Are We Asking Too Much of Teachers?

After being interviewed by the school administration, the prospective teacher said:

"Let me see if I've got this right.

'You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning.

'You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride.

'You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job.

'You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the final exams.

'You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card.

'You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps.

'You want me to do all this and then you tell me...I Can't Pray!"

It's Officially Gone to the Dogs!!



Malachy the Pekingese

Seth Wenig/AP

 The scream was piercing..."Nooooooooo!!!!"

As they announced that Malachy, the Pekingese, had beaten out those renowned and stately breeds such as the German Shepherd, the Doberman Pincer, and the stately Irish Setter (a personal favorite of a friend of ours and she shows them), her scream of displeasure and disbelief about woke all the children.

"That thing looks like an Ewok from Star Wars", she exclaimed.  I have, in fact, seen pictures today that showed that if you combined Chewbacca with an Ewok, you would get Malachy.

Not being overly opinionated about dog shows, and yes there are some things I am not opinionated about, I really didn't care which dog won.  I did, however, have to agree that this is not a great choice.  I understand that Malachy met all the criteria in his class and is a fine specimen of a.....dare I say it?....dog, but his class is the "Toy" class.  How can the "Big Dog" of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show be a dust mop from a class that doesn't even have a real use other than to dust hardwood floors.

Well, Malachy won and that is all there is to it.  It may not be my idea of a dog and definitely not my wife's, she is a German Shepherd fan, but you have to admit, even Malachy looks better than some of those other breeds.  Besides...look at that face....that is his face, right?

Congress shall make no law...

...respecting an establishment of religion.  So states the beginning of the first sentence of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.  I think it can be agreed upon that this amendment has always been a magnet for debate.  What does it truly mean and debates like that.  One thing that I think the vast majority of Americans will agree upon is that it keeps the government from telling religions in America how they will practice their religions.

The big news maker right now is the mandate being handed down by the Administration through the Department of Health and Human Services stating that all individual and group health insurance plans cover and subsidize contraception, sterilization procedures and pharmaceuticals that even result in abortion.  This includes all hospitals, universities, etc. that have a religious affiliation.  If providing these services goes against the teachings of that religion, then how can the government demand they provide them? 

This is not a debate about abortion or birth control or whether they should or should not be legal.  This is about the government telling a religion that they MUST do what the government says, even if it is against their beliefs.  The government is infringing upon that religion's right to practice as they wish.  Being from a Catholic background, I can only relate this to the government telling the Catholic Church that they must have female priests.  It would be the same for other religions, Jewish, Muslims, etc, being told them must do something that is totally against their beliefs or practices.

I am sharing two articles written by the Bishop of Pittsburgh, Bishop David A. Zubik.  Though his articles specifically speak from a Catholic point of view and focus on the abortion issue, the problem here is shared by all religions.  It is also not only the Catholic Church that fights against abortion, others do as well.  And the ability of government to dictate to a religion would not stop at health insurance.  It could easily spread to other issues, such as female priests. The bigger issue is that of government dictating what a church does in regards to it's teachings and beliefs.  Please read these, they are very good.

http://diopitt.org/bridging-gap/hell-you

http://diopitt.org/hed-checking-air-outside

If we allow our government to trample all over the first of our Constitutional rights, how do we stop them from lining them all up to take a fall?  This is a call to action.  Contact your congressmen and women and the president.  Tell them not to mandate what a religion will do, especially against their basic beliefs.