A CORE PROBLEM – Dad Gone Wild

A CORE PROBLEM – Dad Gone Wild

A CORE PROBLEM

“Our values are the same. We disagree on policy, but we don’t disagree on humanity, we don’t disagree about love and compassion. I think that’s true for all of us — it’s just that we get lost in our fear of what’s different.” Michelle Obama speaking on her friendship with George Bush

It’s 9 AM on Friday morning, the second day of TCAP testing for MNPS students, and my fifth grader and sixth-grader are holed up in the TV room watching Fairly Odd Parents on the tube. As I’ve written before, we are a family that has elected to remain remote for the entire school year. A decision based on a desire to establish as much stability as possible. A decision that has been continually validated.

Everyone in our household knows their responsibilities and schedule. Expectations are clear. Earlier in the year, there were some…shall we say…adjustments that needed to be made, but just like in any other year we got there. Both kids received all A’s and high one high B, on their last report card. Wednesday we received a progress report in the mail that showed similar grades.

To be fair, my son has struggled with the drawing part of models in math. He can calculate the problem but has difficulty drawing out the models. His teacher has worked with him and he’s getting it. Like I said, none of it’s perfect, but continually improving.

This week, Schoology went down. I emailed my wife about it and she responded, “Bet they are CONTINUE READING: A CORE PROBLEM – Dad Gone Wild

THIS WEEK'S WILDNESS Dad Gone Wild Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it

Dad Gone Wild – Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it.

THIS WEEK'S WILDNESS 

Dad Gone Wild 

Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it

A CORE PROBLEM

by TC Weber / 16h

“Our values are the same. We disagree on policy, but we don’t disagree on humanity , we don’t disagree about love and compassion. I think that’s true for all of us — it’s just that we get lost in our fear of what’s different.” Michelle Obama speaking on her friendship with George Bush It’s 9 AM on Friday morning, the second day of TCAP testing for MNPS students, and my fifth grader and sixth-grad

A QUESTION ON NUANCE

by TC Weber / 4d

“A good intention, with a bad approach, often leads to a poor result.” ― Thomas Edison “When are you getting your vaccination shot?” My wife asked early last week. “I don’t know. Sometime soon.” “Why haven’t you already gotten it? What are you waiting for?”, she testily responded. “I don’t know. Just been busy with other things. I’ll get it this week.” “You’re not turning into one of “them’ are y

TOWARDS A MORE PERFECT UNION

by TC Weber / 7d

“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.” ― Alexis de Tocqueville These days I perpetually find myself questioning which will prove more destructive to America, the pandemic, or its fast approaching aftermath – or perhaps this was the path we were on all along and the virus just provided the accelerant. Every day see

IGNORANCE OR INTENTION

by TC Weber / 9d

“A true opium of the people is a belief in nothingness after death – the huge solace of thinking that for our betrayals, greed, cowardice, murders we are not going to be judged.” ― Czeslaw Milosz Most people enter into the education world through a desire to work with children and make a meaningful impact on the world’s future. We are greeted upon entry, by slogans like, “All children matter”, an

IT IS NEVER AS INNOCUOUS AS IT APPEARS UPON FIRST BLUSH

by TC Weber / 11d

“What was educationally significant and hard to measure has been replaced by what is educationally insignificant and easy to measure. So now we measure how well we taught what isn’t worth learning.” —Arthur L. Costa; Professor of Education, Emeritus; CA State Univ, Sacramento Every once in a while I feel the need to do a kitchen sink edition. A palate cleanser of a sort. Things pile up and I neve

THE CONTINUAL REPACKAGING AND RESELLING OF EDUCATION POLICY

by TC Weber / 14d

“Monsters exist, but they are too few in number to be truly dangerous. More dangerous are the common men, the functionaries ready to believe and to act without asking questions.” ― Primo Levi Legend has it that American’s once

Dad Gone Wild – Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it.

A QUESTION ON NUANCE – Dad Gone Wild

A QUESTION ON NUANCE – Dad Gone Wild

A QUESTION ON NUANCE

“A good intention, with a bad approach, often leads to a poor result.”
― Thomas Edison

 

“When are you getting your vaccination shot?” My wife asked early last week.

“I don’t know. Sometime soon.”

“Why haven’t you already gotten it? What are you waiting for?”, she testily responded.

“I don’t know. Just been busy with other things. I’ll get it this week.”

“You’re not turning into one of “them’ are you?”, she asked half-jokingly.

“No. I’m not turning into one of “them”. I’m one of “those”. You know, those lazy people that just haven’t figured out when and where. You gotta remember I’ve been out and about since the beginning. Taking precautions, but still going about business. I’ll get it this week.” (which I did btw)

The conversation was a lighthearted one about a heavy subject. It was also a glimpse into how we process and hold conversations about public policy. Gone are the days when there was any kind of nuance involved. Instead, we demand adherence to one manifest or another.

This morning I was reading an article in the Washington Post about the podcast “Rhinestones and Cocaine”, created by the son of country singer David Allen Coe, which seeks to give an honest history of country music. Coe launched his first season to critical acclaim in 2017 but is just now releasing season two. Insisting on doing everything himself, and refusing to cash in on his success CONTINUE READING: A QUESTION ON NUANCE – Dad Gone Wild

TOWARDS A MORE PERFECT UNION – Dad Gone Wild

TOWARDS A MORE PERFECT UNION – Dad Gone Wild

TOWARDS A MORE PERFECT UNION

“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.”
― Alexis de Tocqueville

 

These days I perpetually find myself questioning which will prove more destructive to America, the pandemic, or its fast approaching aftermath – or perhaps this was the path we were on all along and the virus just provided the accelerant.

Every day seems to bring another instance of violence perpetrated on Americans by Americans. As news of each incident spreads, it seems we quickly scan available information to determine the race of both the perpetrator and the victim, even before we process circumstances. It’s clear that we are a society in pain, but one that can’t get past the symptoms to find the cure.

The pandemic provided the perfect means to identify individual camps, better than putting on blue shirts or brown shirts. Masks vs anti-maskers. Vaccines vs anti-vaccine. Us vs Them. Now more than ever we primarily self-identify with sub-groups than we do as American’s.

Yesterday I heard a conservative commentator proudly profess that all of his liberal friends had stopped talking to him as if it was something to celebrate instead of mourn. Many of my liberal friends have expressed similar sentiments on social media as if a household can coexist when CONTINUE READING: TOWARDS A MORE PERFECT UNION – Dad Gone Wild

THIS WEEK'S WILDNESS Dad Gone Wild Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it

 Dad Gone Wild – Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it.

THIS WEEK'S WILDNESS 

Dad Gone Wild 

Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it

TOWARDS A MORE PERFECT UNION

by TC Weber / 18h

“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.” ― Alexis de Tocqueville These days I perpetually find myself questioning which will prove more destructive to America, the pandemic, or its fast approaching aftermath – or perhaps this was the path we were on all along and the virus just provided the accelerant. Every day see

IGNORANCE OR INTENTION

by TC Weber / 2d

“A true opium of the people is a belief in nothingness after death – the huge solace of thinking that for our betrayals, greed, cowardice, murders we are not going to be judged.” ― Czeslaw Milosz Most people enter into the education world through a desire to work with children and make a meaningful impact on the world’s future. We are greeted upon entry, by slogans like, “All children matter”, an

IT IS NEVER AS INNOCUOUS AS IT APPEARS UPON FIRST BLUSH

by TC Weber / 4d

“What was educationally significant and hard to measure has been replaced by what is educationally insignificant and easy to measure. So now we measure how well we taught what isn’t worth learning.” —Arthur L. Costa; Professor of Education, Emeritus; CA State Univ, Sacramento Every once in a while I feel the need to do a kitchen sink edition. A palate cleanser of a sort. Things pile up and I neve

THE CONTINUAL REPACKAGING AND RESELLING OF EDUCATION POLICY

by TC Weber / 7d

“Monsters exist, but they are too few in number to be truly dangerous. More dangerous are the common men, the functionaries ready to believe and to act without asking questions.” ― Primo Levi Legend has it that American’s once appreciated quality, and built things that last. When things broke down, we didn’t rush out and buy a new one but rather repaired the existing model. Growing up, my father

A CONTINUATION OF A DISHONEST CONVERSATION

by TC Weber / 9d

“What is morally wrong can never be advantageous, even when it enables you to make some gain that you believe to be to your advantage. The mere act of believing that some wrongful course of action constitutes an advantage is pernicious .” ― Marcus Tullius Cicero “Dada”, says my 11-year old

 Dad Gone Wild – Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it.