As the last days of the longest summer in history mercifully wind down, we enter the teeth of the “silly season”–that time every 4 years when the thoughts of many are consumed by campaigns, debates, and elections. And with the stakes being higher than ever before, the silliness has never been more ridiculous. Case in point: Pundits from across the […]

I got an email from our school’s business manager on Friday at 5:11pm with an “emergency request” to complete a new required training module. The deadline for completing this module? The following Monday morning. As usual, the “system” didn’t allow me to even start the training module–some sort of IT glitch I assume–so I called the business manager, who was […]

The question is… why so quiet? There was a bit of a justifiable freakout this week when Ted Kaufman, the long-time Biden aide who is running Joe Biden’s transition team, was reported as saying, “When we get in, the pantry is going to be bare.” This sounds a lot like the kowtowing to phony deficit whining that plagued Democrats during […]

Dear Ms. McConnell, Since you took the time to offer your advice, as a nurse, on how teachers should do their jobs, I thought I’d return the favor and share my thoughts on how nurses should do their jobs. Except the truth is that I don’t have the faintest idea how to advise you how to be a nurse. Because […]

Dear Teachers, As your school districts’ “return to school” plans are being released, remember that you are going to hear mostly from the folks in your communities who are angry–angry that classes are being offered online, angry at the lack of child care availability, angry at teachers for not putting themselves in danger. In fact, many of these persons may […]

Dear Teachers, As we prepare for the uncertainty and confusion regarding the return of school, one  piece of advice: Please keep the receipts for *anything* you purchase in order to teach online this fall… new office chairs tables computer monitors laptop stands headphones mics speakers cameras lights routers wifi extenders upgraded laptops, tablets, and smart phones enhanced internet service professional […]

Vice President Mike Pence visited a school in North Carolina today, ostensibly to show how the power of school choice is the key to reopening schools this fall… In an email sent Monday, school officials said Pence will visit Thales Academy K-5 to see how school choice works and to advocate for its further implementation. Pence also tweeted about how […]

Or on the Ann Arbor City Council Ann Arbor 2nd Ward City Council Member Jane Lumm has run as a Republican, Independent and this year, Democrat. Who can blame her? She goes with what works. For her. But if you’re progressive in any way, you sure as hell shouldn’t vote for her. But “She responds to me!” you say? As […]

The following post was written by Jordan Zakarin, the founder of the amazing Progressives Everyone fundraising project and regular guest on The GOTMFV Show podcast. His efforts to help get progressives elected (everywhere) are crucial and important. Please take a look. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court green-lit the disenfranchisement of over a million Floridians when it refused to strike […]

You know how I know that the corporate education reformers, and their leader, Betsy DeVos, were never serious about actually improving public education? Because now, in the midst of a global pandemic, and a complete lack of national education policy guidance beyond “SCHOOLS MUST OPEN IN THE FALL!!!“, none of these education policy “experts” have come up with any “out […]

If you’ve seen your teacher friends warning about the dangers of the Covid-19 pandemic providing an opportunity for unscrupulous education reformers, like US Secretary of Education and serial public school defunder, Betsy DeVos, to dismantle our system of public schools and wondered to yourself, “Now how would these people do that?”…here’s how. In the Utica (MI) Community Schools (UCS), the […]