In Defense of College Sports

Trust me, there are lots of things I want to say. However, today, instead of defending the teams I love (Southern Miss and Auburn), I am going to simply defend college sports. I LOVE college sports, probably more than any other female around my age I know. I love college football, college basketball, college baseball, and even swimming. I am not going to try to defend particular programs. I am going to defend the college sports programs as a whole.

This past year, the growth of Internet sites has been huge. My grandmother used to say, "Trust none of what you hear, half of what you read, and only some of what you see." People like our favorite in-state radio host, 'journalists' who use twitter, (who is Brooks anyway? I don't really know who Clay is either.) and now it seems a pay for cable MOVIE channel are using things to slander, pick on, and encourage disgusting parts of a rivalry. Even one who works for a major network, but he has an 'agenda', and uses that agenda to pick apart or praise what he wants. It has nothing to do with truth or the sport itself. While some fans of other schools are beside themselves with glee at the struggles of another program, I would like to point something out. The way things are reported in college sports has changed. They went after us, and they WILL go after you. Right now, its funny and easy to join in. When the worm turns, it won't be so enjoyable. And it will turn, because it always does. The lack of integrity in society today has forever changed college sports. Yes, there are things on the schools ends and the players that also lack integrity. It doesn't really seem to matter, though, because whatever angle the 'journalists' would like to make true is accepted as genuine and fact. I don't know WHY this particular trend has occurred, other than the fact that these guys get paid for controversy to be stirred up. In this area, we are so passionate about our schools that we feel we cannot be silent. So, we respond. If we do, someone writes a column in the big city newspaper telling us to 'stop...blah, blah'. If we don't respond, then twitter journalists say, 'ohhh, they can't even respond.' I have been feeling increasingly disturbed by this trend, probably because one of my beloved schools was such a target this past year. If you ARE a journalist who uses twitter or radio or other media outlets and you have integrity, I would be even more furious. I know there are some of you. We need YOU to stand up and take charge.


I was one who after truth came out that the Toomer's trees were really poisoned, I said I would never listen to that radio show again. Lots of people said that. Some people went back to listening, others didn't. I have not listened again. (Sorry, Lee) I kind of feel like some of the fun has been sucked out of it for me. Then I got to thinking, that thought was letting the bad guys win. The bad guys here aren't the players of the other team or even the fans, but the bad guys are these people whose words are thought of as gold. What can be done about it? I don't really know. The point of all of this is, people who love college sports should link together. We need to demand integrity be returned to the area of 'reporting' If you are a fan of a team who has not been a target this year, you won't understand, yet. If your returns to the top, it will happen. You will become the target. Trust me, I don't like to see the teams I love to hate being dragged through media mud, either. There are some people specifically I don't care for, however, the programs as a whole being dragged through the mud, now that bothers me.

I don't know if this is making sense the way I wanted it to, but I felt like I had to say something. Before college sports are completely ruined, we need people who will say and do the right thing.

Another Day

This school year has flown by. Did you know that schoolyear and classwork aren't recognized by spell check? It seems like we just got going, and it's time for the state tests. Kiddo and Kiddo 2.0 took their tests in the vocational classes today. Kiddo 2.0 had a REALLY rough morning but he battled through. His mom had a car wreck on the way to work. She is ok, but he was pretty rattled. He was given the option of taking the test later in the week, but decided to go ahead because his mom might need him tomorrow. The test is online. Halfway through, the internet went down, and he had to start again.  I am really in awe of some of our kids. They are amazing, strong, hardworking, and exceedingly kind. Naturally, not every student fits this mold.  
I know lately teachers have taken a lot of crap. A lot of teachers have put a lot of crap out there. There are days I want to get on the loudspeaker and yell something, then slide down an inflatable slide as an escape hatch. However, most days I am extraordinarily grateful to be able to work with the kids I teach. Sure, there are a few that are punks. The good ones make up for it most of the time. The media likes to drag education through the mud. Everyone thinks the next new thing is the answer. This is what I know...there are no easy answers. The only thing I can do is go to work every day, give it my all, and love my kids. If Katie Couric and Oprah still want to complain, then well, I feel sorry for them, not me. They don't get to know  Sensitive Boy Student, who is popular, yet one of the kindest kids I know. They don't get to know my student with significant learning problems and physical impairments who is so brave. He comes every day and gives it everything he has. They don't know Kiddo or Kiddo 2.0 who live in a HORRIBLE neighborhood with awful things going on around them. However, they both have a grandmother or a sister who had an influence on their lives that has put up a sort of wall of protection around them.

My pay isn't much. My insurance is crap. We catch a lot of junk from every direction.

Still, I feel like the blessed one. I feel sorry for Oprah and the ones who don't get it.

Exponentially Insane

If you didn't know, my parents are math teachers. My mom and dad spent time arguing (not a real argument, a 'math discussion') how much difference the 8.9 and 9.0 earthquake rating would be. Since the earthquake people decided the earthquake was a 9.0 and not a 8.9, they set off into a discussion about how a tenth of a 'point' would be more and more destructive the higher the number works.

I have seen it explained using hurricane models. The same basic concept applies to hurricanes. The higher the wind speeds and lower the pressure, the more significant even the slightest change matters in hurricanes.

My mom also uses the NCAA tournament to teach exponential decay. Except this year, it is exponential decay with little tags hanging off of it.

If this makes no sense to you, its ok. It barely makes sense to me. I teach special ed English.  I am barely hanging on when it comes to math.

Long time, no blog

Lots has been going on the last few days. We had a big ol' fight at school last week. The description 'All hell broke loose' doesn't do it justice. At any rate, we were all exhausted by the end of the week. The weekend was great. We were off on Monday for 'Lundi Gras'. The kids were off for Tuesday, but we had a workday. Kiddo tried to help an injured person in the fight. He came to class with blood on his shirt and it kinda freaked me out. Then, I found out what he was doing- helping the coach who was injured. We got him clothes to change into and let him go home. He was a little rattled. So, we are thankful for GREAT kids, and we are thankful for a couple of days off so the kids would be away from each other for a few days.

We are having some CRAZY weather. Today was Fat Tuesday. In Mobile, one my my favorite things about the Fat Tuesday parades is the Comic Cowboys parade. The CC are political and social satire made into a parade. If you make news in the area, you're gonna get hassled by CC. The always use the theme 'Without Malice', and they make fun without discrimination...so, it really is all in good fun. If you've never seen it, look it up sometime, and watch an old parade online. The members are kept secret and the floats are all secret until parade day. It's just fun.

Auburn held its pro day today. Glad to hear some of the guys did well. Seems some of the media and some other folks are determined Auburn players don't/won't do well in draft and NFL. All I am going to say to that is, 'Give 'em, hell, you War Damn Eagles!'