Our Apartment in Seattle

I've gotten some feedback from a few friends recently about not updating the blog. As you can probably imagine, our roadtrip this summer did not end in South Dakota! One of these days I'll chronicle the rest. Our new job has been pretty hairy - 80-90 hour weeks were the norm for the past couple of months. Lately we've managed to get them down to about 70, but that leaves little time to write.

I was able to take a video of our place here in Seattle, though. It's pretty grainy - I guess because it was done on my phone. Hope you enjoy!

Day 8 - South Dakota

South Dakota – all I can say is that this place must be pretty depressing in the winter. We actually have a Teach For America corps here. There are about fifty teachers teaching on a Native American reservation just southeast of Badlands National Park, far, far away from any substantial town. What a commitment!

We left Rob’s pretty early so we’d have time to explore a bit once we reached Wall, SD. Most of the drive through northwestern Iowa was more of the same: lots and lots of corn. In South Dakota the landscape changed a bit. The cornfields were interspersed with hayfields and pasture lands. We saw one herd of buffalo and tons of cows.

At lunchtime we stopped in Mitchell, SD, home of the world famous Corn Palace. Supposedly the façade of this basketball gymnasium is made entirely from corn. It was a bit anticlimactic, but one of those necessary places of lore that one must visit when driving through South Dakota. Corn Palace was in downtown Mitchell, away from the fast food restaurants closer to the interstate, so we moseyed on in to Betty’s Café. It was bustling with locals of all ages who’d come right over from church. Our order was brusquely taken by the waitress, and about 10 minutes later a pile of slop was thrown down in front of me.

My experience with cafes and plate lunches has mostly been positive. In Louisiana, a run-down café in a long-forgotten downtown will usually serve up some mean red beans and rice (think Lea’s in Lecompte or Bourbon Street Café at Shop-Rite in Jennings). But that scenario plays out much differently in South Dakota. My turkey slices were accompanied by some peas and carrots straight out of the can and instant mashed potatoes smothered in white gravy.

We made it through the meal unscathed, though, then stopped by Cabela’s for some man-time. Massive sporting goods stores are so much fun! (C just couldn’t figure out why I enjoyed being there).

The drive from Mitchell to Badlands National Park was brutally long and desolate, but the sites awaiting us were spectacular. The Badlands (so named by fur traders in the olden days) are a vast area of sharply eroded buttes and pinnacles. The National Park includes the largest protected mixed-grass prairie in the U.S. One theory is that this area was once a huge watering hole that eventually dried up. That might account for the large numbers of prehistoric fossils found in the area.

We hiked some up the rock and through a meadow before making our way to the Days Inn, Wall, SD – our home away from home.

Day 2 of Des Moines

Our second day in Des Moines was fairly low-key. Rob took us to a quaint diner where we had a ridiculously good breakfast. It was the type of place you see politicians schmoozing in during the run-up to the Iowa caucuses. The place was packed on a Saturday morning. I had buttermilk pancakes and Courtney had French toast; we shared a side of hash browns, generously sprinkled with Tobasco 

After breakfast we plopped ourselves down at a downtown Starbucks to get some more prep-work done for our new jobs. I’ve always been a fan of the Starbucks business model, but usually head to smaller, locally-owned coffee shops because of the unique atmosphere and free Wifi. Well, Starbucks now offer free Wifi through AT&T – you just need to use a Starbucks gift card to make your purchase, and set up an account with AT&T. It’s a pretty good deal.

We had two-day tickets to the 80/35 festival, so by noon we were out on the music grounds. We saw Drive-By Truckers, a southern rock band in the modern mold of Lynyrd Skynyrd; ….., and Yonder Mountain String Band – a fantastic bluegrass ensemble. The weather has been incredible all weekend (we even got a little chilly last night). The last act of the evening was The Roots, but by that time C and I were pretty beat, so we headed back to Rob’s place to get a full night of sleep before our drive across South Dakota.

St. Louis to Des Moines - Day 6

No run this morning – C wanted one, but I needed a break. Instead we worked a bit then got on the road for Des Moines. It was a long trip, about 375 miles or 6 hours of driving. The road took us briefly through some pretty rural parts of northern Missouri, then southern Iowa.

We passed some areas that still had visible signs of the flooding that ravaged the area a few weeks ago. One small lake was still well beyond its normal bounds, and we saw some extensive sandbagging along parts of the highway. All in all, though, it seems to have drained well.

Speaking of farmland…the Midwest has been synonymous with corn for a while now, but wow, corn fields stretch as far as the eye can see! This is the agricultural industrial complex at its finest. It was a little depressing, though, knowing that millions of our tax dollars are being poured into this area via subsidies, feeding the corn-producing machine. I’ve also been reading Omnivore’s Dilemma, which laments the problem, so I’ve been on a bit of a tirade against corn recently.

Soon after entering Iowa we stopped for lunch in the little town of Mount Pleasant. We resisted the urge to pop into the nearest fast food joint, and instead drove to downtown. It was a quintessential Midwestern town with a town square surrounded by run-down shops and restaurants. We picked the most authentic-looking café and went in for a couple of burgers and fries. It was obvious that we were out-of-towners, but our waitress was really nice.

The rest of the drive into Des Moines was pretty long and uneventful. There’s not a whole lot going on in Iowa besides corn. Des Moines, though, was a nice-looking city. In most of the bigger cities we’ve passed through, there’s been a ton of development happening. I’ve read that this has to do with a younger generation coming of age, wanting urban living as portrayed in popular shows like Seinfeld and Friends. It’s also being driven by rising fuel costs – it’s no longer as exciting to live in the suburbs and pay the costs of commuting.

Upon arrival, we met up with my friend Rob for the first annual 80-35 music festival. We caught a few smaller bands, then ended the night with the Flaming Lips. Some magazine has called them one of the top 25 bands to see before you die, and it was certainly a spectacle. The lead singer rolled out into the audience inside of a translucent ball, and the stage backdrop was a continual psychedelic light show. But the scene wasn’t really our style. We were pretty tired from a long day of driving, and hundreds of drunk, smoking hippies and hipsters aren’t our crowd. Needless to say, we slept well that night.

Busch and more Busch - Day 5

This morning's run took us down Market Street to the Gateway Arch and the Mississippi River. It was overcast, which gave us a good indication of the weather for the day. We spent a couple of hours after our run playing on our new computers. Last night we received our new work computers via Fedex, and we were both really excited about that. They're sleek little Dell laptops - even lighter than our last ones.

Our first adventure of the day took us to Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals. We took the $10 stadium tour led by a retired school teacher and HUGE Cards fan. He took us all over the stadium, on four different levels. We visited the high-dollar suites, the press box, then ended in the home team's dugout. It was pretty cool to see such a massive structure completely empty.

After the stadium tour we headed north along the river, back to the Gateway Arch. C was scared to take the pod to the top, so we settled for watching a film about Lewis and Clark on the big screen. It gave us a little perspective on how differently we're traveling today compared to the unimaginable trials they went through as they took a similar course across the country. We also decided to support our national parks by becoming annual pass holders. We'll have to make sure we get our money's worth!

Our grand finale was a tour of the Anheuser-Busch brewery. I'm a big beer snob and can't handle too many of their brews, but it was nonetheless a cool visit. The scale at which they produce beer is phenomenal. The size and age of the brewery complex was also impressive. Many of the original buildings were built more than a hundred years ago, and the complex sits on 100 acres of land! We took the tour, then I imbibed in a couple of their more respectable brews.

Tonight we bunked with Neda, an LSU friend in med school at Washington University. She took us to a great Scottish bar for dinner - one of our best of the trip so far.

Day 4 - Nashville to St. Louis

Running is such a great way to explore a city. It's much more efficient than walking, and you're able to see so much more than if you're driving. Biking would be nice, but then you've got to worry about navigating traffic (most U.S. cities aren't very bike-friendly). I guess horse and carriage would be ideal, but of course, that's not usually and option. This morning we went on our usual run and explored Vanderbilt University. It's a gorgeous campus set just outside of downtown Nashville. The campus as a work of art seems a mostly American phenomenon. Europe has its share of beautiful, historic campuses, but not nearly to the degree of America.

After our run we got coffee at Fido, a coffee shop that was the former home of a pet store. If you haven't been able to tell, C and I are big coffee shop fans. Ironically, she doesn't like coffee, or any hot drinks for that matter, but we both like the ambiance. There's usually great music and a quiet atmosphere - both conducive to getting work done.

We hit the road mid-morning heading to St. Louis. We ended up visiting four states today - Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, and Missouri. It was another pleasant drive. Western Kentucky offered miles of pastoral rolling farmland, and we only got turned around a couple of times. Collectively, I think we've lost about an hour of time doing this road trip the old-fashioned way: with a road atlas and a few selected Google Maps printouts. With no GPS device, I think we're doing it pretty close to the way Lewis and Clark explored the West.

Downtown St. Louis is a beautiful place. The architecture was remarkable, and the preservation of older buildings was really commendable. C got a fantastic deal on Priceline.com for our first night there. We paid $60 for the Hyatt in the old Union Station. The entrance of the station served as the hotel's main lobby, and the rest of the station has been converted into a shopping mall. Whomever designed this place deserves awards! It is a model of historic preservation.

We made it to the hotel in just enough time to drop our bags then walk to Busch Stadium to catch the Cardinals vs. the Mets. The rain came down hard for about an hour during the third inning, so the game was delayed. When it stopped, it was getting late so we headed back to the hotel before the next wave of thunderstorms moved in. Troy Glaus hit his second homer of the game in the bottom of the ninth to win it for St. Louis.

Day 3

When we stepped out for our run this morning we were met by some chilliness. The temperature up in the mountains was an unseasonably crisp 65 degrees. In back of the inn was a nature trail that went by a small pond covered with morning fog. A couple of swans were nesting on its bank, and we steered clear of them as we've heard they can be mean. Some parts of the run were on pretty steep hills, but I guess we can just consider that preparation for Seattle.

Breakfast consisted of banana's foster French toast and bacon, with a couple of sourdough biscuits on the side. It was heavenly! It made up for our below average dinner the night before. After breakfast we sat in rocking chairs on the inn's back porch, doing work on our laptops and watching birds eat at the feeders.

We got on the road mid-morning and headed toward Nashville. The first part of the drive was the prettiest, as we passed through a couple of small rural towns. We rolled into Nashville around 2 p.m. and were able to catch lunch with a buddy of mine in med school at Vanderbilt. After that we found the place we were staying. Another friend from LSU let us stay at his place for a night - he was back home visiting his family.

The main event of the day was a trip to the Grand Ole Opry. The Opry started in 1925 as a weekly radio broadcast, and hasn't missed a week since. Today they do three broadcasts a week, and we were lucky to be in town for one of them. This was my second time visiting, Courtney's first, and we both loved it. We saw Pam Tillis, Terri Clark, and a great young songwriter named Eric Church (see video below).

After the Opry we drove to the airport to pick up our second car of the trip - a Chevy HHR. Then we dropped our red Suzuki off at its new home. Unfortunately, we didn't take many photos today.

Day 2: Smoky Mountains!

Miles driven today: 115
Total miles driven: about 350
Miles per gallon on the first tank: 28.08
Number of times Courtney has gone to sleep in the car: 0

We got up early (6:30) for a run about Asheville. It's a beautiful city. I think what's most remarkable is the gorgeous architecture. It just seems like cities aren't as adventurous today with their buildings. Or, if they are, they end up looking like that ugly 1970s cement stuff. Anyway, the weather was wonderful - a little north of 70 degrees.

After our run we hit the hotel gym for a few minutes, then got ready to go. At around 9 we got to the Dripolator, a cozy coffee shop just south of downtown. We did a couple hours of work for our new jobs before they kicked us out (not literally, but we got kicked off of their free wifi after two hours). We got some solid work done.

For lunch we went back to the Grove Park Inn. Courtney begged me to go to the Sunset Terrace restaurant, and I'm glad we did. We shared a salmon BLT and a mixed greens salad. Both were delicious, and the view couldn't be beat.

The driving today wasn't all that far, but it was on windy mountain roads, so we took our time. Passing through the small towns on the way to Smoky Mountains National Park was exciting. They were littered with kitschy campgrounds and small-time theme parks. It was America at it's best, and a primer for our eventual destination, Gatlinburg. Some people are turned off by the tourist traps, but it kind of refreshes me. I think it's testament to the freedom and diversity we have in America. Sure, it's kind of ugly, but beautiful on a non-aesthetic level. You sure don't come across this kind of stuff in France. It's remarkable that there's a market for it all.

We gave some serious thought to visiting the Museum of the Cherokee Indian in Cherokee, NC, but we decided to get on into the National Park instead. At the entrance of the park was a well-done replication of a mountain farm village. All of the buildings were original and were relocated to that spot. It was neat seeing how many different crops can be grown in this temperate climate.

Driving through the park was relaxing. The nature of the mountain highway only allows you to go about 40 mph, so we cruised along leisurely. The temperature varied from 64 degrees to about 75, depending on our elevation. The views were really unique. There's a haze that hangs over the mountains (hence the "Smokies" moniker) that Wikipedia tells me is from the hydrocarbons released by the vegetation. The deep green of the trees next to the blue skies also give the mountains a blue aura - which is why the neighboring range is called the Blue Ridge.

Popping out of the park to the north ran us right through Gatlinburg. Wow, what a site! It was like a one-mile stretch straight out of Pinocchio's Pleasure Island (minus the drunk kids). There's a fun park on every corner, with everything imaginable in between - wax museums, Ripley's Believe-it-or-not, an aquarium, you name it. It was once again a celebration of America - a paradoxical example both of all that is wonderful and all that is wrong with this country. A veritable feast for the senses!

We hurried through town (well, as fast as traffic would allow), to get to the Buckhorn Inn, our first bed and breakfast of the trip. What a contrast it was to the glitz of town. The inn is situated in the foothills of the Smokies, surrounded by pine and hemlock. It has an incredible view from the back porch and is as tranquil as can be. I give it a five stars.

Dinner, on the other hand, wasn't as inspiring, but you can't win em' all. It being Monday night, we retired to our room to watch the second-to-last episode of The Bachelorette.

From Josiah (former student)

From: Josiah Kelii
To: Jacob Landry
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2008 7:42:26 PM
Subject: where are you

So hows it going with the trip.I'm wondering if you could tell me about the sites.Keep me up to date. =)

Day 1: 230 miles

We left Courtney's parents' house in Florence at around 8:15 a.m. We're driving her sister Kristen's red Suzuki to Nashville where she's moving later this month. It's loaded down with clothes, two lamps, a set of pots and a a set of golf clubs for C's brother Chris. You can cram a lot of stuff in a hatchback.

Today's driving was pretty reasonable - we're just getting warmed up. Florence to Asheville, NC, is only about 230 miles. At mile 120 we stopped to use the restroom and C took the wheel. She lasted about 60 miles, then I took over again. We station-hopped for most of it, catching the entirety of A Prairie Home Companion on NPR.

There's not much to see across the mid-section of South Carolina, but as we got closer to the border of NC, we were in the midst of rolling hills and verdant forests - the foothills of the Appalachians. We caught a brief glimpse of the Blue Ridge Parkway as we crossed a couple of trickling rivers and valleys.

When we arrived in Asheville, our first stop was the Grove Park Inn. C wanted to stay here in celebration of our anniversary, but we couldn't quite swing the price of a night's lodging. Instead, we settled on a day at their spa - the first spa visit ever for each of us. We ended up spending 5.5 hours there. I felt a little self-absorbed, pampering myself for that long, but it sure was enjoyable. I spent my time bouncing between the eucalyptus-infused steam room, the 140-degree sauna, the mineral pool and the various hot tubs. When I needed a break, I relaxed in the fireside lounge with my book. All of this lazing about was broken up by a 50-minute deep tissue massage.

Bye the end of the afternoon, we were exhausted! Who'd have thought that being lazy would be so draining. We left the Grove Park Inn and checked into the Renaissance downtown Asheville. C got this for $80 on Priceline.com - a fraction of what a night at Grove Park would've cost us.

We rounded out the evening with dinner at Bistro 1896, a sidewalk cafe downtown. The mountain air was a welcome respite from the humidity of lowcountry South Carolina. Dessert at Marble Slab topped it off, then we headed back to hit the sack.

MOART - Mother of all Road Trips

Our career as teachers is over! Courtney and I left the classroom and Hawaii with bittersweet emotions. Saying goodbye to our students was a tear-jerking experience, and leaving our friends in Hawaii was also pretty tough. But embarking on a new adventure is always exciting, as is our extended vacation between jobs.

Soon we'll begin our new jobs recruiting for Teach For America in the Pacific Northwest, but in the meantime, we've got to get there. So, in celebration of this transition, as well as our first anniversary, we are embarking on the Mother of all Road Trips! A 3,000 mile journey across North America that will ultimately include three different cars and 10 days of driving.

Seattle, here we come!

Final Remodeling Project

Whew, after a few long days, bruised knees and a really sore back, our final remodeling project is complete! We overhauled our two bathrooms last spring, and this past weekend we (and I use "we" very generously ;) completed the kitchen. We'd put a new fridge and stove in place last year, but it was time to lay down the same ceramic tile that we used for the bathrooms. Our countertops were marked and stained, so we replaced those too. A new faucet, a dishwasher and floor molding made it all complete. See the before and after shots below.





P.S. Courtney helped a lot more this time than last :)

Leadership Lessons

Courtney and I have officially decided to leave the classroom after this year. It's a decision we made a couple of months ago, but we're making it official this week by telling our respective principals.

I can't possibly list all of the things I've learned from this experience, and this won't be my farewell, reflective post. But I have definitely learned some things about management. The morale among teachers at my school is generally low, and this can be attributed to a couple of specific factors controlled by my principal. Another glaring gap in the leadership at both of our schools is extremely unfortunate. At the beginning of the school year, Courtney and I were very open to staying in the classroom a third year. It's been a series of instances where we've been treated as something less than professionals, along with many instances where our input wasn't listened to nor valued, that has led to this decision.

The final frustrating piece was that about two months ago we were asked by our principals whether we'd be returning next year. We were fairly sure of our answer, but didn't want to rule anything out just yet, so we said "not sure." During the following two months, our principals never once approached us to talk to us about our decision, or encourage us to stay. Knowing the impact we've had on our students, we're confident that we've done a great job. This, however, left us feeling unwanted and little-valued.

We've seen countless problems and inefficiencies that are contributing to the failure of schools like ours to provide a relevant, meaningful and sufficient education. The most glaring problem, however, is school leadership. The job of principal is a difficult and multi-faceted leadership position, and we must have competent and capable people leading these schools.

Leadership/management lessons learned:

1. Encourage open lines of communication, and consider all perspectives and opinions
2. Do everything in your power to retain your highest performing and highest quality employees

Molokai

One of the most wonderful parts of living in Hawaii is the richness and beauty of it's land. We've been fortunate to have now visited five of the eight major islands. Of the three not visited, one is an uninhabited former bombing range, another is privately owned and inhabited by only native Hawaiians, and the other is Lanai, a former Dole pineapple plantation (the only one open to the public).

Courtney and I spent the three days of President's Day weekend on Molokai, population 7,400. The island stood in stark contrast to the others we've visited - both in its lack of people, and in its arid landscape. Most of the island is covered in agriculture, brush, and cattle. It has no obstetrician, only midwives, and no Wal-Mart! We rented an enormous house with seven of our buddies, spending most of our time out on the huge lanai (balcony/deck), watching humpback whales play in the seas between Molokai and Lanai.

On our final day there, we visited Kalaupapa peninsula, an isolated piece of land on the northern coast of the island, where for more than fifty years Hawaiians with leprosy were dumped to fend for themselves. Twenty-seven patients still live in the colony, along with about 150 National Park Service and Department of Transportation (who run the tiny airport) workers. There's one subsidized grocery store, and one gas station. The only way in is a 1.5 hr hike down the tallest sea cliffs in the world, by plane, or by boat. You can learn more about the history of the colony by watching the movie Molokai. Click on the slideshow below for captions.

9,000,000 Words

I don't brag about my students enough, so this here's a braggin' post.

We have a reading program called Accelerated Reader (both Courtney and I used this program in elementary school). The students read a book, then take a computerized comprehension test. The program assigns them a certain number of points based on the reading level, length of the book, and how well they did on the test. It's a phenomenal way for me to track what/how much they are reading, as well as how well they're understanding it. It's also a great motivation tool for the students. It's primarily used by 3rd-6th grade at our school.

Today I was looking at our school's "dashboard" and saw that my fifth graders are averaging 28 minutes of reading a day (almost all of it done outside of school) compared with 21 minutes by the fourth grade (of which I teach 15), and 11 minutes per day in sixth grade. My 38 students have read a total of 9,000,000 million words this year - the school's total is 17,000,000.

We're making lots of progress, and it's exciting. It astonishes me more and more that there are those who believe students like mine aren't as capable or somehow don't deserve as much as students in wealthier communities. An excellent education should be a RIGHT for all children in this great country.

Plastic Bags

Last year Courtney and I realized how many plastic bags we were bringing home every week from the grocery store. We re-used them for random things, but we couldn't get rid of them fast enough. Finally, this summer, we found a beach bag on sale at The Gap, and started taking that with us to the market and grocery store. The difference has been phenomenal. These bags are such a nuisance and detriment to the environment, and the stores seem ready and willing to give you hundreds during each shopping trip. We now have two re-usable cloth bags (and another set waiting for us on the mainland) that we use for every grocery trip.

Ireland has recently imposed a $0.33 fee for each plastic bag, and this New York Times story tells about its impact - they saw a 94% decrease in plastic bag usage within weeks.

International / Europe

Motivated by a Tax, Irish Spurn Plastic Bags

By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL

Published: February 2, 2008

The Irish have embraced the use of cloth bags to carry groceries, encouraged by a 33-cent tax on plastic ones.

Yes We Can

The Billary Effect

Now don't get me wrong, I won't be upset if Hillary Clinton is the next president of the United States. As this ridiculously long primary season drags on, however, I'm becoming a bigger and bigger supporter of Barack Obama. This editorial by the New York Times' Frank Rich sums up a lot of my reasoning for this. I'm not normally a big fan of Rich's columns, but this one hits the nail on the head.

Op-Ed Columnist

The Billary Road to Republican Victory

By FRANK RICH

Published: January 27, 2008

Any Democrat who seriously thinks that Bill Clinton will fade away if Hillary wins the party nomination is a Democrat who, as the man said, believes in fairy tales. ...

Tuxedo Man

Our current unit is on heroes, and we read a story about superheroes. After the story, my students had to use what they'd learned about superheroes to create their own. They had to tell his/her name, superpower, and weakness.

Cinnamon and Kayle had the most creative superheroes.

Cinnamon
My superhero's name is Tuxedo Man. His superpower is that he cleans all of the world's tuxedos. His weakness is stains.

Kayle
My superhero's name is Mr. Landry. His superpower is that he teaches kids lots of things like how to read. His weakness is when his students don't do their homework. (hilarious if you can imagine how mad I get when my students don't do their homework)

Computers for All!

$12,000 per student per year is how much Hawaii taxpayers are paying for public education. Our schools see about $9,000 of that. And yet we have one modern computer in every classroom, plus 3-4 antiquated Imacs. Hmm. What year is it again?

Last year I made the most of what I had - I used my three Imacs, then "borrowed" three more from other teachers who weren't using them. With these six computers I introduced my students to typing and to the Internet. I thought, however, that as we close on the first decade of the third millennium, my students needed and deserved a whole lot more than this. In their lifetime, these kids are going to be using technology at every turn. Typing today is much more valuable than cursive, and encyclopedias are yesterday's game. There's absolutely no excuse for a 10-year-old to be computer-illiterate.

Given all of this, I asked (or, sort of begged) people for computers. Finally, I discovered a gold mine. A colleague teaching at a nearby high school said his school had recently updated all of their computers and had a mountain of old Imacs (the same model that my school is still using) that they'd like to get rid of. Over the course of a couple of months last semester, I rounded up enough computers to ensure that ALL of my students would have their own! I now have 19 computers in my classroom. Each day my students spend about 15 minutes on a typing tutor, and we are just now venturing into other aspects of the Internet. Hopefully we'll soon start utilizing the class blog that I set up at http://mrlandry.blogspot.com. We'll have to just figure out a way to get around the DOE's ridiculous content filter (way too restrictive).

Thanks to my father-in-law for coming through with some Ethernet cables. I asked my school for some at the beginning of the school year, and by the end of the first semester I still hadn't received them.

Life is Sweet

Courtney and I often reflect on the the path our lives have taken us. We certainly realize how charmed our lives have been, and we are constantly trying to live it to the fullest. A friend introduced me to this poem by Kenneth Koch a couple of years ago, and I instantly saw it as an anthem for the completeness I feel at this point in life.

To My Twenties

by Keneth Koch

How lucky that I ran into you
When everything was possible
For my legs and arms, and with hope in my heart
And so happy to see any woman
O woman! O my twentieth year!
Basking in you, you
Oasis from both growing and decay
Fantastic unheard of nine- or ten-year oasis
A palm tree, hey! And then another
And another and water!
I'm still very impressed by you. Whither,
Midst falling decades, have you gone? Oh in what lucky fellow,
Unsure of himself, upset, and unemployable
For the moment in any case, do you live now?
From my window I drop a nickel
By mistake. With
You I race down to get it
But I find there on
The street instead, a good friend,
X---- N------, who says to me
Kenneth do you have a minute?
And I say yes! I am in my twenties!
I have plenty of time! In you I marry,
In you I first go to France; I make my best friends
In you, and a few enemies. I
Write a lot and am living all the time
And thinking about living. I loved to frequent you
After my teens and before my thirties.
You three together in a bar
I always preferred you because you were midmost
Most lustrous apparently strongest
Although now that I look back on you
What part have you played?
You never, ever, were stingy.
What you gave me you gave whole
But as for telling
Me how best to use it
You weren't a genius at that.
Twenties, my soul
Is yours for the asking
You know that, if you ever come back.

Online Shopping

Thank goodness for online shopping! After just one visit to a mall this Christmas weekend, I'm eternally grateful for purchasing nearly all of my Christmas gifts from the comforts of my condo. Honolulu is known for its traffic, but I could've never imagined witnessing a 15-20 minute traffic jam just to exit the mall parking lot!

This year I relied on Ebay.com, Amazon.com, Walmart.com, and some specialty online retailers to find all of my gifts. Shipping to Hawaii can be an issue, but because of my upcoming mainland trip, I was able to have everything shipped to Louisiana. Courtney and I did venture to Ala Moana, a super-nice mall in Honolulu, to baby shop. We found some cute outfits for my godson, Nate, and her friend's baby shower.

On another note, I've found it difficult once again to get swept up into the Christmas spirit here in Hawaii. With the sunshine and warm weather, Christmas seems like a foreign concept. It has been a little chillier than usual (high 81, low 70), but we also haven't decorated, which could be a contributing factor.

Three more days of teaching before the voyage home! Can't wait!

Honolulu Marathon - 2 days away!

DonorsChoose.org

I've heard about this site for a while now, but it was just recently opened up to Hawaii teachers. It's a site designed specifically for teachers, and it allows them to post grant proposals on anything that will influence student learning. Anyone can donate, funding all or part of a proposal. I'm not sure who is out there giving, but there certainly are some generous folks helping out.

Courtney has submitted two proposals that were fully funded, so I decided to give it a try. I have a pretty extensive classroom library, but am missing books that catch the low end of my readers. I submitted a proposal for $260 worth of books, third-fourth grade level adventure books that would expose my students to different parts of the world. Within two days it was fully funded! At the beginning of January, I should receive all of my books. My students will be stoked!

Here's a link to my proposal (already funded). With Christmas around the corner, sending a gift to a teacher through donorschoose.org would be a fabulous way to spread some holiday love :)

Mike Huckabee

I'm not sure, after these past seven or so years, that I'll ever be able to vote for a Republican for president. But, if the next president were Mike Huckabee, I wouldn't shed any tears.

As a former governor, he's got a solid track record and has stayed true to his beliefs. (Romney also had a successful tenure as governor, but his views have now completely changed to the more political opportune). Huckabee even talks a bit about education - something most of the other GOP candidates couldn't care less about. Here's a 1-minute soundbite of his views on the matter.



Then, if that doesn't woo you, this most definitely will.

$369.67

Trick-or-treat for UNICEF is a novel idea that encourages kids to help kids. The organization works to provide basic needs - clean water, food, vaccinations, etc. to children across the world who most need it. The kit they send teachers is great - with collection boxes, lesson plans, and a kid-friendly video that shows what kids around the world go through for the simple things most of us take for granted. It really touched my students, and exposed them to parts of the world that they rarely imagine.

Last year my students raised $170, which I was quite excited about. This year, inspired by the video and a great discussion about the most basic things people need to survive, my students raised $369.67!! I was stoked. It's incredible how passionate and generous kids can be with the right encouragement - we could learn a lot of lessons as adults.

Tonight Courtney and I took the top 5 money collectors out to dinner at Pizza Hut. It was an interesting mix with two fourth-graders and three-fifth graders, all girls. The socioeconomic range of my class is huge, from solidly middle class (two-income) to homeless. It was interesting to see this play out at dinner.

What They're Saying About Education...or Not

It seems the Democratic presidential candidates are betting on Iraq and healthcare, giving the minute attention they've given thus far to the dire state of American schools. Though the issue has yet to come up seriously in any debate, at least one candidate has given it some thought. Here's what each of them say about education on their respective Web sites:

Hillary Clinton*

• Attracting and supporting more outstanding teachers and principals, and paying them like the professionals they are.
• Reforming the No Child Left Behind Act. This law represented a promise -- more resources for schools in exchange for more accountability -- and that promise has not been kept.
• Increasing access to high-quality early education and helping to create Early Head Start.

*These bullets are the full extent to which she addresses education. They fall within her "Supporting Parents and Caring for Children" issue, one of 10 stand-alone issues.

John Edwards*

• Strengthen Public Schools
• Promote Economic Diversity
• Create Second-Chance Schools for High School Dropouts
• Expand College Opportunity

*Each of these bullets are followed by a one-paragraph explanation; these issues are addressed as part of Edwards' extensive and ambitious plan to "End Poverty Within 30 Years."

Barrack Obama*

• Expand Early Childhood Education
• Innovation to Improve Teacher Quality
• Pay Teachers More
• Reform and Fund No Child Left Behind
• Support Teachers
• Improve Testing and Accountability
• Give More High School Students Access to Rigorous College-level Courses
• Expand Summer Learning Opportunities
• Increase Federal Aid
• Free Up Money for Student Aid and Protect Student Borrowers

*Each of these bullets are followed by at least one paragraph explaining the means by which he would address the issue; education is one of Obama's 14 stand-alone issues. Obama seems to be the only candidate who has paid this issue any worthwhile attention.

PLEASE, PLEASE Watch!!!

Miss Teen South Carolina U.S.A. on U.S. Education. I hope she's not our new spokesperson on the issue!

I guess Courtney was too smart to be Miss South Carolina.

Hawaiian Produce

Produce, not surprisingly, grows remarkably well here. This being a near-perfect tropical climate, a huge range of fruits and vegetables flourish. The downside is, however, that in this global marketplace, it's more efficient to grow most things elsewhere. Thus brings the paradox of seeing trees laden with mangoes on my drive to school, yet seeing "Imported from Mexico" stickers on the $2.50/lb mangoes at Safeway. Or knowing that in many backyards in Hawaii, avocados are dropping like stones right now, yet the grocery stores are charging $2.50/lb for ones imported from Chile.

Alas, a few weeks ago one of my teacher friends from school told me about the local farmer's market. Come to find out, on Sunday mornings, just two miles from our condo, there's a wonderful market with a wide range of local produce. The market is sponsored by a division of the Parks and Recreation Department, and vendors are mandated to offer their produce for about 35% below grocery store prices.

We've since been stocking up on mangoes, apple bananas (short and tangy - much more flavorful than the average banana), avocados, papayas and much more. I'm in heaven! Check out this week's catch below.

Broken Arm

This is a photo of Jacob and Angelica. Jacob is a bright and mischievous guy - very easy to love. Angelica is extremely shy, but very devoted. She was one of my biggest success stories last year, making close to two year's growth in reading comprehension and fluency. She recently broke her arm. This makes things awkward for her, as she's right-handed, so is still using the arm to write. When she's not writing, she often rests it on her desk, elbow down, forearm sticking up in the air. I've now called on her countless times, thinking her arm is raised for a question or comment. This usually startles her, as, because of her shyness, she definitely doesn't like to be called on unsuspectingly. We both usually get a good laugh when this happens.

Young College Hopefuls

I've been trying to subtly lead my students to believe that college, for them, isn't really an "option", it's a given. I registered as a prospective student on a few Hawaii and West Coast university Web sites, and my kids enjoy looking through the college viewbooks. If any of you have any old posters or pennants or anything from your alma maters, I'd love to display it in class. Just shoot me an email for my address.

Hurricane Flossie

I've received a few calls and emails regarding Hurricane Flossie. As it stands now, it should bypass us on Oahu. If you look on the map below, worst-case scenario is that it hits the Big Island which on the map, is the biggest island. Oahu is one of the ones to the left of it, so we're sort of in it's shadow. I imagine we'll get some rain, and the winds have been pretty strong all day today, but no need to worry!

Poetry

Sometimes I feel as if my students are supremely limited in their written communication. Most of them speak Hawaiian Creole Pidgin at home, so writing in Standard English is really difficult - particularly with regard to grammar.

Today we began a unit on poetry, one we unfortunately didn't get to last year. I think it will be a great way for them to throw off the bowlines in their writing, as in poetry, conventions matter very little. Today was a great start - here are some of my favorites. The rules were: no more than three words to a line; no rhyming words.

Braces, by Shayna
Heavy weighted metal.
I'll be heavier.
5 pounds or more.
Bright Lights
Laughter of people.
Giggling around school.
Teasing my braces.

Lunch Lady, by Lyric
I wonder who
is she mean
is she ugly
I hope not
I hear her
saying next loudly
what will happen
will she give
gross food
like eyeballs
or ears or
hands I wonder

Moving Away, by Bailey
throat tightens
tears settle in
lips shut
eyes open
heart turns cool
black out
knees weakening
think of memories
walking away silently

Scared, by Henriette
I was scared
at Maili Beach
A fight started
With my uncle
I was frightened
and started crying
Then cops came
and stopped it.

Untitled, by Jacob
Mr. Landry isn't good
No rhyming words
How could he
I love rhyming
He's still Mr. Landry
He's my teacher
I'm his student
can't do anything
I'll tell Ms. Owen
he took off
his wedding ring.

Supreme Awkwardness

So many situations as a male teacher are awkward. Number one in my book is the hug. As a compassionate individual with 33 young people around everyday, there are countless situations when at any other time, a hug would be a natural occurrence or remedy. The last day of school, when a kid is sick or his or her feelings have been hurt, etc. But alas, I have resorted to the half-hug, and only when initiated. Ka'aina, of previous posting fame, is a bit clingy, so he gets a lot of half-hugs (one arm around the shoulder).

Other awkward situations are one-on-one situations, i.e. tutoring, or when I keep someone in from recess. I basically just make sure there is always more than one student in the room, and parents sometimes request that other students be there if their kid is going to stay for extra help.

One particularly awkward moment was when on the day after school let out I called a couple of students to come help me clean my room. They'd said they wanted to the day before, but try explaining that to a parent. "Hi, can Angelica come to school (when school's out for the summer) to help me scrub some desks?" Courtney can do it and have parents think nothing of it, but if Mr. Landry does it, it's pretty weird.

So, that brings us to today. None of the previous awkwardness has even compared. See, I have a whiz in my class named Josiah. He's a brilliant little guy, part Hawaiian, part Korean. He's incredibly disorganized and habitually late, but so perceptive. He's truly gifted. The latest reading comprehension diagnostics I gave him put him at an 8th or 9th grade comprehension level. This is fantastic in itself, but presents a few minor challenges. The first being I teach 5th grade. Therefore, my classroom library is geared towards 5th graders. I don't have many options for him to have a challenging read. I do, however, have a couple of books. One of which is To Kill a Mockingbird.

On the second day of school, Josiah picks up To Kill a Mockingbird. My initial instinct was "Sweet!!" What teacher wouldn't want his student to pick up that book on his own? But after he took it back to his desk, I started thinking about the content. I remembered that the premise is a rape trial, though, of course the book is about so much more than rape. I thought about how relatively liberal my parents were with me growing up and how if I came across anything I was unfamiliar with, they generally never held information back.

I took the book away, but said I'd call and talk to his parents about it. So today I rang his mom, invited them to open house, then brought up the book. I explained that Josiah was reading on a super-high level, and that makes some books with mature topics accessible for him. I asked if she knew of the story To Kill a Mockingbird, and she said no. That should've been my first clue, but I went on. "Well, this story has a rape in it," I explained, "and I wanted to know if you were ok with him reading it and would just like to talk to him about the content first." Awkward pause. "Oh, no, I don't want him reading stuff like that." I ramble a bit about how I just wanted to check with them first and stuff. Awkward pause # 2. "Well, ok, I hope I see you guys at the open house, bye!"

Ahhh! Lorrdez, my fun-loving, matter-of-fact co-teacher (she teaches math), said I should call her back and explain what the book is about, but I just fear that would make things even more awkward. But I don't know - as it stands, Mr. Landry called to see if Josiah could read a book about rape. Hmm. I just wonder if this would've been as awkward if it were Courtney calling a parent.

Honeymoon Continues - Volcano, HI

As the Big Island came into sight through the airplane window, Courtney and I knew that we were visiting a place wholly different from crowded Oahu. Hilo, the Big Island's biggest and Hawaii's second largest city at 47,000 people, is a quaint, but sleepy town on the island's eastern shore.

Once we picked up our Chevy Cobalt from Avis, we ventured into Hilo town and made the farmer's market our first stop. We were in heaven as the produce was all locally-grown and much cheaper than our neighborhood Safeway. We bought hothouse tomatoes, Japanese (burpless) cucumbers, a giant avocado, mangoes and a huge bag of papayas (this must be peak season as I got 7 for $2!!).

After the market, we explored more of Hilo, then made the 30-mile drive West to Volcano, home of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The Guest Cottage at the Volcano Rainforest Retreat was heavenly, complete with a cozy, but adequate kitchen and a woodburning stove.

The next few mornings we got up early to hike around the national park. It's tough to describe how odd the terrain was at the bottom of the different caldera, but if I had to sum it up in one word, it would be "otherworldly." I kept commenting to Courtney that it seemed like we were on a different planet - minus the few plants springing up now and then. The scene was terrific - the Alpha and Omega. Some parts of the caldera were completely barren, a wasteland representative of a place where all life ceases to exist. Other areas were hopeful and inspiring as Ohia trees and ferns were springing up, almost unbelievably, in the black volcanic rock - proving the fortitude and perseverance of Mother Nature.

Other highlights were walking through an underground lava tube that was once filled with molten magma and steam vents where the the subterranean heat was close enough to the surface to heat rainwater seeping down, turning it to steam.

Check my facebook.com album for photos from this part of our trip.

Honeymoon Begins - Latta, SC

Latta, South Carolina, was a tiny town stuck in a simpler time with tree-lined streets and a downtown post office and library. Everything in walking distance and everything quiet (of course, we were there on a Sunday), tucked just far enough away from I-95 for it to be sheltered from Interstate visitors. Courtney and I left the wedding reception at about 10 p.m. and made the 35-minute drive to Abingdon Manor - a Greek Revival mansion set on a lush yard complete with magnolia trees and an enviable herb garden.

The next morning Courtney and I awoke, feeling pretty well-recuperated from the previous day's festivities, and readied ourselves for church at the quaint Methodist church down the street. We were the obvious newbies in the small congregation, and after the service, Ms. Iratene Henry welcomed us, inviting us to their monthly pot-luck lunch. It didn't take much to convince us, as we hadn't at that point given much thought to where we would have lunch on a Sunday in sleepy little Latta. Ms. Iratene was a very gracious host, introducing us to everyone and quickly making us feel like celebrities (a few folks had seen our picture in the Florence Daily News that morning).

Lunch was a great mixture of summer food with squash casserole, shrimp and grits, deviled eggs and an incredible creamy pecan cake for dessert. We had a wonderful time, and it was a perfect reminder of the generosity and graciousness of small-town America - something Courtney and I have been away from for a long time now.

Monday morning we rode to Charlotte with Courtney's parents and brother, Chris. We connected in Atlanta for the 9-hour plane ride back to Honolulu. Although we were dreading returning home (mainly because it means returning to work), arriving in Honolulu to 75-degree weather and a light Hawaiian mist was definitely refreshing.

Remodeling Update

I laid the tile and Courtney and I painted this bathroom before we left for the mainland. We planned to finish it completely during our one-day visit home between the wedding and the honeymoon. It went down to the wire, but we did finish before we left - leaving it in pristine condition for our new roommate. It seems with remodeling there are endless frustrations and complications, but when it's all said and done, the feeling of accomplishment is overwhelming.

Before



After

Finished!

Courtney and I broke away from the confines of Oahu and are now enjoying the wonderful heat and humidity of Louisiana and South Carolina. We had a great time at our "Cajun Wedding Party" in Jennings, La. My Granny even got Courtney's dad out on the dance floor!

The year ended quickly for us. Our schools were both in disarray towards the end. They manage their disorganization relatively well all year, but as the end of the year rolled around, going to school became a bit of a headache. Learning was definitely not prioritized during the last two weeks, which was pretty unfortunate. Just chalk it up as one more reason why my school is in the state that it's in.

On a happier note, Courtney and I cut loose after our last school day ended and joined some friends for a sunset sail on a catamaran in Waikiki. Here are some photos.

$13,000 Per Student, Per Year!!

The Honolulu Advertiser once again covers an important story on education, but misses the point. In today's article, the newspaper reports the fact that Hawaii schools receive more than $2 million each year in private donations. It even states that some schools have become reliant on these donations, even to cover some operating expenses. The article goes on to tell us that the state spends roughly $13,000 per student per year in public education (Louisiana spends about $7,600).

Where the article misses the point, however, is how in the world a state can spend that much money on public education and still have schools relying on private donations! Not to mention still have crumbling (in a figurative sense) schools. That's absurd!! Punahou, the most elite private school in Hawaii, alma mater of Steve Case (founder of AOL), Michelle Wie (golf phenom) and Barack Obama, charges $14,725/year in tuition. Shouldn't a public education be comparable in quality?

These numbers highlight two major points. First, money is not the issue! Competency is the issue! (one of many, I guess, but a leading contender) Second, there are inane inefficiencies in a system that can spend so much money per student, yet have so little of it trickle down to the classroom. With that kind of a budget, you'd think teachers could be paid a professionally-competitive salary, and all classrooms would be equipped with a set of personal computers. Instead, we have a top-heavy Board of Education bureaucracy hiring a slew of carpetbagging consultants, among many other money-draining endeavors, I'm sure.

The disappointing thing is that nobody is calling them on this. The Honolulu Advertiser's mission is "to chronicle Hawaii's story while being a vigilant partner in helping the Islands shape their future. To be diligent, truthful, accurate and fair. To provide a voice for all the community..." Unfortunately, as I've become accustomed to, the voice of my students is not being provided by this powerful publication.

Ode to New Orleans

Nearly two years after Hurricane Katrina hit, New Orleans is still struggling to find itself and rebuild the vibrant core it once was. My friend Rob is doing his part, volunteering for Habitat For Humanity this month. You can read his musings at Quarry Hill Road.

There was also a wonderfully-written 'Ode to New Orleans' of sorts in today's Times-Picayune by gifted writer Chris Rose. Courtney and I have, as of late, thrown teaching a couple of years in New Orleans into the mix of things we'd be interested in doing post-Hawaii.

Memorial Day Bewilderment

With nearly 3,500 U.S. troops dead and more than 26,000 servicemen wounded, not to mention the more than 100,000 Iraqis killed, this was a poignant Memorial Day for me. I remember attending a lecture at LSU in the spring of 2001, and the lecturer listed all the reasons why Iraq was not capable of an attack on the U.S., and the reasons why a preemptive strike would be the wrong thing to do.

Five years later, those words echo as we've dug ourselves into a quagmire that has destroyed our reputation around the world, made our country exponentially more unsafe, and created a haven for Islamic extremists (in Iraq). It's tough to ignore the parallels to the Vietnam War that also began under the pretense of promoting democracy abroad, and ended in a senseless waste of money and human life.

Each evening, at the end of The News Hour on PBS, the program airs photos of soldiers recently killed in Iraq. Below the photo is the soldier's age and hometown. I'm not sure what saddens me most, seeing the 18 and 19-year-olds fresh out of high school, or the 35-year-olds who probably have three young kids at home waiting for their return. I think everyone who supported this disaster should sit through this photo roll each evening.

Watching this episode unfurl during the past five years has been at times unbelievable, and other times amazingly ironic. In a Christian society that each election cycle debates the value of human life with regard to abortion, we're so easily led into battle and are so quiet in the face of this enormous loss of human life. Equally ironic was tonight's report on The News Hour about proposed cuts to the SCHIP program that provides health insurance to America's least privileged children. Apparently we can't find the money to insure the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters, yet we supported a war that at this point has cost each American family $20,000.

This site compares the cost of the Iraq War to what we could do in healthcare and education with the same amount of money.

Initial White House cost estimates were $50 to $60 billion dollars. Some economists have now predicted that this war will end up costing $1 trillion.

I can try to find the bright spot in all of this and say that we'll learn from our mistakes and a transgression of this magnitude won't happen again. But there isn't a bright spot. As we've seen over and over again throughout history, nationalism and colonialist tendencies are no match for our feigned concern for human life.

A Year's Reflection

Courtney and I are part of the "Sponsor A Teacher" program in Teach For America, where the organization gets corps members to communicate with important supporters and donors. It doesn't require much, just sending a couple of reflections during the year. I wish there was more contact, so that we could really engage in discussion about our experience, but this at least allows us to put some of our reflections down on paper. Here's the recent letter I sent to my sponsor.

"May 21, 2007

Dear Sponsor,

More than 300 days ago, I landed in Hawaii with an inimitable mixture of excitement, curiosity and trepidation. I had no idea what was in store, and still, after nearly an entire school year, can’t fully quantify the ways that this experience has affected me.

What I can quantify, however, are some of the ways that I’ve been able to impact my own students. I’d be remiss to say that I moved every one of my students the elusive two grade levels of growth, but I have collected my share of success stories.

Angelica, one of my smallest, shyest students, has made incredible gains in reading fluency and comprehension. She’s been able to recognize her own progress, and has seen how much her relentless hard work has paid off while moving from a fourth grade to a sixth grade reading level. Ka’au, who had a difficult last year, spending much of it in the principal’s office, has become a leader among his fourth-grade peers. And Jewel has steadily matured into a bright, compassionate young lady, all the while grappling with the disbelief that her father murdered someone in September.

The challenges that I’ve faced, and there have been many challenges, pale in comparison to some of the inherent challenges and roadblocks that my students face in Nanakuli. What I try to do every day is equip my students with the capacity to make the decisions that will steer them in their own direction in life. I recognize my shortcomings in accomplishing this, and will make many changes in the upcoming year; but I also recognize the modest differences that I’ve been able to make in my students’ lives, and I cherish that opportunity.

Thank you sincerely for your support of Teach For America."

Renovation Part 1

In an effort to add some value to our condo, particularly in a cooling real estate market, Courtney and I decided to do a few upgrades. Our place was built nearly 13 years ago, and just about everything but the carpet is original. The prefab cabinetry is beginning to peel, and the appliances were really showing their age. So our first round was to upgrade all of our appliances (fridge, stove and stacked washer/dryer). We found some pretty good deals at the Sears Outlet store. In conjunction with the appliance upgrade, we decided to re-do the master bathroom. It was definitely an undertaking. We ran into a few snags, but nothing insurmountable, and learned a ton along the way. Courtney even broke a sweat once or twice ;) Here are some photos.

Unfortunately, we never really took a before shot of our bathroom before the remodel, so this is a picture of the second bath, which basically had the same layout and fixtures. The vanity light fixture was rusting, and the cabinetry was way outdated. The laminate flooring was a good color, but it just didn't add anything to the room.

Post demolition, installing cement board as a foundation for the ceramic tile. This whole process was brutal on my back and knees. So much so that I took a day off from school to recover.

The final product! After much sweat and bruised knees and knuckles, the project came together beautifully. The ceramic tile is a huge upgrade from laminate rug, and the deep color is refreshing. We're now working up enough stamina to tackle half of the other bathroom before heading home for summer break.

The Zoo!

This week was the end-of-the-year fourth grade field trip to the Honolulu Zoo. My students were so excited. It's really easy from day-to-day to forget that they're such young kids. I demand so much from them academically and behaviorally, that it's easy to ignore the fact that they're just 9 years old. To see them wildly ecstatic was refreshing. Courtney also took the day off of work to join us.

If You Could Travel to Any Period in Time...

If you could travel to any period in time, where would go and why?

"I would go back to caveman time so I could ride dinosaurs!" - Ka'au
"But there weren't any cavemen when dinosaurs roamed the earth." - Mr. Landry
"Oh, well I'd still go back to caveman time." - Ka'au

"I would go to the future to see who I am going to marry." - Lyric

"I would go back to 2003. That was a happy time because my mom used to spend time with me and my sister." - Moani

"I would go back to when my grandma was still alive." - Tresslee

Ed in '08

Yes, I’m alive, and despite the long absence, I’ve been doing a lot of deliberating recently. After a spring break trip back to the mainland, we had a week of state standardized testing – a lightning rod subject in education circles.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) measures educational progress based on these tests, and fourth grade is a benchmark year. I was pretty nervous, and after my own attempt to gauge how my students did, I had plenty of reason to be. I don’t think they fared very well, despite the growth many of them have made. Unfortunately, schools don’t currently get credit for growth – so even if a fourth-grader moves from a first grade reading level to third grade, he/she still can’t hack the fourth grade test.

This is the only criticism I’ll lay on NCLB, as you can hear plenty of it from teachers, administrators and unions across the country. And, quite honestly, I’ve become a supporter of it in principle. The goals are unrealistic, and there are most definitely gaps in the framework, but the way it has brought at least minimal accountability to the classroom is a step in the right direction.

I know I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating. If this experience is teaching me anything, it’s that the problems within our system are ridiculously complex and massive. Because of this, I’ve become wary of any quips and soundbites from critics or politicians – even critics of NCLB because the problems can’t be solved by any simple solutions.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation along with the Broad Foundation are aiming to put education at the forefront of the 2008 presidential discussion. As anyone who’s begun to follow this has already seen, Iraq is dominating the conversation, but the Gates and Eli Broad are hoping that $60 million is enough to grab the nation’s attention. Check it out at www.Edin08.com.