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.  

 

 

 

 

Again, I Wonder How Long Before Someone in the Buna Schools Goes Here?????

 So, the Grand Prairie ISD, near Dallas, cancelled the performance of " Little Shop of Horrors." 

It seems the lead male role was won by a female actor. And the school district  was afraid the production would be in violation of Texas Senate Bill 12. Which restricts so called " Drag Performances." 

Then, they added as sort of an afterthought that the musical's themes included an " abusive relationship." 

Good grief, do some of you actually know Shakespeare's plays?  

They include the following in which....

Women/girls dressing as males..... 

Twelfth Night-Viola disguises herself as a young page Cesario dressed as a female after being shipwrecked, which triggers a complex romantic triangle involving Duke Orsino and Countess Olivia.

As You Like It-  Rosalind flees to the Forest of Arden and disguises herself as a young man named Ganymede

Cymbeline-  Princess Imogen adopts the male persona Fidele to escape court life and survive a plot against her life.

 Two Gentlemen of Verona- Julia dresses as a male page to follow her unfaithful lover. 

And then, men dressing as women 

The Merry Wives of Windsor- In the play, Falstaff dresses as a fat woman to escape from a  mad husband.

On the actual Elizabethan stage where Shakespeare's works were premiered, all female roles were played by young male actors, meaning a boy actor was playing a female character (like Viola) who then disguised herself as a boy (Cesario) a double layer of gender-switching. 

What the actual cornbread feck? 

Did no one in the Texas Legislature read any Shakespeare? Or know anything about it? ( Answer....No.) Most are lawyers....

And I know Shakespeare was being sarcastic when he wrote about Dick the Butcher saying " The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers." (Henry VI, Part II)  

But sometimes I wonder..... 

- Then and this is being lead by New Braunfels ISD, there are the what I call " Book Burners." 

Books like-

Canterbury Tales

To Kill a Mockingbird

Jane Eyre

Tom Sawyer 

Now, New Braunfels itself did not ban all 4 of the above, but there are  districts in this state who have banned at least 1, NBISD just leads the state in the number banned. Makes you wonder what is going on in that ISD?

And trust me, don't think there is so parent in Buna ISD who finds something wrong with a book, like something as " making their kid think." " Or a textbook that discusses the founding of Hinduism, or Islam." Never mind there are over a billion people in the world who follow each of those religions.( I got a phone call from a parent who got upset that I taught about Greek, Roman, Japanese religions in World History, saying, "When I had Coach XYZ, he didn't."  Well, Coach is no longer with the district. I told them call the Superintendent. of Schools. " Maybe they'll fire me"..I remember at the end of the call, I was ugly and told them, "I wish you would." I had my points at that stage and would have gone, happily, willingly....If she did call, I did not hear about it.)

No fooling, I wonder what this nation, this state is going to look like in 25 years.....I am sort of glad, my time on this rock is in the home stretch.... 

 

 

 

 

Buna High School Football- Please, Just Stop It.....

 My Facebook was full of gritchin' about the 2 point conversion at the game on Friday. 

Come on, the other team score 40+ points. Buna was sort of lucky they were still in the game. Traditionally, when a team score 40 points against you, the ballgame is over.  

What perhaps upsets me is that I don't see this kind of fire concerning what a school is supposed to supposed be about, academics. 

There were board members talking more about this, than anything other than propaganda about the school.  

Perhaps it is because there are non-Buna employees/citizens involved and are easy targets to blame? ( The referees)

The State of Texas can't get people to referee or umpire sports now. And I see why after this weekend. 

It you are so upset, go to a school and learn to umpire behind the plate, or be a volleyball line judge....They can use you.

People are losing their minds over a damn game. It's the, or should be, " The Toy Shop" of a school. 

Here are the number of kids I taught who made a long term made a pay for the rest of their life living playing a sport. 

1

That's out of about 3700 kids I have taught in my life. 

That is 0.027% of my students in a 31 year career. 

That percentage is the same amount as I have former students who are now Jewish Rabbis.  

Buna ISD can't even it seems, fund a CTE program. I figure the chance of a kid becoming involved in the restaurant, hotel, hospitality business is far greater than a kid playing ball for a living. 

In the end whether the team goes 10-0 or 0-10 and you being on that team, an employer could care less.  Can you cook? Can you cut hair? Can you weld? Can you fix a Toyota Corolla?

The school itself is a mess.  Don't tell me otherwise. People don't want to move to Buna for the academics. Heck, folks are leaving, old Buna surnames. 

Maybe you need to work on that first.  

 

 

 

I Get Ugly With the Buna ISD This Morning.......

 I seriously had not planned to even try and think about the Buna Public Schools for a few days this morning. 

But yesterday my messages " lit up" with this text from the Buna ISD.....

In it included the following-

And it seems to have been in  the form of a " Papal Bull " from administration-

Included was the commands-

- Band and auxiliaries will no longer be able to take the 3rd quarter off to visit the concession stands. Members will be provided a meal before the game, and parents can no longer bring food or drink to their students. However, students can bring snacks if they feel they may be hungry during the game.

- Passes will be used when students need to use the restroom. Only 2 at a time.

-At home games, the band and auxiliary will be roped off not to allow people in and out.

 And it goes on.......

Charles R. Smith the Band Director at Vidor, who was the hardest, hard-ass there was in my educational career, made me look like a sissy teaching y'all, allowed us a 3rd quarter break when I was at Vidor High. 

It never caused a commotion. 

In college, we got a break after half. ( But in college in the 1970s, band members used tobacco products in the band section, and this writer may have or may not have had a pipe with old fashion Sir Walter Raleigh pipe tobacco in the baritone section.)

All I could think we was, " Let's micromanage the hell out the fun band kids might think about having."  

Trust me, this would be just a start.  More rules are coming....Or would be-

Okay, time to get ugly-

The " Papal Bull" sounds like some malarkey some former Jock or Jockett has come up with. 

They think that the only and the most important extra-curriculars are something from the athletic department.....They literally look at the band, choir, art, CTE( Blog on this tomorrow) and UIL Academics as somehow second class extra-curriculars.  Do not tell me otherwise. 

I saw it firsthand for 30+ years. 

Buna Schools had a Supt. of Schools who did everything he could to kill UIL Academics when I was there. Never mind we were sending massive numbers of kids to regional and were winning at State in Austin in several of the contests. 

The sorry piece of manure called our overnight trips to Region and State a " Vacation" for the teachers. Do you know what it is like to keep 40+ kids from getting into trouble on a trip? Making trips to CVS Drug at 2:30AM because a student had forgotten feminine products?  Or keeping male and female students from sneaking into each others rooms at 1AM? Or getting up at 4:30AM to get kids to their contest for a 6AM contest? 

They don't know, or care how many hours these kids put into their contests....Months of work. One year, in a contest, kids had to read a 700 page book on the Belgian Colonization of the Congo.....That was just to start learning what was coming for the contest....Just start. That is just one team, one contest.  

Do you know how many hours some of these band kids have practiced a trumpet or flute, or the drums?....And that is before they even marched a step.  

And trust me, Core Teachers, Math, Science, English, History at other high schools judge how serious a school is with their academics, by how well their UIL Academic Teams do at contest. Do not do squat at contest and they know, the kids in that high school ain't learning nuthin'. It's a heck of a gauge.  

This may shock some of you reading this, but getting an education is what school is supposed to be about. More kids get full academic scholarships than sports scholarships, by a long shot....Including, my son. We did not pay a nickel for his university education. 

So, apparently someone, I am guessing parents threw enough of a fit by the end of the day, the band had the 3rd quarter off again....

And Buna ISD patrons, I am going to get really ugly here, and not all members of the profession are this way, as many had kids in band, UIL, etc.....And they " get it." 

How many members of your present school board were at one time or another called " Coach?"  

 

Pay Attention to What is Going On......

 I have spoken about this in past blogs. 

And I really do not know how to put this. 

Things are going to get bad. Don't put your head in the sand and hope for the best. It might be time to get ready. 

Gas and especially diesel is going to keep getting higher in prices. I am sorry, but the fuel market is being manipulated right now, as is the stock market.  At some point manipulation is not going to work and everything is going to crash. 

Inflation is going to spiral. I am hoping it won't be like Wiemar Germany after World War 1  in which millions of Marks were needed to equal a dollar, businesses were paying their workers each day, before they worked so they could go to the store to make purchases before the prices went up 2 time, 3 times, sometimes 20+ times before noon.  

If there is anything you need, you may want to buy it now, and do not wait. 

The interest rate on homes is already looking at around 7.5% and if the Fed increases its rate in the November meeting, and they are expected, they may be well over 8, perhaps 9%.  And increase from there in 2027. 

You may want to buy a few extra canned good at the grocery. Beans, canned meats, canned potatoes. Dry good likes flour, dry beans, rice...If you are not already doing so, you may look at planting a garden with foodstuff that you can live on, not just fun stuff like peppers.....You may need to plant rows of things like Purple Hull peas. Corn, sweet potatoes and learn to can. 

My 96 year old mom was discussing the Great Depression and how they literally survived on peas, cornbread and  a little salt pork. She pondered if we are going there once again. We longing for the days when we had a steak. She sees it coming....

Now, I love Purple Hull, Cream, Crowder peas, but every day, they get old. 

I do not think you know how many farmers are on the verge of bankruptcy? And if there is now only corporate farms, what keeps them from making production low to keep profits high? A CEO on Wall Street doesn't give a damn that your kids are hungry. 

I am hoping I am way off here and some folks will get all over me for saying this, but I wonder if the church is prepared for this. Rather than build giant mausoleums to themselves, how are they helping people in the community? So often they are more concerned with what color carpet there is in the foyer, or building a new gym so we can play basketball. I do not remember Jesus playing point-guard for the Nazareth Fish-eaters......

 Then we have how many nations in this Iran Conflict who have nuclear weapons? How long before one of them decided to use one or two trying to win the war? And what keeps everyone else from using one once that Pandora's Box is opened? And what if Russia decides, lets end our war and lights-up Kiev?  

The US Bond market is a mess. We are to the point the United States is not collecting enough revenue to pay our debt. And fighting a war that appears to be never ending is accelerating this economic situation.  

I know some of you are saying...." Man, Thomas is all paranoid this morning...." 

Yes sir, yes ma'am, I am. 

The math on the economy ain't mathing, and you are not being told the entire truth, and it isn't good.  

If you are a praying person , now is the time to do so....I know for a while now I've been leading off my morning prayers talking to Jesus about it.  

   

 

 

Teachers at Buna Schools

 I hear fairly often from Buna teachers. Many times through back channels. 

Often, they are afraid that the administration will know it is them talking to me, and sometimes, all information they send me is deleted by the sender. 

And I can't say that I blame them. 

Trust me, I understand. 

It is the old phrase as one told me....

"Too many chiefs and not enough Indians." There are people who have been advanced so much, they are looking for things to do. 

So, we get micromanagement. 

If you are a teacher worth anything, you are looking for another school to work. Or, in many cases, some of the best and brightest have, " Gotten the Hell out of Dodge> " As one person who is looking to leave told me. 

Of course, this is not everyone on staff, but it is enough that people are wondering what they are doing even in education. 

I know Kerry Don Thomas would be out of Buna in 2026. The district has changed so much that I could not stand the micromanagement. I could not be the Mr. Thomas many of you had in class.

Old Kerry had a hard enough time hanging around when I reached retirement eligibility. I almost quit.....Several times my last semester.  Including me calling Teacher Retirement the Friday during Spring Break and almost pulled the trigger and retired in March. 

I'm afraid I would be teaching certain people new  combinations of adjectives, nouns, adverbs....As I walked out the door. 

But, I could not do it. Mostly because I liked the seniors I had that year.  

As I have told many times before, I was in a meeting with several teachers, administrators when one teacher's cell phone buzzes and the instructor gets up and says, " I must take this call." And they step into the hallway. About 5 minutes later, the teacher sticks their head back into the room, and says, " That was Teacher Retirement, they said I can retire." They leave, don't even go back to their classroom and gather their personal items, instead, they go, get into their car, and go home.  

True story. 

Teachers, I don't know what your situation is, but if you can change districts, and you are miserable, look for that change of scenery. I know I have in the past.  

I couldn't work in Buna ISD today.  

 

 

If You Plan to Vote

 No, I DO NOT openly support any political candidate, except for my brother........And even then I question it....

But this is serious. 

Double check and make sure you are still registered to vote in Texas. 1.2 million people were purged off the rolls this year. 

It is the top left button.  

If you find you have been purged, click on the middle top button to register to vote. 

The last day to register to vote in this year's November elections. Is, October 5th.