THURSDAY MORNING

[dayspring39]

Ah back by popular request… well one is popular to me….

This prayer was given by Rev Joe Wright senior pastor of the 2,500 member Central Christian Church in Wichita; it was given as an opening prayer at the 1996 Kansas house of Representatives… it caused quite a controversy… this is only a part of the prayer:


'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare... We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics... We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!'

Kathleen

[BirdbyBird]

The make up of schools is very different today...teachers are expected to educate all students, many with diverse disabilities (that they have little training or background for). Years ago...those students would not have still been in the building.....many of the students I had in my first classroom (separate facility at the time) had been told that they were exempt from attending school at all! Many of these students would be included within classroom today at some level. It was wrong to exclude them because they learned differently or required more assistant (Like WC access-able buildings) But I wish educators could focus on real life skills rather than some "committee's" curriculum. For some students using a calculator is appropriate and the learning goal is to know HOW to use one and WHEN and WHY to use one......I started a Transition School to Work Program (with grant money) that is still being maintained with the two instructors I hired. They concentrate on social skills, language skills and judgment skills necessary for a "job". Some of them may never be able to complete a job application on their own BUT they learn how to carry their personal information with them in a wallet if it is needed. If you don't know how to read something it is important to know how to ask someone to read something for you. The reason most individuals lose jobs is not the quality of their work but poor social skills, poor personal hygiene, etc. They work on those issues in small group sessions but also as students get older they begin to place those that they can (and parents agree) out in community job placements and then serve as a job coach......again stressing not just the skills of the job but REAL LIFE skills allow individuals with disability to be a part of families and communities.

And there will always be those parents that recognize and appreciate the staff that really care about their children and work to help them be the best contributing citizens of the community that they can be. And that is not so different than what we wish for the to 10% of the class! It just might look different.

[Echo]

Soos, Tina and the others who teach, train and guide those with special needs......

You might not be able to teach State mandated mainstream education to those with special needs?? But you do what you do, from the heart. And that is the area in which you all make a difference. To someone's heart. And that will be remembered.

[WickedLady]

Is this forum turning into a revival tent?

[mitch5252]

Is this forum turning into a revival tent?

Huh?

..