Hello All, It's been a while, and that's not like me... not sure why I haven't felt compelled to chime in. Thanks for inquiring about my wellbeing. One big change this past year was that I left the 6th grade classroom after 17 years. Student behavior, along with ever increasing demands related to technology, forced me out. It just wasn't healthy for this now 62 year old! Mainly it was the behaviors. I was just worn down by the disrespect. And I'm truly a sensitive guy with the kids, but far too many won't meet you half-way. Parents, though usually supportive, could sometimes be impediments. Strangely enough, my final year as a classroom teacher was totally via zoom, and it went quite well. The kids were terrific, though homework completion wasn't where it should have been. And I did have the times where I hit the wrong button and I couldn't see the kids but they could see me! We had a lot of laughs and really bonded, and most importantly, there was a lot of learning! Last September was my break from the traditional classroom as I took a job in the same school working as a paraeducator with children with autism. It was the change I desperately needed! The kids were really cool, and often very different from each other. I learned a lot, and think I did some solid instruction. Not sure what September will be like. I'm still the voracious reader/podcast listener so I'm following all the goings-on that you typically refer to here. My wife and I continuously shake our heads at the idiocy and criminality of the GOP. And their mad dog supporters keep going lower (when you think they can't possibly do so). Yes, I still get pissed at some of my fellow travelers on the left who can be just so f****** stupid and obnoxious, but I know where the real threat to our democracy is! As to Joe, he's a good man, but the horrendous withdrawal from Afghanistan hobbled him from the start, and he was the man in charge so.... And Kamala, shit, doesn't she have anyone who can speak truthfully to her about her abysmal oratory skills? She should be practicing daily, dammit! WTF? And there have been other unforced errors from the administration but I'm not up to recounting them. I'm not going to make this a long post but I do have some random thoughts. What if Biden were to forcefully demand funding in order to put 10,000 cops on the streets? What if he were to recommence construction on the damn border wall? I know, it won't work, but might that garner some more votes? Should we be thinking of a new ticket for 2024? Klobuchar/Booker perhaps? Just throwing it out there. I don't think we can truly appreciate how uninformed most people are! Honestly, the average voter is pathetically ignorant. Their homes are uncontaminated by reading material. Note the allusion to the Monty Python cheese shop sketch. What else, hmm, Best CD, Jeff Rosenstock's Ska Dream, so fresh, fun, and frenetic! Runner-up Frank Turner CD, FTHC. Lots of good stuff, much more raw than usual, and it made it to #1 in England! Book: The Constitution of Knowledge (A Defense of Truth) by Jonathan Rauch Best Article: In The Atlantic, After Babel How Social Media Dissolved The Mortar of Society and Made America Stupid by Jonathan Haidt (I think EEE mentioned it earlier) TV Shows: Under The Banner of Heaven, The Old Man, We Own This City, Gaslit, Severance, The Dropout Podcasts: Sam Harris, Ezra Klein, Michael Shermer, Andrew Sullivan, Coleman Hughes, Glen Loury, Pod Save The World, Vox Conversations
How I Spent My School Vacation, er, Year
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Hello All, It's been a while, and that's not like me... not sure why I haven't felt compelled to chime in. Thanks for inquiring about my wellbeing. One big change this past year was that I left the 6th grade classroom after 17 years. Student behavior, along with ever increasing demands related to technology, forced me out. It just wasn't healthy for this now 62 year old! Mainly it was the behaviors. I was just worn down by the disrespect. And I'm truly a sensitive guy with the kids, but far too many won't meet you half-way. Parents, though usually supportive, could sometimes be impediments. Strangely enough, my final year as a classroom teacher was totally via zoom, and it went quite well. The kids were terrific, though homework completion wasn't where it should have been. And I did have the times where I hit the wrong button and I couldn't see the kids but they could see me! We had a lot of laughs and really bonded, and most importantly, there was a lot of learning! Last September was my break from the traditional classroom as I took a job in the same school working as a paraeducator with children with autism. It was the change I desperately needed! The kids were really cool, and often very different from each other. I learned a lot, and think I did some solid instruction. Not sure what September will be like. I'm still the voracious reader/podcast listener so I'm following all the goings-on that you typically refer to here. My wife and I continuously shake our heads at the idiocy and criminality of the GOP. And their mad dog supporters keep going lower (when you think they can't possibly do so). Yes, I still get pissed at some of my fellow travelers on the left who can be just so f****** stupid and obnoxious, but I know where the real threat to our democracy is! As to Joe, he's a good man, but the horrendous withdrawal from Afghanistan hobbled him from the start, and he was the man in charge so.... And Kamala, shit, doesn't she have anyone who can speak truthfully to her about her abysmal oratory skills? She should be practicing daily, dammit! WTF? And there have been other unforced errors from the administration but I'm not up to recounting them. I'm not going to make this a long post but I do have some random thoughts. What if Biden were to forcefully demand funding in order to put 10,000 cops on the streets? What if he were to recommence construction on the damn border wall? I know, it won't work, but might that garner some more votes? Should we be thinking of a new ticket for 2024? Klobuchar/Booker perhaps? Just throwing it out there. I don't think we can truly appreciate how uninformed most people are! Honestly, the average voter is pathetically ignorant. Their homes are uncontaminated by reading material. Note the allusion to the Monty Python cheese shop sketch. What else, hmm, Best CD, Jeff Rosenstock's Ska Dream, so fresh, fun, and frenetic! Runner-up Frank Turner CD, FTHC. Lots of good stuff, much more raw than usual, and it made it to #1 in England! Book: The Constitution of Knowledge (A Defense of Truth) by Jonathan Rauch Best Article: In The Atlantic, After Babel How Social Media Dissolved The Mortar of Society and Made America Stupid by Jonathan Haidt (I think EEE mentioned it earlier) TV Shows: Under The Banner of Heaven, The Old Man, We Own This City, Gaslit, Severance, The Dropout Podcasts: Sam Harris, Ezra Klein, Michael Shermer, Andrew Sullivan, Coleman Hughes, Glen Loury, Pod Save The World, Vox Conversations
