Start To Finish

Victorian Start ... Inevitable Destination

God Didn't Make Li'l Green's Apples

DeKalb County Schools have an exceptional HR department. Year over year, no matter who the Superintendent, regardless of BOE or SACS oversight, our schools seem unstoppable in seeking out, hiring and defending some of the baddest apples in the teacher barrel. While Carl Hudson Jr. is the latest holding DCSD HR's Medal of Dishonor, he is merely the latest [known] in a long chain of bum hires. Recency is the disturbing issue primarily because his hiring comes after personnel and process changes meant to shut down this septic pipeline of bad hires. And yet a simple Google search of the candidate's name reveals the past drug arrest:

He resigned shortly after being called out by an internet-savvy public, something he is apparently quite good at. In the face of this epic fail, the District expressed the utmost, almost Trumpian, confidence in their hiring process. We're doing great! But this isn't the worst part. Other than self-congratulatory praise all DCSD will say on the matter is that his meth arrest would not eliminate him [or presumably any other candidate] from consideration. Is it possible that DCSD considers drug arrests a good way to improve teaching staff? Or is this an admission that DCSD considers itself a pipeline to prison? Or maybe street drugs are another of Dr. Green's wraparound services since unreliable access to meth clearly undermines learning.

Mister Kaepernick Goes To Washington

Recently discussions between Colin "Take A Knee" Kaepernick and the Washington Redskins seem to have gone pear-shaped. At the eleventh hour it seems that the sometimes wannabe quarterback realized that he simply could not take the field wearing a jersey with such an offensive name and insisted it be changed. After a moment of confusion he clarified: "I'm talking about Redskins, not Kaepernick."

Reaction was quick and unfavorable. Upon hearing of Colin's demand of a Redskins name change one infuriated fan tweeted: "Who does he think he is? Michael Vick?" Another, a season ticket holder, remarked: "Doesn't seem that football is his top priority. Maybe he shouldn't be ours."

It looks like the Redskins opened an early Christmas present.

Dumb And Dumber

It has been a bad couple of weeks for the local education industry. DeKalb schools, attempting to evade any accountability for hiring a suicidal teacher with questionable sexual predilections, confesses ignorance of a fairly common industry practice: teacher certification. Was their hire really a teacher? A REAL teacher? And yet sans certification? The district claims they thought the certification he acquired, after the start of school, was somehow magically backdated to 1 July. Such flexibility with reality certainly explains other recent actions.

In an expansive riff on the "You Breed 'em, We Feed 'em" educrat anthem,  the Green Machine is now going to feed 'em two squares and a snack three hundred sixty five a year. Actually even the Green Machine takes the weekends off and dinner is off the plate as a fully comprehensive program would infringe on SNAP. This is the same old fig leaf, "hungry kids don't learn," used to mask the fact that "public schools don't teach" all the while maintaining unfettered access to our purses.

Deflection and deceit have been key tools for some decades. Look no further than the Ritalin epidemic-allegedly a therapeutic remedy for a "disease." A disease for which there is no clinical, repeatable test. No MRI or CAT scan evidence can be obtained. There is no blood test. No DNA evidence. But all you need to do is ask a teacher who gets the chemical handcuffs and on they go. Is this part of the Green Machine's "wrap around" service or just another way of saying the failure to teach shouldn't be held against the schools?

Regardless, it is an epidemic. Recent media reports indicate that twenty percent, one-in-five, of college freshmen arrive on campus under the influence of psychotropic drugs. And what is the media response? Colleges should provide more support services, mimicking the disaster that public schools have wrought, with Georgia Tech squarely in their sights. In their world, folks suffering from mental illness who readily fold under the stress of an actual, rigorous eduction should be given every possible concession on their way to a not-so-well-earned diploma. For those not in the know, most schools already have a "disability resource center" and the most fragile and delicate "scholars" get time and a half on all evaluations without any supporting research suggesting this does anything but appease whiners.

Perhaps Ma Tech should do an analysis and address the root of the problem-that students are being admitted who are not prepared to compete at Tech. Tech should take necessary steps to ensure that students are prepared mentally and emotionally for a Tech experience and that those who are not will take other opportunities--just as they always have when examining academic preparedness. The career of a typical Tech grad isn't littered with time-and-a-half handouts because someone is just too stressed out. To emulate the failures of the DeKalb school system would destroy Ga Tech and be a great disservice to tax payers. 

Winter Is Coming...

...but not for the 'shrooms.

Restorah Menorah

Remember the Sayonara Menorah? The one that led the city and the DPT to expel the Menorah and the Christmas Tree from the Farmhouse exiling them to the Dog House across the street. Justification at the time suggested a fear that someone might ask the courts to intercede on behalf of the U.S. Constitution and the people it protects. But this city has grown in plain old fashion political arrogance to the point they no longer fear that Constitution or its defenders.

In holding itself above all others this city has reversed the previous decision by installing a Christmas Tree and Menorah in City Hall. Perhaps they'll argue that the Christmas Tree is just a tree. And the Menorah just an electric candelabra, somewhat broken in that many of the lights don't work much of the time and it takes their electrician nearly a week to get it fixed. Yet all the lights on the tree always work suggesting some preference on the part of the city therefore these cannot be religious icons as such a preference would be just plain wrong.

Obviously, in this city's view, these are not religious symbols. Assume they're correct. What this reversal actually symbolizes is the recurring incompetence of the city itself. Never ending tax increases. Police shootings. Bungled crime investigations. Civil rights violations at every turn. Refusal to enforce ordinances. Seeking the losing end of court battles. Ethical breaches ending in dismissals and judicial face-slaps. Given all that, thumbing their collective nose at the Constitution of the United States seems oddly appropriate and at the very least is consistent.

Let's hope someone gets the bright idea to hook up the tree and the candelabra and this union brings forth a burning bush from which a voice of high moral authority will speak, saying unto the greedy and corrupt gathered there: "Shut This City DOWN!" Were that to come to pass this would be a blessed holiday season. 

How Appropriate[d]!

Let 'em eat cake!

So say the Lords and Ladies from Their Gilded Palace. Their self-congratulatory party was rained out so now they call upon the little people to come to the Palace to eat cake.  For fifteen minutes, then you're dismissed. Again.

The Borgias would serve better. At least then  you'd know what you're getting. 

Graduation Chazerai

DeKalb County Schools hold their graduation ceremony enmasse and consequently NOT in DeKalb County as there is no venue large enough and, at least this year, not on the usual date as the GWC was booked. Oops. This has some parents pretty darn upset with some suggesting having a separate graduation ceremony and location per high school. Others have floated the radical and unacceptable idea of holding graduations in churches. Definite no-no.

But all the hubbub raises an obvious question: are school systems in Georgia mandated by law to hold commencement ceremonies? Probably not. So the obvious solution is to dispense with whole Cluster-Eff this meaningless party has become. Just mail out the diplomas. In fact, there is some evidence you can mail them out at the beginning of the year. Year over year the credibility of the diploma has eroded so the end of school party is really just that: a party.

So why not let the folks who want to party hold their own party? That's right. Get rid of the school hosted graduation ceremonies and let interested parents organize and host their own. Maybe thru their own church or other local organizations. Once the government hand is off the till there is no church-state issue, opening up access to a large number of mega-churches. Maybe New Birth will have a re-birth.

Eliminating school system ceremonies like this will free that much more money to spend in the classroom, where it should be spent. Who wants to bet that is what Dr. Green's Machine is going to do?

What ARE They Doing?

Another condemnation of public schools comes by way of the AJC. This time it is the Atlanta Public Schools highlighting their own failure asking for $11.9M for an academy to prepare students for college and the workforce. No. Really. Really? What the hell do they normally do? You know, with the over three-quarters of a BILLION dollars in their general budget? Apparently what they are NOT doing is preparing high school students for college or the workforce. Rest assured, ready or not, those APS students got or will get an APS high school diploma.