Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Go Tigers!


As I mentioned once earlier last month, I have been a Missouri Tiger football fan for as long as I can remember. This has been a season like I have never seen, nor like I thought I would ever see in my lifetime. The highlight, of course, was being the number 1 team in the country for one week after beating Kansas and winning the Big 12 North.

However, we did lose in the Big 12 Championship to Oklahoma, and we did get royally screwed by the BCS (hell, we have a whole history of getting screwed in college football). Damn it, we should be in the Orange Bowl, not Kansas. Even though we lost twice, it was to the same team (and an admittedly better team). In addition, we have beaten Texas Tech, Illinois, and, yes Kansas (who is going to the Orange Bowl). As any Mizzou fan will tell you in their most cordial way possible, FUCK THE BCS!

But I am not bitter. This is a season I will always be grateful for, and never forget. It is an honor to be playing Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl. This game should be all the more interesting because one of my best friends is a die-hard Arkansas fan. Bring it on Razorbacks! M-I-Z . . . Z-O-U!!!!!

Becoming a Special Education Teacher

I suppose my first post back with some kind of extra content on it should be education-related, since this is primarily an education-related blog. As a future special education teacher, here is something quite appropriate for me, and for anyone that wants to become a special education teacher. From the website Special Education Teacher in Washington D.C., this is a post from the creator of the blog (and of course, as the title suggests, a SPED teacher herself). It gives 10 suggestions of what makes a good special education teacher. In addition, she links to a page that gives five steps on how to become a SPED teacher. I have not followed these five steps exactly in my own personal experience. Still though, they are good steps that I would recommend for anyone thinking about special education.

Let's get back on the right track!

So here is my first new post in about 2 weeks, and that post was the first one in a really long time. My school is out for the semester, and I did not do as well as I would have liked to. I should have known better than to put more stuff on my plate than I can handle (an overload in credit hours, and a near full-time job as a preschool/kindergarten teacher). But oh well, life goes on. When my classes start up again in January, I will be taking one less class, and I will cut back on my hours at work. This will be important for my health, sanity, relationship with my girlfriend, and my performance at both work and school. In addition, it should allow me more time to keep this blog updated. I have so much to write about. Where do I even begin?

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Sorry, I have been busy teaching

For the one or two of you out there that may stumble across my blog, it has been a while (nearly a month) since I last posted. Well, I have been a little busy lately with school and work. Did I say a little, I meant to say UNBELIEVABLY FUCKING BUSY! I am taking three classes (one online), commuting four nights a week in order to go to school, working nearly everyday of the week, all while trying to please everyone in my personal life. It is really hard! Because of this job, I will have to cut back on a class, or at least not commute so much. I will be grateful after next week when I am done for the semester at my college.

In any case, I have not given up on this blog. I have just been on a bit of an unannounced, unplanned, temporary hiatus. This teaching job I now have came out of no where, and I needed the money and experience. This job seemed perfect. But it has taken up so much of my time. Rather than a part-time gig keeping an eye on some kids (like I thought it would be), I spend roughly 30 hours a week teaching children science and leading them in several different activities. This is something that I have looked forward to for a while, but did not think would come so soon. This is my first real teaching job. So far, it has been a wonderful learning experience, but it is very time consuming. Free time and sleep are both things I do not get enough of. I was sick two weeks ago (and still had to work), and am wondering if I am getting sick again (I'll probably still have to work if I am). There are plenty of other issues I have about my job (which I may go into some other time), but generally though, I enjoy my work.


But getting back to the blog, I promise that in the next 2-3 weeks I will have the it back and going again. I will work harder to get out posts on a regular basis (my goal is at least every other day, if not everyday or multiple times a day). In addition, I will work harder to get my website to more people on the web. I want people all across the web to not only view the content of my blog, but to also interact with me (through email or commenting on posts). I don't want to just post; I also want to do my best to create a dialog between me and other web browsers. I want the (un)Reasonable Missourian to be a truly great blog on education, politics, culture, and a number of other areas of life.

If you are wondering what my blog is about, read a couple of my first posts here and here. The first post is a little bio about my self, while he second one is what I want the (un)Reasonable Missourian to be about.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

More Cronyism in Education


Well, I mentioned it last week with Bill Maher's post, and here it is again. Neil Bush's Ignite! Learning, Inc. is under investigation by the Education Department's inspector general. It seems federal education money may be inappropriately spent on the company's products for schools districts to use. It also seems the products don't work very well. Take for instance Ignite's Curriculum on Wheels (also known as the COW), an education software program/projector screen on wheels that costs $3,800 a piece (not including subscription costs). It is apparently an overpriced piece of crap.

Norman Mailer, 1923-2007


The only things I ever really knew about Norman Mailer was that he was a writer, and he was very anti-War. Then I read his obituary in the Washington Post. I never realized what a life this man lived. Some of the highlights that impressed me: he helped create the sexual mystique of John Kennedy before he was elected President, he was married six times, and he punched Gore Vidal in the face. When I have more time, I would like to try and read some of his books.

Keeping up with my posts

When I started this blog a few weeks ago, I said I would try to post every day. For a while, I was able to do about every other day. Than this week came along and really wore me out. I averaged about 4 hours of sleep due to my job, my classes, and the assignments that accompany my classes. This was one of the most stressful weeks I have had in a long time, as a direct result of my new job. Because of it, has been about 5 days since my last post. Needless to say, I have not been posting every day.

The way it is looking, I will probably not be posting every day. My new schedule has me commuting to another city to attend night classes Monday through Thursday, as well as working part or all day nearly every day during the week. I will try and post as often as I can in the next couple of months. Perhaps next semester, I will take a lighter load of courses. There is so much I would like to post and comment on. There is a who world of things on the Internet I would like to explore and share. Please continue to check into my blog from time to time. Thanks for the understanding!

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

The unneccessary polarization of American

Here is another one: Sushi vs. Steak. What do liberals prefer? What do conservatives prefers? Who gives a shit?

Another parent of a special needs child

Photojournalist Dan Habib has written a guest blog post for the Washington Post website for his new movie, Including Samuel. This is a film about his experiences with his son, Samuel (who has cerebral palsy), and trying to give him "inclusion". This means not only inclusion in school, but in other areas of life. The movie also Chronicles the experiences of other individuals with disabilities. In his post, Mr. Habib notes something very important when it comes to how parents deal with raising kids with disabilities:

"My experience is that parents of children with disabilities face a different balancing act. One big struggle is balancing time spent supporting a child with a disability vs. the family's other child(ren). Others include marshaling the time, energy and financial resources needed to manage a child's medical care and therapy, and the scarce resources left for yourself, your relationship with your spouse, and your work."

I will not be able to see this movie in the theater, because there are no scheduled screenings in the midwest. However, I will try and get a hold of a DVD whenever it is available.

I want my country back!


As Michael Mukasey's nomination goes to the Senate floor for probable confirmation, it makes me think about how this country has really changed since 9/11. I don't know whether to feel angry, sad, or nauseous.

It's not just the brazen amount of nationalism that swept the country . . . or the rush to Iraq without understanding who our real enemy was . . . or the poor quality of intelligence that duped Americans into war . . . or the poor post-war planning . . . or the half-ass job we do treating our veterans . . . or Abu Ghraib . . . or Guantanamo Bay . . . or secret detention . . . or extraordinary rendition . . . or government spying upon it's own citizens . . . or the government's inability to rebuild infrastructure . . . or the government's inability to come to the aid of it's own citizens after a natural disaster . . . or lawless mercenaries becoming rich via American tax dollars . . . or the xenophobic fuss over immigrantion . . . or the homophobic fuss over gay marriage . . . or America's tarnished reputation as "the land of the free" . . . or the opposition party's lack of testicular fortitude . . . or the media's inability to say what really needs to be said about the administration . . . or being the most hated country in the world . . . or many other problems I could continue to list.

I think what saddens me now is how low the bar has been set for the next administration. Take Senator Schumer's comment on why he is caving and supporting Mukasey:

"When an administration so political, so out of touch with the realities of governing and so contemptuous of the rule of law is in charge, we are never left with an ideal choice. Judge Mukasey is not my ideal choice. However, Judge Mukasey, whose integrity and independence is respected even by those who oppose him, is far better than anyone could expect from this administration".

Mukasey may be better than anyone can expect from the Bush administration, but that still doesn't mean he is an acceptable choice. Can anyone doubt that before 9/11, if an Attorney General nominee couldn't say that something isn't torture when it clearly is, he would be put out of the nomination process so quick it would make people's heads spin? Has our country sunk this low? It is times like these when I find myself saying, "I know the weather is cold, but Canada doesn't sound so bad right now".

But I'm not giving up on America. It's my home, I love it, and that is why I am so angry at it. We had a golden opportunity after 9/11. We could have taken the tragic events of that day, and made ourselves a better country. Some say, "everything changed on 9/11". Our country changed, but for the worse. Some say that we are winning the war on terror. While we haven't been attacked again (and, of course, that is a good thing), I would say we are actually loosing that war. Outside of invading Afghanistan (which we have actually screwed up), we reacted in all of the wrong ways after 9/11. We have compromised our values, our reputation, and our general welfare. Sometimes, it feels like our country doesn't know how to do anything except eat, watch TV, bomb countries, torture and scream "kill the terrorists". I love American, but I am very ashamed to be living in it during this time in history.

I know radical change can be a dangerous thing in large doses, but that is exactly what we need when the next administration that takes over. We need more than "well, at least he (or she) is better than Bush". I want the America that not only protects its citizens from foreign attacks and incursions, I want the American that protects it's citizen's from the destruction of disasters. I want the America that not only rebuild things in foreign countries, I want the America who can also rebuild things in its own country. I want the America that remembers what "Give me Liberty, or Give me Death" means. I want the America that the world really looks at as "the land of the free". I want the America I used to remember damnit!

Commenting on "Dropout Factories

Ms. Cornelius at The Shrewdness of Apes raises a couple of good issues in response to the dropout factory article. First, she gives a fresh perspective on just how important GEDs really are. Secondly, she brings up the elephant in the room that all educators/education policy experts must consider when looking at the achievement gap:

"How do you 'make' someone value an education when everything in society denigrates the educated?"

Finally, she is able to relate this comment to the importance of GEDs. Sometimes, you have to live a little before really understanding the importance of a good education. My favorite quote:

"It may be that some people just aren't ready to do the work needed to get a high school diploma. They may need to try to go out into the world and work for a while until they are ready to dedicate themselves. Because, ultimately, you can't give someone an education, all wrapped in a shiny bow-- you can offer them the opportunity for an education, and no matter what, everyone will create an education from the choices they make. "

It should never be too late in life for a good education.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Worst Blog Post Ever

That is the new contest put on by The Washington Monthly, that anyone can vote on. There are several options to choose from. I wasn't able to read all of them because some are too damn long (perhaps partially why they made this list to begin with). The shorter ones I read ranged from insensitive and insulting to intellectually mystifying. There are some real doozies.

There is Michelle Malkin in a cheerleading uniform, doing the Defeatocrat cheer. There is John Derbyshire of the New Republic asking why didn't anyone rush the Virginia Tech shooter. My favorite quote from this one:

"It's not like this was Rambo, hosing the place down with automatic weapons. He had two handguns for goodness' sake"

There is Hugh Hewitt, sitting in the Empire State Building comparing himself to a reporter sitting in Baghdad. Then there is John Hinderaker of Power Line who opens his post with this:

"It must be very strange to be President Bush. A man of extraordinary vision and brilliance approaching to genius, he can't get anyone to notice. He is like a great painter or musician who is ahead of his time, and who unveils one masterpiece after another to a reception that, when not bored, is hostile."

Apparently, he is being serious. Yikes! I can't say I would pick one post as the winner (or loser, however you want to look at it). I know it seems like I am being indecisive, but honestly, how do you pick out the worst turd from such a large barrel of shit?

What should Universal Preschool look like?


More people, myself included, are becoming proponents of Universal Preschool. Preschool is not only where a child first begins their long journey in school (if they choose to enter preschool), but some say it is the best place to first take on the achievement gap (outside of directly influencing the greater issue of SES and poverty). This piece by NYTimes Op-Ed Contributor Ann Hulbert, addresses: 1)should Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) exist, and 2) if so, what should it look like? While she doesn't come up with any direct answers, Hulbert does a good job at framing the debate.
The article first looks at the issue that an increase in PreK enrollment leads to a decrease in per-child spending (see graphic). But the bigger focus of this article is on whether a UPK would be more child-centered/explorative/creative (as many progressives and high-income families want), or more structured/academic (as many conservatives want, and lower-income children might need). My favorite quote:
"Nobody wants a two-tiered system, which isn’t likely to narrow the achievement gap, or a rigid one-size-fits-all system, either. But the UPK mission is an impetus to notice that at each end of the spectrum there are pedagogical lessons the other end wouldn’t get otherwise and that everyone could benefit from".
Like Hulbert, I am somewhere in the middle, and think that both approaches provide important benefits to children. For the sake of disclosure, my current job is teaching at a private PreK place that a) helps children primarily from more middle to upper class backgrounds, and b) definitely falls under the structured/academic school of thinking. My school wants to prepare kids for the classroom first. Enriching their explorative and creative side is secondary. While I see many of the benefits of the school in how the children behave and perform on academic tasks, I often wonder whether more time should be spent doing "fun stuff".

M-I-Z . . . Z-O-U

I have been following Missouri Tiger football for as long as I can remember, partly because my parents raised me to be a Tiger football fan. We have had some bad years, and some so-so years. Not much else. Historically, the Tigers football team has been average or marginal at best. At the beginning of the season, I know we were supposed to do pretty good. I never, in my wildest dreams, thought I would see the Tigers beat Nebraska and Colorado (in Boulder) in the same year, let alone be ranked in the top 10. What makes this season even more exciting is that we are competing with Kansas for the Big 12 North. This is a historic year for Mizzou football, and it could possible get better. This could be the season that forever changes Mizzou's football program. It is the season my parents have been dreaming of for many years. GO TIGERS!!!

Cronyism in Education

If there is one columnist/editor/satirist/etc. that I generally end up agreeing with more than anyone else, it would definitely be Bill Maher. I have been a fan of his since his days on ABC, and I try to watch him as much as possible on his HBO show (although it is generally on someone else's TV because I don't get HBO anymore). While we don't agree on everything, we are both very anti-Bush, like the rest of the nation. But we were also both anti-Bush even when he was at the height of his popularity after 9/11 (this shows you how truly excited I am for January 20, 2009).

In this post on Huffington Post, Bill describes another tragic attribute of the Bush administration: cronyism. While politics has always been about "who you know", this administration has taken it to another level. They are always trying their best to help friends and family connections out in most, if not all areas of government. This includes education, as Bill discusses how No Child Left Behind benefits two powerhouse education companies: McGraw-Hill and Neil Bush's company Ignite!. This has always been an issue I've wondered about. Are such companies so popular with school districts nationwide because they provide effective services, or do they have corrupt connections like so many other private companies who currently make money from American taxpayers? From what I can tell, it might be a little bit of the former, but most certainly the latter.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Top US Liberals and Top US Conservatives

Despite my disgust with the British even viewing American politics in a "left v. right" type of way, I have found their list of most influential liberals and conservatives very interesting to look at. I suppose I could deconstruct this entire list, but hell, I don't have that kind of time (there are 100 of them). Instead, I will comment on the top choices on each list. For the liberals, I suppose there is no major surprise in picking Bill Clinton. I would say though that Clinton, most know, was not that liberal of a president when it came to policy. But still, it fits.

I find Rudy Giuliani as the most influential conservative a bit more of a surprise. I know he is "Mr. 9/11, kick-ass and take names, Jack Bauer, etc." guy. But he is also, of course, the "pro-choice, pro-gay, rights, three times married, etc." guy. Despite his popularity in nation-wide polls, Christian Conservatives are threatening to support a third-party candidate if the Republicans nominate him. I think Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, George Will, William Buckley, William Kristol, and a whole host of other individuals would all make better choices in terms of conservative influence.

Oh, Giuliani is also a cross dresser. We can't forget that. Naughty, naughty!

My first video post (sort of) and profanity

OK, I have yet to find out how to post a video from the internet onto blogspot. So until then, I will just link to the websites where you can watch the video yourself. This one I am sure will be the first of many from The Onion. No where on the internet can you find better satire or fake news. This video speaks to one of the many problems that exist with the American political system: unimportant bullshit.

Oh by the way, I will not shy away from using profanity on this blog. I will try not to gratuitous, but do I intend this blog to be for adults. While I feel it is an individual's choice as to what type of language they feel comfortable expressing themselves with, I also believe any rational grown-up can handle ingesting a little grown-up language here and there. If one can't handle a little cursing, how can one handle to cruel realities of the often dark world we live in? Anyways, enjoy the M%@*^#& F#$^%?@ video.

A welcome to the web from SELB

I sent an email to Charles Fox letting him know about my new blog. He replied and said I could post this welcome comment:

"I am so very excited for you and feel kinship since both my wife and I went to [Washington University] in St Louis and feel like an almost Missourian after spending 4 great years there. . . Mr. S. congratulations on your new blog. It is great to see a future teacher with fresh ideas and perspectives to further a frank dialogue on issues effecting children. I look forward to reading your blogs in the future."

Sweet!!!

St. Louis Cardinals

After winning the World Series in 2006 (I still don't know how), my favorite team in all sports had a really rough 2007 season with problems both on and off the field. The off season changes don't have me overly hopeful yet, but I am keeping an open mind. It is too bad we are loosing Eckstein. We have a new GM, which we needed, although I am not sure if it is a good thing he comes from in-house. If there is one bright spot, it is that LaRussa is sticking around. We shall see where this is going.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

My 1st Political Post

Some say that America is an increasingly politically polarized nation, and there is some truth to that. But there are still a lot more independents and people who are much more complex in their views of politics, not just "liberal" or "conservative". As I have said before, while I identify myself as a liberal with some libertarianism on personal issues, I am a registered independent and try to keep an open mind to all types of viewpoints.

I think the true polarization in America is in Washington. To get most any job, it feels like you have to have some type of allegiance to a party or ideology (Kyle Sampson or Monica Goodling anyone?). There are an increasing number of media outlets that cater to a specific perspective (redstate.org, DailyKos for example). There are every liberal and conservative children's books. I suppose liberal (blue state)/conservative (red state) is a good way to divide the nation up into two groups if you had to. But you don't. And the media, more often than not, falls prey to this notion of a truly polarized US.

This perception of American has now even spread overseas. The Daily Telegraph has come up with 2 lists: the top 100 most influential American liberals, and the top 100 most influential American conservatives. So far, they have only published 100-61 in each, and will publish the rest later this week. I must admit, they are interesting to look at, and I will be interested who tops the list. However, it is a little troubling to see England falling prey to the polarization view of the US.

Dropout Factories and the Achievement Gap

So 1 and 10 out of every high schools in the country are dropout factories, meaning that at least 60 percent of students who enter high school as a freshmen drops out before they can graduate. I supposed for many, this would seem as a major shock. But sadly, for individuals who study education policy, it isn't that surprising.

The article I have linked to doesn't just get into dropout rates, but briefly delves into multiple problems that pretty much indicate the poor quality of public education in the United States today. These include poor test scores for minorities, the traditional lack of value for education in the South, the troubling correlation between poverty and academic failure, the poor quality of GED programs, and so on. All of these, of course, are just pieces of what makes up the great American education problem of our time, the achievement gap.

I have been studying education for a year and a half now, and trying to learn as much about the achievement gap as possible. I have also been looking at several different articles, blogs, etc. that try to come up with policies to solve it. So far, I am no closer to coming up with an answer. I am not sure most education policy experts are either. If anyone has any ideas, let me know. What the hell do we do about this?

Monday, October 29, 2007

To be the parent of a Special Needs Child

This is from the Special Education Law Blog (SELB) that is both touching and true. It is one of the first education blogs I ever read, and continue to read. The blog is put out by the parents of a special needs child. The father, Charles Fox, happens to be a lawyer representing parents of special needs children. This particular post is from the mother, Lori Fox. It makes me want to do a good job whenever I finally enter the classroom as a special education teacher.

My Favorite quote:

"There is history, there is always history of one kind or another, and sometimes you can learn from it, and sometimes the inconsistency is mindnumbing, but there are always heroes. Sometimes they are therapists, sometimes they are family, sometimes they are the friends who accept your child for who he or she is, and sometimes, yes, sometimes, they are even school people, but always, always, always, they are your children."

Timing of Posts

For now on, I will try to do a better job of getting posts published on a more timely basis. I am a very busy guy with a part-time job, school, and other personal responsibilities to look after. But I will try to publish at least once a day (although I make no promises). I took so long with my last post because it is a general introduction to what I hope my blog to represent. It required me to write a lot more than I normally would, and I wanted to get it out of the way before I do anymore posting.

About "The (un)Reasonable Missourian"

The title of the blog, as you can probably tell, comes from the corresponding quote by writer George Bernard Shaw. It comes from his drama, Man and Superman (1903), but I originally saw this quote in the previews of the documentary An Unreasonable Man, about Ralph Nader. Despite whatever role he may or may not have played in President Bush's election in 2000, Nader has probably had the greatest influence on my political interest and activism of any figure alive. As the quote infers, the unreasonable man is an idealist and someone who is best suited for bringing about progress. I consider myself both an idealist and a progressive: I believe that society can always do something to improve itself, fight that which is truly unjust, and strive for a more perfect world (whatever that may look like).

However, because I am an "unreasonable man", so to speak, does not mean I don't actually believe in "reason" or "logic". On the contrary, I believe that reason, meaning "the capacity for logical, rational, and analytic thought; intelligence" is necessary for every human being to survive and thrive. While I am not that religious, I would even go as far to say that the complexity of a rational mind is God's gift to mankind, and it is our responsibility to use it for good. This means that we as human beings must always strive to be better learners (instead of simple and complacent); we must always be willing to be skeptical in the face of the illogical (instead of acting like a sheep or a fundamentalist); and we must use the knowledge we acquire for the betterment the world we live in (instead of for selfish or destructive purposes).

Some might say that what I am describing is a contradiction. While I could probably have a better title than this one (I've never been good with titles), I stand by it. I believe that the "unreasonable" man and "reasonable" man (as described above) complement each other. Simply put, one cannot be a virtuous person unless he or she properly uses the most important gift God has given them as a human: their brain.

This is partially why I have decided to become a special education teacher. I know that without accommodations and the extra assistance of special education teachers, I would have never made it to college. There are many other students in schools all across the country who, like me, need that extra help in order to thrive. I have decided to use my personal experiences as a special education student, as well as the knowledge I am currently gaining in my education program, to eventually help those students who also need that extra assistance. It is an injustice whenever a child is not able to reach their full potential in school. Such a child is truly left behind (both in academics and in life).

There is a lot of uncertainty about how I think my blog will look. I anticipate that it will evolve over time, and go places that I currently cannot imagine. But I do have an idea of how I see it initially looking. While I will not give a lot of details into my own personal life (see prior post for reasons of my anonymity), I will periodically give some insight into who I am. I will also have some posts that share topics I find fun or interesting (i.e. sports, comedy, movies, pop culture, etc.).

Primarily though, The (un)Reasonable Missourian will be an analysis of the ideas and issues surrounding two great passions of mine: education and politics. My own views on these topics will hopefully reflect both my idealism and passion for progress ("the unreasonable" side), as well as my belief in logical reflection and analysis (the complementing "reasonable" side). I encourage others who end up reading my blog to add their own thoughts, whether it be through commenting on a post, or emailing me personally. I don't want the exchange of ideas to merely be one-sided because, the world is a better place when ideas are freely exchanged. As George Bernard Shaw also once said:

"If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas."

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Hello and Welcome to my Blog!

I am delighted for everyone who is reading my blog right now, or who will be reading it in the future. Creating a blog is something that I have wanted to do for a while now, ever since I started reading blogs a couple of years ago. I started off reading mainly political blogs, but as I got into my studies in Education, I started reading more blogs by teachers and education policy experts. I hope this blog will be a good mix of both education and politics, as well as other areas that interest me. More on that in my next post.

First, I would like to give some background information on myself. As the blog name indicates, I am a Missourian: born, raised, and still a resident. I have attended two colleges, one where I received a degree in Political Science, and the other where I am currently pursing state certification in Special Education. I attained the Political Science degree because politics has always been a great passion of mine. So why a Special Education teacher? I have many reasons for pursuing this career: some practical, but mainly personal. Not only have I worked with special education children before (and felt a deep sense of accomplishment because of it), but I also have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), and lived my entire life as a special education student. I know what it is like to be in the shoes of students who need extra help in order to achieve their full potential in school. Simply, I want to help be their guide in reaching that potential.

Some other pieces of information on me:

Politics: While I always try to keep an open mind to politics and policy , I personally am pretty liberal, with some libertarianism on personal issues. Despite my strong liberalism, I am a registered independent, and don‘t plan on joining a party anytime soon.

Religion: While I belong to a mainline Protestant church, I would more appropriately be described as a “Unitarian Christian” based upon my own personal beliefs.

Sports: While I am not a sports fanatic, I am a fan. This is especially true for the St. Louis Cardinals in baseball and the Missouri Tigers in football.

Also: I am a news junkie, I am a BIG movie buff, I enjoy almost all types of music, I love almost anything that is on either HBO or Comedy Central, and I love my girlfriend very much!!!

There is lots of other information I could share about myself but won't. This is because I posting on this blog anonymously, and need to limit the details of my life to a certain extent. As a future teacher, I do not want any comments I have maid to come back and, well, bite me in the ass (many parents, students, and administrators know how to Google). I want to be as open and honest about my beliefs, and I want the exchange of ideas between me and other readers to be as free as possible. I will give details about my life here and there as I deem appropriate, and I do not rule out the possibility that one day, I may decide to reveal my identity. Until that day, call me Mr. S.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Hello

Just a quick hello and a promise I will add some content to this blog very shortly. I am in a bit of a rush so I can't say much more. Thanks for the understanding!