TEACHING THE SMARTEST KIDS IN THE WORLD

I am constantly amazed at what they can do, if they really put their little minds to it.

While cleaning up after a rather boisterous session with my 9th graders, I came upon the remains of one of our coping saws. It was embedded in a pile of wet clay. As everyone knows, a coping saw is often used to cut clay. Well, at least in my classroom.

But something was amiss with this saw. The handle seemed to be a tad truncated. And, low and behold, I discovered that one of my geniuses decided to saw the handle in half! Of course, this child cannot be held responsible. Not his or her fault. What else are they going to do when confronted with a perfectly whole coping saw? Why, take another saw and cut off the handle, of course.

Morons.

Rest In Peace, Mr. Helm

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IS SO IMPORTANT

Those of us in education always appreciate it when the parents are involved with their children's progress in school.

One of my 'superstars' handed me a Camp Nickleby Progress Report form last week to fill out! I was very surprised, and at the same time, somewhat encouraged. This young lad is part of my "What's For Breakfast" club. Five of them sit together at one table and start each day with a large Monster energy drink, accompanied by a bag of Cheetos or some other culinary delight. Each kid currently has a class average hovering around 23%! Any hope of finishing the semester with a passing grade at this time has vanished.

I looked at the Progress Report and asked him if his parents are having him fill this out each week because they are finally concerned with his grade in my class. "No, they don't really give a @#$& about my grades. It's for my coach!"

Teaching is so rewarding!

WHEN SKITTLES ARE OUTLAWED, ONLY OUTLAWS WILL HAVE SKITTLES

I'm getting sick and tired of the librul, lamestream media constantly saying that Trayvon Martin was an 'innocent' teenager. My God people, this kid was ARMED with a bag of Skittles. Harmless? I think not! Patriot George Zimmerman is lucky to be alive!

And don't even get me started on what damage a can of Arizona Ice Tea hurled at some Neighborhood Watch Generalissimo's melon would do!

You betcha!

HAUTE COUTURE, FLORIDA STYLE

THREE WRIGHTS MAKE A WRONG

Today in my 3-D Design class, we discussed the work of iconic American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. Of course, I checked to see what prior knowledge the little ones had of Mr. Wright. One kid finally piped up and said, "Didn't he help invent the first airplane?"

The future of America, ladies and gentleman. New Zealand is looking better and better every day.

Occupy Education: Teachers, Students Resist School Closings, Privatizations, Layoffs and Rankings

Occupy Education: Teachers, Students Resist School Closings, Privatizations, Layoffs and Rankings

Heard this on the radio this morning as I was getting ready to head over to Camp to teach the youngins.

Looks like the magic of NCLB if finally working as designed. The Business Roundtable, ALEC and the lunatic wingnuts are soiling themselves in glee! Their wish to close public schools and privatize education (not sure how-in-the-hell that's suppose to work) is fast becoming a reality.

One of the many things that struck me in this report on school 'reform', high-stakes testing, and teacher evaluations based on the results of these tests, is nobody mentioned the glaring fact that students DON'T GIVE A RAT'S #%& about the outcomes of these tests. They have ABSOLUTELY NO BUY-IN! Test scores do not affect their GPA, their chance of graduation or college admissions. THEY MEASURE NOTHING! THIS HAS BEEN PROVEN OVER AND OVER AGAIN. Just once I'd like to hear somebody mention that. Fat chance.

CLOSE ALL THE SCHOOLS DOWN AND LET THE YOUNGINS RUN FREE!!! IT WILL BE MAGICAL.