WTF? | PARENTGUIDE News

New App Detects Liars and Promises to Change the World

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 12:00:00 -0400

What a concept— an app that sends an alert every time a person lies to you.

It is so simple, you’ll wonder why you didn’t think of it first.

The app, called Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire, employs tens of thousands of out-of-work college graduates, who are currently living in their parent’s basements with no discernible income, as fact checkers.

All you do is open the app on your cell phone and say the topic being discussed. A fact checker, who speci Continue reading »

Good Night, Irene

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:00:00 -0400

It's really interesting how your priorities refocus when you are forced to evacuate your home.

My wife and I live in a small beachfront community that was singled out by Hurricane Irene for complete devastation. Obviously, our initial prayers were for family and friends. When we were assured all were as safe as possible, our thoughts went to the material things we have accumulated over the years.

What should we save?

My wife and I are certainly not hoarders. Althou Continue reading »

Savor the Moment

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 12:00:00 -0400

You have to excuse me. I haven't slept in weeks. My daughter has been keeping me up all night with her crying. Finally, she fell asleep on my chest around 4 in the morning. She's in so much pain and I feel so helpless that I sometimes find myself crying right alongside her.

I can't wait for her colic to be over. Colic sucks, and it's supposed to last three more months!
That was yesterday.

Today I woke up, put on a tuxedo and came to The Central Park Boath Continue reading »

Seedless Watermelon and Texting

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:00:00 -0400

I'm not really a farmer, so maybe this is an obvious senior moment on my part, but don't watermelon (and other fruits and vegetables) originate from seeds?

For as long as I can remember, my family would go to the gardening store, buy a packet of seeds and plant and water the seeds in the tilled garden in our backyard. This family ritual has been going on for generations. First my grandpa, my dad and I did the gardening. Then my dad, my kids and I planted. Now it's done by my children Continue reading »

Cheating as the New Reality

Thu, 26 May 2011 12:00:00 -0400

Dear Parent,

I can't live with myself any longer. I am truly upset since one of our most courageous sports heroes, Lance Armstrong, was exposed for cheating.

Sure, I feel terrible for Lance, his fans and everything good the bicycle riding legend stands for. But worse, I feel ashamed of myself and therefore I must confess.

Almost 50 years ago, I purchased one of those fancy pens with see-through casing. You know…the kind you could twist to reveal crib not Continue reading »

Is UPK Really SchmUPK?

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 12:00:00 -0400

Does anyone understand the purpose or reason for Universal Prekindergarten (UPK)?

Where do these new funds come from when school districts are threatening to lay off teachers because of lack of funds?

Where do new these funds come from when teachers are asked to pay for toilet paper and school supplies for their students?

Who is in charge of establishing priorities?

Why not focus on making the current education system better before we start expanding s Continue reading »

Is One Glorified Stock Picker Worth 3,000 Teachers?

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 12:00:00 -0400

In the beginning of 2011, a bunch of people in the financial world each received salaries, bonuses and stock options worth in excess of $150,000,000 per year. No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you: That's 150 million dollars. At the same time, every state, city, county, town and municipality across the United States faced a huge budget deficit that may result in the elimination of tens of thousands of teaching jobs.

Worse yet, these people get annual bonuses that enable Continue reading »

Teacher Buys Toilet Paper for Her School?

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 12:00:00 -0500

Assistant principal Carol Chase (name changed to protect the innocent), has a problem. The middle school where she works never has enough toilet paper in any of the bathrooms. The reason is lack of funds. So every couple of weeks, Carol buys a big bundle of Kirkland toilet paper from Costco with her own money and brings it to school. One question is, before Carol heroically brought in toilet paper, how did the teachers and students do?

Of course, teachers often dig deep into their poc Continue reading »

Grading Parents

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 12:00:00 -0500

We grade our children utilizing standardized tests that reward success and penalize failure.

Educators are attempting to establish a rating system to weed out inept teachers.

Meanwhile, the parent, the most important factor in a child's education and welfare, is rarely graded with any meaningful consequence. Instead, mediocrity seems to be the norm for too many parents, and the child's education is suffering.

Ask any teacher about a parent's impact on a child's schooli Continue reading »

Fire Them All

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 12:00:00 -0500

Our education system ranks barely average in the world. Our worldwide ranking for mathematics is below average. These pathetic rankings are based on how our children compare to kids from other countries on a standardized test. Is it time we fire the school staff?

Or maybe we give our teachers and administrators a new strategy, hold them accountable and definitely give them a raise.

The first question we need to ask is what makes for a great teacher?

The second question Continue reading »