Trump or Clinton

Did a "straw poll" today in one of my classes -- results: 20 for Trump, 2 for Clinton 1 No Vote. Yikes. Of course these results are in Effingham County -- and they are among 14-year-olds'. Does suggest however that the country is in turmoil; few are really listening to what is happening out on the stump; and parents only follow their own "general ideas" without too careful a process of examination. Still -- yikes!

Missing Savannah Tech

Teaching all day out at ECCA, as I now do, puts me in the unfortunate position of missing the chatter and camaraderie of my colleagues at Savannah Tech. None of the high school teachers out at ECCA are really convivial with me (since I am not one of their "clan") -- with the exception of the Director of the Program (Mr. Ashley Kieffer, and the Assistant Director -- whom I only know as "coming from Tybee Island").

So life now oscillates between work and sleep -- with very little else happening. Hopefully this will change during the second half of this term.

Trump Needs to Go(P) Away

Madness has come to our election process --- and stayed. And now we are stuck with "madness" as a process instead of politics. We have never seen or heard anything like it: no truth, no respect, no civilized behavior, no joy, no Americanism, no patriotism, no honesty, no intelligence --- only Trump.

Ennui or Anger

The serendipity and lifeless decision-making that passes for leadership -- makes me wonder about the future of organizations in America. Education in America has good middle-level leaders --- but on top, very few.

I could cite from vast personal experience in every kind of educational level -- but I need to "burn no bridges."  Suffice it to say I am enthralled when an administrator actually does what he/she says he/she would do. I am flabbergasted by decent communication. I am amazed when I am actually consulted in an area where I hold the most knowledge. Life is amazing fragile and mistimed.

Growing...Younger

Having to teach a slightly younger age group requires an increased level of energy... humor, watchfulness, focus, etc., but not -- in essence, control. Give them the freedom to let go. Give them permission to learn.

Dueling Bureaucracies

Textbook or no textbook ?

Anyone care about the students in our ECCA/STC program besides the teachers? And of course the students themselves.  Just asking.

Schedule Changing

Due to circumstances beyond my control (teaching assignment shifts to another county) I won't be doing blog posts til evening; and I won't be checking messages until then either. You can always text me -- or try to phone me on my cell -- but I am pretty much "used up" in travel to and fro, and becoming a full-time college teacher on the high school level. Teaching 14-year-old's, whom the State of Georgia in its wisdom claims are "ready for college."

Life has an increasingly ironic twist to it these days.

The Nemesis of Aging

All around me, including in my own family, I am witnessing the changes wrought by age. Some of the people I know from Rotary (who are in their 70's) are suffering severe changes to their bodies, their lifestyles, their concerns for their families, and their outlook on life. Recently we had a "discussion" as to whether local Rotary charity funds should be designated for a "public school." Some Rotarians resigned because they could not admit that funds from local taxes weren't enough to cover all the costs of running local schools ... an amazing mistake on their parts.

Local schools, even in the relatively rich district of Savannah/Chatham, are in deep trouble. So very many giveaways of school supplies, books, writing utensils, toilet paper, and even volunteer time -- all testify to this evident fact. Yet some of our intrepid Rotarians insist that all that is the "venue" of the School Board and local school taxes. How blind can we be?

In my own family I am beginning to see the effects of disease and aging on my siblings and their families. My own wife passed away ten years ago, at a young age, due to IBC Breast Cancer. It was a premature and horrible death -- undeserved for the beautiful young woman who suffered it. And now my older siblings and their spouses are beginning to feel the "footsteps of the future" in their own lives. It is a horrible and inevitable outcome that we all await!

The Conundrum of Trump

Donald J. Trump epitomizes the worst elements of the American character: narcissism, ethnocentrism, the sense Americans are somehow "chosen," entitlement, selfishness, and the ability to "blowhard" about every issue, problem, or solution!  Americans have long been aware that we are often culturally unaware of our real place in the world, and even more often, exaggerate our own position as "exceptional" on the world stage.

We create the impression that we "know all" when more often we "know little" or even "know nothing!" Our accomplishments are there for everyone in history to see, but so are our shortcomings.
We often fritter away opportunities to solve our major social problems; we too often use outright "denial" as our "code of arms" to protect us from opposition or judgment by others. Sometimes stupidity is just too obvious -- and too often we are obviously oblivious to what is really going on.
Thank God there are those among us who are more introspective and self-aware. Thank God!

Will Donald Trump Go Away?

This is a real question!  If he loses the election -- will he slink back into the slime of his narcissism -- or will he continue to plague the political and governmental spheres with his "wisdom?"

Is he the "opening shot" of a class war, or a race war, or a gender war, or a political war, or a military war --- in America?

Career Academies -- Not a Problem?

The "tales of woe" coming in from the field, where college professors are brought to their knees by high school "team spirit," are once again flying about like pollen in the air. The Arts Appreciation teacher, newly hired, was nearly "done in" by her high school Career Academy experience in Liberty County.  What a surprise!  Not a surprise.

Has America Gone Insane?

Is America really a full country of racists, xenophobes, misogynists, and lunatics? Do "older white" men really control the country --- and cast everyone else's fate to the winds? Are the Tea Party, white Evangelicals, and neo-fascist skinheads all to be painted with one brush --- that of "the New America?" Has America itself deteriorated so much that there is, like Donald J. Trump, no moral compass?

Will America really elect Donald J. Trump as the next President of the United States?  

Crisis Management

I am involved with several different bureaucracies -- and I won't say which one -- but one of them operates entirely on the theory of "chaos and crisis management." Imagine if you had a large company -- and you waited until two days before you opened for business before you hired "staff" to run your business. Then imagine that you went through all the trouble to "vet" new staff, background checks/drug checks, etc. Then imagine that with one day to go "they" decided: "we can't hire new staff because we may not have enough business to support their salaries -- and then we will 'look bad'."

Yes, well that's where this particular bureaucracy is right now -- and the turmoil and chaos are both rampant.

HB TKM

Happy Birthday to my Brother, Ted Mrochinski Junior!