Seriously, that is about the extent of it all.
Today, has been one big crisis after another. Not for me personally, but for this country that we are living in. So, in keeping with the crisis mode that I have been in all day, I decided, rather than try to make some eloquent, creative essay of said events, I would create a bulleted, talking points, overview of the nightmare, called, March 23rd!
1) Whilst showering, it came to me, like a bolt out of the blue, (or maybe it was the rapid turn from perfectly warm to chilly cool, upon partner's flushing)education, teaching, how it should all be handled. Clearly, something needs to be done. It is a sad state of affairs. Two major union groups all fighting for the money of its members in order to demand what is fair and equitable. Because, god forbid, anyone do the honorable thing in the first place and demand a quality work place for its professionals. (Okay, I digressed...give me a break, I am in education!)So, education is compulsory. Every child in this country has a right to a public education, a free education on top of it. The Federal government has enforced its will upon the smallest of school districts in an attempt to level the playing field. I don’t know if it is because they are really concerned about Johnny being able to read, as much as they want to be superior to other countries. Regardless, the reason, it is what it is. So, the government regardless of branch is mandating all children be taught to read and write and meet certain standards. Yet, and this is the kicker, every school district is relatively different. From district to district, teachers are paid different. From state to state, different expectations are in place for the teachers, which explains why you need certification from state to state, yet the Feds, are saying all children must be able to pass what they deem is a “standard.” So, then, why not make teachers government employees, much like postal workers, military, police, firefighters? All educators have to pass through the same rigid standards as the military. As they progress on, they climb in rank. As they continue on and they fail the standard of excellence, then they are asked to go back to training, regroup and come back, and are rewarded as such. As they have done their service in the trenches, they are rewarded for good service and are allowed to retire with a good pension, and a retraining. This keeps the blood fresh, moves educators ahead and equalizes all aspects of the profession. They are a part of a huge pool of professionals, and as a result benefits, become extremely affordable. This also guarantees a fair and equitable way of ridding the system of the “fat.” It also ensures that there is equitability in the delivery of the product.
2) On my way to work, I was listening to WLS, and the guest announcer Jonathon Hoenig’s interview with Jesse Jackson. He was asked if Nancy Pelosi’s carrying a gavel in was (imagine the imagery that came into my mind, puke!) equal to the Civil Rights passage. His answer, “absolutely!” I thought to myself, “What?” (listen here ) Hoenig recalls that we have spent 17.6 Trillion dollars on welfare since Johnson. Then he identifies the illegitimacy rate amongst blacks, as being at 70%! As Hoenig points out to Jackson these statistics and asks if healthcare isn’t just another enablement, Jackson quickly points out that it is not a race issue. Well, anyway, after I was stunned at the statistics, and Jackson first equating it to the Civil Rights passage, and Martin Luther King, he advises Hoenig that it is not about race. At that point I arrived at school and had to get to work.
3) My day was filled with the daily frustrations of being an educator in this current climate. I filled my student’s heads with as much knowledge as I could in a 6 hour day. Touching on every content area I could. Spinning around on my heels faster than our computer system (outdated mind you) could spew out new data. Then I resigned my day with a meeting of the minds with my 2020 Challenge team. The refreshing part about that is that there are a couple of future leaders in that group. The day was filled with fear, concern, uncertainty about the impending RIFing that I am sure to be handed on the 15th of April. You see, I have only been in the district for 2 years. Although I am a veteran educator with honors, experience, and multiple endorsements, I am viewed in MCAS as a newbie. Go figure!
4) Next, my travels bring me home. Nothing bad there, really, although, I have been inundated with all the ramblings of the day. Healthcare this, Education that, IRS this, Divorce settlement that! What I really want is to literally shut my brain off for a while. I don’t want to think, to worry, to try to grasp the reality of my world.
My world; All in all it is a wonderful thing. Many times it is quite beautiful. But the larger world, the really big picture ain’t so good. I mean, daily we uncover how out of control our government is. How out of control our commerce is. The reality is that there is so much wrong out there. I have many answers, most people do. The sad reality is this, we have no say! Oh, one more thing…today I went to apply for a job at another district. The anti-RIFing CYA! Guess what, before they even wanted to know my credentials, my ability, my track record, they wanted to know my gender, my age, my social security number, and yes, my race. So much for Federal laws! I will count that district out. Any organization that puts that before my credentials, the credentials that matters, would do anything they wanted, even cover up pedophilia in their sports program. In the future, you can run my social security number, after you have offered me an interview, not before! Jesse, we need to talk!
Goodnight!
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