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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
August 29, 2005
/ 24 Av, 5765
No classes until after Labor Day
By
Mitch Albom
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Look, I was a kid once, and I still think like a kid, so the kid in me and the adult in me needs to say this right now:
School starts in September.
Not August. Not July.
Certainly not July 22, which is when certain school districts in Georgia began "fall" classes this year. July 22? You're still getting your lemonade stand set up by July 22! You're not in SCHOOL on July 22!
This is insane. I've been following this trend of pushing up the school year earlier and earlier, and it's time for the kid in all of us to say, and you can quote me here, "Yuck."
Bad enough if it were for some really good "adult" reason, like the inability to heat the building in the winter. But I hardly think that's the problem in Georgia or Florida, where many schools began Aug. 8. If anything, the air-conditioning bills now must swallow the budget.
The reason most districts choose this summer-robbing start-up time is sad and simple: They want more time to make sure their students pass the standardized tests that, thanks to the No Child Left Behind program, now determine their funding.
In other words, summer got sold.
As I said, yuck.
Can I point out that kids need their summers? Can I point out that it's OK if a kid just lies in the grass and looks at the sky or makes licking an ice cream cone the highlight of his or her daily activities?
Can I point out that if you're a working parent and you argue that it's "easier" for you if your kid is in school, that maybe your priorities are a little more about you than they ought to be?
Can I point out that if standardized tests are the issue, why not move them back?
Can I point out that you only get to be a kid once? It is fast. It is precious. And it is gone.
Already our kids come home from school so loaded with books that you can't see their faces. Already they are buried in hours of homework, yet somehow are falling behind most of the world in basic math and science.
There is something broken in our educational system. But just as you wouldn't ask your 9-year-old to fix your flat tire, why burden kids to fix our administrative shortcomings? Why take away the rejuvenation that a summer off provides?
Pretty soon, the teacher will give out final report cards in May, pat everyone on the head and say, "See you Monday."
Summer, for kids, is a tradition. And not to put too fine a point on it, but I will. This is summer: half of June, all of July, all of August.
You don't even THINK about back-to-school shopping until the Labor Day picnic.
Summer is camp. Summer is family vacations. Summer is a time to slow down and be lazy. I don't know what kind of teaching Georgia and Florida get accomplished in 95-degree heat and 100-percent humidity, but I'll bet they need towels for recess. If a kid gets an "A" on a spelling test, does the teacher drop an ice cube down his back?
Stop the insanity. Don't tell me kids are bored and they want to be back. That's parents talking. How is it that many of us, as kids, got through school, ranked higher in the world, and never set foot in a building before September?
It's pretty simple. We don't pay our teachers enough, we don't fund our schools enough, and we don't care about the real problems of education enough to fix them.
That's our bad performance. Why punish the kids? They're just standing by the pool, about to jump in for the first time, and wondering why the school bell is ringing.
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© 2005, THE DETROIT FREE PRESS
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