Summertime Doesn't Always Mean Nuthin But Fun
“Don't do it, Eleanor told the little girl; insist on your cup of stars; once they have trapped you into being like everyone else you will never see your cup of stars again; don't do it; and the little girl glanced at her, and smiled a little subtle, dimpling, wholly comprehending smile, and shook her head stubbornly at the glass. Brave girl, Eleanor thought; wise, brave girl.”
― Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House
Summertime is officially upon us. With school out, life's pace and expenditures would be expected to slow down.
Not so much.
Now come the camps, off-season practices, summer schools, pool dates, and other activities. Parents, you know the drill: race to get kids to where they need to be while trying to squeeze out moments of productivity at work—hopefully enough to stay employed until the Fall.
Here's my advice: don't try to go alone. Join those carpools. Other parents are in the same boat and need you as much as you need them.
We've been in the same carpools, or slight variations, for several years, and I can't imagine trying to pull all of this off without their help. It'd be impossible.
Here's some advice about carpools: Find people who don't count every minute. There will be times when you carry the brunt of the load, followed by times when you'll need somebody else to carry the load. Trust me, it'll balance out.
The last thing you need is added guilt because you feel as if you are not doing enough. In my experience, everybody is doing the best they can, and we need to cut each other some slack.
The last piece of advice on this subject is to never lose sight of how quickly this will pass. Right now, it feels like you'll never survive and that your life today will be forever. You will, and it's not.
I've got one who turns 16 next month and will begin to transport herself. Truthfully, I'm getting kind of melancholy about it. With the alleviation of driving responsibilities will come an ending to all the conversations that flowed because we were in a confined space. I think I'm going to even miss the fights, and there have been plenty of those.
I know I'll miss the chattering away about her daily life and the sharing of her soundtrack. Now, I won't likely miss my son's gangster rap when he turns 16 next summer, though it wouldn't surprise me if I found myself humming a Rod Wave song sometime in the future.
One thing I guarantee you is that the extra time at work will not be more satisfying or rewarding. So, enjoy while you can. This, too, shall pass.
- - -
The Metro Nashville Public School system continues to act as if it can keep Sally down on the farm by sheer determination.
This week, the MNPS board turned down three charter school applications in what's become an annual tradition. The schools have the option to appeal to the State Charter School Commission. That commission has overturned at least one rejection by the board each of the last four years. This is partially why State Legislators passed a law allowing applicants to bypass the local board and apply directly to the state.
Most of MNPS's board members remain staunch opponents of charter schools despite repeated appeals from parents. In yesterday's case, a parent pleaded with the board to approve a 6-12 grade public charter school that would provide students in the northern part of Nashville with hands-on, real-world learning designed for those interested in careers in architecture, construction, or engineering.
"One thing my son loves to do is draw buildings. If he was in the room, he could tell you which building is the tallest in the different state. All that type of stuff," said the parent, Troy Smith. "He's only 9 now. Of course, this school is going towards the middle school age, but I think it's a great opportunity for that school to be here to actually teach other kids that you know what, you can actually use your brain, and mindset, and thought, and creativity compared to always being an athlete or entertaining."
That plea fell on deaf ears as one board member dismissed Smith's appeal.
"There's not a strong demonstration for need and that its offerings are not meaningfully different from our current academies models," said District 1 Board Member Rachael Anne Elrod. "There are of course some additional operational concerns, including that there's no comprehensive safety plan, and that there's insufficient special education, transportation needs, and some other things."
Elrod and other board members have hidden behind things like school safety to defend their ideology for years. I guess they forgot just this year, a local traditional high school failed to have a comprehensive safety plan in place, and as a result, two students were murdered. Nobody is perfect, nor should they be expected to be.
The bottom line is that MNPS does not serve all students—that'd be impossible—and that some would thrive in an alternative setting. In one of the strongest rebukes I've heard in years, District 1 Board Member Robert Taylor voiced that sentiment.
"The community, parents, our constituents are telling us that there is a gap, and I can't sit up here and social gaslight these folks and pretend like we're covering every need for every student in our district," said Taylor. "We're talking about 333 students on here. I can almost guarantee you that there are 330 students in Nashville that can benefit from a different program than what we currently offer."
Amen, my friend. Amen.
The MNPS board, for the most part, can't seem to grasp the changing environment. It's not 1965, and the soundtrack is no longer The Beach Boys' "Be True to Your School."
Parents recognize that providing for their children's education and preparation for the future is more than simply dropping them off at the local schoolhouse. Children have different aspirations, needs, and desires. If every child is known, we should recognize that fact, not try to stifle it.
The spread of the internet has made it possible for parents to assess the opportunities provided in other districts and schools. They are not content to settle for an adequate education for their child; they want schools that will allow them to become their best selves, whatever that looks like. What schools deliver has eclipsed what schools look like, and thus, school leaders are forced to have honest conversations with themselves, something most adults aren't prone to do. It's easier to cling to ideological beliefs.
A decade of writing this blog and raising scholars has led me to the conclusion that schools where students want to be tend to perform better than schools in which students are forced to attend. Finding that fit becomes important.
At a recent Principal's retreat, a great deal of time was spent focused on the clusters. Ten years ago, that might have been a great conversation; ensuring a seamless pathway through a child's education years was seen as desirable. People are not as invested as they once were.
You see, parents go to private or public charter schools in various stages depending on their child's perceived needs. Parents also face the reality that in order to equip their child to be fully competitive, they are going to have to invest in opportunities outside of the school, at minimum, in coaches and tutors. This is another uncomfortable truth.
At least some board members are finally starting to wake up. Taylor and District 3 Board Member Zach Young have voiced concerns over the approval process.
One of the rejected applicants, The Rock Academy, would have served up to 333 high school students, specifically targeting those from high schools with the highest percentage and/or total count of students with chronic absenteeism.
The Rock Academy's founder, Dr. Ahmed White, told board members on Tuesday, ""There is a critical gap for students who are often overlooked and overwhelmed. The desire for a school that sees them, hears them, and builds with them," said White. "You have an opportunity to say yes to something bold, something necessary, and something deeply aligned to the needs of this city."
Vice-Chair Berthena Nabaa-McKinney dismissed White's assertion, "It is not a new idea. This is not transformational. This is already happening within our district. We're already the work within our district," said Nabaa-McKinney. "And we are seeing success in the model that is happening and the work being done by the people in charge of these schools to make it happen."
That's an interesting defense, considering that the district's graduation rate has hovered around 80% for the last decade. It was 80.2% in 2018 and 81.2% in 2024.
The district's chronically absent rate for last year was 24.1%, which has declined since the height of the pandemic when it was 28.9%. Still, it is higher than pre-pandemic when it was 16.8%. If this was truly about kids, it's apparent that MNPS could use some help.
The charter school has already indicated a willingness to collaborate with the district, including 56 revisions to their amended applications.
Long-time readers know that I am a strong proponent of staying in the conversation. You can't mitigate change if you are not in the conversation. MNPS's actions continually push them out of the conversation. Despite their best efforts, choice opportunities are not going away. They are only going to increase.
I'd love to see MNPS create and sanction some district-run charter schools. This is not a new concept. District's in California have been doing it for decades.
Again, be a part of the conversation.
- - -
Earlier this month, MNPS announced some support hub promotions, including Dr. David Martin as Executive Director.
The district press release described Dr. Martin as such:
Dr. David Martin is an experienced educational leader with more than 15 years in district and state-level administration, currently serving as the Louisiana Special School District superintendent. A native Tennessean, Dr. Martin also served as the superintendent of the Tennessee School for the Blind, where he supported innovative programming and contributed to expanding work-based learning opportunities for students. His career includes administrative experience with the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) as a principal, assistant Principal, and district curriculum coordinator. He began his career in education as a high school social studies teacher.
Unfortunately, there is more to his story. A story that raises legitimate points of conversation.
Before joining MNPS's central office, David Martin was hired as Superintendent for Altamont Schools, an Illinois School district. He resigned six days after taking the position.
It seems that several decades ago, Martin was a professional wrestler who appeared on the Jerry Springer Show as a brother stealing his sister's boyfriend. For those of us who remember the Springer show, the script was salacious and would best be described as over-the-top.
It was all scripted to generate ratings, and the wrestler was merely playing a role. Martin is openly gay, as are many of Nashville's most respected and effective educators, which should not be a factor in his assessing his qualifications.
A small group of Altamont parents were uncomfortable with Martin's past despite reassurances from Altamont District Unit 10 School Board President Shelly Kuhns.
"I don't know exactly what the basis for the concern was (for Martin's past)," Kuhns said. "And initially, we tried to have a conversation that it was 20-plus years ago and that it was legal and not particularly sexual. It was acting and theatre that he did early in his life."
That's a legitimate defense. Kuhns went on to blame social media for the backlash against Martin.
"Both (Martin) and I want this to be an opportunity to open dialogue and encourage people to examine their motives,"Kuhns said. "We want people to begin to learn and vet information that comes to them through electronic sources and to seek a full story before making a judgment. I believe that is the good that can come out of this."
As someone whose own past is checkered at best, I get it. But we also have to recognize that we live in a world permeated by social media. Unfortunately decisions we made in the past can come back to haunt us in ways we never envisioned. In many ways, transparency has become more important than ever.
If nothing else, Martin's experience provides a real-life lesson in youthful decision-making. Hopefully, we'll get to a place where the central issue isn't focused on sexual orientation, but rather an individuals decision making.
Whatever your sexual orientation, you have to be cognizant of your life choices and how they impact your ability to do your job and openly admit when you made questionable decisions.
I chuckle because my friend Doc was a Springer guest back in the day. As the lead singer of a local rock band he was perfect for the role of homewrecker. We got a lot of laughs out of that episode.
I have no evidence that Martin will be anything less than an exemplary Executive Director, and let me be the first to congratulate him on his promotion.
Hopefully, Nashville parents will be less discriminatory than their peers up north.
- - -
USDOE head Linda McMahon came to Nashville this week, purportedly with her proposed minion. Since Penny Schwinn has yet to be approved as a deputy head honcho, she couldn't appear in any of the official pictures. That must have been painful for her.
While here, the Secretary of Education met with several Tennessee leaders. There is no word on what they discussed, but School Choice and the Big Beautiful Bill were prime topics.
Still waiting for word on when the vote for Ms. Schwinn's nomination will be held.
If the goal here was to change people's opinions on Ms. Schwinn, I doubt it was very successful. Tennesseans fully understand who the former state commissioner is, and they are not fans.
- - -
If you want me to highlight and share something, send it to Norinrad10@yahoo.com. Wisdom or criticism is always welcome.
As you may suspect, keeping this blog going comes at a cost. In that light, I've set up several ways for you to show your financial support.
I invite you to subscribe to Substack. The rates are reasonable if you become a paid subscriber, and a free option remains. The only difference is that one allows me to eat better, but I appreciate you signing up for either.
You can also donate through my Venmo (Thomas-Weber-10) or Cash App ($PeterAveryWeber)
A massive shout-out to all of you who've already lent your financial support. I am eternally grateful for your generosity. It allows me to keep doing what I do, and without you, I would have been forced to quit long ago. It is truly appreciated and keeps the bill collectors happy. Now more than ever, your continued support is vital.
If you wish to join the ranks of donors but are not interested in Substack, you can still go to Patreon and help a brother out.