We're
Back With An Attitude!
"From
adversity comes heroism."
Vince Lombardi
After a couple years away, the award-winning KASP Web Site and Online Gazette
(KOG) are back! We're here for only one reason: to address
and attempt to resolve some real-life, urgent, and important local and
national issues adversely influencing and challenging students, the future
of America. This is a pretty urgent mission because our children,
just like American adults, are suffering in so many ways. We are
geared to providing outstanding educational, psychological, and mental
health services for students. That's the only reason we're here.
Ground
Rules:
The
Revolution Continues...
"Sooner
or later, love is gonna win."
Rob Grill, Grass Roots
We're not giving up... the revolution is still on.
Choices...
"It's
just a matter of time 'till you make up your mind."
Rob Grill, Grass Roots
You have choices! You can sit back and complain that "I just got
slammed in Asbridge's most recent rant!" If you choose to be a complainer,
fine. Join the crowd. Or you can respond (all responses will
be printed). E-mail your responses and/or contributions to the KOG
Editor. I'm a big boy... if I can can dish it out, I can
take it. So let's have a debate about some important matters, right
here, right now. I can assure you of one thing: if I'm slamming
you, I will have the courage to put your name in print. Otherwise,
I'm not slamming you... I'm merely asking you [i.e., all of us] to think
about (and or defend) what we're doing. That's all. Nothing
personal.
Courage...
The Kentucky State Department of Education has recently (in the past couple
of weeks) stepped forth and challenged the constitutionality, effectiveness,
and financial backing of NCLB. On one hand, I must commend them.
On the other hand, I ask, "what took so long?" And where are the
other 49 states? Where's California on this? Our nation's children
have suffered through this debacle for six or so very long years (that's,
um, fourth through ninth grade -- wasted). Why must even the most
basic and necessary changes for our children take so long? Why didn't
states stand up the first five minutes after this ridiclulous law was passed
and say, "this is educationally, scientifically, morally, ethically, and
psychologically harmful for children (like I did)? You can call me
a complainer, but if you would have listened to me, we might have averted
six years of intense educational abuse, trauma, and suffering by millions
of school children since the Bush regime instituted these dark ages.
Why do we, as professional educators, continuously allow some guy with
no educational background to tell us what do to? WE ARE THE EXPERTS!
Stand up now! Like Kentucky did. Better six years late than
fifteen years late. It's okay if you appear "unpatriotic."
Didn't
I, didn't I, didn't I see you crying?
Cheap Trick
More
Choices...
"I
don't spend much time thinking about what I do."
George W. Bush, June 4th, 2004
Contrary to some others, school psychologists spend a considerable amount
of time thinking about what we do because we take our jobs seriously and
responsibly.
On one hand, we don't want to be political -- wouldn't it be great if we
could get politics totally out of education? On the other hand, we,
in the schools, unfortunately have to deal with someone's politics on every
level on a daily basis, and students oftentimes suffer from the impulsive
and/or political decisions of others; so the KOG is not afraid to address
issues on a political basis if that's what it takes to move forward in
modern education. When the president (you know, the president, THE
President of the United States, George W. Bush himself) can call ALL educators
(that's you and me) "hypocrites and bigots" (Republican National Conventions
#1 and #2), that gives us (at least me) free license to respond
on that same basal gutteral instinctual and apparently hateful level if
that's the level we're going to have to sink to. Once presidents
get out of education, I'll get out of politics.
What are you going to do? Ignore six to eight years of formal
scientific training and who knows how many years of experience and bend
over so GWB can tell you how his religious-based educational system should
work? Is that what you're going to do? You have choices after
all.
Sorry if I got just a little bit political there for just a second.
Next time I'll be political for four hours, which shouldn't be any big
deal since we [all of us in education] have had to deal with about six
years of present White House politics dominating every aspect of your child's
education.
Footnote: sorry
once again to sink to politics... but politics apparently run education...
certainly science doesn't. If you think I'm unfairly attacking your
president, send your response in immediately! It'll be published!
GWB: I'm looking forward to your personal response.
Note
to parents and students:
Psychological
Advice...
"Accept
no substitute."
Donald J. Asbridge, 2005
Have you ever noticed that in America, everyone seems to think they're
the psychologist? If you have questions about your son or daughter's
grades, you're going to ask the teacher, right? If you have questions
about your son or daughter's playing time, you're going to ask (i.e., chew
out) the coach, right? Likewise, if you want professional psychological
recommendations and services for your kid, accept no substitute!
Speak directly
with your school psychologist.
If you want to get your psychological advice from a nurse, a counselor,
a secretary, a teacher, a principal, a bus driver, a policeman, a lawyer,
cafeteria worker, a custodian, a superintendent, a PE teacher -- that's
your choice I guess. Sometimes those professionals, just like lawyers
and presidents, in their zest and zeal to help, seem very happy to forward
their very own psychological opinions, diagnosis, and recommendations.
There seem to be a hundred teachers ready to diagnose your child with AD/HD
and recommend a full schedule of medications at any time. There seem
to be a hundred secretaries ready to tell you it's obviously a learning
disability and they'll make sure the shrink gets right on it. There
seem to be a hundred bus drivers indicating your child is a loner and has
ongoing social skills deficits. And if that works for you, then I've
got some land in Florida I bet you will no doubt be interested in.
Got
it? Good!
"We're
running over the same old ground."
Roger Waters, Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here
When I first came to California in 1989 I spent my first year with forms.
Okay. You have to start with the basics, right? Here it is,
2005. Let me get out my calculator. Hold on. Just a second.
Let me figure this out. Okay. Got it. That's 16 (SIXTEEN)
years. What have I done this year so far? Um, forms.
Into the future and beyond!
Thank goodness there has been a sixteen (or is it eighteen) state, three-year
task force established to address special education forms. That'll
resolve the issue. Only three more years to wait until I can start
providing services for students instead of filling out forms. Allright!
Of course, I'm retiring two years later. That means I will have spent
18 years filling out forms and two years serving students during my professional
career. Hey, two years is better than one, right?
Patting
Ourselves on Our Own Now Newly-Patted Backs..
What happened in past KOGs? For those of you who are new to the KOG,
we were applauded for our efforts. We were recognized on a state
level for what we did. A college in Missouri used our topics as part
of their curriculum. We might have added some fodder to the discussion
and debate regarding the [latest and greatest] new and improved definition(s)
of learning disabilities (for those of you who still believe in such things)
in the latest reauthorization of IDEA. We provided a topic for debate
in at least one high school class regarding the existence of school sports.
Where will we go from here? I don't know, but this is the
dawning of the rest of our lives.
You may want to know why the KOG Editor took a year or two off.
The KOG Editor was expecting the rest of the world to step up and continue
(or, uh, start) the revolution. Didn't happen. We're back to
forms. So the KOG Editor will keep trying....
Grand
Finale...
"Summer
has come and passed. Wake me up when September ends."
Green Day
Here is why you keep coming back to the KOG (and why it's important you
read every word)... this months's extra special features. Just like
your school psychologist, the KOG always goes above and beyond. Here
is what you will be talking about around the water cooler tomorrow (assuming
your underfunded California district is able to afford a water cooler,
of course)...
For your consideration: Time
to Drop Psychological Diagnosis in the Schools?
Next is a little resource I've occasionally passed out to students over
the past couple of years. I ask and challenge students to think about
what they do, just like I ask psychologists and all other humans, including
myself and presidents, to think about what we do. Scare
Tactic.
Letters
to the KOG Editor...
 Only
165 more days!
Dear KOG Editor,
"Where
have you been? We've missed you!"
Signed, "Ms. U."
Dear Ms. U.,
When
I haven't been filling out forms, I've been diligently serving students
to the best of my capabilities, under often highly adverse conditions."
Signed, KOG Editor
Dear KOG Editor,
"When
you write things like this, aren't you afraid you'll lose your job?"
Signed, "Rookie Psych"
Dear Rookie Psych.,
I'm
mostly worried that no one cares. But let there be no doubt about
it, school psychologists have every right to express their opinions, just
like every American citizen (look it up in the Code of Ethics if you don't
believe me)."
Signed, KOG Editor
Dear KOG Editor,
"Why
are you so angry?"
Signed, "Mental Health Therapist"
Dear MHT,
I'd
love to sit down and tell you, but I can't afford your hourly rate... and
then you'd just diagnose me with AD/HD and put me on some magical schedule
of medications and sign me up for a lifetime of therapy."
Signed, KOG Editor
Dear KOG Editor,
"What
could be more pathetic than a fifty year-old man idolizing my heroes, Billy
Joe and Green Day?"
Signed, "Your Daughter"
Dear Daughter,
A ffity-five
year-old man?
Signed, KOG Editor |
Dear
KOG Editor,
"What
happened to all the cool little gifs and animations you used to include
in the KOG?"
Signed, "N. Thusia Stick"
Dear N. Thusia Astick,
Forget
about the glitz. This is about content. This time we mean it.
Signed, KOG Editor
Dear KOG Editor,
"What's
up with all the quotes from musicians? Are you some kind of music
therapist or something?"
Signed, "Billy Joe"
Dear Mr. A.,
I just
happen to think the arts go hand-in-hand with science... as a professional
educator, I am from the school of arts and sciences. I guess I also
think humans can learn a lot from artists like you. Let me see...
if a high school kid is having some problems, do you you think s/he would
rather come speak with the shrink... or you? I have a feeling I know
the answer to that question. Could I get your autograph?"
Signed, KOG Editor
Dear KOG Editor,
"I
don't like your politics."
Signed, GWB
Dear GWB,
Hey,
what's fair is fair! I don't like your polittics either!
Signed, KOG Editor
Dear KOG Editor,
"My
district is insisting I become a BICM or else they'll fire me. What
should I do?"
Signed, A Veteran Cognitivist
Dear VC,
"That
sounds a lot like restriction of trade. You could make a million
out of this"
Signed, KOG Editor
Send letters to: shrink@igalaxy.net |
|
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September,
2005
