The 6th edition of the School Politics and Philosophy is out at Middleschoolworld.com.

This is really a very interesting carnival. A taste of some of the posts, semi-randomly chosen:

… democracy is more than just abiding by majoritarian votes; instead, democracy also requires ensuring the full civil, legal, and social equality of all citizens… Part of protecting everyone’s equality is ensuring that the government does not begin exercising power in matters outside its legitimate authority. If a majority can vote to use the power of the state to promote their religion over everyone else’s religion, for example, then the state will actually be involved with privileging some citizens over others … Unfortunately, not everyone “gets” this. Many think that if their religious beliefs are shared by a majority, then it’s legitimate for them to vote to have the state give those beliefs a privileged, prominent, and favored status. This is what happens when school officials try to have students vote on whether or not to have prayers during graduation ceremonies…. *

Down to Earth Guide to Global Warming (book review) … I loved the analogy the authors used to start explaining what global warming is. When you get too hot at night you might throw off the covers and when the cooler air hits your legs and body you feel refreshed and cool. Well, this is the same thing our planet is experiencing. A blanket of green house gases is surrounding our one home, but the earth can’t just toss off the blanket to cool off. That is global warming! This chapter also goes into the reason why “natural” green house gases are overwhelming our planet and how this onslaught coincides with human activity.

It goes on to name the greenhouse gases that effect climate and name the biggest culprit…CO2. It also shows how serious this warming trend is in simple terms…even if it is just a one degree difference. *

The Politics of ADHD

By posting this on a public forum I am most likely setting myself up for flaming in a big way but let me just preface my research by stating for the record that I do realize that ADHD is a real,… *

What’s blocked - a survey of unusable resources

There have been some changes to our internet filter this year at the public middle school where I work, Thomas Harrison. They’ve actually opened up some sites for use, but other key sites are blocked. Note that I’m using my own laptop which has been allowed onto the school’s wireless network, and some of the apps I have are not even installable on school computers (like Second Life or iTunes). Let’s take a look: *

… and First Amendment cases No Child Left Behind, and should schools really be saving those box tops and soup can labels, and on and on. The world of education is a microcosm of a broader political philosophical world with a parallel economic structure. Who needs Second Life when you can just go to your local school board meeting and experience surrealism.