Random thoughts. Really Random.

The Illinois Education Association’s state convention, called the Representative Assembly, is in a few weeks.

It will be the first I will not be attending in nearly three decades.

Last year we tried to get the IEA to support what is now HB306, the opt out bill.

Union leadership opposed our New Business Item in support of HB306, claiming it would cost the state federal dollars.

That was nonsense.

But it was enough to cause the defeat of the NBI at the IEA RA.

The bill passed the Illinois House anyway. Now it is in the Senate.

Threats to parents who choose to opt out of PARCC are reported as increasing and growing worse.

Contact your State Senator in support of HB306, the Illinois opt out bill.

.

I have become hooked on looking at the Twitter site TribIllinois Campaign Cash.

A1: $5,635.12 in 2 contribs to Friends of Donna More. https://t.co/bPTkks3Lhr

— Trib IL CampaignCash (@ILCampaignCash) March 26, 2016

Donna More came in a distant third in the State’s Attorney race behind the deposed Anita Alvarez and the victorious Kim Foxx.

Englehart Hud (Yep. That would be his name.) is Donna More’s husband and is listed as giving two separate donations to her campaign, adding up to $5,635.

And twelve cents.

I’m sure there must be regulations about this.  She has to ask him for money?

“Honey. Can I have $5,635 and twelve cents? I’m running for State’s Attorney.”

.

Yesterday I posted an excerpt from Angela Duckworth’s NY Times piece on Grit.

It is a retraction, of sorts. She was a major proponent of teaching Grit. Now she is worried that it might be on the test.

My friend Jose Vilson has posted his response to Duckworth and to the problems embedded in what is called character education.

I had a district head of curriculum who loved to tell me that we measure what we value and we value what we measure.

I would wince each time she said it.