Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for November 3, 2005 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH...ILLINOIS

Two drug related stories in the news today...

First of all, voters in Denver voted to legalize possession of small amounts of marijuana...up to one ounce. Unfortunately, for the Denverites trying to live up to the song, officials have already said that state drug guidelines will prevail.

From the Associated Press...

Denver voters OK marijuana measure

DENVER (AP) -- Residents of the Mile High City have voted to legalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana for adults. Authorities, though, said state possession laws will be applied instead.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting early Wednesday, 54 percent, or 56,001 voters, cast ballots for the ordinance, while 46 percent, or 48,632 voters, voted against it.

Under the measure, residents over 21 years old could possess up to an ounce of marijuana.

"We educated voters about the facts that marijuana is less harmful to the user and society than alcohol," said Mason Tvert, campaign organizer for SAFER, or Safer Alternatives For Enjoyable Recreation. "To prohibit adults from making the rational, safer choice to use marijuana is bad public policy."

Bruce Mirken of the Washington-based Marijuana Policy Project said he hoped the approval will launch a national trend toward legalizing a drug whose enforcement he said causes more problems than it cures.

Seattle, Oakland, California, and a few college towns already have laws making possession the lowest law enforcement priority.

The Denver proposal seemed to draw at least as much attention for supporters' campaign tactics as it did for the question of legalizing the drug.

Tvert argued that legalizing marijuana would reduce consumption of alcohol, which he said leads to higher rates of car accidents, domestic and street violence and crime.

The group criticized Mayor John Hickenlooper for opposing the proposal, noting his ownership of a popular brewpub. It also said recent violent crimes -- including the shootings of four people last weekend -- as a reason to legalize marijuana to steer people away from alcohol use.

Those tactics angered local officials and some voters. Opponents also said it made no sense to prevent prosecution by Denver authorities while marijuana charges are most often filed under state and federal law.

The measure would not affect the medical marijuana law voters approved in 2000. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that medical marijuana laws in Colorado and nine other states would not protect licensed users from federal prosecution.

Also Tuesday, voters in the ski resort town of Telluride rejected a proposal to make possession of an ounce or less of marijuana by people 18 or older the town's lowest law enforcement priority. The measure was rejected on a vote of 308-332.

The other story is right here in the great State of Illinois!

From the Southern Illinoisan...

Survey: New teachers feel prepared

BY KURT ERICKSON
LEE SPRINGFIELD BUREAU

SPRINGFIELD - Most new teachers in Illinois feel prepared for their jobs and plan to dedicate their careers to education, a new survey says.

Nearly 99 percent of new teachers reported satisfaction with their career choices, and nearly 92 percent were happy with the quality of their colleges' education programs, the survey noted.

The survey is the result of a joint project conducted by the state's 12 public universities. Details about how graduates at each institution felt about their first year in the classroom will be released during a press conference in Springfield today.

The aim of the project was to gauge how well the universities prepared teachers for their jobs. It comes at a time when school officials and teachers' unions are monitoring a trend showing many new teachers leaving the profession after five years.

"I was pleased by the survey results, as they affirmed that, overall, the public universities are doing a commendable job of preparing teachers for our Illinois schools," said Christine Sorensen, dean of Northern Illinois University's College of Education, who serves as the chair of the Illinois Association of Deans of Public Colleges of Education.

The survey found that more than 95 percent of new teachers plan to stay in education. While most were upbeat about their preparedness for the job, there were some low-scoring areas.

For example, new teachers said they felt under-prepared to deal with children who were learning English. They also cited some challenges in working with school administrators.

In another area, nearly 20 percent of the teachers reported they don't have "most or complete knowledge of" state technology standards. Only 55 percent of new teachers reported applying technology standards in their classrooms.

In a prepared statement, Charles Rohn, dean of Eastern Illinois University's College of Education and Professional Studies, said the survey results give universities valuable data to fine-tune their teaching programs.

"Each institution is already very involved with trying to ensure that our preparation programs are as strong as they can be, and this will provide us with an additional tool to work toward that goal," Rohn said.

Copies of the report are available online at www.iadpce.org.

Uh...Ron? How was that last story "drug related"?

Ninety-nine percent of new teachers are happy with their career choice!!! Ninety-five percent plan on staying in education!!!

You don't have to be a rocket scientist or Sherlock Holmes to deduce that these folks are on something that you and I can't buy over the counter!

Wouldn't want to be around them when the euphoria wears off...