A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME

                         My horoscope guru thinks I work.  I guess he thinks I work for Google like he does.  Anyway he says to hold on to my centrist position at work.  I don't remember that many philosophical arguments at work.  Maybe at Google, they are always brainstorming.  We gave that up after they introduced the 200th education reform innovation to us.  I went through Hooked on phonics,whole language, whole math,programmed learning, the writing process, no red pencils, geometry and algebra in First Grade just to name a few.  I retired in 2000 so I missed NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND,MERIT PAY AND CHARTER SCHOOLS. 
                     The smart teachers never took a course after graduation, taught the same grade in the same way for 34 years and left work on the dot at 3 pm after the children left for home.  They only did the innovations which change every five years if forced.  The best was the schools built with classrooms with no doors and sliding walls centered around the library.  It was the Open Classroom designed to foster co-teaching and learning among colleagues.  I guess that was the precursor to the construction of charter schools while public schools are boarded up or sold as condos.
                        We centrists actually embraced this nonsense only to be castigated in a few years over new math or whole learning.  Yes my friend we wee blowing in the wind with the breeze of change.  Go with the flow is our motto while the hard noses stand and snicker.

ROLLER COASTER OF EDUCATIONAL REFORM

                        The future principal currently a librarian who only taught once a week and usually showed film strips (ancient videos ) to the students  lead the children in singing at the year end picnic:  WE DON'T NEED NO EDUCATION-
                   HEY TEACHERS LEAVE US KIDS ALONE

If we were still allowed to use red pencils, we would note the double negative and the improper use of us instead of we.  But all red pencils were confiscated during one of the reforms as being harmful to children's writing ability.  We had faculty meetings every month.  I was the only one who ever discussed anything.  The rest just looked at their watches waiting for it to be over.  They were one hour late going home that day.  I usually stayed after work each day for an hour or two.