How special do middle school students think their “specials” are? Well, take a look at some of the opinions shared by 7th grade students (names have been changed to protect the brilliant).

  • Mr. Marrone – At last night’s school board meeting, there was a proposal to reduce art, music, phys ed and foreign language at the elementary schools. Why do you think the district would propose something like that? Do you agree with the proposal?
  • Colonel Mustard – I think that they choose to do this because of the funding, which i think is crazy because they fund things that we don’t even need.
  • Mr. Green – It is so they have more time to do core curriculum material.
  • Miss Scarlett – And to build fences.
  • Mr. Green – I think they should just make no half days or movies in school and they would have time.
  • Dr. Black – I agree completely with Miss Scarlett.
  • Mrs. Peacock – I don’t think that LMSD has any problem financially. The only thing they are concerned about is the PSSA’s so they are focusing on curriculum classes. If they were concerned with money they wouldn’t have built the fence. I think this is absolutely disgusting because when you are young that is the most important time to learn about things other than core subjects-find out what things you like, like music. Cutting back on the arts is the first step to the world being controlled by robots.
  • Mr. Marrone – The robots wait anxiously in the wings… (more…)


Computer Embellished Drawing

Here’s a graphic that I made for last spring’s TEDx presentation, There’s Not One Correct Answer. The image and speech is closely aligned with my recent yammering about high-stakes standardized tests and the state of our state’s Department of Education Stagnation. If you think it would make a lovely tee shirt, drop me a line and we’ll figure out how to make lovely tee shirts out of it.

In doubly-related news, my shirt-printing, music-making  pal, “Handsome” Ron Foligno, cooked up a song in the same vein.