Get Schooled

By Karen Armsby

June 17, 2005 11:08 AM | Link to this

I have seen these kids performing on several talk shows and I think this is a wonderful idea for elementary through high school grades. Ballroom dancing teaches boys and girls how to relate to each other in a courteous, respectful, and fun way. It teaches them manners and social skills. They are exercising and moving to the music, something kids naturally want to do. I wish all Georgia school systems would introduce ballroom dancing into their schools. Teaching dancing can complement teaching in social studies, music, physical education, and drama. Dancing can help educate and unite the different cultures blended into our schools, and reduce tensions. The competiton element makes it a perfect ‘sport’ for the kids not participating in traditional sports.

By MattATL

June 17, 2005 11:09 AM | Link to this

I’m sorry, I’m confused here… is this an issue? What’s the point of making this a blog worthy subject?

While in elementary school we did a semester of square dancing, a semester of touch football, etc.

I think it’s great students are learning something different that they most likely wouldn’t have the oppurtunity to learn.

By Karen Armsby

June 17, 2005 11:25 AM | Link to this

Matt, I think offering a semester of ballroom dancing, and then having a school ballroom dance team that would compete with other schools would get many of the non-athletic kids out of their seats and getting some much needed exercise.

When I was in high school in the late sixties we had weekly ‘sock-hops,’in the gym after the Friday night football and basketball games. It is one of my fondest memories of high school. My kids had none of these fun dances. These days the school admisnistrations are too afraid of violence on or off school property and the only dance occasions for teenagers are twice a year for the high dollar homecoming and prom.

Dance is one of the oldest social customs and is practiced by primitive tribes right up through high society. It’s time we introduce good clean and fun ballroom dancing to our kids.

By Swan

June 17, 2005 12:27 PM | Link to this

Well, since things like recess, P.E., music, drama and art are all being phased out of public schools (but never football), I don’t think it likely that this program be copied in too many other schools. I wish it would but I don’t see it happening.

The defense against it would be that you can’t grade this as you would a subject on the CRCT or by NCLB guideliness, so therefore it doesn’t have value. (heavy sigh)

By Robert

June 17, 2005 12:31 PM | Link to this

Dance and in fact all of the arts is a great compliment to any curriculum. However, none should be at the expense of the “core” subjects such as math, science, English, and social studies.

Sure, let’s offer ballroom dance in the schools, but let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that this will help our kids get into the UVAs, MITs, Harvards, GA Techs, or Yales of the world. Those Universities will still put a premium on the “core” subjects.

By T. R.

June 17, 2005 12:50 PM | Link to this

Robert,

Having high marks in core subjects certainly is a requirement for ivy league schools.

However, good grades are ubiquitous amount their qualified applicants, and its often extracurricular activities that set the hopefuls apart.

At a school like Yale, with a high population of students from upper-class families, I think the more experience with social graces you can have, the better!

By SET

June 17, 2005 01:24 PM | Link to this

I too had square dancing as part of co-ed PE classes in the ’60s during grade school. It was not easy. You had to deal with timing and motion, as well as co-ordinating your movements with everybody else. I think it was good excercise and it seems that we actually got to touch the all the girls in the class - including the ones we would have never even talked to otherwise.

Be interesting to see how it would work nowadays. The local public schools and an armed camp of tribes who are at war with each other. And the troubles start in grade school. Maybe it would be a good thing. And even an academic program needs PE. The kids perform better if they are physically shaken up a bit.

By Swan

June 17, 2005 02:08 PM | Link to this

Robert, I agree with you that something like ballroom dancing should not be regarded in the same light as academics.

However, you might be surprised at what college are looking for these days when admissions time comes around.

My sister and my niece went over to Oxford College (east of Atlanta,the two-year school that feeds into Emory) and they showed the parents sample bios of applying students. Grades were important but you’d be amazed at how they often chose the student who had slightly lower grades but was involved in a wide variety of activities/pursuits compared to the higher GPA student.

By James McCoy

June 17, 2005 02:36 PM | Link to this

What a novelty, dance for kids in school. We as a society have seem to have forgotten where we have come from. The Juillard School of Music in New York has program where kids from non-traditional homes are taken into their program. It’s a program Georgia schools could model.

By sciteacher

June 17, 2005 02:40 PM | Link to this

Most definitly yes. I had square dancing and ballroom dancing when I was in High School in the early 70’s. It exposed me to other cultures (I’m black) and carried on into my later life.

I was a Merchant Marine officer and many were surprised when I could go overseas to a high class club and do a great waltz, fox trot or tango. It was also a great conversation starter when I was involved in politics and could show that somewhere in my past I had been exposed to a higher culture.

I excorted my neice to her High School’s “King & Queen Competition,” one of the catergories was ball room dancing. What was so great about her school’s selection was that after the final five for each class was selected by the student body, the final winners were selected by an outside community committee. It was nice to see the young people display their talent in the areas of - Ball Room Dance, Dramatic Reading, and Public Speaking before members of the community. After 3 weeeks of practice we were the overall winners for the catergory .

By MrLiberty

June 17, 2005 03:04 PM | Link to this

Wake up folks ! The schools can’t teach reading, english, math, or any other subject. The government is incapable of doing anything it sets out to do.

Do you honestly expect that a government that tortures innocent men, kills innocent women and children, wages war against innocent countries, and would rather see terminally ill patients suffer rather than legalize the medicinal use of a plant is going to be able to teach kids manners??

That this was a success in NYC means nothing.

Parents need to teach manners, and anyone who has been to an organized teen or pre-teen sporting event in this country knows that parents are even more lacking in manners than the government.

Homeschool your kids. Stop blaming the lack of government programs for your failure as parents and realize that it is your own fault.

Ballroom dacing or military school is just another way for you to pass your problem off onto another segment of society. Is it not enough that the rest of us already have to pay for these failed schools and the prisons that your horrible children will inhabit during their adult years??

So long as government schools exist (and lets hope that isn’t much longer), they should focus on education - wow, what a concept.

By Patti

June 17, 2005 03:05 PM | Link to this

MattATL, I’m on vacation and have more time to catch up on movies than contemplate No Child Left Behind. We’ll be back to our regular scheduled programming on Monday.

Patti

By Karen Armsby

June 17, 2005 03:36 PM | Link to this

I have two kids presently in undergraduate and one in graduate school. All three had good grades, but they were also well rounded with athletics, orchestra, and theater. We have talked to many college recruiters and they all say that their school wants kids that are smart, but not grade obsessed geeks. They want widely experienced, cultured citizens and leaders, and the extracurricular activites do help the kids get into the competitive schools.

Mr. Liberty, Take a break, and go out enjoy this beautiful day, because anger like yours can kill you.

By MrLiberty

June 17, 2005 04:35 PM | Link to this

Karen Armsby,

As the parent of 3 children who undoubtedly went to government schools you are likely very comfortable with the fact that you employed the services of the government to steal money from myself and my wife on their behalf. Both of my parents scrimped and saved in order to pay for private education for me, in addition to being stolen from for the government schools in my home town. As a victim of your theft I have a right to be angry, especially when this system of “schools” continues to turn out criminals, illiterates, and other social problems.

Before you pull out the tired justification that “everyone” benefits from government schools so everyone should pay for them - save it. It is just a justification to cover your complicity in the criminal theft of my money.

They are your children. You decided to have them, and you should pay for their education and upkeep…not me or my wife.

Without the monopoly of government schools there would be a far superior and far more diverse and responsive system of schools that would provide for the educational needs of america’s children. You and others like you are just too afraid of actually taking responsibility for your children to embrace such a concept. It is far easier to let the government pick up after your offspring and to blame them when things go wrong.

Angry is what you get when you realize that “the children are our future” and you have been robbed of tens of thousands of dollars to pay for a system that is churning out kids with no appreciation of freedom, no understanding of the constitution, no respect for individual liberty, and an undying belief that government can solve all problems. They can’t read, think for themselves, do math, or anything else required for a functional life however.

Angry, you bet I’m angry. Meanwhile, all you folks want is more money to flush down the same rat hole - now for dance lessons.

By Karen Armsby

June 20, 2005 08:31 AM | Link to this

I love the ‘Get Schooled’ blogs! Blogging is the new town square where we can all get on a soap box and air our opinions. In this public airing as in all of my life, I try to engage in a civil discourse. Merriam Webster difines CIVIL: Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin civilis, from civis 1 a : of or relating to citizens b : of or relating to the state or its citizenry 2 a : CIVILIZED b : adequate in courtesy and politeness : MANNERLY 3 a : of, relating to, or based on civil law b : relating to private rights and to remedies sought by action or suit distinct from criminal proceedings c : established by law 4 : of, relating to, or involving the general public, their activities, needs, or ways, or civic affairs as distinguished from special (as military or religious) affairs 5 of time : based on the mean sun and legally recognized for use in ordinary affairs synonyms CIVIL, POLITE, COURTEOUS, GALLANT, CHIVALROUS mean observant of the forms required by good breeding. CIVIL often suggests little more than the avoidance of overt rudeness . POLITE commonly implies polish of speech and manners and sometimes suggests an absence of cordiality .

We don’t live in a perfect world, but if we all work together and address and treat each other in CIVIL manner, then we can make positive changes.

Angry and abusive accusations are akin to fits that two year old toddlers throw, and don’t merit a response. As I used to tell my kids when they lost it, go to your room and when you can be pleasant, you may return to the family gathering.

Now back on topic, I am going to write a letter to the State School Superintendent and Board members and see if we can get some ballroom dance programs started in the schools, either as a class or an extracurricular activity.

By James McCoy

June 20, 2005 08:52 AM | Link to this

As usually Karen Armsby you step up to the plate and hit a home run in the bottom of the ninth. Mr.Liberty reminds me of tactics used by a person or group who’s cause has lost steam. Home schooling of your children is a noble ideal,just not realistic for most working stiffs.

By MrLiberty

June 20, 2005 01:46 PM | Link to this

As for definitions:

Pronunciation: ‘theft Function: noun Etymology: Middle English thiefthe, from Old English thIefth; akin to Old English thEof thief 1 a : the act of stealing; specifically : the felonious taking and removing of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it b : an unlawful taking (as by embezzlement or burglary) of property 2 obsolete : something stolen 3 : a stolen base in baseball

Having the government do it for you doesn’t make it any less theft. Being snotty and proud of the fact that I cannot do anything about my victim status doesn’t reflect well on your moral character. I should hope that someone really working to fix this system would begin by fixing its fundamentally-immoral funding mechanism.

The time for civil discourse on education ended the day the government stole the first dollar for the first government school. Charity is voluntary, theft isn’t.

As for the “lost steam” issue, I do not have children rotting away in the government schools. I am not one of the one’s constantly complaining that I am not being treated right by government schools or that my children’s futures are being ruined by the horrible education they are getting. Clearly it is the argument that government schools actually educate children that is losing steam as you say.

Homeschooling is a solution no matter who you are. You should be doing it even if you have the government act as your babysitter during the day. How else is your child going to get an education?

This is not an issue of winning or losing causes. The children are losing. If your kids are brainwashed, dummed down, and victimized I don’t see how one’s adherence and support for the “winning” side makes everything ok. There cannot be any common ground in any discussion so long as the side that supports government schooling feels that it is ok to steal from everyone in order to pay for their programs. What is an acceptable level of theft anyway?

As as for attacking my arguments with quotes from the dictionary, I hardly see how any of that addresses or counters any of the points I have made. But then again, everything I said was correct, so I suppose it would be hard to mount an effective rebuttal.

By SnottyNozBratz

June 20, 2005 03:47 PM | Link to this

Dear Mr. Liberty,

we’ve taken a vote and you’ll be happy to find some tax relief going forward from school taxes. You will however, please confine yourself and Ms. Precious’s vehicles to ONLY the portion of road your taxes have paid for. Please stay off of ours.

By David

June 20, 2005 03:48 PM | Link to this

Mr. Liberty,

I hope you also are against the police and the Armed Forces. Anyone who takes the Libertarian position that pedantically and strongly should be consistent. Have you considered moving to a nation that agrees with your position? You are one scary dude. Just as an aside, I happen to know a guy whose father died when he was around 9 years old. His mother had to raise him by herself. He was “on the dole� until he was 18. He went to those pitiful government schools where he was able to win a small scholarship to attend the University of Georgia. He now makes a six figure salary and was one of the men responsible for the software that keeps track of the satellites in orbit around the earth and controls the satellites who are watching over the problem areas of the world (Middle East). Without those pitiful government schools, and the social security benefits that he stole from you and me, he probably would have starved to death. As the lady says, go outside, chill out, and worry about something important. I also worry about how your children are going to turn out. There’s some quote about how the twig is bent, so grows the tree, and I think it’s appropriate here.