Weekly Math Updates

October 17, 2007

Contents:

  • Math Task Force Bill
  • Milgram Speaks Out
  • Jordan School District Split Needs Help
  • The Fall of America Starts...in California...Maine...Norway
  • ASD Textbook Promotes Gay Agenda
  • School Board Election Information - 2008 - We need one more candidate (PLEASE help find someone)
  • Articles & Media (at least one MUST read)

Nothing worthwhile ever comes easy, but things that are destructive come easily and are hard to turn back because they move on a downhill slope. It's so much easier for people to run behind a boulder than push it back into place. Politicians build slides every day with campaign promises that guarantee you an easier life. In fact, you don't even have to climb a ladder, because the politicians are happy to dig bigger holes right from where you're at so you can just step off and enjoy a terrific ride. This letter is a mixed bag. Some progress was made Wednesday on the math front, but a large boulder just came crashing down the path on a whole different part of the mountain. I hope you're all prepared to home school your kids because unless you're willing to fight and push boulders uphill right now, that's what you'll be doing in a short time.

Our public education system is good at one thing...enculturating all students to ensure the future of our democracy. Socialism in education guarantees exactly what Karl Marx wanted, a government that can tell you what your kids need to know and when, including sex and gender identity.

First the math news, then the destruction of the world...

Math Task Force Bill

Wednesday at the education sub-committee meeting, a bill was introduced to have the legislature form a task force to examine issues related to math, science, and technology. This is a direct result of the horrid performance of the state DOE in giving us world class standards. The task force bill hit a snag and it was voted to modify the bill and bring it back next month for endorsement. The bill has not been posted online yet for review. The passage of this bill should allow us to move toward stronger standards. I think a consensus has been arrived at by overwhelming evidence that what we currently have will not serve Utah well.

Milgram Speaks Out

I was emailed this bit from a letter Dr. Milgram wrote recently and he gave me permission to send it out. Dr. Milgram's forthright statements are a breath of fresh air. Why some math educators are upset with him is only because they've closed their minds to the possibility that they're wrong on their pet projects. Dr. Milgram is preeminently qualified to speak out on math issues since he helped reshape the NCTM standards that were such a mess and caused such damage across our country for the last few decades.

"As both one of the main designers of the focal points and one of the two main reviewers of the completed document for NCTM, let me assure you that anyone who suggests that the Focal Points support the use of crap programs like TERC is blowing smoke.

On the other hand, they are emphatically not a call for "return to basics" if, by that one means the math programs in the country from 50 years ago. What they actually are is an attempt to try to align instruction in this country with what is actually done in the high achieving countries. They focus on the key topics and develop them to great depth. They also require students to solve many, many increasingly more difficult problems in these Focus areas.

Absolutely none of the NSF funded curricula do this."

Jim

Ahhh, the feel of sanity. Let it wash over you for the moment because it will be gone in just a few seconds...

Jordan School District Split Needs Help

I received an email this morning asking for help in pushing Jordan's split over the top which in turn will help other school districts have greater momentum to split. For those of you that know ASD is in great need of being split, please donate something to help Jordan's split come to pass. It will make the job of splitting ASD so much easier. Donate here online (scroll down on page).

http://www.c4ssd.com/

The Fall of America Starts in California

As much as we can praise California for getting some of the best math standards in the country, the following event last week is exactly why we have many people in this state saying we don't want anything to do with any California standards. Last week, Governorator Schwarzenegger signed a law effectively banning the terms "mom and dad" and "husband and wife" from use in public schools unless equal time is given to explain gay terms like "dad and dad" and so on. Other transgender groups are also lobbying for the right for gender confused students to use whichever restroom they better identify with. Here's the article:

http://www.savecalifornia.com/getpluggedin/news_details.php?newsid=89

Christian groups in California are calling for parents to pull their children out of the public schools right now and homeschool them.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58154

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=/Culture/archive/200710/CUL20071017a.html

Maine just announced they're going to distribute birth control pills in grades 6-8 because many of the kids are sexually active and "hey, if they're going to do it anyway, we should make sure they have access to the best preventive measures." Yeah, the pills' effects on mood for girls that age should give us no cause for worry.

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=140910&ac=PHnws

Or watch this ABC news video where Diane Sawyer moderates a short debate between Glenn Beck and a sex educator.

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3740096

Now Norway has decided Kindergarteners should have some class time for "sex play"

Norway is Perverted (link names help rank pages by the words used so I had to choose this one carefully)

It seems to me that these battles are getting harder and harder to win and push back the flow of evil. Look at how tired everyone has become over just the math fight and how much effort is required to make a change in a school district and state on something as scientific and tangible as math. It's so hard for people to get involved these days because we all have a million excuses. I've got my share but I know this fight is worth it. I'm so thankful that some of you have read these emails and stayed educated and up to date on the issues and then emailed and called people when we've needed you to help.

I know not all of you are LDS but the majority are since you're in Utah. I would like to point out that the prophets in our day have issued a proclamation on the family which includes these warnings:

"We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society."

(my emphasis)

Link to the Proclamation on the Family.

Whomever you are, something will push your buttons one of these days. You took the step for signing a petition for better math in ASD and Utah and that's unique by itself, but then 95% of you don't take action beyond that step. I'm not criticizing you, though the rest of us could use the help, but there is something out there that will someday motivate you to do what I've done in leading this movement. What is it? When will it happen that you will step forward in a big way? These are rhetorical questions to ponder, but I think how glad I'll be when the math fight is over, and then have to say, what's next? Will it be the feds or state locking up a religious leader for making statements against homosexuality that triggers my next button? Will it be schools indoctrinating my children in the gay agenda that makes me homeschool them and start another round with the district? Will it be over crippling taxes that come with socialism?

What is becoming clear is that lines are being drawn in the sand and those who would attack the family are stepping over the line and drawing new lines on our side saying, "go ahead, I dare you to step over this line. Look at us, we aren't afraid of you." We're being pushed back and unless we stand for something, we will fall for nothing.

Apathy and fear of what people will think or say about us, will destroy us. If you live life without making any enemies by your actions to do good, you haven't really lived. It reminds me of that song talking about skydiving and living life before you die. I have come to identify with that song and I think we all need to or else we don't really understand what we are here for.

Watch this YouTube video and get inspired to rise up and make a difference. The amazing part of the video starts around the 2 minute mark.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJaq7syc7ng

ASD Textbook Promotes Gay Agenda

Part of my shock and horror at the situation in California is that same day, a parent on this math list pointed out to me that his child came home with a permission slip to take a health class in ASD. He flipped to a random page in the book in "the chapter" where it all happens and was quite disturbed at the content of the book. Here's a link for you to read this page. Admittedly I don't know more about what's going on in these classes because my children haven't reached that age, but I'm probably going to have my kids opt out and take such a class at home. It's a lot less worrisome.

Health book page

School Board Election Information - 2008 - We need one more candidate

Several weeks ago I asked for people to consider running for school board in three precincts of the district. I got volunteers for A7 and possibly A4. We have a need for a candidate to run in A6. Here's the map again. If you live down there and can't run, please help us find someone who will run.

http://www.oaknorton.com/PrecinctMap.pdf

Articles & Media

Music-Math Analogy
http://www.ednews.org/articles/14638/1/Music-Math-Analogy/Page1.html

The folks up in Washington have put together a really nice video with parents speaking out against the vaunted Bellevue School District and it has a lot of parallels to our own ASD. It's about 20 minutes just to forewarn you but it's well worth watching it at lunch or just listening to it in the background when you can.
http://www.wheresthemath.com/blog/video/

Experimentation with Minorities and the Deliberate Dumbing Down for the Planned Economy by Charlotte Iserbyte
I've mentioned Charlotte's massive book before (DDD) but this is a short 3 page synopsis that is essential reading to understand some of the nightmares we are fighting.
http://www.deliberatedumbingdown.com/OtherPDFs/Iserbyt_Experimentation.pdf

Nice summary page of how California took a trip down the fuzzy math river and then recovered
http://www.hobel.org/lwved/id25.htm

This page is one I have looked for since the beginning of this math fight. It's David Klein's letter explaining the remediation rates in California and at what point they took action. It's telling that when they hit 50% remediation rates they acted. Here in Utah we've hit 70% and our educators are telling us we're doing fine. Now the legislature here has stepped in just like they were going to in California, in an attempt to set the boat aright.
http://rsvh.addr.com/mva/id140.htm

Global cooling heading our way...
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/122

Sincerely,

Oak Norton

If this email was forwarded to you, please go here and sign the petition to get on my mailing list.
http://www.oaknorton.com/mathpetition.cfm

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