-
David vs Goliath: Threatened Grade School Principal Stands up to Chicago’s Corrupt Political Machine
Originally posted on Crazy Normal – the Classroom Exposé: “Principal known as Emanuel critic reprimanded by mayor’s school board.” – Chicago Tribune, August 29, 2015 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-troy-laraviere-principal-warning-vote-met-0828-20150827-story.html Troy LaRaviere’s Blog: A place to discuss a better school system for all Chicagoans http://troylaraviere.net/ Troy LaRaviere: My Statement on CPS’ “Warning Resolution” CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND I’ve been asked… Read more
-
Make Your Readers Cry: Writing Emotional Scenes
Originally posted on Allison Maruska: I watched The Hunger Games last night. I read the book before the movie came out, and I’ve seen the movie a few times. So I obviously knew what would happen. Still, a certain scene got me. By that, I mean it made me weepy. I’m not usually a weepy… Read more
-
Ashana Bigard: New Orleans is a Failing District
Originally posted on Diane Ravitch's blog: Ashana Bigard is a parent advocate. She wrote this article for “The Progressive.” She is aware that politicians are promoting New Orleans as a national model. She warns that the “reforms” are a fraud. She says, talk to the parents, not the hucksters. “As a New Orleans parent… Read more
-
The Politics of Deceit
Originally posted on The Soulful Veteran's Blog: Every Thursday afternoon I drive to a local VA medical clinic and join a veteran writers group. One of the regular members, who never served in combat, seems obsessed with the glory of war. He can’t seem to hear enough stories from us combat vets. To listen… Read more
-
The 1.6 Ton Concrete Stairway Procrastination Project
Writing this post about building a concrete stairway and sidewalk gave me an excuse to avoid working on the last chapter in the first novel of The Last Sorcerer series. Read more
-
The Complexity of Belief vs the Reality of Racism – a review of “Go Set A Watchman”
When the sequel of “To Kill A Mockingbird” came out, the first thing I read was one or more of the politically correct mobs lashing out when they condemned the book because of an early scene in the novel that depicts Atticus Finch as a racist. Read more