Be Ever So Careful. AI is Well.....I Will Explain

 I was sent some information on Thursday from a source that, I normally trust, and still do. 

Had a link that I clicked on to what I thought was a government site. And it looked like a government site.  

It was not. 

I think I and 3 other sources of mine were being " set-up" by well, not sure who they are. 

I caught it before I wrote a blog, as did my normally reliable source and within the hour I discovered the ruse, all other sources also realized what had happened. 

The AI was so good, so good, I am going to need to run material I receive through an AI app to see if it is now real or not. 

I was upset with myself that I was fooled. And did not feel so bad when an expert whom I know very well told me that they too sometimes have a hard time seeing the real from the AI. 

And they told me, " It is going to get worse." 

They are doing background research and told me, they will figure out who it came from....It may take a few days, or weeks. ( This is one of the benefits of sending your "kids" to fancy graduate schools Carnegie Mellon and the University of Texas.)  

I am going to have to follow more of the ancient Greek Euripides, " Question Everything." Especially in this day of AI.  

 

  

Cheater, Cheater, Pumpkin Eater.......What is Wrong With You Teachers?

 I do not know if kids today even say that anymore?

I see the headlines of the East Texas Banner, and KBMT, KFDM, KLVI, KJAS, all had this as a story.  

Coach fired, arrested for having an allegedly inappropriate relationship with a student. He knew better. 

16 years old was my understanding was the high school student. 

In a county across the river a school district police officer was also let go for an allegedly inappropriate online communication with a student.  I am sorry, if true, he REALLY should have known better. 

Do a search of teachers and this happens more than you know. In recent days, it seems there are more and more female teachers, married females messing with their kids. 

Heck, some of these kids are 13-14-15 years old. 

And what I do not understand, in many cases, their husband stays with them. And is often waiting for them when they get out of jail.

I just do not get it. 

Are we so in need of teachers in America, that we do not beat into prospective teacher's brains that this is an ultimate " No-No?"

Rather than have some " idjit" from the Region Service Center come and bore the entire school district with some new teaching method they came up with when writing their doctoral dissertation, that a week within the implementation,  every teacher in the district knows will not work.( High School people know it won't work, in the session, especially if it is some sort of elementary method.....Something like " being nice to your high school kids"....Please, you're trying to keep classroom control. ) 

But, because the Supt. of Schools is friends with the person who dreamed up this " new way to teach" and the Supt. of Schools wants a job with the Region Service Center, the teachers have to try and make this excrement work. They, the teachers, and the kids, are the ones who suffer. 

Instead, they need to have an " instructional session" on leaving your students alone. 

Scare the hell out of them. 

Lose their job, their marriage, their certification, go to prison, be a registered sex offender.... Be a felon and have a hard time finding a job doing anything. 

I guess these teachers are looking at our political leadership and see that many of them are cheaters and nothing happens to them. And we keep voting for these people. And don't say well, it is Democrats, or it's Republicans, it is both parties. ( I am sorry, I have a problem with politicians anyway, and cheaters, well, I really have a problem with.)

I know administrators may find it an uncomfortable subject, but it needs to be discussed, every year.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Again Buna ISD Patrons.....

 It seemed like I literally spent the holiday weekend on the cell. 

And for a person who really doesn't like the phone, well, it was not fun.

Including a friend who called from Europe, bouncing off the walls last night that England won. I know it is not popular and you should root for the underdogs, but I was still in England's camp last night, and the English will tell you they are still trying to re-live 1966 when they won their only World Cup. 

Two phone calls I received over the weekend were from people kicking around running for school board. Trying, or actually were, picking my brain about campaigns. 

Again, I am not a political consultant, yes, I have worked in campaigns, but I am far from an expert on the subject.  

I know this may sound defeatist, but if you are planning to run for Buna School Board, well, you should have decided already, not waiting until time to file to decided to run. I know it is not a countywide position, and I know it is only a 3A District, but in 2026, politics is well....A lot of thought and issues, positions should be well thought out, not just, " I think I can do better."  

Again, I encourage people to run for office.  

And as I have always said, run, the worst thing you can do is lose, and if you do, pick yourself up, brush off and if you've not gotten it out of your system, think about what you need to change to run the next election cycle.  

 

 

Yep, We Are Failing in Schools....And More " Stuff"

 America turns 250 tomorrow. Somehow, it is not as big a deal as it was in 1976 during the bicentennial. 

And there are a number of people in this country who do not have a damn clue what the 4th of July even represents, or what happened on that day. 

These numbers are from a Cato Institute poll.  

61% of Gen Z. In the ages 18-29 do not have a clue what the date July 4th represents. 

A number thought it was the first presidential election. Others, when the Pilgrims arrived on Plymouth Rock, still others, 30% did not have a clue. ( If you go to England, avoid the City of Plymouth. The Royal Navy has a base there and there is a university in the town, but as far as tourist things to see or even historical things to see, well, nothing. The site where the Pilgrims departed, has a small monument, with British and American flags. The town itself is pretty run down. Same with Torquay, about 12 miles from Plymouth, which is nicknamed the " English Rivera" it reminds you of a " Bad Galveston." And yes, there are palm trees in that part of England, yeah, surprised me too....Cornwall, is not much better. I'll save you the trouble, do not go south of Somerset or Dorset......Stay in the Cotswold's if you travel to that part of England. When you think Somerset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, think the TV show Midsomer Murders.  )

Age 30 to 44 is not much better. Only 46% of Americans in that age range know it is Independence Day.  

I wonder if they considered asking from what nation we declared our independence? 

It boils down to those damn state exams. Follow the money. We are teaching everything but what the kids actually need to know.  

-I know Buna Schools has some openings, but I took a look a Region V area districts and was surprised at the number of openings, for teachers, there still are in our area, including a number of history/social studies positions.  Heck even one was looking for a government teacher. ( No, Kerry ain't coming out of retirement, when I say, " I could not do it today" I mean it.)

Again, schools have gotten to the point it is hard to recruit people to do the job, and with the economic situation, well, it may not hit the oil patch like other parts of the country. 

And people just do not move to this area, even for work, oh, they might live here during construction or during a project, but rather than stay and continue working here, most get the hell outta here....

Only people like me, whose ancestors have been in Orange County since the 1830s, or the 1880s, depending on which family tree you study, people just do not move here in the 2020s. ( I need to sit down and write a "History of Orange County" one day.) 

- There has been at least 2 of my former students who have made the arrest report in recent days. 

Yes, it upsets me. But teach thousands of kids and it is to be expected. People make mis-steps. Yes, they get my prayers, especially them. 

- Have a good 4th folks. I think we are having mystery meat ( hot dogs) and perhaps some links tomorrow for the holiday here at the Compound. Nothing fancy.  

Unless something dramatic occurs, I will taking a few days off from blogging..... 

 

The Govteach, Plays Govteach This Morning....

 The old Govteach kept an eye on the Supreme Court and the case concerning whether if you are a US Citizen, if you are born in the US. 

For years, the USA has followed the 14th Amendment. 

The 14th Amendment is the longest of the 27 Amendments to the US Constitution.  

Written after the War Between the States, AKA the American Civil War, AKA the Late Great Unpleasantness With the North, the 14th was written as a result of the conflict. 

It has been quoted and used by the Supreme Court in the following cases.....Brown v. Board of Education( Segregation in Schools), Loving v. Virginia( Can marry outside your race, big if you have a Chinese daughter in law),  Obergefell v. Hodge.( Gay weddings) 

The 14th says the following about citizenship. 

 "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

And the court ruled yesterday that if you are born here, you are a US Citizen.  In a 6-3 vote. 

The name of the court case was Trump v. Barbara.  

I was not surprised it was a 6-3 vote. It is just the way voting is now on the court. 

5 of the justices quoted the 14th as the reason for their vote. 1 quoted a  Federal law I have never heard of. ( That's what happens when you have a team doing research for you. 

3 voted against the birthright citizenship  and writing for the minority,  Justice Alito was as he said, "one of the most important decisions in the history of the Court", though he considered it a "serious mistake".

Writing for the majority, Chief Justice Roberts said,  it was a "promise" kept to the Constitution's Framers. 

The ruling keeps the US as, as they would say in Latin "Jus Soli" or the " Right of the Soil." If you are born here, within the boundary of the US states and territories, you are an American Citizen." This is directly from old English Common Law in which most Americans Laws are based upon. 

( Do not get "Jus Soli " confused with "Jus Sanguinis" or "Right of Blood." Here is an example, If my son and daughter in law were visiting China, or living there, any children would be US Citizens because my son carries a US Passport, and " by blood" any children born to them are American Citizens. )

Yeah, the old US Citizenship teacher in the Beaumont ISD learned this years ago.  

I know people reading this will disagree, it was the right call.  

 

 

 

 

 

I Could Not Teach in Buna Anymore.........

 I have spent the weekend see how hard it is to bring a cat to the UK. It would take about 3 months to bring Fred over in preparation. Might be easier to have someone take care of him. 

And in typical Fred, he got on the bookshelf and jumped off on my shoulder like he was BatCat. Good thing I was there to catch him, him all purring like this is fun...Which bookshelf? The one on the hallway. Teachers, especially history/English majors have books everyplace. We have 5 bookshelves scattered in the Compound. 

Then, I did research as to how hard it would be to get a PhD in Classics. The cost of tuition alone was prohibitive.  And then, would I want anyone to call me " doctor?" I don't even like it when people address me as "Reverend" or " Brother./"  Old school Church of England vicars were often just called "Mister" so and so.....Plus, I don't want to leave any debt....I've been watching too much John Batchelor and his Londonium programs. 

And then, I am trying to decide if I want a pair of Beckett-Simonon shoes. Their short-wing, wingtips. I really need a pair of black, but the Bordeaux( fancy name for oxblood) is temping. 

But, as always, I digress. 

No, I am here this morning to talk about the proposed changes to 11th grade, AKA Junior level  US History or American History TEKS. I will flip flop calling it that in this blog.....

TEKS are the subject areas that teachers are supposed to cover over the school year. Trouble is, the way they are written when I speak the first week, in US History, any decent teacher covers about 50% of the TEKS, and it is that way, all year long.  

And many of you are going " But, Mr. T, I thought you were a government/economics teacher." Well, not always. I taught American History exclusively for a while. A short while and to be honest, teaching American History is easy.  Economics instruction, on the other hand, is hard. 

The Texas State Board of Education  is revamping the TEKS K-12 in Social Studies. 

I know there is a big controversy concerning the Bible story inclusion in the elementary and junior high level, and I was never one to avoid discussions on religion in class, but I wonder how some teachers will draw the line and concerning personal religious beliefs, well, they are all over the place in classrooms. The teacher might be Cumberland Presbyterian and in their classroom, they may have a 6 Baptists,  a Lutheran, 3 Methodists,  2 Pentecostals/A of G, a Buddhist, 2 Muslims, a Hindu, and 7 who believe nothing. 

In the Houston, Austin, Dallas regions, class religious make-ups look nothing like what they might in Buna Schools. 

Then, there is the change that local newspapers in Dallas are stirring up a stink about. 

Here is one of their headlines....." The board approved changes Wednesday that eliminate coverage of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, substituting study of Oprah Winfrey in the revised social studies TEKS. (They dropped the TEKS on the American Revolution.)

Do the kids today even know who Oprah is, and do they actually need to do so?  

I don't know the answer on that one, do they need to know Jack Benny, or Lucille Ball? You can go down a rabbit hole on that one...I covered stuff like the British Invasion of Rock in the 1960s. 

11th grade US History is from 1877 to present. The US History class in 8th grade is the Colonial Period to 1876. The American Revolution was in 1776. (The Revolutionary War has since been reinserted)

The Revolutionary War, or as the British call it the American War for Independence..... Should have been covered already.   

I fudged and always started my American History class with George Armstrong Custer and the Battle of the Little Big Horn. June, 1876. Got to throw a hook out there, and that always worked for 11th graders. 

I know they are removing TEKS like McCarthyism, and any history teacher worth their salt is covering the Junior Senator from Wisconsin, Eugene McCarthy.  

I know they have included things like " No fault divorce" in the lessons, and to be honest, I can see an 11th grader asking their mother when they got home, asking Mom about divorcing Dad 10 years ago.....Happens more than you think.  

And I get a phone call from Mom.... 

As many of you know, I jumped from one manure pile to another when I was teaching at Buna, even when I wasn't being Kerry Thomas, I still got into trouble.   I can just about imagine the new trouble I would get into. 

In 2026 I could no longer teach in Buna, probably no place else either. 

I can see the trouble I would be in talking about Jack Reed and his " Ten Days Which Shook the World." ( If you know your history of Politics, here is a shocker, when I first signed on with Buna, they had 2 copies of " Ten Days" in the BHS Library....  )

It is part of the reason I never issued books. Other than use them for supplemental material, I hated every book ever approved by the State of Texas for social studies. 

  Then again, there is so much micromanagement going on right now at the Buna Schools, I would be looking for an exit....Looking hard......

 

 

 

 

And Here We Go Again Buna.......And I Need a Favor.....

 I just looked over at Fred asleep in his  chair. He generally sleeps when I write.....Fred is huge for a cat. I swear he must weigh about 25lbs. And all he wants to eat is 9lives Morris' Catch kibble. He won't touch real food, except for cheese. and dairy really isn't good for grown cats. I hope one morning he doesn't decide to do us in......

No, I need to do this from time to time......

Sorry....

A number of people are reading the blog through the Govteach Part Deaux Group on Facebook. I welcome you. 

The blog while often talks about Buna Schools, sometimes Jasper County, sometimes, whatever I think about this morning will be on the blog. 

I ran into a group reader at of all places Family Dollar in Mauriceville. I never go in there. But I did looking for something, they of course didn't have it. 

The reader was someone I did not know, introduced themselves as being related to someone I nominally know. 

I could not get away from them. I spent 1 hour and 10 minutes with them bending my ear, talking about Buna ISD, how it is run, and switched to politics in general. 

I appreciate you stopping and talking to me, and if you have a story I need to look at and well, I am working on one right now. 

And I am going to be somewhat selfish here. 

Please, I want to meet you, I really do, but I am generally a very private person. I only put 1973 miles on my Honda Element( I kept it long enough now that it has a " Cult" following....)  this past year. I would be a candidate for a monastery. ( Unless suggests we fly to Europe.....I really want to go back to Hong Kong.) 

And I do want to know my readers.  

That said, please, let me escape. 

I don't mind talking a little while, but I have a hard time standing up now, plus, sometimes, I actually have things to do. Not just figure out what cap/hat you need next? I saw Jack White in a derby and got to thinking, " Where could I pull-off a derby? " City of London? Or answering the question put forth in the latest GQ, " What color shoes should you wear with a grey suit?" The answer, from what I would wearing? "Oxblood. " 

I digress......

Newbies, the blog from time to time will be whatever I want it to be. It may be a rambling mess like this one. It might be on British politics. It might be a poem. I used to publish them years ago in the blog. 

Beware......I often use bad words, the next blog I might be praying, I may talk about my drinking Scotch. It might be about gummies.  

I am different. Always have been. 

As always, if you have a story concerning the school, county, whoever, let know know and there is a good chance I will write on it. And as always, everything is confidential.  

I take my blogs on the school district pretty darn seriously. You see, I was the gov/eco teacher at Buna and taught many of my readers. I want Buna to be good if not great. It can be. I saw it first hand. Why not again?