The WTF blanket

Hater

I was driving to the local Kroger today when I got stuck behind a large chevy truck that had this sticker on it. It dumbfounds me every time I see these stickers. First of all, someone actually makes these, second, someone actually buys them and thinks it's okay to stick em on their truck/car. I can't help but be embarrassed for the people riding in the car. You have that much hate or anger to have someone peeing on a logo. Worse than that are the ones that have the middle finger. Maybe this blog is a rant...but come on, really? This is when I wish we lived in a communist country so these people would get their cars crushed into a coaster. But lets look at stickers I would be okay with.

1. If taylor swift had a moon man statue peeing on kanye west sticker

2. If the US open line judge had a tennis ball stuffed mouth of serena williams sticker.

3. If Barry Obama had a Joe Wilson head with a bar of soap sticking out his mouth sticker.

4. If 49ers coach Mike Singleterry had a baby picture of michael crabtree with a rattle and bib sticker.

those are stickers I would buy.

The Little Brown Jug

Today marks the first day of the Delaware County Fair. For most days this is a normal fair, you have your oversized elephant ear, bucket 'O Fries, and plenty of interesting people to look at. I was never a fair guy growing up, actually I despised them. Not entirely sure why but when the fair came around I would avoid it at all costs. When I moved to Delaware it was no different. The fair came around and I avoided it, even when our crazy school district gave us a day off for the fair or this thing called the "little brown jug". They could call it "eat yourself stupid day" for all I cared because I got the day off. Then it all changed when I married the first family of fair going. You know how the Bush's love their texas ranch, the Beckstedt's love their fairs. What is it about the fair? I never understood the big deal, until I attended my first brown jug.

For those of you that didn't know, The Brown Jug is like the Kentucky Derby of Harness Racing... at least it's part of the triple crown. What does that mean really? It means that for one day in september, thursday, over 50,000 people pack into Delaware, OH to watch a series of horse races. The event is like a rock concert with really big fast horses instead of doped out rockers. If you take a minute while you're there to walk around the track you'll see huge tail-gates with cornhole, grills, and beers on ice for miles. Keep walking and you'll see the general admission backstretch, it's literally rows of lawn chairs 30 deep with people just having the time of their lives. You'll see ladies pull their shirts up, drunk guys screaming, and usually parents of the kids you teach asking if you want a beer. I kept thinking to myself, what and the hell is going on? Then I went to the OSU-USC game. It's the same thing, and it dawned on me, this is it for a lot of these people. This is their nationally televised game that means the season to them. My father-in-law talks about this week like it's spring break for teachers, and it makes sense to me now. As much as I love the feeling of a OSU game and the little things that surround it, he feels the same way about the Jug, along with the other 50,000 + people. Not to mention they win over a half million. Yeah. So get out your foam fingers with your favorite sulky on it and lets light this town up, it's Jug week. Besides, 50,000 drunk fans having the time of their life is better than the browns or bengals can say they play in front of.

The Muppet

Emmy. She's often been referred to as the "The Muppet"....looking at the two pictures I can tell why, Barkley the muppet dog on the left is a hair dyed version of Em. I started this blog with the idea of writing about Emmy and the hijinks she was surely going to cause. She hasn't let us down. From the second night we had her when she shat all over her cage and I was cleaning it up at 3 am in the morning to the week long illness she gave me, she's been a handful. One day I went to pick up my headphones to mow the lawn, and the two silicon ear coverings were missing. Hmmmm, later that day when I was scooping poop, sure enough that dookie was rocking a ipod headphone. Everytime you walk down the stairs Emmy thinks it's a game. She will paw at your feet and growl the entire way down the stairs, every time. She hates the middle of our lawn in the backyard. When we play catch I will throw the ball there, and she'll circle it like it's a vietnam mine, slowly she reaches out and paws at the ball and picks it up. She'll then circle around to get back to the steps. About an hour or two before bed a trigger goes off in her head and she starts running circles inside or out, I guess to burn energy but it sure seems like she's chasing some wabbit....everytime I walk over to fill up her food cup, she jumps in the air and does like a half twist, she must love cardboard.....the reason for this post, I just talked to a friend about getting a dog....he said is it worth it? I laughed and a million things flashed through my mind like her chewing apart our laptop charging cords (twice) and the times she digs in the yard and comes to the door with a face full of dirt. But yeah it's worth it.

Kool Aide and Cheerios

That is the scene Martin and I took in about 39 minutes before kickoff. Operation Trojan Horse was a success. Oh how the night felt like none other in the shoe as the sun was dropping, the beer stenched crowd rolling into their seats excited about the possibility of knocking that king kong sized monkey off our back. The decibel level rivaled a Miley Cyrus and Hannah Montana concert when the bucks took the field. It was electric, Pryor looking extremely confident, and Barkley extremely young. For about 58 minutes martin and I high fived eachother and any person with a willing hand as we screamed for the little success that we had. The defense playing like national champs and the offense showing the nation how big of a chump they really are. After we couldn't seal the win, again, we started our 3 mile walk to our car and we started talking. Here now is a synthesis of what we talked about and my humble opinion on the state of ohio football.

Consider this. Every great team has an offensive identity. Florida and Urban Myer, you know you're going to see the shotgun Tim Tebow, Chris Leak, dude from Utah, and dude from B.G. running the scheme like a well oiled machine. Success everywhere he goes. Oklahoma, you know no matter who is the QB you are going to get the no huddle offense and a powerful one back attack. Texas Tech, the sling it everywhere offense, Texas, shotgun with great balance, USC, pro style offense, play action and screens, you see my point. I could almost go through the entire top 25 and lay this out for you. It's called consistency and confidence. What do the backs do? seriously....what is their identity? I finally figured it out last night, they don't have one because they don't know what to do and it showed last night.

Consider this. How many great assistant coaches has Pete Carrol sent off to become head coaches or prominent coaches in the NFL? Lane Kiffin, current head coach of Tennessee. Norm Chow, could have picked any job he wanted, went to be the OC for the Titans. Steve Sarkishan, current head coach of Washington. How many coaches has Tress sent out on their own? Zero. Why? because he micro-manages the game and play calling. Where is the delegation? We're a top program and we don't have an OC. Don't even joke with me that Bollman is an OC, he should be fired before tressel eats his cheerios tomorrow. Hire an OC that focuses on the offense, that will gameplan and make adjustments while the defense is on the field.

Consider this. We have the nationally ranked #1 recruit at QB last year. USC had this years #1 recruit. He makes our QB look like a tour de france rider without a bike. Can someone teach this kid how to throw, how to read a defense, and help him by giving him an offense that fits his abilities.

Consider this. Mark my words, we will lose big time recruits this year unless an OC is hired and change is promised. Do not get rid of Tress, he is a tremendous head coach I wouldn't trade him for anyone. But I want Tress to drink his own kool-aide that he preaches to his team, it's not about the individual but about the team. It's time to accept he's awful as a play caller and someone else needs to do the job.

I still love the bucks, but how many times can you go back to the abusive relationship when they keeping beating you?

Redemption

Inflated

Most of you know that I have been taking classes to become a principal along with teaching for the past 6 years. All in all I have been a part of the education world close to 25 years counting the years as we lil' lad. Going through grade school I always thought I was pretty smart, after all I received all of those pluses on my grade card, maybe not for handwriting, but nonetheless I breezed through grade school. I know I left Krout Elementary with a lot of skills I use today but I can really only remember winning the 600 race each year and getting punched by a girl in 5th grade. Another blog in itself.

Middle school provided little challenge to me and that was the same all the way thru high school too (with the exception of math). Looking back I earned high marks, I could have done better that is without question, but my 3.5 was a happy place for me to be. I don't remember working very hard at the books at all, many a night my mom would ask me "where are your books?" I would reply like it was a dumb question with "In my locker..."

My point of this post is simple. I did very very little in school and yet I got by with honor roll, national honors society, etc... how? Inflated grades. I was fortunate enough to go to school during the time period of education I did. Did my 3.5 actually stand for what I knew? I am not sure, but today in education (at least in Olentangy) that 3.5 means you have a 3.5. Let me explain.

How many of you reading this received participation points? Homework completion points? Binder organization points? (unless you teach elem. and this is a standard for them to meet) extra credit for bringing ol' teach a box of tissues? Explain to me how any of that should be factored into your final grade, the final grade that is supposed to reflect what you have learned. It doesn't. I graded that way my first four years of teaching, and I was stupid. I inflated kids grades left and right with things like I mentioned above, but the dawn of the more effective assessment is here. Now I, along with our district and many others, are giving grades for what counts, the assessments. I give on average 3 at most 4 grades per 9 weeks. Those of you that went to school in our era of 65 assignments are scoffing. I ask you why? I am willing to bet that my 3 to 4 grades are a more accurate assessment of what you know compared to the A you're pulling because you raise your hand a lot in class, and boy was your binder neat. My kids receive an A, and they have A knowledge. If they don't we continue to take that test over and over until they have that knowledge down.

If you are a teacher and still give points for this ridiculous stuff, change, change fast because you're contributing to our students lack of superior knowledge...if you have a young one and they attend a school that is still behind the curve demand more from your district and teachers.

It's Time.

If this doesn't make you tackle your dog or your wife, check your pulse.