I read this article this evening and spent a fair amount of time wondering how we got to this point.  I don’t agree with all the author’s sentiments but I was moved by his candor and concerned by his computation.  If, by this teacher’s estimation in how things add up is true, then we as administrators haven’t run nearly enough interference to preserve the work.  While it would be easiest to dismiss this posting as a one-off anti-establishment rant, the fact is many of the author’s claims are facts.  Teachers are leaving in record numbers, funding is shrinking, eggshells seem to be scattered throughout classroom debate.  Recently, higher ed weighed in and said uh oh, as they sounded their own alarms.

At dinner tonight, we had a great conversation with our college-bound son whom we’ve allowed to have a job in his final semester of high school.  He works for the busiest fast food restaurant chain in the world despite being closed one day a week.  Their AVERAGE store does thirteen thousand three hundred and fifty dollars a day in sales. Read that again and let it sink in. To top it all off, they have one of the quickest drive thru times in the industry.  However, our dinner conversation was more about the unvarnished details of working hourly alongside the hourly employed.  It was neat to see my own son step through daily workplace struggles and advocate for team members.  It’s messy and complicated and conflicting and yet he made arguments worth defending and to be honest ones he could likely successfully defend if he ever got called to the hot seat by the owner.

And then I watched the latter half of the Oscars and I’m still not sure what to make of the Chris Rock – Will Smith exchange.  If you missed it, do a simple internet search to be brought up to speed.  Later in the show Will Smith won an Oscar and had a tearful acceptance speech.  As he spoke during his acceptance speech, he shared he was at a point in his life where he was being called upon to protect the people in his life he loved.  If you watched the show, some things he said weren’t shared, so I’m going to reserve judgement but in all honesty I would have anyway.  I’m old enough and have been taught enough lessons to know rush judgements are a fool’s endeavor.

As I mentioned, I was proud to hear my oldest advocate for co-workers this evening.  Admittedly, there was some teenage drama I had to wade through which was facilitated by the glare (stink eye) of a 1^st grade teacher, but on most points I agreed with my son’s assessment.  The easy part is identifying the problem – the hard part is negotiating a solution to a problem that can never exist publicly.  I hate that teachers feel like they are marginalized; I hate that our librarians (I’m using a common term here) have similar feelings.

I saw a Luna moth this morning and the symbolism is whatever you are willing to believe I suppose.  According to National Geographic Kids, they aren’t around for very long (like a week) but the publication cleverly describes their wingspan as about the size of an iPhone.  Rumor has it they are associated with new beginnings.  And I should point out the cool green bug that latched on next to our garage was simply a cool green bug until my first grade teacher wife looked it up and made a teachable moment for the entire family.  For those looking to nay say on teachers, I say bring it but be forewarned.  They collectively are a salty troupe and one fiercely united on schooling all kids.

And to the teacher who feels he went from being a hero and essential worker during the spring of 2020 to being viewed as a babysitter by politicians around the country, not so and not a pervasive sentiment. Some folks might say as much but their numbers are small and their insight skewed. I don’t personally know David Stieber but I hope he continues his crusade as a teacher and I pledge to do my part in turn to support similar teacher efforts.

I found a funny looking bug/insect latched onto our garage threshold this morning – I now know what a Luna moth is because of a teacher.

For my non-school folks that read this blog (hi mom), HB 4545 is a piece of Texas legislation.  House Bill 4545 became effective in June 2021 and mandated additional tutoring for all students who did not pass the state mandated tests.

On the surface most folks would likely agree with the intent of the policy – its practicality has been a completely separate matter. One of the most challenging components of this legislation is providing this accelerated instruction in addition to all the other academic areas that still must be covered.

My title this time was a not so subtle nod to Amazon Prime – I suspect teachers are feeling that overnight rush of results that need to be delivered daily.  As an administrative team, we’ve been visiting with individual campus leadership as a status check.  Arguably, our highest performing elementary campus proved to be our most knuckles drawn.  They clearly took heed of the adage to never bring a knife to a gunfight and their delivery was impactful.  Their response was we need more time but since that’s not plentiful we’ll continue to create and innovate because our students and their families expect nothing less.  Their principal is a leader who will go far and she’s paving the way for future leaders while she’s at it.  Their candor was welcomed yet reminding – if our highest performing campuses are having these mind thoughts then why would it be any different across the board?  This particular principal made a great example when she said if you can’t provide follow-up support on something, don’t attempt to initially train on it.  That’s not quite what she said but the idea was provide support with full fidelity.

On Thursday evening I wrote a note to one of our younger son’s teachers thanking him for his patience and flexibility.  Our kiddo hit a patch where compromise was sorely needed and it ultimately worked itself out.  In the end my kid worked hard, his teacher worked hard, and we landed in the best of shape.

I have to admit it is a challenge for me not to respond when public education is questioned or challenged.  All I can do is reference my last entry and remind readers 9 out of 10 school-aged kids benefit from public education.  Happy Spring Break everyone – rest up and store up so you can finish this last quarter strong.

If we get public education right, everything else will follow. But if we get it wrong, not much else will matter.

~Steve Kagan