Wow.

I can't say anything....but, I just had something work related happen. (Yeah, for those of you who think teachers are done with work at 3? It is now 8:00pm. So, there.)

Something good.

Something that I can take a fair amount of credit for....and, it makes me VERY, very happy.

(c;

Thank you ALL for reading...and, man...I hope you all's evening go HALF as well as mine is going.

WOW.

(c;

Tommy

I say tomato, you say tomahto...

So, in the news today, we see that there are new regulations in the countries laws regarding same-sex education. At the risk of opening up a whole new can of worms, I thought I'd get everyone's opinion on that deal. What do you all think? Is same-sex education another piece of the puzzle toward educational advancement, or is it a throw back to the Brown vs. the Board of Education debates of the 50's? Is this necessarily discrimination, or is this acknowledging the possibility that boys and girls actually are different?

What do you all think?

(I'll share my view in a couple of days...)

Oh, and apparently boys are wearing their pants in a "sagging" fashion. This is news? ABC news is covering it tonight, as I type. People have been wearing their pants thusly since I was a freshman in high school!!! Argh!

All right, leave your thoughts on the gender education issue, if you would....

Thanks!

Tommy

I can be your hero baby...

So, I feel like there is a lot I want to blog about, but I don't know where to begin.

On the political front, I do enjoy a good debate. As for Obama? Well, the whole cliche' arguement about Democrat's perpetuating a welfare state seems somewhat lackluster during an administration which has done nothing to change our welfare system because it is too busy trying desperately to convince an increasingly large number of people that what we're doing in Iraq is the right thing, when all evidence would point to the contrary. (I will point out that I do think it was a good thing to depose Saddam Hussein--good as in right, or moral.) However, it has become increasingly obvious that Bush is unable--or unwilling--to acknowledge his own mistakes. And, what is worse in my opinion, Bush seems unwilling, or again unable, to acknowledge that times change. What may have worked two years ago is not necessarily going to work now. He seems to think that any change of course will play into the hands of "the enemy", and that means that we are stuck on this ridiculous path that seems to have no successful conclusion whatsoever.

Now, does Obama have the solution? I wouldn't be the right person to ask. However, according to Obama this morning on Meet the Press, Iraq is a situation with either a bad solution or a worse solution. In other words, this will not end well. So we need to be able to assess the situation realistically and to reflect on whether or not what we're doing now is leading us down that path. In all honesty, I don't see in Bush the level of character needed in order to tackle that kind of contemplation.

In other news, it flurried today, here in Kirksville, MO. I love fall, I love winter, and I love spring and summer. I love all four seasons. As my friend Aaron said to me this weekend, "Purgatory is not having four seasons." I like that.

Oh, and for those of you in the mood for a good movie, check out "In America". It's about an Irish family that moves to New York. Fan-freakin'-tastic movie.

All right. Well, enjoy the last few days of October.

And remember if you're trying to impress someone this week...it's a "dog eat dog" world, not a doggie-dog world.

Thanks for reading...

Tommy

Laugh Your Cares Away....

This is by far the greatest news out of California in YEARS.

Read this article:http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/20/film.fraggle.reut/index.html


It is GOOD.

(c;

Tommy

Greetings, beloved Readers....

Hello, and welcome to another post by....well, me.

Things have been well, since last we spoke at length.

I believe it was almost a week and a half ago, right?

Well, last week went well. Friday night Bibi was working on her capstone, so I went to a concert at a local establishment, and a good time was had by all. Some very dear friends mocked my reticence at admitting I was no longer a Republican. (As my favorite teacher from high school said, I was a republican in the original sense of the word, as in...a fan of the "republic".)

Saturday Bibi and I hung out, watched a movie, etc. Sunday, I got up and read, relaxed, and over all enjoyed the day.

This week has been good. It's funny...Parent Teacher Conference time always looms over my head as some frightening inevitability, and as always, goes unbelievably well. Had a great time, got to know my students, via their parents, a lot better. And, that's a good thing.

I'm sitting here in my house, in my gorgeous rocking chair (thanks, Gary!!!!) watching Leo sit on another chair (no, Mom, Leo's not allowed on the rocking chair!) chewing on his bone. He's a good pup. Bibi is in class right now, and I'm looking forward to the long weekend--we don't have school tomorrow b/c of the long day today. So, that's cool.

So, I'd love to keep the discussion from last time going...but, instead of knocking other people's candidates, how 'bout we just brag on our own candidates? I'd love it if our political discussions were smear free, you know?

Anyhow, I'm going to close with a quote from one of my favorite movies:

And, so life goes.
And so love goes.
And, so I go.

Carry on my brother. Carry on.

Hi everybody!!!!

Apparently, I failed window proofing day of kindergarden.

So, just a quick few updates:

1.) Election day is coming...get registered!!!!

2.) In the spirit of democracy, I wanted to let you all know about this great website about stem cell research...whatever your view, it's always better to be informed. (Thanks JNo!!!) http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basics1.asp

3.) Life is good.

So....here's your question....who do you like for president in 2008?

(c;

Tommy

Technical Question...

How do you all like the links I've had in my posts lately? Helpful? Or annoying?

--Tommy

FYI

I know that many of you are familiar with Asperger's Syndrome, which is a condition on the Autism scale. I wanted to make you all aware of something cool that will happen next Monday. NPR's wonderful program, "This I Believe" will feature an essay by a child/teen with Asperger's Syndrome. You can hear the essay on your local NPR affiliate Monday during the morning program and sometime during All Things Considered, or you can read the essay, which will be posted Monday at www.npr.org.

I thought it was pretty cool, and I wanted to share that with you all.

Also, today we had our monthly staff meeting. The meeting was about a new reading program that we will be adding next year (in addition to the one we added this year) but we also talked about something a little more noteworthy. In response to the AK47 incident in Joplin, MO, we reviewed the Kirksville School's intruder program. So, that was interesting. Safety first, and all.

And, finally, for those of you living under a rock, Kim "I'm a complete lunatic" Jung Il of North Korea threatened to fire a nuclear missle. As of this writing, it seems that Il may be compensating for an apparent problem with premature....um, firing, as we know suspect that the tests on Monday may have actually gone horribly awry.

We can only hope.

So, until next time....as long as there IS a next time....

Thanks for stopping by....

Tommy

It would seem that I'm not alone...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/10/08/ING0FLHNM21.DTL

That is all. Oh, and Michelle, yes, I'm quite familiar with www.bookcrossing.com. I love that website....it's great!

And now, back to your regularly scheduled evening/morning.

Thanks for stopping by.

Tommy

Throw the book at 'em!!!

I know I've had kind of an unintentional them going here with educational posts, but, well, when it rains, it pours.

This just in, filed under "I" for irony....

Dateline: Texas. (I think I told some people it was Florida...oops!)

Last week, during National "Banned Book Week", a parent filed a complaint on the behalf of his sophomore daughter. He objected to one of the books that her class was reading. Now, two things:

1) His daughter had opted to read something else, and was not being penalized for this choice.
2.) The book in question was "Fahrenheit 451," written by Ray Bradbury, about the perils of a society that bans books. Hmm....maybe he should have read it first.....

So, of course the fact that his daughter wasn't being forced to read the book meant that the problem was solved, right? Well, since you're reading about it here....guess again. The book was removed, entirely, from the high school library. So much for personal choice, right? Right?!

Ugh.

Here's the link....http://www.hcnonline.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17270600&BRD=1574&PAG=461&dept_id=532215&rfi=6

That's all I got. Oh, and an addendum to my earlier post about Studio 60's similarity to Sports Night. My anonymous poster was right....it's not as good as Sports Night. It never will be, because Sports Night was as close to television perfection as televions will ever again be. However, not watching a show because it isn't as good as Sports Night would mean not watching any televsion at all. So, instead of isolating myself from that medium, I'm going to accept the fact that no amount of hope, prayer, and angry letters threatening boycott to "the powers that be" will bring back the show, and I"m going to watch my DVD's as much as possible, and then? I'm going to watch Studio 60 because regardless of the show...Aaron Sorkin is the finest writer of televsion today.

So, there ya go.

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Tommy

If you're driving out to the stadium this weekend....don't forget to take your car.

For those of you Sports Night fans....apparently, it's back. It's changed it's name to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and instead of a sports show, it's a sketch comedy show (ala' Saturday Night Live) but, well, it's Sports Night. So, you know...that's cool. (c;

Tommy

this just in....

For those of you who didn't watch/read the news today, sad, sad news out of Pennsylvania. What a shame....what a damn shame.

Oh, and Brad sent me a link that really fit in nicely with our discussion of trade schools and vocational training...so, here it is: http://www.thenewatlantis.com/archive/13/crawford.htm

I found it interesting, and the timing fit in well.

I'll write more later, but I just wanted to let people know about these things.

Thanks for stopping by...

Tommy

Life Imitates Art

I just heard about this, and wanted to share. A teacher in Texas took her fifth grade class to an Art Museum. (So far, so good.) While at the museum, one of her fifth graders inadvertantly saw a nude sculpture. The parents of said child claimed that the kid was permanently scarred for life, and would suffer immeasurable emotional harm. So, what happened? The teacher was fired. Huh. Thoughts?

Just finished The Human Story. Really enjoyed it. Great overview of human history, and I've just started The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyon. Good stuff.

All right, so thoughts about the teacher issue....

(Thanks for stopping by...)

Tommy

When the day is done....

Well, as I've said, it's been a week. Bibi and I had a nice time tonight. We took Lil' Leo to the vet, and got him all taken care of. He was so good at the Vet's office, and we felt really good on our way home. We have a better idea of how much to feed him, he got his shot, and we are going to take him back in about a month. We then took Leo to the quad at Truman and played with him for awhile. He chased a tennis ball and his frisbee for almost an hour. We also have a play date scheduled for sometime tomorrow with some other canine friends. Good times.

However, things were obviously not so good this week. For those of you living under a rock, there were two school shootings this week. Both were tragic events, but were tragic in their own right. The first has left the five young women, and six families permanently scarred. The second event, which just happened today, left a high school principal dead. A fifteen year old kid killed his principal. Unfortunately this had to occur in the light of the conversation this week about whether or not teaching was dangerous.

However, it's even more appropriate for other reasons. This week on this blog, as well as in our country right now as a whole, we are as divided as we have ever been before. Seems to me that people believe so fervently in what they see as truth that they are unable to see the value in polite discourse. I'm not, and please don't get me wrong on this, picking on any one person, or trying to point out one person. I would say that arrogance and condescension is just as antagonistic as all out name calling and insults. I don't want to seem trite or cliche', but...well, it just seems so unnecessary. Why can't we all just get alo....no, I'm not going to go that route. Why can't we be respectful? Why can't we treat each other with respect? We are NOT our values. We would like to believe that we are....we would like to believe that we fit neatly into a nice little package defined by that which we hold to be truth. But, the "truth" is, we are ALL hypocrites. (The one finger pointed at all of you leaves three fingers and a thumb pointing back at yours truly.) We all fall short of the glory of our ideals, no matter WHAT those ideals may be. Why can't we just acknowledge those short-comings? Why have we allowed our ideals and beliefs to bring us to the point where people are no longer able to have impassioned, and yet respectful, discussions about politics? Why can't we get passed the idea that we have to PROVE ourselves to be right, and just come to the table seeking understanding? Understanding does not mean agreeing, and one of the most important lessons I've EVER learned in life is that intelligent, thoughtful people can consider the same information and "facts" that I am seeing and come up with a completely different conclusion. Thus is life.

Ok...so, funny story. I signed on right now to jokingly write that my next topic would be on abortion, or gay rights, you now, something "safe" and sure to cause no stir whatsoever. However, I ended up sounding pompous, I'm sure. Sorry.

All right, I'm going to leave you all with a funny story:
June 29, 2000: I go for a post-dinner walk to enjoy the evening. As I'm nearing my apartment, I suddenly feel something wet on my neck. I feel it...it is clear. I look up. And there, in the tree above me. A squirrel. A squirrel....who peed on me.
September 12, 2006: I take Lil' Leo out for a walk after dinner. While walking, I feel something mushy on my forehead. (All right, all right...it's not a forehead, it's a fivehead.) I put my hand up to feel it. Then I look up. A squirrel. A SQUIRREL. A DAMN SQUIRREL DEFACATED ON MY HEAD!!! Now, I'm not sure, but....I think it was the same one. And, I think it was laughing at me.

Damn dirty squirrels.

Thanks for stopping by....

Tommy

PS: For those who were never formally invited to answer the question, here it is: "What is the most important lesson you've learned in life?" I know it seems random....but there is relevance here....I'm sure.

Come in from the Rain

Well! What a week it's been, eh? We've had some great discussions going, and I want to say thank you to all who participated. It's funny....I've been asking questions to my readers from some time now, in each post, and I've tried often to spark interesting debates. I really did not think that would happen when I posted on my educational theory last week. Kudo's to all of you who participated. Next topic?

And, I'd like to welcome my new friends from California....although I've never heard of Tujunga before. And, how close is that to Oxnard?

(c;

Thanks for stopping by....

Tommy

The Long and Winding Post

OK. Here I go! I’m going to go point by point, beginning with the first poster and moving on through them….so, if you read the comments to the previous post, you’ll be on track, and if you didn’t, well….I think you really should.

“Anonymous”: The reason that it took so long to reply is that I was contemplating whether it was possible for someone to hold such utterly negative views about teachers. I didn’t want to come back angrily, because chances are that if you really feel that way, it’s because of some awful teacher/student relationship that you had, and I didn’t want to add to it. However, whether you were serious or not, I believe it important to address your points.

First of all, I think we do have private schools. Those are mostly available to the wealthy, and schooling, I believe, should be available to all. If you disagree, I would ask you to explain how exactly you would solve the ensuing rampant rise in crime, poverty, and unemployment that would occur by limiting educational opportunities to the vast majority of Americans who could not afford private schooling. It would be inevitable.

Second. Paying teachers based on student performance? If you want to move in that direction, then I would have to suggest that you look into how parents would then be held accountable for the work done at home. Also, your previous suggestion that we withhold education from the poor and less economically independent would seem to compound this problem.

Third: I agree. Too many teachers do complain about our salaries. We knew what we were getting into when we began teaching. However, I do take issue with the idea that teachers work 8-3 for nine months out of the year. Most teachers, myself included, work until 5 or 6 (at the minimum) while arriving at work before 7. (One of my coworkers is at work at 6am everyday.) We also spend, on average, something like $1500 out of our own pocket each year. (Newer teachers end up spending much more.) Teachers work weekends, holidays and most, as JNo said, do teach or work over the summer. So, yes, the actual “teaching” part is mostly from 8-3, but that is hardly the entirety of our job.

Next, would come your comment about my presumption that I can write educational policy. I don’t believe that I am “writing educational policy”. I believe that I made a comment for the general public’s review about what might be done to help our current educational system. However, aside from the somewhat specious argument about Bill Gates, you did not specifically address the validity of my comments. So, I’m curious….what in particular about my suggestions would lead you to believe that I am unable to come up with solutions to educational problems. (In other words, what was wrong with my suggestions?)

As far as salaries are concerned? Well, I’m not really concerned with them at all. I am, however, concerned with the notion that you do not consider teaching “hard”. I don’t think that I will be able to convince you otherwise, but I hardly think that teachers who take their jobs seriously have an “easy” job. It may not be a matter of immediate life and death, but I would say that inspiring minds, and leading young people to the realization that education is a gateway to greater things, while combating the numerous hindrances and obstacles that we face each day (drugs, alcohol, bad parents, violence in school, and the overwhelming number of students who are disillusioned, over-medicated, under-medicated and spoiled…just to name a few) is of some consequence beyond the “A-/B+” oversimplification.

Not dangerous? Just talk to the teachers in Columbine, Kentucky, Arkansas, Minnesota, as well as the 40 other schools around the world in the last TEN years alone that have had incidents of gun violence that have resulted in deaths. Not to mention the numerous problems that we all know plague inner-city schools, as well as many non inner-city schools.

I don’t know about you, but the ability to get a job? Seems a bit profitable to me. Now, it may require a bit of patience and the ability to see past tomorrow, but I don’t think it any less profitable then your stock broker example.

You claim that teachers don’t need to be intelligent? Well, no, to a bad, ineffective teacher, one doesn’t need to be intelligent. In order to rally 25 diverse individuals around one topic, to inspire and prod, to creatively and thoughtfully manage and instill values (that are inherent in the learning process itself) to spark curiosity, to push students to higher levels of achievement….these things DO indeed take intelligence.


Now, Brad. Why are schools responsible for feeding children? Unfortunately because some parents are not able to—and some are not willing to. It’s that simple. That is why we feed them. Because if we don’t…sometimes NO one will.

Why is it the schools job to educate pregnant teenagers? Because I don’t want to, nor would I ever, restrict my teaching services. I teach her because that teenage mother is no less deserving of an education than any other student.

However, I will say that I agree wholeheartedly that vocational schools are given a completely undeserved reputation. I don’t believe that college is for everyone. I don’t think that it should be. I think that vocational schools should be given the respect that any other institution is given.

Unfortunately, your oversimplification of the roles of teachers vs. doctors is beneath you and your obvious intellect and class. Don’t let the anger of a few individuals lower the level of discourse. Teachers do much more than assign grades; our jobs demand more than parent-teacher conferences, and our hours are far beyond detention duty.

I can only speak for myself, but I don’t believe that all 14-16 year olds are INCAPABLE of knowing what they want, but I don’t think that that means that we need to open the option to all students. I imagine that many students would unknowingly limit their own chances and opportunities by picking something their friends would pick or their parents pick for them. (They are, after all, minorities, and would still be under the guidance of the parents.) I don’t think any kids should be forced into any path…but I don’t think any kids should be limited from any paths, either. Education is about opening opportunities.

Your next point? Segregating classes based on gender? Actually, there is much evidence to suggest that this is very beneficial, especially in inner-city situations. I personally think it’s a great option.

FINALLY. To all of my readers, I honestly appreciate your interest in this topic. The great thing about America is our ability to disagree and still have open lines of communication. I would, however, ask that you leave respectful comments. And, to my anonymous poster: Please. If you would like to continue the dialogue, as I would, kindly put a name to your posts, whether it be real or not, I couldn’t care less. It would be helpful if everyone was able to identify precisely with whom they are dialoguing.

That is all. And, once again…your thoughts?

Tommy

Clarifications and responses

All right....I will be responding to the post comments I've received, but I wanted to clarify something. I have only one anonymous poster for the previous post--and that would be the first and fourth comments. The fifth and sixth comments go together, and that would be Brad. Now, while I don't necessarily agree with all of Brad's comments (I'll be discussing that all later) I did want to make sure that all my readers understand that Brad did at the very least have the courage to put his name to the post. So, kudo's Brad, and thank you for taking the time to respond.

Now, before I get to the meat of the "other anonymous" poster, I will say this...I encourage you to find a teacher and tag along for the day. I think you might just be surprised at what you see. I could be wrong, but I think you might be surprised.

All right...I will be posting a "point-by-point" to this Mr. Anonymous later. Have a great evening, and I'll see you soon again....

Thanks for stopping by....stay tuned....

Tommy

A brief change of pace...

So, I've been thinking a lot about educational policy in the United States. And, more specifically, the educational policies in my own state, Missouri.

I recently read an article on slate.com about the apparent uselessness of homework at the elementary level. At first brush, I will be honest, I took issue with the notion. "How dare they presume to know more about what I'm doing than I do." I mean, we're given so much content that we have to cover, to convey, to teach, for goodness' sake, and there is only so much time in the day.

However, it didn't end there. It was like a virus in the back of my mind....constantly coming to the forefront of my thoughts....it was really frustrating. So, I kept thinking about it. And, here are my thoughts on this topic. Do with them what you will.

I think we need to completely revolutionize the state standards here in Mo. The state expectations state that we need to have students reading at a "proficient" level, they need to be performing at a certain level mathematically, and all students need to have a fairly sophisticated grasp of American history (fifth grade level) and numerous scientific concepts as well.

Before I go on, I must say....it hurts me to say what I'm about to say. I LOVE teaching social studies....it's my absolute favorite topic, and it's the highlight of my day. I LOVE it. So, as I said, it pains me to suggest...

We stop teaching social studies and science in the elementary level. Completely. Cut. It. Out. Instead of teachers scrambling to fullfill all kinds of, in all honesty, daunting curriculum, we focus entirely on emphasizing the many facets of reading; enjoyment of, comprehension, fluency, reading strategies, etc. We allow kids the time to actually do...oh, I don't know, some reading on their own....that we work in small groups, large groups, mixed groups, leveled groups, silent reading, partner reading, oral reading, individual reading. In that context, teachers would have the freedom to include many different genres of literature. We could introduce kids to fiction, nonfiction, poetry, reference, fun books, serious books, biographies, historical fiction, science fiction, magazines, environmental reading skills. In this context, not only would kids be reading, but when they got to middle school and high school they would be fully prepared for--and up to the challenge of--science and social studies reading. They would also, potentially, have a much broader base of background reading to use in their classes, and....in real life.

I was thinking back on all this, and I don't for the life of me remember studying at any length science of social studies before fifth grade. All we did was read up until that time. (I may be totally off, but that's my recollection anyway.)

How does all this relate to the original slate magazine article? If we didn't have social studies and science requirements, we would have much more time to focus on reading (and writing skills) and we wouldn't need to assign massive amounts of homework to our young children.

So. There you go. Those are my thoughts on the state of education today.....what are yours?

Thanks for stopping by...

Tommy

It's a dog eat dog world, and so help me I'm wearing milk bone underwear

All right sports fans....here he is....in all of his wet dog glory....Leo.....the newest member of the Estlund family....


Just wanted to post that....

Friday Night Lights

Hello, faithful readers.

I feel like I need to explain my absence in the "blogosphere". It's not that I don't have things that I want to write about--I do; nor is it that I am tired of blogging--I'm not. Honestly, September 11th was really hard this year. I don't know what it is...but I found myself wanting to write something profound...something meaningful...something the clearly expressed what I was thinking....but I just didn't think I could do it. At least, not like Sarah, Jim, Rachel, and all of my other friends who summed up what this sad but important occassion meant. So...I'm just going to leave it that it was hard. It probably always will be.

Work has been challenging. Complexities exist in all vocations, as does a certain amount of negativity. I've just felt this week like there is a substantial increase in the level of bad vibes around the place, and it's really disheartening. It's sad really. I can't go any more into specifics, but if you're interested, you can ask when you see me next.

Bibi has been amazing, through all of this. She's been a wonderful companion and shoulder; a great partner, altogether. I feel very blessed and fortunate. (I think that's kind of the point of marriage....being and having a partner, but still....makes one feel quite content in the midst of anything else that is going on knowing that I can count on her, and that she can count on me. It's good....you know?)

I"m reading a book now on the history of the human race. (I know, pretty broad topic, eh?) It's interesting...I've never read much on Greek history, Chinese history, or...well, European history in general. So, I'm enjoying that. Leo is biting my foot right now, so I should go play with him. Oh, I guess I could update you all on Leo. He is getting bigger before our eyes, and Bibi and I walk him at least twice a day. (Starting Monday it might be three times a day.) He's really cute thought, and he's really smart.

In case anyone doesn't know...November is National Novel Writing Month. There is a website dedicated to encouraging people to write 50,000 words in the month of November. (Ideally, all on the same topic--it is NOVEL writing month, not disjointed anecdote writing month!)

I've got an idea, and I"m looking forward to participating this month.

So...here's my question. It's a bit random, but I'm curious. Which do you think has changed the course of history more: The Physical Sciences, or the Social Sciences? Discuss.

No, seriously.

Thanks for stopping by!

Tommy