Life Comes at You Fast

"Before forty, you think that exhaustion is something like a long-lasting hangover. But at forty you learn all about it. Even your passions exhaust you."

― Kevin Barry

We humans like to think we can control life and arrange all the pieces in a way that brings us order and peace.

Unfortunately, life doesn't work like that. Plan as much as you like, in the end, the randomness of life inserts itself,

What's the adage, Man plans while god laughs.

The last two weeks have served as a grim reminder of that truth.

I was walking the dog two weeks ago when I noticed a police car sitting in front of a neighbor's house. It took a few moments to grasp what I was seeing and why the police car was present. A car, buried to the windshield, was stuck in the house on the lot where the cop sat.

A few hours before, an Uber driver was speeding through the neighborhood, swerved to avoid another car, and lost control. The result was what lay in front of me.

Luckily, no one was home at the time of the accident, and no one was hurt. The driver escaped with minor abrasions and a diminished future as an Uber driver. The people who owned the home were in Virginia visiting grandchildren.

Imagine coming home to find a car embedded in your home. The home was on a straightaway, so it's doubtful that the owner ever envisioned their home being struck by a vehicle. Yet, that was the scenario at hand.

The car remained in the building for several days as the insurance company and engineers tried to figure out how to remove it without collapsing the house. The structural damage was severe, and repairs would likely be lengthy.

It would be a long time before life for the homeowners would return to normal.

The second instance was even more tragic.

A dear friend, David Holden, was working in Hawaii. Holden was an education consultant who successfully trained teachers. Hawaii was a client, and this was the last trip of the season.

Dave and his family have been close friends of my family for over a decade. Our kids grew up together, and our daughters remain besties. The two of them have reached the age where one of them has secured a driver's license, and all the opportunities of the world are at their fingertips, ready to be grasped. They've definitely been living their best lives.

Over the years, we've gone on trips with the Holdens to San Diego, Dollywood, and elsewhere. Dave traveled a lot for his job, so we never saw them as much as we'd like.

The teenage years brought fuller schedules, and we all became busier. We promised to have dinner next week, but it often got pushed out to next, with promises to make time soon. We all understood that life was busy, and there was no hurry to carve out time because we never assumed there wouldn't be more time.

We were wrong.

Last Monday, Dave passed away on a beach in Hawaii. It was the last thing any of us expected.

He was vibrant and healthy. Hell, he was a larger-than-life presence whose light seemed to only get brighter every year. There were other people we worried about, but not Dave.

Now, life will never be the same—not for his widow, not for his daughters, not for the hundreds of people who loved him and called him friend. Just like that, the world was knocked off its axis and put on a different trajectory—one that none would have predicted.

Dave Holden's impact on his sphere of influence is beyond measure. He was an educator, a loving husband, and a father who left behind many lessons that will bear fruit in the future.

The biggest lesson for me will be, don't take anything for granted.

Hold your loved ones tighter, and don't assume you'll be able to say I love you tomorrow.

Engage when you can and treat every minute as precious.

It's a tiresome trope but a truism: life can change on a dime without your permission. Don't ever forget that.

Dave was a good dude, and I shared some of the best times of my life Dave and his family. We will continue embracing them in our lives and never forget Dave Holden.

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Yesterday, Tennessee opened the online enrollment portal for the state voucher program. The response was overwhelming, with 33K applications submitted. The program currently only has 20K vouchers available.

"This remarkable response demonstrates what we have known all along: Tennessee parents want choices when it comes to their child's education," Gov. Bill Lee said in a statement. "I'm grateful to the General Assembly for their partnership in delivering universal school choice to families across our state. I thank the Department of Education for its dedication to a smooth implementation."

This outcome ends the debate on vouchers in Tennessee. It's been my experience that when the state gives, it never takes. The program is only going to grow.

"The response to universal school choice in Tennessee has been an overwhelming success," said Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds. "Families have embraced the educational opportunities unleashed for their students through the state's Education Freedom Scholarship program."

That's not to say that there are not some doubters out there. Some are raising questions about the accuracy of the numbers. Others are asking about the percentage of families who are already private school families. Concerns remain over the capacity of the state-contracted enrollment company. While all are legitimate concerns, they will likely do little to derail the Tennessee voucher program.

Vouchers signify a shift in the definition of public education, one that likely doesn't align with the views of the nation's founders.

A voucher program allows individuals to find a school that best suits their desired needs. While recognizing the needs of the individual, vouchers do not consider society's need for educated citizens. That is dangerous ground and will make future governance more difficult.

Of the 20,000 vouchers available, 10,000 were open for anyone to apply for. The other 10,000 vouchers were reserved for families with incomes below 300% of the limit required to qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is approximately $170,000 for a family of four.

For the 2025-26 school year, scholarships are valued at $7,295. The family is responsible for covering the remaining tuition, but many private schools provide financial aid and additional scholarships.

- - -

I'm starting to understand what bothers me most about public education. It's the growing tribalism that has become embedded in all policy discussions.

When I was younger, it wasn't as pronounced as it is today. Sure, we all hated private schools because that's where the rich kids went, and they all thought they were better than us.

It's not that simple anymore. These days, even more choices are available—private, public, charter, magnet, and homeschool. As a result, choices have become even more of a value statement than in the past. The us vs. them mentality has grown along with the choices.

Instead of just discussing kids, we talk about public school kids, charter kids, and homeschool kids, losing sight that they are all American kids who deserve a rich education. As a result, more and more policy discussions have become rooted in adult needs rather than those of children.

This week, I got a glaring reminder of that.

My son plays baseball for Overton High School, which has a co-op agreement with Valor Charter School in football, baseball, track, and a few other sports.

In football, Valor doesn't have many kids who play. Baseball is different.

35 to 40% of the team is drawn from Valor students. Many of these boys have been playing with the team for two to three years, and some are entering their senior year.

As ball players, they represent Overton baseball and conduct themselves with the same high standards as their Overton-enrolled teammates,

It's a partnership that works well for all. This week, with little notice, Metro Nashville Public Schools announced they were ending the partnership effective at the end of this school year.

When questioned about the fate of those Valor students who wished to continue playing for Overton, the district shrugged and said they could transfer.

When questioned about the impact on the team and its ability to field a competitive lineup, the district shrugged and said, "They'll be fine," with little evidence to support that prediction.

One district official told me, "I think it's best when Overton kids play for Overton teams."

Better for whom and why?

I've also heard others dismiss concerns because they concern only a handful of kids. This is from a district that has a mission statement of every child.

Over the past decade, MNPS has become inhospitable to charter operators, despite evidence showing that some charters perform at a level equivalent to or greater than traditional schools. This latest action feels like another layer of that animosity.

I'm not going to argue that Valor doesn't play a role in this decision, but remember it's Valor adults that fail to meet requirements, not the Valor kids.

This charter vs traditional debate has grown increasingly wearisome. The school model is not the difference maker.

A school with a dynamic leader who employs high-quality teachers will always outperform one that lacks any of the aforementioned.

But again, I don't think any of this is about what's best, but rather what's best for adults.

- - -

Yesterday, MNPS announced that Hunters Lane High School has been designated as a distribution site under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Summer Food Service Program's rural non-congregate meals authorization.

Through this program, MNPS Nutrition Services will provide meal kits containing 10 breakfasts and 10 lunches per kit. Distribution will occur once every two weeks, for four dates over the summer.

Distribution Dates:

• June 9, 2025

• June 23, 2025

• July 7, 2025

• July 21, 2025

Time: 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM

"This is an important effort to ensure our students have access to nutritious meals even when school is out of session,"said Dr. Adrienne Battle, Superintendent of Metro Nashville Public Schools. "We are committed to supporting families and children across our rural communities."

This open site is available to all eligible children in and around the designated rural location. To avoid duplication, parents or guardians picking up meal kits will be asked a series of verifying questions to confirm their child's eligibility. However, students enrolled in the Promising Scholars (summer learning) program or those participating in congregate meal programs are not eligible for these kits until their program concludes.

According to the MNPS press release, meals will be provided to all children without charge and are the same for all children regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service (not all prohibited bases apply to all programs). Meals will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

Not sure exactly why "retaliation for prior civil rights activity" has been placed into the disclaimer, but MNPS always seems to want to stir the pot, so I'm sure it's some kind of veiled suggestion that kids are being starved because they once attended a downtown march.

Still, kudos to the Hunter's Lane leadership team and MNPS for initiating this program.

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