Monday Matters: Monday 10

http://www.suntimes.com/news/cepeda/8922887-452/public-schools-are-failing-the-most-gifted-students.html
Columnist: Esther Cepeda

-Public schools are not able to provide gifted students with the challenges they need to learn and be interested in learning
-Because students are not challenged enough and factors such as inadequate teacher preparation and professional development, little public accountability and inconsistent access to services as well as budget constraints leads gifted students to being bored in class leading to not being able to recieve average grades and being held back
-The South Loop Elementary School had to get rid of the gifted program because there was over crowding un the school
-Illinois is a state that doesn't reconizge gifted children. There are no guidelines for identifying gifted students, and teachers are not required to have any training on how to instruct gifted students too, and many schools don't let gifted students have programs that are adjusted for them like enrolling in higher classes that are appropriate for them.

Monday Matters: Monday 9

According to many columnists, the government is not sufficent. In an article by William J. Bennett, the governmental debate is beneficial but it is only going to get worse. However, without it, we wouldn't be be talking about how to manage ballooning entitlements for long term periods. We wouldn't know the state of our excess federal deficit, and we wouldn't recognize the need for fiscal restraint and responsibility of our financial problems. Colomnist Paul Sracic also believes that the government is not doing a sufficent job and his article in response to 'Occupy Wall Street' is "that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power", and President Obama, U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, and Majority Leader Harry Reid waste too much time trying to reach a consensus, however, they should spend more time they need to realize that they cannot always reach a consensus. Donna Brazile's article on protecting Dorothy Cooper's right to vote also conceres with this idea. Ms. Cooper was very upset because she couldnt vote because she didnt have a photo ID. This new law of having a photo ID to vote affects minorities, young voters, poor voters, and disabled voters, and often elderly. Hilary Rosen believes that nothing will be accomplished at the Las Vegas debate because it will revolve around the same matters. In an article by Nicholas Merrill, he talks about the rights of free speech being bound by gag orders. Several articles speak about current events and equally show that the government is not sufficent in their own ways.