From Texas, The Greatest Country in the United States – “I Can’t Answer These Texas Standardized Test Questions About My Own Poems” (From Huffington Post)

This is both hilarious - AND SCARY at the same time. Enjoy and keep in mind that this is the status quo in a test crazy society. It starts, "When I realized I couldn’t answer the questions posed about two of my own poems on the Texas state assessment tests (STAAR Test), I had a … Continue reading From Texas, The Greatest Country in the United States – “I Can’t Answer These Texas Standardized Test Questions About My Own Poems” (From Huffington Post)

Open Letter to Dave Machado, Charter School Chief for the State of North Carolina Concerning His Words About the Annual Charter Schools Report

Dear Mr. Machado, As the Director for the State Office of Charter Schools in North Carolina, your words concerning the annual charter schools report just recently made to the State Board of Education prove not just interesting, but rather selective and uninformed and display an attitude to make sure that charter schools in North Carolina … Continue reading Open Letter to Dave Machado, Charter School Chief for the State of North Carolina Concerning His Words About the Annual Charter Schools Report

Vouchers, Charters, and Choice! Oh, My! – Dorothy, You’re Not in Public School Anymore

"Lions, and tigers, and bears! Oh, my!" – Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz. "Vouchers, Charters, and Choice! Oh, my!" – Me As the North Carolina General Assembly is about to convene for the long session here in the new year, it bears repeating that public education will again be at the … Continue reading Vouchers, Charters, and Choice! Oh, My! – Dorothy, You’re Not in Public School Anymore

“NERD” Is Now A Cool Thing To Be

Someone call you a nerd and it offended you? Maybe it should depend on how it is meant. From Dictionary.com: Nerd: noun, Slang. 1. a person considered to be socially awkward, boring, unstylish, etc. 2. an intelligent but single-minded person obsessed with a nonsocial hobby or pursuit: 1950-55, Americanism; obscurely derived expressive formation From Thesaurus.com: Fool, jerk, techie, weirdo, dolt, dork, dweeb, goober, goofball, oaf, trekkie Sorry, people. That negative connotation surrounding the word “nerd” is gone. Like in elapsed, … Continue reading “NERD” Is Now A Cool Thing To Be

Why Do We Have Exams After The Winter Break?Change The Calendar!

Days like today is why we need to start the school year earlier here in North Carolina. While it is nice to think of having a winter break to celebrate the holidays, the calendar system that North Carolina has adopted for traditional public schools is not helping our students AT ALL. I have argued this … Continue reading Why Do We Have Exams After The Winter Break?Change The Calendar!

Mark Twain and the Fight Against “Eduperialism” in North Carolina

“We believe that out of the public school grows the greatness of a nation.” – Mark Twain The above quote by Mark Twain was delivered on November 23, 1900 in a speech to the Public Education Association at a meeting of the Berkley Lyceum, New York. It is sometimes called his “Boxer Speech” as Twain … Continue reading Mark Twain and the Fight Against “Eduperialism” in North Carolina

The Top Ten Posts Of 2016 – Read Again For the First Time Or Ignore Once More

Only in order of when they were posted, these were chosen not due to the number of views or comments, but by their subject matter and its relevance to what may be of importance in the next year. Enjoy. And thanks for reading. Open Letter to Catherine Truitt, senior advisor on education to Gov. Pat … Continue reading The Top Ten Posts Of 2016 – Read Again For the First Time Or Ignore Once More

FrankenMoore and BergerStein – Uncle Victor Was Telling You Something

“Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.” And nothing is so detrimental to the health of a great commonwealth as a great and sudden misuse of law. The preceding quote comes from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the first great dark romantic / Gothic novel. It was written at the … Continue reading FrankenMoore and BergerStein – Uncle Victor Was Telling You Something

Deadpool Has Felt a Disturbance In the Force – Goodbye to Two Icons

This past week the world lost two icons who helped define the latter part of the 1900’s in more ways than just through their artistic expressions on stage or film. When my parents divorced, there were a few years where my mother and I lived in the Atlanta area during the late 1970’s. I was … Continue reading Deadpool Has Felt a Disturbance In the Force – Goodbye to Two Icons

Support Your Local Bedford Falls High School and Help Make It a Wonderful Life For Students

Bedford Falls, NY could be almost any small town if you didn’t qualify weather and the appearance of book carrying angels as criteria. The setting for the movie It’s a Wonderful Life supposedly is fashioned in a striking fashion after Seneca Falls, NY and plays host to one of the best stories of the holiday … Continue reading Support Your Local Bedford Falls High School and Help Make It a Wonderful Life For Students