This Is Me...

How'd your week go?

Dumbass??

Chili posted on Tuesday about this story about a teacher in Alabama. Click on the link [HERE] to read the story.

I added a short reply to Chili’s blog, but I’m posting this response to the story and certain of the public’s reaction in this space because I have only enough time to write about this once, and I want to get it out there.

I present the following quotes from the most recent version of the story from Alabama Live:

“A student in Harrison's class said the incident has been ‘blown out of proportion.’"

‘We were going over a test and getting reviewed for our finals and were going over tangency,’ sophomore Malia Drummond said. ‘A student walked in and said, “Well, if you shoot the president...” and the teacher picked up on it and said, “OK, if you shoot off his ear, that is a point of tangency."’

This story alarms me because of how viral the opinionation* of it has become. It seems as though the masses are ready to crucify this guy (literally, as well as figuratively), despite the fact that those who have investigated the facts of the matter have confirmed Malia’s take -- that it was a moment between a teacher and his students that was hyperbolized and politicized by a segment of the public entirely too willing to overreact on issues it deems anathema.

May I suggest that it is not improper to trust the people who looked into the situation, who said this is a non-issue? May I further suggest that it is not improper to resist the urge to impose our sensitivities and our outrage on a situation we are not connected to, especially when the effect of doing so can only lead to decisions made on the basis of politic or fear, not wisdom and dialog? I would look on it as a travesty if this teacher were fired because of political fallout from this event. It only shows how immature we are as a nation if we can't talk about such things without risking insult, degradation or threats to our person.

Surely we can be better than that.

* I totally made that word up just then.

I've got two minutes...

...to tell you that all is well, but too damn busy to sit down and really put together anything bloggable. Maybe soon. In the meantime, I offer you a cool video of one of my school's math classes. This is the kind of stuff we do there, and it's one of the things that makes working there so fun.

Ignore the fact that it's a little off beat. This was the first time they'd done it!

4 carloads and $73...

That's what it took to purge the basement.

Now I just have to run the dry vac for, like, 3 days.

But not today.

It's too nice out!