By [email protected] May 23, 2015 Uncategorized 6 Comments About 65 million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous Period of geologic time, the Earth’s landscape was dominated by behemoth creatures weighing hundreds of tons. These dinosaurs thundered across the world and were virtually indestructible. Yet, as modern science seems to indicate, the dinosaurs’ reign […]

By [email protected] May 17, 2015 Uncategorized 3 Comments One of the more successful initiatives out of the federal government over the past few decades has been its aggressive campaign against tobacco use in America, particularly cigarette smoking in children. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of “preventable death” in the United States, killing about 443,000 […]

Third Grade Teachers–Tell Those Kids to Read, Dammit! By [email protected] May 9, 2015 Uncategorized 9 Comments With the anticipated release of third grade reading scores to Oklahoma schools next week, about 8,000 children are just days away from having their future inexorably and permanently altered. If we extrapolate from last year’s figures, this will translate […]

By [email protected] May 5, 2015 Uncategorized 8 Comments If you are a teacher or school administrator, you understand very well the stresses associated with high stakes testing, particularly during these grueling, pressure-filled weeks which comprise the testing season. So, if you are like me and need to resolve some of the lingering angst you’re harboring […]

A few years back, the online publication the Onion published a hilarious satire based on the ridiculous premise that the Federal government accidentally provided adequate funding for our nation’s schools. Ha! Like that would ever happen. With the Oklahoma legislature and Governor’s office just weeks away from finalizing the state budget for the 2016 fiscal […]

Hello, I am ME. I am sitting in an eighth grade history classroom. This marks the 15th consecutive day we have answered practice standardized test questions as our daily bell work. Not just in this class, but in all my other core classes too. We are also doing more worksheets and review activities. We are […]

I thought I would toss together a little acronym salad to enjoy with your evening meal. If you don’t find it appetizing, just sprinkle on a little Hidden Valley Ranch, because…it goes with everything! (For any Hidden Valley Ranch executives reading this, you’re welcome! Just shoot me an email and I’ll tell you where to […]

By [email protected] April 25, 2015 Uncategorized 26 Comments Last week, I posted an analogy that asked readers to imagine what it would be like to be a high school football coach, IF their job evaluation was set up the same way as a teacher’s. Apparently, it struck a chord as it has quickly become my […]