Let Me Remind Buna ISD Teachers.....

 And this actually goes for all teachers, irrespective of what Independent School District you are teaching in at the present. 

I say Buna Schools because, well, it is where I retired from, but I know there are other ex-students far-flung across Texas, heck, the US teaching school.  

I generally look at  teaching positions that have opened this time of year, and while there are many, they are not as available in rural areas, heck even our area, as they were say this past summer. And economics in playing a role in fewer openings. I know many recent college grads are looking at teaching, just to pay the bills. Which means, when the economy of the state improves, many will seek employment elsewhere.  

That said, this is what the blog is about today....

If you are looking at leaving your teaching position for another position in education, or if you are just waiting until the last minute to resign and sell insurance, start a business, etc., don't let your time get away from you. 

The summer break flies by. The longer I taught, the shorter it seemed.  

There are jobs out there, if you look, trouble is, do you want to move?

I know I made 4 changes in ISDs looking for a job I really wanted. ( And I literally loved Dayton High. I got to teach some oddball history classes. Especially that AP European History...If we'd found a house in Nome/Devers, I'd still be there. Well, retired from there. I was driving 55 miles one way from Beaumont to Dayton. And we just couldn't stay in Beaumont.  ) However, I wound up at BHS. Then again, all I ever want to do was teach seniors. (I am still convinced it was one of those foreordained deals....Ephesians 2:10)

So, why are you actually talking about this Kerry, Mr. T, Mr. Thomas, Govteach?

The way the economics look in coming years, and it going to take 3-5-7-12 years for the economic world to start looking normal, possibly longer, jobs may be hard to find.  And people who have no business in the classroom will be competing for those education positions. ( Sorry, been watching the Londinium Chronicles on Substack with classicists Michael Vlahos and John Batchelor discussing and comparing Rome to the Western World of the 21st Century....And we are right at the " Bread and Circus" point to keep the peasantry from rioting. I can see this late 2026 to 2027.)  

Now might be the best time to try and find that new job. Or steel yourself for the long haul at the position you presently hold.  

Remember, it is generally 45 days to resign before the first class day.  

 And always remember that it is a job. They will replace you in a heartbeat. 

A Different Life....Made Fun of My Caps....And Who is Going to Do This?

 I still am not used to having a cat. As of today, Fred has been here for 8 months. 

I cannot figure out if he wants to get in my lap and "bunt" heads with me, or if he has a long term plan to kill everyone in the house.  I will give him a slow blink across the room, and he will do it back, but still....

We are not used to having an animal in the house. We let Fred in when it was cold, cold back in January, and well, he just moved in like a squatter.  

It is a far cry from having a Border Collie in which the dog would act like, " What do you want me to do next?"  

I also am not used to being watched when I go into the bathroom. Lately, he gets into the bathtub and stick his head out from under the shower curtains, just to watch.... 

At one time we had squirrels in the Compound Campus. No longer he has run them all off. 

And the thing is, I am now quite fond of my cat. I never would have thought that.... 

- Had a former student, female, write and make fun of my flat caps.....Then I saw a YouTube video in which the host question, " When is the last time you saw someone in public wear a hat like this?" 

This is one of the people who called me " Gay."  

They don't know me very well. Been wearing flat caps since the 1970s. Which reminds me, I need to winterize the wool ones today to keep moths from eating them up. Cedar for my wool clothes......

To both of you... 

Don't care......Don't care.....Don't care.......I could wear a baseball cap like everyone else in East Texas, or I could dress with a little class. Straw hats, and this summer, an ivory colored flat cap, I plan to wear later this week to an event. 

The flat cap, which is somewhat "preppy" in the US, was, and still is a working class cap in the UK/Ireland.  It is what farmers wear over there. It is the cap that most coal miners wore. You don't see bankers and stock brokers in the City of London wearing them. 

Sorry, that you young lady would not recognize " cool" if you saw it......And if I remember correctly, the "Pen Angel " more than once saved your skin.  I might want to shut my damn mouth and be thankful for what I got. 

- Finally, the advertisements on YouTube have been filled with the State of Texas trying to recruit people to teach school, mostly how to get a teacher's certificate. 

It made me check and if I was still certified to teach school. 

I am still valid as the State of Texas calls us.....

The economic situation is going to help draw some people into teaching, even though they probably shouldn't be teaching. 

I noticed in the Buna ISD job site, that there was an opening for a high school, English III job. The website calls it English 3. And this is such a minor complaint, I should say anything.....I am old school and it needs to be classed up a little and changed to the Roman numerical III.....I know, just semantics. 

I halfhearted teased the nephew of mine, who is basically myself in another body to apply. He did teach English III in Ft. Stockton ISD....But I do not think he is quite ready, nor do I think he would dream of working in East Texas. ( Like Buna would hire him.)

And he already is thinking about buying nothing but Peter Millar and Ralph Lauren to teach in.......Yeah, Peter Millar polo shirts, $140....They have a gorgeous sage sports jacket......Single, school housing in Ft Stockton....Yeah, I probably spend on clothes too. 

But, Buna ain't ready for basically me teaching Junior English.   

  

 

 

Ugly Messages.....GQ/Esquire....Hoodlums.... Yeah, I Hate Teachers Too....So, I am Gay?

 The app on the computer decided we needed to listen to Manchester hoodlums this morning. Oasis, The Verve......I don't know, Manchester is not one of my favor British cities. I need to click on the app and list what I want to listen to this morning....And all of a sudden it plays " Blue Oyster Cult." 

No, I was somewhat surprised at the numbers the blog received on yesterday's blog.  Normally the first few weeks after school lets out for summer, readership on the blog is " Dead Time" not many hits, but yesterday proved otherwise. It is somewhat surprising....

I got a couple of ugly messages from Buna ISD apologists yesterday. Making all sort of excusing for the hiring practices of the school district.  Trouble is they are on the teat of the district. I would defend as the Chinese would say, " My Rice Bowl" too. 

Again, I receive so much mail, especially lately, I have a hard time answering like I should. 

Some folks just write to vent, and that is okay. I read what you say and understand. I get aggravated too.  

-I received a message a couple of days ago from a ex-student upset about how she was treated subbing at  school..... How mean the teachers were....

Come on, school is just like any other workplace. 

Most of these people you don't want to see during the Summer Break, or any other time. There are dynamics in a school that most of you don't or won't understand unless you are actually employed by a school district. 

Yeah, you like the kids, and it is SUPPOSED to be why you are there, but still, it is a job. A way to pay the mortgage.  And psychologically you have to treat it that way. 

I have a theory on teachers, and I will not disclose it for fear of insulting about 3/4th of my readers. Maybe one day. 

 - I went down the rabbit hole of GQ and Esquire magazines, both published by the same company. At one time I subscribed to both.....And this morning, I read both the American and the UK versions.

Other than a story of the " Full English Breakfast" it was nothing but slop.  ( Full English- fried egg, bacon, sausage, potato patties( hash brown) mushrooms, tomatoes, baked beans, Black Pudding, some form of bread....In Scotland, haggis, in Northern Ireland White Pudding( No fooling, White Pudding and haggis done right are almost religious experiences.).....In the UK I have one for breakfast, every morning. Get that bad cholesterol level up.)

No suits described in the American version, and barely discussed in the British version.....It is mostly was watches, and how to dress sloppy like the celebrities. One article was on " How to Wear a Baseball Cap." Do, I need to be told how to wear a ball-cap?   I've been wearing one for 68 years. 

- Finally,two different people  unhappy with me wrote and called me " Gay." 

Yes, I have gay friends, but I am not gay.  

That said, I saw the latest Sperry Topsider boat shoes video ad...I swear the male in the commercial was wearing rouge. 

I've been rocking Sperry's since I was in seminary. So 45+ years.  

I don't know, I get called all sort of things in a backlash to the blog.  

Just another day of writing the blog....

-Thanks for reading, and as always, all information is read and researched. As always. it will remain confidential.  

 

What the Cornbread #@^& is This Position Buna ISD?????

 Warning- I swear badly in this one....I will try and use the Northern Irish pronunciation on certain words.....You know....Me people.... 

 I am trying to get to heaven Buna Independent School District. I really am. 

But you pull this shit......I got angry just reading about the job. 

What the cornbread feck does a Buna ISD need a " Dean of Students" for? 

Do you really need another damn administrator?  

This is something like rich a "Prep School"  in Houston, like Cathedral High School, or Strake Jesuit would have, and part of that is to get their kids into Harvard or the University of Chicago......Stanford......Carnegie Mellon.....

Buna High ain't a prep school, yeah, when the Govteach was there I taught like it was it was a college preparatory class, but I am a not a normal teacher. I had such a poor background for college, well," Dammit to Hell Lamar Gene" I was not going to let that happen to y'all.  

And I did it with with a SE Texas flair, after all, I am one of you, even though I don't admit it....Often....Go to England, and I turn up my East Texas accent. It is a conversation starter.  

Everything I read about the position just reeks of more micromanagement..... The more people you hire, the more people you seem to need.....

Buna, you are the smallest high school in your football district..... 

I don't know, if I had the position, I think I would walk around campus just to pat teachers on the back and tell them" You're doing a hell of a job." At this point, just getting people to teach school in 2026 is difficult as it is....

Stick my head in the history, government, and see if they needed some help with the lesson. ( I am afraid I might take over the lecture........So, I can't stay long....)   

But, is Buna ISD raking in so much feckin' tax money that we can just spend on whatever looks cool? Feckin' sounds good? 

Y'all need to get control of y'all's damn school...I am tempted to take the money I was offered to run a campaign....Go full Donald Segretti ( Look him up) in the campaign......(Okay Kerry, we're trying to stay out of Hell here.......)

I don't know man........ Maybe I need to stop.

Thank you Jesus I am on SSRIs.... 

 

 

 

Well, I Have Gone Soft.......I Was Never a Fan....But......

 I have never been a fan of Jane Austen. No, do not care for Mansfield Park, or Pride of Prejudice. Not a  romantic 'comedy' fan of the British Regency Era. 

Then again, Mansfield Park is pretty dark.  

No, we have gotten hooked watching That Other Bennet Girl on Britbox. 

A 10 episode show, again, a play off of Austen's Pride of Prejudice about the less attractive sister in the family. There were 5 sisters total in the Bennet family, no boys. 

Of course, the show is all speculation and they probably consulted some Austen scholar and had them sign off on what Jane Austen may have actually wanted, if she had written such a book. 

Yeah, another let's make stuff up....

That said, the show is pretty good. I am even hooked watching. 

As I said, takes place in the Regency Era.

The Regency Period 1795-1837, was the time period that George III was at his craziness. ( He needed lithium) 

Yes, same King George during the American Revolution. 

Parliament declared George III unable to rule and appointed his heir, George, The Prince of Wales to appointed to fulfill royal duties.  

Historically, for an Anglophile like myself,  this is a fascinating time period. 

Not not my favorite, as I love to read/study about Tudor-Stuart England, Victorian-Edwardian England and recently, pre-Norman 1066AD invasion England, the old Anglo-Saxons. 

It was the time of Beau Brummel. AKA George Brummel, was a man who was the first dandy/fop of the time we would understand. Example Brummel would spend an hour a day just tying his tie.( caveat) Spent most of his £30,000 which was big money for this time, mostly on clothes.  The men in the TV show all dress like Brummel. 

It was the time of the "Wicked Brothers" All of the royal Princes were seen as either deviants, or cretins.

It is the time of Percy Shelly the Romantic poet, and his wife, Mary Shelly, who wrote Frankenstein.  It was the time of Lord Byron, another poet, and you need at one time in your life read his biography, or at least watch the 4 part series on Byron on YouTube by historians Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook. Hell, I need to write a blog on Byron. Holland and Sandbrook call their show The Rest is History. 

But back to the show.......It is the Number 1 rated show on Britbox right now and a new episode drops every week, and we are at 6 out of 10 being released at the moment.  And I am not an Austen fan, nor a romance novel, Hallmark TV movie person, but so far, have enjoyed the show. 

If you have the app, I suggest you give it a look. I myself am surprised at how much I have enjoyed the program.  

 

Okay Buna, I Can't. I Just Cannot......I Wish I Could, But, No, Just No....

 I have already written a blog this morning on a totally different subject.......Probably will publish it later today.It is a bit different......This time of year, I can branch out on my subjects. 

And I have an orange cat laying on a table half-asleep while I write, acting like he is paying attention. I think he's hoping for me to play a little more Jimi Hendrix. The other day " Fire" was playing by Hendrix, he looked at me like, " Man that's pretty cool." ( My old friend Jo Griffith would be proud of me this morning, I am playing the old British rock band Trapeze this morning. Their song Black Cloud was a standard back in the old days 107.9 FM KWIC, which was the local Rock Station long before KIOC Bigdog 106 even was a thought.) 

I have been approached by a couple of people who are seriously looking at running for Buna ISD Board of Trustees ( School Board) in the coming election in November.  

Both wanted help in running for the office. 

Now both have asked me how to run a campaign, not that I sort of know what is going on in one.....Sorta.....Not an expert. 

One even offered money for me to help......

I do not think either understands how hard it is to run for office. You got to be to every festival, every fish fry, church fund raiser, ballgames, etc.....Got to get name recognition. 

Shaking hands and kissing babies is literal " Retail Politics" especially at the local level.  

The German term Realpolitik,  a political philosophy and approach to statecraft that dictates actions based on practical, concrete power and national interest, rather than on moral, ideological, or ethical premises....And believe it or not it works even on the local school board level. And local politicians often do not understand how to conduct political philosophy for their area. They think they do, but they generally do not.   

I strong suggest you student about Otto Von Bismark's usage of Realpolitik and read Machiavelli's  The Prince before you enter politics.  Hardcore? Yes, but sometimes you need to understand how to run things. 

Trouble is, I am going to tell you something you do not want to hear......And it may make you mad.  

And let's say you get elected to the board.....

What happens the first 6 months you are in office you step right into the biggest pile of manure? Do you want me to give you a pass because I advised you in a campaign? You know good and well, I can't....As a matter of fact because I helped I will be more inclined to go hard at you.  

Can I help you if you get bogged down and get discouraged? Maybe. 

But, there are only a couple of people in America I would help in a campaign at this point in my life.   My brother and a possible reader of this blog, and I think the later has gotten it out of their system.  

No, not looking to get involved in local politics again, at least not in SE Texas.  

 

 

 

 

$250 and Up? And I Jump the Rails....

 I know I write on the economy from time to time on here...........

I read the other day that the average date in America now costs right at $250. 

Over time, trying to wine and dine a young lady, well, I am so dad-gum cheap, the durn Scotsman comes out in me. ( Scottish are notorious cheap people.)  I would still be a single person today if I had to spend that much on a date, and over time, well, no, just no....

I'd just get a dog and now, a cat. ( Who would have thought I would now have another orange male cat?)

I say this, and the woman I am married to is cheaper than me.....Again, one of those foreordained deals. 

But $250 a date.....Nope.... 

I know inflation has hit everything, and I am waiting for it to really get bad this summer. I keep saying I am going to write a detailed blog on oil and why it is going to jump up in price this summer. In a very quick economic nutshell, the oil reserves are being released right now to keep the price of fuel manageable. 

When the reserve runs out, prices are going to jump up. 

I am expecting this in a June-July time frame.  I seriously look for a situation with oil and gasoline/diesel to happen like we had in the 1970s. Gas shortages, gas stations running totally out. you waiting in a long line to get gas. 

I'm going off in the weeds. Watch AI folks, see if they are centralizing all of these AI Centers in an attempt to control our liquid assets, in other words, your money.  What time, what location, and on what product. I can see you not being able to do things like buy books with certain titles. Control travel, want to go to England, they can stop you from buying tickets. If you are in the wrong place, they'll stop it. 

This will be an extension of what we already have in a digital system on money.  Already, I most of you get paid with direct deposit, pay bills online, etc.....I know I still like using the old 17th Century( for Europe, earlier for China,,,,,) technology of paper money and often use it because, in my mind, I can see where it is being spent and how...And the damn government can't see what I am buying....

But cash will be a thing of the past. I can see it gone in my life. Certainly in your life, at least most of my former students reading this blog.  

Remember this when you think this will not occur. 

" Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely."  

- Lord Acton

Should remind you of something else....... Think about it.......We'll talk about this later if you do not know what I am alluding to....

If you really want me to go all conspiratorial in a blog on AI, let me know. And the thing is, my " children" both of them are way off in the AI world, both with master's degrees basically in AI. But still, I have alternative ideas.....And it scares me to death.