Perhaps twice --Item One -- Yesterday, one of my students asked me if it was true that a 13-year-old could get a debit card. I'd never really thought about it but my first inclination was that it would be similar to a credit card, meaning a minimum age of 18. So the kid then produces his own debit card (with his name).
Item Two -- (Admittedly, the biggie) Some of you may be aware of the new Common Core curriculum that's being introduced into schools nation-wide. It presents a major change in how subjects will be taught and how students will be tested.
I'll avoid any further comment to get to the crux of the matter. I was asked to review some material and came across a worksheet from ReadWorks.org on magnetism. It is written for 3rd-4th grade students and includes this astonishing paragraph:
Some objects are natural magnets. The planet Earth is a gigantic magnet. So are all of the planets in our solar system, as well as their moons and the sun. Because of their magnetism, the planets rotate around the sun (the strongest magnet). The moons (the weakest magnets) orbit around the planets. Certain rocks and minerals are natural magnets, too.So it would appear that Isaac Newton had it wrong.