Why I Support SEL, In One Parent's Story

When I grew up, bullying happened. It was frowned upon by teachers, but behind the teachers' backs, in the lunchroom, on the playground, bullying went on undiminished. Why? Because kids weren't taught how to deal with it themselves. Instead, kids were taught to take it without whining. Or, worse, to fight back and risk getting beaten up. Both methods were failures. Relying on teachers being the enforcers makes bullying worse ("Cut it out or I'll tell the teacher."). What was needed was teaching kids a better way to deal with bullies. And teaching bullies a better way to deal with the feelings that caused them to bully.

West Side Story (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

West Side Story (2021): Spielberg's homage to the classic musical. Faithful remake with a modern look. The fights look less like choreographed dances. Wisely, Spielberg doesn't mess with the music. If this love story doesn't appeal to today's youth, there's no hope for them. A-

TIL: History is Never Static

I grew up thinking World War II was the "good war" and the Vietnam War was the "bad war." And the Korean War was something in between, on the slide from good to bad. Later, the Gulf War was another good war ("By God, we've kicked the Vietnam syndrome once and for all," President George H.W. Bush exulted.) at least until it all went to hell in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those two wars are too recent for us to have settled on a stable mythology yet. But World War II's myths have been cemented in place for a long time. Woe be to anyone who dares interfere with our national myths. Maybe that's changing.

RISD: Frequently Asked Questions

Where it all went down

What just happened? Superintendent Dr. Jeannie Stone is out. Dr. Stone and the RISD have reached a mutually acceptable agreement for Dr. Stone to resign her position.

POTD: Hiding Behind Two Bushes

Hiding Behind Two Bushes

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the George W. Bush Presidential Center on the SMU campus in Dallas, Texas. Credit goes to Bill Clinton, or perhaps his press secretary Angel Ureña, who snapped the original viral photo.

After the exhausting controversy of the Richardson ISD board meeting Monday which saw the departure of Superintendent Dr. Jeannie Stone, we were up for a non-controversial activity on Tuesday. What's less controversial than President Bush, we thought. The Bush Center at SMU had an exhibit of his portraits of immigrants. What's less controversial than immigration, we thought. So, that's where we went.

Bonus photo after the jump.

Former RISD Board President Karen Clardy Speaks

As predicted here on November 16, the superintendent of the Richardson ISD, Dr. Jeannie Stone, submitted her resignation. On Monday, December 13, 2021, the board of trustees voted to accept it at a meeting packed with Stone supporters.

On December 11, 2021, I speculated on the causes for the resignation. I said it wasn't because of public criticism. I said it was because of hostility among new members of the board of the trustees, which made it impossible for the superintendent to work. But I freely admitted that, unless Dr. Stone herself speaks up, we can never be sure. Now that her "Voluntary Separation and Release Agreement" is public, we learn that Dr. Stone is never likely to speak out. Her agreement prohibits either side from talking about the separation.

So, we have to rely on the next best thing. In September, board President Karen Clardy abruptly resigned. She issued no statement explaining her departure. Today, after Dr. Stone's own departure, Clardy finally breaks her silence. In a long and frank interview with The Dallas Morning News Metro columnist Share Grigsby, Clardy opens up.

Never Let Me Go (2010)

Rotten Tomatoes

Never Let Me Go (2010): Coming-of-age tale of 3 friends who grow up in a boarding school for kids being raised to be organ donors. Yikes! Dark, sci-fi/horror setting, but it's the sweet characters that make this movie. Watching future stars early in their careers is a bonus. B-

#VeryTardyReview

Here is my tweet review of the novel it is based on:

2011 08 03 - Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro: Memoir of growing up in a weird orphanage. Might be a better Twilight Zone episode than novel. C-

The Pursuit of Love (TV 2021)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Pursuit of Love (TV 2021): Adaptation of 1945 English novel about two young women who pursue different paths to happiness. Part costume drama, part satire/comedy. The whole arc of the novel condensed to 3 episodes. Refreshing, but it does make it feel rushed. B-

Richardson's Rush to Judgment

Richardson City Council agenda, December 13, 2021:

One week after long-time City Manager Dan Johnson announced his retirement, the Richardson City Council plans to appoint his successor. One week. It's the Richardson Way.

Let's dig into the archives. Nine years ago, we went through this exact process. My question then is still relevant today. "Why does state law consider it prudent to wait 21 days before making the hire of a school superintendent official, but one minute and seventeen seconds is long enough to wait before making the hire of a city manager official? What am I missing?"

She's Going, But Why? And Now What?

Now that The Dallas Morning News has published its story reporting that Dr. Jeannie Stone, Superintendent of Richardson ISD, will resign on Monday, the biggest assertion this blog has been chronicling for the last month or so has proven to be true. But that's not all I claimed. The related claim has ramifications going forward.