The Importance Of Being Delusional | Blue Cereal Education

The Importance Of Being Delusional | Blue Cereal Education

The Importance Of Being Delusional

You may remember the old Roadrunner cartoons where Wile E. Coyote, distracted by his mad pursuit of his prey, runs right off the edge of a cliff before pausing in mid-air. Oddly, he’s fine as long as he doesn’t look down and notice the reality of his situation. If he’d just kept running, he might have made it to the other side of the gap (where his nemesis had already paused to “Beep! Beep!” at him before speeding away). 

Eventually, however, he does look down. He takes a moment to emote defeat or despair, sometimes even waving to us or holding up a cute little sign offering concise commentary on his plight. Then... he plummets to the ground far below, reappearing after the commercial to begin his next futile effort to catch that $#%&* bird.  

Imagine, however, if Wile simply accepted the reality of his situation before running off the cliff. What if he looked at his track record, and that of the Road Runner, and realized that statistically he was probably never going to catch the thing and that his CONTINUE READING: The Importance Of Being Delusional | Blue Cereal Education

"Have To" History: A Wall Of Education | Blue Cereal Education

"Have To" History: A Wall Of Education | Blue Cereal Education

"Have To" History: A Wall Of Education

It's dangerous to start pushing a book when I haven't seen the physical final product yet. I learned last time that no matter how many weird formatting issues, overlooked typos, and random nude shots you're POSITIVE you've resolved, there are always a few more waiting to be discovered once you've started promoting the thing and your entire sense of self-worth is on the line. 

And yet, I'm pretty happy this one is finally "live," no matter what minor edits may be necessary down the road. I'm sharing the Author's Intro with you here by way of a teaser, but if you're reading this specific introduction (which will be edited out once it no longer applies) it means I still have review copies I'd love to send out to anyone willing to (1) read the book (or enough of it to justify a review) and (2) post a review on Amazon.com and maybe Goodreads (if you're into that sort of thing). I'm not allowed to bribe you beyond a free copy or to cajole you into making the reviews positive, but your amazing Amazon reviews of the first book were very much appreciated and have continuted to make a huge difference in how it's doing. Thank you for that. 

So, if you'd like a complimentary review copy, email me at BCE@BlueCerealEducation.com with your name and shipping info and I'll get one on the way as soon as possible. Otherwise, you can find the Paperback Version or Kindle e-Book Version on Amazon.com or whatever version of Amazon you access in your part of the universe.

In the meantime, here's that intro you won't be able to resist.

“Have To” History: A Wall Of Education - What the Supreme Court Really Says (and What It Really Doesn’t) About the Separation of Church and State in Education

When I published “Have To” History: Landmark Supreme Court Cases a few years ago, I added a brief “Afterword” explaining how I came to find myself so fascinated with the decisions of the nation’s highest court over the years and what I hoped to CONTINUE READING: "Have To" History: A Wall Of Education | Blue Cereal Education

Barbed Wire (from "Have To" History) | Blue Cereal Education

Barbed Wire (from "Have To" History) | Blue Cereal Education

Barbed Wire (from "Have To" History)

Stuff You Don't Really Want To Know (But For Some Reason Have To) About... Barbed Wire

Three Big Things:

1. Barbed wire became the fencing of choice in the west after the Civil War. It was relatively cheap, withstood a wide range of conditions, and held back the biggest, most stubborn livestock.

2. Barbed wire favored homesteaders moving west, who tended to be small farmers. It threatened, and eventually helped destroy, the mythical “open range” and cowboy culture.

3. Barbed wire is rarely asked about specifically in history standards; it’s central to a wide variety of stuff that is, however.

Introduction

There are barbed wire museums in nearly a dozen different states. That’s right – museums devoted exclusively (or at least primarily) to the origins and impact of pokey wires in all its many varieties. The Oklahoma Cowboy Museum boasts over 8,000 varieties of prickly steel yarn, while the Devil’s Rope Museum in McLean, Texas, promises “everything you want to know about barbed wire and fencing tools.” There are several collections in and around DeKalb, Illinois, the birthplace of barbed wire, but it’s the Kansas Barbed Wire Museum which makes the grandest claims and boasts the most extensive curated exploration of this marvelous innovation.

It’s fencing. Made of wire. What’s the big deal?

Expansion, Technology, and Conflict

American history is largely a tale of expansion. Many of our best conflicts have resulted (at least in part) from our eternal need to expand and renovate. As CONTINUE READING: Barbed Wire (from "Have To" History) | Blue Cereal Education

Teacher Evaluations (Hammers & Nails) | Blue Cereal Education

Teacher Evaluations (Hammers & Nails) | Blue Cereal Education

Teacher Evaluations (Hammers & Nails)

There’s a difference between caring how well you’re actually doing your job and caring how well you do on official evaluations. Ideally, the two at least overlap - like a Venn Diagram or pop and hip-hop. That’s not always a given, however. In practice, it’s often more like the relationship between reality and reality TV.

I know a teacher I’ll call Mr. Lutum. Mr. Lutum has been teaching forever - long enough that he began to fear he’d grown a bit stale. After some soul searching and a few months of crippling doubt and despair, he decided that if he were going to continue teaching, he at least needed a fresh start and a serious change of scenery.

He took a position in a high poverty, majority-minority district in the building people only work at until they have enough seniority to go elsewhere. Lutum figured he’d put his lofty rhetoric and progressive ideals to the test and see if he actually had the chops to work with kids who are nothing like himself – and without being either cynical or CONTINUE READING: Teacher Evaluations (Hammers & Nails) | Blue Cereal Education