House Bill 7019–and Seth McKeel

There are a set of schools in Polk County  the bear the McKeel name.   It’s a charter school – which basically  means that special rules apply to them. They get to choose their students and have the option to get rid of those students, for a variety of reasons.  It’s no coincidence that a local State Representative is named. .  . Seth McKeel.   Today a group of teachers held a rally outside of Seth McKeel’s office.  Those teachers who were there disapprove of House Bill 7019 and wanted our local Representative to be aware of our feelings. 

This was part of his response: 

“Today and tomorrow the Florida House will consider House Bill 7019. . . a personnel initiative seeking to end guaranteed tenure by linking evaluations, performance pay and employment decisions with student learning gains.” 

Let’s start with some honesty here:  call it what it is:  Performance pay based on testing.  He goes on to say:

“I will be voting in favor of House Bill 7019 on the floor this week. . .”

I have a hard time with this part. He has already decided how he’s going to vote, regardless of what his constituents think, how his constituents believe and regardless of what evidence is presented to him.  Why on Earth is the House wasting two days discussing the bill, if everyone knows how they will vote already? Is it possible that they are just going through the motions, trying to convince us that they really care what we think, when they plan to pursue their own agendas regardless??

Later he says this: 

“In my 10 years of public service, I have voted for very few proposals that didn’t need some re-working in later years.”

This does NOT inspire confidence in him, his voting, or our system. 

This is what really gets me:

“There is a tremendous amount of political posturing going on with this issue. Please don't believe all the stuff the union is spreading about the "Republicans'" intentions or the bill itself...it is not mean-spirited, it does not reduce any teacher's pay one dime, it does not take away any current teacher's tenure, and teacher contracts will still be subject to the union's collective bargaining. If someone tells you differently, ask them to point to that section of the bill because it's just not true.”

The bill requires school districts to set up TWO salary schedules: A ‘grandfathered’ salary schedule for current employees and a new ‘performance salary’ schedule.  The law requires that the new performance salary schedule must be greater than the highest annual salary adjustment available on the grandfathered salary schedule.

· All instructional personnel hired after July 1, 2014 will be paid according to the new performance salary schedule. 

· Employees on the current salary schedule may also choose to move to the new performance salary schedule.  However, current employees who opt into the performance salary schedule must relinquish their continuing or professional service contract and agree to be employed for the remainder of their career on an annual contract.   Lines 580 – 586 say: 

the employee relinquishes such contract and agrees to be employed on an annual contract under s. 1012.335. Such an employee shall be placed on the performance salary schedule and may not return to continuing contract or professional service contract status. Any employee who opts into the performance salary schedule may not return to the grandfathered salary schedule.

Teachers hired after July 1, 2011 or veteran teachers who move to a new school district will automatically be put on one-year contracts for life and will never be eligible for job security or due process. Employees who move to the new performance salary schedule may not return to the grandfathered salary schedule and may not return to continuing contract or professional service contract status. 

The bill requires districts to fund the performance schedule at a higher rate than the ‘grandfathered’ schedule, yet it provides NO NEW FUNDING.  This puts our district in the untenable position of shortchanging services to our students OR taking money from the grandfathered salary schedule.

In addition, the school districts must begin developing and implementing hundreds of additional FCAT style tests and the new evaluation systems this year.  Some estimates say the total cost of new tests, technology and software could be over $2 billion, yet the Legislature is providing NO new funding.

After I read all this, I can’t decide if our Representatives are truly blind or are just choosing NOT to see what’s clearly in front of them. 

A perfect box

One of my friends gave me a Russell  Stover box of chocolates as part of a Christmas surprise. It’s the little box with 4 chocolates in it. I started thinking – I think that’s the perfect gift.  It’s already wrapped.  Even though I know it’s chocolate, I don’t know what kind, so it’s a surprise.  You can hold it in your hand.  It’s just enough, but not so much you get sick from eating it all.  And, last, but not least – it’s CHOCOLATE!! Absolutely perfect!!

Whatever happened to customer service?

I don’t really make New Year’s Resolutions, because I always mess them up, but I have kind of decided to be nicer this year.  I really don’t want to be rude or hateful to people.  Well, today was the first day I’ve ventured out of my house in 2011, and wouldn’t you know it, my resolve was tested immediately.

I have been eating a LOT of chicken soup.  Because I’ve been sick, I’ve eaten chicken noodle soup, chicken soup with noodles, chicken noodle soup with vegetables.  I’m starting to cluck!  Okay, maybe that’s a SMALL exaggeration, but I have eaten a lot of soup. So after my second trip to Wal-Mart to pick up my prescription, I decided to get a big juicy hamburger from Wendy’s.  I was craving red meat.  So here I go, into Wendy’s.  I got my bacon cheeseburger and started home. There was some sort of horrible traffic jam  and it seemed to take FOREVER to get home.  I know a traffic jam in Auburndale sounds ridiculous, but there were a whole lot of police cars, the fire trucks, just a huge mess. Our Wal-Mart was so brilliantly designed as to have just one way into the parking lot.  So I ended up sitting through three red lights  to get out of the parking lot.  It was like a conspiracy to keep me from getting home.  While I was sitting, I ate my French fries. I didn’t want to eat my hamburger because it would be too messy. 

I finally get home, put on my pajamas, and sit down to eat my juicy bacon cheeseburger.  I open it to see – a chicken sandwich. And not even  a REGULAR chicken sandwich – the value meal chicken sandwich.  I always order my burgers with no onions, mustard or pickles. This chicken sandwich was COVERED with onions and mustard, neither of which it comes with normally. That means it was somebody’s special order. 

So, I put my clothes back on and my sweet nephew Josh drives me back to Wendy’s.  Here’s where the customer service (or lack thereof) comes in. . . I walk in, with a drive through bag.  Nobody even notices.  I move closer to the counter. No, I’m not waiting in the 8 person long line to get my cheeseburger. I move closer and closer to the counter.  Finally, the counter person says “I’ll be with you in a minute.” Then, she ignores me.  After about 8 minutes a woman in line says “If you don’t help her, I’m leaving!”  She was appalled that I was having to wait that long.  Finally, the girl says “What’s wrong?” I show her my pitiful little chicken sandwich and show her my receipt for a double bacon cheeseburger.  She takes it and disappears.  About 5 minutes later, she plops a new sandwich down on the counter.  No bag, no tray, no receipt, no apology. Just the burger. 

Now, I’ve never had to work in a fast food restaurant.  My sister did and I understand it must be very, very frustrating.  However, I didn’t do anything wrong.  I wasn’t rude, I wasn’t impolite.  Wouldn’t you think they would have at least apologized?  I don’t get it – there are a million other fast food restaurants I could choose to spend my dollars.   The other people in line were more offended than I was.  I just don’t get it. 

 

BTW, I did check my sandwich before I left this time. 

Sometimes Christmas Makes Me Cry

Mandisa sings a song with Matthew West called “Sometimes Christmas Makes Me Cry.”   The chorus goes like this:

Tears of thankfulness, tears of hope
I cry tears of joy at Christmas cause I know
There is peace on earth for every heart to find
And sometimes Christmas makes me cry

I’ve been pretty verklempt lately and for a while, couldn’t figure out why.  I think I’ve got it now. 

Last week we had our Sunday School Christmas party. I’m the youngest person in the class and I used to think they just tolerated me! Now, they humor me and spoil me.  Last year at our Christmas party, we did the gift exchange thing where everybody gets a number and you choose presents in that order. When it’s your turn, you can either choose a new gift or take one that somebody else has already opened. I got this adorable set of bowls and tried very hard to just disappear.  I made it all the way to the end and then the second to last person took them from me! This year, they gave away “one special present” and they drew names to see who got it. It was me – and inside, was another set of those incredibly adorable bowls. It was all a set up – nobody else’s name was even in the drawing except me!! But, somebody remembered how much I loved those little bowls and took the time and energy to find another set. 

Yesterday at school I got this sweet little gift bag from one of my students.  Inside were pencils (what teacher doesn’t need more pencils??) and five little packages all wrapped up.  I opened one and saw a familiar orange and brown package. It is NO secret how much I love Reese’s peanut butter cups and this darling child wrapped them up like presents to put into my bag.  How sweet is that?? She also gave me a card that made me cry a little!!

My AWANA leaders gave me a card that made me cry Wednesday night. One of my boys in AWANA went out of his way to tell my leaders “thank you” for something and that almost made me cry again!   Today I was putting up Christmas ornaments, some of which were my Mom’s and I almost cried.    So what’s up with all this crying? 

I finally realized some of it - they say that it’s the thought that counts with presents and apparently, people think of me more than I know.   It’s actually very humbling – that other people think of me!

I think the last verse of the song says it best: 

I think of Mary and the virgin birth
And I’m amazed at how much God thinks we’re worth
That He would send His only Son to die
And sometimes Christmas makes me cry

I think sometimes we forget how important we are to God – and how important we can be to other people and not even know it!  Maybe that’s why Christmas makes me cry!

My Favorite Things (Today)

My favorite things change daily. Today my favorite things are:

1) Pepperidge Farms Gingerman Cookies!  Is there anything as good? Crisp, crunchy, with those little sugar crystals on top!! When you open the package, that sweet, gingery smell comes out. UMMMM!  Sometimes I bite their heads off first and then gobble the rest of them, but sometimes I start with the feet.   I have to be careful or the whole little cupful disappears before I even know it!  Once upon a time, my friend Fred worked at Pepperidge Farms and for Christmas one year, he and his wife  gave me a 5 pound bag of broken and unsellable ones. It was fabulous!!!

                     

 

2)  My next favorite thing today is my Avalon “Joy” CD.  It was released in 2000, and some of the people aren’t even in the group anymore, but I love it. Apparently, I’m not the only one, I follow Sandi Patty on Twitter and she tweeted this today “The Pre game music is blaring in my dressing room. I cannot get ready without Avalon's JOY cd.”  I think that’s pretty impressive!  I can’t even decide which song is my favorite – I like all of them.  This is a “No Skipping” CD. I never skip any of them.  I do repeat some though – I repeat “Light a Candle” and “Good News” and the “Manger Medley.”  In the category of “Most Favorite” we have a tie – I’m torn between “Jesus Born On This Day” and “We Are The Reason.” I saw an Avalon Christmas concert once that was just absolutely wonderful and I think of that when I hear it!  I think I went with my friend Amy and we ate at the Cracker Barrel after the show!

Between my gingerman cookies and my Joy CD, I am happy right now! I think it’s the memories and the things I associate with other things that make them my favorites!

Favorite Christmas Songs

So, you already know I LOVE Christmas music. But even in that broad category, I have some favorites.  There some that I don’t enjoy at all, but that’s another story for another day.  Some I have a really good reason for loving, but some I don’t have a good reason. I’m never sure why some songs grab me and other ones just don’t.  We have a long running joke in our family about a particular “church” song I don’t like  and nobody understands why.

But, it’s the Christmas season so here are my favorite Christmas songs.  I don’t think any of these will ever be in a hymnal under “Christmas Songs” but I don’t care!   One more thing, these are in no particular order – I don’t know if I have a number one favorite, I just love all of these. 

Sing Noel by Newsong – It’s on the Christmas Shoes album, but I love this one better than the Christmas Shoes. I want to hear the Christmas Shoes every year, but it makes me cry. Sing Noel makes me happy!! I can’t listen to it just once, EVER!  I love the end where the whole rhythm changes and the words are:

 Rejoice for God is with us
Rejoice, Immanuel!
Rejoice and sound those trumpets
Rejoice and ring those bells
Rejoice to the King of Glory
And again we say rejoice
He is the Wonderful Counselor
The Prince of Peace

Celebrate The Child by Michael Card. Not your typical Christmas carol, but I just love it.    I can’t tell you anything else about this song, but I like it a LOT. The electric guitars and saxophones make it not so typical! 

Avalon’s Joy:  Light A Candle and a remake of David Meese’s We Are The Reason.  Don’t Save It All For Christmas Day is a great one too! 

I love Point of Grace singing Not That Far From Bethlehem and my friend Cindy sang it in church yesterday and I missed it!

Selah’s Light of the Stable is another favorite! 

Christmas Like a Child by Third Day from the Christmas Offerings CD.  I hate it when Christmas can feel like a burden and when I’m so busy I miss the joy of the whole season.  Doesn’t this exactly capture how we feel sometimes?

I want to feel Christmas, how it used to be
With all of its wonder falling on me
This season has felt so empty, oh for quite a while
I want to feel Christmas like a child

Okay, now for something completely different:  Bon Jovi’s I Wish Everyday Could Be Like Christmas and Jim Brickman and Collin Raye’s The Gift always make me hit “repeat!”

Okay here are two cheaters:  Repeat the Sounding Joy CD by Phillips, Craig and Dean and Chris Tomlin’s Glory in the Highest.  Both of these have so many songs I love, they may each need their own post! 

Christmas Music

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I love, Love, LOVE Christmas music.  I probably  have 15 or 20 Christmas CDs.  Very eclectic combinations of things, some might even say, strange.  For some reason, nothing says Christmas to me, like Christmas music.  When my sisters and I were little girls, our mom and dad would put us to bed at night with a stack of records on our record player. Yes, I know, I’m dating myself, but it’s the truth. We would go to sleep with Bible stories, a whole bunch of kids records and even some southern gospel music.  But, when it got close to Christmas, out came my favorites – The Chipmunks and Gene Autry’s Christmas album. I can still see the cover of the Gene Autry record – he’s in his boots and hat with a tiny little sleigh and reindeer. I’m still not sure why they are so tiny.  That just makes Christmas for me! 

Now, my tastes have changed a little.  I have some Mannheim Steamroller, the Beach Boys, the Carpenters and my new favorite, Chris Tomlin’s Christmas CD that just came out last year.  I have 2 Steven Curtis Chapman CDs with Christmas songs, several Jim Brickman (including one I know I have that I can’t find –HMMMMM) and a Harry Connick Jr, which I also can’t find. I even have several compilation albums, including a WOW! Christmas Album, and even  a Rosie O'Donnell Christmas one. My favorite songs on that one are “Nuttin’ for Christmas” by Smash Mouth and “Silver Bells” by Sugar Ray. I have a great one I got at the gas station and one from Hallmark called “Music to Trim the Tree By.” 

I also have  a Barry Manilow one – if you know me at all, you know how much I love him! Phillips, Craig and Dean, Avalon, 4Him, the list just goes on and on!!

I have several versions of Handel’s Messiah – but those are bittersweet. I have the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s version and one called “A Soulful Celebration.” I have the “Young Messiah” which was actually a tour several years ago -  Sandi Patty’s “And the Glory Of The Lord” just blows my socks off and 4Him’s version of “The Trumpet Shall Sound” gets me every time.   But every Messiah ends with the Hallelujah Chorus – and that’s the bittersweet part. My mother absolutely, positively LOVED that song – so much that for years she made us promise we would play it at her funeral at the end.   When we were driving back from Marathon, after she went to heaven, my sister Robyn said to me “you know what we have to play, don’t you?”   And of course I knew exactly what she meant. We all did.   So I had to get out one of my Christmas albums in May – on Memorial Day.   For that, we used the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  

So as much as I love Christmas music, whenever I hear the Hallelujah Chorus, it makes me happy and sad – all at the same time.  Sad, because I still miss my momma so much. But happy because I know that she celebrates  Christmas  every day, in a way that we can’t yet.  Oh, but one day. . . One day.