http://www.dailykos.com/blog/teacherken
VA-08 - a resident looks at the Dem primary to replace Jim Moran
I live in the 8th Congressional District of Virginia. At the end of this, his 12th term, Jim Moran is retiring. The district is heavily Democratic, having been carried by Obama in 2010 69-30. It contains all of the cities Falls Church and Alexandria, all of Arlington County (where I live), and a portion of Fairfax County (which is split among 3 Congressional districts, also the 10th and the 11th
Saturday morning thoughts about continuing as a teacher
Well, since I am now committed to at least one more year in a classroom, when I will be 69 by its end, perhaps I might accept a couple of things. 1. I will never retire. I will have to be dragged out of the classroom 2. My National Board Certified Teacher status expires November 2015. I think I can justify renewing it 3. Being around teenagers is what keeps me feeling young 4. Not having bio
MAY 01
William Rhoden of NY Times writes on Donald Sterling
in a piece titled A Verdict on Comments, but the Conversation Isn’t Over and subtitled "Sterling’s Remarks Offer Chance to Examine Racism." I am not going to offer a great deal of commentary of my own. The only purpose to this post is to get you to read what Rhoden, an African-American sportswriter, has to offer. I have seen him commenting on this story on television, and was impressed
APR 30
I have a teaching job for next year
Today I received an email which began as follows: On behalf of the Board of Education, the Department of Human Resources with the Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) is pleased to offer you an Advance Contract for the 2014-2015 school year. You are receiving this advance contract because we have identified you as an outstanding teacher. We look forward to supporting your efforts in the classr
APR 28
Eugene Robinson: "The racists among us"
is yet another superb Washington Post column by the Pulitzer Prize winner. He begins Let’s not pretend that deadbeat rancher Cliven Bundy and basketball team owner Donald Sterling are the last two racists in the United States. They have company. I hear regularly from proud racists who send me — anonymously — some of the vilest and most hateful correspondence you could imagine. You’ll have to trust
APR 26
Dear President and Mrs. Obama,
I know how caring you are about your wonderful daughters. You have chosen to send them to wonderful schools, the Lab School at the University of Chicago, and Sidwell Friends in Washington DC. Sidwell Friends is a Quaker School. As a Quaker myself, I know our approach is to walk gladly across the earth answering that of God in each person we encounter. I am glad your daughters are learning to tre
Charles M. Blow responds to Cliven Bundy
and gives America a lesson on slavery. His New York Times column is titled A Rancher's Romantic Revisionism except there is nothing romantic either about the real history of slavery or of the distortions some have used. To be sure his readers know the context, Blow quotes Bundy's words. Those who read this post should already be well aware of them, and besides, I refuse to to repeat that nonsense