Hardy said, “All behavior stems from childhood trauma before the age of eight. Bad relationships, anger, sadness, depression and other health problems are all treatable by hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy allows the person to get in touch with repressed problems and allows them to address them so they can heal faster.”
One of the benefits of hypnotherapy appears to be the potential for very fast results, “Three two-hour hypnosis sessions can yield the same results as six months of therapy, it’s almost like healing backwards as we identify the underlining problems first, then work the individual through it,” Hardy said.
Ruddy, as stated previusly, works in multple forms of alternative therapy, but is noted for her work in neuro-linguistic patterning. According to Ruddy, “NLP is a light trance in which the patient is still conscious, a sort of mini-hypnosis. It strives to understand that every individual receives information differently and by tapping into the unconscious and then using linguistics to talk the person through his/her problem, healing can begin.”
Despite many individuals who have used NLP to work through emotional issues, it is, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, devoid of any empirical evidence supporting its claims. Because of this, it has had little to no support from the scientific communitty, and has no impact on mainstream psychology.
Despite this, practitioners like Ruddy and Hardy argue NLP as an effective therapeutic treatment.
A University of Arizona senior, Zachary Roughan, recently tried NLP and hypnosis to combat a case of stress-induced insomnia. Roughan was previously prescribed to a sleeping pill by a psychiatrist, but disliked that he wasn’t able to sleep without it.
Roughan did three sessions of hypno-therapy and NLP while home over the summer.
“It wasn’t miraculous, but I did end up sleeping better,” he said, “I learned that because of my older brother who was heavily into drugs and screwing up, that I feel pressure to make my parents proud. The stress was getting to me and manifesting as insomnia.”
Whether the scientific community is buying it or not, there is no question that these alternative therapies have become very popular and in many cases yield results.
Dr. Lila Flagler, who practices alternative therapies like homeopathic medicine with her husband Dr. Samuel Flagler out of their private clinic at 6737 E. Camino Principal, simply explains the trend.
“People are dissatisfied with drugs and are looking for something that digs deeper into the individual,” she said, “Drugs like Prozac mask the issue instead of allowing the person to confront the issue and heal. The drugs suppress the symptoms, but the the disorder is still present.”
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Alternative mental care
Tucson residents looking to improve their lives and mental health opt for alternative methods of therapy over conventional therapy, a trend that holds true to all of the United States.
According to an article recently published in the New York Times, there are more than 80 million people in the United States using some form of alternative medicine, and because of this, scientists research these alternative methods of health care more empirically than before.
According to data gathered by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the National Center for Health Statistics, 38 percent of adults and 12 percent of children use alternative therapy in the United States. True to the growing industry in alternative health, there are over 200 private alternative therapy clinics in Tucson; some of which use various forms of alternative therapy in the field of mental health.
One such clinic is Counseling Concepts, LLC, located at 336. E. Ft. Lowell Rd. The clinic is run by founder Dr. Jo Ruddy and Jodi Hardy. Ruddy worked in the field of traditional therapy for over 20 years, but eventually became interested in using metaphysics after becoming disenchanted with conventional forms of therapy.
“In traditional therapy, you’re diagnosing the patient by their “mental illness” like it’s a disease,” Ruddy said, “When using metaphysical techniques it’s about hope, it’s not about being sick it’s about getting well.”
Counseling Concepts, LLC uses a number of different therapies, all of which are practiced in accordance with the individual being treated and their particular problem.
Ruddy is a “Metaphysician”. According to Ruddy, this term is comprised of the word Meta meaning “beyond” and physics, therefore it refers to something beyond what we can prove is real.
“Say I have a couple come in who have been disagreeing about everything,” said Ruddy, “Metaphysical counseling will allow the couple to go beyond their own normal perceptions and find out how their unconscious minds are tapping into one another and making each other tick.”
In addition to holding a master’s degree in counseling and doctorate in philosophy of religion, Ruddy is a certified practitioner in Neuro-linguistic Patterning (NLP), hypnotherapy, Reiki, Psych-K and Holistic Life Coaching. She specializes in the study of the unconcious mind, “The unconscious mind holds the cycle where emotions, memories and addictive behaviors are held,” Ruddy said, “Through metaphysical healing we seek to connect peoples’ unconscious minds to their bodies and once they tap into this they are more acutely aware of their problems and more likely to heal.”
In the poor economy, counselors are seeing more patients come in with severe bouts of depression. Ruddy believes this new tendency towards a preference for alternative mental care stems from the whole globe being, “Worried about mortality and the world.” Two of their offered treatments, hypnotherapy and neuro-linguistic patterning, show effectiveness in the treatment of depression.
Hardy holds a master’s degree in counseling and received her hypnotherapy certification from the Wellness Institute in Issaquah, WA. She practices both traditional talk therapy and hypnotherapy at Counseling Concepts, LLC. She claims hypnotherapy is effective in the treatment of any presenting problem, including depression and problems stemming from depression.
According to an article recently published in the New York Times, there are more than 80 million people in the United States using some form of alternative medicine, and because of this, scientists research these alternative methods of health care more empirically than before.
According to data gathered by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the National Center for Health Statistics, 38 percent of adults and 12 percent of children use alternative therapy in the United States. True to the growing industry in alternative health, there are over 200 private alternative therapy clinics in Tucson; some of which use various forms of alternative therapy in the field of mental health.
One such clinic is Counseling Concepts, LLC, located at 336. E. Ft. Lowell Rd. The clinic is run by founder Dr. Jo Ruddy and Jodi Hardy. Ruddy worked in the field of traditional therapy for over 20 years, but eventually became interested in using metaphysics after becoming disenchanted with conventional forms of therapy.
“In traditional therapy, you’re diagnosing the patient by their “mental illness” like it’s a disease,” Ruddy said, “When using metaphysical techniques it’s about hope, it’s not about being sick it’s about getting well.”
Counseling Concepts, LLC uses a number of different therapies, all of which are practiced in accordance with the individual being treated and their particular problem.
Ruddy is a “Metaphysician”. According to Ruddy, this term is comprised of the word Meta meaning “beyond” and physics, therefore it refers to something beyond what we can prove is real.
“Say I have a couple come in who have been disagreeing about everything,” said Ruddy, “Metaphysical counseling will allow the couple to go beyond their own normal perceptions and find out how their unconscious minds are tapping into one another and making each other tick.”
In addition to holding a master’s degree in counseling and doctorate in philosophy of religion, Ruddy is a certified practitioner in Neuro-linguistic Patterning (NLP), hypnotherapy, Reiki, Psych-K and Holistic Life Coaching. She specializes in the study of the unconcious mind, “The unconscious mind holds the cycle where emotions, memories and addictive behaviors are held,” Ruddy said, “Through metaphysical healing we seek to connect peoples’ unconscious minds to their bodies and once they tap into this they are more acutely aware of their problems and more likely to heal.”
In the poor economy, counselors are seeing more patients come in with severe bouts of depression. Ruddy believes this new tendency towards a preference for alternative mental care stems from the whole globe being, “Worried about mortality and the world.” Two of their offered treatments, hypnotherapy and neuro-linguistic patterning, show effectiveness in the treatment of depression.
Hardy holds a master’s degree in counseling and received her hypnotherapy certification from the Wellness Institute in Issaquah, WA. She practices both traditional talk therapy and hypnotherapy at Counseling Concepts, LLC. She claims hypnotherapy is effective in the treatment of any presenting problem, including depression and problems stemming from depression.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Mandatory Blog 2
Chapter 2 of “Ancient Rhetorics” has to do with the dilemma that comes to a rhetor when he/she realizes that no two rhetorical situations are ever the same, because every rhetorical situation, “Presents its own unique set of challenges.” Because of this, every rhetorical situation occurs in a time and place that is singular and cannot be repeated. Rhetors must wait for the perfect time, in which the audience is fully attentive, to deliver a rhetorical argument. The right rhetorical moment was known to the ancient Greeks as “kairos”.
According to the text, the Greeks had two conceptions of time. The first was what we are used, linear and measurable time. The Greeks called this chronos. Kairos on the other hand, is a situational kind of time, or an “opportunity”. Kairos has little to do with duration of time; moreover it refers to the right circumstances that bring on a certain situation that allows for an argument to be made to the right audience. The text reads, “Kairos draws attention to the mutability of rhetoric, to the ever-changing arguments that can be found in connection with a particular issue.” Meaning, this term, the situational notion of time, shows that rhetoric itself is a living and changing organism; no rhetorical argument every stays completely the same, but it changes within the situations that it presents itself in. This happens because the people who are paying attention to the issue being argued will often change their minds, beliefs, ages, locations, communities, identities, jobs, and other things.
Because of its mutability, kairos-based arguments cannot be set in stone prior to the delivery of the rhetoric because the rhetor has to constantly sharpen his/her speaking in order to attune to the various audiences and places he /she might be speaking too. The rhetor must understand the history of the issue, and also why the argument was poorly received in various settings and audiences. He/she must be able to identify with the opposing argument and be able to combat it even without a set of rules to guide him/her.
Kairos can clearly serve as a means of invention, because it is the, “Art of discovering all of the arguments made available by a given rhetorical situation.” You must always understand the interests of an audience, and also why these interests might interfere with your rhetorical presentation. You will need to challenge their interests, and subsequently, their beliefs, in order to rhetorically persuade them of your argument.
A chreia is a brief saying or action that immediately makes a point. It was one of two progymnasta used by the ancients, the other being tale. These were used to offer short and catchy lessons that were easily-identifiable by the reader. They allow a rhetor to amplify a theme, that is, make it more pronounced and easy to understand.
Proverbs are common sayings that any member of a certain culture knows. These terms include things like, “Be careful what you wish for.” These terms are “persuasive or expository”, meaning they are either to persuade the audience to do something, or dissuade them from doing something. They are very useful in engaging the reader and grabbing attention.
According to the text, the Greeks had two conceptions of time. The first was what we are used, linear and measurable time. The Greeks called this chronos. Kairos on the other hand, is a situational kind of time, or an “opportunity”. Kairos has little to do with duration of time; moreover it refers to the right circumstances that bring on a certain situation that allows for an argument to be made to the right audience. The text reads, “Kairos draws attention to the mutability of rhetoric, to the ever-changing arguments that can be found in connection with a particular issue.” Meaning, this term, the situational notion of time, shows that rhetoric itself is a living and changing organism; no rhetorical argument every stays completely the same, but it changes within the situations that it presents itself in. This happens because the people who are paying attention to the issue being argued will often change their minds, beliefs, ages, locations, communities, identities, jobs, and other things.
Because of its mutability, kairos-based arguments cannot be set in stone prior to the delivery of the rhetoric because the rhetor has to constantly sharpen his/her speaking in order to attune to the various audiences and places he /she might be speaking too. The rhetor must understand the history of the issue, and also why the argument was poorly received in various settings and audiences. He/she must be able to identify with the opposing argument and be able to combat it even without a set of rules to guide him/her.
Kairos can clearly serve as a means of invention, because it is the, “Art of discovering all of the arguments made available by a given rhetorical situation.” You must always understand the interests of an audience, and also why these interests might interfere with your rhetorical presentation. You will need to challenge their interests, and subsequently, their beliefs, in order to rhetorically persuade them of your argument.
A chreia is a brief saying or action that immediately makes a point. It was one of two progymnasta used by the ancients, the other being tale. These were used to offer short and catchy lessons that were easily-identifiable by the reader. They allow a rhetor to amplify a theme, that is, make it more pronounced and easy to understand.
Proverbs are common sayings that any member of a certain culture knows. These terms include things like, “Be careful what you wish for.” These terms are “persuasive or expository”, meaning they are either to persuade the audience to do something, or dissuade them from doing something. They are very useful in engaging the reader and grabbing attention.
A slightly better story I wrote (cont)
The Auto Service Association says the auto repairs business will stay alive through focusing on training, especially with the influx of hybrid vehicles into the new market place, “It’s very hard to find good mechanics,” said Stephens, “I can’t hire right now anyways, but I’ve been able to keep a core staff (of well qualified mechanics), I put in 12 hour days, and my guys put in 10 hour days.”
It is the independently owned used car sales dealers that are reporting stable sales, and these businesses are doing this through implementing programs that make it easier for people on low incomes to buy decent and affordable cars. “They (used car sales) are emotional sales, and those companies are very good at customizing affordable deals for people who need them the most,” Johnson said.
Weiss Guys Auto Sales, a family owned used car dealership located at 2976 N. 1st Ave., has been very successful at bringing in customers through programs designed for people who under most circumstances couldn’t buy a new car. They use a lease to own program that allows people to return their leased vehicles at any time as long as they don’t exceed a monthly mileage maximum and if the car is still in decent shape, said Paula Weiss, co-owner of Weiss Guys Auto Sales for six years. “We all use an outside finance company, Austin Titles, which finances people with bad credit (to buy a new vehicle), they charge a rate of 18 per cent as opposed to the usual 29.9 per cent,” Weiss said.
People also seem to enjoy the friendly service that is offered by privately owned family businesses such as Weiss Guys Auto Sales. They’re friendly appeal is often attributed as to why they’ve been rather successful in the face of economic recession, “(I just use) southern charm, that’s all there is to it,” said Mike Cocoer, the lot manager of Weiss Guys Auto Sales, “people like to interact with someone that’s genuine.”
Though independently owned car businesses in Tucson have been relatively successful, they are not recession proof. Because the automotive industry is in such disarray, keeping up stock of good vehicles has proven difficult, said Cocoer. Cocoer said that used car dealerships such as Weiss need to find new methods to bring in more cars and customers, “We need to be more focused on marketing, we need to advertise more to reach customers, air time and radio,” he said, “the more you’re out there, the more people see what you got”.
To stay alive in the economy, Johnson had advice for both small businesses and corporations. She said that small privately owned dealerships need to “scale down’, while the corporations need to innovate. She said that if the auto sales industry is going to survive, “it needs to allow itself to fail.” She continued, “We all want safety nets, but bails outs aren’t conducive to innovation, short-term solutions won’t facilitate a permanent solution.”
It is the independently owned used car sales dealers that are reporting stable sales, and these businesses are doing this through implementing programs that make it easier for people on low incomes to buy decent and affordable cars. “They (used car sales) are emotional sales, and those companies are very good at customizing affordable deals for people who need them the most,” Johnson said.
Weiss Guys Auto Sales, a family owned used car dealership located at 2976 N. 1st Ave., has been very successful at bringing in customers through programs designed for people who under most circumstances couldn’t buy a new car. They use a lease to own program that allows people to return their leased vehicles at any time as long as they don’t exceed a monthly mileage maximum and if the car is still in decent shape, said Paula Weiss, co-owner of Weiss Guys Auto Sales for six years. “We all use an outside finance company, Austin Titles, which finances people with bad credit (to buy a new vehicle), they charge a rate of 18 per cent as opposed to the usual 29.9 per cent,” Weiss said.
People also seem to enjoy the friendly service that is offered by privately owned family businesses such as Weiss Guys Auto Sales. They’re friendly appeal is often attributed as to why they’ve been rather successful in the face of economic recession, “(I just use) southern charm, that’s all there is to it,” said Mike Cocoer, the lot manager of Weiss Guys Auto Sales, “people like to interact with someone that’s genuine.”
Though independently owned car businesses in Tucson have been relatively successful, they are not recession proof. Because the automotive industry is in such disarray, keeping up stock of good vehicles has proven difficult, said Cocoer. Cocoer said that used car dealerships such as Weiss need to find new methods to bring in more cars and customers, “We need to be more focused on marketing, we need to advertise more to reach customers, air time and radio,” he said, “the more you’re out there, the more people see what you got”.
To stay alive in the economy, Johnson had advice for both small businesses and corporations. She said that small privately owned dealerships need to “scale down’, while the corporations need to innovate. She said that if the auto sales industry is going to survive, “it needs to allow itself to fail.” She continued, “We all want safety nets, but bails outs aren’t conducive to innovation, short-term solutions won’t facilitate a permanent solution.”
A slightly better story I wrote
The automotive sales and auto repairs shops in Tucson are doing very poorly in the current state of economic woes, but many privately owned used car dealers report stable sales due to programs targeting low-income buyers.
In times of economic despair, people are far less likely to buy new cars, and in 2008, car companies reported decreases in sales in all types of cars, from 14 per cent for smaller cars to 50 per cent for large SUV’s, according to the American Automobile Association. Strangely, auto repairs shops’ numbers are down as well, with many in the Craigin-Keeling area of Tucson reporting profits falling over 20 per cent from last year.
The auto-sales industry is doing extremely poor and Tucson is not unique to that fact. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, motor vehicles and parts dealers are reporting sales down over $20 billion from 2006.
Experts attribute the decline of the automobile industry as they do much of the fallen industries in the economy, to the rising unemployment and scarcity of jobs. Professor Cathleen A. Johnson of the University of Arizona economics department said, “This is an “economic winter”, countless jobs are being lost and the problem with that is that they can’t be replaced, the economy will come back at some point but the recovery could take five years.”
Johnson also believes that much of the automotive industry’s troubles stem from poor decision making in the executive offices accepting bailouts instead of trying to work out long time recovery plans. “I am tired of bad-thinking executives,” she said, “The more intervention (from the government) and the swing backs will be moderate and not real.”
In states of economic hardship, auto repair shops tend to do better than auto sales companies, and nationally this seems to be the case. According to the Auto Service Association, in times of recession people are more likely to hold onto old vehicles, and in 2008, 51 per cent of shop owners reported increases in profits. Yet, some of Tucson’s auto repair shops in the Keeling area are reporting falling profits.
Mike Stephens, who has owned Sports and Imports Auto Repairs on 30 E. Jacinto St., for 11 years, said that his profits have fallen 25 per cent from last year. “Those numbers aren’t unique,” he said, “All shop owners in the area are doing badly, people are holding onto their money.”
Stephens has even had to refuse people service unless they absolutely need it, having seen problems with people not being able to make payments on basic repairs.
Stephens said that he is keeping his shop alive through accepting alternative methods of pay, “We’ll start seeing more bartering and exchange of service,” he said, “If an eye doctor comes in here I’ll give him free service because I need an eye-check.”
In times of economic despair, people are far less likely to buy new cars, and in 2008, car companies reported decreases in sales in all types of cars, from 14 per cent for smaller cars to 50 per cent for large SUV’s, according to the American Automobile Association. Strangely, auto repairs shops’ numbers are down as well, with many in the Craigin-Keeling area of Tucson reporting profits falling over 20 per cent from last year.
The auto-sales industry is doing extremely poor and Tucson is not unique to that fact. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, motor vehicles and parts dealers are reporting sales down over $20 billion from 2006.
Experts attribute the decline of the automobile industry as they do much of the fallen industries in the economy, to the rising unemployment and scarcity of jobs. Professor Cathleen A. Johnson of the University of Arizona economics department said, “This is an “economic winter”, countless jobs are being lost and the problem with that is that they can’t be replaced, the economy will come back at some point but the recovery could take five years.”
Johnson also believes that much of the automotive industry’s troubles stem from poor decision making in the executive offices accepting bailouts instead of trying to work out long time recovery plans. “I am tired of bad-thinking executives,” she said, “The more intervention (from the government) and the swing backs will be moderate and not real.”
In states of economic hardship, auto repair shops tend to do better than auto sales companies, and nationally this seems to be the case. According to the Auto Service Association, in times of recession people are more likely to hold onto old vehicles, and in 2008, 51 per cent of shop owners reported increases in profits. Yet, some of Tucson’s auto repair shops in the Keeling area are reporting falling profits.
Mike Stephens, who has owned Sports and Imports Auto Repairs on 30 E. Jacinto St., for 11 years, said that his profits have fallen 25 per cent from last year. “Those numbers aren’t unique,” he said, “All shop owners in the area are doing badly, people are holding onto their money.”
Stephens has even had to refuse people service unless they absolutely need it, having seen problems with people not being able to make payments on basic repairs.
Stephens said that he is keeping his shop alive through accepting alternative methods of pay, “We’ll start seeing more bartering and exchange of service,” he said, “If an eye doctor comes in here I’ll give him free service because I need an eye-check.”
A very poor story I wrote in Journalism
This is a product of the journalistic dilemma of people not wanting to talk to you:
Helen Keeling Elementary School historically scores poorly on standardized testing, and because of budget cuts and other issues, the scores continue to drop.
Keeling Elementary is a small kindergarten to 5th grade school made of a student body of 482 located at 2837 N. Los Altos Ave. and part of the Amphitheater Unified School District. There are 37 teachers on staff, making for a student-teacher ratio of 13.1, which is actually smaller than the rest of Arizona’s 21.3 student-teacher ratio. Despite small class sizes, students still seem to be struggling on standardized testing, which is indicative of the vast amount of other problems the school faces.
Keeling Elementary saw drops in their percent passing rating in all categories on Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards, AIMS, in 2008. According to the Arizona Department of Education, the school fell from 68 percent to 64 percent passing in math, from 58 percent to 55 percent passing in reading subject and from 64 to 62 percent in writing. This is far below Arizona’s state passing averages in 2008; 74 percent were passing in math, 69 percent were passing reading and 70 percent were passing writing.
In a state that is according to the U.S. Census 49th in the country for passing standardized tests, these passing ratings at Keeling Elementary are alarming. Budget cuts are much to blame for Keeling and the rest of Arizona schools’ lack of success, and Arizona legislature passed budget cuts this year that will see nearly $133 million taken away from K-12 education. Arizona is already last in the nation for spending on individual students, and this statistic is not deterring legislature, who are hoping the cuts will lessen the $1.6 billion state deficit, away from making more cuts,
“There isn’t enough money in the budget to get the things I need to do my job,” said Keeling Elementary health assistant Helen Sunstedt, “My good thermometer broke and they replace it with some ancient thermometer that takes me 10 seconds to get a read on a child’s temperature, we’re losing the basic necessities.”
Keeling Elementary is located in the Keeling neighborhood association, one of Tucson’s most drug-ridden and violent areas. According to Tucson police, the area has mean drug arrests and violent crimes that are from 4 to 6 times the mean of Tucson’s. Because of this, the school can’t help but see the area’s criminal aspect, especially among the parents. School Administrative Assistant Michelle Howard said, “There is a huge lack of parental involvement among our students, some parents just don’t seem to help kids at all.” This lack of parental guidance could partly account for the school’s poor scoring on standardized testing.
The school has also seen problems with substance abuse among parents, and has had to take action against the parents on separate occasions. Kellie Rogers, the school’s Educational Assistant and clerk, said she sees the crime problem’s effect on the school “constantly”. She said, “The kids seem to know way too much about it (drugs and crime), we’ve had parents who’ve come in intoxicated, and of course we can’t allow them to take their children home on account of the children’s safety. I feel I have a sense of when people are under the influence because I’ve seen it so much while working with the parents here.”
The school also has problems with behavior, but due to the budget cuts, classes that were formerly put into place to separate children with behavioral problems from the attentive students have been cut, creating a disruptive class environment that is not conducive to education. Rogers, who was formerly a teacher in one of these classes, said, “They (the classes) were very draining to work in, we had three teachers for 15 kids all of whom has behavioral issues. Even worse, the parents seemed uninvolved and unwilling to work to create a better education for their child.”
The school also had to lay off its school resource officer. Sam Molina lost his job at Keeling Elementary due to the budget cuts, making the school lack a strong authoritative presence to ensure the students don’t get out of hand.
The language barrier makes it difficult to deal with the parents. The Keeling Elementary student body is made of 71.6 percent Hispanic students, many of who have parents that do not speak English. They only have two Spanish-fluent members of their administrative faculty; the behavior monitor Oscar Bernal and the bilingual translator Sandra Aquino. With so many Spanish-speaking parents it proves difficult for the school to communicate student problems to parents.
To improve education and boost standardized test scores, Howard said they received a 21st Century grant to institute an after school program called “Achieve” that is designed specifically to help kids focus more and do better on standardized tests. Still, Howard doesn’t see the point of measuring a school’s success on standardized testing, “If you’ve passed the state’s school curriculum standards, than that should be your only measure,” she said, “some kids just don’t perform well on standardized testing.”
Helen Keeling Elementary School historically scores poorly on standardized testing, and because of budget cuts and other issues, the scores continue to drop.
Keeling Elementary is a small kindergarten to 5th grade school made of a student body of 482 located at 2837 N. Los Altos Ave. and part of the Amphitheater Unified School District. There are 37 teachers on staff, making for a student-teacher ratio of 13.1, which is actually smaller than the rest of Arizona’s 21.3 student-teacher ratio. Despite small class sizes, students still seem to be struggling on standardized testing, which is indicative of the vast amount of other problems the school faces.
Keeling Elementary saw drops in their percent passing rating in all categories on Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards, AIMS, in 2008. According to the Arizona Department of Education, the school fell from 68 percent to 64 percent passing in math, from 58 percent to 55 percent passing in reading subject and from 64 to 62 percent in writing. This is far below Arizona’s state passing averages in 2008; 74 percent were passing in math, 69 percent were passing reading and 70 percent were passing writing.
In a state that is according to the U.S. Census 49th in the country for passing standardized tests, these passing ratings at Keeling Elementary are alarming. Budget cuts are much to blame for Keeling and the rest of Arizona schools’ lack of success, and Arizona legislature passed budget cuts this year that will see nearly $133 million taken away from K-12 education. Arizona is already last in the nation for spending on individual students, and this statistic is not deterring legislature, who are hoping the cuts will lessen the $1.6 billion state deficit, away from making more cuts,
“There isn’t enough money in the budget to get the things I need to do my job,” said Keeling Elementary health assistant Helen Sunstedt, “My good thermometer broke and they replace it with some ancient thermometer that takes me 10 seconds to get a read on a child’s temperature, we’re losing the basic necessities.”
Keeling Elementary is located in the Keeling neighborhood association, one of Tucson’s most drug-ridden and violent areas. According to Tucson police, the area has mean drug arrests and violent crimes that are from 4 to 6 times the mean of Tucson’s. Because of this, the school can’t help but see the area’s criminal aspect, especially among the parents. School Administrative Assistant Michelle Howard said, “There is a huge lack of parental involvement among our students, some parents just don’t seem to help kids at all.” This lack of parental guidance could partly account for the school’s poor scoring on standardized testing.
The school has also seen problems with substance abuse among parents, and has had to take action against the parents on separate occasions. Kellie Rogers, the school’s Educational Assistant and clerk, said she sees the crime problem’s effect on the school “constantly”. She said, “The kids seem to know way too much about it (drugs and crime), we’ve had parents who’ve come in intoxicated, and of course we can’t allow them to take their children home on account of the children’s safety. I feel I have a sense of when people are under the influence because I’ve seen it so much while working with the parents here.”
The school also has problems with behavior, but due to the budget cuts, classes that were formerly put into place to separate children with behavioral problems from the attentive students have been cut, creating a disruptive class environment that is not conducive to education. Rogers, who was formerly a teacher in one of these classes, said, “They (the classes) were very draining to work in, we had three teachers for 15 kids all of whom has behavioral issues. Even worse, the parents seemed uninvolved and unwilling to work to create a better education for their child.”
The school also had to lay off its school resource officer. Sam Molina lost his job at Keeling Elementary due to the budget cuts, making the school lack a strong authoritative presence to ensure the students don’t get out of hand.
The language barrier makes it difficult to deal with the parents. The Keeling Elementary student body is made of 71.6 percent Hispanic students, many of who have parents that do not speak English. They only have two Spanish-fluent members of their administrative faculty; the behavior monitor Oscar Bernal and the bilingual translator Sandra Aquino. With so many Spanish-speaking parents it proves difficult for the school to communicate student problems to parents.
To improve education and boost standardized test scores, Howard said they received a 21st Century grant to institute an after school program called “Achieve” that is designed specifically to help kids focus more and do better on standardized tests. Still, Howard doesn’t see the point of measuring a school’s success on standardized testing, “If you’ve passed the state’s school curriculum standards, than that should be your only measure,” she said, “some kids just don’t perform well on standardized testing.”
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
The Long Road Home; pt. 8
He was re-invigorated. Eyes were all gazing upon him, and the lights of the cars forming an incandescent and impenetrable sight of vision. He saw the bodies being carried away. It was so familiar to him. And the woman, who was at once so beautiful and full of life, was now cold and blue, nothing emanating from her aside from a deep and foul stench that sickened the air. He knew this somehow. He had experienced this before, but from a different perspective.
He looked at the man carried next to his wife, their love carried into the afterlife. Or did it? Would they even be able to remember such a thing if there was an afterlife? The man’s body was decimated beyond recognition.
The air was stale and filled with death, yet still cool and refreshing. He walked backed to his vehicle in a state of deep self-reflection. The déjà vu was disturbing him. He couldn’t draw a connection between this occurrence of brutality and his previous experiences. The more he thought the more he realized he couldn’t comprehend time and its implications. He could have experienced this a million times and possibly have not remembered. But nevertheless, he felt whole and happy that he was able to be with the woman during her last breaths, to offer her comfort. Therefore maybe her journey would be easier and less mind numbing than his.
He turned the car on. There was a light shining on far down the road, and he felt drawn to it, he knew it was his destination. He had no idea what lay beyond the flash of white that was but a spec on his ray of vision, but he knew that wasn’t important, what was important was only that he get there.
He drove into the black, with the light at the end. No more stops, except for smokes, was what he vowed to himself. The amphetamine was running out, and he no longer felt the need for it. The excitement and anticipation was enough to keep him awake for eternity. 110 mph down the freeway. He felt free for the first time since he couldn’t remember, if he could remember at all.
He thought of the women at the hotel and the road. They seemed to be connected somehow, two different sides of his persona. The woman at the hotel was almost a manifestation of his inner guilt and trauma over something he didn’t remember (of course) experiencing. The woman on the road meant he still had heroism in him left, that he had kept his promise to the man at the hotel, he had kept hope. For whatever reason, he still felt hopeful in a world bereft of meaning and passion. He saw the point of soldiering on down that deep black road and into the beautiful shimmering white light. The ward grew warmer as he grew closer, like his blood was elevating in temperature as the miles progressed. So close, he could feel it.
He looked at the man carried next to his wife, their love carried into the afterlife. Or did it? Would they even be able to remember such a thing if there was an afterlife? The man’s body was decimated beyond recognition.
The air was stale and filled with death, yet still cool and refreshing. He walked backed to his vehicle in a state of deep self-reflection. The déjà vu was disturbing him. He couldn’t draw a connection between this occurrence of brutality and his previous experiences. The more he thought the more he realized he couldn’t comprehend time and its implications. He could have experienced this a million times and possibly have not remembered. But nevertheless, he felt whole and happy that he was able to be with the woman during her last breaths, to offer her comfort. Therefore maybe her journey would be easier and less mind numbing than his.
He turned the car on. There was a light shining on far down the road, and he felt drawn to it, he knew it was his destination. He had no idea what lay beyond the flash of white that was but a spec on his ray of vision, but he knew that wasn’t important, what was important was only that he get there.
He drove into the black, with the light at the end. No more stops, except for smokes, was what he vowed to himself. The amphetamine was running out, and he no longer felt the need for it. The excitement and anticipation was enough to keep him awake for eternity. 110 mph down the freeway. He felt free for the first time since he couldn’t remember, if he could remember at all.
He thought of the women at the hotel and the road. They seemed to be connected somehow, two different sides of his persona. The woman at the hotel was almost a manifestation of his inner guilt and trauma over something he didn’t remember (of course) experiencing. The woman on the road meant he still had heroism in him left, that he had kept his promise to the man at the hotel, he had kept hope. For whatever reason, he still felt hopeful in a world bereft of meaning and passion. He saw the point of soldiering on down that deep black road and into the beautiful shimmering white light. The ward grew warmer as he grew closer, like his blood was elevating in temperature as the miles progressed. So close, he could feel it.
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