Best Of The Best

That's My Boy

2008-06-04T03:13:00.000-07:00

Class of 2008 grad list: Adult Learning Center

Jonathon Alvarez

Elizabeth Arteaga

Anthony Ayala

Marcos Ayala

Richard Ayala

Amanda Rodriguez-Bains

Jessica Baltazar

Jose Barboza

Twyla Bazaldua

Adolfo Benavides

Carlos Bernal

Dominique Burks

Gloria Campos

Jose Carrion

Cynthia Castillo

Cristal Cibrian

Rebecca Coronel

Andrew Delossantos

Elijio De Los Santos

Matthew De Los Santos

Christopher Duque

Nicole Edgar

Rene Escobar

Ryan Esquivel

Jennifer Flores

Joshua Freeman

Mario Fuentes

Belynda Garcia

Maggie Garcia

Daniel Garza

Margaret Garza

Juan Gonzalez

Robert Gonzalez

Rocky Gonzalez

Timothy Gonzalez

Ricardo Guajardo

Bonnie Guzman

Veronica Guzman

Anton Haley

Way To Go My Main Man
We Are Very Proud Of You Scotty

Magan Harrison

Heriberto Hernandez

Nancy Hernandez

Pete Higgins

Jon Hoover

Ameer Husain

Lauren Jaworski

Nicholas Johnson

Scott Johnson

Boyd Kibbey

David Knutson

Nikole Lazo

Krystal Leyva

Criselda Longoria

Eric Luna

Albert Marchan

Guadalupe Martinez

Melodie Martinez

Tony Medellin

Christy Mestas

Cary Meyer

Melissa Montgomery

Aaron Morin

Matthew Mundahl

John Munguia

David Neal

Joshua Olivares

Sonora Perez

Donna Phillips

Ashley Puente

Yvette Ramos

Hector Rangel

Jeffrey Dean Register

Delilah Robledo

Francisco Robledo

Vidal Ruiz

Donald Sigler

Ryan Simms

Jeremy Smith

Monica Soliz

Colton Taylor

Anthony Thorpe

Maxine Thorpe

Johnny Torres

Randy Torres

Sarah Valentine

Jose Vera

Ray Vidrio

Javier Ybarra

Does your child say he or she hates school?

2008-03-01T01:03:00.000-08:00

Ten Signs that You Need to Find a
Different Kind of Education for Your Child

by Jerry Mintz

Many parents do not realize that the education world has changed drastically since they were in school. Back in those days, schools were smaller, class sizes were smaller, dropout rates were lower, violence in school was almost unheard of, teachers were not terrified of showing affection to the children, or of teaching and discussing moral values. Even through rose-colored glasses, we know that school back then was no picnic, was far from perfect, but at least the teachers and usually the principal knew every student by name at a minimum, something which is not necessarily true today.

Because our public school system has now considerably deteriorated, many parents, teachers, and individuals have taken it upon themselves to create public and private alternatives to that traditional system which is definitely failing. It is important for parents to know that they now have choices, alternatives to the neighborhood school. How do you know that it is time to look for another educational approach for your child? Here are some of the signs:

1. Does your child say he or she hates school?
If so, something is probably wrong with the school because children are natural learners. When they're young you can hardly stop them from learning. If your children say they hate school, listen to them.

2. Does your child find it difficult to look an adult in the eye, or to interact with children younger or older than they are?
If so, your child may have become "socialized" to that very narrow group which many children ordinarily interact with in most schools, and may be losing the ability to communicate with a broader group of children and adults.

3. Does your child seem fixated on designer labels and trendy clothes for school?
This is a symptom of the shallowness of the traditional schools' approach, causing children to rely on external means of comparison and acceptance, rather than deeper values.

4. Does your child come from school tired and cranky?
This is a sure sign that their educational experiences are not energizing but are actually debilitating.

5. Do your children come home complaining about conflicts that they've had in school and unfair situations that they have been exposed to?
This is a sign that your school does not have a proper process for conflict resolution and communication.

6. Has your child lost interest in creative expression through art, music, and dance?
These things are generally not encouraged in the traditional system today and are not highly valued. They're considered secondary to the "academic" areas. In some cases, courses are not even offered in these areas any more. This tends to extinguish these natural talents and abilities in children.

7. Has your child stopped reading for fun, or reading or writing for pleasure? Are your children doing just the minimum for homework and going off for some escapist activity?
This is a sign that these spontaneous activities are not being valued in their school and another sign that they are losing their creativity.

8. Does your child procrastinate until the last minute to do homework?
This is a sign that the homework is not very interesting to, is not really meeting his or her needs, and is tending to extinguish their natural curiosity.

9. Does your child come home talking about anything exciting that happened in school that day?
If not, maybe nothing exciting is happening for your child in school. Would you want to keep working if your job was like that?

10. Did the school nurse of guidance counselor suggest that your child has some strange three lettered disease, like ADD, and that they should now be given Ritalin or some other drug?
I suggest that it is more probable that the school has the disease, EDD--Educational Deficit Disorder, and time to get your child out of that situation!

If your child has exhibited several of these characteristics, it is time for you to start looking for an alternative. In most parts of this country today, there are many options to choose from. For example, 30 states have now enacted legislation which allows groups of parents and teachers to create charter schools, schools which are not stuck with having to fulfill the myriad of state regulations but can create their own individualized approach. Four years ago there were only five of these charter schools in the country. By the end of this year there will be more than 1000 of them! Also, there are 4500 magnet schools throughout the country, public schools which specialize in a an area of expertise, and draw students from a wider area.

In most communities there are many private alternatives quietly offering a different educational approach. For example, there are over 4500 Montessori schools based on the experiential approach designed by Dr. Maria Montessori, and hundreds of Waldorf schools which put equal emphasis on traditional academics areas and the arts. There are hundreds of independent alternative schools, many emphasizing participant control with parents and students taking responsibility for their own educations.

Many public school systems have a variety of alternative programs within their systems. These are divided into two general approaches: 1. Public Choice; those programs which are open to any student in the community. Sometimes they are called Schools Within Schools. 2. Public At-Risk; those programs for children who have had a variety of problems coping with school. These programs run the spectrum from helpful to dumping ground. Examine them closely before making a decision to enroll.

Parents of over a million children in this country have checked off "none of the above" and decided to teach their children at home. It is now legal in every state and does not require teacher certification. Homeschooling has taken a variety of approaches. Some try to create "school at home" with a fairly standard curriculum, the main difference being that they can teach it one-to-one with their children. Some families have signed up with a curriculum which has been designed by an umbrella school. This school will help the parents with the curriculum and in some cases, grade homework, providing a basic curriculum for the parents to follow and helping with any report forms that are necessary. A third approach is one which is called "unschooling." In this case the parent bases their educational approach on the interest of the child and builds on that rather than a pre-set curriculum. It could be said that in some of these cases they design their curriculum "retroactively," keeping records of the activities throughout the year and at the of the process dividing the experiences into the appropriate subject area.

Overall, since most states require some form of testing of homeschoolers, it has been shown that remarkably, as a group, they average in the 85th percentile compared to the 50th percentile of the average public school student. There are now so many homeschoolers around the country that virtually all homeschoolers are part of some kind of homeschool group. Some of these groups have coalesced into homeschool resource centers and some of them will operate as often as four or five days a week. Generally, colleges have discovered that homeschoolers make such good students that they welcome homeschooling students to apply to their schools.

As more and more parents become aware of these choices and as they make these choices, we hope that the system will evolve into one which meets the needs of an increasing number of students. Meanwhile, don't wait for that system to change. Take responsibility for your child's education. Find out what your choices are and choose what is best for your child.

None of these signs by themselves should be taken as a reason to panic. But if you have noticed several of them, you should certainly explore educational alternatives.

My Dad was the Best of the Best. He got to read this letter 7 yrs ago. We read it at the funeral.

2006-10-22T04:13:00.000-07:00

Thank you because you took the time

A letter for dad (merry Christmas)

Merry Christmas Dad, from me Scott (your eldest). I am writing this letter to you just to tell you Merry Christmas. This letter is my gift to you. Well now that I am creating it (your gift). I hope this letter turns out to be rewarding for you. The things I am going to talk about are already ours and have belonged to us since we created them together. I am going to make it official and hopefully a piece of work anybody can enjoy reading. I love you dad you are my hero. I will start by letting you knew that when you would call me and tell me this is old Santa Clause, I knew who I was talking to. Of course, I knew it was Santa. I truly believed it was Santa calling me to see if I have been naughty or nice and what I wanted for Christmas. That was serious moment when Santa called. It was a magical experience. Christmas time was always magical and although my friends said there was no Santa Clause, I was confident with the spirit that burned inside me. A truly

Real sense and feeling that I did not want to give up. The spirit of Santa Clause still appears every Christmas Eve. Santa Clause is real because he has evolved into a spirit those other believers and we, as parents will not let die. Thank you Dad for those wonderful Christmas times.

One Christmas I got a baseball glove and softball that was hard. The glove was a regent brand and it felt awkward on my left hand. You said that if I threw with my right hand then I should wear the glove on my left hand . I went with what you said but could not conceive how it would work on my left hand. Because you took the time to work with me in the back yard and play catch with me I became a good baseball player. Using my left hand turned out to start feeling good after we played catch almost everyday. I grew to be good at sports and sports have rewarded me tremendously. Thank you dad. I think I got a football that Christmas also.

These after school hotbox games, high pop flies, line drives and ground balls made me improve everyday, at the same time developing my identity. After I became too dangerous of a hitter to pitch to in the backyard, we would go to the backstops at Park- dale. You would pitch to me and usually a couple of my friends who noticed us having fun. Every one of my friends loves you and probably wished their father had been more like you. When you were not home, I was always counting down until the time you told me you would be home. You never failed to keep your word. I knew I could always count you in. the two times I remember being separated from you that were unbearable, were when you went to Philadelphia and when you had to stay during hurricane Allen. You made us (Mom, Dean and me) your life. Thank you for being so dedicated.

In my eyes, as I grew up I believed you were perfect, you could not and did not do wrong in my eyes. Now that I am an adult, I realize being perfect is unattainable but you are the greatest man I know. You being my father has made my life great. You set good examples and instilled values that allow me to rise above the unenlightened.

I want you to listen to the song by Randy Travis "He Walked on Water" because that is how I saw (see) you. Zac feels the same way about you also. Zac believes you walk on water.

Tributes to our Patriarch

We miss you so much paw paw!

you were the best!
By LeeAnn Haley. Posted on Oct 16, 2006

Ben Haley was one of the most decent person I have ever met. He loved his family very much. His Grandchildren and Grandchildren were his life. He will be missed by all.
By Cynthia Chodosh. Posted on Oct 16, 2006

So sorry for your loss. Love,Ronda Haley & Kristian Johnson
By Ronda Haley. Posted on Oct 16, 2006

Dad - you did your job well. You raised us, educated us, loved us as children and brought us up into adulthood to know what is important in life; that is being involved with your family and working hard to support them. We all miss you indefinately and continuously. The other day we were talking about you and the computer just went off - and you said you didn’t know how to turn one on and off. :) I know your spirit remains through each one of us and you will never be forgotten. Also, yesterday on the way to the cemetary did you hear that sound Choom --gulp, gulp ..... that was all of the cars we were passing up all of the cars. Don’t you know that was all of the cars being sucked down our exhaust pipe. :) LUV U

P.S. The military salute was great and the flag is moms consolation. Don’t worry about us - we will live in your shoes everyday.
By Dean Haley. Posted on Oct 14, 2006

Ben Haley was a great person. He was a kind and caring. He was sincere, compassionate and fair. He had a great wit and yet a real common sense kind of guy. He loved his family dearly and with out a doubt will be greatly missed by all who new him.
By Talbot Beall. Posted on Oct 14, 2006

I am Bennie's older brother, and bennie was only 8 years old when I went in the Army in 1945 and I never really went back home. Bennie was always a kind boy and seemed to be liked by his class mates and his favorite teacher Mrs. Shaw. We will miss him greatly and I wish I could be at the funeral.
By Charles Haley Jr.. Posted on Oct 12, 2006

Bennie Spencer Haley Best of the Best Dad, Grandpa, Husband, Human Being. That's My Dad!

2006-10-12T18:51:00.000-07:00

Bennie "Ben" Spencer Haley
		On Sunday, October 8, 2006, Bennie Spencer Haley, 69, in spirit ascended to Heaven. Ben enlisted in the U.S. Navy the day after his 17th birthday. He served on the USS Shangri-La, USS Midway and USS Saratoga. After serving 12 years through three different wars, he received his honorable discharge. He was recognized for serving his country with honor and devotion and answered the call through successful performance. Ben retired in 1998 as Director of Utilities at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. He received several commendations and awards during the 42 years of federal service and provided an excellent example to those with whom he worked. He is preceded in death by his parents, Charles Osa and Edna Spencer Haley of Choctaw, Oklahoma, four brothers, Tommy, Dennis, Mitchell and Jerry N. Haley and one sister Ottoma Haley Boevers. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Margaret Riffe Haley; sons, Anton Scott Haley (LeeAnn) and Gordon Dean Haley; two brothers, Charles (Doris) Haley, Chauncey (Lynn) Haley of Choctaw, Oklahoma; four grandchildren: Andrea Nicole, Anton Scott II, Brendan Andrew, Nathaniel Zacchaeus Haley and great grandchildren, Stephanie, Adam and Abel, many nieces and nephews and a host of friends. Without a doubt, Ben Haley was most proud of his family and always put his family first. His love, unconditional, this kind of love that instilled confidence as a mainstay, a security blanket, and provider of family unity. He believed in his family. Simply put - you are the best Ben. Thank you, Grandpa. Visitation will be from 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Thursday, October 12, 2006 and a funeral service at 3:30 p.m. Friday, October 13, 2006 at Maxwell P. Dunne Funeral Home. Interment to follow at Seaside Memorial Park. Pallbearers are: Lee "Buddy" Montgomery, Jr., Steven Montgomery, Donald Hahn, Anton Scott Haley, II, Dwayne Hahn, Bobby Jack Saunders, John Eric Saunders, Jarrett Ursprung, and Jerry Haley. Maxwell P. Dunne Funeral Home 1222 Morgan & 10th 884-2411