Buna ISD and " The Clique" ...And the Process.....Part 1

 Brief couple of paragraphs before I go into the blog.....

Here is the process of writing, and you remember, I almost write every day. It feel funny when I do not. Most blogs are written early morning, even before " Matins" or Morning Prayer as the Anglican Church would say.... 

Second, and I suspected this already.........They read the blog in the local school administration.....To which, I say, welcome, please subscribe to the new Substack page. You may as well, we all know you're reading the blog. I got a couple of Buna ISD stories I am working on, you may not want to miss... ( I knew that there are board members who read the blog, I hear their displeasure through secondary sources.)

And get ready, or actually I should  say, I should steady myself for the blowback, as the people in Buna would have you believe that their " Clique" is as mythical as Greek gods, Aliens from Outer Space, and Bigfoot...... 

But, many of you reading this know it exists, including the writer of this blog, and once employed by the Buna ISD, it took a year, but it often rose its head for things, often imagined that I had done. 

In the last fortnight, I have heard from 4 different faculty members, different campuses, all talking about the " Clique" at Buna, especially those who have infiltrated the Buna ISD. 

I understand, at least once a semester, often more, I got in trouble with a member of the " Clique."   As a " World Famous" scientist once told me, "we are jumping from one pile of manure to another." But if you ever teach school, you'll understand trouble finds you, and it doesn't take long to find. Even when you are trying to behave yourself. 

As a former Buna ISD employee said, " I know how hurtful it can be to work hard, care for the students, and still feel that you are being judged or treated differently for reasons that have nothing to do with your work." 

Another, " I worry if my 'spouse' and I can make it without my salary, but I am done, we are not to October, and I may quit at Christmas. I may get my certificate pulled, but I can no long stand the other teachers. All from Buna, who think that they are from the community, go to XYZ Church and somehow they are special." 

And my favourite. " They are from Buna, it's not like they are a bunch of Yale or Princeton grads running around here. " 

The last one, I laughed at last one, it's Buna. I make the analogy, " It is Vidor North." I know, I grew up in Vidor, you are not any better, and in someways you are worse. You still have a place called the " Quarters." 

Again, as I have said for years, Buna in many ways is stuck in 1952. 

More stories in Part 2.  

End- Part 1  

Please subscribe to Substack..... https://thegovteachpartdeaux.substack.com/publish/post/217362671

 

  

Readers- New Information

 I am in the process of setting up a Substack site/. You have got to remember, the ole Govteach is pushing 70 his next birthday and well, technology for me, is often stuck about 1980. I can do it, but I get mad doing it. 

Why Substack?

It seems everyone and their brother is setting up on Substack from Robert Pape to John Batchelor. 

I am trying to get a podcast going plus a blog. 

Yes the website is ' The Govteach Part Deaux. ' 

 I do not know if I will go there permanently,  or have both site, or even if I will have special Substack posts. 

I know the podcast will only be on Substack. But we are not there....yet. 

My nephew has been gigging me to start a podcast, and I don't know, it might be like Tim Dillon's, me ranting and raving about everything from Buna Schools, to National U.S. Politics, to the economy, to whatever I feel like. 

Be gentle, I am going to mess up starting this new adventure, more than even I know. And I am considering having "Guest Writers" on the blog.  We will see. 

So, don't get upset when you see a blog from Substack on Facebook. It is me. 

And please, subscribe.  

If you are hardcore Baptist, don't read the sentence below.  

BTW- I am looking for a bottle of " Writer's Tears" Irish Whiskey for my Podcast set. If you see a bottle in your travels, please let me know where you saw/found it.  

 

Lots of Mail from Several Mad Buna, South Jasper County People......And, Calm Down

 I was somewhat surprised at the number of people looking to get their children out of Buna ISD. Just have " Had enough" with the as one person put it, "the shenanigans the district is pulling."

Some of these people I had in class when I was the gov/eco teacher at Buna, well, they never said a peep in class, and with this present " regime" as one called them,  they have become " Tiger Moms."

We here at the Compound have witness " Tiger Moms" in Far East Asia firsthand, and these SETX versions are mainly concerned with fair treatment of their children, and well, sorry Buna, in my years of association with you, you were the most political most "clique" district I was ever associated with, and while I was there, Magnolia ISD had a financial meltdown. 

And still, for some reason, I always had a love/hate relationship with the place.....

The people who sent me message are done. 

Some have already pulled their kids out hoping for a place in Evadale ISD, others, are looking at moving mid-year, if they can " just find one more spot." as one parent wrote. 

I know some of you are thinking violence is a solution, let me remind you, it'll only get you a free trip to the county hotel, and the accommodations are not like a 5-star Hyatt.  

And I know, the vast majority of you are just letting off steam. But take the high ground. Show some class, even it it is often hard to do so.....

 

Writing on Evadale? Some Buna Parents? Why do I Hate This Town?

 Brief blog for a Monday...

A source has told me, that the lower school addition to Evadale ISD will be done they are projecting for December. 

I was told that allegedly they will be able to start taking Buna kids on the waiting list. I know there are Buna parents who have pulled their kids out of the Buna Schools, homeschooling and waiting until opening become available in Evadale ISD.  

Right now, Evadale has the largest Freshman class it has ever had.....Take note Buna. You are already the smallest school in your UIL District.  

The new part of the Evadale upper school is scheduled to be done by March. Now that late will they accept students? 

- Finally, was asked in my PM's why I hated certain towns.

In truth, I am am ambivalent about most places. 

The only 3 towns that I really hate are....

Nederland- They were our band rivals back in the middle 1970s. 

Orangefield and later Winnie ( East Chambers)- They were our competition in district for UIL Academic Contests when I was at BHS.    

And at this point, I don't really care about them..... 

 

I Came So Close Buna-Ex's....A Question.......Louisiana......Britbox....Blue Bell?

 -The Computer decided I needed to listen to the " Mad Dogs and Englishmen" album this morning......All 2 hours.....Yeah, Joe Cocker can't sing, but the band Leon Russell together is worth a listen, and yeah, it was recorded live across America when I was in high school.....And yes, I have the 2 LPs.....Someplace.....

-Two classes as I have mentioned earlier had a 20th and a 30th reunion and I remembered a few people I taught being in those classes, I so wanted to show up and make fun of.....Trouble is, were they there? And how long before by Ulster-Irish Presbyterian mouth gets me into trouble? So, I stayed home and watched Tech and Houston. 

-The Question of the Day- A crossover from my Facebook site.....How many folks actually stayed and watched the band after the game?

- Apparently it was play a Louisiana school last night.....Buna, Deweyville, Evadale, and Vidor all played high schools from Louisiana.  

- For you with Britbox, Cooper and Fry is worth a watch, if only for the scenery. It takes place in the Peak District of Derby-shire, England but in reality, it is filmed in rural Ireland for tax reasons. The plots are okay and it is worth a watch.

Tuppence and Tommy on the other hand is pretty bad, that said, I don't care for the old TV versions either.  

- I keep telling you to keep and eye on Europe. I still look for Russian airstrike of some sort to hit German, Poland, France and possibly England..... Lots of rhetoric from both sides.....

- Is it just us, as has Blue Bell Ice Cream slipped? 2 of our last 3 half gallons were not up to Blue Bell standards. We got some Great Divide and it was good, but you can't really mess up vanilla or chocolate....

- Have a good weekend, don't plan to blog until next week.   

 

 

 

Well, In Truth, You Can Do Whatever.....However, You Can Show Some Class.....

 The world changes and well, I am getting old. 

I know there needs to be changes in life, especially in the schools....

But I was somewhat surprised to learn that the Bune Band was not marching at halftime of homecoming....Heck, in my town, a lot of people show up just to see the band march at half, or did.....

My senior year in high school, I remember an old guy walking behind a bunch of band students saying, " Fuck football, I am here to see the Vidor Band."

But that was 52 years ago.... 

I know they have toned it down and Charles Smith and Ronnie Touchstone are long gone, both of which I knew, but it was the thing to see when I was playing in the band.....

Yes, they crowned the Homecoming Queen none of which I remember, and did it while playing the song from the musical " South Pacific" " Some Enchanting Evening. " ( Yeah, the song was awful.) And the Homecoming Court walked off the field. 

Afterwards 

-  The stadium lights were turned off. 

- And the band stepped off to "Cyrus the Great" by K.L. King, and we had flashlights taped under our pants, to our legs with masking or duct tape.  Marching itself was simple, it was all follow the leader and you hoped the woodwind player lead knew where they were going.

- And it was followed by massive Fourth of July type fireworks blowing up over the top of the field, so load, people in Beaumont could hear the explosions.  Loud, bright, scary, and fantastic all at once, and crap falling out of the sky on top of us as we march.

- There were junior high band kids in full uniform lighting up the yard-lines that had placed flares every 10 yards on both sides of the field....

-Meanwhile about 10-12 twirlers were on the yard-lines twirling fire.    

- If that was not enough assault on your senses, there were 2 fireboards of fireworks hanging on the goal posts, that were lit turning night into day, if it was not bright enough already.

- And in typical Vidor fashion we march off the field to a 17th Century Russian Christmas Hymn....( And I see Vidor is still wearing Napoleonic War style uniforms, very similar to what the Prussian Army wore in 1815 at the Battle of Waterloo)

- There was enough smoke on the field when the lights came back on, you expect the British Royal Commandos to come running out with Lord Levitt shouting " Up the action boys!"  

You can't make this up, I dare you to try.....

And I understand, and an extravaganza today would bankrupt most schools. 

And if you remember, I played in my college marching band for 4 years, and well, it wasn't the same as high school just wasn't, and for some reason, I kept signing up for it.  ( One of those foreordained deals, I have been married to the reason for 45 years.....And I almost signed up to complete my college PE requirement playing softball, and if you really know me, you'd know how much I loved playing baseball/softball. And as I signing up, I came so close to writing down that 11AM softball course, and well, I said, maybe one more band year, make it 4 years....God works in mysterious ways.)

And I understand well, you can do what the hell ever you want to do in Buna at halftime.  

Here is what the blog is actually about.....

I know tonight most of you will be tired at the end of the ballgame. Long week, boss is an asshole, employees are nit-wits and assholes, you've been thinking since the 3rd quarter how good of a sammich that ham in the ice box would make when you get home.....

Stay another 20-30 minutes and watch the Buna Marching Band at the end of the ballgame.

The kids are working hard for the UIL Marching Contest. It is a big deal for these kids. 

You don't know how much the kids will appreciate it. 

That ham will still be waiting for you in the ice box when you get home.  

Show a little class tonight folks.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Don't Even Know Where to Start.....

 Fred came in from his morning outside romp. Smelled like smoke.....Maybe he slipped off down South Bilbo Road and smoked some filter-less Pall Malls with that Tuxedo cat that lives right behind us. He's sort of a hoodlum. 

( I wonder how many of you reading this even know what a Pall Mall Red non-filter even is?) 

I cannot keep up with the news out of the Middle East. 

The Saudis and the Yemenis are the most recent news makers. The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, are a Zaydi revivalist and Shia Islamist political and military organization that emerged from Yemen in the 1990s. It is predominantly made up of Zaydis, whose namesake leadership is drawn largely from the al-Houthi family.  It traces its origins to the eighth-century teachings and rebellion of Zayd ibn Ali.

 I know, I lost you, just know,  they are a Shia group in Yemen, with ties to Iran. And is Iran is supporting them with weapons.....Which mean the Chinese are giving weapons to Houthis through Iran. 

They have been fighting with the Sunni Muslims in Saudi Arabia for centuries. 

The Sunnis are the Muslims, the royal family in Saudi Arabia. 

Right now, this group in Yemen see a weakness in Saudi Arabia and are taking advantage of it, by attacking the Saudi oil refineries, the oil field, the oil pipelines. Mostly using misslies and drones. 

If the Saudis  are not shipping/producing oil, and right now, they are not, the worldwide cost of oil, gasoline, diesel is going to rise. 

Especially diesel. 

I know many of you are going, but I drive a gas vehicle....

Trouble is, so much production and transportation in this nation runs on diesel. Or another product that is "fixing"( If I can go all East Texan) to be short in supply, aviation fuel. 

All 18-wheelers, all trains, and all nearly all, farm equipment.   

How much will products on the shelves go up as the cost of harvesting, shipping, goes up? Already they are talking about diesel going to be $10-12-15 a gallon in the USA. In Europe, they are talking $15-19. 

Heck, they are talking about gasoline being $8 gallon here in Texas. 

You want to talk about a ruined economy.  

A strong suggestion, if there are any products you may need in the future, canned good, or foods you can freeze, you may look at buying for the future. 

Likewise, you may want to keep a few extra cash dollars available. I do not know how stable the banks are going to be in the future. 

Already both Israel and the Saudis are looking to unite again the Yemenis, and in the southern portion of the Saudi peninsula it has become a ground war. Trouble is the Saudis have hired so many mercenary soldiers, if the war gets going bad, how many of the mercenaries will turn tail and leave the battlefield. 

As I write, the Saudis are bombing the Houthis and the Houthis are expanding into Saudi territory. The US is warning travelers  not to travel to that part of the Middle East. Why anyone with any sense would be going to the Middle East right now is beyond me?

Here is what scares me. 

Do not be shocked if Iran tests a nuclear weapon here in the next few months/weeks, either buying one, or with China's help, producing one. It's closer than you know. 

Get ready folks, Pandora's Box has been opened and I see no way to close it.