Sorry, but according to the state budget, the children are not our future. At least the teachers to lead those children are not a priority. Just a few numbers to mull over:
K-12 SCHOOLS
- reduce textbook allotment due to delay in new math books for grades 6-12: -$38 million.
- reduce funding for school district administrative offices: -$6.5 million.
- transfer More at Four early education program to Department of Health and Human Services: -$86 million.
- discretionary reduction for local school districts: -$7.8 million.
- eliminate funding for several state-administered standardized tests for students not currently required by federal law or grants: -$3.6 million.
- reduce staff development money by 50 percent: -$6.3 million.
- eliminate funding for activities designed to improve performance for poorly performing students: -$38.4 million.
- decrease money for teacher salaries while increasing average class sizes by two students: -$322.7 million.
- order State Board of Education to eliminate 100 positions at the Department of Public Instruction: -$5.4 million.
- support 12 early-college high schools opening in 2009-10 school year: $3.7 million.
- fund dropout prevention grants: $1 million.
- create new standard course of study, consider replacing existing standardized tests and pilot diagnostic tests to identify strengths and weaknesses of individual students: $3 million.
- suspend transfer of corporate income tax funds to Public School Building Capital Fund: -$60.5 million.
- expand North Carolina Virtual Public School, which lets student take classes online: $2 million.
In case you were counting, that's right, $575.2 Million in cuts. If you want to look at some more info it is readily available at MYNC.com.
Not to get ahead of myself, I'm sure that there are proposals and maybe even some budget increases not included in the list compiled by MYNC.com...yet, this is not a good start. Let's make something happen, even if that is simply making some noise. Let that noise be a call of the action to come. So I'll sit here in my chair and type as loud as I can and hope someone hears these keystrokes in Raleigh.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Will there be a test?
Over the next year my lady and I are involved in a couple's devotional. Myles Munroe on Relationships is quite insightful. I enjoy how it is set up with an actual day assigned to devotions, like June 27th, not just 365 devotions.
I must admit that in the past 2 weeks I have been challenged to become the spiritual leader of my soon to be family. What exactly does that look like. Thoughts like "If a man can't teach the Word, he's not really ready for marriage." have caused me to step back and question myself. I'm glad that I have such an encouraging fiance that reassures me that I am already doing that in our relationship. There are other thoughts such as, "A man should always make a point to converse with his wife." that make me smack my forehead and say "I coulda' had a V8!" There are some obvious points like conversation that just need to be reiterated. Then there are encouraging moments like June 27th
"One of man's major responsibilities is to teach...the male is wired to teach...Men are teachers, but they must have something worth-while to teach."
You may have caught all those ellipses, and yes, I skipped a lot of material. On to my story; I have been pursuing a teaching career over the past few weeks actively. I have considered it in my mind for much longer. My two areas I want to go into instruction are Art and Martial Arts. Yet after reading this bit of teaching I realized this: I don't want to teach content/technique/style, I want to teach people how to be great people. It is The Word driving me to show this blessing to other people. The subjects of Art and Martial Arts are just the medium I use to connect with people. The real point of the relationship isn't to watch a person get good grades or pass their next belt test, but instead to invest in their lives and see God's blessing in their lives. I don't know about you, but this is (as Ron Burgundy would say) "kinda a big deal."
So thank the people that have brought something into your life that was more than just information to pass the test. Thank the people that gave you the tools and encouragement to succeed. Get on your e-mail, facebook, twitter, whatever and thank those people openly. Bless them in return for how they helped you :)
I must admit that in the past 2 weeks I have been challenged to become the spiritual leader of my soon to be family. What exactly does that look like. Thoughts like "If a man can't teach the Word, he's not really ready for marriage." have caused me to step back and question myself. I'm glad that I have such an encouraging fiance that reassures me that I am already doing that in our relationship. There are other thoughts such as, "A man should always make a point to converse with his wife." that make me smack my forehead and say "I coulda' had a V8!" There are some obvious points like conversation that just need to be reiterated. Then there are encouraging moments like June 27th
"One of man's major responsibilities is to teach...the male is wired to teach...Men are teachers, but they must have something worth-while to teach."
You may have caught all those ellipses, and yes, I skipped a lot of material. On to my story; I have been pursuing a teaching career over the past few weeks actively. I have considered it in my mind for much longer. My two areas I want to go into instruction are Art and Martial Arts. Yet after reading this bit of teaching I realized this: I don't want to teach content/technique/style, I want to teach people how to be great people. It is The Word driving me to show this blessing to other people. The subjects of Art and Martial Arts are just the medium I use to connect with people. The real point of the relationship isn't to watch a person get good grades or pass their next belt test, but instead to invest in their lives and see God's blessing in their lives. I don't know about you, but this is (as Ron Burgundy would say) "kinda a big deal."
So thank the people that have brought something into your life that was more than just information to pass the test. Thank the people that gave you the tools and encouragement to succeed. Get on your e-mail, facebook, twitter, whatever and thank those people openly. Bless them in return for how they helped you :)
Saturday, June 20, 2009
House and Home...
While currently in the process of buying a house (yikes!) I must admit that I've had some things come up. Thoughts fill my mind and most of them are none too funny, more terrifying, and the occasional "Awwwww" moment. Seeing how my thought process is quite fragmentary, typical sentence to paragraph structure does not seem applicable. So with thoughts afloat on my stream of consciousness I'll begin with:
I have never seen or even dealt with this much "potential" money in my entire life.
23 years ain't exactly a great span of time.
Home is where the heart is? Then I have rather spread out heart.
84 days and counting to find the place that my bride-to-be and myself can call home.
I'd really like "home" to be in the form of "a house".
I have no idea how Jess is gonna put up with me.
Don't do business with family unless it's coming from their last will and testament.
I think that spot over the septic tank would be a wonderful place for a garden.
No really, it would be an awesome place for it.
I really am Owen Wilson's character from "Me & Marley", aren't I?
I'm not much of a handy man, but I will do all I can to make this "house" a "home"
IT COSTS HOW MUCH TO REPLACE A ROOF?!
Oh, well, not too bad when you take out the cost of labor.
I love the view from that front porch.
BLACKBERRIES! PERSIMMONS! POSSIBLE APPLES! Yummm...
...
...it seems my mind has deviated to the thoughts of food. I will follow those thoughts as well as my nose away from this keyboard and out in search of something tasty. If anyone has any advice on just how exactly to get federal loans and such to go through, or which banks have first time buyer incentives or any other advice, it is very welcome.
I'll wrap up with a simple request. I've learned in my life that intercessory prayer is huge. I don't think I'd be the person I am today if it wasn't for my grandmother and other family praying for me. I mean praying HARD. I would feel greatly blessed if you would pray for my fiance, Jess, our work towards a house, myself and anything else those of you more experienced in life feel I'm forgetting.
Thank you.
Thank you.
And thank you.
I have never seen or even dealt with this much "potential" money in my entire life.
23 years ain't exactly a great span of time.
Home is where the heart is? Then I have rather spread out heart.
84 days and counting to find the place that my bride-to-be and myself can call home.
I'd really like "home" to be in the form of "a house".
I have no idea how Jess is gonna put up with me.
Don't do business with family unless it's coming from their last will and testament.
I think that spot over the septic tank would be a wonderful place for a garden.
No really, it would be an awesome place for it.
I really am Owen Wilson's character from "Me & Marley", aren't I?
I'm not much of a handy man, but I will do all I can to make this "house" a "home"
IT COSTS HOW MUCH TO REPLACE A ROOF?!
Oh, well, not too bad when you take out the cost of labor.
I love the view from that front porch.
BLACKBERRIES! PERSIMMONS! POSSIBLE APPLES! Yummm...
...
...it seems my mind has deviated to the thoughts of food. I will follow those thoughts as well as my nose away from this keyboard and out in search of something tasty. If anyone has any advice on just how exactly to get federal loans and such to go through, or which banks have first time buyer incentives or any other advice, it is very welcome.
I'll wrap up with a simple request. I've learned in my life that intercessory prayer is huge. I don't think I'd be the person I am today if it wasn't for my grandmother and other family praying for me. I mean praying HARD. I would feel greatly blessed if you would pray for my fiance, Jess, our work towards a house, myself and anything else those of you more experienced in life feel I'm forgetting.
Thank you.
Thank you.
And thank you.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Name Dropping
Unlike most clever writers, I will not bring in the title of my blog many chapters later. Instead you will get this inside scoop on just where this blog gets its namesake.
Dan Millman (Scott Mechlowicz ) has a chance encounter with Socrates (Nick Nolte). No, not the old guy miming from "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure", but another fictitious representation of the wise man. If you recognize the names, and for those who don't, I'll skip foreshadowing and tell you I'm speaking on the book-made-film "Peaceful Warrior".
Out of all the lessons that Socrates imparts to young Dan, my personal favorite is the clearing of the mind. Dan has run to keep a meeting with Socrates and rush his lesson to make it back for gymnastic tryouts. The day's lesson is how to clear the mind, not exactly a light topic to throw out in passing conversation. Regardless, Socrates rises to meet this time constraint. Accepting this time limit he grabs Dan by the waist and tosses him over the edge of the bridge. Dan lands in a small stream and comes out angry and yelling about "How was that supposed to teach me anything?!" Socrates applaudes him on learning the lesson. Dan is quite confussed. Socrates asks what Dan was thinking about on his descent to meet the water. Dan's response, "I dunno, nothing."
Even with all the eastern philosophy ingrained in this story, there are some very valid lessons about living in the moment while having hope in the future. I do ask you to see this flick, if you are close enough to me, just ask me for it.
So with hope, I begin this blog. That I can share life with ye people of the internets. That even in my life when I'm thrown off a bridge or fall off due to more internal reasons, that I can see and share the hope. The hope that even in that moment something more can come from it.
Dan Millman (Scott Mechlowicz ) has a chance encounter with Socrates (Nick Nolte). No, not the old guy miming from "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure", but another fictitious representation of the wise man. If you recognize the names, and for those who don't, I'll skip foreshadowing and tell you I'm speaking on the book-made-film "Peaceful Warrior".
Out of all the lessons that Socrates imparts to young Dan, my personal favorite is the clearing of the mind. Dan has run to keep a meeting with Socrates and rush his lesson to make it back for gymnastic tryouts. The day's lesson is how to clear the mind, not exactly a light topic to throw out in passing conversation. Regardless, Socrates rises to meet this time constraint. Accepting this time limit he grabs Dan by the waist and tosses him over the edge of the bridge. Dan lands in a small stream and comes out angry and yelling about "How was that supposed to teach me anything?!" Socrates applaudes him on learning the lesson. Dan is quite confussed. Socrates asks what Dan was thinking about on his descent to meet the water. Dan's response, "I dunno, nothing."
So with hope, I begin this blog. That I can share life with ye people of the internets. That even in my life when I'm thrown off a bridge or fall off due to more internal reasons, that I can see and share the hope. The hope that even in that moment something more can come from it.
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