What do you think about with current News and Opinions?

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Something to understand what nurses think about re the Current News and their opinions!

What evidence is there that students in Florida, or anywhere in a public school system, are suffering indoctrination? I know a bunch of right wing conservative citizens believe that as  right wing politicians are legislating based upon that belief after they talk about and elevate that belief in the social discourse.  But what evidence do they have of indoctrination? Is this like the evidence of voter fraud or election failures that many of those same people believe? It certainly seems like this is action inspired by lies and fear mongering. That's what right wing authoritarians do...they change laws based upon lies and propaganda until they break the targeted democracy. 

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The Trumpified RNC strikes another blow against democracy

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/04/17/gop-and-trump-withdraws-debate-commission/

So the GOP doesn't want to participate in any presidential debates with opposition candidates? Is this because the GOP is moving toward an American election system where the national party officials decide who will run on their ticket and then the state legislators will decide who won the electoral college votes and We the People don't really need to comparatively examine the candidates before any of that happens?

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The RNC isn’t operating on principle here. It is, once again, channeling the grievances of Trump. His demands of fealty have required that Republicans knock over institutions that protect the integrity of our elections, one after another. Walking away for the debates commission is only the latest example of the GOP’s efforts to erode confidence in the nation’s democracy.

Does any one else see the ongoing threat to our republic?

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
2 hours ago, Beerman said:

Me too.

Someone from the DeSantis camp did Tweet an example that had previously been posted from a book used elsewhere.  Some question whether it was really CRT, which I get.

I could see how the questions might lead to a discussion that includes CRT.  Either way, the questions do seem odd for a math textbook.  I don't see what they have to do to with a algebra problem.

https://www.newsweek.com/ron-desantis-team-defend-rejecting-crt-math-textbooks-1698494

I agree, those examples are not good word problems at all.  Cleary it's for older student, but still, it falls into the "what were they thinking category".  Those lessons about Maya Angelou should be taught perhaps in a social studies or literature class.

The title of the article is misleading in a way because it states "Ron DeSantis' Team Defend Rejecting 'CRT Math Textbooks,' Share Examples" then goes on to say "Florida officials did not provide a list of the rejected textbooks or provide examples of how they contained references to CRT..."

Really, I think they need to make their objections public and open for debate.  They don't have to back down but should be more transparent.  I'm sure they have good examples of things that don't align with their official policy for teaching and why they are specifically removing a book.  

 

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17 minutes ago, Tweety said:

I agree, those examples are not good word problems at all.  Cleary it's for older student, but still, it falls into the "what were they thinking category".  Those lessons about Maya Angelou should be taught perhaps in a social studies or literature class.

The title of the article is misleading in a way because it states "Ron DeSantis' Team Defend Rejecting 'CRT Math Textbooks,' Share Examples" then goes on to say "Florida officials did not provide a list of the rejected textbooks or provide examples of how they contained references to CRT..."

Really, I think they need to make their objections public and open for debate.  They don't have to back down but should be more transparent.  I'm sure they have good examples of things that don't align with their official policy for teaching and why they are specifically removing a book.  

 

Why are you sure that they have good examples to support their actions and beliefs?

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Specializes in Public Health, TB.

The image from the linked Newsweek article was not from a text book. It was from a worksheet shared between teachers. 

https://supercopyeditors.com/blog/writing/math-homework-question-goes-viral/

And it was deemed appropriate for 11th and 12th graders. 

Can someone remind me what is wrong with Common Core? I should think having a common curriculum between states would aid students who move between locations and better prepare for out of state colleges. 

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
1 hour ago, toomuchbaloney said:

Why are you sure that they have good examples to support their actions and beliefs?

It's my belief that they just didn't randomly pick books to ban, that they had a reason and aligned with their belief system.  

I'm thinking because they weren't immediately forthcoming with examples and made a blanket statement, those examples are going to be weak in the eyes of their opponents, and perhaps educators as well.  But they will be in line with their beliefs.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

I've talked about the double edged sword in the economy and inflation right now.  Apparently one week last month posted the lowest number of jobless claims since 1969.  

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US businesses posted a near-record level of open jobs in January – 11.3m – a trend that has helped pad workers’ pay and added to inflationary pressures.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/mar/24/us-unemployment-lowest-level-since-1969

2021 was a record year for corporate profits, but things are being strained by war.  

https://www.ft.com/content/e347aae3-8098-4f82-a97a-28d17769fa3e

I was also reading that the zero covid policy and lockdowns in China could have a ripple effect on the economy and inflation.

https://www.reuters.com/breakingviews/global-economy-braces-china-inflation-shock-2022-04-14/

 

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1 hour ago, nursej22 said:

The image from the linked Newsweek article was not from a text book. It was from a worksheet shared between teachers. 

https://supercopyeditors.com/blog/writing/math-homework-question-goes-viral/

And it was deemed appropriate for 11th and 12th graders. 

Can someone remind me what is wrong with Common Core? I should think having a common curriculum between states would aid students who move between locations and better prepare for out of state colleges. 

It was deemed appropriate by some, but not by others.

But, yes.  I do understand it was a worksheet from a website, and not one of the textbooks in question.

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2 hours ago, Tweety said:

Really, I think they need to make their objections public and open for debate.  They don't have to back down but should be more transparent.  I'm sure they have good examples of things that don't align with their official policy for teaching and why they are specifically removing a book.  

I agree.  I would like to see examples of what they're objecting to.

At the end of the day though, they can approve the books they choose to.

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45 minutes ago, Tweety said:

It's my belief that they just didn't randomly pick books to ban, that they had a reason and aligned with their belief system.  

I'm thinking because they weren't immediately forthcoming with examples and made a blanket statement, those examples are going to be weak in the eyes of their opponents, and perhaps educators as well.  But they will be in line with their beliefs.

 

The example I provided ended up being a worksheet from a teacher's website. 

Still, if that was on a teacher's site, and teachers thought it was appropriate for a MATH lesson, it's not a stretch to think there might be similar content in textbooks.

If that is part of a math lesson, makes me even more concerned about what might be happening in literature, history, and social studies classes.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
1 hour ago, Beerman said:

 

The example I provided ended up being a worksheet from a teacher's website. 

Still, if that was on a teacher's site, and teachers thought it was appropriate for a MATH lesson, it's not a stretch to think there might be similar content in textbooks.

If that is part of a math lesson, makes me even more concerned about what might be happening in literature, history, and social studies classes.

I don't want 'it's not a stretch" but let's discuss specifics.  I totally agree that the math problems were problematic.

Probably where I might disagree with conservatives and DeSantis   is what's appropriate and not.  But he doesn't seem to want to have that discussion yet.

 Just like we studied Emily Dickenson's life, studying Maya Angelou's trauma is appropriate at certain grade levels.  Just not in math class.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
1 hour ago, Beerman said:

At the end of the day though, they can approve the books they choose to.

I pretty much understand this about government and have swallowed many a bitter pill in my life.  But the good thing about America is we can voice how we feel about it.

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