“Observe yourself as you start to drift toward the internet, searching for confirmation that you suck, and then use that impetus as a signal to instead turn off your phone or internet connection and be messy in your art for an hour without the intention of making anything in particular.”
― Beth Pickens, Your Art Will Save Your Life

On January 7th, 2000 I took a trip up River Road. These were the first baby steps on a trip that I was uncertain I would be able to see to fruition.

The signs had been clear for years, drugs and alcohol weren’t working for me anymore, and change was inevitable, but still, I clung to old habits. I was blessed that the father of a young woman whose heart I had broken through my substance abuse somehow still saw value in me, despite my multiple transgressions. He took me under his wing and set my feet on the path to recovery. A gift I will never be able to repay.

I didn’t take to recovery like a duck to water, but fortunately, once it began, I never wavered from the journey. By grace, I never had to endure going back out after making the commitment to get clean.

AA was definitely not my cup of tea. I invented all kinds of mental games in order to make it through meetings. The biggest lesson I had to learn was that it wasn’t always about me and what I wanted. Sometimes I just had to suit up and shut up. It’s a lesson that still resonates today.

No matter how I feel about AA, it’s undeniable that it not only saved my life but also provided the tools that are so necessary to navigate today’s trials and tribulations. I honestly don’t believe I’d stand a chance facing the challenges of today without the valuable tools given me by my time spent in the rooms of Alcohol Anonymous.

AA was where I discovered the power of faith and re-enforced my belief in magic. Magic hasn’t fallen out of favor in today’s world, where science has become the new religion. That’s to our detriment. Balance, as I’ve learned is the secret. One over the other limits possibilities, as does one without the other. Balance is the secret sauce that has led me to this point.

I spent 27 days in a rehab facility with people that could never embrace the power of faith. Faith that if you took the steps, the change would come. Faith, that by surrendering you were taking power. Faith that life could be lived on life’s terms. Sadly some of those people are still struggling with addiction today, or worse, they are locked up or 6 feet under.

There is a science that explains why I’m an addict and what the continued use of drugs and alcohol would do to me. But without faith and a belief in magic, I’d be in a whole different place unable to embrace science.

Today I am grateful to live in a world where both magic and science can co-exist. It ain’t perfect, but it’s a damn sight better than the one I left behind 22 years ago.

Keep coming back, it works if you work it.

AN IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE

Before we get too far in the new year, I’ve got to pause and give a tip of the hat to Tennessee’s Commissioner of Education Penny Schwinn. The fact that she is still employed by the state of Tennessee is a truly impressive feat. Not only is she still employed, but she’s still throwing her weight around with the hubris of the terminally successful despite multiple missteps and not having a single signature accomplishment.

During her tenure, she has subverted state law to manipulate textbook adoption. She has attempted to sneak policy by lawmakers on a regular basis. Families who did not qualify for the disability voucher program were awarded disability vouchers. Teacher TVAAS scores were delivered months late. Lawsuits were brought towards her and the department. Sweetheart contracts were awarded to companies that employed her spouse. None of it seemed to matter to the Teflon queen, she remains secure in the support of the governor.

Most impressive is her ability to mismanage the staff of the Tennessee Department of Education. Under the guise of disruption, upon arrival, Schwinn ran off the majority of long-term employees at the state DOE. At the time Governor Lee gave a public voice of support to the massive employee exits,

“The governor has given Commissioner Schwinn a mandate to challenge the status quo in education, and he is confident in her leadership,” Lee spokesman Chris Walker said by email. “Giving our kids every chance at success is what education is all about, and the Commissioner and her team are doing just that.”

Schwinn went further in giving the illusion that this was all a part of some sort of deliberate plan, and that staff departures were just a temporary thing. she told The Tennessean, “We’re really excited about the senior team and what they’re building,”

Unfortunately, events didn’t bear out Schwinn’s excitement. With Katie Houghtlin exiting the building last month, that entire senior leadership team she referred to is no longer employed by the state of Tennessee. Every leader she brought in has failed to remain through the Governor’s first term.

Schwinn still has a couple late entries like Chief of Staff for Academics Teresa Yates. former TFAer and resident of Boston who joined the team in June, and Accountability Superintendent RachelMaever from California who arrived 2 months ago from California, but mostly she’s left with those Tennesseans who were her before she got here. The ones she couldn’t chase out.

I don’t what’s more impressive, running one team off and then running your own team off, or managing to survive two purges.

Either way, I’d like to present Commissioner Schwinn with the inaugural Urban Meyer Leadership award. This award was created to honor the leadership skills Meyer championed while head coach of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars. It goes to the person who most amplifies those qualities while doing something Urban was unable to do – remain employed.

Here’s hoping Commissioner Schwinn doesn’t become the first back-to-back recipient.

DOE”S LOVELY CHRISTMAS PRESENT

My, how Mrs. Schwinn and her minions love a Christmas time RFP. Last year it was for a contract that was eventually awarded to the employer of her spouse. This year she is back with one that is designed to support her signature initiative but encompasses so much more.

Over the last 6 months, Commissioner Schwinn has been strong-arming districts to invest a significant portion of their ESSER money in her Tennessee Accelerating Literacy and Learning (TN ALL) Corps, Participation comes with a number of requirements,

While TN ALL Corps is primarily a tutoring program, this RFA involves so much more,

Rutherford County ultimately held the hearing and denied the application. As per their state-granted right, Rutherford Collegiate Prep appealed that decision. That appeal was heard this morning and resulted in approval for the charter school.

The motion to override Rutherford County’s decision was made by a count of 4-3 despite board member Wendy Tucker pointing out that the data shows that trying to fix incomplete applications in order to approve schools, seldom leads to successful schools. Commission members seemed determined to jam a charter school into a non-urban setting despite existing shortcomings in the school’s application.

Many of the commissioners voiced an opinion that Rutherford County Schools had “played games” with the application process, and as a result, they were insistent in overturning the decision of the district in an effort to issue a warning to other LEA’s and not because they felt this school was prepared to offer a viable option to the district’s students. Few voiced an opinion that indicated they felt the school presented a compelling argument to allow them to begin enrolling students.

In other words, more adult games in response to adult games.

To Rutherford County, I offer a hearty welcome to the Thunder Dome. It’s only downhill from here.

SHORTCUTS

Look what cream has risen to the top in Hamilton County. Chattanooga recently named Dr. Justin Robertson to replace former Director of Schools Bryan Johnson. One of Robertson’s first actions was to appoint former MNPS administrator Sonia Stewart to the role of Deputy Superintendent for Hamilton County Schools. You may remember that Stewart and MNPS Director of Schools Adrienne Battle weren’t exactly besties. Stewart spent a year in Battle’s dog house before exiting to Chattanooga where she assumed the role of Midtown Learning Community, and now she’s the number two. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out on a state level going forward.

It’s even more interesting when you consider that TNDOE deputy superintendent Lisa Coons is another MNPS administrator terminated by Dr. Battle. Coons was exceptionally incompetent in her role as executive director of priority schools – excuse me, schools of innovation- but sometimes it is best to heed the words of Michael Corleone, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?”

In Nashville, MNPS School board member and state executive director of Education Trust Gini Pupo-Walker has elected not to run for re-election. She cites numerous reason’s for her decision.

“At the end of the day, it’s a bandwidth issue,” Pupo-Walker told The Tennessean. “My ability to take care of my parents is getting harder and harder as each year goes by and I think passing the baton to someone with fresh legs is a good idea and I do believe that other people should serve.”

Gabe Hart, chief communications officer for Haywood County Schools and a former teacher of English and Literature, has written an editorial for the TN Lookout that needs to be read by anybody who cares about kids and their education. Hart points out,

In December, in an attempt to recruit more corrections officers, Lee gave new officers a 37% raise which put the starting salary for a TDOC officer at $44,500.  First-year teachers in Metro Nashville Public Schools will make $46,000 during their first year, and MNPS is one of the highest-paying districts in the state.  First-year teachers in Madison County make $38,000. The average first-year teacher makes around $40,000 — almost $5,000 less than a first-year corrections officer.

The money shot comes with the conclusion where he advises Governor Lee,

It’s in his best interest to put his money where his mouth is.  Stop telling teachers that we’re essential and show us how essential we are.

Riddle me this, have we ever seen such an influx of federal dollars with so little to show for its infusion, like that associated with ESSER funding? I’m hard-pressed to cite any instances where the cash has resulted in tangible success stories. Instead of improving student outcomes, it seems to primarily benefit adults. Sure, there were investments made in technology, but everything else has seemingly been a wash. In the higher-education world at least they used the money to help students’ financial situation. In k-12, MNPS teachers were given a grand pre-taxes with an expectation of eternal gratitude. Maybe this is just another example of the new math, but something ain’t adding up.

Categories: Education