Huntsville...Angola...San Quentin...Attica...Raiford...Folson..Buna High School....

 Never would I think I would write a blog in which, I title it with some of the most notorious prisons in America. 

I have heard this from several people. 

It seems that the student body at Buna High School refers to the institution as a "Prison." 

Especially the Senior Class. 

I am still not past the 3 minutes to change classes rule. Hell, as a teacher I need the extra 2 minutes, to at least use the bathroom. And the older you get, the more important the bathroom and where the restroom is located is.....This is especially true if I have had an adult beverage on a flight, on Asian based airline, I always try the beer made in that country. If you ever fly Singapore Airline, try the Tiger beer. You Baptists off backsliding can thank me later. ( My favourite airlines....Singapore Air, Cathay Pacific out of Hong Kong, and Turkish Airlines. )

And I digress. Once again. 

If you listen to high school students, while there is a lot of baloney talking about certain situations, there is often a good bit of truth, for them to actually feel that way.  

If you had me in class, I was fairly strict, some of you may think it was worse than the term " fairly." 

And there is a fine line between being strict and people hating you. Trust me, I walked that line. You got to understand how to do it. You need somehow show the kids that you actually give a damn about their future, hell, just them. The kids themselves. And apparently, the kids do not see any purpose in what all the rules are about.  

Yes, I had the infamous " Cuss Porch" which was more a place I could talk to a kid discipline, some trouble they were having, why they can't make it to government/economics on time, but mostly, it was to talk to you about grades, and if you will graduate or not, and at the same time,  not be heard by anyone, and at the same time literally for my protection, be seen through giant plate glass windows, literally for everyone's safety.....And yes, when I took young men out, there might have been a few choice adjectives used.  You must remember, my students were literally adults. 

But apparently, there are so many rules and regulations at the school that the kids are either wanting to hurry and graduate, or in many cases, let's try another district. Or, more and more parents are looking at homeschooling for their kids.  

I don't know. I worry about the kids and wonder if there is someone who actually advocates for them? I know I often to go through back channels which would lead to be getting into trouble sometimes, bad trouble, almost fistfight trouble.  

I don't know. In 5 years, what will the district look like. Will it get smaller and smaller with people looking at Buna and going, " Nope, my kid ain't going there....." And trust me people outside the district in other ISDs know Buna just ain't what it was in the past.  

 

What the Shakespeare is Going on Buna ISD?

 Hope this one is better than the last one, sometimes you get humbled and the Lord knows sometimes I need it.....

Yes, the title of the blog was "borrowed" from Dr. Who. Yes, I am that big of a nerd/geek..... Try as I may to be "cool."

Question- Is it me, or does it seem like the Buna Schools are awful quiet?  

Too quiet?

Or have we become numb to this present administration? Or are we just waiting for the other shoe to drop? 

Are we that jaded? Or is so much else going on worldwide and nationwide, heck, the economic situation, the school is the least of our concerns?  

I know the district's propaganda machine is working overtime, posting " All the good the district is doing" and is it just me, but does every couple of weeks, there is some sort of "Twerp Week" activities. It is like kids have to be entertained now.......All the time.....The last one I saw was senior ballplayers handing out jerseys to teachers they like to wear to the game. I could just about imagine how happy I'd be to have class interrupted. Especially government class. I was doing everything to cover in what should be a full year in one semester. 

It could be because even though it is a bit off, the holiday days are coming, and I am not going to lie, I loved the Christmas Break more than any other holiday. Spring Break to me was like, " Can we just get this over so we can get out for Summer, then again, after Spring Break, Seniorites was rampant. The seniors were ready to be gone, and I was ready for them to be gone.....

Quiet folks.....Too quiet....Makes me wonder what they are up to?  

( And everyone needs an Orange Tomcat. Fred is laying on the table with the computer supervising me blog. Like he's reading the blog.) 

 

 

 

I Hope You Remember This From My Gubmint Class.

 Yeah, I still will call it govmint, because, that's about how 75% of us in East Texas pronounce  the word " government."

Milton, and I hope he reads this, said this from my class, and I know I must have said it hundreds of times in my teaching career......" If you don't vote, don't gripe." 

The polls will be open for early voting from today until Friday Oct. 30th. The election is next Tuesday, Nov. 3rd, with the normal polls open 7am to 7pm.  

I plan on this being my last blog, this cycle, on getting out the vote. 

Remember if your candidate doesn't win this go round, there is always an election in 2, 4, 6 years.  

Address to Buna ISD Faculty and Staff-

 It's like a British hoodlum music reunion this morning at the Compound, as it's Oasis, The Verve, The Clash playing here in Lemonville. It makes me wonder how the computer decides what I need to listen to in the morning.....

Yes Buna teachers and staff, I still worry about you. And yes, it seems like I may get a little gripey with you, and I know, most of you are doing the best you can do, often going above what is expected of you. 

Trouble is once you go there, you are expected to go all out, and it is often a recipe for disaster for the teacher. Teacher " Burn-out" is real. I know, I reached it the year I retired. Mentally, and too a less extent physically I was done.  

I keep hearing stories of the district being short teachers for certain positions and teachers and paraprofessionals, thus people being assigned to teach at positions often not on the campus they applied at. 

I know they signed a contract saying pretty much " Wherever you are needed in the school district."  But, I could just about see me being assigned to teach say 3rd graders. I'd have them balling their eyes out for a 2 weeks, thinking that Beelzebub his-self has been sent to grade 3. 

But I had no business in classes with little kids. 

Then, there is the question of people being actually certified in the new positions to which they have been assigned.  

And while parents are supposed to be notified about their kids supposedly being taught be instructors without certification, do you actually know who? 

Parents, if you really want to know, you can look up on the Texas Education Agency's website if a teacher holds a certificate, Follow this link/   ( If you want to check and see if you are doing it right, look me up, I still have a " valid" certificate. ( Thomas, Kerry, Don)

I know my last year I taught a World History class. Never had I done so before in 31 years of teaching. AP European, yes, but World History, no. 

As I have said before, that first phone call from a parent complaining about me teaching about Egyptian, Roman, Middle Eastern religions convinced me, " Kerry , ole son, it is time to call it a career. "  

Teachers, hang in there.......It is 4 weeks before you get a week off for Thanksgiving........And after that it is 3 weeks before you are off 2 weeks for the Christmas Break.

We will worry about January when it gets here......Just remember, and I am serious about this, I am praying every morning for the teachers in Buna Schools. 

Faculty, hate it at Buna ISD, get out, there are actually better districts. Do everything you know how, to get out. Buna is not what it once was, I will get blow-back, but if you are honest with yourself, you just know it is not. 

   

 

Proud of Buna? End of Times? I Owe an Explanation to Y'all............Upcoming Story Concerning Buna Teachers

It's Friday....Someday if you get to retire, it will be like every other day that ends in "Y."

So, lets wrap up the week. 

-I see that over 700 people as of Thursday in the first week of early voting have voted at the Buna early voting site. I'm proud of you who have already voted. 

I love those of you who are adding photos of yourself with a voter sticker.

 If you have not voted, let me remind you that you have this weekend, including Sunday voting after church. I think polls open at 12 Noon on Sunday. (  Sorry, I do not fish, hunt, mow, or vote on Sunday. That is just me, it doesn't mean I wouldn't get my ox out of the ditch( Luke 14:5), or opposed to someone else voting, however, my strict Presbyterian Grandfather sort of instilled that in me.)

I was a bit surprised, I saw people standing in lines in Harris and Dallas Counties, so, when I voted about mid-morning yesterday, I was surprised I was the only voter at my polling site.  

- In the past 2 days, I have seen so called experts say the chance that the war in Iran could go nuclear was now at about 25-35%. That in my opinion is too high, that alone has me concerned. 

Nuclear weapons start going off, who else might decide to use theirs?  Russia? North Korea? India? The one Pakistan might have given or sold to Iran? 

- So, I was asked why I had started a site on Substack?

Blogger is in the middle of change. They are establishing a set of rules that should not effect me, but they are so broadly written, I can see me getting caught up and not even be trying. 

Plus, the Substack site has a podcast site. YouTube, Rumble are more complicated and I think I will try and go the Substack route. It is just a little more serious, little more political, historical......And most of my writing is local politics. 

At some point, I will probably transfer most of my messaging to Substack, but right now, many of you are wary.  So, I will be placing the blogs on Blogger for some time to come. 

( I appreciate everyone who has so far donated to the Substack. Will probably invest all donations back into the Substack/blog. I am not a very good business person. I’ve not even set up my financials on Substack. Studied economics for years, and the person I slept with for the last 45 years is understands actual finance much better than me. Mine is all charts and graphs theory………Or I could take it, and try and find the best “ Chippy” ( That’s what the Brits call fish and chips shoppes) in Yorkshire.)

 - Finally, I am working on a blog concerning Buna ISD teachers. 

Morale apparently is shot. Many are afraid to say anything, just trying to keep a teaching position. Many are thinking about either leaving at Christmas, getting out of the school business for now, perhaps forever, and others, are already putting out feelers for other teaching positions for the 27-28 school year. Just trying to make the school year. ( I have been there. My last year at Magnolia ISD was literal "Hell on earth.")

We will explain why in an upcoming blog.  

 

 

 

 

Well, Buna, Deweyville, Kirbyville, Evadale, etc...... It Seems, We Made the Big Leagues........

 No, not getting my childhood dream of pitching for the Houston Astros......

I have been getting emails and at first I thought they were just baloney, but they were, it turns out, were real proposals.  

I was approached by a gaming/ gambling site about placing an ad on my site for Q1 2027.  ( I think it is because I have been working on my podcasting site. No, it is not up yet, it is harder than I thought....Then again, it is like the sport of cricket, watch it long enough, mess with it long enough, and you figure it out.) 

Not a lot of money, but still an offer. 

The last "business" or "businesses" I will deal with are gaming industry  

I see dealing with the gambling industry pretty much as dealing with the Devil his-self.  

Gaming is going to ruin a lot of young people in this country and with it now sponsoring all of the major sports, I am watching less and less sports on broadcast/cable stations. The other day, the " Worldwide Leader in Sports" had a cartoon showing how to place various types of bets. Don't tell me who that is  aimed at, " Get them hooked young."

I am not above a sponsorship, but you know, some stuff, well, we just won't go there. 

And I might be easy to deal with, trade sponsorship for say BBQ pork ribs or fried chicken.  

But, we are still non-sponsored, non-advertised site.  

And to the gambling sites.....

Feck you, and the clap dripping mule you rode in on..... 

 

A Reminder... And How Long Before Buna ISD Does This....Get Ready, It Is Coming.......

 Thanks to everyone for your prayers especially for St. Deborah, she is having bit of a time with COVID right now. I am doing better, but still not right. 

I am thinking that we will have a strain of COVID every year now, just like the influenza. 

I am older than 60 and I took the first 3 COVID vaccines and wish I had not. At least the last one. I am wondering if some of the mental and physical problems I am having are due to taking the shot? 

- Today, early voting starts in the State of Texas. I will not tell you how to vote on state elections, but encourage you to vote. 

Early Voting is from Oct. 19-30

Mail-in voting , last day to apply in Oct. 23rd  

The Election is on Nov. 3, 2026

Early voting sites in Jasper Co. link- 

Early voting sites in Orange Co. link- 

( The other counties can be found on the County Clerk's site.) 

 - I know in my school district, the LCM ISD is asking for a bond. And we have not paid off the last one. 

A bunch of goop about needing this, needing that, I know the district had $1 million dollars a few years ago in some slush fund, so much,  they now have artificial turf on the football field.   

And how taxes shouldn't go up, and if they do, they won't go up that much. And did a song and dance on it. 

Get ready people in the Buna ISD. 

They are going to hit you with a bond. 

They want all schools together off FM 253. Buna Junior High over with everyone else, probably an administration building over there too.  

In the package will be a state of the art football field. Turf field and all. 

I know when I vote, I will be voting " No" on the LCM ISD Bond. 

It's not the right economy to be asking to spend more money.