So where was I?
Oh, yes. Football. Well, I'm over football now, FYI. You see, at heart, I am a true baseball fanatic. I prefer baseball to any other sport - even Aussie Rules. Even tennis. Even (insert sport here).
Spring has sprung, officially; and they are training hard in Florida. They haven't started Johnny yet, and I haven't fully accepted him yet either. Oh, now wait. I can hear you all cringing, and writhing on the floor in anguish that someone else has declared themselves a Yankee fan. I'll have you all know that I have been since birth, as my father is and deemed it so for me as I drew my first breath. Yes - I have lusted in my heart for other teams (the '85 Royals or the Mets - gasp - of the Lee Mazzilli era). I have never strayed, however, from my first loves: Ron, Bucky, Dave, Reggie, Tino, and Donny Baseball. I could go on and on, but will stop short and state that one of the happiest days of my life was the day I experienced first-hand a Yankee victory parade through the Canyon. Having spent my entire life in Indians/Reds/Tigers/Cubs/WhiteSox-country, I was finally able to scream myself silly in a frenzied, jubilant celebration of MY team's victory. Moreover, I shared this altered state with 1/2 million others. Sheer bliss.
So, welcome, Spring! Let's line the base paths, dust the plate, and kick the rubber. I'm stretched and ready. And, may the Yankees pennant soar high once again in October!
Today's conundrum: Why does the teachers' union exist? Why as a faction of the AFL-CIO? Will the real educators please stand up? I'm inclined toward believing that teaching is actually a self-serving profession. At what other job can one demand the attention of so many for so long? I am further convinced that the checks and balances ascribed to the profession are mere ruses. "No child left behind" has frustrated competent, thoughtful educators and allowed average and seriously poor teachers to hide behind governmental "teach to the test" standards. [Aside: please note that I distinguish between educators and teachers.] When we enroll our children in a school, we expect them to be taught (not right from wrong..we'll take care of that at home, thanks) - not forced to work for work's sake. Perhaps it's all just a question of numbers - PAC monies, governmental and corporate sponsorship, state funding, bottoms-in-seats at the games, drones needed for the future. Perhaps it comes back to "thoughtfulness", which, dishearteningly-so, became a dirty word in the 60s, when it was replaced by the self-agrandizing "tolerance". What's the saying: those who can't, teach. And those who teach should realize that they are not God's gift to humanity. Jesus was.
Future conundrum: Will Aardman make another W&G movie? Will we ever play another W&G playstation game? Will Peter Sallis win a BAFTA or Oscar for lifetime achievement? W&G rules!
Thanks for perusing this blog. Blog you again soon!
Oh, yes. Football. Well, I'm over football now, FYI. You see, at heart, I am a true baseball fanatic. I prefer baseball to any other sport - even Aussie Rules. Even tennis. Even (insert sport here).
Spring has sprung, officially; and they are training hard in Florida. They haven't started Johnny yet, and I haven't fully accepted him yet either. Oh, now wait. I can hear you all cringing, and writhing on the floor in anguish that someone else has declared themselves a Yankee fan. I'll have you all know that I have been since birth, as my father is and deemed it so for me as I drew my first breath. Yes - I have lusted in my heart for other teams (the '85 Royals or the Mets - gasp - of the Lee Mazzilli era). I have never strayed, however, from my first loves: Ron, Bucky, Dave, Reggie, Tino, and Donny Baseball. I could go on and on, but will stop short and state that one of the happiest days of my life was the day I experienced first-hand a Yankee victory parade through the Canyon. Having spent my entire life in Indians/Reds/Tigers/Cubs/WhiteSox-country, I was finally able to scream myself silly in a frenzied, jubilant celebration of MY team's victory. Moreover, I shared this altered state with 1/2 million others. Sheer bliss.
So, welcome, Spring! Let's line the base paths, dust the plate, and kick the rubber. I'm stretched and ready. And, may the Yankees pennant soar high once again in October!
Today's conundrum: Why does the teachers' union exist? Why as a faction of the AFL-CIO? Will the real educators please stand up? I'm inclined toward believing that teaching is actually a self-serving profession. At what other job can one demand the attention of so many for so long? I am further convinced that the checks and balances ascribed to the profession are mere ruses. "No child left behind" has frustrated competent, thoughtful educators and allowed average and seriously poor teachers to hide behind governmental "teach to the test" standards. [Aside: please note that I distinguish between educators and teachers.] When we enroll our children in a school, we expect them to be taught (not right from wrong..we'll take care of that at home, thanks) - not forced to work for work's sake. Perhaps it's all just a question of numbers - PAC monies, governmental and corporate sponsorship, state funding, bottoms-in-seats at the games, drones needed for the future. Perhaps it comes back to "thoughtfulness", which, dishearteningly-so, became a dirty word in the 60s, when it was replaced by the self-agrandizing "tolerance". What's the saying: those who can't, teach. And those who teach should realize that they are not God's gift to humanity. Jesus was.
Future conundrum: Will Aardman make another W&G movie? Will we ever play another W&G playstation game? Will Peter Sallis win a BAFTA or Oscar for lifetime achievement? W&G rules!
Thanks for perusing this blog. Blog you again soon!