Ok - I couldn't come up with a creative title! So . . . here's a little bit of what's on my mind about politicians, related to education.

Wouldn't it be great if those in power would seek advice from teachers before passing laws that shape what we do in classrooms? I believe MSTA has the ears of many of the movers and shakers in Jeff City. Many times we've spoken, and they have listened. But there are still people in control of our profession who never stepped into a classroom in their adult lives before entering politics and having more power over what we do in classrooms than we do. Including the US Secretary of Education!

As we turn for the homestretch of this year's campaigns, we are being bombarded with ads from people who want to control education. And isn't it great how many of them use "holding teachers accountable" as a reason they should be elected? And then they throw in "mandatory testing" to garner public support.

It's funny how the constituents who will vote for these candidates have no idea what they are talking about or supporting . . . but they are eager to vote for them because they're "improving education." Unfortunately, when it comes to education, we have a very uneducated public.

We had parent-teacher conferences this past week. As I explained MAP scores to the parents, many of them commented that 100% of the students achieving proficient or advance would be impossible. Hmm . . . .

How many people know that NCLB requires 100% of students in every school district to score either proficient or advanced by the year 2014 or else the state will take over? I would bet the only people who know that are teachers . . . and maybe their spouses. How many parents know that their child's "Proficient" score actually means they performed ABOVE grade-level?

Maybe we just need a little honesty in campaign ads! Maybe instead of saying, "I will hold teachers accountable," candidates should just be honest and say, "I will set unattainable goals for schools and then when they don't meet them, I will fire all the teachers and replace them with political appointees who will do a better job." Instead of saying, "I will improve education in all schools," they should say, "I will give schools just enough money to entice them to start programs that will help their students achieve, and then I will cut off the money so they will be forced to find it somewhere else or cut the program."

Ok . . . I'll stop now. Make sure you vote on November 7. Vote your conscience; vote your morals; vote for education!

Any "How I Met Your Mother" addicts??? Every time Barney wants someone to join him on a new adventure, he says, "Suit up!" Well . . . this whole parenthood thing is a new adventure for me. So . . . SUIT UP!

Parenthood changes everything. Don't argue. Just believe me.

I never believed that - I thought it was a crutch that people used to get out of responsibilities . . . to not be involved as much as they were when they were single or just married. I thought I could handle a new baby and everything else that I did before . . . and more!

The last six weeks . . . wow - it's been six weeks already??? . . . have changed the way I see everything in life. From relationships to positions to my life's purpose. This has been an opportunity to re-evaluate everything that I do and stand for.

Now don't get me wrong - pre-September 16, I was just as purpose-driven as I am today. I knew that I should give up some good things to do God's best. I knew that my life had a purpose that was much greater than myself, and I wanted to fulfill that purpose with everything within me. Parenthood didn't change my approach - it just gave me another filter to see the world through.

I can't wait to get home every afternoon and hold my baby girl. I love rocking her to sleep; I love having her sleep on my chest; I love watching her look around the room in amazement. I don't love when she cries and I can tell that she's in pain . . . but that will go away eventually. The time I spend with her is invaluable.

A few months ago, my wife and I decided that we were going to try everything possible to put us in a financial position that would allow her to quit her job and stay home to raise our children. When we set the goal, we knew that it would be important. We understood that being a stay-at-home mom was a very noble undertaking that would have lasting effects on our kids. We didn't know, however, how much that would mean to us once the babies started coming.

A week before she has to go back to work, my wife is now wishing she could stay home immediately. She doesn't want to leave our daughter during the day while she drives an hour each way to work and spends seven hours in a classroom. She loves teaching - but she loves mothering even more. I see the care in her eyes when she cries at night, wishing that she didn't have to work. I know how much that means to her, and I want nothing more than to make that dream happen . . . soon.

So we have worked on a budget. We've paid off a lot of debt. We traded in my 2000 Ford Expedition for a 2004 Dodge Caravan so we can have a longer-lasting vehicle that will be cheaper to maintain and that we can pay off in a year's time. We are devoting 66% of our gross income to paying off as much debt as we can so we can refinance our house and just have one payment next year. No one could imagine the sacrifices that she is making so we can do that. I am really proud of her for her dedication to making this dream a reality.

So now I've started thinking. Am I making the most of my time that I have for my family? Are they included in everything that I do? Is it worth the sacrifices that I make to be away from them in order to make money? Hmm . . . should I quit my job and do something where I could work from home? Ok - maybe that's pushing it a little. But my new goal is to maximize my potential to provide for my family in the best possible way while not robbing any more time from them than I absolutely have to. Will there be changes in the future? Probably. Do I know what they will be? Maybe. I'll definitely keep you posted. But for now, I am in a state of re-evaluation that may lead me down some paths that I may not have ever imagined traveling just a few months ago.

Parenthood changes everything. Don't argue. I'm living it right now. I am seeing why so many people give up jobs, positions, and dreams to take part in the greatest thing that God has to offer. My priorities are still the same: family, God, kids. My calling is still the same - make a difference in the lives of kids. In fact, knowing that I have a child who will be going through public schools in five years is even more of a reason for me to work for the improvement of education in Missouri. What I work to accomplish in life will never change. How I accomplish it may be changing soon. I'm ready for the journey. I'm strapping in for the ride. I'm excited that you will share the ride with me!

Most of my conversations related to education are with fellow educators. I spend a lot of time communicating in online communities, reading blogs, and forwarding emails - but it seems like my circle includes mostly fellow MSTA members from across the state, or teachers in Southeast Missouri or my school district.

When I visit with anyone outside of the education community, it's either with people from church or family. In those cases, conversation usually focuses on church or family issues (unless, of course, the person is also a teacher, which is often the case).

So you see, I realized this morning that I don't often get an outsider's perspective on education issues. What does an average Missouri citizen think about the state of our education system? What improvements do they think we need to tackle? Where do they feel we fall short as educators, or as school districts? What is the number one education problem?

Comments are definitely welcome!

Here is the text of a speech that I gave to the Southwest Region MSTA last week:

At this year's Convention, I will share with you about the journey that MSTA has been on over the past 150 years. I will relate our journey to that of Lewis and Clark, and share the answers to three very important questions about our future: Where are we going? How will we get there? And who will take us there?

The challenges we will face in the next few years are not easy. There is no black and white when it comes to public education. Because we've never faced these challenges before, there's no clear path for us to take in tackling them. Let's look at some of them:

• Differentiated salaries: Earlier this month, I started a conversation on the online forum to discuss this issue. I played devil's advocate and posed some strong arguments held by proponents of differentiated salaries. Without direction from MSTA, this may become a reality in the future.

• Accountability from the state board: The state board is a political machine. It's hard to get those in control to change its structure. MSTA has a dream to add three practicing educators and impose term limits. I have the resolve to see us accomplish that dream.

• School choice: Here's another topic that I brought up on the online forum. Doesn't it seem like this topic is never going away? We must address the underlying causes that lead people to push for vouchers. When we fight against school choice for students in failing districts, are we doing a disservice to them? It's time we stop pushing so hard against vouchers and start helping to find solutions to the root of the problem without diverting public money to private institutions.

• Funding: We got our formula passed – now it's time to make sure it works. When it doesn't – when it is no longer providing an adequate and equitable education to our students – we must address necessary changes – we can't wait ten years – we must continually evaluate it.

• Teacher Preparation: We must take a stand and demand that teacher preparation courses provide real-life experiences to their students long before they enter a classroom to complete their student teaching. Prospective teachers also deserve instructors who have recent classroom experience – not retired administrators who haven't been in a classroom in twenty years.

These are just a few issues we will face – I'll share more in November when I give you a map of where I plan to go over the next four years.

On the journey that MSTA is taking, you have two choices for your leader. Why should you choose me?

• Our Association is ready for new leadership – 21st century ideas to tackle 21st century problems. It's time we start looking to the future generation to provide that leadership. I am the candidate who will provide that leadership.

• The problems MSTA faces demand specific goals and strategic plans. When we meet again next month, I will share with you some very specific accomplishments that I plan for MSTA to celebrate in the near future. I will share with you my strategic plans for where this journey will take us. I am not content to give lip service to the issues we face – I am the candidate with the plan.

• The MSTA Executive Board is the governing body of the Association. The officers direct the business of the Board. Our Board and Association deserve a Vice President who has served as a Board member before running for office. I am the candidate with that experience.

I have been told that, in the 150-year history of MSTA, no one has ever won an election as a write-in candidate. It's time for a change. Next month, you will have a chance to make history. If you want a Vice President who is an experienced board member, with 21st century ideas to tackle the challenges ahead, write in JOE as your choice of MSTA Vice President!

I receive Edutopia - a free magazine published by the George Lucas Foundation. There are often a lot of good articles - cutting edge, thought-provoking ideas - thoughts to challenge the way we view our profession and help us think outside the box. Overall, I've been pleased with the magazine. Until this month.

On page 60 (www.edutopia.org/1654), there is an interview with Penn & Teller. I have never really thought much of this duo - I haven't had much respect for them since I started hearing about their series on Showtime. They are very opinionated - and their opinions are rarely the same as mine. Including their views on education.

In the middle of the interview, Penn & Teller were asked "If you could change one thing about education, what would it be?" Penn answered, "No public schools!" Teller, a former public high school teacher from New Jersey, said, "Stop it from being compulsory."

I don't even know that Penn's answer deserves the energy it takes to type a response. What would happen if we didn't have public schools? I was just outraged by that comment. Maybe you have some idea of what it would be like? Would we only have private schools, so only those who could afford it would be educated? Would we leave education up to individual families? That will never work. He didn't indicate any reason for his answer, or any alternative for public schools - so I guess it's open to interpretation. And I really don't think many people share the same opinion, anyway.

Teller's remark, on the other hand, had a qualifier: "Children are taught from an early age that learning is something they're stuck with. They have to go to school, just as you have to pay taxes. Making something compulsory negates all value and joy." Possibly true, but unfortunately, not everyone sees the value in a quality education, and I'm afraid that without compulsory school laws, we might as well go with the "no public schools" philosophy.

So . . . here are some things to think about: How do we improve the image of public education so that the Penns and Tellers of the world are not so critical of our profession and the institution that we so whole-heartedly believe in? Do we fail to make school something that children look forward to, thereby negating "all value and joy"? If so, where? What can we do about it?

Then when you're ready for a positive take on education, check out the September issue's interview with Dolly Parton: www.edutopia.org/1618

Don't you just love it when your wife wakes you up in the middle of the night and asks, "did you hear that?" It's a common occurrence around our house * probably because I could sleep through a freight train hitting the house, but she wakes up when she hears a cricket outside the window.

When the air conditioner fell out of the bedroom window, it was probably as loud as a freight train. But last night, the sound really wasn’t much louder than a cricket. It was a rustling noise from behind the house. It took me a while to hear it, and I tried to make her believe it was thunder. I just wanted sleep!

A few minutes later, I was slipping on my jeans and heading down the dark hallway * I really wasn’t as brave as I seemed. I kept thinking about someone trying to break in; I just knew I was about to die. But I kept going * trying to be the brave warrior, eager to protect my family.

When I got to the back porch, I heard the noise, and it sounded like it was under the house. In times like this, I always think it’s a person making the noise (probably not logical, but who thinks logically when they should be ASLEEP?!?!?!) I thought someone had removed the glass panel and crawled under the house * even though there was a large trash can, the water hose caddy, and an aquarium in the way.

Afraid, I didn’t want to be on the back porch in case the person would see me and have a gun! I ran back into the house, and into the utility room, where I could get a good look into the corner. I hit the window, hoping whatever it was would show itself * nothing. My frightened wife, apparently thinking something was attacking me, came in to see if I was ok.

I decided to take the screen out of the window. I would still be protected by being in the house, but I could have a closer look, and I could use the rake that was leaning on the house, to find the source of the noise. When we noticed the trashcan moving, I assumed something was under it. With the rake, I hit the trashcan . . . moved it around . . . still nothing. The stupid thing had run away while I was taking the screen out. But that argument wouldn’t satisfy my wife. No * I had to go out there and make sure.

With a broom in hand, I slowly opened the back door, and reached out to turn on the light. When I did, I looked down into the trashcan by the steps, and there it was * an opossum! It was stuck. Now what?

The brains of our operation (you’ve probably figured by now that was NOT me) suggested putting the lid on the trashcan and taking the opossum out in the yard to let it go. As I got closer to the trashcan, its mouth opened wider, revealing some pretty mean-looking teeth. I wasn’t sure if it would bite, but I definitely didn’t want to take the chance.

To finish this story as quickly as possible, once I got the trashcan out into the yard, and I realized that tipping it over and trying to pry the lid off wouldn’t work, I took off the lid, stepped back as far as I could, tipped over the can with the broom, and ran like crazy.

I didn’t look back.

A few years ago, when the economy was on the way south and gas prices were beginning to rise, everyone jumped on the "blame the President" bandwagon. Somehow, a lot of people rationalized that the President single-handedly controls the stock market and the price of crude oil. Following that rationale, fine - let's blame him. Let's bad-mouth him on the radio and in the newspaper. In fact, let's devote a month of front page stories to the awful job he is doing.

But if you hold to the thought that Mr. Bush is to blame when things go wrong, why not give him credit when things improve? The price of gas is below $2.00 a gallon; the Dow continues to climb into record territory. So where are the front page stories about the great job the President is doing? Where is the thanks that he deserves for single-handedly straightening out the economy . . . while dealing with a war, a Congressional scandal, and a mid-term election?

You may remember back in the nineties when another President was given credit for a great economy and a positive job outlook. The Dow set an all-time high during his presidency, and he received praise all over the place. And when things took a turn for the worse, I don't recall anyone blaming him.

It seems as though the political climate in the United States has a double standard. It's time that we recognize the good and the bad in everyone - don't put on blinders just because you're affiliated with a certain political party; don't hold one leader to a different standard than you hold another one to. And either get over the idea that one person single-handedly controls the price of anything, or start writing the thank-you notes . . . because if it's good enough for one President, it's good enough for the other.