I came across this picture of a restaurant’s sign located in Texas, and while I am not in any way trying to criticize people’s dietary choices, I did have to chuckle. God knows anyone who knows me knows the dietary adventures that I have had in my life. But what this sign is saying … Continue reading Betsy DeVos and Mark Johnson – Social Vegans in a Job For Omnivores
The Best Spirit Wear You Can Own Comes From Your Local High School
Sometimes you can get a glimpse of the culture of a school by the amount of garb students, faculty, and community members wear that dons the name, mascot, or colors of the local high school. At my school, they call it "West Wear." And I have a closet full of it much to my wife's … Continue reading The Best Spirit Wear You Can Own Comes From Your Local High School
Dear Secretary DeVos, From Malcolm, A Special Normal Public School Kid
Dear Secretary DeVos, My name is Malcolm and I just finished third-grade in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School system. I have vibrant red-hair and blue eyes like my mom, wear cool glasses, have a wicked follow through on my jump shot, and am quite the dancer. My dad also wears glasses, but he does not dance … Continue reading Dear Secretary DeVos, From Malcolm, A Special Normal Public School Kid
The Most Enabled Man in Raleigh – North Carolina’s State Superintendent
The July 14th ruling by a three-judge panel in favor of State Supt. Mark Johnson may have been a huge victory on the surface for Johnson’s supporters and those who seek to exert their influence through him and his inexperience. But it is not a real victory for Johnson himself. While the office of the … Continue reading The Most Enabled Man in Raleigh – North Carolina’s State Superintendent
The Power of the Student Section
Last night I caught a tweet from my school's spirit club about "theme nights" for the upcoming football season. Hawaiian Night Jersey Night Toga Night White Out Camo Night Neon Night America Night Green & Gold Night Pink Out Lights Out! Tie Dye Those themes are for all of the games - home and away. … Continue reading The Power of the Student Section
The UnFAIR VANITY of Betsy DeVos
I have never read the William Makepeace Thackery Victorian novel Vanity Fair. Never will. But I would like to meet someone whose middle name is Makepeace. My understanding is that it is a somewhat satirical look at English society, but when I look at the title, I immediately think of the iconic magazine Vanity Fair … Continue reading The UnFAIR VANITY of Betsy DeVos
When the Leader of the Public Schools Refuses to be Part of the Public
Imagine you are an official of the state elected by the public. Your job is to lead the state’s public school system. You are the head of the Department of Public Instruction. You are the lead public school instructor. You control public information. You oversee taxpayer money that comes from the public. Should you not … Continue reading When the Leader of the Public Schools Refuses to be Part of the Public
DPI, 1984, Oceania, and Mark Johnson’s Big Brother – Another Communications Coup in North Carolina
From Orwell’s 1984: “And so it was with every class of recorded fact, great or small. Everything faded away into a shadow-world in which, finally, even the date of the year had become uncertain.” (Book 1). News today that state superintendent Mark Johnson halted key “listserv” communications from the Department of Public Instruction may not … Continue reading DPI, 1984, Oceania, and Mark Johnson’s Big Brother – Another Communications Coup in North Carolina
The Elimination of ASW and the Intentions of the NCGA’s Budget Cuts to DPI
What follows in this post is another manifestation of the how the NC General Assembly is trying to weaken the Department of Public Instruction in such a way so that it can control as many aspects of teacher and school evaluation to validate its actions on what it perceives as school reform. For the past … Continue reading The Elimination of ASW and the Intentions of the NCGA’s Budget Cuts to DPI
Donald Trump Is My AP Literature Walking Syllabus – Proof That Art Imitates Life
In a world where many an English teacher like myself bemoan the lack of active reading by students of good canonized literature or other works of literary merit, there has been one person who may have unintentionally shown our American society that the lessons and themes carefully expressed in great works often studied in classes … Continue reading Donald Trump Is My AP Literature Walking Syllabus – Proof That Art Imitates Life
caffeinated rage 