What's your URL? Are you on Facebook? Tweet what you're doing and I'll meet you. Text me when you get home...
We're narrating our lives now, like I'm narrating my life now. Soon I'll be leaving the desk and walking into the kitchen, where I may or may not remember why I went in, and then I'll maybe look in the refrigerator and see what's in there, opting not to eat anything because I'm not so much hungry as I am distracted and looking for a nice piece of cheese to tether me to the Earth.
Then I'll pace room to room for a while, trying to draw from the cluttery chaos of my brain exactly what I promised people I'd do today and whether it's conceivable that I can. Why I promised is rarely taken into consideration because I just don't have that kind of recall.
Tonight, on the other hand, I'm going to try to go to North High, because the kids in the orchestra are protesting at the MCCSC Board Meeting - the man who ascended to the governorship of Indiana has taken it upon himself to ensure that Indiana's rank in the lower echelons of national education stats remains solid by cutting so much money out of education that our heads are spinning.
He boasts 'money in the coffers.' Maybe because he's cut so many of our social services and has sold an unnecessary highway renovation to a multinational corporation, and now we'll pay Spain and Australia to drive our new toll road! Surely he didn't personally make money off that deal. But it does beg the question -
Who do we root for at World Cup time?!
I guess it can't be the U.S. But MITCH is going to bring jobs with his coffer money. All of the jobs akin to shucking fries at MacDonalds, but then again, that's all the workforce will be qualified to do with the education Indiana will soon be providing its children. So it all works out.
In the narrative of my life, I'm pissed off today. But proud of the North High Orchestra - and proud of my town for fighting back.
Still can't remember why I walked into the kitchen.
I'll tweet you when I do.
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Excellent read! I'm proud of the solidarity shown by the Bloomington community! Bravo! Being a resident of MS, I well understand the educational shortfalls within our state structures. Our state has been and continues to be close to the bottom - depending on who does the research - we hold somewhere around (47-50) on the national report card. I think we should all push for excellence (no choice) ...but I'm thinking (given our destabilized economy) avoiding a spot in the bottom ten is an accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteYou might not know this but, Jeff Foxworthy's short - lived sit com was set in Bloomington.. Just so you know. As for education, it is nearly that bad here in Oregon. I remember my 5th grade at Elm heights - now Harmony school, The best teacher I'd had at that school was Mrs. Hao, all of the rest couldn't be bothered and hoped for retirement, Bloomington in the early '60's was nothing like now and the expectations are greater because we realize that the potential of each child is much more than the Beaver ever wanted or was shown to want. Developing that potential takes less cash than the developing the next bomber but people are old hat, seen them done them, but the next big gadget? Sign 'em up... Here's an old Jon Stewart bit. "We are funding the military at the expense of education, soon we'll have smart bombs and dumb children which we'll be using as guided missiles" Chessley
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