This & That

I got an e-mail from my buddy telling me he's got his Camaro all dialed in now. Those two four barrels look good under the hood, and he's sporting his US 30 Dragstrip tee shirt to go along with it. He used to pull the wheels off the ground back in the 70's when he was running it at the track. I tagged along with him a few times. The big block Chevy sounded real good through the traps on the big end. Nothing but weeds out there now, however. If you check the link, there's a nice then and now story. I spent just about every Sunday there one year with my dragbike. Good times.

Made the last batch of wine and a gallon of cider yesterday. Not much left to do other than siphon off the wine from one bottle to the next to git rid of the sediment and then bottle it up in a few months. I've got plenty of patience. We'll just have to wait and see.

A couple of things on the education front in the news lately. The NWI Times had a story on school lunches yesterday. Something like 68% of all students are on free or reduced lunches. Also an editorial in the Wall Street Journal by the CEO of Exxon-Mobil (can't be sure, I recycled the paper) making the case for the Common Core curriculum. While I can't necessarily agree with everything said, the gentleman made a very good case, as you would expect from a man in his position. However, I had breakfast Saturday morning with a few of my old colleagues at the high school, and a math teacher made the case that we don't really need stricter standards, but rather, more parental oversight and less electronics. He said if it weren't for his parents keeping an eye on him and seeing that his homework got done, etc, no way he would have been the student he was in school. I think he's right on the money. If all it takes to bring up the test scores is tougher standards or a more stringent curriculum, No Child Left Behind would have been an overwhelming success. For Common Core to be a success, other issues are going to have to be addressed at the same time. Maybe like looking into why 68% of the students are eating free or reduced lunches. Maybe some short term consequences besides poor grades if students don't do their homework. Something that involves the parents, perhaps. Maybe also a couple of viable alternatives to the conventional school model. 

I wish I had more time. I'd like to be able to sit down and write up a new educational model starting with a clean sheet of paper. I really don't think it would be that tough to come up with a good plan. Probably be next to impossible to implement, however. Inner city schools have different needs than country schools. Rich neighborhoods have different needs than poor neighborhoods. Everyone now wants a charter school or a voucher. Some for a better education for their children, some as a way to escape the  legacy costs of pensions and health care. And everyone has an agenda. Someday, maybe those in charge will start asking the gray haired 3rd grade teacher, or the old shop teacher, or the young history teacher, what really needs to be done. Education reform by fiat just isn't working.

New week and temperatures heading back into the nineties. I knew it was too good to last.