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Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, and Create.

3/31/2026

You, as the reader,  may be thinking this will be another entry about the actions of the government, or lack thereof, but you would be wrong.  I’d like to write about the public education system, of which I spent 30+ years of my life, living my dream.

Since the mid 70s, the public education system has been under constant attack.  From the press, to the politicians claiming to be the education politician and fix what was wrong, to those who championed “schools of choice” because public schools were bad.  Certainly, there were studies completed that indicated public education was failing and the system needed to be overhauled.  There were many suggestions from the politicians to “fix” the problem…but what was overlooked was the lack of educational experience the politicians had in regards to classroom management, appropriate curriculum, cognitive development of students, and external factors that all contribute to success or failure of a student.  No law can address these aspects of public education.

It is my opinion that what has changed the public education system for the worse is the change in educational philosophy of the nation, i.e., what should be taught in the classroom and school.  There seems to be a public outcry about what is NOT BEING TAUGHT in public education…but is that clamor understanding of the elements that have brought about what David Berliner called in his book, “The Manufactured Crisis”.

Few people understand the purpose of education; few understand the funding of education; few understand why there has been a rush to privatize public education.  Consequently, the public wants many different things taught in school but do not realize the constraints on public education.  For example, there is only the possibility of 24 class offerings, in a 4-year high school program that operates on 6 class periods a day.  That’s it…24.  Each state has its own requirements for high school graduation. In the State of Arizona, state requirements are a minimum of 22 credits, including 4 English, 4 Math (Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, +1), 3 Science, 3 Social Studies (History, Govt/Econ), 1 Fine Arts/CTE, and 0.5 Physical Education, plus 6.5 electives. Students must pass the Civic Test with a grade of 60% minimum and complete an Education Career Action Plan (ECAP).

An Education and Career Action Plan (ECAP), something I never experienced, is a personalized, living document—often an electronic portfolio—used by students (typically grades 6-12) to align their academic coursework with future career goals. It helps students map out postsecondary plans (college, trade school, military, or work) while documenting progress, skills, and extracurricular activities.  What I find most interesting about this is, kids as young a 12 are being asked to make life determining decisions…and we know those plans are going to change for some based on a myriad of reasons.  There is research indicating many people leave their chosen field after a few years of on the job.  That includes college graduates.

Gone from the curriculum is Wood shop, Auto shop, and traditional Home Economics which all introduced students to the possibility of a career in the trades.  Even Home Economics taught mundane subjects like sewing and cooking which might spur on students to aspire to be chefs or clothes designers.  There is now a wave of people asking why teaching students about insurance,  how to fill out a tax return, how interest rates affect prices of every commodity needed….in other words, Consumer Math, isn’t part of a high school curriculum.  I don’t disagree, it should be, but to get qualified people to teach this is another constraint on public education.

And yes, there are some areas of school curriculum that need to be revisited with open eyes.

In a traditional sense of curriculum in the high school setting, and just examining what takes place in my State of Arizona, is it feasible to teach World History, or US History, or Government and Economics in the timeframe given?  For example, how many centuries of World History…since the time events have been chronicled, must be taught in 180 days of an academic year?  ( Honestly, the school calendar may state 180 days, but when state mandated testing, district testing, student registration take place, the number really dwindles to anywhere between 165-170 days of instruction.  And that doesn’t take into consideration any staff development days as well.)  The United States will celebrate 250 years of existence, but that doesn’t take into account from the time Roanoke Island colony (1585) was founded until 1776 and the Declaration of Independence.  How is the history of our nation to be taught in 180 days of an academic calendar?  And, as for teaching government and economics in a 90-day academic semester, which both are now at the forefront of everyday life…the task is overwhelming.

Does one realize the evident problem here?  Some would recite the buzzword phrase of “less is more”, in other words delete some of the less important material.  What happens to be the less important material?

If certain portions of the World History were to be omitted, is it possible the public would really understand the ongoing problem in the Middle East.  It has only lasted for about 2000 years and numerous Crusades.  Would anyone know about the lead up to and results of the Civil War, let alone, Manassas  1 and 2, Antietam, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, R.E. Lee, Grant, Sherman?  Would students understand the difference between a democracy, a totalitarian, or a monarchy government.  Would students know about the invisible hand Adam Smith wrote about, or the means of production, Gross National Product, or inflation, and what is a depression?

These are the problems I faced when I was in the classroom, just as those who came before me and certainly after me did as well. And yet, education, and in particular, faculty members, are blamed for trying to do the almost impossible.

Does the same apply to other facets of the curriculum?  Yes.  I cannot help my grandson with his math homework.  Why?  The methodology is different from what I learned.  And the process is what is being graded, not the end result of the correct answer.  In the early 1950’s the Russians taught Algebra to kindergarten students, who, could accurately answer algebraic problems.  But the underlying problem to all of this was the Russian students did not know the value of 1…what 1 meant.

Science is everchanging because of research.  I have no problem with that happening, BUT at what point does the scientific research and technology overtake the basic learning blocks of scientific knowledge the student needs to learn about what has been uncovered or developed by scientific research?

Computer science has been integrated into high school curriculum.  I taught at a school that had the best computer instructors and resources in the greater Southwest.  This is a needed part of curriculum, but there is a caveat regarding this subject.  Should the student rely on a computer to “think”, as in AI…Gemini, ChatGPT, applications like those, or does the student develop critical thinking skills needed to evaluate situations and solve problems?

Let me suggest business has had hand in the changing of educational policy in our nation claiming that students are not prepared to enter into the business world.  Here are my thoughts regarding this.

The question that should be asked is, “Why isn’t business training their workers, instead of arguing public education should do so?”  Answer: Ready to work in the business industry.  But what does that mean?  The answer is required to be defined to help public education improve.

If the answer of that very important question is read, write, mathematics, and think critically, then what are the decisions makers doing to promote that?  And then the question that needs to be asked and answered is, “Just what in the hell are we doing?”

What this argument really does is benefit business, because big business doesn’t have to or want to spend time and money training, orienting, new hires…and this means more profit for big business.  The argument is for the advantage of business.

If those who make educational policy were serious about improving public education, those making the decisions need to understand the inherent problems of education.  Decisions made in the past have not taken in to consideration time constraints and increasing the work load of both students and faculty members (for whatever reason) and not producing students who can approach the higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Bloom’s Taxonomy is a theory of learning with six levels of cognitive development.  They are from lowest to highest, Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, and Create. This theory REQUIRES students to be able to read, write, and perform mathematical problems.  It REQUIRES students to be creative and critical thinkers, all of which are needed to be a contributing member to society.  What this theory doesn’t do is produce students who can immediately step into a career of financial planning, or being an electrician, or being a plumber, or a policeman, or fire fighter.  And therein lies what I consider to be the crux of the matter for big business.

But what this theory does, is hopefully prepare a student to be able to make decisions based upon their educational experiences in the classroom.  Namely, Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, and Create.

That is my opinion…something I had over thirty years of experience to consider…

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Not an April Fool's Joke

3/31/2026

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Tomorrow, April 1, 2026, the Supreme Court of the United States is scheduled to hear arguments of the Trump v. Barbara Case.  This is not an April Fool’s joke.

This judicial review is centered on the January 2025 Executive Order (EO) signed by President Trump to limit the citizenship of children born in the United States to undocumented citizens living in the United States.

Historically speaking, the 14th Amendment to the Constitution was to grant citizenship to slaves freed by the end of the Civil War, who were not born in the United States.  Since that time, the 14th Amendment has always been interpreted to mean anyone born in the United States is a citizen of the United States.  The President doesn’t believe that to be what the 14th Amendment was meant to address and he wishes to change the decades old meaning of it.

The motivation for the President’s action is unclear, and apparently undefined.

In my opinion, there is a bigger question this court case represents.

Constitutionally, there are four methods to amend the Constitution.  All four methods require the use of the Congress and States.

The four methods for amending the U.S. Constitution are:

Proposal by Congress & Ratification by State Legislatures: The standard method where 2/3 of both houses of Congress propose an amendment, and 3/4 of state legislatures ratify it (used for 26 amendments).
Proposal by Congress & Ratification by State Conventions: 2/3 of both houses of Congress propose an amendment, and 3/4 of special state conventions ratify it (used only for the 21st Amendment)
Proposal by National Convention & Ratification by State Legislatures: 2/3 of state legislatures apply to Congress to call a national convention for proposal, and 3/4 of state legislatures ratify it.
Proposal by National Convention & Ratification by State Conventions: 2/3 of state legislatures apply to Congress to call a national convention for proposal, and 3/4 of special state conventions ratify it.

Should the Supreme Court rule in favor of the President, the Court will have opened the door for the President to change, alter, amend, or possibly do away with any part or the entire Constitution.  In other words, the four methods of amending the Constitution are all but gone and forgotten.

There have been many unfounded charges that the President may run for a third term.  When asked about a 3rd term, the President has been vague about his candidacy.  Clearly, this is defined in the 22nd Amendment of the Constitution, which permits a President to serve two fully elected terms (8 years) or a maximum of 10 years.

The President wishes to impose federal regulations on the states who have the responsibility to carry out elections.  This is part of the controversial SAVE ACT.  By the terms in Article I, Section 4, Clause 1, of the Constitution referred to as the Elections Clause, indicates that state legislatures will establish the times, places, and manner of holding elections for the House of Representatives and the Senate, subject to Congress making or altering such state regulations (except as to the place of choosing Senators).   The Supreme Court has interpreted the Elections Clause expansively, enabling states to provide a complete code for congressional elections, not only as to times and places, but in relation to notices, registration, supervision of voting, protection of voters, prevention of fraud and corrupt practices, counting of votes, duties of inspectors and canvassers, and making and publication of election returns.

The Presidential EO to change the interpretation of the 14th Amendment, the possibility of a third term, and the changing of Article 1 Section 4, Clause 1 of the Constitution are some of the changes the President wants to take place, but obviously, these changes are in conflict with the supreme law of the land, the Constitution.

All of this is possible should the Supreme Court agrees with the President in Trump v. Barbara.  The States and Congress may no longer hold the power to change or add to the Constitution because theoretically, the President could over-rule any decision by Congress or even the Supreme Court by EO.  In other words, the power of the government will rest solely with the President who can just about do what he wants.  That isn’t an elected President, that is a dictator.

This country was based on the premise of what President Lincoln said in his famous Gettysburg Address,  “Of the People, By the People, For the People “.  It would be a shame to have the voice of the people not heard by the President.

That is just one man’s opinion…mine.  I hope you have one too!

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The Day I look forward to

3/26/2026

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Every time MLB Opening Day comes around, I get excited. Another season, happiness as my favorite team wins and sadness when the season concludes.

I am now in the throes of introducing my grandson to the art of hitting and throwing. I enjoy it very much, I hope he does as well. We went to a spring ball game recently and as an 8 year old, Miles watched the game with great intent. Maybe, just maybe the bug of the best game on Earth will bite him.

Please allow me to repost my thoughts about Opening Day from about a year ago. Near the end of this entry is a thought written by one of my friends who has experienced baseball for most of her life. My friend's husband played while attending BYU, her boys played in a university setting, her grandsons played at a university setting. She knows what she has written to be true.

And once again Dad, thanks for the introduction.

Even though I have white hair and am long in the tooth, there are some things I can remember from my very early years.  One of them was watching baseball on tv at my grandmother’s house.  The tv screen wasn’t very big in those days, and the picture looked eerily similar to the early green screens of early computers.  But there he was on the screen, wearing number 7.  I remember looking at my grandmother and asking how my dad was on tv, playing baseball, and not at work.  You see, my dad wore number 7 for the baseball team of Carpenter, Illinois, which played every Sunday during baseball season.  The player on tv, wearing number 7, as I learned later, was none other than “The Mick”…Mickey Mantle.

My dad introduced me to baseball. He played every Sunday when it was baseball season in Carpenter, and our family went to watch. My dad and I played catch on occasion.  I think the last time that happened I was about 12.  He told me if he saw me throw a curveball, he would quit playing catch.  About the only thing I can remember my dad giving me advice about the game was when I was in high school.  “If you are the leadoff hitter, most pitchers like to throw the fastball on the first pitch of the game.  Be ready for that, and if you like the pitch, jump on it.”

As a young adolescent, one did what one could to practice baseball skills.  In those days of the 50’s, there weren’t batting cages, just as there wasn’t a place to take fly balls.  So, we improvised.  Our playground became the road in front of the house.  Old baseball would have an “Eye bolt” inserted into it and have a length of rope attached to the “eye bolt”.  One person would swing the ball in a circle and the rest of the group would take batting practice in that manner.  What really happened was a bunch of kids learned how to hit from both sides of the plate, because when a person batting right-handed hit the ball, the path of the ball would reverse, and consequently everyone hitting had to turn around and hit left-handed.

We played baseball games in the street.  Bases might be a spot on a sidewalk, a set of steps leading up to a house.  There was no catcher’s gear, so the catcher played back from the plate as to not get hit with a foul ball.  I don’t remember ever breaking a window…and the word “CAR” meant get out of the road.

My first MLB game was at Old Sportsman Park in St. Louis.  The Cardinals were so bad at that time, the team had placed on the hand operated scoreboard, “If anyone catches a foul ball on the fly, you can have a tryout with the team”.  At 7 years of age, I was in no danger of catching a foul ball.  But I immediately became a lifelong StL Cardinal fan.

I became so enchanted with the game; I decided to make the game part of my life’s work.  I became a high school baseball coach, and was blessed to coach many, some who were good, some not so good.  But it was for the love of the game.

As Opening Day comes on March 27th of this year, I would like to leave this statement which came from a close family friend, who is the wife of a baseball player/coach, whose sons grew up to be baseball players and coaches.  I think it says it all.

"Ball" is not a game. It's a philosophy. Ball forms you. Ball leads you. Ball points the way and you follow. Ball shapes your values and it develops your character. Ball makes you well-rounded and gives equilibrium to your days and nights. If you work at it hard enough, ball becomes a set of principles that guide your decision making. Ball teaches you to love, to forgive, to breathe deeper, to think. Ball connects you to a spiritual language that only other "ballers" speak. Ball is handed down; it is bequeathed. Ball is the cushion that catches you when you fall and it's the wings that make you soar.

Thanks dad, for the introduction, and GO REDBIRDS!

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Passing Thoughts

3/15/2026

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At the outset of the current administration the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was established to ferret out wasteful spending and downsize the government.

As of spring 2025, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk claims to have identified $105 billion to $160 billion in potential savings. However, these figures are not independently verified, and analysis suggests the actual, documented savings are significantly lower, with estimates ranging from $1.4 billion to roughly $8.5 billion.  Hundreds of government employees were also terminated.

Reports in November 2025 indicated that DOGE was dismantled eight months ahead of its planned July 4, 2026, charter end date.

And now, it is been recently reported the Department of War under the leadership of Secretary Hegseth spent a record $93.4 billion on grants and contracts in September 2025. This "use-it-or-lose-it" spending spree included roughly $22 million for steak and lobster, $225 million on furniture, and $1.8 million on musical instruments.

So, if DOGE was created to stop wasteful spending and possibly fraud…why not just return the 94.3 billion to the general fund.  Rib Eye, lobster, crab legs….are they part of the military MREs?  For you older vets…C-Rations.

So much for wasteful spending.

President Donald Trump publicly contradicted Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard regarding Iran's nuclear program on June 17, 2025, dismissing her assessment that Iran was not actively building a nuclear weapon.  Gabbard is the Head of the NSI which oversees ALL of the intelligence agencies of the US.  If Trump wasn’t listening to Gabbard, who then, was he with in consultation?

On June 22, 2025, President Trump ordered the bombing of Iranian sites capable of producing enriched uranium needed for the production of a nuclear weapon.  The President proudly claimed the sites they “obliterated” in June of 2025.

President Trump has announced to the nation the reason for war in Iran was because Iran was about 2 weeks away from possessing a nuclear weapon.    (If the sites were in fact “obliterated” how did Iran rebuild the facilities quickly enough to produce enough enriched uranium to build a nuclear weapon so quickly?)

According to Larry Nutter, graduate from Northern Colorado…

How long it would take to enrich uranium to make a nuclear bomb is entirely dependent on how many centrifuges are being used and correct operation of the equipment. If an operation had one centrifuge, it would take many lifetimes to produce enough fissile uranium to make a nuclear bomb. Iran was operating about 18,000 first-generation IR-1 centrifuges and about 1,000 second-generation IR-2 centrifuges. It had also accumulated a stockpile of roughly 7,000 kilograms (about 15,430 pounds) of low-enriched uranium (under 5%) and about 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of 20% enrichment uranium. To be weapons grade, the U-235 content of uranium has to be 80%+. Creating at least 55 kilograms of 80%+ from almost 20,000 would take several months. Modern nuclear weapons based on uranium typically use uranium enriched to 90% to 93% U-235, which is known as weapons-grade uranium, for the primary fuel. Making weapons grade uranium is a very difficult process.

In later statements, the President would say Iran was on the verge of having built missiles of mass destruction and it would benefit all if those missiles were destroyed.  The President also added that Iran was planning on taking over the entire Middle East.

So which is it?  Nuclear weapons, missiles of mass destruction or the take-over of the Middle East by Iran?  Maybe all…who really knows?

And just for another passing thought…

Why would the President prepare to send an expeditionary force of 2500 Marines to the Middle East (Iran) if he was only considering “boots on the ground?”

U.S. President Donald Trump told Reuters on Thursday, March 5, 2026, the United States must be involved in choosing the next leader of Iran.  Trump said in a ‌telephone interview that he thinks the next leader of Iran is unlikely to be the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's son, who has emerged as a frontrunner to succeed his father.

And the Iranians chose whom to be their next leader?

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Peace President

3/8/2026

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Rather than spend a great deal of time trying to write my concerns about our Peace President, I thought I would use this space to highlight the accomplishments of our Peace President by providing this read, which to me, is really revealing.

But before you click on this link, please keep in mind our Peace President has established his Board of Peace, with himself as the chairman, and invited selected countries to join his board at the cost of 1 billion dollars each. So, that may be a step in the right direction.

While I may agree with the recent war with Iran, if the reason for the war is truthful. But in the President’s own words, when describing an earlier strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, the President claimed the facility was “obliterated”. For those who need clarification about the word “obliterated”, it means to destroy utterly; wipe out.

If I am not mistaken, the President has offered Iran would have a nuclear weapon in “two weeks” as a reason to attack Iran.

Please utilize the link provided, it is really a good read.

https://www.cfr.org/articles/guide-trumps-second-term-military-strikes-and-actions

And after reading this article, help me understand how our President qualifies for the Nobel Peace Prize.

I have my own opinion…do you?

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One Man's Opinion

Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, and Create.

Not an April Fool's Joke

The Day I look forward to

Passing Thoughts

Peace President

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