Still-Life Drawing

Remarkably Brave Teacher

I'm all riled up.

The Perry Township Board of Education has suspended a high school English teacher Connie Hearman for a year and a half for using The Freedom Writers Diary in her class. The book is a compilation of journal entries written by inner-city students. And they swear a lot.

The Perry Township Board suspended her after she refused to demand the book back from her students.

1. Ms. Hearman waited for 3 months for administrators to make a decision about use of the book. They would not.
2. Ms. Hearman sent home 150 permission slips to parents. 149 parents approved the use of the book with their child.
3. Oh, and guess what? The book was and still is available in the school library
   

The politicians on the Perry Township School Board are worried about a vocal few making it harder to get re-elected next time around. And for that they are willing to prevent students from getting adult guidance and educational framing for a book that is available without either in their library. You see, this would be utterly blatant censorship if they tried to remove the book from the library. That is hard to do. And that would take courage.

Watch the CNN story and feel free to let the fine educators on the Perry Township Board of Education know what you think of the fine work they are doing.

In fairness, I read that Barbara Thompson, School Board President, has "...sought adult education through Ivy Technical College and other Insurance related courses..." , so it's hard to argue with her appreciation of the theory and practice of education. Yeeesh.

Another Manufactured Musical Group

As I have said, robots are cool.




Behind the Music:

Parental Guidance

So, latest Indiana Jones movie. PG-13. "Admission will be granted to persons of all ages but that parental guidance is suggested in the case of children under the age of 13"

This does not mean you should bring your 5 year-old daughter to my screening, sit directly behind me in a nearly empty theater and then provide your parental plot guidance throughout the entire film in a tone that would be too loud for your living room.

1. Please don't bring your child if the plot is going to be utterly beyond them.
2. Please teach your child how to whisper, regardless of the film.

All I ask. Thanks.

By the way, I enjoyed the film in spite of the blameless little girl and her incredibly rude slouch of a mother. Went in looking for a fun ride and that's what it was. Three thumbs up.

Ugh

Busy lately. Deadlines. Trade show in Vegas. Between flights on my return trip I stopped for dinner at an airport food court in Minneapolis. I finished my pizza and grabbed my drink for another big sip. What? Why is my diet Coke all watery?

Yeah, I accidentally drank from a cup abandoned in an airport food court. Still gives me the heebie-jeebies. Hoping it does not also give me the Avian Flu.