Mikey

Shakerdance.............


Is that when you get your willy caught in your zipper?

tpter1

Food for thought...
No* Dentist Left Behind
*
*

My dentist is great! He sends me reminders so I don't* forget
checkups. He uses the latest techniques based on research. He never
hurts me, and I've got all my teeth.

When I ran into him the other day,* I was eager to see if he'd
heard about the new state program. I knew he'd* think it was great.
*
"Did you hear about the new state program to measure*
effectiveness of dentists with their young patients?" I said. "No," he* said. He didn't seem too thrilled.

"How will they do that?"*
*
"It's* quite simple," I said. "They will just count the number of cavities each patient has at age 10, 14, and 18 and average that to determine a dentist's*rating. Dentists will be rated as excellent, good, average, below average,*and unsatisfactory. That way parents will know which are the best
dentists.* The plan will also encourage the less effective dentists to get
better," I* said. "Poor dentists who don't improve could lose their licenses to*practice."
*
"That's terrible," he said.
*
"What? That's not a good attitude,"* I
said. "Don't you think we should try to improve children's dental health* in this state?"

"Sure I do," he said, "but that's not a fair way to*determine who
is practicing good dentistry."
*
"Why not?" I said. "It makes*perfect sense to me."
"Well, it's so obvious," he said. "Don't you see that*dentists
don't all work with the same clientele, and that much depends on*things we
can't control? For example, I work in a rural area with a* high percentage of patients from deprived homes, while some of my*colleagues work in upper middle-class neighborhoods. Many of the*parents I work with don't bring their children to see me until there is* some kind of problem, and I don't get to do much preventive work. Also many*of the parents I serve let their kids eat way too much candy from an early age, unlike more educated parents who understand the relationship*between sugar and decay. To top it all off, so many of my clients* have well water which is untreated and has no fluoride in it. Do you have*any idea how much difference early use of fluoride can make?"

"It*sounds like you're making excuses," I said. "I can't believe that you,*my dentist, would be so defensive. After all, you do a great*job,
and*you needn't fear a little accountability."

"I am not being defensive!"* he said. "My best patients are as good as
anyone's, my work is as good as*anyone's, but my average cavity count is
going to be higher than a lot of* other dentists because I chose to work where I am needed most."
"Don't get touchy," I said.* "Touchy?" he said.* His face had turned red,*
and from the way he was clenching and unclenching his jaws, I was*afraid he was going to damage his teeth.* "Try furious! In a system*like this, I will end up being rated average, below average, or worse. The*few educated patients I have who see these ratings may believe this*so-called rating is an actual measure of my ability and proficiency as a*dentist.*They may leave me, and I'll be left with only the most needy*patients. And my cavity average score will get even worse. On top of that,*how will I attract good dental hygienists and other excellent dentists to*my practice if it is labeled below average?"

"I think you are* overreacting," I said. "'Complaining, excuse-making and stonewalling won't*improve dental health'...I am*quoting from a
leading member of* the DOC," I noted.*
*
"What's the DOC?" he asked.* "It's the Dental Oversight Committee," I said, "a group made up of mostly lay persons*to make sure dentistry in this state gets improved."*
*
"Spare me," he*said, "I can't believe this. Reasonable people won't buy it," he said* hopefully.

The program sounded reasonable to me, so I asked, "How else*would you measure good dentistry?"*
*
"Come watch me work," he said.* "Observe my processes."

"That's too complicated, expensive and time-consuming," I
said.* "Cavities are the bottom line, and you can't*argue with the bottom line. It's an absolute measure."
*
"That's what I'm* afraid my parents and prospective patients will think. This can't be*happening," he said despairingly.
"Now, now," I said, "don't despair. The*state will help you some."*
*
"How?" he asked.
*
"If you receive a poor*rating, they'll send a dentist who is rated
excellent to help straighten*you out," I said brightly.
*
"You mean," he said,"they'll send a*dentist with a wealthy clientele to show me how to work on severe juvenile*dental problems with which I have probably had much more experience? BIG*HELP!"
"There you go again," I said. "You aren't acting professionally at all."
*
"You don't get it," he said. "Doing this would be like grading*schools
and teachers on an average score made on a test of children's*progress with no regard to influences outside the school, the home, the*community served and stuff like that. Why would they do something so unfair*to dentists? No one would ever think of doing that to schools."*
I just*shook my head sadly, but he had brightened. "I'm going to write*my
representatives and senators," he said. "I'll use the school analogy.*Surely they will see the point." He walked off with that look of hope mixed with fear and suppressed anger that I, a teacher, see in the mirror so*often lately.

If you don't understand why educators resent the recent*federal
NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT, this may help. If you do understand,you'll enjoy
this analogy, which was forwarded by John S. Taylor,* Superintendent of Schools for the Lancaster County, PA, School District.*
*
> Be a friend to a teacher and pass this on.*


Seeing how this thread is kind of just a mix of varied discussion, I'll thorw this log on the fire...

trumpetgirl612

LOL very nice man very very nice

__________________
~*~
More than just a trumpet player

Ai_Dygress

Wha..? Didn't catch that...

__________________
Alas...Ai Dygress

Alex Yates

Oh dear, do you know how shocking it is for Americans to see how you Belgians eat fries and mayo with everything? or that you guys eat horse meat (Paardenvlees)? or that you eat raw ground beef whirled together with raw eggs? (my stomach would do a few turns everytime I saw that - LOL) And your "good cheese" is from Holland and France. Your beers and chocolates are the best in the world - that I admit. (I had the waistline to prove it and have had to work-out extra hard to shed those pounds since being back in the U.S. LOL) All kidding aside, I enjoyed the experience of living in Belgium for three years. I am going back at the end of October to play for a friend's wedding and cannot wait to wet my lips with a Westmalle Dubbel.

rbtrumpet08

ha i thought this post would have fallen out of commission as it appeared so long ago to be doing (its been forever since i last visited) but im glad to seen that it has been brought back