Futile Efforts
“You cannot have a taste for minimalist décor if you seriously read books.”
― Linda Grant, I Murdered My Library
"Book banning" continues to be front-page news, and I continue to observe with some amusement.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I endorse banning anything. But I also don't feel it's possible to effectively ban anything. Not in an age where with a stroke of a keyboard and the swipe of a credit card I can procure virtually anything, regardless of legality.
I view the whole "banned books" debate as one of the great marketing ploys of all time. How many people, outside of high school, would be familiar with the works of Kwame Alexander were it not for censorship efforts?
The fact that anybody is even talking about “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” goes into the win column for me.
The whole debate comes with virtue signaling, clutching of pearls, and false depictions of reality.
WCS school board member Eric Welch is a cloaked-in-the-constitution free speech freedom fighter unless you hold a counter belief or fail to meet his definition of legitimacy, then it is at minimal a dismissal or just as easily a boot in the ass. he's a man that doesn't suffer fools.
The whole debate is rife with hypocrisy.
I can't help but chuckle over a quote from a student in opposition to removing books from the Williamson County Schools Libraries, “School has always been a place where students can think freely and explore different ideas and perspectives. By banning books, we are stripping this away and denying students to learn about different experiences.”
I don't know where that school is located in WCS, but sign me up. Anybody that has been anywhere near a school in the last decade, knows it's more about compliance than it is about "free thinkers". That may offend some of you, but let's at least try and keep it real.
Here's some more reality, both sides of the book-banning battle think that only those on the other side are the ones "banning books". News Flash: it's all of ya. Some of you are just more palpable than others.
If you don't believe me try getting your local library to carry my latest book on skinheads, cannibals, and the joys of gun ownership. Welch will be sending you snarky emails in seconds.
People will loudly protest if a school removes "The Hate You Give" from a class reading list, but they'll be nary a protest if Mark Twain is removed in favor of a modern YA title. If we apply the logic that removing a book from a class syllabus is comparable to "banning", are we not, in essence, banning Mark Twain?
Thoughts and ideas don't just travel through books either,
My child attends a local public school. It's probably not an accident that his musical choices are influenced by his peers. What seems like a benign request to play his music in the car, quickly becomes an exercise in parental tolerance. You haven't lived until you are rolling down the road to baseball practice with your 13-year-old, with Lil Baby, playing out of your speakers,
I can't give me my energy to anybody
I'ma billionaire in the making when I make it I promise I'ma get one
Look bitch tryna chase me had a stiff on me
Only had a couple dollas I was still gettin' fresh
I ain't tryna sound cocky but I feel I'm the best
Every time I want the maximum, I ain't takin' nothin' less
I been back to back jets, but I still fly Delta
Thick lil' shit but she can fit in my schedule
Yeah I'm always on the go, but I make time for that ass
Yea...it's the "Perks of Being a Wallflower" that I'm worried about.
My initial response was...ah, hell no. But if I walk into the gym for his basketball practice it's booming out of the speakers. Playground? Same story, different location. It's an inescapable soundtrack unless I want to wrap his ears in bubble wrap.
To be fair, at his age, I was sitting in the movie theater singing along to:
We'll get some overhead lifters and some four barrel quads, oh yeah
Keep talkin', whoah keep talkin'!
Fuel injection cut-off and chrome-plated rods, oh yeah
I'll get her ready, I need to get her ready!
With a four-speed on the floor, they'll be waitin' at the door
You know that ain't shit when we'll be gettin' lots of tit
Greased Lightnin'We'll get some purple pitched tail lights and thirty-inch fins, oh yeah
A palomino dashboard and duel-muffler twins, oh yeah
With new boosters, plates, and shocks
I can get off my rocks
You know that I ain't braggin', she's a real pussy wagon
Greased Lightnin'
So the choice actually becomes, do I want to be part of the conversation or do I want to spend the precious little time I have with my kids playing warden? Guarding the internet. Policing friends. Searching rooms.
Maybe it's because I came to this parenting thing late in the game, but I recognize my mortality. My kids gotta get up to speed quickly, Dad ain't going to be here forever looking over their shoulder. They need to learn to make good decisions because they are good decisions, not because they are afraid that they are going to get in trouble with me. in order to do that, they are going to have to sort through a lot of junk.
Being in the conversation often translates into some uncomfortable conversations. Recently we had a discussion about the frequent usage of a certain racial term frequently employed in his music, "Why do you say it bothers you so much, but when you complain about it, you'll just say the word?"
"Because I find the word so distasteful that when I'm forced to use it in citing other people's words, I'm not going to undercut its despicableness by sugarcoating it." I reply, "It's a horrific, ugly word that shouldn't be used by anybody, and substituting the "n-word" doesn't make it any less so. I don't use it ever in my conversations, nor do I associate with people or do. I think the idea that one group uses it, while another can't, based on the color of their skin is the very description of fostering inequity. But you may feel different, and my job is to give you information so you can make your own decisions."
I've never fallen into the trap that my children are some kind of reflection of me. Don't get me wrong, I'm extremely proud of their accomplishments and can brag about them with the best, and I cringe when they do stupid things. I'm sure there is no shortage of folks that wish I'd quit talking about them. Ultimately though, they are responsible for themselves and their actions reflect on them and nobody else.
I'm well aware of all the influences they are subject to on a daily basis, and to think that I can isolate the ones that cut through the noise is comical to me. My kids reading Atlas Shrugged no more ensures that they will turn into rugged individualists than reading Some Girls Do will turn them gay.
Parenting these days is a whole different beast, with whole different roles. As parents, we are expected to be more open and sharing. We are expected to be more accepting. Gone are the days of the stoic father who is only engaged while working on the car and has the definitive answer to everything.
In a lot of ways, that's a good thing. Though I would argue that this generation could talk a little less, that's another subject for another day.
Just rest assured that behavior, thoughts, or art that you try to put a blanket ban or endorsement on - whichever side of the aisle you reside - is like teaching a pig to sing. It's futile and only serves to annoy the pig.
There is a plus side to book bans though. It keeps us talking about books, and the only thing better then reading books is talking about books.
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Looks like Tennessee's former Commissioner has found a new gig. FutureEd has announced the Schwinster as their newest Senior Fellow. She'll be joining folks like Josh Anderson - Teach for America, Tequilla Brownie - TNTP, Lynn Olson - Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in helping districts to find ways to better serve under-served children. You'd think with all the people pursuing this effort, somebody would have actually solved the issue by now, right?
Funding for this cadre of charlatans is provided by the usual suspects - The Walton Family Foundation, Bloomberg Foundation, Chan Zuckerberg, City Fund, you get the picture.
The bio that accompanies the announcement is especially good for a chuckle:
Penny Schwinn served as Tennessee education commissioner from January 2019 until June 2023. She has overseen a number of initiatives including restructuring a $9 billion school finance system in Tennessee; overseeing the efforts to redesign
the teacher preparation market and make teaching a federally recognized apprenticeable profession; designing and launching the largest and most comprehensive state Covid recovery and student acceleration program in the country, including literacy, math, and tutoring; leading a $500 million statewide redesign of high school to align K-12, post-secondary and workforce; and securing both the largest recurring and one-time investments in K-12 education in the history of Tennessee.
She really should have explored fiction writing, She'd be a natural.
Interestingly enough, she's also listed as serving as a fellow for the Walton Family Foundation, as well as in senior leadership for a university. Hmmm...can't wait to figure out who that is.
Be interesting to know when she accepted those other positions, and if she was still working for the TDOE at the time.
And, when she started drawing a salary from Future Ed.
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Well, the Nashville Mayoral race has finally gotten a little interesting. Last night, candidate Alice Rolli told a little more truth than we like to hear from our politicians.
On stage last night at one of the endless forums held across the city, in response to a question on Mayoral control, Rolli responded, "“This school board has the ability in the next two years to make a really critical decision. We as a city will become Detroit, or we will embrace choice and become Miami-Dade,” which has expanded school choice and seen improvements in student performance in recent years."
Rolli was commenting on the fact that many of the city's charter schools are up for renewal, and this board has not been predisposed toward granting charters. At one point, they had no options if the district denied them. That's no longer the case. They can appeal to the state charter commission, and possibly join the state charter school commission.
That means the loss of both students and the charter authorizer fee. While the latter is minimal, the former is not. MNPS enrollment has been on a steady decline for the last decade and there is no reason to believe that's going to change.
Despite the declining enrollment, their budget keeps growing. This year the district cracks the $1.2 billion mark.
But hey, we are getting great results, right?
Not so fast. Discipline issues are up along with teacher attrition. Down are achievement rates. With TCAP scores poised to be released, I'd be hesitant to argue that the district is earning every one of those dollars.
Teachers are obviously doing what they can, but I'm not so sure when it comes to leadership. In 2015, right before Dr. Joseph got here, there were 19 principal openings, at people thought that was a lot. This year 23 new principals (23_PrincipalAnnouncementBios) are poised to take charge.
Nearly all of them have been pulled from the current ranks of MNPS educators, but few with actual experience as principals. Most are former instructional coaches or assistant principals. Several graduated from MNPS and are returning to lead the school where they earned their diploma. That's a nice story.
A few of the new principals will be transferring from the district's virtual school to a traditional brick-and-mortar operation. Several are graduates of Tennessee State University. Only one teacher comes from out of state, and one returns to Nashville from Wilson County.
The art of placing principals requires a delicate balance. A principal that is a good fit for one school, is not necessarily a good fit for another. Time will tell how this batch works out,
But I digress.
Rolli suggests that a little school board oversize might be in order, and if they won't do their job, maybe the mayor should step in. She's not the first to suggest this, nor will she be the last. Also, keep in mind that David Fox is a campaign advisor. Fox is the OG when it comes to mayoral control.
Mayors have traditionally wanted more say since education is a healthy part of the city budget, they are judged on school outcomes, and the city charter prevents them from having a significant say. But remember, no change in the construction of the school board can change without a change in the charter which requires a citywide vote. Not likely to happen.
On the flip side, if you think this board is exercising any oversight on Battle or the school system, let's talk about my bridge in Arizona.
This is a group that has relentlessly pursued a path to oblivion for almost 5 years. They regularly place multi-million dollar contracts on the consent agenda where they are approved with no discussion. They blindly accept what Battle tells them. Hell, they spent more time dancing, than they did discussing a change in vendors for the district's three-times-a-year benchmark tests. Somewhere along the line, popularity, and civility eclipsed protecting student and community interests.
Rolli ain't wrong when she says, "I was asked what would be a specific marker of dysfunction and I said if we leave this school board to its own devices, it would likely not re-authorize some of our highest performing charters, including Valor, which is coming up for their 10-year charter renewal in 2024–20 25."
She adds, "At some point, we have to recognize if we don’t get accountability for our schools and our families there is a cost we all pay and ultimately the mayor is responsible to taxpayers for the spending of this $1.2 billion. The distinction between Miami, Dade, and Detroit is that Miami-Dade pays about the same per student and has embraced those charter schools within its district as part of the district and not pushed them out.
"Detroit is a cautionary tale of what happens when we believe that families will stay in a school system that is failing and not make choices in their own best interest. The school system had to be bankrupted because its cost structure was built as if it would always have hundreds of thousands of students and families fleeing the failure. I think we can choose to go from "F" rating to "A" rating and claim all kids as our kids, or we can pretend that parents' voice doesn’t matter and keep pushing parents and schools out of MNPS."
I've never been a fan of Mayoral control, but I'm even less a fan of sticking my fingers in my ear and acting like everything is copacetic.
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Third-grade TCAP math scores are due any day, along with district TCAP scores. No word yet on when those will be available, but my prediction is that the worse they are, the closer to the Fourth of July they'll be released. But that's the cynic in me.
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Fun times continue over at the Grow Your Own Center. When last we spoke, there were questions about funding, participation requirements, and future sustainability. Remember Governor Lee likes to make a show about putting money in an account, and then collecting the interest while not giving anyone access to the funding. See the state's child mental health fund for a reference.
This week, word comes that an assistant director and the director of communications have tendered their resignations. Both will be transitioning to new opportunities.
A recent email sent from director Dr. Erin Crisp sheds little light on what funding will look like in the future and has folks mimicking the old woman from a past Wendy's commercial, "Where's the Beef" at.
We'll continue to monitor, but I'm considering starting a pool to wager on how long it takes our California transplant to remove this one from her resume.
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