"It Never Set In How Much Buna ISD Effected My Children"

 Shortly after I posted yesterday's blog, I received these messages-

"It never set in how much Buna ISD was negatively affecting my two daughters. 

Since they found out they were accepted into XYZ School District a couple weeks ago, completely different kids. My oldest child asked my spouse randomly, “Can we start eating at the table together again” because they missed it. We are busy-folks so we just eat on the go most of the time. 

This past weekend we went a school clothes shopping trip, which normally would have at some point 

turned into a knock down drag out(two teenagers ), and couldn’t have went better. We enjoyed 100% of our time together and no dragged out disagreements. We laughed more than we disagreed by a long shot."

  And I received more messages like this.

" I could not let my kids go back  to Buna. It literally has become us vs. them at the district. We are nobodies and the district let us know. "

Then, I received several notes from people confirming a comment concerning not having a " name" in the community. Many echoing this sentiment. 

"XYZ and ABC are right, even our kids know that they are 2nd-class citizens in Buna...... My kids are not in Buna school, and me, my parents and my kids all graduated from Buna HS. " 

" Mr. T, you are right, we have lost control of the school. " 

And this.....

" ......what are we paying taxes for? Abuse?"  

 

Done With Buna Schools...The Clique...Joe and Dillion......

 With School starting this week, and in many districts, they are starting today, I am seeing Buna people sending their children to school, not named Buna ISD, and not only are the parents thrilled to have their kids out of the Buna Schools, their children are thrilled to be out. 

In many cases, the school district in which the parents graduated is not the same district, or even remotely is the same district in which they graduated. 

I know if you are in the clique, you do not see it, but it exists. And don't tell me it doesn't. There are always people who think they are better than you, and their family deserves special treatment.I saw it first hand. It was spoken about behind closed doors by faculty who were not in the clique. 

And the thing is, the clique grows somewhat smaller. The district isn't growing. And if the scores do not improve dramatically,  people are not going to want to put their kids in a failing, or average school district. 

Why move your kids from a so-so district to another so-so ISD ? It is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. 

- If you are not aware, Dillon Y'Barbo more than likely kept Joe Chapman from bleeding out this past week on a fishing trip. 

Extremely proud of Dillon, thought quick, made a makeshift tourniquet out of what was on hand.  

I know Joe is thankful.  

If you see Dillon this week, you might want to shake his hand. 

Both of these guys in my book are just good guys.  And liked having them in class. 

Also keep Joe in your prayers as he is facing a surgery this week on his arm.  

 

Dadgum Buna....Dadgum.....

 I know there will always be apologists for the school district, heck, and I will get in trouble for this association, but there were and still are apologists for the Nazis in Germany and the Fascists of Mussolini's Italy here in 2026. 

One of these days, I am going to get up and say " enough" and write on economics or the Peasant's Revolt of 1391 against 14 year old King Richard II of England.  

Or something fun like 5 part blog(s) on the history of cooking a roux. I am still of the belief of cooking your own roux, not pour it out of a durn-burn jar.  

Or about the latest "trend." $100-120 hot dogs some with 24k edible gold flakes, mascarpone cheese, and Ossetra Caviar on a croissant.  Yeah, never had mascarpone cheese either.....I still like mine with chili, cheese, and onions....Or sauerkraut and dark brown mustard. 

-There are stories that already a teacher had resigned from Buna Schools. 

We have not even opened up the actual school year, and allegedly, people have already left. Ain't even seen a kid yet, and trust me, leadership is the reason why most people leave jobs and the school business is no different. 

As I had a principal tell the people who took over his old position at BHS. " Let the teachers take care of you, they will if you let them." 

And trust me, especially with the upperclassmen, we did.  

June, Tandy, Kay, Anton, Beverly, Larry several others those of you who went through Buna at that time, I do not think you know what kind of quality teachers BHS had during that time period.  I know, I taught at other districts and was amazed how the stars had aligned when I was there. It was part of the reason why I just stayed rather than go and teach AP classes in another high school. 

And the thing is, if you got out of the way at of the teachers at Buna High today, they could probably do the same thing. 

School has always been a political mess. I call it "mess," because it is.....I am going to reiterate this as long as I write a blog, schools are a taxing government entity, with elected officials and politics that rivals anything in Washington D.C.....You just don't recognize it. 

I am working on a story concerning why teachers are leaving the district, and if it is true, the Buna ISD School Board is allegedly failing to protect the teachers, students, parents, the school district in general. I am hoping it isn't true, but more and more the facts are disturbing. 

On August 14th, next Friday, my understanding is, school letter grades in Texas are to be made public at 12 Noon. I am hoping the district scores are better. Some of you think I'm hoping for for poor scores, you must remember I retired from Buna ISD, I want the district to look good. People have a short memory and will only look at recent scores. I don't want people to be asking me, " What kind of a wooden axle organization did you teach at? "  I don't want people to think I sucked as a teacher.  

I am sure good or bad, a blog will be written either Friday afternoon or Saturday morning.  

 

 

I Heard from Other Schools, But Not Buna ISD.....Also, State Scores?

 I had to start this blog over. In the middle I had 250lb orange cat that decided that Kerry was doing something important, I need to help....Or mess up....So he walked on the keyboard.

In yesterday's blog, I discussed briefly the fact they need to actually do something important at the in-services across the state.

That is a session that tells the faculty and staff not to be "messing" with their students. 

Why they do not discuss this, I do not know.

Get the local District Attorney to come in and tell them what will happen.....Yeah, it might scare someone into behaving. 

I know if I taught in Blanco or Llano, or San Saba, or Burnet Counties, the District Attorney would be glad to come in and talk.....actually, if I was still employed at the Buna ISD, he'd come in from the Hill Country to speak.( John probably would be glad to come and speak.)

Yesterday I heard from 4 either former Buna ISD faculty now in another ISD or ex-students teaching in school districts across the state and student/faculty relationships were not mentioned in the faculty meetings. All different districts...

I did not hear from Buna.....

If you are reading this, did your district broach the subject of teacher/student relations? 

I know the subject is sensitive, but everyone in the meeting should be over 21 and most in the audience have had sex.  

- Also, I heard from 2 different faculty, who said the district in which they taught told them their state grades...... 

Did Buna ISD report their grades to the faculty? ( I know some of you are scared to say anything to me, for fear it'll come back on them, but I do not name sources.)

 

 

 

  

 

Dadgum Buna Schools, That was Fast.....And The Economy Should Scare the **** Out of You

Summer is over for teachers...... I hated today more than any other day of the year. 

First day of teacher inservice. I did 31 in my life, I swear they got worse the more I attended. Or was forced to attend. 

The opening convocation.......The new teachers will be introduced at all 3 campuses. And unless they are on the high school campus, you won't see them again this year, and even the new teachers on your campus well, in high school unless they were in the hall near you, you did not really know them, maybe a couple of months in, you do....Then, the Supt. of Schools will get up and tell you how broke the school district is this year. Every year.......I wonder if that was said the year the Buna ISD had a $2.5 million dollar surplus? 

This week will be boredom for the teachers, especially male teachers. So many of the lessons are geared for lower level studies, and also geared for a female audience. You have to remember that 75% of teachers are female. I would already be plotting my escape to go and hide for a while and miss at least some of the mind drudgery that is staff development.  

I know in many other districts today is the first day for teachers, including my nephew in Ft. Stockton ISD. I know he was thrilled he is missing today, as he had a doctor's appointment. Two years in and he already knows day one of development is worthless.  

This morning, I checked the Buna ISD 26/27 Calendar and I am reminded that the kids start on August 13th. We'd forgotten in the Spring some people with Triskaidekaphobia, have written me and will not send their kids the first school day.  It makes no difference. It'll be a long hard fought school year no matter the start date. 

As I have said for year, let me go ahead and have the kids. I would rather be teaching than listening to someone who has not been in a classroom in 25 years try and tell you how to teach.  

What they need to have, every year, is have someone tell teachers not to be diddling the kids. Scare the literally hell out of them....Never once did I ever sit through a meeting saying not to mess with your students. You'd think it is a given, but some people think it doesn't apply to them.  

- Keep an eye on the economy. 

When the Sec. of the Treasury has made a " To do list" and leaves it so everyone can see, and the major item on the list is for the US Government to " Buy $5-10 billion in Japanese Yen ¥. To help prop up the US Treasuries. 

Japan's economy is not good, and the Japanese buy more US Treasuries to keep the United States from going broke, and so we can borrow more, than any other nation on the planet earth. 

Japan was selling US treasuries to repatriate their currency. If the US didn't prop up the yen more treasuries would have to be sold. Japan's bond rate has climbed from essentially zero to 5% from 2025 to 2026, so and their debt to GDP is 227%. Big trouble on the horizon for US debt is no one wants US treasuries. 

US treasuries are essentially loans to the American Government.   

I may write the numbers in a future blog on the economy. Makes you want to live off in the woods.......

 

 

World War III??????????????????????

 For literally decades, actually, when I was age 5-6, I read everything I could get my hands on concerning World War 2 and a lesser extent World War I and the American Civil War. Read everything I could get my hands on.I went through every book Vidor High School had on the subject in about 3 months. It was not until I went to divinity school I really became enthralled with church and British History. ( That whole English Reformation got me started. I was already a bit of an Anglophile, I guess I always have been, even in my cowboy boots, Hawaiian shirt, dipping Copenhagen days. )

And I wondered why I had a hard time getting a date. 

And concerning history, I knew more than more history teachers in high school. And they had actual history degree. 

I'm not playing. 

I look at what is going on, and I see us close to World War 3. 

- Ukraine and Russia are at war. 

In the last several days, Ukraine attacked Iran's shipping in the Caspian Sea. ( Inland sea, best known for Sturgeon that produce caviar. Caviar is nasty. One of the few things I refuse to eat.) Ukraine apologized, but still they hit Iranian ships.   

Russian missiles in the last day hit inside of the nation of Poland, which is a NATO member now.  These are missiles capable of carrying a nuclear payload. I keep looking for NATO to just not only be sending weapons to Ukraine, but will somehow get involved militarily. Already the British, German French governments are planning for war. NATO has been arming Ukraine during this war and I look for Russia to " have enough" and strike a NATO facility. 

- The US and Iran are busy shooting at each other, about the time we think there will be a ceasefire they start bombing again. 

Iran hitting American bases at will all over the Middle East. US bombing mostly coastal installations in Iran. 

Two days ago, a drone set a US flagged ship on fire docked at a port in Egypt.  

All while allegedly, the US is out of smart weapons.  

And according to the latest AP-Poll 2/3rds of Americans say the war is not worth it.  

-Saudi Arabia and the US have bombed  Iraq, not Iran, Iraq claiming the rebels there are being supported by Iran. 

-Saudi Arabia is bombing the Houthis in Yemen, and like Iran blocking the Strait of Hormuz are blocking the Red Sea for Saudi commerce. ( Take a look at Marine Traffic, not much is moving through.)

Look for Saudi with US support to send in ground forces and continue bombing of of Yemen. 

-Then, there are what if's.....

What if the Ukraine War and the Iran War become linked? Look at the map. They are close.  

 What if Iraq invades and take Kuwait again?

What if Argentina decides to take the Falkland Islands? The British do not have the navy like they had when Argentina invaded in the 1980s and Thatcher sent the Royal Navy to take it back...

What if China decides it wants Taiwan and makes the move? 

Will the US decide they have to go nuclear to stop Iran from having their own nuclear weapons? We have B-1 bombers in the region. 

And finally...

What if the US decided to land ground troops? 

Then I see Moroccans in an act of desperation storm the Spanish city of Ceuta, which is on the North African coast.  If I was in Morocco I'd be trying to leave too....( We kicked around visiting Ceuta, it has been a part of either Portugal or Spain for 600 years.)

And in this is not taking the economic fallout that is coming. And trust me, at Christmas, it is might look dire.  

 

  

  

 

 

Men- We Need to Talk.......

 I really need to do a Buna " Bits and Bobs for July 30th/" But, I may wait a couple of days. 

Men, we got to talk about hats. 

I know the rules have somewhat changed, and I know it is 2026. 

Please men, if you are at a funeral, inside the the church building.....Or at a funeral home, inside the chapel.....

TAKE OFF YOUR DAMN HAT/CAP.

I know in a nicer restaurant, I take my hat off at the table, place it in a chair or on my knee, but I am not afraid of Tony Soprano( If you know the episode) showing up, but rather , what would my late father say?  

I know I have been in churches in Europe and older men seem to leave wool flat caps on....Specifically when we were in Cork, Ireland.  

We try and go to the UK often during Easter. And Cork has a giant Church of Ireland( Anglican) Cathedral in the city, very near University College Cork. 

St. Fin Barre's Cathedral. ( Absolutely, one of the great pipe organs in the world, it and St. Giles in Edinburgh. The Minster in York is impressive also.)

We went there for Easter service, and the place was full, and it was raining and about 35F. Inside the church it was still about 55F. With heating. 

And yes, even though we are not Anglican, we took communion. And I grew up in a Baptist Church that had closed communion, in other words, only for members. 

For the longest I would not take communion outside my home church. 

But what did Christ say.....  And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22: 19-20. 

Didn't say you got to be a member of the Fourth Baptist Church of Buna......Or any other church.... 

And the older I get, the more I accept "open communion." Don't write why I shouldn't accept it. And I am not going to talk about Acts 20:7. 

Anyway..... I digress. 

The older guys kept the wool caps on........And you can understand why.....55F is chilly to those of us follically challenged. 

But in Texas, we generally have adequate heating and air conditioning......Plus, you're not out standing in the sun. Or in the cold. 

Take your damn hat off in the church...... Show a little class.....