** “Sure, every aging generation thinks things were better in ‘their’ day, but this time it’s not a case of rose-colored reminiscing. Somewhere along the line, things have changed. From the massive homage paid to political correctness to the insatiable desire to socially re-engineer damn near everything, and from helicopter parents hovering over every breath their manic children take to an unprecedented level of outright stupidity, American society is devolving into a constant refrain of ‘What the hell are we thinking?’ If the silent majority has no issue with where we’re going, it’s time to throw in the towel because the ball game’s over. But if they believe that our direction is wrong, they need to make their voices known and demand an end to the foolishness.” ~ Chris Freind, York Daily Record
** “If high IQ scores are not reliable indicators of genius, what are? Advocates of gifted children hope schools can be designed to turn intellectual promise into world-changing creativity. Many of those experts admit that a lot of our gifted programs at the moment don’t add much. What those children get in an occasional pullout class is likely to be less interesting to them than their own research in their parents’ bookcases, kitchens, the local library, and the Internet.” ~ Jay Mathews, Washington Post
** “Unfortunately, yes, there will always be those students who want to cut corners, find the easy way, and cheat to get out of having to do the hard work. But a significant majority of students are inherently inquisitive; they want to learn and do better by engaging and thinking, not memorizing and fact-checking. It’s up to us to appeal to that inquisitiveness.” ~ Jennifer Carey, educator
** “Modern research indicates that more areas of the human brain are engaged when children use cursive handwriting than when they keyboard. We’re not thinking this through. It’s beyond belief to me that states have allowed cursive to slip from the standards.” ~ Julie Carr Smyth, AP
** “Everyone speaks and writes for different audiences, but some students struggle to switch between the informal codes of texting and social media and the more formal codes of standard written English and academic or professional writing … ” ~ Eric Sentell, Southeast Missouri State University