Tag: edublogs

Blue Serials (2/22/16) #OKElections16 Special Edition

~ Blue Cereal

White Rabbit

February is a Hectic Time in the World of Edu-slation.

There are deadlines to be met in getting bills heard in committee, and variations on several themes are simultaneously being bounced around in the State House and the State Senate. 

Parents are calling and emailing, bloggers are bullying and grawlixing, and even the legit news sites are scrambling to keep up with the madness. 

For those of you not fully immersed in the more fussified issues of the day, I’ve been maintaining an easy-to-use guide of sorts on the #OKElections16 section of this website. I thought it might be helpful TODAY, however, to boil even THAT down to a few highlights on some of the major issues in #OklaEd this week. Maybe you’ve heard them discussed, perhaps even offered opinions of your own, but deep down inside you know you haven’t had the time to actually, um… research. 

That’s OK. I’m here for you. There, there… let it all out. I’ve got you. All better?

Mad Hatter Tea Party

ESAs / Vouchers:

Tulsa World Editorial: Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship program is constitutional, and still a bad idea – The Tulsa World (2/17/16) – If you don’t subscribe to the Tulsa World, you’re doing EVERYTHING wrong. No offense. 

A Week of Gains for School Choice Efforts – Nate Robson and Jennifer Palmer, Oklahoma Watch (2/16/16) – So… good times, eh?

Do ESAs Pass The Lemon Test? – David Burton, Idealistically Realistic (2/14/16) – Let’s talk constitutionality, especially since fighting so many losing causes is expensive – and apparently we’re broke. 

HB2949 and John Green – Claudia Swisher, Fourth Generation Teacher (2/14/16) – Who, exactly, is public education FOR?

The Blaine Game, Part One (Information) – Blue Cereal Education (2/6/16) – This one’s me, but GOLLY my stuff is THAT GOOD!

Top 10 Reasons School Choice is No Choice – Steven Singer, GadflyOnTheWallBlog (1/27/16) – And right in the middle of ‘Celebrate School Choice Week’! Singer’s not #oklaed, but he’s dead on with this one and it applies x1000 here. 

A Call To Arms – A View From The Edge (12/1/15) – A look at the rhetorical shenanigans surrounding ESAs/Vouchers

Chesire Legislator

Funding Education in Oklahoma

The Facts About Oklahoma Education – Oklahoma Education Coalition

As Legislators Weigh School Cuts, a Rising Outcry From Parents and Advocates – Jennifer Palmer and Nate Robson, Oklahoma Watch (2/19/16) – Turns out even in Oklahoma, people get touchy when they figure out you’re trying to screw over their kids even more.

James Frasier: Government cowardice to blame for Oklahoma’s mess – James Frasier, Guest Editorial in The Tulsa World (2/17/16)

10th Amendment & #OklaEd – David Burton, Idealistically Realistic (2/11/16) – With States’ Rights comes States’ Responsibilities… this is one of my favorite posts EVER on the subject of state government and public education.

Cut The Crap, Not The Budget – OKEducationTruths (12/17/15) – Education $$, State Tax Policy, and don’t piss down my back and tell me it’s raining. 

Alice Croquet

General Budget Shenanigans:

Sales Tax Exemptions: A Puzzling Roster of Haves and Have-Nots – Warren Vieth, Oklahoma Watch (2/18/16) – The good news is, it’s not just Oil & Gas Bigwigs being catered to by state legislators. Or is that the bad news?

The tax shift rears its head – Gene Perry, Oklahoma Policy Institute (2/16/16) – When tax cuts for the rich don’t work, cut taxes for the rich MORE and go after the poor. What could possibly go wrong?

Thousands of Oklahoma state employees given raises despite budget woes – Randy Ellis, The Oklahoman (2/7/16) – This was the trigger to my complete and total meltdown later that day. 

Budget Trends and Outlook – January 2016 – Oklahoma Policy Institute (1/19/16) – Clear facts and visual aids about budget decisions in OK over the past five years. And I love good visual aids. 

The Oklahoma Budget Crisis Hasn’t Hurt Everyone – Rob Miller, A View From The Edge (1/10/16) – Funny how the same guy assuring us that brutal cuts are a great “opportunity” keeps getting substantial raises every year. Why can’t he have some “opportunity” as well?

Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dummer

Keep yourself informed and STAY INVOLVED.

All that stuff about your voice making a difference may or may not have a basis in reality when it comes to national elections or whether or not your wife can raise those kids however she pleases, but it DOES have impact in state and local politics. Remember – be polite, be informed, be concise, and move on. 

Check my brilliant Candidate Profiles to see if your Representative or Senator has been profiled, and know who your people are and how they’re voting. You don’t have to agree with me about everything, but if you don’t agree with me about most things, you’re probably wrong.

Bless you, my #11FF – Keep Being Amazing. You are more necessary than you’ll ever know to those you’d least expect. 

Blue Serials (2/21/16)

~ Blue Cereal

What’s The Point Of It All?

Pinocchio This weekly wrap-up, I mean – the ‘Blue Serials’ compilations appearing here most weekends?

That’s a fair question. I don’t always know until I’ve been doing something for awhile.

Mostly this is a ‘Best Of’ for the prior week in edu-bloggery. From time to time, however, I simply can’t resist highlighting other sporadic marvels of the wonder-webs. My love for YOU, esteemed #11FF, is such that I’m willing to bend both title and format in order to enrich your online edu-experience. 

You’re so welcome. 

So while this is a crazy wild week in state edu-slation, let’s set that aside for a few glorious moments and bask in a few things you simply SHOULD NOT MISS from the past week.

The Significance of a Diamond-Studded Bicycle, c1890 – Isabella Bradford of Two Nerdy History Girls analyzes a brooch. (Yes, the kind a lady would pin on her lapel.) You know I already have a thing for chicks on two wheels; add some primary source analysis (yes, a brooch is a primary source) and I’m in edu-blog heaven. Go read this – it’s short and sexy and you’ll feel smarter for having done so.

While you’re there, check out this post on the first guy to suggest that germs – tiny things we can’t see – were the underlying cause of diseases, and the mockery and backlash which followed. Yes, it’s almost science, but the MARVELOUS use of LANGUAGE in the primary sources (textual this time) nearly gave me a special moment.

When you’ve recovered, be sure to follow @2nerdyhistgirls on the Twitters and enjoy the shenanigans. They are a trip and a half, I assure you. 

Benjamin Franklin’s Madness-Inducing Machine – Ben Miller, on Out of This Century, introduces us to one of Franklin’s lesser-known inventions – ‘the glass harmonica’ – and it’s ability to DESTROY YOUR BRAIN! For those of us who grew up listening to warnings about backward masking in rock’n’roll, and the dangers of syncopated percussion on our inner workings, this is particularly amusing.

If you don’t cotton much to that psycho-musical mumbo jumbo, you might wish to begin with this post instead about self-defense for Victorian gentlemen in the unfortunate event they find themselves “assaulted by ruffians!” Either way, you simply MUST follow @oothiscentury on the Twitters and either destroy your brain or defend your honor. Heck, maybe you can do both. 

The Strange Company Newspaper Clipping of the Day (February 17th, 2016) – The pseudonymous Undine, purveyor of Strange Company, has a fetish for odd or inexplicable stories sticking inconveniently through the veneer of history. I particularly enjoyed this one, about an ossified man turned to marble by efforts to cremate his body – or so the story goes. I can’t help but think there’s an unintended metaphor here as well, for those of you deep-thinky enough to denude such things. Your daily online journey will be richer and weirder if you follow @HorribleSanity on the Twitters. 

But Blue – Isn’t This An “Education” Blog?

Yes, of course – the most educationalistic, in fact! 

Applying Essential Questions in Workshop by Cyndi Faircloth – from Three Teachers Talk – Don’t be put off by the uber-serious title of this guest post by Faircloth; this is golden teacher talk. While the specifics are about literature and ‘workshop model’ instruction, this is first and foremost PLC-style sharing. 

“After almost twenty years of teaching, I’m starting to think I might be getting the hang of it. I’ve used essential questions over the past few years, but they weren’t producing the deep discussion and analysis that I’d hoped for…” So she tried this and then this other thing but then WHOAH the learning descended and there was much rejoicing.

I find this mindset towards collaboration SO much more engaging than the usual buy-my-book approach (“WHY ARE YOU DOING THINGS THE OLD STUPID WAY WHEN I HAVE ANECDOTES ABOUT HOW GREAT I AM?!” – available now wherever insecure educators gather!) This post makes me excited even about the stuff I’m trying that’s NOT working, and where it COULD go.

And as long as we’re on the site…

Choice Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Personal Connection: A Reflection for a Do-Over – Amy Rasmussen, Three Teachers Talk – “So all afternoon and into the evening I’ve thought about thinking. I’ve thought about my students’ thinking. And I’ve determined the problem: Many of my students are not doing it.”

Oh my glowing baby-in-a-manger. Can you be in love with two posts at once? (Did you just hear the pop song parodies sliding into readers’ minds all over the blogosphere?)

Every educator – especially ELA folks, but really everyone – should totally marry this blog. Subscribe, of course, and follow THE THREE on the Twitters – @amyrass, @litreader, and @jackiecatcher. You can thank me after you change the world even gooder as a result.

When #OklaEd Blogger Anthony Purcell issued his 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Challenge a few weeks ago, I’m not sure he anticipated the response. I certainly didn’t, but I loved the idea, so I compiled those of which I was aware two weeks ago right here on the weekend update. But good ones just kept coming in, so I kept adding them to the list. I’m pretty sure I’ve missed several along the way – please let me know if so! In the meantime…

Challenge Answered… – In this post on One Good Thing, Lisa Witcher tackles the #12345 Challenge and both reminds me how fortunate I am to know her and makes me wish I’d been half so poignant in my own response. Oh well, we can’t all be that good. Follow @MzWitch11 on the Twitters yourself – but be careful, she’s way insightful and it’s hard to get away with much around her. #OklaEd 

Five – This response by Rebecka Peterson of EPSILON-DELTA is one of my favorites – especially in regards to #4. Peterson is one of those teachers that makes me love the entire profession, despite knowing in my mind that few are of quite her caliber. But some are – and the possibilities that creates… well, heck – maybe we can change the world, kinda? Follow @RebeckaMozdeh on the Twitters, and ask her about her new little person.  #OklaEd 

Alright, my children – Illegitimi Non Carborundum!

We’ll be back to #OklaEd and #OKElections16 inanity and periodic glimmers of forward momentum soon, darlings. You’ve got this. You may not feel like it every day, but you’ve GOT THIS.  

[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_small”,”fid”:”1821″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”}}]]

Blue Serials (2/14/16)

~ Blue Cereal

Happy Forced Affection Day! 

Yet another faux consumerist holiday built on male terror of ‘getting it wrong’ (or is that just me?) To be fair, it’s also a wonderful opportunity to belittle those without a ‘significant other’ and suggest they’re in some way inadequate or doing life badly based on our cultural need to demand reproductive rituals of all 320 million of our neighbors right damn now!

I’m rather blessed to have found a really good one and trapped her early. It’s been long enough now that it’s not worth the trouble of sheddin’ me, so she stays. I don’t usually do personal nods here, but since I’ve been exposed to the world as a vitriolic issue-blurrer, I might as well say “I love you” on Valentine’s Day.

[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_small”,”fid”:”1797″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”}}]]

Sorry you’re stuck with someone ruining the children, honey. Oh – and can you pick up cilantro on the way home? The bunnies are out. 

But Let’s Talk About Love and Commitment, and Voices and Power. 

They’re not so unrelated, are they?

Identity, Power, and Education’s Algorithms – Audrey Watters, writing on Medium.com, starts off talking about changes to Twitter and ends up wrestling with the many ways power and the dominant narrative force and reinforce themselves in education and other realms. This one made my brain and my soul hurt at the same time – usually a good sign I need to pay closer attention. Follow Watters on the newer, more capitalistic Twitter at @audreywatters. 

Burn It Down – Tom Rademacher, of Mr. Rad”s Neighborhood, tackles a similar theme much closer to home. “Whiteness is f***ing up schools. Whiteness is creating failure. Whiteness is blaming the victims of racism and genocide for being victims of racism and genocide, and suggesting what they really need is to be around a lot more white people… Yes, the system is failing them. Because it is supposed to.”

I know, right? The thing is, if it makes you mad just reading that bit, he’s already hit a nerve. So read it all. Several times. I triple-dog-dare you. *makeschickennoises* Follow Mr. Rad on the Twitters at @MrTomRad.

Risk and Rules – It’s not every week that we turn to Curmudgucation to LIGHTEN the mood, and this one isn’t exactly a knee-slapper, but Peter Greene has written a great post about the tricky and ever-shifting balancing act between rigid expectations / mandated outcomes and all of the instinctive, seat-of-the-pants, people-serving guesswork we do with it, through it, or instead of it.

Beauty, the Rip, and Expectations – While we’re at it, a more recent post also from Curmudgucation about expectations and messages. IF YOU SKIP EVERYTHING ELSE IN THIS WEEKLY WRAP-UP, READ/WATCH THIS ONE. Later, of course, you’ll have to deal with the shame and self-loathing which naturally result from missing the other amazing things shared this week – but at least you’ll have this one. Follow Greene on the new, more Facebooky Twitter at @palan57.

And Now I Simply Must Talk #OklaEd.

The House Edu-Committee hears the first of the eleventeen or so Vouchers/ESA/Tax-Supported-White-Flight bills put forth this session on Monday (2/15/16). 

As you call, or write, or visit, please remember – we’re trying to convince them we’re professionals and stuff like that. Be clear, concise, polite, and precise. They’re busy this time of year – the good ones, the bad ones, the useless ones, and the ones with tons of potential. Modify your strategies accordingly. 

We need to woo them, not earn spots on Maury Povich with them. Oh, and read these before you begin:

10th Amendment & #OklaEd – David Burton of Idealistically Realistic explains why “states’ rights” implies and intends “states’ obligations.” This one should be celebrated across the edu-nation, especially in states who – like ours – proudly seek an ignorant, incarcerated, and impregnated populace with all their lofty might, because… federalism! Follow Burton on the Twittering at @psalmofdavid. #oklaed 

Please Stop Digging! – Rob Miller, A View From The Edge. The public at large may not realize that while some are still calling for teacher raises or better support or whatever, most of us at this point are simply in fetal positions wrapped around as many of our kids as we can shield, begging power to put the whip down for awhile. We get it! You gave all the money to your wealthy donors! You hate us because… equity is communism, or something! Put down the shovel and step away from the bloodied remains of what was already a broken system…

Miller puts it more professionally, of course – he’s not as unreasonable as I am. Just between you and me, I don’t think he even deserved to be slandered in that MiddleGround piece. I’m WAY more destructive to the youth of America than he could be on HIS BEST DAY. If you don’t believe me, follow Rob on Twitter at @edgeblogger and see for yourself.  #oklaed 

Two Things: Call Me A (Civil) Naysayer – Rick Cobb, aka OKEducationTruths, the third member of the #OklaEd issue-blurring, vitriolic trifecta of hurtful commentary, brashly and unprofessionally uses partisan political ideology like facts, quotes, figures, and a hair metal video from the 80’s, to question the sincerity and practicality of all these faux calls for ‘teacher raises’ and this sudden ‘support’ for public education in Oklahoma. And he’s doing it on a forum to which CHILDREN have access! The rest of the internet is so pure, and he has to go ruin it for everyone. Be corrupted by Cobb on the Twittering at @okeducation and decide for yourself which of us is the MOST evil. (Hint: ME.)  #oklaed 

The Blaine Game, Part One (Information) – by Me, The Unbearable Blueness of Cereal. I don’t normally link to myself here, but this is my best shot at explaining the background issues to the ESA/Voucher debate starting up again on Monday (2/15/16). I’ll also keep updating the #OKElections16 page related to ESAs/Vouchers, which reminds me that I have a few things to add even today.  #oklaed 

Meaning I Gotta Go!

Happy V.D. The day is what you make it – choose to love someone in some way, or yourself better than you have been. Then go teach the %#&* out of those little @#%$ for the same %#$*{“|= reason – stubborn, reality-free, idealistic, chosen love. They need you now more than ever – that’s not feel good motivation-talk; it’s simply so. 

[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_small”,”fid”:”1798″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”}}]]

RELATED POST: For far more updates to the #12345 challenge than I ever anticipated, check out last week’s Blue Serials (2/7/16). They just keep coming in – and they make me feel SO much better to read. 

Blue Serials (2/7/16) – Updated

~ Blue Cereal

Sometimes lyrics just speak to you…

[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_small”,”fid”:”1786″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”}}]]

I can’t stand it I know you planned it – I’m gonna set it straight, this watergate

I can’t stand rocking when I’m in here, because your crystal ball ain’t so crystal clear

You’re scheming on a thing that’s a mirage – I’m trying to tell you now it’s sabotage…

Excuse me – I need a tissue, and not just for this rather touching moment. The 2016 legislative season started this week as well. It’s not the ONLY reason to cry these days, but it’s certainly one of the biggest. 

Keep tabs on the issues and inform yourself this election year with #OKElections16, brought to you by Blue Cereal – because I care enough to ruin your day.

Nevertheless, there are SO MANY GOOD THINGS you simply shouldn’t miss in…

Essential Edubloggery This Week

On The Turning Away – Rick Cobb of OKEducationTruths figures that as long as our state legis don’t believe we need no education, he might as well explore the issues they’re creating using Pink Floyd lyrics (hence my inspiration for the title above). #oklaed

Alice’s Adventures in Public Ed – Jennifer Williams as JennWillTeach explores a day in the life of the average student through the eyes of a famous literary character. I’ll let you guess which one. This one is a bit dark – but it hurts so brilliantly. #oklaed

2-Minute Zen: Just One Thing – Dan Tricarico as The Zen Teacher has a gift for lowering your blood pressure and decluttering your world in simple ways that seem so obvious once pointed out, but you’d completely miss otherwise. He could probably do this with song lyrics or literary references, but why complicate things, right?

Tips to Avoid Frustration

And this week, we all learned how to count to five…

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 – Anthony Purcell on Random Teacher Thoughts started something he maybe didn’t quite mean to when he issued an edu-blogger challenge built around a simple series of five questions. His timing couldn’t have been better – to be honest, I think we all really needed it this week. #oklaed

Here (in no particular order) are some of the responses so far. I’M POSITIVE I’VE MISSED A FEW GOOD ONES – please email me or call me out on the Twitters as you discover them and I’ll add them here. There’s not one of these that doesn’t make me feel better about teaching in this sorry state.

5 4 3 2 1 – Meghan Loyd, For The Love  

5, 4, 3, 2, 1… And We’re Off! – Scott Haselwoood, Teaching From Here

Challenge Answered… – Lisa Witcher, One Good Thing

5-4-3-2-1 or 1-2-3-4-5, or whatever… – Cory Williams, An Early Model Millenial

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Challenge – Rick Cobb, OKEducationTruths

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Challenge – Kimberly Blodgett, KimBlodgett

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 – Kelly Husted, OklaEdFam

1… 2… 3… 4… 5… called out – T.M. Lunday, middleschoolstationconductor

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 – A Bloggers Challenge – Erin Barnes, Educating Me

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 – Jason James, Thoughts on Oklahoma Education

Anthony’s Challenge – Eric Johnson, ‘YourKids’ Teacher

Purcell’s Challenge – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 – Zuzuz Petals, Keep The Wheat

1, 2, 3, 4, 5! – Jen Doty, Teaching CI Mandarin

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Blogger Challenge – Lady Mellot, Choosing the Road Not Taken

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 #OklaEd Blog Challenge – Jennifer Lea, The Tempered Teacher

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (Guest Blogger: Matt Cone) – Matt Cone, who doesn’t have a blog, but if he did, I’d SO TOTALLY marry it every day. 

Five Questions – Peter Anderson, Mr. Anderson Reads & Writes

1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 – Marvel’s Agents of Ed

5 Questions – Katlyn Bennett, Reader, Teacher… Writer?

Challenging Thoughts & Culture – Andrew Kauffman, Curiosity, Exploration, Wonder

5, 4, 3, 2, One-derful! – Kas Nelson, A Principal’s Place

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Blogging Challenge – The Evolving Educator

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 – Response to Purcell’s Edu-Blogger Challenge – The Unbearable Blueness of Cereal, Blue Cereal Education

I can’t give you reasons to keep going this week, darlings – but these folks have. I can only thank you, and love you, and tell you that we must.

Illegitimum non carborundum; Domine salvum fac.

Trickle Down

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 – Response to Purcell’s Edu-Blogger Challenge

~ Blue Cereal ~ 1 Comment

You might think that these open ‘Edu-Blogger Challenges’ could be received as a task, or a distraction. I find most of them quite the opposite.

The freedom that comes in being asked questions or assigned a topic and a word limit may be paradoxical, but it’s freedom nonetheless. 

This particular challenge was issued by Anthony Purcell on Random Teacher Thoughts. Having finally met him – sort of – I can’t help but want to jump in and try to shine. His blog may be a sporadic arena, but he’s, like… all legit and stuff in person. 

Kinda makes me wish I’d shaved or worn a tie or something, you know?

You can find the original challenge – along with Purcell’s own responses – here. 

What has been your ONE biggest struggle during this school year?

I never want to be that teacher who throws up my arms in exasperation at how helpless and hopeless and victimized “this” group is compared to “how they were” X number of years ago. 

That being said, I find myself throwing up my proverbial arms in exasperation at how helpless and hopeless and victimized each group is compared to the last. I love them dearly, but we’ve long ago given up focusing on teaching history, or even history skills. Most of my energy is spent trying to drag them into the possibility that they have brains, and that by using them they can find solutions to the most mundane issues of their day – and maybe even figure out possible responses to my assignments as well. 

[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_small”,”fid”:”414″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”}}]]

Share TWO accomplishments that you are proud of from this school year.

First, I’ve given up on professional boundaries. 

OK, that’s a bit of an overstatement. I’m old and tired and tenured enough, though, that I’ve stopped worrying about whether or not I SHOULD be letting kids talk to me about this or that, or whether it’s DEFENSIBLE IN AN OFFICE SOMEWHERE that I said X, suggested Y, or called Z a B. 

This is a group with few filters and many burdens. I want them to learn history, but to do that I first need them to survive the sloughs of despair we call 9th grade. So I let them talk, and I talk back, and then we try to get back to that Andrew Jackson speech. It’s actually LESS stressful to just let it happen.

Second, I’m proud of the Classroom Resources section on Blue Cereal. It’s not particularly fleshed out yet, but it feels like the riskiest thing I’ve done so far with this site. And while I don’t obsess over analytics, one of the Document Activities I’ve posted shows consistent visits over months and months. I hope that means it’s making itself useful out there somewhere. 

What are THREE things that you wish to accomplish before the end of the school year?

1. Still trying to figure out how things like student choice, moving away from the faux authority of letter grades, semi-flipped lessons, etc., work in limited practice for my kids and my class. I’d like to keep pushing.

2. The #OKElections16 stuff won’t be complete by the end of the school year, and it’s not directly classroom-focused, but that’s largely what makes it a challenge. My druthers over the years is to gripe a bit, then tune out state politics and such and just worry about the stuff I can control. I’m realizing now that this wasn’t “optimism” or “focus” so much as cowardice – or at least laziness. If we truly love our kids in the ways we’re so quick to meme, then we need to get out of our comfort zones and get involved in the yuckies. 

3. And… there’s one young lady, who obviously I won’t name. I want to understand why she keeps coming by and waiting, and why she mostly doesn’t talk. I want her to discover learning and find my room safe enough that she’ll speak – to me, to a peer, to anyone. My teacher-senses ache for whatever’s going on in her and I can taste the dark and empty, but I can’t DO anything about it. It’s not mine to reach. 

Gosh, that got heavy quickly. Sorry about that. 

Give FOUR reasons why you remain in education in today’s rough culture.

Mindy Dennison issued a challenge along those lines last summer. My response was essentially that it needs to be done, and I don’t know what else to do. The need is there, so we try. If someone better prepared, better qualified, would come do this – and better – I’d let them. 

There were quite a few really good responses, most with a bit more positivity. 

I haven’t really given you four, but I’ve given you one from me and a link to others. I’ll be particularly presumptuous and link to two poems that say it better than I can, and call that four. 

To the friend that once said, “You need to be realistic.” (Kris Giere, Involuntary Verbosity)

These Feet Will Drag (Jose Vilson, JLV)

Which FIVE people do you hope will take the challenge of answering these questions?

I’ve already passed the challenge along to a number of twittering blogger-types, although I always forget a few of the bestest. Instead, I’m going to challenge 5 people who aren’t regular bloggers – but any of whom could be. If they don’t wish to start or reboot their blogs in order to answer, but are kind enough to do so, they have open invitations to Guest Blog here. I would actually be quite honored. 

Sarah Pradhan – Who doesn’t yet fully appreciate how rare and powerful her words, ideas, and heart for kids truly are – especially in combination.

Lisa Witcher – Who responded to my very first blog with something better, thus both helping that initial effort and keeping me in check in a way only she and very few others can.

Kathy Dodd – Who dreams so big and strives so beautifully that she can rarely appreciate how much she’s done for the cause, because she wants so much more for those who can’t dream and strive nearly so well.

Alyssa Michelle – Who makes me believe it’s possible. All of it. With style. 

Matt Cone – Who has enough manliness to be the only guy on the list without it seeming unbalanced, and combines world-weary honesty with a hopeful glow I can never quite classify.