California-school mind control: grades for “Gratitude”
by Jon Rappoport
January 30, 2015
The Sacramento Bee has the story. 1/27/15, “Grit and gratitude join reading, writing and arithmetic on report cards,” by Loretta Kalb:
“Across the state, report cards are undergoing a sea change in how students are measured for academic performance. Where teachers once graded students [only] on traditional math or English skills, they now judge attributes such as grit, gratitude or being sensitive to others… Districts are changing their report cards to reflect the new Common Core State Standards…”
“…when it comes to attributes such as grit or being sensitive to others, they [teachers] give [third-grade] students one of four marks: A for almost always, O for often, S for sometimes and R for rarely.”
Report cards for young children. Grit, gratitude, and sensitivity to others. Welcome to the madhouse.
Where are the massive parent protests? Apparently, nowhere. So they’re brainwashed as well.
In case I need to point this out: a child of eight isn’t naturally gushing gratitude and sensitivity toward others. In schools, these are taught values, and they are now attached to report-card grades. The child is being conditioned to behave in prescribed ways, in order to earn a “gold star.”
It’s all synthetic, artificial. It’s operant conditioning. The baffled clueless child learns to take cues. He learns to speak certain “grateful sensitive” words. He becomes a waddling little duck who’s taught how to quack. They all quack in concert.
As far as the schools are concerned, the child mustn’t think of himself as independent. There are no positive grades for that. Early on, he’s led into the goo-pond with the other kids.
The parents, clueless as well, can make no distinction between what a child learns on his own and what he is taught and how he is taught (conditioned). If the child appears appropriately “grateful and sensitive,” then he actually is.
The mothers and fathers are in for quite a surprise, later on, when their kid rebels against all this mind-control and turns into a hostile force. Or knuckles under, and acts like a perfect android.
This method of programming comes from the school of psychological behaviorism. Its foundation is the idea that personality develops from conditioning—because there is nothing else.
“No one is home” until someone else teaches him “how to be.” And that’s life, that’s experience, that’s perception. Case closed.
This is all true for a computer or a car or a toaster, but it doesn’t happen to be true for a child.
Let’s stop calling them schools. Let’s call them conditioning centers.
“Yes, my little Jimmy is doing quite well at the conditioning center. He says ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ forty times a day. His sensitivity responses are in the ninetieth percentile, and his gratitude quotient is eighty, up from seventy-two a year ago. We’re thrilled. Last night, when we went for ice cream, he told us he appreciated our sensitivity to his preference for a cone over a dish…”
Flash forward a few years: “We don’t understand. Jimmy burned down the garage last night. When we asked him why, he stared at us in a challenging kind of way and said he was expressing his gratitude for fire. The psychiatrist told us over the phone that Jimmy has a dissociative disorder. He needs medication to calm him down. He has a chemical imbalance…”
Or how about this: “Last week in school our Bobby learned more about sexual parts of the body. He was also instructed about gender-reassignment surgery. He told us he was sensitive to people’s choices in life…”
Good for you, Bobby.
It’s wonderful. Who are these crazy terrorists who want to home-school their kids?
Jon Rappoport
The author of three explosive collections, THE MATRIX REVEALED, EXIT FROM THE MATRIX, and POWER OUTSIDE THE MATRIX, Jon was a candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29th District of California. He maintains a consulting practice for private clients, the purpose of which is the expansion of personal creative power. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years, writing articles on politics, medicine, and health for CBS Healthwatch, LA Weekly, Spin Magazine, Stern, and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe. Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics, health, logic, and creative power to audiences around the world. You can sign up for his free emails at NoMoreFakeNews.com or OutsideTheRealityMachine.
This is a bit of an exaggeration. Such modes of grade are based on Attitudes Towards Learning, or ATLs. The reason education started using those measurements was because it helped inform a conversation between a parent and a teacher. Rather than the teacher calling the child lazy, or the parent accusing the teacher of incompetence, a system of measurement allowed both to have a jumping off point in regards to why a student wasn’t performing up to standard.
The alternative system – having none – simply meant accusations flew in either direction. The overall result was that nobody focused on what the child was doing; they were too busy trying to assign blame to the other. A measurement of ATLs – including gratitude and politeness – helps move the conversation towards the child.
Interesting perspective. What you say makes sense.
MR.B,when you were flying air force drones and KILLING children by the thousands,in countries you never heard of,HOW did you feel about that???
I’ve never flown a drone, not even an RC one.
Also, I have no idea idea what you’re on about. Do you have anything constructive to offer?
Good Grief! Either you are a teacher or you went to a similar conditioning centers when you were young.
Post Scriptum to MrB.:
You say: “Rather than the teacher calling the child lazy, or the parent accusing the teacher of incompetence, a system of measurement allowed both to have a jumping off point in regards to why a student wasn’t performing up to standard.”
Only if you assume that the teacher rated him correctly. Maybe she hates your kid and rated him low… that exist you know. And who created this stupid system of measurement concerning gratitude and politeness? The Elites who want to dumbdown humanity?
Oh boy! It’s time for America to remove the fluoride in the water.
I love your last line! Classic. 🙂
If a teacher does hate your kid, wouldn’t you rather force them to justify a number, or a grade, rather than having them just say they aren’t putting in enough effort, or are lazy, or are undisciplined? And doesn’t such a system open the possibility for you to appeal to the admin or other teachers, who can then weigh in? And if you really think your teacher hates your kid, doesn’t this system make that more apparent much faster, and allow you to find a better school?
Attacking the man does not mean my argument is wrong.
@MrB
Sorry I got in this late…although better late than never.
Without prejudice B…Why do you not teach the Trivium system of critical thinking? It is still practiced within ivy league education.
Where you taught using the Trivium system of critical thinking?…and lastly why has a fully rounded Baccalaureate degree which included the seven liberal arts been abandoned for a watered down specialized technical certificate in a majority of public Universities?
I’ll be honest that I had to read up on that notion before offering a reply. The answer is that we use elements of the Trivium system of critical thinking, but don’t explicitly use the term any more. Surprisingly, Common Core, especially within English Language Arts, focuses very much on direct identification of textual evidence and penalizes information brought in from outside a given text. So if the question asks, “What does Tom Sawyer feel when…on page 94…” and you offer information on page 99, you lose points, since the focus on the question was on a specific segment and moment.
I can only speculate as to why the system has been mostly abandoned; economics no doubt plays a large role, since many within the United States wonder (rightly) what they can do for money with a philosophy, history, political science degree, etc. Americans want degrees that they believe can guarantee them a career and a solid salary, so anything that isn’t technical or professional is automatically looked down upon.
The other reason would involve the larger culture wars. Large segments of the U.S. do not want their beliefs under the scrutiny that Trivium would provide (on both the Left and Right, but most often amongst religious conservatives of various denominations). Since we remain a republic, their views are reflected in our policy and government.
This very article is symptomatic of those culture wars, with the writer attacking the idea of our state schools grading students on behavior other than academics.
No, it just means that it is so weak that it cannot stand on its own.
( I don’t actually see where you attacked a man)
Ad hominem attacks mean that you go after the person who said them (shooting the messenger) rather than the argument itself. If the argument is weak, demonstrate that. But the original post make remarks about me personally rather than my argument. That’s not a rebuttal.
Sorry, I will put the Sarc font on next time.
Mr. Rappoport, back in the dark ages, we got “citizenship” grades and awards on our report cards. How is this different?
That’s what has been bothering me for years…where is the damn outrage in this country!! Over ALL of this insanity! And this is THEIR KIDS that we’re talking about here.
I know a good chunk of the population has been intentionally dumbed down in this country, but with all of this communication technology, there HAS to be enough of us now to where we’re out in the streets protesting this garbage. I do my best to get people to wake up, but they seemed unfazed by EVERYTHING. Twerking? “Deflategate”? “Sure, ha ha, let’s talk about that!!”.
When will it finally boil-over and hit the fan?
“’Gratitude’ is a euphemism for resentment…The Japanese have five different ways to say ‘thank you’—and every one of them translates literally as resentment, in various degrees…Enlgish is capable of defining sentiments that the human nervous system is quite incapable of experiencing.”
– Heinlein
Further research shows ” … that does make a total of five common ways to say “thank you”:
“arigatou”, “otsukaresama”, “okagesama de”, “ooki ni”, and “gokurousama”. The English import “sankyuu” is relatively common as well.
I would say that “arigatou” is the only one that translates into a form of resentment. Most of the others highlight the effort of the recipient of the thanks. In Japanese culture, actions undertaken for another do imply a sense of obligation on the part of the recipient, which might in turn lead to resentment. However, “arigatou” is the only form of “thank you” that literally translates into a direct statement of resentment. Resentment is a somewhat subjective judgment, though, so I’ll leave it to you to decide the ultimate truth of Heinlein’s statement.”
I don’t want favours, I don’t want charity, goodwill or mercy, I want fairness and justice. They do not generate “Gratitude” but respect.
“Where are the massive parent protests?” Good question, and great article. We’re hoping to help unite more Americans against Common Core at http://www.americanactiongroup.com – The American Action Group Against Common Core @TAAGCommonCore also on FB.
“This is all true for a computer or a car or a TOASTER”.
“When we asked him why, he stared at us in a challenging kind of way and said he was expressing his gratitude for fire.”
LOL… Jon, you’re too much, you make me crack up every time.
YOU HAVE IT WRONG…AS,THE TERRORISTS WILL BE THE ONES TEACHING OUR CHILDREN…
Sandra, the terrorists are NOW teaching the children.
Perhaps the names and home addresses of the “teachers” should be put on a website so that when the little angels find out that they have been lied to, they will have the proper location to vent their rage.
The “schools” should also be called corporatists indoctrination centers.
I had to look up the word “grit” to determine what definition they could possibly be using. If they have redefined the meaning of that word, how do we know what other terms have hijacked by giving them new meanings?
Humans are the only Mammals that don’t use play to teach their young.
Humans use punishment to teach children…
“Let’s stop calling them schools. Let’s call them conditioning centers.”
also, i’ve heard the term “Concentration Campuses for Mind Desctruction” used.
HAHAHA,all the children are a brainwashed piece of crap,and the ones who aren’t..THEY left for a real job in INDIA,OH you did good,the whole country is in in failure and the CITIZENS are still kissing the butt of their SLAVE MASTERS……are you starting to get the picture?your in a country thats way to stupid to be saved…………WHEN they lowered the IQ standards in the 1960’s,a few who could see the future cryed WE’LL HAVE IDIOTS with PHD’s running the country,WELL IT HAS CAME TO PASS,get ready for WAR its on the door step……………….
WOF,WOF,WOF,whats that your saying mister president,Your going to sell america? For a box of milkbone Dog biskets ?OH,you already did,TO THE CHINESE and RUSSIANS,WOF,WOF,WOF,they offered you a truck load of biskets and the america people were to stupid to care,WOF,WOF,WOF,OH ,you sold their children too,AND everything they own,WOW,are you sure they won’t get mad and fight?wof,wof,wof,OH no mister president,you think their all cowards?and won’t fight,WOF,WOF,WOF your sure they are,well I guess when their slave masters come to take all their stuff we’ll see…………..
Don’t think for yourself, do as you are told. When they get to be adults 30 years from now they will be easily controlled as they walk to their mass graves that they dug themselves. They will say, “thank you,”
Liberals don’t know what “grit is.”
My son is 7 years old and goes to public school in CA. After butting heads with his teacher over the last 6 months it has become quite clear to me that “teachers” are nothing more than the person standing in front of the self checkout line at the market. The common core software does the teaching and testing, and the teacher passes the results along to the parents. Yes, my son goes to the institutional learning facility during the day but we “home school ” 3 hours a night….
Hi B.W.,
re: “The common core _software_ does the teaching and testing…”
7 years old,… that is second grade, correct?
“_software_”… is your child and all the other children in the class… during their 6-hours of class time… what percentage of that time is them on computers?
IMHO, two things (a) a 7 year old should not be on a computer (and instead should be developing their mental skills through cursive writing and printing, and, reading from paper-based books, etc). Plus, the Electromagnetic radiation — even on a _wired_ compuer — is most likely too much for a 7 year old (plus, i would think that, being on a computer at that age would ruin their eye sight), and (b) is the class room that your child sits in, full of computers… are the computers in the room “networked” using WiFi (wireless)? (http://www.stopthecrime.net/docs/Medical-Advisory-WiFi-and-Children-06%20%281%29.pdf)
(c) with all due respect, did you choose to “comply” with the “full vaccination schedule” “policy” for your child – as “manadated” by your school’s administrators as a so-called “requirement” for attendance?
(d) with all due respect, does your child eat the GMO-based, pesticide-laden school-provided “hot lunch” and, with it, drink the anti-biotic-laden, growth-hormone-laden milk (from the half pint carton (or is it provided in (BPA-based) plastic these days?)), and, does he drink the fluoridated water from the bubbler in the hallway when he gets out of gym class?
And one teacher’s “grit” might be another’s sass. This is truly pathetic! May I offer My thoughts on educating children?
Thoughts About Teaching Children
http://tapyoureit.boards.net/thread/8/thoughts-teaching-children
On Twitter @AmaterasuSolar
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Why bother teachers with grading grit? Here’s a report from the US Department of Education, “Promoting Grit, Tenacity, and Perseverance: Critical Factors for Success in the 21st Century.” And you wondered where they could possibly get information on 400 personal identifiers about our children through the data mining associated with Common Core! Don’t miss the cameras and sensors on page 44, exhibit 11.
http://pgbovine.net/OET-Draft-Grit-Report-2-17-13.pdf
Meanwhile, on the electronic ranch,… the Common Core “pre-K through workforce” data collection program or P-20 program.
Feds using Common Core to data mine students
Education? No, it’s about data-mining
‘Opt out’ movement surges in response to Common Core
http://www.wnd.com/2014/05/education-no-its-about-data-mining/
N.Y.’s Data Collection Program Tracks Students From Preschool to Career
Program will allow state and federal agencies to access student records
http://www.infowars.com/new-yorks-data-collection-program-tracks-students-from-preschool-to-career/
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“Now the final building block has been introduced – Common Core. Unlike previous standards, teachers cannot ignore Common Core. They must comply because their evaluations are being tied directly to their students’ performance on the Common Core tests. If they weren’t teaching to the test before, they are now, Iserbyt said.
“The Soviet and Chinese systems use the same model, Iserbyt said. The vast majority of children get ‘trained’ for specific “outcomes” while traditional education is reserved for the top 10 percent of elite students. The global drive toward school-to-work, outcome-based training comes packaged with the full backing of the United Nations Educational and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and tax-exempt foundations funded by the Carnegie, Gates and Rockefeller families.
[…]
“This is a huge performance-based system, a global system. They have to have the data if they want the planned economy.”
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Oh yeah, and about the “grit” program…
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“But testing a student’s grasp of reading, writing and arithmetic is only part of the plan that the education bureaucracy has for your child.
“Attitudes and values
“Testing for ‘attitudes and values’ is something many parents are not even aware is going on in their schools.
“How does the state ‘assess’ a student’s honesty or integrity?
“Common Core provides the answer with its ‘Grit’ program.
“Citing ‘changing workforce needs,’ a U.S. Department of Education draft document from February 2013 titled ‘Promoting Grit, Tenacity, and Perseverance: Critical Factors for Success in the 21st Century’ calls for public schools to cultivate ‘non-cognitive factors’ in students, including ‘attributes, dispositions, social skills, attitudes” that are “independent of intellectual ability.’
“The ‘Grit’ perspective was included in the Common Core standards in 2013 and represents a ‘shift in educational priorities to promote not only content knowledge but also grit, tenacity and perseverance,’ according to the DOE document.
“‘This brief explores the possibility that grit, tenacity, and perseverance can be malleable and teachable,”\’ the summary of the document concludes.
“‘What they are doing is building a total psychological profile,’ Hoge said. Any ‘weaknesses’ in a child’s attitudes or values could then be targeted for ‘remediation.'”
after 5 delphied attempts at school board meetings to focus on the wifi health threat, one student school board rep. backed my facts on the operational hazards of wifi. Because this student sat beside them and added her own research, study and personal views, the school board spent 4500.00 on a thermal radiation count to conclude “the students are not being cooked”. I pulled my son out of there. What the study did prove on paper — everyone has a cell phone on in the school — and the signals, distractions, and advertisments (not to mention facebook ads on the walls to drink milk) push children to an unquestionable destiny to sign up and in and forget the individual thought of self identity.
It’s been a year and a half and my 13 year old is still breaking out of the common core damage done. We hold strong gaurd from pandoras box and I believe there is something else to do. Garden, Auto mechanics, chickens, sailboat repair,food prep, house chores, math, pencil and paper too draw. The rest is in him and I know he’ll come out of it.
“the school board spent 4500.00 on a thermal radiation count to conclude “the students are not being cooked”.
Incredible!
“I pulled my son out of there.”
Bravo!
Where are the parent protests? That is what I have been asking for 10 years. In fact, where have you all been. 10 years ago I authored the Wikipedia article on Character Education. It has stood with no content changes all of this time. It destroys the concept that character education programs in public schools are effective – no less that there is any evidence that they are needed in the first place.