It's Called A Killer Whale For A Reason. . .

Horror has struck again. A killer whale at Seaworld attacked and killed one of it's trainers. The 12,000 pound whale caught hold of the trainer and thrashed her around until she drowned, witnesses say. There is much speculation as to what to do with the whale. I thought it was obvious. . .

It is a show whale that has caused three deaths. Is there anything to be said for the old line, "Three strikes and you're out"? Humans don't get that sympathy. Granted the other deaths had questionable circumstances, but this was one of Seaworld's most experienced trainers. I would question a person's reasoning for wanting to be around anything whose name involved "killer". Knowing that this particular killer had killed before, I would have no interest at all in it's involvement. There are trainers willing to go back in the pool with that whale. I don't understand.

This is a wild creature. When you take it out of it's natural surroundings, anything is possible. Shame on us for using this whale for entertainment. From this standpoint, we can't blame the whale. I am not sure, but releasing this whale to it's natural habitat would probably kill it, as it would never survive. Again, not it's fault. Would it really be inhumane to kill it? I don't know. How many more people will it kill? Whales live for sixty years. I'd much rather see the whale go than a human.

The only hope for it, is to keep it as a stud. It is the only male whale they have. If temperament is genetic, what good is it? We are then creating more killer whales. I can't stress the killer part enough. What were people thinking when they thought it was a good idea to swim with a killer whale? Would you climb into a tank with a poisonous spider, or a grizzly bear? I sure wouldn't.

The question has become what to do. I don't mean to sound heartless. but I'm not so sure that it is safe to keep this whale alive. If we can't set him free, and he is a danger to people, what options do we have?

Drug testing at School

It's quite interesting to listen to the comments from students regarding drug testing at school. Marist High School has proposed mandatory drug testing, which has left many students and parents outraged. Marist, being a private school, is sticking to their statement: "It's not about getting kids in trouble, it's about the Marist family."

Some students and parents support it. They think it is great, and if the students have nothing to hide, they can prove it. Parents today would love any help they can get in raising their children. We live in a society with much temptation, it is so easy for a student to fall through the cracks. Some students really don't mind giving up a hair follicle. They think it would be great to get the drugs and users out of school. It is, after all, a learning environment and if you come to school with drugs or alcohol in your system, you take away from education, and potentially harm others.

Students are claiming it's a waste of money. Let's be honest. It's a private school - they can afford a $45 drug test with all of the tuition they are charging. Do these students really care about the money, or are they hiding something? Only they know for sure, and the test will prove it. Other students complain that it is an invasion of privacy. It;s illegal for students to use drugs or alcohol at their age, so doesn't that eliminate any privacy factor?

These drug test will check for alcohol, marijuana, ecstasy, PCP, etc. This has brought a lot of heat to the school board. Parents state they will fight it, while others back the proposal 100% What do you think?

Cutting Back? Look Again. . !

We all know about zero hour at high schools. Students come in, on their own will, to take a course before school even starts for the day. This gives them the opportunity to take an extra elective, such as foreign language or music courses. I nearly choked when I read about Lincoln Way High School's decision to "do away" with zero hour, and offer it as an additional tuition.

The goal was to cut back on expenditures in the schools. Apparently, the state owes the Lincoln Way district over 5 million dollars in promised grants. Other cuts include eliminating staff, both instructional and administrative, eliminating deans, eliminating courses and other things the school has not thought too much about, in my opinion.

If the school now is a high ranking school, something must be going right. Here's the problem: Nowhere does the school discuss cutting back on athletics. Now, I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but let's think about this clearly. If the school offers less programs, makes classes larger. eliminates deans, and gets rid of great programs such as the trades/building program, they will save big money. This cuts down on the range of diversity in students courses, gives a greater student to teacher ratio, and leaves more room for students to get into trouble, because there will not be enough staff to handle it. Hello, athletics. Is it costing the school nothing for coaches, transportation, uniforms, equipment, and maintenance of fields and gyms? This is a school, not a gym. I love sports as much as the next person, but something isn't adding up.

The upside is that you can still take a zero hour course - but it will cost you $500 per year. Well, I'm no math major, but assuming a family has two high school students that take zero hour, that's $1000 per year for high school courses.This is outside of all other school fees. Many students are not buying into this program. Not that they want to get up early anyway, but now, their out the chance to take an extra elective, and more limited in the remainder of the courses offered to them. I am frustrated by this. As a teacher, I can't see why some schools look so deeply at their athletics to be blinded by the fact that this is an expense. I would much rather see the school have a high success rate than see a school with a state pennant.

Paying for zero hour is an outrage. Kids want to go to school and learn. They are essentially punished because some families cannot afford to send them, Our economy stinks right now, everyone is hurting, but now we are throwing education into the quicksand, I don't understand. . .

The Olympics - Special In More Ways Than One

It is with great pleasure that I can say I was able to view the Olympics this year. Perhaps I did not travel to Canada, but I did get a chance to see the Andrew High School Special Olympics team play basketball.

I substitute teach at Andrew High School. I admit, I was taken aback when my assignment was to work in "Ultima" for the day. This is a division of Special Services, in which I feel I know very little about. The students in Ultima have severe disorders such as downs syndrome, autism, mental retardation, etc. Let me tell you how great each and every one of these kids are. At first, I'll admit, I was scared. I didn't know what I was supposed to be doing. The students had aides which were a big help in leading the class. Each and every task brought a smile a a great sense of accomplishment to the students' faces. Language Arts class consisted of being able to copy a sentence from the board and them being able to read it back to me. It was a huge accomplishment for them. They were so proud of themselves, as I was of them. Then came math. They were able to add the amounts of the coins to tell how much money they had. It was just like a regular schedule of classes, but we worked differently.

When it came to lunchtime,. the kids warmed up to me, as I warmed up to them. They were so excited to tell me about their upcoming basketball game at Richards High School on Saturday. I heard all about their practices, and who was a good player, and past accomplishments. To top that off, many of them were going home after basketball to get ready for the Turnabout dance. Some of them even showed me their dance moves. The energy and excitement was contagious.

After my day ended, I was exhausted. These students drained me, but left me with hugs goodbye and invitations to their game.

Could I resist? Nope. They played their hearts out and won. The excitement was overwhelming. How can these children take such joy in every ounces of life? The other students in the school grumble and complain about so many things, when these challenged students rise above their disabilities and shine like superstars. They students really made me think twice about the small things in life that we take for granted. I have chosen to look at everything as a small task, and not be overwhelmed by the large picture. Each time I complete something small, I will make it my own personal victory and take pride in it. I learned from my kids something deep within themselves: Overcome, and succeed.

Snow Days - Are We Hoping or Not?

Do we hope to see our school name here? With talk of 10-14 inches of snow in the area, I can't help but wonder. Is school going to be closed? Maybe, maybe not.

The take on: "I hope there is school." Graduation will be delayed!! Seniors are looking to get out!! No one wants to stay for one more lousy day, just because of a little snow. If the school does not have air conditioning, who wants to stay for one more sweltering day in the summertime? If we go, maybe we will get out early and the day will count, and we won't need a snow day. I'd rather go to school today, and go to the beach in June. My after school activities will be canceled if there is no school and I was looking forward to the game!

The take on, "Please, let it be a snow day." Thank goodness - I didn't study for my test anyway. I never did finish my homework, this will buy me some time. I hate snow. The bus stop seems really far away when you have to walk in snow. I can go sledding/snowboarding. It's too cold to get out of bed. Yes!!! I would let there be any type of bad weather - as long as I don't have to go to school!

Either way, it is the decision of administration, not students and teachers. What do you think, should we go or stay home? It is a split decision, depending on the personal interests at stake. Let's see what the snow will bring. As of right now, local schools are in session and the after school activities have yet to be canceled. Time will tell, and students will wait anxiously.

Think you're having a bad day?

Do you think you're having a bad day? Do you feel like life is dealing you a poor hand? Think twice. It has been several weeks since the devastating earthquake in Haiti, and the people are still suffering. Many Americans are asking, "Why should we give aid to this country?" This has been a hot topic in many conversations. There have been comments such as, 'Where were other countries when we needed help with Katrina?", and "Our own country is a suffering!" This make people think twice about giving to those in need. Yes it is true, we did not have countries swarming to help the United States after 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina, but weren't we, as American children taught the golden rule? Treat others as you would like to be treated.

As Americans, we are having a rough time in our country right now. However, there are many Americans who are capable of giving, and are financially able to do so. Haiti is a poor country. Many people there worked for a dollar a day. When times are that rough here, we as Americans will have the opportunity to complain. Yes, our country is having economic hardships, but even those who are struggling are not anywhere near the conditions of Haiti prior to the earthquake. Those people are living in makeshift box shelters, and don't have food, water, or medicine that they need. Even here in Chicago, our homeless people on the street beg for food, but there are people in America that can donate to them. They have places for shelter, people donate to the homeless, we have soup kitcjens. Haiti has no means of donating to themselves. I can only imagine what it it is like to be there with the struggles that they are facing.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Much of America has. They donated there time, money, and services to help out. We think we have it so bad here in the states, but we as a country could have survived this earthquake without the support of other countries. Haiti cannot do that. For that reason, don't you think that we should be grateful that we can give our help? Americans need to think twice before complaining about our hard times in the United States, and start thinking about how lucky we really are.

Photo taken by Gary Moore - realworldimage.com