The Plight of a Red State Teacher

I have watched the direction in which our GOP dominated legislature and governor are leading the state regarding education and I am feeling rather hopeless. It’s not just in my state, but public education is in trouble in every red state in the union.

Proof That Writing Rubrics in Oklahoma Are Designed to Fail Your Kids

I’ve been an English teacher for over 20 years. I know how to teach students to write essays. It is in my blood. I can usually take any student from a mediocre writer or a poor writer to a functional writer. I have worked in districts with zero vertical team and a micromanaging vertical team.

Teacher Hat: How the Oklahoma Government Lies to Teachers

On April 30th, 2015 Michael Dean, a fellow teacher, and I went to the capital to talk to our representatives about state testing, budget cuts, and the many horrors that our anti-public education legislature has levied upon our schools. We spoke specifically to our District 27 representative Josh Cockroft (Republican, of course…it’s Oklahoma) about eliminating

Oklahoma Removes Ten Commandments Because Government Broke Most Of Them

Last week the granite edifice upon which the biblical ten commandments had been etched was removed from the front lawn of the capital building by order of the Oklahoma Supreme Court.  Sure, the news services have told all of us the reason (i.e. separation of church and state), yet the real reason is pretty plain. The

Oklahoma Education Rally: Were We Heard?

Yesterday I attended what is becoming an annual event in my state: the Oklahoma Education Rally.  I made several signs, but in the end I didn’t take them, choosing to go with my friend Michael Dean (featured on this week’s podcast) as he talked to our representatives, and then live tweet the entire experience.  I didn’t