[found in classroom]: URGENT!

I love this. You can almost hear the desperation in his voice.

I'd argue that one of the coolest things about teenagers is their style(s).

Like, for instance, in class today, they were reading their adapted "Where I'm From" poems. One of my favorite lines was, "I'm from a lot of people who don't talk but think / It's a celebration on the 1st when we get that Link," which was perfectly delivered and followed by an "AYOOOoooo" from his classmates.

And then tonight at the young women's volleyball game, I couldn't help but chuckle at the warm-up thing they've made up. It's so fancy! And they've got all of these other things that they do as a team after each point. And the hair ribbons. I mean, that shit is well thought-out!

62%

That's the percentage of support for special education programming in Alaska that Sarah Palin cut, or, admittedly, so I hear.

Here's Alaska's 2006-2007 NCLB report card for 10th grade reading and writing. Take a looksee:56.9%. That's how many tenth-grade students with disabilities are not proficient in writing.

50.9% aren't proficient readers.

13.6% is the percentage of "Child[ren] Left Left Behind" by a 62% cut in funding to special education. (Also, just visually, I'm finding the representation of students with special needs, migrant students, and students with limited English proficiency pretty odd. Every other graphic shows how much of the "whole" each "part" is. These kiddies are just, you know, hangin.)

And it's not just about the money. Thowing money at students with disabilities doesn't help them learn. But good, smart, dynamic teachers do. Which means that good, dynamic people need to be recruited into the field of teaching. But a low-paying, low-prestige career like teaching isn't exactly as illustrious as six-figures on Wall Street for enough good, smart, dynamic people. And calling students and teachers failures, and then taking their money away from them, is doing nothing for the allure factor.

hoping/betting it's a prank

This just in (my inbox):


UPDATE (10:00 PM):


... I knew it. I can't decide if a prank's funnier than the thought of Herman actually sending it.

too much blog-worthy stuff, hence the lack of blogging

The first two days of school went really well. I. am. excited.

Suffice it to say it does not look like this:


(but it would be funnier if it did)


In other news, the Nas and Talib Kweli show was pretty cool. A whole shitload of people singing along, "Yes we can change the world!" I'm sappy. I know that.