The story of Rick and Dick Hoyt - Team Hoyt

The Early Years
Rick was born in 1962 to Dick and Judy Hoyt. As a result of oxygen deprivation to Rick's brain at the time of his birth, Rick was diagnosed as a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. Dick and Judy were advised to institutionalize Rick because there was no chance of him recovering, and little hope for Rick to live a "normal" life. This was just the beginning of Dick and Judy's quest for Rick's inclusion in community, sports, education and one day, the workplace.

Dick and Judy soon realized that though Rick couldn't walk or speak; he was quite astute and his eyes would follow them around the room. They fought to integrate Rick into the public school system, pushing administrators to see beyond Rick's physical limitations. Dick and Judy would take Rick sledding and swimming, and even taught him the alphabet and basic words, like any other child. After providing concrete evidence of Rick's intellect and ability to learn like everyone else, Dick and Judy needed to find a way to help Rick communicate for himself. More...

With $5,000 in 1972 and a skilled group of engineers at Tufts University, an interactive computer was built for Rick. This computer consisted of a cursor being used to highlight every letter of the alphabet. Once the letter Rick wanted was highlighted, he was able to select it by just a simple tap with his head against a head piece attached to his wheelchair. When the computer was originally first brought home, Rick surprised everyone with his first words. Instead of saying, "Hi, Mom," or "Hi, Dad," Rick's first "spoken" words were: "Go, Bruins!" The Boston Bruins were in the Stanley Cup finals that season. It was clear from that moment on, that Rick loved sports and followed the game just like anyone else.

In 1975, at the age of 13, Rick was finally admitted into public school. After high school, Rick attended Boston University, and he graduated with a degree in Special Education in 1993. Dick retired in 1995 as a Lt. Colonel from the Air National Guard, after serving his country for 37 years.

The Beginning of Team Hoyt
In the spring of 1977, Rick told his father that he wanted to participate in a 5-mile benefit run for a Lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident. Far from being a long-distance runner, Dick agreed to push Rick in his wheelchair and they finished all 5 miles, coming in next to last. That night, Rick told his father, "Dad, when I'm running, it feels like I'm not handicapped."

This realization was just the beginning of what would become over 1,000 races completed, including marathons, duathlons and triathlons (6 of them being Ironman competitions). Also adding to their list of achievements, Dick and Rick biked and ran across the U.S. in 1992, completing a full 3,735 miles in 45 days.

learn more about this inspirational father and son: Team Hoyt

CAIR CONFRONTS ALLEN WEST ~ COL WEST WINS HANDS DOWN!

ALLEN WEST

FOR PRESIDENT 

2012

PLEASE GO TO HIS FACEBOOK PAGE AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THIS AMAZING PATRIOT!

  



THIS WILL BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE~

5TH GRADE KIDS GET PRO UNION HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT IN PENNSYLVANIA

  

5th Grade Kids Get Pro Union Homework Assignment

PHILADELPHIA - Students at a Philadelphia-area elementary school get a homework assignment about how much their teachers are underpaid, to the chagrin of school officials.

The Pennsbury school district in Bucks County has been in the middle of a bitter contract battle with teachers since June 2010.

And the presence of a pro-union assignment handed out to the fifth graders isn't going over well.

Recently, fifth graders at the Penn Valley Elementary School received a whole-story comprehension exercise.
The reading exercise tells the story of a fictional eight-grade student in Michigan who is "upset over the way our teachers are being treated."

"We don't pay teachers enough for the very important job they are doing... Do school boards across the U.S. honestly believe they will be able to lure one million of the best minds if they are offering meager salaries that are in decline?" says the reading assignment.

"What is the solution? It's simple: raise the salaries of teachers," the fictional student says.

One of the questions for the assignment asks students to identify the initials for the National Education Association, the teachers' union.

Other questions in the exercise included "teachers should be treated like professionals" and "low salary for educators is a problem."

Pennsbury school board members said the assignemnt was handed out to two fifth grade classes at the Penn Valley Elementary school in Levittown.

In the assignment, the student says teachers make $29,000 a year. The average teacher in Pennsbury makes $83,000.

In just the past few weeks, the teachers union has been ramping up with a new "Let's Talk" campaign to get negotiators back to the table.

The school board says the teachers simply don't get the economic realities of these tough times.

The union contract expired in June 2010, and both sides have created extensive Web sites to get their messaging out.

In a statement, the school district says, while teachers are given latitude, to add things to the curriculum, "they are expected to use good professional judgment when selecting those materials. The administration is investigating the situation and will arrive at a determination and take appropriate action, as warranted."

It is important to point on the assignment came from an official education company, as part of teacher-created materials published in Time for Kids magazine about five years ago.


Source: MyFoxPhilly

By the way, check out how this school is rated, I'll give you a hint, it's not at the top:
Great School Ratings

Please contact the School board President as well as the principal of the school to voice your anger over this propaganda being forced as homework on our children.  

Any teacher pushing this garbage needs to be fired.

PENN VALLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL    

Principal: Elaine Novet   

(215) 949-6800

 Ann Langry
Communications Office
215-428-4178

PENNSBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

Gene Dolnick, President 

Pennsbury School District
134 Yardley Avenue, PO Box 338
Fallsington, Pennsylvania 19058
Telephone: 215-428-4100
 gdolnick@pennsbury.k12.pa.us

What are teacher's salaries in Pennsylvania?