Well, my county has hit its highest COVID numbers since the whole thing started. Now, for us that's still under 200 with rare mortality, but it's still not encouraging. And still plenty of people with their "well, it's my choice" crap about vaccination. Thanksgiving's looking great. For no particular reason, there's a long list this week, just in case you need more reading to tide you through the holiday.
The book bans will continue until patriotism improves
Don Moynihan runs a pretty good little substack. This post connects a lot of the current culture war panic dots.
Paul Thomas offered this op-ed to newspaper across South Carolina; one more good reminder of how wrong book bans are.
Parents coming for mental health programs next
NBC looks at the emerging trend on the list of educational programs that certain parents would like to see the manager about
The teachers here are not okay
A first-person piece at Chalkbeat looks at the many crises that Louisiana teachers have been hit with.
What rational parents must do to combat education conspiracies
Andre Perry at the Hechinger Report looks at how to push back against the culture war attacks on schools
Why there hasn't been a mass exodus of teachers
Has the Great Resignation extended to teaching? There are plenty of anecdotes and stories, but I've been wondering if we aren't just seeing a version of shark attack summer, where something is going on as it always has, but we're just paying more attention? I'm still not sure, but Rebecca Klein has a good story to address the question.
Want to rethink education? It's time to take back kindergarten!
Nancy Bailey points out that now would be a great time to make kindergarten kindergarten again.
4 Reasons to ditch academic preschools
Janet Lansbury offers four great reasons to avoid this assault on littles
Olivia Little at Media Matters has a good look at where, exactly, the Moms are coming from.
Toward a more inclusive Williamson County
The good news is that Moms For Liberty is not the only group organizing in Williamson County, Tennessee. Andy Spears has the story.
Dad Gone Wild gets all radical and actually listens to what teachers have to say about the current state of affairs.
Lessons of youth activism, climate change, and climate justice
Jose Luis Vilson has some reflections on all three, from a summit he attended.
The art of twisting good things into monsters
Teacher Totter looks at some current vocabulary-- equity, fidelity, critical race theory, etc--and shows how school districts turn them into disaster. One of those painfully funny kind of posts.
I'm a Teacher, and I can't live like this
Ellen Dahlke has a piece that isn't just one more "I Give Up" post, but a look at the toll on teachers that comes from making them act as ad hoc mental health professionals.
How teaching is like blowing leaves and snow
Blue Cereal Education has a two-fer; how is teaching like blowing leaves, and how is it like blowing snow?
Grumpy Old Teacher offers some observations about Ron "Gonna Run For The White House" DeSantis and some of his great ideas in Florida.
Appreciating the Public Schools we take for granted
Jan Resseger offers a Thanksgiving-ready reflection on the many ways in which we should be appreciative of our public schools.
That Old Time Religion Saves The World
Nancy Flanagan offers some meditation about the natures and uses of religion in troubled times.
And finally-- I didn't post anything to Forbes.com this week, but I did turn up over at the Progressive, responding to Arne Duncan's ideas about how we can bring everybody together over education.
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