High School Orientation: Say What??

I took my daughter to high school orientation Thursday night. Multiple teachers and principals gave about an hour overview of class options, extracurricular activities, etc. Normal stuff. Things you'd expect to hear as a parent ... for the most part.

But I was also intrigued by some of the nuggets some of them offered. My daughter thought I was scribbling furiously because of new information relevant to the next four years of her education. Instead, I was attempting shorthand to help remember many that's what she said quips.

The sad reality? My kid's school has been rated as one of the top schools in the state. If its blue-ribbon quality, I weep for the kids, parents and teachers everywhere else.

PTO person: We have a new program for the class of 2016. Basically, its designed so we can give them love and gifts over their four years. We plan to raise money to give them praise and things and a big gift their senior year.

• TMC: Thanks. Just what we need. More expectations of entitlements for the next generation.

Teacher: Students are required to earn 2 foreign language credits. We'll be offering French and Spanish as our foreign language classes next year. And of course, our classes are honors and AP level.

• TMC: So even the burnouts from the smoke pit can get at least one AP credit? Cool!

Teacher: If your student takes 3 years of JROTC, it'll cover the PE credits plus the half-credit for personal finance.

• TMC: It still blows my mind that our schools provide a personal finance course. But with runaway consumer debt, folks who believe their mortgage balance and fluctuations in home values are directly related, and using bankruptcy as a cash management technique, I guess its clear many parents have no clue as to how to teach financial responsibility at home. Having said that, how in the world does participation in JROTC equate to learning personal finance concepts.

And now a few free-standing quips - presented without comment.

Algebra teacher: (Regarding the need for a graphing calculator) Math isn't as easy as it used to be.

Clueless teacher: Hi, I'm Ms. , and I'm the teacher of [pause, look back at the PowerPoint screen, turn back] Marketing and Communications.

Confused teacher: I don't feel like I'm getting any older..even though I guess I am.

Fine arts teacher: No sound bites here. But for her info slide in PowerPoint, she chose to use a maroon-colored font on a blue background.

Fashion/apparel track teacher: I don't see a single nekkid person in this room. So I know the fashion industry isn't going away.

Technology challenged teacher: We'll put this informational PowerPoint file on the school's website in a few days after we reduce the file size and strip some information out of it.

TMC

Feel Bad For You - February 2012

The Feel Bad For You compilations continue. @Rockstar_Aimz has taken the reins from @Truersound to give him a much needed break from his accumulation, sorting, uploading and blogging 12 iterations of FBFY in 2011.

As is generally the case, the February compilation has no theme. Just a bunch of folks pitching in a song here and there for your listening experience - and perhaps to stretch your conventional thinking to try a new artist or two.

I love this month's cover art from @AnnieTUFF. Nothing screams my teenaged era more than a box of vinyl LPs and Dymo label maker strips.


If you under the age of 40, you probably didn't have one like this ... or maybe at all. But my brother, sister and I had one, and labeled all sorts of stuff. Hot Wheels storage cases, bicycles, school notebooks, lamps, toolboxes, our foreheads, and so on.


View the playlist and download the compilation at the FBFY blog. Or simply listen to it right chere.

TMC's submission is Don't Love Me Wisely by The Setters. As I understand it, the group was pulled together by Michael Hall on a whim and without a whole lot of thought about short, medium or long term plans. The band included Walter Salas-Humara, Alejandro Escovedo, and Hall. Salas-Humara is the long-time front man for The Silos - a band I've enjoyed for years and blogged about a time or two.

Hall once fronted a great band called the Wild Seeds. The band released a couple of albums that were fun then - and remain relevant today...

Brave, Clean + Reverent ...


... and Mud, Lies + Shame


After the band went their separate ways, Hall released a half-dozen or so solo releases with a wide range of lyrical and composition style plus his project with The Setters.

For the last several years, Michael Hall has been a contributing writer to Texas Monthly magazine.

TMC