The two aren't connected in any way other than I have had occasion to talk about both in the last 24 hours. We'll start with the former and move to the latter.
Our corporation was informed it would have to conduct all ISTEP testing from grades 3-8 completely on computers. Never mind we don't have nearly enough computers to do this, or that the state has crippled our system with budget cuts every year of Mitch Daniels's tenure; we'll have to find a way, some way.
For my part, I'm trying to recover some discarded laptops. It isn't easy. Many have bad keyboards or other parts, and I'm having to cannibalize them to create complete systems. How long they'll last, who knows, but we might get closer to making it through the tests. What I can build is only a drop in the bucket for what we need, and since the state is completely inflexible about staggering the test so we can rotate kids through our labs... well, I don't know what we can do. Glad I'm not a principal or superintendent.
I will push forward until I run out of equipment. After that, the scavenger hunt really begins. Wonder how it will go over when I ask for unused teacher iPads...?
On to Lincoln... Jimmy and Dan have both seen it, and both have raved. Jimmy wanted to talk about it, wanted my opinion on it (before I saw it), but didn't want to spoil it. Dan assured him I didn't know anything about Lincoln, so whatever I might contribute would be useless anyway. Oh, contrare! While not an expert on Lincoln, I do know a few things.
My one comment, which was immediately contradicted by one tall, nordic, and non-laughing member of our running family, was along the lines of, "With regards to Lincoln being known as the great emancipator (which he does deserve some credit for being), if he could have ended the war without freeing a single slave, he would have done so." This observation was pretty much rejected outright. Well, in my defense, I offer a direct quote:
The Emancipation Proclamation was a tool to unite the North against the South, nothing more. This does not mean Lincoln was anti-abolition - hardly the case - but the perception of Lincoln with regards to slavery is often over simplified.
If you look at the Lincoln/Douglas debates, while Douglas argued that states could continue to decide for themselves forever the issue of whether or not slavery could exist in their home state, Lincoln refuted by saying the Union would have to choose one way or another, it could not continue on the way it was. This is commonly taken to mean he was anti-slavery in the comment, due to his affiliation with the Republican Party. It is safer to say Lincoln was pro-Union, by whatever means necessary.
Look at another quote by Lincoln, spoken in 1858 during that aforementioned debate:
Lincoln was a great president, perhaps the greatest, but history has reshaped our view of who and what he actually was.
Our corporation was informed it would have to conduct all ISTEP testing from grades 3-8 completely on computers. Never mind we don't have nearly enough computers to do this, or that the state has crippled our system with budget cuts every year of Mitch Daniels's tenure; we'll have to find a way, some way.
For my part, I'm trying to recover some discarded laptops. It isn't easy. Many have bad keyboards or other parts, and I'm having to cannibalize them to create complete systems. How long they'll last, who knows, but we might get closer to making it through the tests. What I can build is only a drop in the bucket for what we need, and since the state is completely inflexible about staggering the test so we can rotate kids through our labs... well, I don't know what we can do. Glad I'm not a principal or superintendent.
I will push forward until I run out of equipment. After that, the scavenger hunt really begins. Wonder how it will go over when I ask for unused teacher iPads...?
On to Lincoln... Jimmy and Dan have both seen it, and both have raved. Jimmy wanted to talk about it, wanted my opinion on it (before I saw it), but didn't want to spoil it. Dan assured him I didn't know anything about Lincoln, so whatever I might contribute would be useless anyway. Oh, contrare! While not an expert on Lincoln, I do know a few things.
My one comment, which was immediately contradicted by one tall, nordic, and non-laughing member of our running family, was along the lines of, "With regards to Lincoln being known as the great emancipator (which he does deserve some credit for being), if he could have ended the war without freeing a single slave, he would have done so." This observation was pretty much rejected outright. Well, in my defense, I offer a direct quote:
"My paramount objective in this struggle is to save the Union, and it is not either to save or destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slaves, I would do it, if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it." - Abraham Lincoln
The Emancipation Proclamation was a tool to unite the North against the South, nothing more. This does not mean Lincoln was anti-abolition - hardly the case - but the perception of Lincoln with regards to slavery is often over simplified.
If you look at the Lincoln/Douglas debates, while Douglas argued that states could continue to decide for themselves forever the issue of whether or not slavery could exist in their home state, Lincoln refuted by saying the Union would have to choose one way or another, it could not continue on the way it was. This is commonly taken to mean he was anti-slavery in the comment, due to his affiliation with the Republican Party. It is safer to say Lincoln was pro-Union, by whatever means necessary.
Look at another quote by Lincoln, spoken in 1858 during that aforementioned debate:
"I will say then that I am not, nor have I ever been in the favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races . . . There must be a position of superior and inferior, and I... am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race ... I do not perceive that because the white man is to have the superior position that the negroe should be deprived everything."
Lincoln was a great president, perhaps the greatest, but history has reshaped our view of who and what he actually was.
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