Meet Gregory Salcido … a pontificating teacher-snot who strutted tuff-tuff in front of a high school history class of sixteen-year-olds. Talking big … talking rough … talking smart-ass … and mocking the very warriors who protect his right to open his foul mouth … and let his spectacular ignorance spill out. “Think about the people … Continue reading The Pontificating Teacher-Snot
Is this not the most perfect punctuation mark for this miserable moment of school failure? "School District Apologizes After Teacher Tells First Graders Santa Isn't Real" But they're not really sorry. Nope ... because Santa was in the way of that "grit 'n rigor" stuff. So they called in Miss Grinch ... the Christmas Crud. She did … Continue reading First Grade Christmas Blues
Every now and then life slips into technicolor … because a particular moment is so glorious … or so frightfully tragic. We've all seen things we wish we could unsee … and we tuck that hard stuff deep down inside. And it stays safe there … until something wakes it up. In this morning’s twilight-sleep, … Continue reading September 12, 2001
A Tale of Two Schools "I'll be returning to the highest poverty school in Spokane in less than a week. Highest Homeless. Highest Refugee. Highest ESL. Please. Please. Grit is not the answer. Please, let these children experience art, music, movement, projects, building, exploration, curiosity, fun ... DAILY ... Not push push push ... Not … Continue reading The Kids in the Cheap Seats
The real trouble with reality is that there's no background music. I so wanna hear some music right now … because the moment needs it. It’s just sad. Bad sad. More than half a lifetime ago … when my world was moving so fast … I had a friend who helped me catch my breath. … Continue reading Lost Friend
Geniuses are the most dangerous creatures in the universe ... and do you know why God made so few? To limit the suffering of teachers. Dweebers are educational pests. They make these fly-by observations … scurry back to their sticky keyboards … and tell real-deal teachers how to do their jobs. Let’s imagine those same … Continue reading Happy Teacher Exasperation Month!
Are you a pretend parent? If that questions bothers you, well … It’s never a bad thing to have a heart-to-heart with yourself. Maybe you’re too caught up in your own thing … or life's become tangled ... so your kid’s education has slipped into auto-pilot. You're not alone. But if that first sentence grabbed … Continue reading Are You a Pretend Parent?
Leland Dodge spent his middle school years dodging one very bad kid. He loved his middle school … he just hated the third floor quad. His math and science classes met there. It’s also where he met Dutch Holland. The one very bad kid. Leland Dodge went by “Fiver”. That’s what everybody called him. He … Continue reading One Bad Kid
"After 32 years ... I couldn't take it any more. I vowed to fight CC ... It was killing me to do the ridiculous and stupid things that the supervisor and principal thought were necessary. They were able to brainwash the young teachers... [and] if teachers talked negatively about CC, they could be easily replaced. … Continue reading The End of Wisdom
Get ready for some pissy-anger … the Pricksters are here … and they’re not a happy crew. Nasty is the new mad. Does anyone have the feeling that anger is the emotion "du jour" … because it’s gettin’ harder and harder to find a happy moment … anywhere? Especially in Arizona. Colleges have made free … Continue reading The Arizona Pricksters … And the Future of American Education
Missives Worth Reading 