fan – County Stadium was my ‘home away from home’. Joe Black left the Brooklyn Dodgers that year and signed on with the Cincinnati Red Legs – and brought with him quite a legacy – the first black pitcher to bring his team a pennant. Joe spent the rest of his life bringing the winning pennant home to whatever endeavor he tackled.

I never broke bread with the man – but we broke the silence of two people with little in common – and I never asked him for his autograph. May you rest in peace sweet man.

Without Apology I am,

‘Ambassador for the Game and Life’

Legendary Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Joe Black died of prostate cancer Friday morning at the age of 78, passing away at an aftercare facility in Scottsdale.

“At moments like this, when we’re worrying about other things within the game, it really doesn’t mean too much,” Commissioner Bud Selig said. “I’ve known Joe Black a long time. He loved the game and was so willing to always be helpful. He was one of those rare individuals who was willing to give of himself unconditionally. You just don’t find people like that, especially in professional sports.” Continue reading →

The First Legal Slave Owner in America Was a Black Man?

Here’s something you won’t read about in the US history books. The first legal slave owner in America was black and he owned white slaves.

Anthony Johnson (BC 1600 – 1670) was an Angolan who achieved freedom in the early 17th century Colony of Virginia.

Johnson was captured in his native Angola by an enemy tribe and sold to Arab (Muslim) slave traders. He was eventually sold as an indentured servant to a merchant working for the Virginia Company.

Sometime after 1635, Antonio and Mary gained their freedom from indenture. Antonio changed his name to Anthony Johnson. Continue reading →

Why Rome’s Best Emperor Shunned Government Schools

Marcus Aurelius is widely regarded as Rome’s finest emperor. It’s a good bet that were he with us today, he would be an advocate for school choice.

The great classical scholar Edith Hamilton noted that the ancient Greeks frowned upon their Roman counterparts in regards to education. The former adopted public (government) schooling while the Romans left education to the family in the home. The snooty Greeks thought Romans were backward and unsophisticated. The Romans, of course, conquered the Greeks.

For most of the five centuries of the Republic, Romans were schooled at home where virtues of honor, character, and citizenship were emphasized. Not until the Republic’s last century or so did anything resembling government schooling emerge. Moreover, it was never so centralized, universal, and mandatory as it is in our society today. The English academic and cleric Teresa Morgan, in a 2020 paper titled “Assessment in Roman Education,” writes, “In no stage of its history did Rome ever legally require its people to be educated on any level.” Continue reading →

**Cursive Makes a Comeback — by Law — in Public Schools**

A child practices cursive writing exercises at home. After nearly dying out, cursive is making a comeback in public schools, with more than 20 states requiring it so far. (Wilfredo Lee/The Associated Press)

In 2016, California Democratic state Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva sat with then-California Gov. Jerry Brown at an event where he signed baseball-type cards featuring the image of his dog, Colusa.

But many of the recipients of the cards couldn’t read his cursive signature, Quirk-Silva recalled, much to the Democratic governor’s dismay. “The governor asked me what I did” before becoming a legislator, she remembered. “I said I was a teacher, and he said, ‘You have to bring back cursive writing.’”

After seven years of trying, she finally succeeded. Continue reading →

Teacher Asked for Backpacks Full of School Supplies Instead of Flowers at Her Funeral, and They Delivered

“This was just the kind of teacher she was, and this is a reflection of her heart. She was a teacher first, all the way.” ~ The teacher’s cousin, a fellow educator.

A Georgia teacher’s funeral saw all her loved ones turn up with backpacks filled with school supplies. It was Tammy Waddell’s final wish that those who come to pay their respects to her bring school supplies for needy students. The incredibly moving gesture has gone viral on the internet. Waddell died on June 9, 2018, succumbing to stomach cancer. Continue reading →

Parents Baffled by Homework Question About Apples and Paint Aimed at Six-Year-Olds

A parent posted their six-year-old’s maths question online concerning apples and paint and it was so baffling that one person labelled it a ‘weird sphinx riddle’ – can you solve it?

How well do you remember your school maths? (Getty Images)

For some people, school brings back blissful memories while for others it conjures up painful visions of obscure homework questions night after night. The good news is that those days are over – unless you now have children yourself who want help with their latest homework assignment, of course. Continue reading →

**December 23, 1783: “More Extraordinary Than Any Military Feat During the War”**

The Baltimore Washington Monument. Emblazoned on the sides are important dates in the Revolutionary War, including December 23, 1783. At the top, Washington resigns his commission.

In Baltimore, Maryland stands one of the first monuments erected to the memory of George Washington. The 180-foot monument was finished in 1829, before the Washington Monument in D.C. was even begun. The impressive stone pillar is topped with a large statue of the General. Unlike most other statues of George Washington, the statue in Baltimore does not depict the Revolutionary War hero on horseback with his sword drawn, or as the First President of the United States. Instead it shows Washington, in his military uniform, simply extending a hand holding a piece of paper. Despite the simplicity of the scene, it is representative of one of the most important moments in the founding of the American nation: Washington resigning his military commission.

On November 1, 1783, Washington learned that the Treaty of Paris had been signed and the Revolutionary War was over. Continue reading →

Why homeschooling is growing

Photo by Jessica Lewison – Unsplash

In recent years, homeschooling has witnessed a remarkable surge in popularity worldwide. In fact, it’s now the fasted growing form of education according to The Washington Post. During covid restrictions, there was a sharp increase in homeschooling, with some states jumping over 108% homeschool enrollment since 2017-2018. There are an estimated 1.9 million to 2.7 million homeschooled students in America today. Continue reading →

Washington’s Parental Rights Bill Gets One Step Closer to Becoming State Law!

In a significant development, Let’s Go Washington, a citizen’s action group, has successfully gathered the required signatures for Initiative 2081, aiming to establish Washington state’s first Parental Bill of Rights.

This move has sparked discussions about the potential impact of parental involvement in education and child welfare.

Let’s delve into the key aspects of this initiative. Continue reading →

**Mathematics, reading skills in unprecedented DECLINE in teenagers**

“I love Paris in the Springtime, I love Paris in the Fall, I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles, I love Paris in the summer when it sizzles…” – but their education system is failing – as well! ~ Editor

Teenagers’ mathematics and reading skills are in an unprecedented decline across dozens of countries and COVID school closures are only partly to be blamed, the OECD said on Tuesday in its latest survey of global learning standards. Continue reading →

Confederate Memorial to Be Removed in Coming Days From Arlington National Cemetery

Confederate Memorial in Arlington Cemetery is REMOVED after judge lifts restraining order that barred it from being taken down

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — A Confederate memorial is to be removed from Arlington National Cemetery in northern Virginia in the coming days, part of the push to remove symbols that commemorate the Confederacy from military-related facilities, a cemetery official said Saturday.

The decision ignores a recent demand from more than 40 Republican congressmen that the Pentagon suspend efforts to dismantle and remove the monument from Arlington cemetery.

RELATED: Judge Issues Order Keeping Confederate Memorial at Arlington Cemetery for Now

Continue reading →

School Discipline – Going From Baaaad to Worse

One of the founders of Moms for Liberty is blaming the infiltration of critical theory into America’s classrooms for the existence of what she considers discriminatory and divisive disciplinary policies.

Public schools in Portland, Oregon, must take certain things into account when they discipline students. Portland Public Schools will now require staff to consider the race, gender identity, and sexual orientation when disciplining a student who gets in trouble.

Fox reports this policy is the result of a collective bargaining agreement between Portland Public Schools and its teachers. The policy says the superintendent or designee will review disciplinary disparities apparent by the race, gender, special education status, etc. Now, repeated disruptive behavior from a student will get addressed with a “support plan.” Continue reading →

Florida School District Is Transformed After Banning Students From Using Phones for ENTIRE DAY

Bullying drops, student engagement in class rises – and kids saying they’re enjoying face-to-face interaction!

‘We saw a lot of bullying,’ Timber Creek High School’s Marc Wasko said of his district’s spin on the statewide law. ‘We had a lot of issues with students posting, or trying to record, things that went on during school time’

Florida school district faculty are praising a new cellphone ban on its nearly 200,000 students – one markedly more severe than what’s required by the state.

The ban went into effect in September, and has prohibited pupils in Orlando’s Orange County public schools system from using their devices since.

The district, the fourth-largest in the state, has 264 schools, and made the move after Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law this past May barring kids from using their phones during class.

The guidance from Orange County Public Schools, however, took that a step further, disallowing students from using their phones during breaks, while requiring them to keep them in their backpacks instead of pockets. Continue reading →

Record Numbers of Children Being Home Schooled

What you are about to read is from a British Publication – but we are seeing more and more of this transpiring in America. ~ Editor

Oliver began home learning in September with his mother Sharon

The number of children being home educated has increased dramatically in the last five years.

In the area covered by Devon County Council, a record number of 2,951 children were being home educated in the 2022/23 academic year – an extra 449 on the previous academic year.

One parent told the BBC the Covid-19 pandemic, mental health and school behavioural policies all played a part in choosing home education.

Devon County Council said historically parents had cited lifestyle choices as the main reason for choosing home education but now the main reason given was mental health issues. Continue reading →

Did Lockdowns Finish Off Public Schooling?

We moved to a good school district. The area was growing. Built for families like ours, all of the public schools in the area received “A” or “8/10” ratings. There were two very expensive and very fancy private schools in the area. It was an idyllic place to raise children.

In retrospect, we had a few frustrations with the public schools. Some of the curriculum seemed ridiculous, the math in particular. The apps used to communicate with the teachers were barely functional. It was somewhat difficult to track what the kids were learning, but the teachers had no complaints, so we didn’t make any either.

In March 2020, the world changed. Continue reading →

“HEY Teacher – Leave those kids alone!!!

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The REAL reasons that you should Homeschool your children!

Mom Who Homeschools Her Children Reveals She Lets Her One-Year-Old Play in and EAT Mud…

But Insists It Is Good to Build Up a Healthy Immune System

A mom who refuses to put her kids in school has revealed that she lets her baby play in and eat mud to help build a healthy immune system.

Taylor Moran and her three children, Hudson, five, Thompson, three, and Gus, one, previously hit the headlines after revealing their controversial lifestyle.

The Arkansas-based mom, 32, who doesn’t believe in the traditional schooling system, thinks that classes and homework ‘kills kids’ spirits’ and instead teaches them through exploring.

While she’s received some backlash for ‘unschooling’ her children, the former teacher believes it’s important to let kids be kids, no matter how dangerous that can be.

‘It’s important for them to take on risks like climbing trees, running barefoot or playing in mud,’ said Taylor, who has 73,000 followers on TikTok . Continue reading →

Jimmy Carter’s Last Moments With Rosalynn Carter ~ His Partner of Almost Eight Decades

In Memory of a Unique Lady and her Husband.

Former first lady Rosalynn Carter died Nov. 19 at 96 years old with husband, former President Jimmy Carter, who turned 99 last month, by her side at their home in Georgia, their son told The Washington Post.

The Carters celebrated their 77th wedding anniversary this summer, and by then had already been the longest-married presidential couple in United States history for some time. In the wake of Rosalynn Carter’s death, new details emerged this week about her final moments and the former president’s devotion throughout them. Continue reading →

The No. 1 Thing Parents Are ‘Completely Forgetting’ to Teach Their Kids Today

As the founder and CEO of As the founder and CEO of Success Academy Charter Schools, I’ve spent decades working with parents and educating students from underserved communities. I am also a mom to three kids.

Many parents put a lot of focus into teaching their kids about cleaning their rooms, acting responsibly and doing homework. These things are important, but there’s one thing that many of us are completely forgetting about: HOW TO ENJOY LIFE!
Continue reading →