D.C.'s Gangster Education

In today's Washington Post, Colbert I. King let's us know how bad it has gotten in many of the public schools in our nation's capital:"Security at Wilson High to Be Tightened" announced a headline in The Post's March 21 Metro section. More stringent measures were being put in place after 13 students were arrested because of two fights that week, the story said.I first visited Woodrow Wilson High

Going Biblical In Texas

The Texas Board Of Education has now indicated that high schools in the Lone Star State may offer courses in Bible study:AUSTIN – Broad guidelines for a Bible course for Texas high schools were approved by the State Board of Education on Friday, but board members delayed action on specific curriculum requirements until the attorney general has ruled on whether all school districts must offer the

Can Tutors Be "Hot?"

Yep!

The Watcher's Council Has Spoken!

Each and every week, Watcher of Weasels sponsors a contest among posts from the Conservative side of the 'Sphere. The winning entries are determined by a jury of 12 writers (and The Watcher) known as "The Watchers Council."The Council has met and cast their ballots for last week's submitted posts. Council Member Entries: Done With Mirrors received the most Council votes with Get Your Grim

'Tis The Season For Parents And Kids To Be Scammed

As the parent of a 16-year-old (the TeenWonk) high school junior that has a 4.35 G.P.A., we've been getting a number of so-called "nominations" for inclusion in this or that "national honor roll," "who's-who book," and, of course, the United States Achievement Academy.The "nominations" were made by her well-intentioned (but unknowing) teachers, who think that they are doing the kids a favor by so

Money For Nothing And Their Tips For Free

In the People's Republic of California, it takes a judge to determine how tip money is split over at your local Starbucks.Update:(03/29/08) It's not over until The Starbucks says "it's over!"

Have Nipple Ring, Won't Travel

Did you hear the one about the Texas woman who couldn't board the airliner without removing her nipple rings first?As many of those federal TSA-types seem to be into pain, maybe Mandi Hamlin should have offered to use those pliers on those TSA agents as well as on herself.Full Disc: I must confess that I find the mental picture of her using those pliers on attorney Gloria Allred (pictured, left)

The Website Of The Day: HotChalk.com

While I was watching NBC's Meet the Press last Sunday, host Tim Russert gave a plug to HotChalk.com. So I went over and had a look. Hotchalk, (http://www.hotchalk.com) is a website that offers a number of free EduResources for teachers, parents, and students. Be sure to check out the Decision '08 material sponosored by the NBC television network.

Carnival-Carnival!

The 164th edition of The Carnival of Education (hosted this week by Bellringers.) has opened-up its midway!And don't forget to round out your educational experience by seeing what the homies are up to over at The Carnival of Homeschooling.

Virgina Taxpayers Made To Pay For Criminal's Rampage

Remember when Virginia Tech student Seung-Hui Cho went on a murderous rampage and killed 32 innocent students and staff back in April of 2007?The miscreant went on to video tape a confession, which he then mailed it to NBC. Finally, Cho saved the commonwealth the expense of a trial (and endless appeals) by blowing his own brains out.Now it seems as though the people of Virginia are about to be

Carnival Entries Are Due!

Entries for the 164th edition of The Carnival Of Education (Hosted this week over at Bellringers.) are due. Please email them to: mybellringers [at] gmail [dot] com . (Or, easier yet, use this handy submission form.) Submissions should be received no later than 7:00 PM (Eastern) 4 PM (Pacific) Today. Contributions should include your site's name, the title of the post, and the post's URL if

Hillary, Countess Of Chappaqua, Gets Caught Lying Again!

Hillary, the Countess Of Chappaqua, has been caught telling more whoppers. This latest fish story began on March 17, when she said this about a fact-finding trip junket she and her daughter Chelsea made to Bosnia back in '96: "I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the

In Our Mailboxes Early One Morning

As it is spring vacation, our school is in recess. But just before our students went on break, the Unknown Administrator placed a paper in every teacher's mailbox that bore this pronouncement: "Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment."That was it. There was nothing else on the paper.We teachers continue to have no idea who is putting these into our mailboxes

The Watcher's Council Has Spoken!

Each and every week, Watcher of Weasels sponsors a contest among posts from the Conservative side of the 'Sphere. The winning entries are determined by a jury of 12 writers (and The Watcher) known as "The Watchers Council."The Council has met and cast their ballots for last week's submitted posts. Council Member Entries: Rhymes With Right received the most Council votes with Fisking the Obama

Helicopter Parents Vs. Stinger Teachers

When are "involved parents" too involved? In one Maryland district, the fur is flying between some parents and a number of teachers: The Baltimore Sun ran an article on Tuesday about parental involvement taken to the extreme. The trigger was an annual survey by the Howard County Education Association that shows a majority of teachers say they have been subjected to harassment, and most of the

A Little Teacher-On-Teacher Action

Did you hear the one about the two teachers who went to war in the hallways of their school?COLUMBIA, S.C. (WLTX) -- Richland County deputies say two middle school teachers who got into a fist-fight in front of students over a personal matter were arrested Wednesday.Investigators say the original incident happened in the hallway of St. Andrews Middle School between two female eighth-grade

Please Don't Bite The Students!

It seems as though the employment standards of the Tifton, Georgia's Len Lastinger school could use some revision: Vivian Hightower, a paraprofessional at the school, was suspended without pay for five days by the school’s principal, Dr. Kim Ezekiel. The board confirmed last week that Hightower bit a child she understood had bit another as punishment on Jan. 10. Unconfirmed reports Monday are

Let's Carnival!

The 163rd edition of The Carnival of Education (hosted this week by So You Want To Teach.) has opened-up its midway!And don't forget to round out your educational experience by seeing what the homies are up to over at The Carnival of Homeschooling.

A Matter Of Free Speech Or Simple Disrespect?

Should individuals who refuse to stand for the playing of the National Anthem ever be asked to leave a sport event that's being held on public property? That's exactly what is alleged to have happened at one Connecticut high school:Two spectators at a high school basketball game are considering legal action after they say they were kicked off the court for not standing up for the National

The Wanker Of The Day

If true, then this Florida (It seems that so much of what is going on nowadays originates in Florida...) teacher must surely qualify for the W.O.D.:ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Orange County Public Schools is investigating claims that a student was forced to use a lunchbox as a toilet in front of his class at Meadowbrook Middle School.The teacher will not be coming to school. She will be relieved of

Get Your Carnival Entries Submitted!

Entries for the 163rd edition of The Carnival Of Education (Hosted this week by So You Want To Teach.) are due. Please email them to: joel [at] SoYouWantToTeach [dot] com . (Or, easier yet, use this handy submission form.) Submissions should be received no later than 11:59 PM (Eastern) 8:59 PM (Pacific) Today. Contributions should include your site's name, the title of the post, and the post's

The Watcher's Council Has Spoken!

Each and every week, Watcher of Weasels sponsors a contest among posts from the Conservative side of the 'Sphere. The winning entries are determined by a jury of 12 writers (and The Watcher) known as "The Watchers Council."The Council has met and cast their ballots for last week's submitted posts. Council Member Entries: Wolf Howling garnered the most Council votes with Change & The Cessation of

Smaller Than The Average Baby?

CNN has something for new parents to chew on: There are few issues that preoccupy new parents more than this: Is my baby growing normally? When the percentiles seem off-kilter, we worry -- but experts say there's rarely reason for concern.For starters, healthy kids come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, and they don't grow at a steady rate, either.Your child can look very different from your

Exposing Washington's Wasteful Ways: Where's PigFoot?

I couldn't help but chuckle at this one:WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today launched the first in its new series of occasional video podcasts called Where’s PigFoot? The video podcasts, which will be posted on YouTube and viewable on CAGW’s website and blog, will feature CAGW’s mascot uncovering and exposing government waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement

Carnival Entries Are Due!

Entries for the 162nd edition of The Carnival Of Education (Hosted this week by Learn Me Good.) are due. Please email them to: learnmegood2 [at] yahoo [dot] com . (Or, easier yet, use this handy submission form.) Submissions should be received no later than 10:00 PM (Eastern) 7:00 PM (Pacific) Today. Contributions should include your site's name, the title of the post, and the post's URL if

The Watcher's Council Has Spoken!

Each and every week, Watcher of Weasels sponsors a contest among posts from the Conservative side of the 'Sphere. The winning entries are determined by a jury of 12 writers (and The Watcher) known as "The Watchers Council."The Council has met and cast their ballots for last week's submitted posts. Council Member Entries: Big Lizards garnered the most Council votes with Chicago Rules. Non-Council

Throwing the Bathwater AT the Baby

Did you hear about the mom who punished her young daughter by power-washing the kid at the local car wash?Yep... she's pregnant with another likely future victim.People like her always seem to produce larger families.

The Carnival Of Education: Week 161

Welcome to the midway of the 161st edition of The Carnival of Education!Here's the very latest roundup of entries from around the EduSphere. Unless clearly labeled otherwise, all entries this week were submitted by the writers themselves.Folks interested in hosting a future edition of the C.O.E. should please let us know via this email address: owlshome [at] earthlink [dot] net.Thanks to everyone

In Our Mailboxes Yesterday Morning

The Unknown Administrator has once again put a sheet of paper in each teacher's mailbox that featured only the following statement: "A person will sometimes devote all his life to the development of one part of his body - the wishbone."That was it. There was nothing more.We've no idea who put this latest missive into our boxes or why...

Carnival Entries Are Due!

Entries for the 161st edition of The Carnival Of Education (Hosted this week by us here at 'The Wonks.) are due. Please email them to: owlshome [at] earthlink [dot] net . (Or, easier yet, use this handy submission form.) Submissions should be received no later than 9:00 PM (Eastern) 6:00 PM (Pacific) Today. Contributions should include your site's name, the title of the post, and the post's URL

From The Old School Dictionary Of EduSpeak

Trampstamp: (n.) A certain type of tattoo often seen on adolescent/young adult human females. This tattoo is most often placed on the small of the back with the intent to exhibit the tattoo (through the use of short tops such as the one illustrated) while walking through the hallways (and sitting at classroom desks) of high schools and colleges. Also known in some circles as The Mark of the Whore.

A Penny's Worth Of Detention

Some New Jersey eighth-graders decided to protest their shortened lunch break one-cent-at-a-time:Readington Township school officials gave 29 students detention after they used pennies to pay for their $2 lunches.Superintendent Jorden Schiff said it started out as a prank. But as the eighth-graders began to get in trouble for taking up so much time, it turned into a protest about Thursday's

The Watcher's Council Has Spoken!

Each and every week, Watcher of Weasels sponsors a contest among posts from the Conservative side of the 'Sphere. The winning entries are determined by a jury of 12 writers (and The Watcher) known as "The Watchers Council."The Council has met and cast their ballots for last week's submitted posts. Council Member Entries: Cheat Seeking Missiles garnered the most Council votes with In A PC Nation,