The Pierces’ new favorite website.

A few people have asked Robert how he feels about whether the Dixie School District Board should change the district name.  Here’s his best shot at an answer.

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I do not find the name “Dixie” objectionable in any way. Indeed, the word means very little to me. That said, if evidence were presented that the name was given to the district for offensive reasons, or the word Dixie was offensive at the time of naming or has an offensive meaning at this time, then, of course I would be in favor of changing the name.

If the school board drops the name Dixie, it should do so based on evidence presented by those who desire change. This might include evidence of historical events, literature or news reviews, linguistic review, or simply a poll as to the meaning of the word “Dixie” as given by speakers of the English language.

Changing the name of a long-time public institution is dangerous business. It should not be done without good reason. Certainly, the decision must not be made out of a desire to gain political notoriety or advantage, or in order to ameliorate a sense of powerlessness. Nor should the decision be made out of notions of social tribe or out of friendship. The decision should not be born out of fuzzy historical beliefs, disinformation, hysteria, or Internet chatter. The decision should not be made out of fatigue or for no other reason than “why not?”

Community discussion does not replace the need for evidence.  Developing and presenting the evidence needed to justify change requires work. I could be missing something, but I am not seeing anyone doing that work. Alas, it is much easier to talk than to work.

Rather than requiring evidence to decide the matter, the school board may make its decision by attempting to mirror the overall public opinion of residents in the district. But it does so at its peril.

The better course is to make a decision based on evidence and logic. Any decision by the board ought to be guided by these two principles, and any decision should be accompanied by written reasoning. The reputation of the board will not survive a decision made in any other way.

Robert Pierce

Glorious walk to school this morning.

Good stuff at Aeon.

1. Aptitude Tests and Measure of Human Potential.

“Whatever their stated purpose, what these tests attempt to do is create a working index of who is worthy: for academic advancement, for career success, for opportunities of every kind. They are all about making the broad, ragged cut, bestowing opportunity on some while filtering out others – an enterprise that has historically teemed with racial and social discrimination. Those of us who grew up immersed in the aptitude-testing hierarchy can testify not just to the lopsided rewards that accrue to those who test well, but to the way that our test-centric culture shapes, and often constricts, our sense of what defines human value.”

. . .

“Aptitude testing’s eugenic roots aside, Wai points out that there are progressive arguments in its favour – chief among them that the tests identify talented people who might not be recognised any other way. In a recent policy paper, he advocated for the use of spatial-abilities testing in school admissions, since the results are relatively untethered to socioeconomic status. ‘If we were able to do that,’ he says, ‘we’d pick up a lot of students from disadvantaged and poor backgrounds.’

The argument that aptitude tests transcend human bias has also lent moral weight to those who use them to screen job candidates. The big kahuna is the Wonderlic test, a 50-question gauge of cognitive skill developed in the 1930s. Most famous as the test administered to all National Football League draftees (the quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick aced it; Terry Bradshaw tanked), the Wonderlic is now a required part of the interview process at dozens of companies. While reports vary as to how much test results affect hiring decisions, it’s clear that many employers depend on the test to quickly sort the intellectual wheat from the chaff. ‘Almost immediately after we started using Wonderlic,’ reports Cindi Gilmore, a company president in Dallas, in her online testimonial, ‘we noticed the calibre of people increased.’”

2.  The Marvel of the Human Dad

Fathers are so critical to the survival of our children and our species that evolution has not left their suitability for the role to chance. Like mothers, fathers have been shaped by evolution to be biologically, psychologically and behaviourally primed to parent. We can no longer say that mothering is instinctive yet fathering is learned.

The hormonal and brain changes seen in new mothers are mirrored in fathers. Irreversible reductions in testosterone and changes in oxytocin levels prepare a man to be a sensitive and responsive father, attuned to his child’s needs and primed to bond – and critically, less motivated by the search for a new mate. As a man’s testosterone drops, the reward of chemical dopamine increases; this means that he receives the most wonderful neurochemical reward of all whenever he interacts with his child. His brain structure alters in those regions critical to parenting. Within the ancient, limbic core of the brain, regions linked to affection, nurturing and threat-detection see increases in grey and white matter. Likewise enhanced by connectivity and the sheer number of neurons are the higher cognitive zones of the neocortex that promote empathy, problem solving and planning.

It’s the final day of the Winter break and tensions are getting high at 15 Surrey.

Today Rory proposed that he make a rubber band gun with daddy.  “Woo Hoo,” thought Robert. Eureka!  father son project!  Some scrap wood, white glue and a clothes-pin!  He can do that!  Awesome.

Then Rory showed daddy what he wants . . .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq_EEQfUJWk

Let’s just say that ours is looking a little different.  But, Rory is outside!  Working! Alone!

It’s hot off the presses!

Once again our friends at The Jelly Donut in the Northgate Shopping Center have found time to put together a wall calendar that we can all be proud of!  It’s a holiday tradition that makes Robert ecstatic to be here in Marin.  Living here just makes life worth living! Especially in June!

The Pierce family is close to exhausting the list of all possible sports experiences.  It’s children have surveyed almost everything.  Gymnastics, basketball, rock climbing, skiing, swimming, soccer, baseball, surfing, the club sport triad of golf, tennis and yacht racing, and, recently, they’ve begun to explore the realm of combat sports . . .

The remainder of the list is getting short.

Only ones left are jousting and that Mayan ball-and-ring game. I’m sure some enterprising person in Marin is finding a way to charge $375 per child per month for that one.

Next, the big garage sale . . .

(Note, though, Rory scored two hits in that video.  First bout! And he does not even have his precious little high-waisted fencing culottes yet!)

It’s looking like Christmas over on Surrey Lane!