You can teach them the value of manual labor, moving and unloading boxes on Wednesday.

School started today here in Vegas. It's nice not having to get up to get the kids ready and all that.

Only 10 more years for me. And my middle school kids starts at 0700, so the bus picks up at 625, she gets up at 530.

It does enable me to get to work for an early start though, so I have that going for me.

I don't have to go in to work for another 2 weeks. Kids don't start until after labor day.

Back in the late 80's/early 90's I did not start school until the Wednesday after Labor Day and was out before Memorial Day. It was a private school so that may have had something to do with it but it feels like summer break is 3 to 4 weeks shorter now.

We spent today in an almost worthless PD day for a software program called "Illuminate" that isn't bad, but is not anything the teachers requested, as we already have 3 different tracking/planning/administrative programs that we need to utilize on a daily basis, not counting ANYTHING that actually helps us with lessons, assessments, applying concepts, etc. Like lots of other areas, public education has turned into a bureaucracy focusing on sound bites of information, systems in place, etc, while not improving the educational environment for students or teachers. I swear the whole goal in education since the early 2000s has been the increased importance of advisors/systems implementation, adding administration positions, etc. And if the administration is really good at the BS, the only ones who can be held accountable for anything not up to snuff will be teachers.
Not students, not the myriad curriculum/instructional/standardized test/state standards organization, not local socio-economic problems...just teachers.
I do suppose it is simpler that way though

Diatribe over.

yay Heroclix!

I binge watched the first 4 episodes of Pennyworth on Epix this weekend, I liked it.

I went to private school for grades 1-8. We always started 2 weeks before local public schools, but, our summer break started 2 weeks before them, go figure!

I went to a High School that included about 20% boarding students, the after Labor Day start was so kids did not start school then have to immediately fly away again for a long weekend.

AS for why we have to start after labor day, is because the governor thought that giving the families an extra week means that the state would get more money from families who would want to vacation here and other such nonsense that has nothing to do with the kids' best interest in learning. Because of this loss of a week we have fewer days off/half days for teacher planning/report card prep, holidays, and fewer built in (forgivable) snow days. That is because schools need to end by a specific date due to summer programs.


We have a new Math curriculum (RLA is next year). It is scripted and every kid has the same workbook where the work is not that interesting at all.

The worst part was the training. The training videos show a number of teacher question --> whole class answer. Every single time the teacher wanted the whole class to answer they would always snap at the class. So that meant that the person who was leading the training was snapping at us too when they want a whole class answer. It took a lot of willpower not to kick them in the throat.

On the other hand, I'm going to see Killswitch Engage tonight.

Never got into them. Who are the opening acts?

So the Killswitch concert was amazing. Very small venue. I think it held 400. The opening bands were a local band called A Perfect Being. They were very nervous but did ok. Then an LA band called Thrown Into Exile. They were actually pretty good. Then Killswitch.

My friend and I were the first to arrive and get in line at the venue, so we were right up front, just off center (so that I could be in front of the bass player). Killswitch's singer kept coming up to the barrier and standing on it so the crowd could hug him, and he bodysurfed 3 times. Very engaging. They had little in-between song talk, and just played powerful song after powerful song.

At the end, I pointed to the bassist (Mike D'Antonio) and yelled "You're the man!". He saw me, smiled, and then walked over and handed me a pick (which glows in the dark!), and then handed one to my friend.

After the show, I was in an about 30 minute long conversation with the TIE bassist. He gave me and my friend a copy of their CD, and told me if I'm in LA to look him up. Super cool dude, and a gearhead like me so we had a lot to talk about.

My friend made out like a bandit. He got a drumstick, the pick, the setlist, and a bottle of water (plus that CD at the end). Overall, near perfect night.

The Ogres are trying to rally their dying thread, but the LPC will prevail!

All hail the LPC!