AUTHOR’S NOTE: I wrote this piece two days after the recent school shooting in Florida, but couldn’t post because my web host was having security issues (AGAIN). In the time between when I finished it and when I could post it, we had a threat against the school where I work that was caught by students on social media, who reacted appropriately and contacted law enforcement authorities, who investigated and intervened. “Stuff’s gettin’ real, y’all.” ***************** Another school shooting. “’Murica.”…..
Good grief, but it hurt. Yes, I try to keep myself in good shape to keep up with the cadets. And yes, I am working towards my black belt, so it’s obvious that fitness is pretty important to me. So imagine how low I felt this past week when my lower back hurt so bad I literally at times could not get off the floor unassisted. Pretty humbling, pretty frustrating. It was a testament to my ongoing battle with Father…..
Recently, three freshman members of the UCLA basketball team, while playing in China, were arrested for shoplifting. You can read some of the details here. Later on, it came out that these fine young representatives of our nation didn’t just impulsively shoplift one time, they hit three different stores during their short international crime spree. So, at least for the second and third time, it was premeditated. When asked about it, the parent of one of these lads, LaVar Ball…..
Greetings! Yes, it’s been too long since my last entry, and for that I apologize. I was debating whether to launch into the NFL vs. the flag controversy, but that’s more overdone than my ex-girlfriend’s cooking. North Korea and their part-psychopath part-muppet leader also was ripe for the picking, but in the end nuclear holocaust is not much of a laughing matter, so I let that go too. So, instead, musings of the alphabet, inspired my daughter. DISCLAIMER: If I…..
About a month ago my family took a vacation to Orlando to visit the giant mouse and his friends. My first thought was that the TV shows like “NCIS,” “Criminal Minds,” or “Law & Order,” should all consider doing shows at Disney, because $13.99 for a cheeseburger and four fries is definitely some kind of crime. My second thought can best be summed up here: Dear average American adult: YES, YOU DO HAVE TO FOLLOW DIRECTIONS. It never ceases to…..
My super cute 8 year old daughter came to me last Saturday morning, all excited. I asked her what she was looking forward to, and she said that Mommy was taking her to “Build-a-Bear Workshop,” to get a new super cute stuffed animal “because it was the end of the school year.” I had no problem with that; she worked hard this school year, and did her best at least most of the time. It’s what she said next that…..
People think about lots of different things about during Memorial Day weekend. As most of America has never served (and many people don’t even closely know someone who has), this weekend is mostly filled with concerns about hamburger count, cases of beer, and travel times to the beach. It’s easy to forget, especially if you have never served, why we even have this weekend in the first place. For so many Americans, it’s just another holiday. But it’s not. I’m…..
I was raised Catholic from a young age. From the beginning, actually. Catholic school since I was in kindergarten, all the way up through 12th grade. My parents made that sacrifice because they wanted to ensure a moral education in addition to a book education, and felt that Catholic school was the best way to do that (there are others, of course). So in addition to math, science, and language arts, I also learned about religion and faith. (Author’s note,…..
It has come up that perhaps I am not “aging gracefully.” A friend of mine, for whom I have an incredible amount of respect, told me in this way. “Rob,” she said, “you need to age gracefully, and you aren’t.” More to the point, I seem to be fighting getting older pretty much every chance I get. First, I work hard to keep up with the cadets I whom I teach. The oldest one is 19; most are between 14…..
Not another politically driven post, I promise. In this piece, I’m writing about something a bit more close to home…education. Let me start by saying I love my job. I love working with high school students (most of the time) and the ones among them that are trying their best and doing what they can to succeed make the dealing with the rest of them tolerable. But by and large, we are not doing our current high school students any favors……
