Several of the students commented on not expecting to see me there. I was glad that I went. Young people need to know that people support them and genuinely care about them.
Both teams found themselves winning their first game, which also happens to be part of a tournament. It is, indeed, a great start to the season.

~cv

I struggled to control laughter at the idea of “protestant orthodoxy”.

~cv

Monday and Tuesday the teachers had in-service. Among other things, we discussed personality colors and had a workshop with Education Consultants from the Missouri Department of Conservation. I have included a few pictures from the workshop as we found ourselves outside with great photo opportunities.

Despite two flying trips to Columbia – Knights of Columbus Business Meeting on Tuesday and a VIP meeting on Wednesday – I managed to survive.

If the rest of the year goes as this one, it should be a good year.

~cv

This summer, I was asked to teach 7th and 8th grade at St. Joseph Catholic School in Pilot Grove, MO. I have a combined, self-contained room. Yes, that means I teach entire 7th grade curriculum and the entire 8th grade curriculum in one classroom. It should, at the very least, prove interesting.

Much has happened in the way of the Church since my last post: Archbishop Burke is no longer the Archbishop of St. Louis, but rather the Prefect for the Apostolic Signatura; a move which, no doubt, is trying for the Archdiocese and the Church in the United States, but good for the Universal Church. I, for one, feel confidant saying that this story is still worth watching, as His Excellency will, in all probability, be elevated to Cardinal at the next consistory; the new office will likely continue to be news worthy as few are willing to defend the faith with the fervor of Archbishop Burke.

In the English speaking Church, progress has been made on a new translation for the Roman Missal, despite grumbling from more than a few bishops in the United States. It seems there is some concern with whether most Catholics will understand words like, “gibbet” and “ineffable”.
In any case, it is my hope to contribute to this blog more regularly and, perhaps, start a new online project, some time in the making. Only time, however, will tell of the latter.

~cv

What might be most interesting in all of this is that the charter school studies are reinforcing findings of social scientists regarding workplace productivity; people that come to work dress professionally not only do more work, but it is of a better quality. Requiring uniforms and dress codes in schools is very much a good thing. It reduces violence and increases test scores. Dressing for school or work has a psychological effect on people and they are more mentally prepared for the job at hand.

So what is the biggest complaint about charter schools? There aren’t enough of them. Many communities with charter schools hold lotteries to see who gets admitted. Perhaps most schools should use the charter school format and have “regular” schools only for delinquents? And their test scores shouldn’t matter; you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. And the teachers will all be former military personnel.

Perhaps what is most disturbing about the story above is that the child’s mother values her son’s hair cut more than his education. The fact is, charter schools work and the child is worse off for leaving. She justifies her decision by say, “It’s something that he really likes.”

~cv

This morning, the warm up was: Find the product of 3 ²/₃ x 2 ¹/_4. Anyway, there is a student teacher in the SMART program, an accelerated Masters program for math and science majors who desire to teach. She worked through the program and got 6 ¹/₆ by multiplying the fraction part to ²/₁₂ and simplifying and then multiplying 3 x 2.

I called her attention to the mistake and still had to prove it to her two different ways before she got it.

And you wonder…

~cv

Elementary: K – 5
Middle School: 6 & 7
Junior High School: 8 & 9
Senior High School: 10 – 12

Anyway, I was in the teachers’ lounge this morning and saw a sign reading, “Please change your social committee calendar to read ‘March 8^th – Spring Egg Hunt’.”

The world is really going to hell in a hand basket.

~cv

In any case, I am disappointed, seeing as the iPhone has only been out seven months.

~cv

Two students have been coming to Mass for some time. The both use wheelchairs to get around. I don’t know if their disabilities are acquired or if they have had them since birth; that is just not something you ask someone. Any way, they are nice guys. I don’t recall their names but I have talked to them after Mass on a number of occasions. I know they both play wheelchair basketball for the

They always sit in the front row of one of the side sections. In a spot where some chairs get moved for them.

Last night, one of them read the first reading. I was at first surprised; I know not why. I was pleased to see someone with such a disability take such a role in the liturgy.

~cv

In any case, one teacher said very matter of fact, “Spanking doesn’t work anyway.” I didn’t want to argue with her lest I should not be wanted back at that school, plus the fact that there where students within earshot and I did not want to argue in front of them.

While spanking may not be a positive reinforcement, it is a positive punishment. Now, don’t go get all in a huff just yet. If you look up positive and negative reinforcements and punishments in an psychological encyclopedia, it will tell you that a reinforcement is anything that encourages a behavior and a punishment is something that discourages a behavior. The difference between positive and negative, however, is more difficult to distinguish. A reinforcement or punishment is considered positive if it is applied to a subject and negative is it is removed.

In this way, giving a dog a treat for sitting when commanded is a positive reinforcement. Tuning down the radio when in the car when someone asks is a negative reinforcement (Relative to the person making the request.)
On the other hand, taking the car keys from a teenager unable to be home before curfew is a negative punishment while spanking a child for being rude to a parent is a positive punishment.

B.F. Skinner was one of the pioneering psychologists in operant conditioning. Skinner and others showed that all four forms of conditioning work, though to varying degrees, depending on the subject.

Pigeons have been all but taught to line dance, using food as a positive reinforcement. After learning the fist step, they are made to do the first step and a second step consecutively before being rewarded. This can continue ad infinitum, ad nauseum.

Rats have shown negative reinforcement by require them to activate a switch in order to turn of an electrified floor. Given the option of a mild shock to get to food and water, they will die of dehydration before leaving the switch.

An example of positive punishment has been found in dogs, forced to step onto a mildly electrified pad in order to get food and water. Even a mild voltage will lead the dogs to die of dehydration rather than bear discomfort.

An example of negative punishment has been shown in Rats who have had their brains wired with electrodes to cause intense physical pleasure (use your imagination. It’s not that hard to figure out.). Given the option of activating a switch to turn on the electrode on one side of a cage and food and water on the other, they will choose to activate the switch, even to the point of death by dehydration.
More abstract examples don’t work well with non-rational creatures. A dog, for example doesn’t understand loosing a squeaky toy because it is annoying to its owner. A teenager does, however, realize the reasoning for loosing the car keys for coming home after curfew.

In any case, applied affects, positive reinforcement and punishment have a greater effect than removed affects, negative reinforcement and punishment. We often preach positive reinforcement because it so clearly works effectively and that no one gets hurt. In a world where everyone is allowed to think and do as they please, so long as no one else gets hurt, that is a very important attribution. Positive punishment works nearly if not equally as well.

It is negative reinforcement and punishment that don’t work as well. It is not as easy to comprehend “If I do or don’t do this, this good thing or this bad thing goes away.” than it is to understand, “If I do this, this good thing or this bad thing will happen to me.”

In any case, the teacher today was dead wrong when she said, “Spanking doesn’t work anyway.”

~cv