School has been in session for one week today. This time last year I was in a daze, a fog of insensibility brought on by the overwhelming realization that I don't know anything! It's one thing to go to school and earn a degree, but try teaching children - of any age - something...anything. Maybe it's just me, but the more I teach, the more I have to come to terms with my own ignorance. It's quite humbling, actually.
But today was a little different. Today I actually taught my algebra 1 students something: scientific calculators do fractions. I had taken for granted that they knew how to use their calculators. "I wish we could do fractions on this thing," one girl said. "You can," I said, half thinking she was making a very weird joke. I guess I thought people were born knowing how to use a calculator.
I know it's just a little thing, but the light bulbs that went on for those kids when they realized how to enter "five-ninths" into their calculators without having to make it a decimal was oddly rewarding for me. "This thing was SO worth six bucks!" according to one boy. Yes, that was my triumph of the day. Now if only I could get that to happen with an actual lesson...
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Carnivorous Foliage
This is incredible. It's like something out of a bad science fiction movie. Seriously, though, God's creation is amazing, isn't it? Hey, Adriane, you'd better watch your sunglasses around this one...
Friday, August 7, 2009
Better than "Cash for Clunkers"
This is too good. Just listen to the concessions the news anchor makes when debating this guy.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Latin is Cool
Did you know that the Latin word "liber" means both "free" and "book"? They are pronounced slightly differently ("lih-bear" for book; "lee-bear" for free). Despite the pronunciation difference, I can't get past the idea that the identical spelling is no coincidence.
In ancient times, free men were educated men. They received a classical, or "liberal" education. Being educated meant, among other things, that you could read a book. There is a freedom, a liber-ty, in being able to pick up a book and learn.
Today I hear about people reading in order to escape troubled circumstances in life. Libraries (see the "liber" there?) invite children to step into new worlds through reading. Poor, underprivileged students can "hit the books," work hard, and better their lives. These are all types of freedom.
In order to maintain freedom, a people must not neglect education. Books are portals to new realms, and education unlocks the doors. If children don't learn to read, they will inevitably be uneducated as adults, burdened with quite a handicap. But what about kids who learn to read, but don't learn to love to read? It's disturbing when people admit they never take time to read books. Freedom is linked to education.
Consider, also, the 1,000+ pages long bills rushed through the legislature which many members of Congress don't read entirely before voting on. The bills aren't read, and our freedom is chipped away.
The Romans were no dummies. The Latin words for "free" and "book" are intimately related, and we should take note of that today. Turn off the TV for a while, and pick up a book.
In ancient times, free men were educated men. They received a classical, or "liberal" education. Being educated meant, among other things, that you could read a book. There is a freedom, a liber-ty, in being able to pick up a book and learn.
Today I hear about people reading in order to escape troubled circumstances in life. Libraries (see the "liber" there?) invite children to step into new worlds through reading. Poor, underprivileged students can "hit the books," work hard, and better their lives. These are all types of freedom.
In order to maintain freedom, a people must not neglect education. Books are portals to new realms, and education unlocks the doors. If children don't learn to read, they will inevitably be uneducated as adults, burdened with quite a handicap. But what about kids who learn to read, but don't learn to love to read? It's disturbing when people admit they never take time to read books. Freedom is linked to education.
Consider, also, the 1,000+ pages long bills rushed through the legislature which many members of Congress don't read entirely before voting on. The bills aren't read, and our freedom is chipped away.
The Romans were no dummies. The Latin words for "free" and "book" are intimately related, and we should take note of that today. Turn off the TV for a while, and pick up a book.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Why Ron Paul?
Adriane - Unbeknownst to me, Brody tried answering your question about Ron Paul. It turned into more of an essay, so he asked me to make it a regular post:
I didn't understand Ron Paul last year during the primaries. The Federal Reserve Bank, fractional reserve lending, and the gold standard were all Greek to me. However, one Great Depression-like financial crisis later, I am now completely in agreement with Ron Paul. These issues took a lot of time for me to understand and will be challenging for me to explain, but here goes.
This post will focus primarily on the harm done by the Federal Reserve Bank. The Federal Reserve Bank (FED) is a privately owned, publicly/privately administered central bank with the power to print money. This bank distorts economic decision-making and misleads entrepreneurs into making unsound investments by manipulating the price of money. Interest rates are the price of money. In a capitalist market system, supply and demand would determine interest rates. For example, a relatively large number of "savers" in the economy with relatively few "borrowers" would cause relatively low interest rates, and vice versa. However, the Federal Reserve Bank price-fixes the value of money by controlling interest rates.
You may ask, why does the FED price-fix the value of money? This has to do with inflation targeting. The FED admits that they want to create 2-4% yearly inflation. Inflation occurs when the total number of dollars in the economy grows at a pace faster than GDP (the total amount of goods and services produced per year). Low interest rates entice people to borrow from the banks. Borrowing from banks, due to fractional reserve lending, increases the total money supply/total number of dollars in the economy. This happens because banks can lend out money they don't have, or have for only a very short term.
A bank can take a five-day checking deposit and loan it out for thirty years. Banks only have to keep a very small amount of their total loans in reserve, on demand for depositors. They create money out of thin air, money which is loaned out, gets deposited into another bank, and is then loaned out again, repeating the process. The more money borrowed from banks, the greater the number of dollars circulating in the economy. This increased money supply causes inflation.
Aside from the fact that the government and the banking industry are stealing the value of everyone's money at a rate of 2-4% per year, why does this matter? Every time economic growth slows down, the FED lowers interest rates. These low interest rates provide a (false)price signal to entrepreneurs that there is a large amount of unspent savings in the economy. This entices the entrepreneur into growing a few more crops, raising a few more chickens, building a few more shopping malls and houses. The lower interest rates also lure consumers to borrow and consume these items. This gets the economy growing again...why then is this so bad? Because it is a short-term solution which causes the problem to be worse in the long-run. The economy starts growing again, but the total debt levels go up faster than the economy grows.
The above chart is a few years old. Total private/non-governmental debt as a percent of GDP is now 375%.
If a business consistently increases its total debt burden 10% per year in order to grow its yearly income by 5%, it will eventually go bankrupt due to not being able to service that debt. In the same way, if a person borrows and mortgages everything he can at 10% in order to invest in a CD at 5%, he too would be considered foolish. This is basically what occurs to the country as a whole when the FED keeps interests rates artificially low.
Sadly, most politicians do not understand the issue, think only in the short-term (next election year), or actually want to enslave everyone to the banking interests (Proverbs 22:7). Ron Paul is different.
I didn't understand Ron Paul last year during the primaries. The Federal Reserve Bank, fractional reserve lending, and the gold standard were all Greek to me. However, one Great Depression-like financial crisis later, I am now completely in agreement with Ron Paul. These issues took a lot of time for me to understand and will be challenging for me to explain, but here goes.
This post will focus primarily on the harm done by the Federal Reserve Bank. The Federal Reserve Bank (FED) is a privately owned, publicly/privately administered central bank with the power to print money. This bank distorts economic decision-making and misleads entrepreneurs into making unsound investments by manipulating the price of money. Interest rates are the price of money. In a capitalist market system, supply and demand would determine interest rates. For example, a relatively large number of "savers" in the economy with relatively few "borrowers" would cause relatively low interest rates, and vice versa. However, the Federal Reserve Bank price-fixes the value of money by controlling interest rates.
You may ask, why does the FED price-fix the value of money? This has to do with inflation targeting. The FED admits that they want to create 2-4% yearly inflation. Inflation occurs when the total number of dollars in the economy grows at a pace faster than GDP (the total amount of goods and services produced per year). Low interest rates entice people to borrow from the banks. Borrowing from banks, due to fractional reserve lending, increases the total money supply/total number of dollars in the economy. This happens because banks can lend out money they don't have, or have for only a very short term.
A bank can take a five-day checking deposit and loan it out for thirty years. Banks only have to keep a very small amount of their total loans in reserve, on demand for depositors. They create money out of thin air, money which is loaned out, gets deposited into another bank, and is then loaned out again, repeating the process. The more money borrowed from banks, the greater the number of dollars circulating in the economy. This increased money supply causes inflation.
Aside from the fact that the government and the banking industry are stealing the value of everyone's money at a rate of 2-4% per year, why does this matter? Every time economic growth slows down, the FED lowers interest rates. These low interest rates provide a (false)price signal to entrepreneurs that there is a large amount of unspent savings in the economy. This entices the entrepreneur into growing a few more crops, raising a few more chickens, building a few more shopping malls and houses. The lower interest rates also lure consumers to borrow and consume these items. This gets the economy growing again...why then is this so bad? Because it is a short-term solution which causes the problem to be worse in the long-run. The economy starts growing again, but the total debt levels go up faster than the economy grows.
The above chart is a few years old. Total private/non-governmental debt as a percent of GDP is now 375%.
If a business consistently increases its total debt burden 10% per year in order to grow its yearly income by 5%, it will eventually go bankrupt due to not being able to service that debt. In the same way, if a person borrows and mortgages everything he can at 10% in order to invest in a CD at 5%, he too would be considered foolish. This is basically what occurs to the country as a whole when the FED keeps interests rates artificially low.
Sadly, most politicians do not understand the issue, think only in the short-term (next election year), or actually want to enslave everyone to the banking interests (Proverbs 22:7). Ron Paul is different.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Tea Party Protest
In the American spirit of liberty and free speech, Brody and I spent some time at the court house today protesting big government, tax hikes, socialism, fascism, stupidism, and plenty of other "isms." I had never been to something like that before. It was interesting talking to the people there, listening to the speakers, holding signs, and passing out literature. Just a bunch of good, old-fashioned, southern Missouri folk wanting to be heard.
After listening to a few speakers, I went to find some shade while Brody passed out some Campaign for Liberty flyers (yes, we are now Ron Paul supporters - who'd a thunk it?). The next thing I heard was, "Ok, our next speaker is Brody Smith..." Wait, what? Did he mean my husband??
Sure enough, Brody had the microphone, and surrounded by maybe 75 or 100 people, he said a few words about the government being for and by big financial institutions, their unfettered ability to print trillions of dollars, and how that steals money from our pockets. I was proud of him. :)
Now that I'm feeling all patriotic, an exhortation: please contact your U.S. representatives and tell them to vote NO on universal healthcare, NO on cap-and-trade, and YES on auditing the federal reserve bank. God bless America!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Mummy Madness
Last year I got this crazy idea to incorporate a really hands-on project with my 13 first and second graders during a unit on Egyptian mummies. It was several months into school, so I had already learned from previous, less involved art projects that you can never be overprepared. I resolved to complete a sample project myself, have all the materials ready, and even write out my own list of step-by-step instructions so the whole thing would go smoothly in the classroom.
Yeah, right.
The project: Making a cat mummy inspired by the real thing.
(real thing)
Procedure: I found a book at the library with instructions on making a cat mummy using old socks stuffed and tied, strips of fabric from old t-shirts, and tea bags. My mom got in on the fun, too. She helped cut and dye the fabric, partially stuff the socks, and draw little faces on the poor departed felines.
We ran into our first problem at home. Most people would have torn the fabric, dyed it in tea, dried it in the dryer, then tied the strips together for bandages. We do things differently in the Ozarks. My mom and I tore the fabric, tied the bandages into roughly 10-ft-long strips, dyed them in the sink, and then brilliantly threw the whole gigantic, enormously confused heap into the dryer. And oh, the monster that emerged. It took the two of us an hour to navigate through that maze. We might have been hallucinating by the end of it.
Perhaps I should've taken that as a sign and dropped the whole silly project. But nooo. I just had to keep going.
The plan was to have the mummy heads prepared so the students could stuff the bodies, tie the ends with my help, and then wrap the bandages. Simple enough. I was prepared. Nothing would catch me off-guard.
When the time rolled around, I explained to the children what they would be doing and they could hardly contain their excitement. Their very own cat mummy! To take home and show Mom and Dad! COOL! So I triumphantly unveiled the example I had prepared:
(cute, huh?)
The sight was met by a satisfying mix of oohs and aahs, until one little girl said, "It looks like the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes!" How do you keep from laughing at something like that?
When I pulled out their mummies, it was apparent that the body was made from socks. "Stinky" socks, they thought, since the tea had made them so dingy. I passed one out to each student, instructing them to leave the socks on their desks until everyone had one. Here was an interesting display of the difference between girls and boys. All the girls picked up their partially-completed mummies and began rocking them in their arms, cooing at their imaginary babies. The boys turned theirs into weapons. If they weren't bludgeoning each other with stuffed cat heads they had them turned upside down to use as punching bags. Different, yes, but alike in that none of them left the sock on their desk as they were told!
Once I regained control of the room, I passed out old newspapers for the kids to tear up and begin stuffing. Boy, did they love that. I was trying to do damage control as paper went flying when I noticed one first grade girl sitting quietly with her paper opened, trying to read one of the articles, oblivious to the mayhem surrounding her. It was the oddest thing to discourage her from reading and tell her to be destructive instead.
Finally, the bodies were stuffed, the feet were tied, and it was time to pass out the bandages. It seemed straightforward enough with a neat little bag for each student. I think some kids might ahve been trying to mummify themselves instead of their cats.
The wrapping was tricky, though not much more than I had anticipated. Thankfully I had a parent volunteer to help with finishing up the project. But it was still chaos. I had the students sing through their review songs just to control the noise level as we adults walked around to help as needed.
At last, we were finished. All the trash was thrown away, and sitting atop each student desk was a quirky, one-of-a-kind, homemade cat mummy. I orally quizzed them about the why and how of Egyptian mummies to reinforce why we did that project. Yes, their minds were on ancient Egypt. My efforts were a success, of sorts.
As the students packed up, one second grade boy showed me how the bandages were coming loose over his mummy's face. "Mrs. Smith," he said excitedly, "mine's a wounded Civil War soldier!" Then he made his mummy/soldier hobble around on his desk, groaning from the pain of his battle scars.
Did I say ancient Egypt...?
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