Road Apples

I started what follows a couple weeks ago. The past two weeks have more shootings, more gun deaths, and more of the intolerant stupidity from the those who DEMAND we believe as they do.

Can there be a better example of being tone deaf than Lauren Qbert in her latest publicity stunt photo? In her world, firearms are a necessary fashion accessory. It doesn’t matter that the AR15 is a military weapon designed to kill and maim as many human bodies as efficiently as possible. To the credit of the inventor of the AR15, it completes its designed purpose well. It is that efficiency in purpose that makes the AR15 unsuited for civilian use. Some of the fearful members of the Cruel and Clueless believe that every homeowner needs a weapon that will mow down an invading hoard of A) illegal immigrants, B) drag queens reading to children, C) librarians who believe in providing ALL patrons reading opportunities, or D) liberals each of whom they believe seek to make their life “uncomfortable.” I will admit to a certain amount of hyperbole here, but I won’t concede the points that the powerful choose to use the fearful as conduits for their own hateful messages.

For Qbert, definitions are malleable as a playdoh. She is willing to adjust her definitions to fit her particular purpose for the moment.

I read yesterday about a member of the Colorado State Legislature, Brandi Bradley who believes that the suicide rate among young white males is due to “psychological damage caused by messages or history lessons that group classes of citizens by oppressors and oppressed.” Another member of the Cruel and Clueless. Another piece I read suggests that many of the mass shooters are essentially the equivalent of suicide bombers. Seems more likely than Bradley’s insanity.

This is short, and I wish to write more. Only a beginning here.

After several years of pondering writing a blog, it is finally time to start. I need to write and share what I am thinking.

First, the name: Road Apples for anyone who has been around horses, knows what a road apple is. I dedicate the name first to Jerry Bracey. One of his favorite terms in response to what he thought was something less than was “horseshit.” Jerry Bracey is the individual most responsible for opening my eyes to the “horseshit” that has been education reform for the last thirty years or so. The second person to whom I dedicate the name to is Terry McArthur, a former student who wanted to write a column with the same name, but the principal didn’t think the name appropriate. I always thought the name humorous and now I am going to use it.

I will often write about education, education policy, happenings in education as I am a teacher soon to be embarking on my 29th year in my own classroom. I have earned two graduate degrees, an M. A. in Sport Administration, and an Ed. S. in Education Leadership. I have enough experience and education to speak to matters in public education. But I won’t limit myself to just education. I have a variety of interests and I come with one or two opinions (someday someone will invent a sarcasm font).

The look of this blog will change over time as I become acquainted with the tools available to me to make it look interesting and I have the opportunity to experiment, and I look forward to inciting some dialogue about a variety of subjects.