In my previous post, I mentioned some ideas to improve our education system
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/10/education-reform.html
Now, here's a few more
1) Get rid of seniority preferences
Imagine shopping at a store where those with seniority can say "you look fat in that dress" and still be less likely to be fired than a new hire who provides great customer service!
Well guess what? That is how our public education system operates!
That's right. A rude ineffective teacher who's been around for decades is LESS LIKELY TO BE LAID OFF than a new great teacher that inspires the students.
In fact, that's the union rules!
It's called Last In, First Out or LIFO!
I'm not anti-union per se! Unions can help with workers who feel that they've been mistreated by their bosses.
But with LIFO, the unions are becoming the new oppressors!
Some say "hey, the older teachers have been in the community for a long time, let's keep them around"
A rude ineffective teacher HURTS the community, especially if he/she been around for decades.
Plus, sometimes people lose it with age.
Sometimes, a teacher who has "lost it" could be better placed in a different position (ie. tutor, security) than a lead teacher.
But more importantly, IT IS CRUEL to get rid of a new effective inspiring teacher just because of seniority issues!
It's time to put LIFO in the garbage
2) Pay math/science teachers more
I just heard President Obama promising to hire more math & science teachers.
Easier said than done.
Those who are talented in math and science can easily get more high-paying positions elsewhere!
Those who are English and history majors have less opportunities than those with math & science majors.
You know what this mean?
We will have to pay math/science teachers more than English/social studies teachers.
Blasphemy?
Look, LeBron James gets paid more than a bench-warming teammate. That's because it is harder to find and replace someone with LeBron's talent. It's easier to replace a bench-warmer. Therefore, LeBron gets paid more.
This is basic economics.
If you're smart enough to be a teacher, than you're smart enough to understand that the schools will have to pay more for certain teachers with certain specialties.
This isn't personal, it is business, even if you're not working for a private business.
3) Conclusion
While those ideas won't solve every problem, I believe they make major improvements to our educational system.
Wednesday, October 03, 2012
Tuesday, October 02, 2012
education reform
The Chicago teacher strike came and went, but it won't be the last time teachers, administrators, parents, students and politicians feel like they're being pitted against each other.
Teachers feel like they're being under attack! They are feeling the heat from their students, the parents, the administration, politicians and the general public.
But the general public is angry about the education results. Tons of money being spent, but the students aren't passing the standardized tests. The students are falling behind their peers in Asia and Europe. And the students in low-income communities are falling even further behind.
This is why there are much louder calls for accountability. There are proposals to evaluate teachers based partly on their student's test scores. After all, many workers in other occupations are evaluated and judged by their results.
This has got many teachers scared, especially those who work in low-income communities in which many students come from dysfunctional communities and even dysfunctional families. It is harder to get students up to standards if they're not from education savvy families.
However, this has brought the issue of "soft bigotry of low expectations". After all, don't we want students from the ghetto to graduate with the same level of academic knowledge as students from wealthy suburbs?
As you can see, this is an on-going debate that isn't going to be settled anytime soon.
------
However, certain things can be done.
No, we can't expect every student to be the next Einstein.
But we can and should reduce the number of students who leave the school system unprepared for the 21st century economy.
---
For one thing, teachers should be evaluated partly by their student's test results.
Yeah, I know, teachers don't have full control all the factors leading to test results.
But salespeople are judged by their sales goal, even though certain things that affect their sales score (ie. how many customers show up, etc) are out of a salesperson's control.
That's just life!
But I would NOT only just evaluate teachers on test scores. Other things, such as how a teacher interacts with students, classroom management, and other things will also be evaluated.
Teachers who are struggling which such things need mentoring. Those seen as hopeless even after mentoring shall be referred to a career counselor to help find the next chapter in life.
--------------------------
However, a MUCH BIGGER ISSUE that needs to be addressed is that the teachers and students need more help.
Expecting a teacher to control a classroom filled with 30+ rowdy students alone is unrealistic.
Expecting a teacher to effectively teach a large class filled with students of extremely varied academic levels alone is unrealistic.
That's NOT what happens in many of the private schools I subbed at!
But that is BUSINESS AS USUAL at many public schools I subbed at!
That needs to change!
In classrooms in which many students are disadvantaged, there needs to be more tutors/assistants/etc in the classroom. This helps with both behavior management AND with academic learning.
Also, the lead teacher need some hired help with paperwork and keep the class items organized. (This is NORMAL at some private schools but UNCOMMON at most public schools).
You can't expect a teacher to do everything expected all by oneself with facing some serious burnout! That's just not realistic!
Sure, having multiple staff members can be an issue if they don't get along. There will be some growing pains.
But if we expect our students to be able to effectively work in teams in their future workplace, then the students need to see a TEAM of staff members helping them INSIDE their classroom.
Will getting this done be easy?
Nothing is easy!
The money to pay for all that is hard to come by.
That should be the goal.
Our local government can stop their pie-in-the-sky rail plans. The governments in mainland cities can stop trying to bribe pro sports teams to come or stay. The feds could stay playing the global police!
But more importantly, the private sector can help too!
It could be from donations or even starting another private school to ease the burden on public schools.
Will my ideas solve everything?
No, but it solves some things, and that is what is needed.
Teachers feel like they're being under attack! They are feeling the heat from their students, the parents, the administration, politicians and the general public.
But the general public is angry about the education results. Tons of money being spent, but the students aren't passing the standardized tests. The students are falling behind their peers in Asia and Europe. And the students in low-income communities are falling even further behind.
This is why there are much louder calls for accountability. There are proposals to evaluate teachers based partly on their student's test scores. After all, many workers in other occupations are evaluated and judged by their results.
This has got many teachers scared, especially those who work in low-income communities in which many students come from dysfunctional communities and even dysfunctional families. It is harder to get students up to standards if they're not from education savvy families.
However, this has brought the issue of "soft bigotry of low expectations". After all, don't we want students from the ghetto to graduate with the same level of academic knowledge as students from wealthy suburbs?
As you can see, this is an on-going debate that isn't going to be settled anytime soon.
------
However, certain things can be done.
No, we can't expect every student to be the next Einstein.
But we can and should reduce the number of students who leave the school system unprepared for the 21st century economy.
---
For one thing, teachers should be evaluated partly by their student's test results.
Yeah, I know, teachers don't have full control all the factors leading to test results.
But salespeople are judged by their sales goal, even though certain things that affect their sales score (ie. how many customers show up, etc) are out of a salesperson's control.
That's just life!
But I would NOT only just evaluate teachers on test scores. Other things, such as how a teacher interacts with students, classroom management, and other things will also be evaluated.
Teachers who are struggling which such things need mentoring. Those seen as hopeless even after mentoring shall be referred to a career counselor to help find the next chapter in life.
--------------------------
However, a MUCH BIGGER ISSUE that needs to be addressed is that the teachers and students need more help.
Expecting a teacher to control a classroom filled with 30+ rowdy students alone is unrealistic.
Expecting a teacher to effectively teach a large class filled with students of extremely varied academic levels alone is unrealistic.
That's NOT what happens in many of the private schools I subbed at!
But that is BUSINESS AS USUAL at many public schools I subbed at!
That needs to change!
In classrooms in which many students are disadvantaged, there needs to be more tutors/assistants/etc in the classroom. This helps with both behavior management AND with academic learning.
Also, the lead teacher need some hired help with paperwork and keep the class items organized. (This is NORMAL at some private schools but UNCOMMON at most public schools).
You can't expect a teacher to do everything expected all by oneself with facing some serious burnout! That's just not realistic!
Sure, having multiple staff members can be an issue if they don't get along. There will be some growing pains.
But if we expect our students to be able to effectively work in teams in their future workplace, then the students need to see a TEAM of staff members helping them INSIDE their classroom.
Will getting this done be easy?
Nothing is easy!
The money to pay for all that is hard to come by.
That should be the goal.
Our local government can stop their pie-in-the-sky rail plans. The governments in mainland cities can stop trying to bribe pro sports teams to come or stay. The feds could stay playing the global police!
But more importantly, the private sector can help too!
It could be from donations or even starting another private school to ease the burden on public schools.
Will my ideas solve everything?
No, but it solves some things, and that is what is needed.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Paranoia over Adultery (part 2)
Earlier this year, I had written a blog post titled "Paranoia over Adultery"
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-paranoia-over-adultery.html
It was about PARANOID spouses who don't want their spouse to have conversations with anyone else of the opposite gender. Ultra-conservatives think that paranoia helps a relationship. I think that paranoia POISONS a relationship.
Even after I advertised that blog post to my facebook list, a conservative member of that list (who will go un-named, since names aren't an important part of this discussion anyways), wrote the following
I responded with
she responded with
Those situations of "minor interactions leading to an affair" has more to do with rap video fantasies and ultra-conservative fear-mongering than real life!
After all, most people with nightclub experience will tell you that most people enter AND leave the club with the same group of friends, even if they did dance with strangers while inside.
After all, a dance is usually just a dance, that's it.
This stuff about "freak dancing would automatically lead to sexual intercourse" is just the fantasy promoted by rap videos and frat boy movies!
But those entertainment FANTASIES fuel ultra-conservative fear-mongering about extremely minor situations!
This fear-mongering leads to excessively possessive and controlling behavior by spouses (or soon to be spouses).
Those controlling spouses are DANGEROUS! They are poison to any relationship! They are poison to your life!
So yes, I encourage you all to continue to have conversations with those of the opposite gender! Continue to engage in minor flirting behavior with the opposite gender! Continue to laugh while talking with someone of the opposite gender. Even have a "one-song stand" (or two-songs) on the dance floor!
And if your spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend/whatever still have a problem with that, well, they need to get some serious psychological help!
Life is too short! Enjoy life and say HELL NO to the insecure control freaks around you!
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-paranoia-over-adultery.html
It was about PARANOID spouses who don't want their spouse to have conversations with anyone else of the opposite gender. Ultra-conservatives think that paranoia helps a relationship. I think that paranoia POISONS a relationship.
Even after I advertised that blog post to my facebook list, a conservative member of that list (who will go un-named, since names aren't an important part of this discussion anyways), wrote the following
In other words...just don't blindly go into a situation, thinking that "I have this under control, my intention is not to cheat on my wife/girlfriend etc." Really think about it! Really fight to guard your marriage even though you have "great intentions" - you and I both know, intentions aren't enough. So many people cheat nowadays and they never "intended to" why? It's not the "big" things but "little" things, that harmless little conversation that didn't look like meant anything, but inside caused you to be more intimate with someone...not all conversation/situation is like that, but you just gotta use wisdom and watch yourself! :)
I responded with
and even if they did hold hands for a few seconds........... that doesn't even mean that would be some earth-shattering long-term affair. It's a manini thing that shouldn't turn into a major deal ........unless you make it out to be!
she responded with
Well, that's where we differ! To me, an innocent "holding of hands" - isn't really innocent! You might as well have an innocent kiss to go with that, or even an innocent coddling...then you innocently get into bed and that's where the whole issue begins!
--------------
Those situations of "minor interactions leading to an affair" has more to do with rap video fantasies and ultra-conservative fear-mongering than real life!
Let's look at something even more "physical" than hand-holding. Let's look at "freak dancing" at the clubs.
Anyone with experience at the nightclubs can tell you that the ...............
OVER-WHELMING MAJORITY of those "freak dances" are just "one-song stands" ...................
meaning .....................................................
boy meets girl ...........................
they dance REALLY, REALLY CLOSE ...............................
by the time the song is over (or even before that) ............
THAT'S IT! ......................
Boy and girl move on, most likely never to see each other again.
OVER-WHELMING MAJORITY of those "freak dances" are just "one-song stands" ...................
meaning .....................................................
boy meets girl ...........................
they dance REALLY, REALLY CLOSE ...............................
by the time the song is over (or even before that) ............
THAT'S IT! ......................
Boy and girl move on, most likely never to see each other again.
After all, most people with nightclub experience will tell you that most people enter AND leave the club with the same group of friends, even if they did dance with strangers while inside.
After all, a dance is usually just a dance, that's it.
This stuff about "freak dancing would automatically lead to sexual intercourse" is just the fantasy promoted by rap videos and frat boy movies!
But those entertainment FANTASIES fuel ultra-conservative fear-mongering about extremely minor situations!
This fear-mongering leads to excessively possessive and controlling behavior by spouses (or soon to be spouses).
Those controlling spouses are DANGEROUS! They are poison to any relationship! They are poison to your life!
So yes, I encourage you all to continue to have conversations with those of the opposite gender! Continue to engage in minor flirting behavior with the opposite gender! Continue to laugh while talking with someone of the opposite gender. Even have a "one-song stand" (or two-songs) on the dance floor!
And if your spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend/whatever still have a problem with that, well, they need to get some serious psychological help!
Life is too short! Enjoy life and say HELL NO to the insecure control freaks around you!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Quitting is UNDER-rated
All our lives we hear messages like "quitters never win" or "quitting is just the easy way out"
We have catchy songs like "2 Legit 2 Quit" by Hammer
[personal note: that just happens to be the 1st audio-cassette I bought, back in 5th grade!]
And sometimes, we have moments of doubt, but we keep going, And we are glad that we kept going!
But sometimes, quitting is the best option.
In fact, in many cases, Quitting is UNDER-rated!
I got that phrase from Lenore Skenazy who has written blogs and books criticizing hyper-active parents who over-worry about stuff.
And here are some excerpts from a recent article "Quitters Do Win Sometimes" in which Lenore Skenazy promotes the virtues of quitting!
https://www.care.com/child-care-quitters-do-win-sometimes-p1017-q20633254.html
Read that paragraph again anti-quitters! Read it again and again! And again and again!
But there's more
Yep, you do get something positive out of quitting. You learn to not put up with crap! You learn to leave negative situations.
It reminds me of something I read a decade ago, about a domestic violence survivor who spent YEARS in an abusive relationship. The reason? She said she grew up hearing the "you shouldn't quit" message! She applied that message even to abusive relationships! Guess what? She ended up realizing that sometimes, quitting is the best thing you could do!
So yes, quitting soccer practice (or violin lessons, or whatevers) when you no longer have the passion for soccer, is GREAT PRACTICE for quitting negative relationships.
More from that interview
Thank you Lenore Skenazy.
These are true words of wisdom.
Meanwhile, last year, I wrote a series of blog posts criticizing Amy Chua, who has the opposite mentality.
She not only believes in "don't quit", she forces music lessons on her kids and proudly admits to verbally abusing her kids for making minor errors, as if playing music instruments is an "essential life skill". IT IS NOT!
Here are my blog posts.
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2011/03/stuff-amy-chua-doesnt-want-you-to-know.html
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2011/04/why-amy-chua-is-dangerous-to-asian.html
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2011/04/why-us-latinos-need-their-own-version.html (this one I criticize the Latino versions of Amy Chua, and to deflect race card abusers who think criticism of Amy Chua is "anti-Asian racism"
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2011/04/more-stuff-amy-chua-doesnt-want-you-to.html
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2011/04/criticisms-of-amy-chua-continues-its.html
These are aggressive criticisms of Amy Chua, her mentality and her fans!
Unfortunately, most media pundits are politically correct COWARDS who are too scared of the "race card" to give Amy Chua a dose of real, aggressive and factual criticisms.
It's time to spread the message against abusive, fanatical parents like Amy Chua!
It's time to spread the message against abusive, fanatical parents who verbally abuse their kids who make mistakes in sports games.
It's time to spread the message against abusive, fanatical parents who have unrealistic expectations for their kids!
Kids need to learn to be independent thinkers. You can't get one with an Amy Chua style of parenting.
Abusive spouses don't want independent thinkers. Pimps don't want independent thinkers. Absuive bosses don't want independent thinkers. Religious fanatics don't want independent thinkers. Dictators don't want independent thinkers!
It's time to stop providing those punks an easy supply of overly-compliant victims.
Be more like Lenore Skenazy and less like Amy Chua!
We have catchy songs like "2 Legit 2 Quit" by Hammer
[personal note: that just happens to be the 1st audio-cassette I bought, back in 5th grade!]
And sometimes, we have moments of doubt, but we keep going, And we are glad that we kept going!
But sometimes, quitting is the best option.
In fact, in many cases, Quitting is UNDER-rated!
I got that phrase from Lenore Skenazy who has written blogs and books criticizing hyper-active parents who over-worry about stuff.
And here are some excerpts from a recent article "Quitters Do Win Sometimes" in which Lenore Skenazy promotes the virtues of quitting!
https://www.care.com/child-care-quitters-do-win-sometimes-p1017-q20633254.html
What is your personal philosophy on quitting?
I think quitting is underrated. While "quitters never win," neither do kids forced to participate in activities they have very little interest in. Give them some space - and time - and they will probably find something they love and don't want to quit.
Read that paragraph again anti-quitters! Read it again and again! And again and again!
But there's more
Have you ever felt that your kids are doing too much? How do you determine how many and which activities your kids are enrolled in?
I have felt they are doing too much and, at other times, too little. Once I started researching child development for my book, also called Free-Range Kids, I came to realize the value of free time and free play. So I let them drop their music lessons (scandal!) and have some free time between school and homework.
Growing up, how did your parents handle quitting an activity/sport/class?
They let me quit both Sunday school AND piano. And as an adult I went on to write a musical (well, the lyrics). And I went to live in Israel for a year. So either I got something out of those lessons before I quit, or I got something out of them BECAUSE I got to quit before I ended up hating everything they stood for. I actually don't know!
Yep, you do get something positive out of quitting. You learn to not put up with crap! You learn to leave negative situations.
It reminds me of something I read a decade ago, about a domestic violence survivor who spent YEARS in an abusive relationship. The reason? She said she grew up hearing the "you shouldn't quit" message! She applied that message even to abusive relationships! Guess what? She ended up realizing that sometimes, quitting is the best thing you could do!
So yes, quitting soccer practice (or violin lessons, or whatevers) when you no longer have the passion for soccer, is GREAT PRACTICE for quitting negative relationships.
More from that interview
Have your children expressed a desire to quit an activity or sport before? What was your response?
Yes - see above. One quit guitar, one quit piano and they both quit the namby-pamby soccer and Little League teams we had enrolled them in as grade schoolers. Today, one still dislikes sports and one now lives for them!
At what point have you or do you feel it's ok to let your kids quit? Explain.
If they really have no interest, I don't understand why it wouldn't be ok for them to quit a non-essential activity. I would've detested my childhood if I had to keep taking the skating lessons I was bad at. Instead, I spent a lot of time reading and writing. Kids find their own level. We have to believe in them and that they're going to be okay.
There are some who believe that not letting your child quit an activity is a learning experience in and of itself. Do you agree or disagree with this? Why?
I hate to make blanket statements about how anybody raises his or her kids. All I can say is that the belief that we can CREATE a certain kind of kid by pushing them or not pushing them is a strange one. One of the chapters in my book is, "Relax! Not Every Little Thing You Do Has That Much Impact on Your Child's Development." It's a false feeling of control to think, "If I Do X, my child will turn out exactly the way I want." OR, "If I DON'T do X, my child is ruined forever."
What tips can you give parents of children who are expressing a desire to quit?
Don't worry that this is the make-or-break decision that will determine who they are, what they like, and what they will become.
What lessons, if any, have your family learned from quitting (or not quitting)?
Not every activity is for every kid, and that's ok. Also: sometimes an activity that seems uninteresting at one point becomes extremely interesting later on (and vice versa). And decisions aren't forever. My son who quit kiddie soccer now plays it with his middle school friends after school. Unless your child is going pro (VERY UNLIKELY!) there is always time to get back in and enjoy.
Thank you Lenore Skenazy.
These are true words of wisdom.
Meanwhile, last year, I wrote a series of blog posts criticizing Amy Chua, who has the opposite mentality.
She not only believes in "don't quit", she forces music lessons on her kids and proudly admits to verbally abusing her kids for making minor errors, as if playing music instruments is an "essential life skill". IT IS NOT!
Here are my blog posts.
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2011/03/stuff-amy-chua-doesnt-want-you-to-know.html
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2011/04/why-amy-chua-is-dangerous-to-asian.html
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2011/04/why-us-latinos-need-their-own-version.html (this one I criticize the Latino versions of Amy Chua, and to deflect race card abusers who think criticism of Amy Chua is "anti-Asian racism"
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2011/04/more-stuff-amy-chua-doesnt-want-you-to.html
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2011/04/criticisms-of-amy-chua-continues-its.html
These are aggressive criticisms of Amy Chua, her mentality and her fans!
Unfortunately, most media pundits are politically correct COWARDS who are too scared of the "race card" to give Amy Chua a dose of real, aggressive and factual criticisms.
It's time to spread the message against abusive, fanatical parents like Amy Chua!
It's time to spread the message against abusive, fanatical parents who verbally abuse their kids who make mistakes in sports games.
It's time to spread the message against abusive, fanatical parents who have unrealistic expectations for their kids!
Kids need to learn to be independent thinkers. You can't get one with an Amy Chua style of parenting.
Abusive spouses don't want independent thinkers. Pimps don't want independent thinkers. Absuive bosses don't want independent thinkers. Religious fanatics don't want independent thinkers. Dictators don't want independent thinkers!
It's time to stop providing those punks an easy supply of overly-compliant victims.
Be more like Lenore Skenazy and less like Amy Chua!
Thursday, September 13, 2012
myself 2 decades ago
What do you tell a bunch of elementary school students that are about to transition to middle school?
Would you sugar-coat it and act as if everything will be OK?
Would you tell them nothing but horror stories as if nothing will be OK?
Or would you just say nothing and let them figure it out themselves?
The reason I am asking these questions is because 20 years ago, I was one of those students transitioning from elementary to middle school.
Time to tell it like it is.
1) Elementary School
The first half of 1992, I was completing my final year in elementary school as a 5th grader at Lanakila Elementary School.
It was my favorite year at that school!
Unlike earlier school years, I didn't have much problems with my classmates.
Even though there was still cliques amongst us, there was still a sense of brotherhood among us.
The guys who used to pick on me were now guys who I got along with.
And still remember when I was sitting in the back of my homeroom, next to Oscar and Jeff. Me and Oscar used to tease Jeff the previous year, but in 5th grade, we were all friends. We had fun times talking to each other, one of the funnest times in my life!
I also remember winning the school's Geography Bee (though another student came a close 2nd).
I also remembered the cop from as the DARE program, and the field trip to Camp Pupukea. Fun times.
While the teachers were usually impressed with my academic side, they were irritated by the ridiculous things I would occasionally say in class.
2) My brother's warnings
I would occasionally tell my older brother some of the silly stuff I would say in school.
My brother warned me straight up, that this would also get me in trouble as I get older.
He told me that the way I acted was "more likely to get people laughing AT me, INSTEAD of laughing with me."
My brother also warned me that I better learn how to fight, because the other students will rather watch a fight instead of stop the fight.
I brushed it off with a "whatevers attitude"
Little did I know how right my brother was.
3) Entering middle school
The second half of 1992, I entered Kawananakoa Middle School!
[side note: middle schools were called "intermediate schools" back then. Around 1997, those schools officially became "middle schools"]
Once you enter middle school, you are in a whole new world.
Sure you might make a few friends (some I still talk to this very day).
But you WILL get some new enemies as well.
I know that from experience.
The stuff that my brother warned me about......... was WAY MORE TRUE than I could ever imagine.
For one thing, I started middle school with same crazy sense of humor, saying inappropriate things as I did back in elementary school. WRONG MOVE!
Little did I understand the same humor that worked in elementary school did NOT work in middle school. All it did was earn a few enemies.
I might've gotten away with my earlier silliness if I was one of the tough guys.
I wasn't!
After a while, I just learned to shut up in class, especially if you don't have any friends in that class.
Ironically, that got people who just me asking "why are you so quiet?"
But as the quote goes -- "It's better to be quiet and be thought as a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."
----
Another reason why I think my brother was right, was that going from elementary to middle school, was that the new students you meet are not used to the way you are.
I mean, back in 5th grade at Lanakila, pretty much everyone was already "used to" the way I was.
But the new ones in middle school weren't.
And going from one school to another, kids usually tried to test each other, either through physical or verbal intimidation.
Well, I rarely passed their tests!
It was only after I was done with 8th grade and ready to go on to high school, that I got so tired of being "tested" by others, that I finally started to take aikido classes and started weight training.
Well, though it hasn't made me into an MMA champ, those things did build some confidence that I became less intimidated by others. And got "tested" less.
Too bad I didn't take those lessons from my brother to heart much earlier.
----
It is this "testing" that cause some kids to either join a gang, become a "lone wolf" who goes all crazy, or become suicidal.
There was the gangsta element in my community. But I wasn't into this drinking or weed smoking stuff. And I was too much of an academic to really fit in that crowd.
But I do look back and I'm still amazed that I didn't become that "lone wolf gone crazy". I guess my optimistic side of me saved my life!
I do put a "brave face" out there, and I don't really like to talk about my personal problems in social settings. While that makes me a much more enjoyable person to be around, it does give others a mistaken impression that "nothing bad happens to that guy"
Some people are different, they want to talk about their personal dramas in conversations. Too much of that drives me crazy.
But yeah, I do understand where those folks are coming from.
You can only hold things in for so long.
Which was why I wrote the controversial blog post "Exposed to the Light" http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/03/exposed-to-light.html
There's more stories to tell from my battlefield in middle school (and other phases of life as well)
But this is all I feel like saying now. Stay tuned for future stories.
----------
PS: to answer the earlier questions, yes tell the kids transitioning from elementary to middle school THE TRUTH! Share my blog post with them, that might wake a few of them up before it's too late!
Would you sugar-coat it and act as if everything will be OK?
Would you tell them nothing but horror stories as if nothing will be OK?
Or would you just say nothing and let them figure it out themselves?
The reason I am asking these questions is because 20 years ago, I was one of those students transitioning from elementary to middle school.
Time to tell it like it is.
1) Elementary School
The first half of 1992, I was completing my final year in elementary school as a 5th grader at Lanakila Elementary School.
It was my favorite year at that school!
Unlike earlier school years, I didn't have much problems with my classmates.
Even though there was still cliques amongst us, there was still a sense of brotherhood among us.
The guys who used to pick on me were now guys who I got along with.
And still remember when I was sitting in the back of my homeroom, next to Oscar and Jeff. Me and Oscar used to tease Jeff the previous year, but in 5th grade, we were all friends. We had fun times talking to each other, one of the funnest times in my life!
I also remember winning the school's Geography Bee (though another student came a close 2nd).
I also remembered the cop from as the DARE program, and the field trip to Camp Pupukea. Fun times.
While the teachers were usually impressed with my academic side, they were irritated by the ridiculous things I would occasionally say in class.
2) My brother's warnings
I would occasionally tell my older brother some of the silly stuff I would say in school.
My brother warned me straight up, that this would also get me in trouble as I get older.
He told me that the way I acted was "more likely to get people laughing AT me, INSTEAD of laughing with me."
My brother also warned me that I better learn how to fight, because the other students will rather watch a fight instead of stop the fight.
I brushed it off with a "whatevers attitude"
Little did I know how right my brother was.
3) Entering middle school
The second half of 1992, I entered Kawananakoa Middle School!
[side note: middle schools were called "intermediate schools" back then. Around 1997, those schools officially became "middle schools"]
Once you enter middle school, you are in a whole new world.
Sure you might make a few friends (some I still talk to this very day).
But you WILL get some new enemies as well.
I know that from experience.
The stuff that my brother warned me about......... was WAY MORE TRUE than I could ever imagine.
For one thing, I started middle school with same crazy sense of humor, saying inappropriate things as I did back in elementary school. WRONG MOVE!
Little did I understand the same humor that worked in elementary school did NOT work in middle school. All it did was earn a few enemies.
I might've gotten away with my earlier silliness if I was one of the tough guys.
I wasn't!
After a while, I just learned to shut up in class, especially if you don't have any friends in that class.
Ironically, that got people who just me asking "why are you so quiet?"
But as the quote goes -- "It's better to be quiet and be thought as a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."
----
Another reason why I think my brother was right, was that going from elementary to middle school, was that the new students you meet are not used to the way you are.
I mean, back in 5th grade at Lanakila, pretty much everyone was already "used to" the way I was.
But the new ones in middle school weren't.
And going from one school to another, kids usually tried to test each other, either through physical or verbal intimidation.
Well, I rarely passed their tests!
It was only after I was done with 8th grade and ready to go on to high school, that I got so tired of being "tested" by others, that I finally started to take aikido classes and started weight training.
Well, though it hasn't made me into an MMA champ, those things did build some confidence that I became less intimidated by others. And got "tested" less.
Too bad I didn't take those lessons from my brother to heart much earlier.
----
It is this "testing" that cause some kids to either join a gang, become a "lone wolf" who goes all crazy, or become suicidal.
There was the gangsta element in my community. But I wasn't into this drinking or weed smoking stuff. And I was too much of an academic to really fit in that crowd.
But I do look back and I'm still amazed that I didn't become that "lone wolf gone crazy". I guess my optimistic side of me saved my life!
I do put a "brave face" out there, and I don't really like to talk about my personal problems in social settings. While that makes me a much more enjoyable person to be around, it does give others a mistaken impression that "nothing bad happens to that guy"
Some people are different, they want to talk about their personal dramas in conversations. Too much of that drives me crazy.
But yeah, I do understand where those folks are coming from.
You can only hold things in for so long.
Which was why I wrote the controversial blog post "Exposed to the Light" http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/03/exposed-to-light.html
There's more stories to tell from my battlefield in middle school (and other phases of life as well)
But this is all I feel like saying now. Stay tuned for future stories.
----------
PS: to answer the earlier questions, yes tell the kids transitioning from elementary to middle school THE TRUTH! Share my blog post with them, that might wake a few of them up before it's too late!
Thursday, September 06, 2012
an apology from one exposed to the light
Earlier this year, I wrote the blog post titled "Exposed to the Light".
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/03/exposed-to-light.html
Controversial stuff!
-------
One of those people I had criticized on "Exposed to the Light" saw my blog post. That would be Anolani Kaio (aka Anolani Hanohano). She wrote this to me
.. and I replied by saying
While it's good to see an apology, don't you think it's awkward to apologize for something you don't remember?
"I honestly don't remember" sounds like a lie! Probably is!
But then again, memories do get impaired by things like concussions, medications and other stuff. Not sure if Anolani experienced any of these!
Anyways she knew I exposed a negative side of her that she had to admit existed! She was embarrassed by what I exposed, and she knew it was best to make amends!
--------------
(note: originally this posted blasted a former friend. I'm done with having public rivalries with him, so I deleted the paragraphs from this post)
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/03/exposed-to-light.html
Controversial stuff!
-------
One of those people I had criticized on "Exposed to the Light" saw my blog post. That would be Anolani Kaio (aka Anolani Hanohano). She wrote this to me
Hi Pablo,
I came across your blog and wanted to say that I am sorry for teasing you. I honestly don't remember, but I am sorry.
'Ano
.. and I replied by saying
Thanks for reading my blog, I'm glad it's making a positive impact.
For further reference, if you say "I honestly don't remember", nobody is going to believe you.
While it's good to see an apology, don't you think it's awkward to apologize for something you don't remember?
"I honestly don't remember" sounds like a lie! Probably is!
But then again, memories do get impaired by things like concussions, medications and other stuff. Not sure if Anolani experienced any of these!
Anyways she knew I exposed a negative side of her that she had to admit existed! She was embarrassed by what I exposed, and she knew it was best to make amends!
--------------
(note: originally this posted blasted a former friend. I'm done with having public rivalries with him, so I deleted the paragraphs from this post)
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Let the college athletes get paid
It's that time of year again.
Many universities have started their new school year.
And it's time for a new generation of student-athletes to begin their college sports career.
The college football season is about to begin. Other college sports (ie. women's volleyball, soccer) have already started.
And it's time to take about the challenges faced by college athletes ---- about their compensation and their academic program.
-------------------
Those who recieve an athletic scholarship get free tuition, textbooks and a dorm room. That's it!
Because the NCAA wants all their college athletes to retain "amateur status", college athletes CANNOT recieve anything else, besides gifts from family members.
That means NOBODY ELSE is allowed to give ANY college athletes ANY money or any other gifts.
Otherwise, that athlete and the university WILL face sanctions.
You might think I'm exaggarating. NOT AT ALL!
From Salon's Josh Eidelson http://www.salon.com/2012/03/11/madness_of_march_ncaa_gets_paid_players_dont/
That's right, student-athletes can't even accept a bag full of groceries from a non-family member.
We're NOT talking about accepting free cars.
We're NOT talking about accepting a bag of marijuana.
We're NOT talking about accepting free access to strip clubs.
We're talking about a bag of groceries!
Any other college student can accept a donated bag of groceries without consequences. Except student-athletes!
More examples of this madness from the same article.
.
And this from Joe Nocera's article
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/magazine/lets-start-paying-college-athletes.html
---------------
At major universities, college sports is BIG BUSINESS! Millions of dollars are flowing in, but the student-athletes get nothing more than the scholarship. Because the "amateur" status is soooooooooooo sacred!
While that might not mean much to student-athletes coming from upper-class families, the student-athletes from lower-income families are screwed.
Of course, the player-haters, with all their jealousy, will throw hissy fits like "college athletes should be grateful, they already have a scholarship, I don't have one".
But those students with a music or a theatre scholarship face absolutely ZERO legal limitations from getting paid on the side, while continuing to perform for their college's band,orchestra or theatre productions.
You can play the violin for your college's orchestra, and you can still perform at wedding while getting paid for that. However, if a college basketball player gets paid even chump-change at a community-park tournament, it becomes a scandal!
You can act at your college theatre's musical production, and still take a paid-acting gig for a television ad. No scandal! But if a college quarterback gets paid to do a television ad .......... scandal!
You can be a business major and start your own side-business while still taking college courses. You can be a science major and take a paid internship in your field. But god forbid a college athlete tries something like that ....... it becomes a "scandal".
This kind of nonsense goes on all to appease the jealous losers still upset that they're not popular like the athletes. This kind of nonsense goes on all to appease the jealous losers still upset about people who are good at something they suck at!
---------
Meanwhile, college athletes with lower-income backgrounds can't even eat out with their team-mates, can't even accept free groceries, can't even buy new clothes.
And yet, their university getting millions of dollars from TV contracts.
They see people wearing the jerseys with their number on it, and that same student-athlete doesn't receive an extra-penny for it!
For example
from Salon's Josh Eidelson
http://www.salon.com/2012/03/11/madness_of_march_ncaa_gets_paid_players_dont/
From NY Times - Joe Nocera
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/magazine/lets-start-paying-college-athletes.html
How would you feel if that was your situation? How would you feel if someone else is making money off your work and you're not allowed to profit off that? Wouldn't you feel like you're being pimped?
Of course you would!
And while they're getting pimped, (and watching their non-athlete classmates be allowed to get paid on the side), who can blame them if they leave school early for the NFL or the NBA, even if they have no guarantees of getting drafted.
That was the case with Davone Bess, who used to play for the UH Warriors! He came from a single-parent home in East Oakland, one of the most dangerous ghettoes in the USA! He could have played for UH one more year. There was no guarantee that he would get drafted. But with his desperate situation, who could blame him for leaving a year early for the NFL?
Compare that to another former UH Warrior Colt Brennan. Brennan came from a rich family from Orange County. He didn't have to worry about his expenses during his time at UH, so even though there was a possibility of getting drafted after his junior year, Brennan decided to stick around for one more year.
However, Brennan was still pimped by the system. During his senior season, I would see TONS of people wearing his #15 jersey! But none of that money trickled down to him.
Because of the concussions he receive his senior year, plus the hip injuries during his short time in the NFL, Breenan didn't last long in the pros.
For many college athletes like Brennan, their college career was their entire 15 minutes of fame! But they weren't even allowed to be compensated for their fame, especially since so many people were wearing his #15 jersey!
There are millions upon millions of dollars rolling around college sports. TV contracts, coaches salaries, stadiums, fitness facilities all paid for!
Major universities like Notre Dame, Texas, Florida, Oregon ------ make huge profits off of fans watching their student-athletes. They can EASILY AFFORD to pay their student-athletes extra money ABOVE their usual "tuition, books, room and board"
However, smaller colleges are losing money on their sports programs. They won't have extra money to compensate their student-athletes further.
This brings up a concern of "if they pay student athletes, it will give an unfair advantage to the mega-power schools when it comes to recruiting"
Some like Joe Nocera, advocating paying only the football and men's basketball players, since that's where most of the profits in college sports come from.
But that runs into Title IX violations, since we can't have gender double standards.
--------
And of course, there's all this stuff about "let's keep college sports amateur ................ paying the players will ruin what's great about college sports"
What to do, what to do?
------------------
For one thing, this concept of amateurism is OVER-RATED!
Look, the Olympics used to be "amateur-only" but the whole thing was a joke!
Some nations, like the former Soviet Union, basically defied this amateur nonsense, by secretly paying their athletes.
But more importantly, training at the Olympic level is basically a full-time job! It was unfair to demand full-time training, but not allow those players to make any monetary compensation for that time! Those athletes got to pay the bills, you know!
So it's a great thing that the Olympics got rid of this "amateurs only" nonsense back in 1992, when the Dream Team dominated the basketball scene.
And the Olympics got better because now, we really get to see the best athletes of the world compete!
--------------
Similar things are true about college sports.
Training is a full-time job! There's practices. There's weight-lifting sessions so they dont' get over-powered by their opponents. There's video-studying time to study their practice/game errors, as well as study their opponents. And don't forget they have to remain academically eligible! That means taking college-level courses, and study hall!
All that, without extra money in their bank account!
----------
It's time to put this "amateur status only" crap in the rubbish can!
Colleges shall be allowed to compensate their student-athletes whatever they can afford.
No, it shouldn't be mandatory that the student-athletes to get paid big money, but we shouldn't stop colleges from doing so either.
But even more importantly, let the student-athletes receive free gifts from fans, boosters, and anyone else making legal money!
Let the student-athletes receive donated groceries. Let them receive a free burger from a fan! Let them receive a new car! Let them receive a new stereo system!
Let the student-athletes directly receive corporate sponsorships!
Let the student-athletes get paid to do some advertisements!
Let the student-athletes get paid to do autograph sessions.
Let the student-athletes get paid for every jersey with their # getting sold!
There could be some limitations. For examples, religious colleges could still ban their student-athletes from appearing ads that goes against their religion. So BYU could still ban their student-athletes from appearing in beer ads, for example!
Most likely, before the NCAA will even allow for student-athletes to get additional monetary compensation, they will probably make other rules stricter.
For example, the NCAA would most likely be stricter on academic dishonesty (cheating on tests), drug abuse, and on violent behaviors.
Student-Athletes will probably have to face stricter penalties for violating felonies. That will mean those arrested for things like DUIs, domestic violence, rape and other things will most likely will be expelled instead of just getting a "slap on the wrist" (ie. suspended from games involving weak opponents).
And you know what? That's the type of rules that are needed!
Student-Athletes are role models. They represent their school and the surrounding community. They ought to be held to a higher standard when it comes to behavior.
As for academics, as I mentioned earlier, student-athletes still have to take and pass college-level courses.
However, it can be a struggle to do so during their season, when they have to attend practice, weight-lifting sessions, video-study, and off course their games.
Usually, student-athletes take easy course during their season, harder classes during the off-season.
However, for basketball players, their season run from Fall semester to Spring semester. So they'll have to take at least one hard class each semester.
The NCAA has a timetable saying "by this senior year, you should be 80 % done with your major requirements."
Sounds great, but there's a problem with that as I mentioned in an earlier blog post
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/07/college-reform.html
Another point to back me up
from NY Times - Joe Nocera
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/magazine/lets-start-paying-college-athletes.html
And another great point on student-athletes and academics
from Midweek's Steve Murray
http://www.midweek.com/sterns-rant-is-cranky-but-correct/
In other words, if high school basketball players rather go to the minor league route instead of playing college basketball, LET THEM!
After all, if that player can't even do college work, don't force him/her to waste time -- just let them go to the minor leagues, just like how some baseball and hockey players do.
Let's save college sports for those ready for the college life.
And allow college players to receive benefits. This "amateur only" is outdated and over-rated!
Many universities have started their new school year.
And it's time for a new generation of student-athletes to begin their college sports career.
The college football season is about to begin. Other college sports (ie. women's volleyball, soccer) have already started.
And it's time to take about the challenges faced by college athletes ---- about their compensation and their academic program.
-------------------
1) College Athletes Getting Pimped
Currently, most college athletes recieve a scholarship, while the rest are walk-ons who either rely on their parents or other financial aid for tuition.Those who recieve an athletic scholarship get free tuition, textbooks and a dorm room. That's it!
Because the NCAA wants all their college athletes to retain "amateur status", college athletes CANNOT recieve anything else, besides gifts from family members.
That means NOBODY ELSE is allowed to give ANY college athletes ANY money or any other gifts.
Otherwise, that athlete and the university WILL face sanctions.
You might think I'm exaggarating. NOT AT ALL!
From Salon's Josh Eidelson http://www.salon.com/2012/03/11/madness_of_march_ncaa_gets_paid_players_dont/
His teammate, All-American linebacker Donnie Edwards, mentioned in a radio interview that he was having trouble supporting himself on his scholarship. In response, an anonymous donor sent a bag of groceries to Edwards’ door. That year the university was making money selling jerseys with Edwards’ number. But the NCAA suspended Edwards for accepting the groceries.
That's right, student-athletes can't even accept a bag full of groceries from a non-family member.
We're NOT talking about accepting free cars.
We're NOT talking about accepting a bag of marijuana.
We're NOT talking about accepting free access to strip clubs.
We're talking about a bag of groceries!
This actually got a college player suspended
Any other college student can accept a donated bag of groceries without consequences. Except student-athletes!
More examples of this madness from the same article.
Former UCLA power forward James Keefe, who played in the Final Four in 2007 and 2008, says that while it was “a great opportunity … at the same time, it’s just amazing how much money’s being made, and how little of that has trickled down to what I think the athletes need.” Keefe recalls “players that were having a lot of trouble making ends meet,” and athletes disciplined for infractions as small as accepting a free sandwich from a fan
Any college student can accept this for free,
except for student-athletes
.
And this from Joe Nocera's article
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/magazine/lets-start-paying-college-athletes.html
And what does the labor force that makes it possible for coaches to earn millions, and causes marketers to spend billions, get? Nothing. The workers are supposed to be content with a scholarship that does not even cover the full cost of attending college. Any student athlete who accepts an unapproved, free hamburger from a coach, or even a fan, is in violation of N.C.A.A. rules.
---------------
At major universities, college sports is BIG BUSINESS! Millions of dollars are flowing in, but the student-athletes get nothing more than the scholarship. Because the "amateur" status is soooooooooooo sacred!
While that might not mean much to student-athletes coming from upper-class families, the student-athletes from lower-income families are screwed.
Of course, the player-haters, with all their jealousy, will throw hissy fits like "college athletes should be grateful, they already have a scholarship, I don't have one".
But those students with a music or a theatre scholarship face absolutely ZERO legal limitations from getting paid on the side, while continuing to perform for their college's band,orchestra or theatre productions.
You can play the violin for your college's orchestra, and you can still perform at wedding while getting paid for that. However, if a college basketball player gets paid even chump-change at a community-park tournament, it becomes a scandal!
You can act at your college theatre's musical production, and still take a paid-acting gig for a television ad. No scandal! But if a college quarterback gets paid to do a television ad .......... scandal!
You can be a business major and start your own side-business while still taking college courses. You can be a science major and take a paid internship in your field. But god forbid a college athlete tries something like that ....... it becomes a "scandal".
This kind of nonsense goes on all to appease the jealous losers still upset that they're not popular like the athletes. This kind of nonsense goes on all to appease the jealous losers still upset about people who are good at something they suck at!
---------
Meanwhile, college athletes with lower-income backgrounds can't even eat out with their team-mates, can't even accept free groceries, can't even buy new clothes.
And yet, their university getting millions of dollars from TV contracts.
They see people wearing the jerseys with their number on it, and that same student-athlete doesn't receive an extra-penny for it!
For example
from Salon's Josh Eidelson
http://www.salon.com/2012/03/11/madness_of_march_ncaa_gets_paid_players_dont/
Mosely describes athletes anxiously waiting for federal financial aid checks to help close the gap between their stipends and their expenses. “You become really dependent on, ‘Is it going to come on this Tuesday or this Tuesday?’” says Mosely, because that federal assistance could determine “whether you can get insurance” or “whether you can pay rent.” While Mosely stressed over his expenses, his university sold apparel with his number. “It might not be my name on the back of the jersey, but if it’s a Number 14 Kentucky jersey, they obviously are wearing that jersey for me … ” says Mosely. “That is a little bit of exploitation. You can buy a jersey with my number on it … the school can potentially profit off of it, and the student athlete doesn’t.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/magazine/lets-start-paying-college-athletes.html
Players aren’t stupid. They look around and see jerseys with their names on them being sold in the bookstores. They see 100,000 people in the stands on a Saturday afternoon. During the season, they can end up putting in 50-hour weeks at their sports, and they learn early on not to take any course that might require real effort or interfere with the primary reason they are on campus: to play football or basketball. The N.C.A.A. can piously define them as students first, but the players know better. They know they are making money for the athletic department. The N.C.A.A.’s often-stated contention that it is protecting the players from “excessive commercialism” is ludicrous; the only thing it’s protecting is everyone else’s revenue stream
How would you feel if that was your situation? How would you feel if someone else is making money off your work and you're not allowed to profit off that? Wouldn't you feel like you're being pimped?
Of course you would!
And while they're getting pimped, (and watching their non-athlete classmates be allowed to get paid on the side), who can blame them if they leave school early for the NFL or the NBA, even if they have no guarantees of getting drafted.
That was the case with Davone Bess, who used to play for the UH Warriors! He came from a single-parent home in East Oakland, one of the most dangerous ghettoes in the USA! He could have played for UH one more year. There was no guarantee that he would get drafted. But with his desperate situation, who could blame him for leaving a year early for the NFL?
Davone Bess
one of the greatest receivers in UH football history
Compare that to another former UH Warrior Colt Brennan. Brennan came from a rich family from Orange County. He didn't have to worry about his expenses during his time at UH, so even though there was a possibility of getting drafted after his junior year, Brennan decided to stick around for one more year.
However, Brennan was still pimped by the system. During his senior season, I would see TONS of people wearing his #15 jersey! But none of that money trickled down to him.
Guess who's not getting paid for wearing that jersey?
Because of the concussions he receive his senior year, plus the hip injuries during his short time in the NFL, Breenan didn't last long in the pros.
For many college athletes like Brennan, their college career was their entire 15 minutes of fame! But they weren't even allowed to be compensated for their fame, especially since so many people were wearing his #15 jersey!
2)How to Compensate the College Athletes
There are millions upon millions of dollars rolling around college sports. TV contracts, coaches salaries, stadiums, fitness facilities all paid for!
Major universities like Notre Dame, Texas, Florida, Oregon ------ make huge profits off of fans watching their student-athletes. They can EASILY AFFORD to pay their student-athletes extra money ABOVE their usual "tuition, books, room and board"
However, smaller colleges are losing money on their sports programs. They won't have extra money to compensate their student-athletes further.
This brings up a concern of "if they pay student athletes, it will give an unfair advantage to the mega-power schools when it comes to recruiting"
Some like Joe Nocera, advocating paying only the football and men's basketball players, since that's where most of the profits in college sports come from.
But that runs into Title IX violations, since we can't have gender double standards.
--------
And of course, there's all this stuff about "let's keep college sports amateur ................ paying the players will ruin what's great about college sports"
What to do, what to do?
------------------
For one thing, this concept of amateurism is OVER-RATED!
Look, the Olympics used to be "amateur-only" but the whole thing was a joke!
Some nations, like the former Soviet Union, basically defied this amateur nonsense, by secretly paying their athletes.
But more importantly, training at the Olympic level is basically a full-time job! It was unfair to demand full-time training, but not allow those players to make any monetary compensation for that time! Those athletes got to pay the bills, you know!
So it's a great thing that the Olympics got rid of this "amateurs only" nonsense back in 1992, when the Dream Team dominated the basketball scene.
And the Olympics got better because now, we really get to see the best athletes of the world compete!
New York Daily News
You mean you won't watch them play
if they get paid?
--------------
Similar things are true about college sports.
Sports Illustrated
You mean you won't watch them play
if they get paid?
Training is a full-time job! There's practices. There's weight-lifting sessions so they dont' get over-powered by their opponents. There's video-studying time to study their practice/game errors, as well as study their opponents. And don't forget they have to remain academically eligible! That means taking college-level courses, and study hall!
All that, without extra money in their bank account!
----------
It's time to put this "amateur status only" crap in the rubbish can!
Colleges shall be allowed to compensate their student-athletes whatever they can afford.
No, it shouldn't be mandatory that the student-athletes to get paid big money, but we shouldn't stop colleges from doing so either.
But even more importantly, let the student-athletes receive free gifts from fans, boosters, and anyone else making legal money!
Let the student-athletes receive donated groceries. Let them receive a free burger from a fan! Let them receive a new car! Let them receive a new stereo system!
Let the student-athletes directly receive corporate sponsorships!
Let the student-athletes get paid to do some advertisements!
Let the student-athletes get paid to do autograph sessions.
Let the student-athletes get paid for every jersey with their # getting sold!
There could be some limitations. For examples, religious colleges could still ban their student-athletes from appearing ads that goes against their religion. So BYU could still ban their student-athletes from appearing in beer ads, for example!
3) Student-Athletes would still have to follow some rules
Just like people at any other job, student-athletes still will have to follow rules, even when they're getting compensation.Most likely, before the NCAA will even allow for student-athletes to get additional monetary compensation, they will probably make other rules stricter.
For example, the NCAA would most likely be stricter on academic dishonesty (cheating on tests), drug abuse, and on violent behaviors.
Student-Athletes will probably have to face stricter penalties for violating felonies. That will mean those arrested for things like DUIs, domestic violence, rape and other things will most likely will be expelled instead of just getting a "slap on the wrist" (ie. suspended from games involving weak opponents).
And you know what? That's the type of rules that are needed!
Student-Athletes are role models. They represent their school and the surrounding community. They ought to be held to a higher standard when it comes to behavior.
4) Student-Athletes and Academics
As for academics, as I mentioned earlier, student-athletes still have to take and pass college-level courses.
However, it can be a struggle to do so during their season, when they have to attend practice, weight-lifting sessions, video-study, and off course their games.
Usually, student-athletes take easy course during their season, harder classes during the off-season.
However, for basketball players, their season run from Fall semester to Spring semester. So they'll have to take at least one hard class each semester.
The NCAA has a timetable saying "by this senior year, you should be 80 % done with your major requirements."
Sounds great, but there's a problem with that as I mentioned in an earlier blog post
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/07/college-reform.html
Why pressure students to "graduate in 2 (or 4) years, if they need more time to fulfill their core requirements as well as balance their school/non-school life!
And the NCAA rules on student-athletes have to have 80% of their degree done by senior year, has also caused problems when student-athletes have to switch out of their original preferred major just to stay eligible to play! The NCAA is still buying this OUTDATED FICTION of a "4-year degree" when some majors are now 5-7 year majors. If I was the NCAA president, I'll be like " just pass your classes, you can still finish your degree when you can"
Another point to back me up
from NY Times - Joe Nocera
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/magazine/lets-start-paying-college-athletes.html
It is the unspoken scandal that permeates college sports, and it is corrosive not just for the athletes but also for the entire student body. “Within two or three weeks of coming to a university, players often find out they are woefully underprepared for college work,” Duderstadt says. “Very quickly they give up and major in eligibility. They take the cupcake courses. It is an insidious thing.”
There is another issue: Players who were stars in high school inevitably come to college with big dreams of going pro one day. Yet, as Emmert notes, “we had 5,500 Division I men’s basketball players last year, and only 50 went to the N.B.A.” By the time most players realize that they are not going to make it to the professional ranks, so much time has been lost that they can never catch up academically. In most cases, they also can’t afford to quit football and concentrate on their studies, because that would cost them their athletic scholarships.
The primary purpose of a six-year scholarship is to give athletes whose playing days have ended a chance to get their degrees — and to really have time to focus on classes that can prepare them for a future without football or basketball. It would allow players to take fewer courses during their years of athletic eligibility, giving them a better chance to succeed at the courses they do take. And it would make it possible for those players who do graduate within four years to pursue a graduate degree. The N.C.A.A. would no longer need to obsess over an athlete’s academic performance; as long as he met the same standard the school applied to every other student, he could stay in school and play on the team. The extra two years would place the onus on the athlete to get an education, while also giving him the opportunity. Isn’t that how it should work anyway?
And another great point on student-athletes and academics
from Midweek's Steve Murray
http://www.midweek.com/sterns-rant-is-cranky-but-correct/
But unlike producers who need markets for their goods, the NCAA is not a supplier but a service provider like the NBA. If Emmert wants players to stay on campus, thereby discontinuing the current state of athletics that makes a mockery of academics, the NCAA needs to mandate that anyone who signs of letter of intent must commit to two full academic years on campus. Players who leave early and sign professional sports contracts would be required to refund the cost of tuition.
To make things fair, the NCAA would eliminate the one-year renewable scholarships in favor of guaranteed four-year contracts, and players would have (almost) the same right to movement as coaches. After two years on campus, the player would be free to transfer to another school without impunity.
One of the problems standing in the way of such a brilliant and simple plan is the fear that the top players will simply bypass college and go straight to the NBA Development League or Europe for a season.
Go for it. There are more than 3,600 male athletes playing Division 1 basketball. The effect of losing 10 during any year would be negligible.
In other words, if high school basketball players rather go to the minor league route instead of playing college basketball, LET THEM!
After all, if that player can't even do college work, don't force him/her to waste time -- just let them go to the minor leagues, just like how some baseball and hockey players do.
Let's save college sports for those ready for the college life.
And allow college players to receive benefits. This "amateur only" is outdated and over-rated!
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