Posts by GrreatTeacher

39

Concealed carry Dubs

by scruffmcbuff in

i spent a considerable length of time living and working in america (would love to imigrate one day).. almost everyone i worked with and made friends with carried a concealed firearm of somesort.

i found this pretty interesting and as an avid firearm fan even more so.. so to our american members here... .

as a jw did you or did you know any practising dubs who carried or if not had firearms for home defence?

GrreatTeacher

I remember a big kerfuffle over this back in the '80s. There was something printed that was pretty absolute. 'Guns are not for Christians' or similar.

The issue was with hunters who used shotguns or rifles for hunting. They were threatened or lost privileges for this. I think they were eventually accepted for hunting purposes only. It was viewed as providing for your family.

But, handguns were a definite no no. Cops or others who carried weapons for work had to find new employment.

I don't know how or if the issue evolved from there.

37

Should kids learn cursive handwriting?

by GrreatTeacher in

i am an elementary school teacher of the fourth grade.

in times past, students would start learning cursive handwriting in third grade and by fourth should be transitioning to writing in cursive at all times.

as you might be aware, this has all but been taken out of the curriculum.

GrreatTeacher

I am an elementary school teacher of the fourth grade. In times past, students would start learning cursive handwriting in third grade and by fourth should be transitioning to writing in cursive at all times.

As you might be aware, this has all but been taken out of the curriculum. It is still approved for teaching, but there is zero time devoted to it in our daily curriculum. This means I can snatch a moment here and there to teach a few cursive letters, but there is no systematic training anymore.

The practical result of that is that not only can students not write in cursive, but they can't read it either! So, I now use manuscript writing on the board.

I can't afford to have a professional opinion on this because the curriculum is the curriculum. I don't get to choose it, I just teach it. I understand in some ways the argument that as everything goes digital, cursive handwriting won't be a necessity anymore.

But, the loss of knowledge bothers me. I have a bulletin board in my class with copies of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence and not one student can read them!

Not only that, but handwriting is such a personalized thing. Nobody else's handwriting is just like yours. That's the reason that signatures are so powerful and can provide proof on important documents.

What do you think? Is it worth fighting against the tide? Should I be more forward looking and try to eek out more time for keyboarding practice instead? I would love to hear your opinions!

PS On a related note, so many 9 year olds cannot read an analog clock, either! They will literally ask me what time it is and I just point to the clock. Then they sneak up to my computer to read the digital time in the corner of my screen! And telling time on an analog clock is still in the curriculum!

77

It's a shame isn't it?

by freddo in

jw
friends

... that this forum, which is such an amazing resource for those needing support for their journey from watchtower's clutches has an increasingly present representation of unreasoning politically charged loudmouths..

GrreatTeacher

I think the basic assumption that these kinds of political threads violate is that one's own political views are more ubiquitous than they really are.

The same thing happened after Obama was elected in 2008. The people spoke, right? Then what the hell was this Tea Party thing and where the hell did it come from? I'd never heard anything like it. Most people surely agreed with me, right? After all, Obama was voted in!

Now it's happening in reverse with the election of Trump. The people spoke, right? Then what the hell is this Black Lives Matter thing or Me, Too movement? They've never heard of anything like it from anyone they know, right? Most people surely agree with them because after all, Trump got elected, right?

This can be so very disturbing because ideas and principles that one holds dear are suddenly revealed to be held in contempt by a LARGE group of others. And that feels very threatening. So much so that predictions of civil war seem reasonable.

But, my question is, "Would you rather not have known that people feel this way?"

It's information, which in itself is neither good nor bad. Now we know what other people think (because they've been allowed to tell us) and how many others believe that way.

What's really troubling the most, in my opinion, is the knowledge that only about half the US population agrees with you and the other half not only disagrees, but vehemently so. I think both sides of the political spectrum suffer from this dilemma. It's the shattering of the myth that you are in the majority.

Furthermore, when people post, you learn things about them. They tell you who they are. Why would you not want that information?

So, bring it on. If nothing else I've learned a lot about people, and not just their political views.

19

Religion in the USA and Elsewhere

by Joe Grundy in

trying to follow media reports in the us and elsewhere, a question occurred to me.. in the uk, religious beliefs are largely irrelevant to most people.

even those who claim adherence seem to do so in a fairly vague way and it doesn't seem to make much difference.. in the us (it seems to me) it's a much bigger issue.

the evangelical christian movement seems quite powerful politically in various iterations ("family values" etc.

GrreatTeacher

Some folks do not believe that 'freedom of religion' extends to freedom "from" religion in the US.

However, there is the concept of separation of church and state so, for example, at public/state schools we cannot really talk about religion, especially personal faith. The exception might be a religious studies class in high school. In fact, some elementary schools have banned the religious parts of holidays to the point where Santa decorations are okay, but nativity decorations are not. I can talk about Santa, reindeer, Elf on the Shelf and their ilk, but no baby Jesus. We can have Hanukkah lights and dreidel, but no stories of the Maccabees.

So, it's complicated. And weird.

27

Just a thought

by moley in

just a hypothetical question.

if the society was right and armageddon came a knocking would you want to live in a society run by the org and bully elders.. would rather die at armageddon.

i would.

GrreatTeacher

It's a question I asked myself right before I left. I had absolutely no faith that the miserable life of a pre-Armageddon witness would suddenly turn into rainbows and unicorns. The folks in New York were never going to give up their free labor. Life would be just as tedious after the big A. Except now it would be forever.

No thank you!

64

HYMNS you will never hear at the Kingdom Hall

by Vanderhoven7 in

do you have examples of hymns you will never hear in kingdom halls in any country.. here are a few of my favorites:.

https://youtu.be/cjivdc-_njs.

https://youtu.be/7gfvl0ef-be .

GrreatTeacher

Beautiful. I love the way the music plays up and down the scale and then builds to an ecstatic high note. It's a classic for good reason. It's an excellent and moving piece of music.

31

Bill Cosby Gets Sentence Of 3 to 10 Years!

by minimus in

jw
friends

wow!

i thought he might get less than 2 years incarceration..

GrreatTeacher

Wow. The radio talk this morning was expecting less than 2 years or even house arrest. They also predicted he would ask to postpone his sentence pending appeal. Huh. I guess he got exactly what he deserved. Kudos to the woman who came forward and was willing to testify. It was just one, right? Will there be any other charges filed against him?

64

HYMNS you will never hear at the Kingdom Hall

by Vanderhoven7 in

do you have examples of hymns you will never hear in kingdom halls in any country.. here are a few of my favorites:.

https://youtu.be/cjivdc-_njs.

https://youtu.be/7gfvl0ef-be .

GrreatTeacher

Had a heart stopping moment in the middle of the Battle Hymn of the Republic. Thought I saw Tony Morris! But on second look, this guy looked a little slimmer.

I am not a believer in the slightest, but there is something moving about hearing traditional Christmas hymns in big old churches. They were really designed for good acoustics. Sometimes I go with my MIL for Christmas Eve service and I get goosebumps hearing Silent Night. I even sing along.

113

EU Court Ruling Against WT on Data-Protection

by cofty in

today's london times reports on the july ruling of the eu court that forces the organisation country to comply with data protection.. the action originated in finland but the ruling will affect every eu country.

the cult tried unsuccessfully to argue that the notes taken by jws in the door-to-door work were personal and not accessed by the congregation.

the court ruled that they are acting under the auspices of the congregation and therefore they must comply with data-protection laws.. keeping lists of do-not-calls also falls under this ruling.. why does the cult always feel that it is above the law?.

GrreatTeacher

"Awoke" magazine. Free to good home. Check the porch full of troll food and straw.

30

I sent off my application to study Palaeobiology (MSc) at Bristol uni and ...

by LoveUniHateExams in

jw
friends

... they've accepted me!

finance is already sorted - they're waiting for me to give them my new student number so that they can start paying me.

just need to formally accept bristol's offer and sort out accommodation.. accommodation should be ok - i've been told priority is given to new students, plus i'm enrolling onto a program for a real degree as a postgraduate - i won't be studying gender studies or some crap like that.

GrreatTeacher

Ouch. Sorry about that. I remember you telling the story about your Dad's inheritance.

Reminder to all making their will: if you want your grandchildren to have part of your estate, name them in the will directly!