Nine Shift

Nine Shift speaking update

Thanks to Thom Lowther of the American Institute of Architects for having me keynote their continuing education providers conference in Las Vegas last week.  He distributed Nine Shift books to all participants.

And thanks to Jim Wayne and Lisha Sturgill of the Maryland Adult and Continuing Education Association for bringing me to keynote their conference in Ocean City, Maryland, last week.  We sold out of Nine Shift books there too.

This week we go to Moscow, Russia, to present a two day seminar and conference speaking. 

The Poor Suburbs

Julie and I have noticed that the new suburban subdivision homes going up do not look all that classy. And there's lots of trucks in the driveways.

And 100 years ago, the first people in the suburbs were pretty well off, just like the first people Back in the downtown condo's are pretty well off.  So we wondered whether the working poor were moving to the suburbs. Thus, this news:

"42 percent of all working families with critical housing needs lived in the suburbs in 2003 compared to 39 percent in central urban areas. This puts a small ding in the Conventional Wisdom about urban housing."

The numbers are skewed a little because it concerns only home owners, not renters.  Nevertheless, it could be the first year in which more poor homeowners lived in the suburbs than in the central urban areas.

The Housing Landscape for America's Working Families 2005 released last week was conducted by The Center of Housing Policy, the research affiliate of the National Housing Conference (NHC)

Some boys don't lie

Kids with Asperger's, like Willie, have a very very hard time lying. It appears to be almost impossible. We have never experienced Willie lying.

Mark Haddox in his book about high performance autism kids seems to indicate that for these kids the world is so confusing, so mentally hard to figure out, that it actually hurts (like sea sickness in your tummy). So lying is way-way-counter-productive = it makes one sick, makes the world even more confusing, and therefore is almost genetically impossible.

The school, of course, doesn't believe this. Schools believe every kid can lie, and suspect most (we teach teachers, we have evidence. It is painful to hear teacher talk so mistrustfully of the kids).

So last week the wife of a teacher accused Willie of smoking in the school parking lot. She has not even met Willie, has no evidence, but rumor is enough.

This week he found his lost jacket in the school's lost-and-found and retrieved it. The school called to say another student claimed the jacket, even though the other student had not even seen the jacket.  Since the other student is rich and would not wear the brand-name jacket Willie has, and Julie identified his glasses in his jacket pocket, the school eventually gave up its unsubstantiated accusation.....

What does this have to do with academics and graduating? We are asking the same question.

Head in hands

This week one of Willie's teachers put his head in his hands and asked, "How am I going to assess you?" Willie replied, "I don't know."

The assignment was to read a book, which Willie did. To find out if students had read the book, the teacher gave a short quiz. One of the questions was "Who was the hero?"  Willie could not answer any of the questions. In discussion with the teacher, it was clear Willie had studied the story because he could name all the characters, their relationships and so on.

The teacher, like most other teachers, has only ONE WAY to assess his students. Even though we KNOW kids (and adults) learn differently, to admit that means they also assess differently. Schools cannot acknowledge this. It means they have to change.

Complicating this is the fact that schools look to evaluate a student's weakest areas, not their best.
In the work place, by contrast, workers are judged by what they do best. A carpenter is judged on his/her handiwork; a software designer on his/her code. Neither has to write an essay.

((Situation today: a mess. Willie and his parents are stressed, emotionally exhausted, and trying to cope with the school's changing demands.   Last week his physics teacher said building a bridge was the only thing left for his course. This week he says there's more. Last night Willie and his mother and I even argued for the first time over the whole ordeal. Thanks for your patience, this is the only way I know to deal with it personally))

What the school does right

As I have tried to make clear, Willie's high school is not bad.
It is one of the best.

One of the things the school does right is to provide challenging courses that are college level.
Even when Willie is getting a poor grade, or flunking the course, he says he is learning from the teacher (which is true, and which makes the grading system all the more frustrating).

So today Newsweek comes out with the 100 Best High School list, and the reporter on the story says what makes a good high school is providing AP (Advanced Placement) courses (that is, college level and college preparation). 

(today's blog written last week, am giving Nine Shift keynote in Las Vegas and Baltimore this week)

Right: Willie and his grandfather Taylor, who was/is a teacher

PS: If you are just joining us, we have been running a special series in April and May on our son titled "Will Willie Graduate?"

Light rail gets $67 billion

Google "light rail" sometime, then click on News. Almost every headline is a glowing go-go support for light rail. Here's an example.

HOUSTON--

(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 27, 2005--Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated)

In recent years, more and more cities, counties, and states have come to recognize that light rail, regional rail, and high-speed rail are key transportation solutions for the future. To that end, those same entities have committed large amounts of their time, energy, and dollars to that future. Currently, there are over $67 billion worth of active light rail, regional rail, and high-speed rail projects planned or under construction in

North America

For details on this trend view the entire article at www.industrialinfo.com.

Picture of trains in Cologne, Germany

Of course it is spring

Adding to the situation is that it is spring.

Boys do worse in school in the spring than in the fall.  So the school gave him a light load (he didn't even have classes in two periods) in the fall, and now they are loading him up in the spring.

Getting "A"s on tests, still flunking

Willie has gotten an "A" on his math tests, but of course he's still flunking. 

He has not "done the work" as they say.  It's all about behavior, not knowledge. It doesn't matter if he knows math.   So they say he doesn't know math, when he does. 

The math teacher refuses to look at his own data showing boys won't do homework if they know their math. 

It's all about an obsolete outmoded "value" that Baby Boomers keep shoving at their students. No data or evidence that the value works (just the opposite) but that doesn't matter. See our political situation for more "faith based" versus "reality based"  values.

Hospitalize him, then we'll accommodate him

So the school psychologist, who has Never seen Willie, nevertheless has dictated that the school should not provide any accommodation for his Asperger's Disease unless Willie is hospitalized (presumably for stress).

Of course, if he is hospitalized, he is burned out and no accommodation will help. Plus a great approach to treating students humanely.

Our family psychologist, who sees Willie regularly, and has given extensive if neglected recommendations to the school about how to help Willie, is not pleased. Neither are we. 

Big companies "beg" for Washington help

And they are getting it.

FDR biographer Kenneth Davis once told me, "Corporations are very socialistic. Every time there is a loss they want to socialize it."

Big business came "begging" for government (translation: you, me) help this week.  Delta wants government help.

And today the courts took away pensions from thousands, with implications for the downfall of everyone's private pension plan.

Seems like 100 years ago all over again. Oh yeah....it is!  (Picture is of Rockefeller)