The New Semester

The new semester starts today. I have been here all spring and summer, but it still feels like a renewal. You know when you are tired beyond all things and then POOF, after a shower or a 15-minute nap you are relieved?

That is the feeling that the 4 true days of absolutely nothing to do (no grades to enter, no syllabi to copy, no theological reading to outline) has had on me. I am renewed, refreshed and revived. I am ready to hit this semester with both fists!

It may be a little jarring for my English 132 students tomorrow, but I am going in honest and straight-forward. It usually sends them "runningk for zee hillz" but we'll see.

So to all of those newly green freshmen, smart-ass sophomores, and beyond...happy fall semester. NOW GET TO WORK! I AM WATCHING YOU!

Beliot College Mindset List for the Class of 2014

Imagine living in a world without the 30-minute Domino's Delivery Guarantee? Imagine never having known the joy of parental advisory-less television viewing? Now you have walked a moment in the shoes of this year's upcoming freshmen class. 1992 was the year that Gansta Rap and Grunge hit the musical scene. It was also the year of birth for these greenhorns.

On the upside, a quarter of these youngins have immigrant parents. This means that the country I grew up in is no longer here...I like it.

Read the list HERE.

As Bob Dylan reminds us:

"Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'"

Why Wikipedia is not a credible source...

FINISHED!!!

I am finally finished grading. Of course I have to now tally final grades, but the reading is complete! Only four days of reading...not bad.

Buried Under Papers

So as I sit here in the basement buried under papers. I have about 120 student essays ranging from four to 14 pages. Usually this process takes about 20 minutes or so per paper. So, don't expect to hear from me in a while.

The Program is Approved!!!

I got word from HFCC's human resources department this morning that my Doctoral program at Harrison Middleton is officially approved! Yes, after an application process, a few interviews and a little bit of "razzle dazzle" I should be on my way to getting that Doctor of Arts in Humanities.

This is perfect as I have never been one for traditional education. Harrison Middleton will be a one-on-one tutored doctorate degree. I cannot wait to delve deep into the great works and further study the relationship of God and man. I will be knee deep in dead white guys before the end of the school year.

If you aren't aware of the great works, see the list HERE.

Yes, I will be one of those crusty old bespeckled guys who talks about other old crusty guys that no one has read. Ain't life grand?!?

No Child Left Behind (or one's interpretation of it) Sparks Protest in Detroit Public Schools & Excessive Angst from the Detroit Police Department

The new Detroit Public School superintendent Connie Calloway recently decided to get a head start on the Federal NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND program and order the complete restructuring of FIVE Detroit schools. This is not federally mandated (not yet, anyway) and Calloway does not have board approval. Yet yesterday teachers from the Detroit Federation of Teachers had to march on the administration building to protest the MID-SEMESTER staff cuts and shuffling (including teachers and principals) because Calloway wants to "clean house," flip the script and begin with a "tabula rasa." But this begs the question, do the ends justify the means?

Read more about Calloway's decision HERE.

Read about the teacher's protest HERE.

TODAY, the students of Henry Ford High School protested the layoff of their high school Principal, Dr. Tavillion. The Principal's last official day of duty was today. I am actually glad to see students rise up to defend their faculty and administration. While I am sure that not every protester was 100% "for the cause," it is nice to see students support the stewards of their education.

However, in a big bone-head move, the Detroit Police Department moved in like gang busters to disperse the crowd. I understand the principles of crowd control and do not argue that the motorcycle on the sidewalk is well within the modus operandi. Choking a student out and whacking one upside the head with a book bag while that student is handcuffed and in custody - that is another story.

Read more about the protest at Henry Ford HS on Fox2Detroit HERE. (There is raw helicopter footage of the police in action).

No Child Left Behind

Little Paulie did very well on his standardized test until the "Manual Dexterity" & "Escape" sections appeared on the exam.

Tomorrow is the First Day of Class

Here we go...another semester. I really do love what I do. I get excited before I go back to work. I suppose that is because every 15 weeks I get a new set of co-workers. Of course, I have done mine and they have yet to do their work. However, it is exciting to meet fresh new faces and then try to strike a nice balance of fear and excitement in them so that they, if willing to do the work required, stay on to enjoy the remainder of the semester. I do really wish for all of them the best of luck, but man am I going to work them.