I Hate Gays More Than I Like Children: A Tribute to Drew Springer

http://amarillo.com/opinion/opinion-columnist/weekly-opinion-columnist/2013-02-24/rangel-gay-marriage-again-issue-texas

*sigh*

Texas is failing its own children, and the right wing doesn't care.

In an education world where standardized testing is killing student learning, THIS is the key issue to a representative from Amarillo: what PFLUGERVILLE is doing. From what I can tell, five people (5) have taken the opportunity to buy the mediocre health insurance offered to Pflugerville Independent School District families. These five (5) people are so important to the people of Amarillo that it merits the time and energy to stop any education reform for FIVE MILLION (5,000,000) public school children to discuss, debate,...and threaten.

Pflugerville--along with Springer's school district and hundreds of other districts--is suing the state of Texas because the funding doesn't match the accountability demands set forth by the state. Unfunded mandates from Austin abound. Districts are restricted in how much they can tax at the local level, yet the demands from the state keep increasing. How does the new, problematic STAAR test directly relates to gay marriage? Health care benefits, purchased by five people.

That's right. It's not as though any state or local tax dollars are being used here. That doesn't stop big-government Republicans from threatening a district's finances over a social issue--all the while ignoring the direct issues in Texas education.

"Smaller government!"
"Local control!"

• Unless you disagree with what another locality is doing. Then it becomes a STATE issue.
• Unless the state disagrees with your views. Then it becomes a NATIONAL issue.
• Unless the nation has said differently. Then you start an online petition to SECEDE.

This is why Shelby County vs. Holder (heard this week by the Supreme Court) is an important issue. It's why we need the Voter Rights Act kept intact and why groups like Empower the Vote Texas remain crucial. There are still some places in America where you can't trust the local elected officials. Amarillo's representatives should worry about Amarillo, not five people in Pflugerville.

It gets pretty rough, watching one party in full control. You see how a one-sided push leads a state or locality (or nation) down a troublesome path. If you've been to Washington's Metro system, then you know how an all-liberal approach can lead to problems, as well.

There was a time when these issues were discussed rationally. That led to peace, prosperity, and budget surpluses.

Now, we have war, recession, and debt--powered by gridlock.

I miss the days when people talked to each other, not cameras.

Proud Uncle!

It's Too Bad Bette Midler Sang That Song...

[This image from http://spnam2012.org/unsung-hero/. Jason Moore of Odessa, Texas won this year's Unsung Hero Award. I've met Jason several times, and he does work hard on behalf of conservative issues. He is, however, no longer "unsung."] 

Congratulations, Jason! 

January is a pretty ridiculous month for "business travel" in higher education. I fool-heartedly added a trip to the Inauguration into the mix. It got flat-out grueling.

One trip had me "only" staying two nights, when it should have probably been four. Thus, my departing flight left quite early, and the return flight landed in Austin after midnight. When you leave early and park in an off-site lot, you get a newspaper. Recently, I read a Wednesday (23 January) edition of the Austin American Statesman. The Opinion section had the typical drivel about President Obama's Inaugural address, gun control, and other partisan retreads.

Then there was this opinion piece on Lance Armstrong's Oprah interview:

"Talented Mortals Do Not Make Real Heroes."
{NB! Takes you to Savannah. Statesman handling intellectual property like Apple these days.}

Richard Parker threw a fresh voice and idea set into the mix: what really makes a hero these days?
Is Lance Armstrong a hero? Well, one of my relatives stated flatly, "Lance Armstrong is a cheater and a liar." We have a common relative fighting breast cancer right now. Given the opportunity, Lance created Livestrong. When I learned of her diagnosis, that's where I turned for meaningful information. He rides a bike. He gives hope to my sister-in-law and calming information to me.
All we care about is his urine from 7 years ago?

As Parker wrote, "A hero takes real risks to save other people, literally and figuratively. A hero is someone who strives day in and day out to do something meaningful--without public recognition."

It seems as though our "heroes" have become people that don't deserve the monicker. Meanwhile, those that may deserve the title aren't listed in things like…newspapers. In journalism, there are some brave people. Not all of them are in war zones; some are even sports writers. Props to Mike Bianchi, who reminded us that Ray Lewis probably killed a guy while we were admiring him before the Super Bowl.

Special recognition to Joelle Casteix and SNAP, who convinced the Los Angeles District Attorney to insist on the release of documents clearly showing the role of Cardinal Roger Mahony in the grueling child sex abuse scandal. Bigger accolades should go to the victims (many are members of SNAP) that refused to back down, despite implicit and explicit threats to their very souls.

But heroes don't always end up in the middle of some big issue that makes news. Most of life's heroes are those teachers that try harder than they have to, mothers (single and married) that raise difficult children, cancer victims' support persons, the anonymous donor, the person who watches out for you when you don't (or didn't) realize it.

As Jerry Colonna put it,

I think the work is not get­ting peo­ple to roman­ti­cize our heroes but to see the inc­re­di­ble in the sim­ple act of get­ting along, of gro­wing up, of beco­ming more and more wholly, utterly, ourselves. When Siddhartha woke up and became the Buddha…he awoke to the utterly breath­-ta­king beauty of the every­day per­son facing the truth of the pain and fear of life; facing that truth and choo­sing to move ahead, regard­less.

*The problem is that most real heroes never receive public recognition.
*The challenge then, is to find your heroes…and provide them personal recognition.

Here are three ways to do that:

1. Send $5 to the charity of your choice in the name of a personal hero. Keep it small, allowing you to do it relatively often. You can determine who gets the tax break on your own. Try to find those that help unsung heroes. Here are some good ones:

• New Beginnings Mentoring Ministry: http://www.newbeginningsmm.org/
• The Yellow Ribbon Fund: http://www.yellowribbonfund.com/
• Wikipedia: https://donate.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:FundraiserLandingPage&country=US&uselang=en&utm_medium=sidebar&utm_source=donate&utm_campaign=C13_en.wikipedia.org

2. Send an e-card. If it's worded right (or just CLOSE), you needn't add 500 words. Here are three options:

• One that advertises a charity in the process:http://www.bluemountain.com/ecards/volunteering/pn/true-hero/card-3173856
• PG-13: http://www.someecards.com/usercards/viewcard/MjAxMi0yNzA2NDZkNGM4M2M4ZjZl
• One that helps a charity in the process ("Hope sees a star" is a great choice.): http://hungersite.com/clickToGive/ths/ecardcategories

3. Tell them. In person, in writing, with an email, with a text message. Doesn't matter. Here's a goal: keep it under 140 characters, if you write it. That makes it Twitter-friendly. Hopefully, your kind words go viral.

---

Yesterday, I was cleaning out of sheer frustration…looking for something I NEEDED. I had to clear out all this "memorabilia" of a life not worth documenting. I came across a card from over a decade ago…

Kind words are a gift that keep giving and keep people going, sometimes long after they are spoken or delivered. Never forget the transformational power of kindness. It's rarity is what keeps it valuable.

Don't put off the chance to do something so powerful (and so simple). Do it now. Choose "quick kindness."

Pick a link.
Open an email on your laptop.
Pull up Twitter on your Android.

Now.

Learning from EACH OTHER

Once upon a time, professional development (for K-12) teachers was treated much the same way general instruction was treated for children.  Teachers sat in a room.  Some “expert,” be they a principal or a professor, told them how to teach better.

Somewhere along the line, a group was formed that saw teachers as professionals. And I'm not talking about the NEA.

It was the National Staff Development Council, now called Learning Forward—whatever that means. Decades of branding...gone. Nobody's perfect.

Their focus was on peer learning. Teachers need time to interact. Teachers need structured ways to learn from each other. This is a tough sell because the world is filled with teachers who think just like I did: PD is a day off if you...just...work...it...right. (You do this; I'll do that. Great. Glad we learned something. See you tomorrow. Next time, let's have this 5-minute meeting at a bar.)

That's why there needs to be a structure. Most schools get that, now. By schools, I mean the institutions that teach people under the age of 19. Professional Learning Communities are all the rage now, and I'll be sorry to see them fall by the wayside in 4 years or so when the next big thing hits.

Unfortunately, the same research and innovation on teaching is re-starting in the higher education ranks. Collaboration is a new buzzword, but there is little understanding as to what that entails. The same research cycle is starting with decade s of great practice from the education community being tossed aside. There seems to be a general feeling that such "best practices" don't apply to higher education. Such insular thinking led a colleague to note, "while higher education institutions are designed for learning, they are not learning organizations."

People can have great ideas on their own, and caring professors take the time to learn how to reach students. In fact, let's be honest: most do. The caricature of the absent-minded, smug college professor is just that. Nobody wants to be miserable in front of others for hours every week of years upon years. On top of that, most professors were inspired by other professors (or, dare I day it, public school teachers!). People want to bottle that and distribute it.

The point here is that in a P-16 world, both sides need to learn from each other. If you are an education professor, and you are reading this, please note these two things:

    1.    You are spending your time wisely reading my blog--and--
    2.    You have a lot to learn from P-12 practitioners--a lot!

I don't care how good you think you are;I care how good you really are…and how good you can become. Any 3rd grade teacher worth her weight in Dillo Dirt has a lot to offer you.