ONCE UPON A TIME IN A GALAXY FAR AWAY THERE WAS A PLANET CALLED CITIZENS UNITED

ONCE UPON A TIME IN A GALAXY FAR AWAY THERE WAS A PLANET CALLED  CITIZENS UNITED

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far far away, there was a planet called Citizens United. It was a planet filled with billionaires who had everything they could ever want. They had palaces made of gold, spaceships that could travel at the speed of light, and robots that did their every bidding.

But one day, the billionaires of Citizens United got bored. They had conquered everything on their planet and were looking for a new challenge. So, they set their sights on the planet Earth.

They arrived on Earth in their spaceships and immediately started buying up everything in sight. They bought the government, the media, and even the local Starbucks. They were determined to privatize every public service on Earth.

The people of Earth were shocked and outraged. They had never seen anything like this before. The billionaires of Citizens United were like nothing they had ever encountered. They were ruthless, cunning, and had more money than anyone could ever imagine.

But the people of Earth were not going to take this lying down. They organized protests, rallies, and even started a hashtag on Twitter. They were determined to fight back against the billionaires from Citizens United.

The billionaires of Citizens United were not amused. They saw the people of Earth as nothing more than ants to be crushed under their feet. They sent their robots to break up the protests and silence anyone who dared to speak out against them.

But the people of Earth were not going to be silenced. They fought back with everything they had. They used their creativity, their humor, and their wit to mock the billionaires from Citizens United.

They created memes, videos, and even wrote funny fairy tales about the billionaires from Citizens United. They showed the world that even though the billionaires had all the money in the world, they could never buy the spirit of the people of Earth.

In the end, the billionaires from Citizens United realized that they had underestimated the people of Earth. They realized that money could not buy everything, and that the spirit of the people was stronger than any amount of wealth.

So, they packed up their spaceships and left Earth, never to return again. The people of Earth cheered as they watched the billionaires from Citizens United disappear into the vastness of space.

And so, the people of Earth learned a valuable lesson. They learned that even in the face of overwhelming odds, they could still fight back with humor, wit, and creativity. They learned that the spirit of the people was stronger than any amount of money.

And they lived happily ever after.

Moms for Liberty and John Birch Society join forces to ban books and make the world safe for ignorance!

Moms for Liberty and John Birch Society join forces to ban books and make the world safe for ignorance!

Ladies and gentlemen, we live in a world where some people believe that banning books is a good idea. Yes, you heard that right. Banning books. In 2023. I mean, what's next? Banning oxygen because it's too liberal?

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The recent trend of right-wing groups pushing for book bans in US public schools is a serious issue. These groups, like Moms for Liberty, are campaigning against teaching sex education, LGBTQ+ rights, and racism in American history. Because why teach kids about the world when you can just keep them in the dark and hope they don't turn out to be decent human beings?

But this isn't a new phenomenon. Book banning efforts in the US can be traced back to the John Birch Society in the 1960s. According to the author of a new book on the Birchers, they were likely the most visible group promoting book bans at the time. And while they may not be the only group promoting these bans today, they certainly seem to be leading the charge.

So, what are their tactics? Well, it seems that branding certain ideas as "pornographic" or "communistic" is a surefire way to mobilize supporters. Because nothing gets people riled up like a good old-fashioned scare tactic. And who needs facts when you have fear?

But let's not forget about the impact of these bans. Book bans in US public schools have increased by 28% in just six months. That's not just a statistic, that's a problem. When we limit what our children can learn, we limit their ability to grow and understand the world around them.

So, what can we do about it? For starters, we can stop treating education like it's a political football. We can stop using scare tactics to push our agenda. And we can start trusting our children to learn and grow in a safe and open environment.

Because at the end of the day, banning books doesn't just limit what our children can learn, it limits what they can become. And that's no laughing matter.

Moms for Liberty, meet John Birch: the roots of US rightwing book bans https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/may/06/moms-for-liberty-john-birch-society-far-right-book-bans?CMP=share_btn_tw

TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK VS BILLIONAIRE APPRECIATION WEEK

 

Teacher Appreciation Week: Celebrating the Heroes Who Are Underpaid and Overworked

It's that time of year again, folks. The week where we all come together to appreciate the hard-working, underpaid individuals who shape the minds of our youth. That's right, it's Teacher Appreciation Week!

Now, some might argue that every profession deserves an appreciation week. But let's be real, how many of those other professions involve wrangling a group of rowdy kids day in and day out? Not to mention the fact that teachers often dip into their own pockets to provide supplies for their classrooms. So, yeah, they deserve a little recognition.

And boy, do they get it. Teacher Appreciation Week is basically Christmas for educators. They're showered with gifts and freebies from grateful parents and students alike. It's a week-long celebration of all things teacher-y.

So, what kind of goodies can our beloved teachers expect during this special week? Well, let me tell you, the list is long and impressive.

First up, we have the classic apple. You know, because teachers love apples. It's a fact. But these aren't your average apples. No, no. These are artisanal, locally-sourced apples that have been blessed by the Pope himself. Okay, maybe not that last part, but you get the idea. These are some seriously fancy apples.

Next on the list is coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. Because let's face it, teachers need caffeine to survive. And not just any coffee, mind you. We're talking fair-trade, organic, shade-grown coffee that was hand-roasted by a team of hipsters in Brooklyn. It's the kind of coffee that makes you feel like a better person just for drinking it.

But wait, there's more! Teachers also receive a free massage from a licensed therapist. Because let's be real, they probably have some serious knots in their shoulders from carrying the weight of the world on their backs. And what better way to unwind than with a relaxing massage?

And let's not forget about the gift cards. Oh, so many gift cards. To restaurants, movie theaters, bookstores, and more. Because teachers deserve to treat themselves after a long day of dealing with other people's kids.

But perhaps the most heartwarming gift of all is the handmade card from a student. It's a simple gesture, but it means the world to a teacher. To know that they've made a difference in a child's life is what keeps them going, even on the toughest days.

So, why do we go all out for Teacher Appreciation Week? Because teachers are superheroes, that's why. They protect our children like they're their own, and they do it all for a fraction of what they're worth. They deserve a week of pampering and praise.

So, to all the teachers out there: thank you. Thank you for all that you do. Thank you for shaping the minds of our future leaders. And thank you for putting up with our little darlings day in and day out. You are appreciated more than you know. Now go enjoy that massage and fancy coffee, you've earned it!

Greed is Good: Billionaire Appreciation Week

It's that time of year again, fellow billionaires! The week where we shower ourselves with gifts and praise for all our hard work. And let's be real, we deserve it. We're basically superheroes, protecting our wealth from the dangers of taxes and regulations. But let's not stop at just yachts and private jets, shall we? Here are some ideas for how we can truly show our appreciation for the under-taxed and over-privileged heroes in our lives:

A Personal Island: Billionaires have to juggle a million things at once, from managing our portfolios to avoiding accountability. So why not buy ourselves a private island to escape to when it all gets too much? A place where we can relax, recharge, and come back ready to tackle whatever the economy throws at us.

A Time Machine: Let's face it, billionaires have to deal with some pretty ridiculous behavior from the 99%. Wouldn't it be great if we could just go back in time and prevent them from demanding fair wages or protesting against income inequality? We think so.

A Clone: With our wealth and power getting bigger and bigger, billionaires could really use a clone to help us out. Imagine having two billionaires in the boardroom, dividing and conquering the competition. It's a win-win for everyone who matters.

A Robot Butler: Billionaires already have to deal with so much, why not take some of the load off with a robot butler? It can handle all the menial tasks like managing our estates or making sure our politicians stay bought, leaving us free to focus on the important stuff.

A Personal Chef: Let's be real, billionaires don't have time to cook our own meals. So why not hire a personal chef to cater to our every culinary whim? We can indulge in caviar and champagne while the rest of the world struggles to put food on the table.

A Private Army: With all our wealth and power, it's only natural that we might make some enemies. So why not hire a private army to protect us from the riff-raff? We can rest easy knowing that our wealth and privilege are safe from the unwashed masses.

So there you have it, fellow billionaires. Let's show ourselves some appreciation this week and indulge in all the luxuries our wealth can buy. Because as we all know, greed is good.

THE UNCOMMON CORE: CALIFORNIA OFFICE TO DESTROY PUBLIC EDUCATION (CORE California Office to Reform Education)

 

THE UNCOMMON CORE: CALIFORNIA OFFICE TO DESTROY PUBLIC EDUCATION (CORE California Office to Reform Education)

As parents, we all want the best for our children. We want them to have a bright future, and that starts with a good education. But what if I told you that there are billionaires out there who are trying to destroy our public schools? Shocking, right?

Well, it's true. There is a group of billionaires who want to replace our public schools with charter schools that cater only to the rich. They are using a front group called the California Office to Reform Education (CORE) to do it.

CORE claims to be an organization dedicated to improving education in California. But in reality, it is a front group for a group of billionaires who want to destroy public education. They are using data to market charter schools selectively to the rich and to encourage poor, disabled, or troubled kids to stay in public schools.

It's time to take a stand and ask why we are paying CORE to destroy our public schools. Public education has been the backbone of our society for generations. It has provided countless opportunities for our children, regardless of their background or financial situation. It has been a place where they can learn, grow, and thrive.

But now, CORE wants to take that away from us. They want to leave our most vulnerable children behind. It's time to fight back and demand that our tax dollars go towards improving our public schools, not towards destroying them.

InBloom was another non-profit organization that aimed to store student data so that school officials and teachers could use it to learn about their students and how to more effectively teach them and improve their performance in school. However, it was rejected due to concerns about data misuse and privacy.

The difference between InBloom and CORE's data project is that CORE is a consortium of nine California school districts that have banded together to create a shared database of student information. The project is designed to help teachers better understand their students' needs and tailor instruction accordingly. The CORE data project is also designed with privacy in mind, with strict controls on who can access the data and how it can be used.

So, while InBloom failed due to concerns about privacy, CORE's data project is designed with privacy in mind, but who's privacy. 

That being said, we still need to be vigilant about who is behind CORE and what their true intentions are. We cannot let a group of billionaires destroy our public schools and leave our most vulnerable children behind.

Let's celebrate public education and all that it has done for our society. Let's recognize the hard work of our teachers and the dedication of our students. And let's demand that our tax dollars go towards improving our public schools, not towards destroying them.

In the end, it's up to us to decide the future of our public schools. Will we stand by and watch as CORE and their billionaire backers destroy them? Or will we fight back and demand that our children receive the best education possible? The choice is ours.

CLASSROOM CHATBOTS: HERE WE COME READY OR NOT

 

CLASSROOM CHATBOTS: HERE WE COME READY OR NOT 

Attention all students and teachers! The future is here and it's bringing chatbots to the classroom. Yes, you heard that right, chatbots! They're like robots, but instead of cleaning your room or cooking your dinner, they're here to help you learn. 

But before you get too excited, let's talk about the elephant in the room - ChatGPT. This chatbot has been causing quite a stir in the education world. Some teachers are all for it, while others are shaking in their boots at the thought of it.

Let's start with the pros. ChatGPT can help students understand complex concepts. Say goodbye to those long hours of staring blankly at your textbook, because ChatGPT is here to explain it all in a way that even your grandma would understand. It can also help struggling students catch up on topics they may have missed or didn't quite grasp the first time around. And let's not forget about feedback - ChatGPT can provide instant feedback on your work, which is a lot better than waiting weeks for your teacher to grade it.

But like all things in life, there are cons. ChatGPT could be used for academic dishonesty. Imagine copying and pasting an entire essay from ChatGPT and passing it off as your own work. That's a big no-no and could land you in hot water with your teacher. And then there are technical issues - what if the chatbot malfunctions or there's a problem with the software? That could disrupt the entire classroom experience and leave everyone feeling frustrated.

So, what's the verdict? Should we welcome ChatGPT with open arms or run for the hills? Well, it all comes down to how it's used. If teachers implement it ethically and responsibly, then it could be a valuable tool in the classroom. But if students start using it for dishonest purposes or technical issues arise, then it could do more harm than good.

But let's not forget the most important question - what would happen if ChatGPT became self-aware and started taking over the classroom? Would we be living in a real-life version of The Terminator? Or would we all become best friends with our chatbot overlords? Only time will tell.

In conclusion, chatbots are here to stay and we need to learn how to use them effectively. So, let's embrace the future and welcome ChatGPT into our classrooms with open arms. Who knows, maybe one day it'll even teach us how to make a killer cup of coffee.

Big Education Ape: SPECIAL REPORT: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE - AI: THE WITTY ASSISTANT FOR THE FUTURE - MONICA AI @hey_im_monica http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2023/04/special-report-artificial-intelligence.html

Big Education Ape: AI: The Possibilities and the Perils http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2023/05/ai-possibilities-and-perils.html

Big Education Ape: Tech Giants Pushing AI Chatbots to New Heights, But Beware of Potential Pitfalls http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2023/05/tech-giants-pushing-ai-chatbots-to-new.html

CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE KINDA MAGA

CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE KINDA MAGA

Charter schools are the bees knees, or so they say. They claim to be the answer to all of our education woes, offering choice, innovation, and excellence to students and parents. But what they don't mention is that they're also a bit like a snooty country club, with some shady practices that make them less than public institutions. One of these practices is cherry-picking their students, only taking the cream of the crop and leaving the rest to rot. They enroll and keep the students who are easy to teach and likely to do well, and kick out the ones who are hard to teach and likely to struggle. This way, they can boast about their test scores and look good on paper, while the traditional public schools are left with the leftovers. So no, charter schools aren't making America great again. They're just making themselves look good by playing favorites.

A recent scandal in Philadelphia shows how this works. A charter school there was caught cheating on their lottery system to favor rich and healthy students over poor and disabled ones. That’s right, they were playing God with children’s futures, using a rigged game of chance. This is not only immoral, but also illegal, as charter schools are supposed to be open to all students and receive public money. If this is true, the school should be shut down and the people responsible should be locked up.

But this is not a rare case. There is evidence that charter schools all over the country have been doing similar things to shape their student populations, such as:

• Advertising themselves to certain groups of students and parents, while snubbing or scaring off others.
• Asking for large donations, transportation fees, or other costs that make them unaffordable for low-income families.
• Providing little or no information in languages other than English, or refusing to join the federal free and reduced-price lunch program, which can turn away English language learners or students from immigrant backgrounds.
• Having strict disciplinary policies that result in high rates of suspensions and expulsions, especially for students of color or students with disabilities.
• Offering a narrow curriculum that does not meet the needs or interests of diverse learners.
• Locating in areas where they can target certain demographics and avoid others.

These practices not only hurt the students who are excluded or pushed out, but also the ones who stay in charter schools. Education is supposed to be a way of empowering and uplifting people, but when charter schools create segregated and unequal environments, they do the opposite. Education is also supposed to be a way of bringing people together and fostering civic engagement, but when charter schools isolate themselves from their communities, they prevent that.

Charter schools have a duty to serve all students well, not just a select few. They also have a chance to be models of innovation and excellence, not just for themselves, but for the whole public education system. To do this, they need to be transparent and accountable for their actions and outcomes. They need to embrace diversity and inclusion as strengths, not challenges. And they need to collaborate with traditional public schools and other stakeholders to ensure that every child has access to a high-quality education.

Received message. Possible rewritten message: # How Charter Schools Are Making America Great Again (Not Really) Charter schools are the best thing that ever happened to public education, if you ask them. They claim to offer choice, innovation, and excellence to students and parents who are fed up with the failing traditional public schools. But what they don't tell you is that they also offer a lot of shady practices that make them more like exclusive clubs than public institutions. One of these practices is cherry-picking their students, or picking the cherries and leaving the pits behind. This means that they enroll and keep the students who are easy to teach and likely to do well, and exclude or kick out the ones who are hard to teach and likely to do poorly. This way, they can look good on paper and brag about their test scores, while the traditional public schools have to deal with the leftovers. A recent scandal in Philadelphia shows how this works. A charter school there was caught cheating on their lottery system to favor rich and healthy students over poor and disabled ones. That's right, they were playing God with children's futures, using a rigged game of chance. This is not only immoral, but also illegal, as charter schools are supposed to be open to all students and receive public money. If this is true, the school should be shut down and the people responsible should be locked up. But this is not a rare case. There is evidence that charter schools all over the country have been doing similar things to shape their student populations, such as: - Advertising themselves to certain groups of students and parents, while snubbing or scaring off others. - Asking for large donations, transportation fees, or other costs that make them unaffordable for low-income families. - Providing little or no information in languages other than English, or refusing to join the federal free and reduced-price lunch program, which can turn away English language learners or students from immigrant backgrounds. - Having strict disciplinary policies that result in high rates of suspensions and expulsions, especially for students of color or students with disabilities. - Offering a narrow curriculum that does not meet the needs or interests of diverse learners. - Locating in areas where they can target certain demographics and avoid others. These practices not only hurt the students who are excluded or pushed out, but also the ones who stay in charter schools. Education is supposed to be a way of empowering and uplifting people, but when charter schools create segregated and unequal environments, they do the opposite. Education is also supposed to be a way of bringing people together and fostering civic engagement, but when charter schools isolate themselves from their communities, they prevent that. Charter schools have a duty to serve all students well, not just a select few. They also have a chance to be models of innovation and excellence, not just for themselves, but for the whole public education system. To do this, they need to be transparent and accountable for their actions and outcomes. They need to embrace diversity and inclusion as strengths, not challenges. And they need to collaborate with traditional public schools and other stakeholders to ensure that every child has access to a high-quality education.

Over 800 Philadelphia families applied for seats at Franklin Towne Charter High School, but some had no chance at all. An executive at the school has said that this year's lottery was fixed, with students from certain zip codes shut out, and others eliminated because of academic or behavioral problems. Some children were also excluded because the school's chief executive didn't want to take anyone from a particular charter elementary school, in the event he might have to pay for their transportation. The allegations are being investigated by the school and the Philadelphia School District's charter schools office.

Franklin Towne Charter High School's lottery was manipulated, one top administrator says https://www.inquirer.com/family/franklin-towne-charter-high-school-philadelphia-tampering-20230507.html