What Was I Thinking?

In light of the fact that today is Halloween, I thought I'd spend a few moments writing about the Common Core standards that have been adopted by many states. Some people think they are an awesome treat, but others think they are a horrible trick being played on the young people of our country. The idea behind having a set of common standards among the states so that all students being educated in our country are meeting the same minimal standards in various subject areas is a good idea. Standards are good things. A standard sets a goal to attain, a target to hit, an objective to meet. We all take on tasks with a desired outcome in mind, and do our best to achieve what we hope for. Standards in education are nothing new, but the common core is a new attempt to standardize the standards of the fifty states so that there is not so much variation from state to state.  The Common Core standards were not enacted by the federal government, but by state governments. There is much ...

I'm looking out the office window at the gray clouds that have dimmed the skies on this October morning. There are no shadows on a day like this. Will it rain and cause the varsity boys' soccer game to be postponed to another day? These are the thoughts drifting across my mind like the clouds overhead, nothing of great consequence, but hard to ignore. Our school office is changing in appearance. Now that the school receptionist has moved to the new front entrance, the inner office is no longer a main traffic route. It is like the old Route 66 which was bypassed by new interstate highways, diverting travelers. We do not see every middle and high school student passing by our desk any more, and the phone does not ring as often. That is not to say that we are lonely or have nothing to do here. Life is simply different, and our office is changing to reflect the difference. There were some wonderful messages preached this past Sunday on legalism and grace, and they changed the way t...

October has arrived and we have one busy month of school behind us that included an opening day of school, a spirit day and pep rally, a senior retreat, a picture day, a Chick Fil-a spirit night, and the start up of the instrumental music program, high school elective start-ups, and the beginning of the Title 1 tutoring program. Administratively speaking, it was a very busy month of September. Fortunately for me, at the end of the month I was able to fly to Maine to celebrate my grandmother's 95th birthday with my family. This gave me one day off from school to be with my loved ones in Maine where the apples were ripe for the picking, the autumn leaves were beginning to show their colors, and the air was fresh, crisp, and cool. Oh, and my grandmother's birthday was my birthday too. I like to think that I am the best birthday gift she ever got, but that is just my opinion... I look forward to my weekends. After a week of work at school, I appreciate some quiet time at home t...