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.  

 

 

 

  

 

 

Yeah Buna, Your Lazy A$$ Kid Could Have Too...But, Nepotism is Better?

 I got my butt kicked yesterday, and sometimes I need it too. 

Yeah,  I know, I started it, I need to finish it, or at least keep after it until I can no longer go. 

Let's upset some folks.

A candidate for the Texas Railroad Commission placed on his "X" or Twitter or whatever it is called this morning page a photo of University of Texas students celebrating Texas's victory over Ohio State in football this past Saturday evening. 

The picture had students wearing UT shirts, several of the kids wear cowboy hats. ( Sort of glad to see the cowboy hat come back. I have an Open Road Stetson hat in " silver belly" I need to start wearing once again in the Fall/Winter months. Look like a political consultant in Austin. )

All of the students were Asian.  

The candidate was implying that these kids were getting into Texas due to they being Asian. 

When asked, the kids had graduated from Texas high schools and were US Citizens. 

I know two kids who were/are in the same STEM ( Science Math Engineering Math )programs as these pictured kids. 

What were these kid's names? 

Hsu? Patel? Wang? 

No........Thomas. 

How'd they get into the STEM programs?

They worked their butts off. And both had jobs to help pay for expenses. 

They were studying when the kids griping about not getting into Texas were running around playing 12 hours worth of PS5....Smoking dope......Playing " Hide the hot  dog" with their boyfriend or girlfriend....And then gripe because the Asian kid had a 4.0 Grade Point Average and they had a 2.1 Barely a C average. 

But, so many of your kids take that C average, and hope their aunt or uncle or dad gets them a job with the school or business....

And we wonder why things like customer service sucks?

As one parent wrote me....

" I had to get my kids out of Buna ISD....It just isn't the same school academically like it was 15-25 years ago....." 

As one parent told me, it is going back to the old days of Buna Schools when the joke was......" All you need to do to graduate from Buna was to be able to say "TATER" and wave bye-bye....." 

 

 

It's Time to Cut Buna, Buna ISD, Southern Jasper County Loose.......

 15+ years to " Enuff." 

Just enough. 

I often wonder where I have gone wrong. I literally have cut myself off from many in the community. It's like and I often ask, " Why bother?" 

And we know that we are not going to write on topics that people will agree with. 

And we know that so many people in the community have put their heads in the sand just like an ostrich and " hope for the best" thinking that somehow it will all turn out okay, no matter in reality, it keeps getting worse and worse. And " they" literally take you for a naive, literal idiots.  

Or, you are too afraid to do anything. 

Perhaps the thing is, so many of you show your true colors concerning your children. 

The kids are just an after thought. They claim you love them, and God gave them to you, to train them to be adults, and  it is your job to take care of your kids, but that new $110,000 vehicle. That new boat, that second house at the lake, the beach, well, I need to take care of that material goods before my kid's well-being. 

And don't tell me otherwise. I've seen it. 

-I've been somewhat discouraged  and and might be time for me to step away from Buna, writing on the school district, because, well, sometimes  

After I see the only people who have signed up to run for school board are the incumbents, and because it is people already in office, and the position is uncontested, the District Clerk will cancel the election. 

I wish I could have backed someone in the election, but I cannot, I just can't. What happens when someone I back screws up royally?  I'll have to go after them, perhaps harder than one I did not support. 

After learning only incumbents were running, well, I've been pretty darn discouraged.  

Then, I was reminded of Isiah 49:4  "I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all; I have spent my strength for nothing at all-"

And while I am not from the community, my late Father was born and raised in Gist, my family was in the Gist area in the 1800s, and I have emotional ties and still have relations in that community.  ( I need to write a history....On my US Passport applications, when asked where your Father was Born, I always write, " Gist, Texas, USA.")

As dad said, the people in Buna proper see the people near the Orange County line as second class citizens, never mind there are some pretty good decent, moral folks who live off the Gist Road, many of which, I still call friends. ( And don't tell the "fancy folks" in Buna, if you can call them such, tell you that they don't look down on the folks out there.....)

I know Christ was discouraged and I am far from Jesus, but look at him, he was rejected by his own family and friends, especially in Nazareth.  ( Luke 4, Matthew 13, Mark 6) 

Maybe it's supposed to be this way. I have big tendencies that "  believe certain things are done for us to understand later."( John 13:7) 

Could be it is time for someone else to take up the fight....Could be, I need a break? 

We will see...... 

 

 

 

 

Special Request....I Need Some Prayers This Week......And You Need to Remind Me

 First, I need to talk about high school economics at some point. 

It has changed, and it is not the same economics as I taught you when I was still in the classroom....and it is for the bad and makes me have more questions than actual answers. 

Economics is not really what I taught. It is more personal finance. Including I was told, , they're supposed to teach you things such as how to write a check......I am a senior citizen. I cannot tell you the last time I wrote a check. Maybe 5 years ago. Perhaps longer. I think then, it was paying property taxes, even with them in 2026, we use some form of electronic transfer. I know I paid my Honda registration for the year cash, only because I had been given cash for officiating at a wedding and had the money in my billfold. ( Sorry, I've called it a billfold instead of a wallet for 70 years.)

In my opinion, economics from an academic point of view still needs to be taught. And why your parents have not spent the last 18 years teaching you how to run a household and its finances, well, my parents did, my parents parents did, and we taught Reid as he was growing up.....What happened? 

I have a theory....and it ain't good. We will write on it later with the changes to Texas high school history, government, geography, etc....Remind me to blog on this later in the next couple of weeks. 

It reminds me that I am so glad to be retired.  

- This week, Deb is having tests run at MD Anderson. Nothing new, just a follow up on a problem she has been treated for over the last few years, and the test itself is somewhat in a sensitive area. 

Prayers to the Divine the test runs smooth, that everything is still negative. That we won't have to be treated with chemo once again.  

Just going to Houston, driving to the Medical Center is not fun.  

Again, thank you for reading the blog.  

 

You're Crazy! This is to Disillusioned Buna ISD Patrons

 I had not planned to write today....Got up and the computer decided I need to listen to a mix of the singer Jewel and the band, Coldplay, and well, we just went with it. Then, I have this fat orange cat who has decided he needs to lay across the table between the keyboard and screen while I try and write this blog. 

Apparently he's a fan of  Coldplay. 

And I get messages all the time concerning my blogs concerning the Buna ISD. Most are pretty ugly. 

The last one told me that I am " crazy." 

To do this as long as I have, and going against the clique as it is known, I have to be somewhat " Not quite right." 

But, even as my child, I was "a little eccentric."  

Heck, I taught 17-18 year old people most of my life. It does cause a strain on you, both physically, and mentally. Talking for 7 hours a day gets tiring.....And then, having to be "out front" trying to figure out, catch what some 18 year old is about to pull all day, every day gets wearisome.  Especially mentally. 

You take on a government entity, and trust me, Buna ISD is one, and do it for 15+ years,  you get pretty thick skin. It also helps to actually believe in what you are writing about. 

Several of you have gotten blow-back from either the district or apologists for the school, and in truth,  it is to be expected. 

You have to remember the source(s) of the comments. 

Often they work for the district, or they have family/friends who collect a paycheck from the school district. 

If you're going to take on a government entity.  You are going to get to get fallout. If you get a lot like I often do, you have to look at it in this way, " Maybe I am actually doing some good." 

Keep after it, and let me reiterate. You're not going to ask these folks over for Thanksgiving dinner. You got to do what you think is right. 

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 

                                                                                                        Galatians 6:9 

And computer decided to play Soulja Boy...... Fred is looking like I am crazy because I know the lyrics.....

 

 

Okay Buna This is Twofold....One Serious....One, Well, What You Should Expect.....And it Ain't Good....

 This is serious. 

The State of Texas has removed 1.3 million people from the voter rolls in the state in the last few weeks. That is a pretty large number.

If you've not voted in a while, or you are paranoid of any government entity like I am, you may want to check and see if you are still registered to vote. 

You can check at the Texas Secretary of State's website at this link.  

And remember the last day to register to vote is Monday, October 5, 2026.  

" Just what the truth is, I can't say anymore." 

                                             -Nights in White Satin                                                                                                                                       -Moody Blues

-In the last 24 hours after the last blog, well, I have heard from more people concerning their kids and the Buna Schools.  

Kids want out, parents want the kids out, many urgently looking at another school in which to place their children. 

Some so disillusioned that their kids are going to schools that, well, I would not have sent Reid to on a bet. But desperate times sometimes call for desperate measures.  

Then, there are people trying to explain what is actually going on in the district be in the property tax rate,  those trying to explain why they are removing their kids from the district , getting criticized by the school district apologists. 

You must remember, the district employees a large number of people in the community. And they, their family want to keep receiving a paycheck from the district. 

As the Cantonese Chinese would say..." Don't want to break the rice bowl. " ( Outside of the Cantonese coastal areas of China, Hong Kong South, the Chinese mostly eat noodles as a staple. I spent a month in Kunming and this is how many times I had rice.....0 )

Right or in many cases, wrong, they will defend the district. 

And you got to remember, you yourself have to do what is right for your bottom line, your kids....You got to remember, how many people criticizing you, well, you were not going fishin' with them......You're not going to be sitting around a campfire with most of these people smoking an H. Upmann,  drinking a  couple of cool ones.....

Sometimes, you have to do what is right for you and your family. 

As one parent wrote me, their high school age student told them since they left Buna , " My mental health is so much better now." 

Then, there was this....From a couple of parents....Two separate school districts... 

" The teachers in the new district act professional." 

 Again, a school district is a taxing government entity. It really doesn't care about you or your kid in the end. ( Individual teachers actually do. It is why we teach...and many of us have a love/hate relationship with the district in which we work.)

Many of us know what the school district can be.....We saw it first hand.....It's why I write the blog. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buna Schools Hemorrhaging Students?

 I ain't going to lie, I had to look up how to spell "Hemorrhaging" correctly. Spell check couldn't get it correct. 

And thank those of you who have checked on us during the storm. So far, we have maintained lights, and are thankful for it. 

The story coming out of the Buna ISD is the number of students who have left the district, school year 2026-2027. 

From a couple of different sources, the district has supposedly lost 139 students or about 9.5% of the student body.  

10% loss would make any business in the real world to sit up and pay attention. The business leadership would look up and go, " What do we need to change?" " Where do we cut?"

In many cases, leadership is the first to go. It's under the leader realm that we are losing "customers" in this case, pupils. 

And while a government entity is not run like a business, sometimes you need to look at school like a business. What do we need to change? And the voting public needs to look at what/who needs to go.....

The apologists for the last couple of years have told me, the new present leadership will make Buna ISD a desirable district for parents to move to and bring their students. 

( I do not think you know how much grief I have gotten over the last couple of years criticizing the present school district leadership. Being someone's buddy often clouds one's judgement. ) 

Yeah, tell the parents of the 139 who have left the district how great leadership is.....

Working on a blog to explain the "lower" ISD property tax rate......Don't take everything a government entity says at "face value." 

 

So, Ex-Students, I Was Minding My Own Business......Giving up on Buna ISD?????

 Proving I will listen listen to pretty much any type music, I am listening to Estonian "Pop Music" this morning.....Yeah, I have an eclectic taste in music. 

This morning I get up for 'Morning Prayer' felt really good afterward, and I do my normal routine....Check the weather, check the overnight news, put on some music, and check Facebook,  and often FB stops me dead in my tracks. 

I see that a former student is talking about how their child has a 100 in their Economics's Class.  But the child is going to school in Hardin County. I don't want to know what is going on in Hardin County educational or governmental authorities.....

And that the class was nothing like Gov/Eco back in the day, with my teaching....

Education is so different than when I was teaching, and I have said this many times before, I could not teach in 2026. 

I could not be the Mr. Thomas you had when I was teaching school. I seriously would be sent home at about 9am. 

They'd have me explaining why I "bled like a stuck pig" on your essays......Why I put you in the hallway....Why we had a " Cuss Porch."  

Heck, I couldn't have the mess and bologna we had going on in Gov/Eco class.  I know I often picked and teased in classes, and I did it to one student so much I stopped. I better quit I told myself......About a week after I stopped she came by after class and asked, " Mr. Thomas are you mad at me?" 

I'd have to be " Nice." ( I'll look in Webster's and see what the term " Nice" means.....) 

No, the kids, the parents, society has changed dramatically since I retired. It is part of the reason why I do not hardly leave the house anymore. I don't have to "put up with it" anymore, so I just stay away. 

It's like, at some point I will give up on Buna Schools, declare it an officially a " Lost Cause" and try and not look back.  

But not yet.  ( At some point I will decide it's so FUBAR I need to just stop for my own sanity. )

 I could just about see what would happen when today's Seniors found out I liked tobacco, alcohol, firearms.....Again, they'd let me go in 2026. 

No, since the COVID fiasco, the world changed. And don't tell me it hasn't. And it has messed up more kids than we want to admit, and education, good or bad, has adjusted to the kids in 2026. And perhaps not in a good way. 

Old Kerry Don, while he sometimes misses it, couldn't do it today.....BTW- The lectures this week in Government class would be " British Backgrounds."  

 

 

 

Been a While......

 Sounding like a " Staind " song in the title this morning. 

Believe it or not, I am somewhat a private person. Unless it is to the doctor's, grandma's, I rarely leave Orange County. If there is a trip and the UK, or Europe is involved, well, I keep literally a bag packed for that. I am so wanting to go to either Scotland or England I could spit.  

But, right now, with the global situation, we are just a little hesitant. When there are rumors, threats that either Russia or Iran may " do something" to England, well, I don't want to get in the middle of World War 3. 

No, again, I am somewhat of a recluse. Always have been. 

I should have called the Compound the Hermitage instead.

Still there are people who think they somehow think it is okay to just show up here at the Compound.  

Doesn't happen often, but on a rare occasion,, well, someone with " More problems than a runt over dog." with the school district become embolden, desperate, they show up here to tell me their story. And generally by the time I hear it, it was past time to do something about it..... 

If you want to talk to me, call me. Then again, if I don't answer, leave a message. Unless it is family, or close friends, I may not answer. 

I really prefer you send me a message on FB or email. 

I appreciate you reading the blog. I seriously do. But, I have got to keep some sort of distance. It is just my personality. 

Again, thank you for reading. As always, all information received is confidential.  

 

 

 

So, I Was Reading Buna ISD's Facebook Post(s)

 ( I am writing this with an Orange Cat laying across the computer. If you are not listening to Gov't. Mule and Warren Hayes, or Blackberry Smoke with Charlie Starr, you don't know what you are missing....)

I often am inundated by Buna ISD's propaganda machine, and I can't think of anything better to call it. 

It so reminds me of the old Soviet apparatus of TASS, Pravda, Izvestia.  Then, again, most states have a form of press to make themselves look good. 

In the late 1970s, I often went to the university library to read old copies.  I had just taken a history class called " Russia Since 1860."

But I digress once again....

I read most of the posts from the Buna Schools if for nothing to look at see what they are pushing this week. 

In one of the posts was a well, " Reunion Reminder." 

Included in the post was the fact the Class of 1997 will be celebrating their 30th reunion and the Class of 2007 their 20th. 

I taught both classes. 

I am so tempted to show up about midway, make fun of everyone in those classes for about 10-15 minutes and then like a " Thief in the night" disappear into the dark..... 

It is at the junior high, the old high school for most of these classes.  

Why 10-15 minutes?

You've go to remember I am Persona Non-Grata....  

I figure it'll take that long for someone to snap and call the police.  

And don't think some Karen won't.  

So, I Am Seeing More and More and This, Especially at Buna....Nekkid at School?

 I turn 70 in a year and every time I time especially, I leave out the second "e" and why, I do not know? 

There are more and more people either taking their kids out of school, or are seriously looking at removing their kids and just homeschooling themselves. 

I do not blame many of you. Buna ISD I am sorry just isn't the same when I was there.  I will receive blow-back. I know. But I don't care, if I don't believe in what I saw when I was there and what is going on now, well,. it just ain't the same. 

If you decided to home-school, get help, join home-school groups or perhaps you are like us, had a certified self-contained teacher grades 1-8 on call when we decided to home-school. 

Then again, my child was born about 32 years old and was 35 walking around as a 4 year old. He had already taught himself how to read long before then. 

Thank the Divine has took after his mother.....

It will be hard at first, heck, it will be hard most of the time, and the thing is, home-school is not the same for every child. 

Some parents will suck, some will give an adequate education, while others will educate their kid like they are applying to Harvard or Princeton. 

I still think if you can, find a high school for your child, public, private, parochial, to send your child, especially if they are wanting to attend university. That is specifically true if you want the child to major in a STEM program in college. 

I know that one person who moved their children to Vidor ISD has already said that their senior in high school child has said that, 12th grade " Government" is " Hard." 

Yeah, gubmint is supposed to be at the 12th grade level. Those of you who had me, know this. And could you replicate my class if you needed? Some could....Most couldn't. 

- Once again we need a quick vocabulary lesson....

Naked- Unclothed and doing something like taking a bath.

Nekkid- Unclothed, and up to no good. 

What happened that the Buna ISD had to come up with some sort of " Dress Code" for parents? 

And I had not thought this...But I was told to think differently concerning the present school administration.

Two thoughts..... 

1. Yes, they really had a bunch of Mommas  showing up looking like " Hell froze over." Not wearing the correct underwear and wearing a shirt that makes it looking like " Two cats fighting in a tow sack" as they bounce up to the school's front desk. 

2. Or as those who are like me who don't trust any government entity. This is a form of micromanagement that extends to the parents.  

I don't know. 

I taught at 4 different school districts, and never heard of a parent dress code. But it is 2026. I am somewhat shocked at what people wear to funerals and to church services now.  

 

 

 

 

Bits and Bobs.... Raising Canes....Target.....Economics....Buna Story?

 The more I see what is going on, I really want to see what historians will say about this time period. I really do. Get ready, expect the unexpected this next few months. But, I will be long dead before the time period makes some sense. 

- Raising Cane's now has a cult, almost religious following. People are now standing in line for hours to be among the first to eat Raising Cane's chicken in their city.  

I like Raising Cane's, but I ain't standing in line for chicken strips, crinkle fried potatoes, and some sort of red/pink sauce.  

In 10 years I can see people saying, " Remember when Raising Cane's was good? "

- Man, keep an eye on the US Bond Market. If interest rates go over 5%  on bonds the US Government can no longer pay the interest on that $40 Trillion dollar debt. The US then would basically default. The 10 year 

You want to talk about a mess.  

Life is going to change in this country. Get ready, your children and your children's children are going to say right now might be part of the "Best of Times."

I can see this nation coming all apart at some point. I thought it might happen in my grandchildren's lifetime, but more and more, I can see this all fall apart in 5-10 years. Might wish we had some Raising Cane's. 

- Target has come out with a Halloween costume, well, it looked like an a costume from a 19th. Century minstral show.  

The question is, doesn't anyone look at what they are putting on the shelves? 

Then again, I cannot tell you the last time I have entered a Target....I am to the point if I can't get it delivered here , or go to "town" here in Mauriceville, I can probably live without it. 

I think part of it is people now come up to the ole Govteach and want to tell me their school district problems. And trust me, I want to hear, but some of you, 90 minutes later you have reiterated the same point for the 6th time.....  

- I am in the process of working on a Buna Schools story. ( I guess I actually always am working on one.)

As always if you have any information, please sent me a PM and as always all info will be confidential. 

BTW back to my ole hippie history major days.... Listening to Crosby, Stills, and Nash this morning.  

 

I Don't Know if I Should Talk About This or Not......

 I just took at look at the list of books banned by the State of Texas in Public Schools. Most I have never heard of, nor do I plan to read. 

2200 books. 

And why are some listed and others, well, are not. 

Karl Marx's Das Kapital,  The Communist Manifesto, Mao's Little Red Book, are not included, and for some reason, I expected them to be on the list. 

 And of course John Locke's Two Treatises on Government and Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations,  were not on the list...

But Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings, and Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five are on the list. I read Vonnegut's stuff in high school. I know it has some rough stuff, but dadgum, have you been down a hallway at any high school in America? The language can often rival any construction site in America. 

Jack Kerouac's, On the Road was not on the list, which sort of shocked me.  I know I read it my senior year at Vidor, and wanted to get a backpack and travel Europe. My son read it, and decided to wait until he got a degree(s) and go to Asia for almost 7 years. 

Jack Reed's Ten Days that Shook the World, which I discussed in class and at one time the Buna High Library had 2 copies was not on the list and sort of shocked me it was not.

And of course The Bible is not on the list.....

The Song of Songs, which was covered literally in 10 minutes in the seminary Old Testament class....Basically the professor saying, " Someone messed up including it....." And it is pretty erotic in nature. Every minister I have heard try and cover The Song of Songs well, they were embarrassed trying to preach/teach on the subject/ 

The trouble is, every kid knows where to find this materiel, online.  And already people are saying the list is not long enough and want to include things like Plato's Republic, and Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird....

I'm the last person to want to ban books. I wanted my seniors to read stuff, get different ideas. Heck, I never stopped Reid from reading whatever was on the shelf.  

And then the Lt. Governor threatens schools with lowering grades of the districts because they have the wrong book on the shelf of a high school library, because, let's face it, you'll be hard pressed to find the banned books on elementary library shelves.  

Again, so glad I am retired...... 

 

  

  

 

I Was Sorely Disappointed...........And Buna School Info Keeps Rolling In.........

 We took a few days away just to sort of get away, been a different sort of Summer Season at the Compound and well, we probably should have, but decided not to travel too far from the house this year. I know I would like to travel to Europe for Easter, always a " High Church" experience, in some massive cathedral or church with a traditional service, something, I prefer, something well, there really isn't in this part of the Southeastern Texas. 

So, since the old Black Labrador restaurant shut down in the Montrose section of Houston. very close to the old Chinese Consulate, there has not  been a British style pub/restaurant in the area. ( Now I'll get letters, but what abouts?)

And we found one in the Kemah area. 

Supposedly run by a couple from Scotland, and in truth, I've probably been in more pubs in actual Scotland than the rest of the UK and Ireland. 

And on this pub, they had a choice of fish, Haddock and Cod in their fish and chips choice. 

In Southern England you get cod. 

Towards Northern England and Scotland, you get Haddock. 

Lots of chippies ( Where you get fish and chips) you get a fish choice.  

I've become a fan Haddock, a little sweeter meat for my fish taste. Closer to white perch/crappie, and I like me some white perch/crappie.  

So, we get the haddock, chips, and a side of mushy peas....... 

The restaurant itself was well, nothing like a pub I have seen in the UK. It is what you would expect in an upscale American chain.  They did have a few British flags, some World Cup Soccer jerseys on the walls, but a lot of too much stainless steel for my taste. 

Food was, well, not that good. 

Fish was cooked to death, the mushy peas were , well, I've never had mushy peas like them. I have made mushy peas here in the Compound before, so, they're not that complicated. 

I will give them this, the chips( fried potatoes) were good. 

We had decided before that we would eat there 2 times, but after we visited the first time, we moved on.

There were about 10-12 Mexican restaurants and we chose one, and was good. You can't hardly mess up Tex-Mex. food.  

I know, I know, I have been to the UK several times and well, it is hard to replicated British food for some reason in this country. The old Black Labrador had certain pub grub that , well they just did not get right. 

I have no one but myself to blame. I need to stick to what is normal for the region. Tex-Mex, BBQ, CFS, and towards our area, Cajun. 

- I tried to avoid Buna ISD info as much as I could, but I get so much stuff, well, sometimes I have to take a couple of hours to read what is going on, and often you look and say to one's self, " Can it get any worse?" " It can't can it?"

And then it does. 

Sometimes you just have to pick a topic and go with it, I get so much stuff. Lately, I could be writing a blog 4-6 times a day.  

And that is too much info and would cause an overload and more people than you know, would shut down, and just stop reading. I have to sometimes be careful. 

We'll find " Hills to Make a Stand" and try and do some actual good.......Try......

 

 

 

More Micromanagement at Buna ISD?

 Ain't going to lie, spelling micromanagement this morning was a booger. Thank you Jesus I live in a time of spell-check. I mean this sincerely. Then again, I was in seminary before I could spell cemetery correctly. Dr. Penrose St. Amant who might have been the preeminent Baptist Church Historian. especially of the Early Church,  during that time told us how he remembered.....Three " Es." 

But I digress. 

So, the story is there is a 10-10 rule at at least one of the schools in the Buna Schools.

Kids can't go to the bathroom 10 minutes after class starts and 10 minutes before the end of class. 

And sorry, sometimes it takes more time to make it 5 minutes to make it to class, and if there is a bunch of people trying to "go" well, good luck making it on time to your next class.  

I'm sorry, you may just have to fire me. 

I don't know what is going on in a kid's stomach, his/her intestinal system. And knowing my system, sometimes I might get bad off too. I've left in the middle of a lecture and walk down, did my business, washed up, came back and picked up with the next sentence like nothing happened. 

But, I had Seniors and could do that. 

I know my when my son taught at university in China, it was a given, a little late to class, kids slip out of the back of the class and a few minutes reappear, well as hot as the food is over there, even after years of exposure to hot foods, well, sometimes you need to go. 

With a stomach virus invariably going around a school at some point in the school year, I'm not going to stop a kid from going to a bathroom, or restroom, as schools have. 

This is not a " Hill to die on." 

It is a decision to be made by the classroom teacher.  

Too much micromanagement.  

It's just a little common sense.  

 

AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!! No Class.......Hotter Than........Buna ISD.......

 I actually have put this backwards.....

The dog days of August......

In the movie " Biloxi Blues" US Army recruits from New York are sent to Mississippi for boot camp. When they got off the train Private Eugene Morris Jerome says.....

"Man, it is hot....

Africa hot.....

Tarzan can't take this heat. "

I felt that way yesterday afternoon.   

- I know we've gone over this, and I know it is a " Lost Cause" and as I have said, before " Lost Causes are the only ones worth fighting for...."

As many of you know from the last blog, we celebrated our 45th anniversary this past Friday. 

So, we went to a steakhouse to celebrate. Make Kerry Don Thomas happy? Give him a piece of grilled beef. 

Deb wound up getting a steak and pork ribs combo. I questioned the ribs at a steakhouse and Deb insisted I have a rib. (She is a fan of the pork rib. What can I say, we are both fans of the swine. As Mr. Taucer would tease me, " There is nothing better than a Big *$$ ham. is there Mr. Thomas?" He is dead on correct....We often had a ham at the prom. )   

The rib was quite good. Tender, good flavor.....What can I say, we've been married so long we often insist we try something off each other's plates.  

But, I digress. 

I was reminded of the Soprano's episode in which Artie and Tony are sitting at a table a younger guy was obvious on a date trying to impress a young lady, and he was wearing a ball-cap.  And Tony tells him to " Take it off." 

There are times in restaurants you can leave on your hat/cap. Whataburger, Taco Bell, Buc-ees, and I often wear caps and lord knows I love a hat. 

But in church, at a nice restaurant with actual cloth napkins, metal silverware, come on. I wore a nice Panama hat and once I got to the table, took it off. 

There must have been 12-13 guys wearing caps in the house. 

Including one guy wearing a wool, wine colored flat-cap that was gorgeous. Still you should have taken it off. And that color, that fabric, sorry, wrong season....But how a man should dress isn't really taught anymore. 

I got to remember this is Southeast Texas. 

- Finally there was already a commotion between the Buna Schools and a parent this past week. 

I am debating whether to discuss it or wait until something else happens. I am really most upset about the parent's response to the event being taken down.   

As most of you know, I am a First Amendment absolutist and wonder what happened? I am going to look at the entire event again in future days. ( This is a one man operation and often I have actual private and family business I must take care of in my life.)  

Another "Lost Cause" and as I said above, " The only ones worth fighting for...."

And often you have to pick the hills you make a stand upon, or people stop listening.  

But it gets tiring sometimes.  

  

 

45

 Yep 45. 

I have been married 45 years today. 

And the wedding was on a Friday. At what is now Grace Baptist Church in Groves, Texas.  ( It was Friendship Baptist then. It and Central Baptist in Port Arthur united a number of of years ago. The minister who married us was Dr. H.R. Stinson.)

I am not going to lie, I do not remember much of the service other than when Debbie came to the front, she was shaking like a leaf on a tree.  

I did not get nervous until then. 

If she'd known the lunacy that was to come for the next 45 years, she would have run out the back of the church in her heels. 

Not going to lie, she was the only good thing that came out of playing in the Lamar University Marching Band for 4 years. While I liked playing in the band, it just wasn't the same as playing in the Vidor Band, Lamar had too much of a turnover of members from year to year. Outside of band, you never saw Lamar band members unless you were a majoring in their subject, and I do not remember being in a 300 or 400 level history, government, economics class with  another band member. I had more friends who were history/government majors than band members. 

College is different. 

It's been a fast 45 years. And literally God sending her to me was foreordained. I am convinced of that. 

I literally do not think I know what I would have done without the love of my life.  

Well, I am Going to Catch H*ll , No Matter What I Say on the Subject Anyway Buna ISD.....

 Let me start off first starting here. 

When I was  Chair in the History Department at Buna High School, I prided myself, the instructors in the History Section, the kids in our Texas state scores. 

We made 100% several years and the one year we made a 97% I was beside myself. ( I remember a dreg from Region V asking if we wanted to improve our scores and I told her, " We can't, made a 100% on the last exam.".....And she had the nerve to get mad....She had not even looked at our scores.)

The HS Science Department was doing the same, with 100% scores for a number of years.  

And we really did not teach to the exam. A couple of weeks before the tests, we went over, but mostly, the Buna History teachers were teachers, of actual usable history. 

And after we had a lovely young lady join our family, who had been educated in China, I asked her about 3 questions concerning China which appeared on the Texas State Exam. 

She said, " None of the questions had a correct answer in the multiple choice selections."  And on one of the questions concerning Africa, and she caught it, had a date that was 100 years off. But, it was what was to be taught for the exam.

So, take that for what you want....

 The Buna High School made a "B."

The Buna Junior High made a "B"

The Buna Elementary made a "D." 

The Buna ISD made an overall " C." A high "C" but people outside the district will still see, the letter grade " C." 

I doubt anyone is looking at Buna School's scores and are going...." Whoop Dee Doo!" "We are moving to that academic powerhouse in Southern Jasper County. " 

I am glad the grades are up I am, but say what you want, the district has " Taught to the test" all last school year. Other than a salary, I would not want to teach school anymore. I would be bored out of my mind. Tell y'all stories, challenging you to do better not only in government and economic, but get you ready for your next step in life, be in college or whatever. Hell, I was teaching the young men how to " tie a necktie." I had you do high pressure presentations, when I grilled you on your research papers. You never know, where you may need it. I felt really good when I turned you lose in the world. 

Sadly, the tests are not going away from the state. Too much money involved. I wish they would go away. 

I am wondering if an accountant took a good look at the amount of funds the district spent for a " C." The finances spent could actually be justified.  

 

 

"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.