I have a longer post on Ben Sasse and his 60 minutes interview. But he also has spoken about public education. Sasse basically warns that parental instruction should not be replaced by an institutionalized childhood. In maybe one of the greatest quotes uttered about modern-day public education, he stated the […]
Category: Education Policy and Opinion
Data is Not Innovation
Gathering reams of student data is no longer innovation. Data mining of students is an unimaginative process which is embraced by far too many power-hungry educators and school boards who are looking for a quick hit of data dopamine. In fact, the process is IMHO destructive to the educational process. […]
Do You Want to Return to This?
James Carville, a well known Democrat party operative, said the quiet part out loud. It used to just be the elephant in the room, but he said it. I am extremely transparent on this blog. I am pro-teacher, pro-family, and am also a strong Christian, conservative. I am against over-assessment. […]
What do I think about the vote in Virginia yesterday?
It is significant. It’s not good. I have a flame thrower of a post written. I am going to have to tone it down just a bit if/when I publish it. Did you know that I don’t publish about 10-20% of the stuff which I write? I knew I shouldn’t […]
Demolishing Strongholds
I have been asked when I will go back to teaching in public schools. I hope I never have to go back. Why? It’s not because of kids and families. Serving them was the BEST part of my job. But I simply don’t have the stomach for the indoctrination, the […]
Compilation of (4) BOE Election Primer Articles
Early voting for Kingsport BOE and BMA elections has begun. The official election date is May 5th for the City of Kingsport. I urge you to be know the issues. Know your candidate’s voting records and public positions on various issues. As a conservative, I most definitely look at whether […]
Part 4 Election Primer: Invest in People
Many years ago, I was watching Billy Graham on Larry King Live one evening. One thing led to another, and I don’t remember the exact quote. But Graham noted that one of the most important things which we can do is to invest in people, not money. That stuck with […]
Part 3 Election Primer: The Importance of Hiring and Retaining Top Teachers and Administrators
This is one of my favorite topics. I think BOE candidates should address several things about how teachers are prioritized. It might be the second most important thing they address. Why? Any school system is only as good as they teachers they hire. Great administrators don’t focus on data. They […]
Part 2 BOE Election Primer: Growth vs Achievement?
While I am no fan of the data driven model, if we are forced to use data as the main indicator of school success, then what data metrics should we use? Do BOE candidates prefer growth or achievement(proficiency) metrics to measure school success? The answer to those two questions is […]
Part 1 BOE Election Primer: What is the job of the board of education?
I want to lay out one basic tenet before addressing a wide range of educational issues. The power of government rests with the people – period. In the Declaration of Independence it reads: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed […]