Dear Supt. Johnson, I appreciated the words in your video address to teachers thanking us for our work during the National Teacher Appreciation Week. For those who may not have seen that video, here is a link: https://youtu.be/asLHLCxjQ6k. You talked about how teachers are not thanked enough, and while it is nice to hear those … Continue reading State Superintendent Johnson, Whom Do You Serve?
Author: caffeinatedrage
Rescue Animals Rule – Week One With Finn
"It's been one week..." -Barenaked Ladies About this time last week, we brought home Finn and the cats are still wary of the beast. But it's getting better. His feet really are huge. He palmed a basketball the other day. His bark is deep like Lou Rawls and he has a growl that Barry White … Continue reading Rescue Animals Rule – Week One With Finn
Sen. Chad Barefoot’s Bid to End Governor’s School and Establish A Legislative School for Gerrymandered Leadership and Public Policy to Suit Private Interest
An amendment offered by none other than Sen. Chad Barefoot on May 10, 2017 is yet another assault by the North Carolina General Assembly against the arts in our schools. Amendment #2 to Senate Bill 257 proposes to establish a “Legislative School For Leadership and Public Service” using the very funds that would have financed … Continue reading Sen. Chad Barefoot’s Bid to End Governor’s School and Establish A Legislative School for Gerrymandered Leadership and Public Policy to Suit Private Interest
Betsy DeVos at Bethune-Cookman University – Free Speech at Its Best
Before you judge how the students at the commencement exercises at Bethune-Cookman University behaved while Betsy DeVos delivered her address, please remember there is a history that the students there are very aware of that extends well beyond just DeVos's background. Consider this. And then consider this. "Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Tuesday withdrew a … Continue reading Betsy DeVos at Bethune-Cookman University – Free Speech at Its Best
The Hypocritical Time Machine – Reflecting on Sen. Chad Barefoot and Rep. Rob Bryan’s 2014 Op-Ed About Teacher Pay
On February 8th, 2014, the Charlotte Observer posted a special op-ed on its website and published it the next day in the actual paper. It was a viewpoint penned by two political figures whose actions have helped shape the policies that confine public education in North Carolina today. Those two people were Sen. Chad Barefoot … Continue reading The Hypocritical Time Machine – Reflecting on Sen. Chad Barefoot and Rep. Rob Bryan’s 2014 Op-Ed About Teacher Pay
Teacher Appreciation Week – Respect Versus Rewards
It is National Teacher Appreciation Week and with a new budget about to be presented by the North Carolina General Assembly's Senate chamber, I thought of this particular post I wrote exactly one year ago. It still seems so appropriate now. From May of 2016: In a recent report from the Lumberton NC paper The … Continue reading Teacher Appreciation Week – Respect Versus Rewards
Donald Trump, Jimmy Carter, and R.E.M. – Only Two of These Know the True Meaning of “Reckoning”
“I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.” -R.E.M. “So. Central Rain” In the 2016 election, Donald Trump carried the state of Georgia. Comfortably. And from the Peach State, he plucked two men for his cabinet: Sonny “Pray for Rain” Perdue as Secretary of Agriculture and Tom Price as Health and Human Services Director. Price … Continue reading Donald Trump, Jimmy Carter, and R.E.M. – Only Two of These Know the True Meaning of “Reckoning”
He’s Home – Finneas Luther Logan “Finn”
He's here at home with is new family and the cats are a little on edge. And he's big. The great people at Carolina Great Pyrenees Rescue (http://carolinapyrrescue.com/) deemed him ready to go to a new permanent home. Finn's last heartworm treatment is in the past and while he is still rather underweight for a … Continue reading He’s Home – Finneas Luther Logan “Finn”
“Odd Fellows 151” and “The Right Child”
The first line from this news report should make the stomach of many a person churn. “The Odd Fellows, a national fraternal organization based in Winston-Salem, is facing criticism after refusing to give a prize to an autistic Oregon boy who won a competition.” It is from the headline story of the May 2nd edition … Continue reading “Odd Fellows 151” and “The Right Child”
Open Letter to NC Lawmakers Concerning HB13 and Funding the Arts & PE
Dear Senator Chad Barefoot, Senator Bill Rabon, and other lawmakers concerning the amended HB13 law, This week marks the beginning of Advanced Placement testing in schools around the country (and world), and while the validity of AP classes and testing results has become the subject of much debate, I have a multitude of students working … Continue reading Open Letter to NC Lawmakers Concerning HB13 and Funding the Arts & PE
caffeinated rage 