Columns & Editorials

Dear Aunt B,

The year 2020 threw public education a furious curve ball. The system swung and missed. Strike one. We were glad to see 2020 end thinking 2021 would have something much better to look forward to. What a trick. We got a repeat of what we just left. More haphazard planning, inconsistent information and reactive pandemic responses that affected student achievement. Strike two. Now 2 years into the pandemic, public education, students and families are still in an upheaval with no plan of stability in sight.

Dear Aunt B,

Dear Aunt B,

OUR THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS IN FORNEY

As you know, 2021 was full of chal lenges. We were still feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic when supply chains shut down and inflation heated up. So, if you’re like many people, you might not be sorry to see the year come to a close. But now it’s time to look ahead to a brighter 2022. And on a personal level, you may want to set some New Year’s resolutions. You might resolve to improve your health and diet, and possibly learn some new skills, but why not make some financial resolutions, too? Here are a few ideas to consider:

“That’s why they were called wise men!” said Ellen, 6.

Canaan’s land was the land GOD prepared for the Jews, (GOD’s chosen people). Canaan’s land was a beautiful land flowing with milk and honey. When the spies returned from the land they carried a cluster of grapes that weighed over one hundred pounds. Their report confirmed that the land really did flow with milk and honey. The Jews rebelled and would not enter the land immediately but finally did as recorded in the Bible.

Dear Aunt B,

I’m not a betting person. If I were, I’d wager that December 26th is probably the biggest sales day for plastic containers. After all, the Christmas decorations have been up for at least a month at this point. That tree positioned a bit too close to the foyer, catching all the elbows and shoulders of those who enter, and the wreaths and the garland and the glitter that seems to procreate overnight now seem downright irksome after the 25th. We are done with festive holidays. It’s time to put away the wonder and pack away the joy and issue a yearly happiness postponement until Thanksgiving of 2022. And, we need new, shiny containers with working lids because someone threw away all the cardboard boxes. After all, January is somber. January is woeful. It’s time to mourn all the bad decisions of the holiday season. I spent too much money. I ate too much sugar. I drank too much eggnog. And now, I just want to make all the reminders of my less than perfectness disappear. Worst of all, it’s time for resolutions. Katie bar the door. It’s time to pay the piper. And, there’s no Mekhi Phifer. I just blew on my fingertips and rubbed them on my imaginary lapel. I deserve an award for that line.

RECONNECTING WITH THE SIMPLE LIFE

I had a Twitter conversation with someone and mentioned that public education should take a lesson from professional football. The NFL will fire a coach that produces losses for too long. That person reminded me that football teams are private entities that expect success. The franchise’s profitability relies on the coach’s ability to produce a winning, money-making team. If a coach is not demonstrating the expected level of success, that coach expects to be and will be fired. Publicly.

It seems that all people crave attention. Young kids will often do something naughty to get attention knowing they will be punished in the end. Actually all people have inherited that longing for attention. It started at the beginning of creation. The devil was not satisfied with his position and wanted to move up even with GOD. GOD will not share His glory with anyone or anything. The Bible teaches that no one or anything can come close to GOD and survive. I believe His glory and brightness is so intense that anyone or anything would be burned up instantly.