Are you doing enough?

Yes, yes, I know, I know, I have not posted anything since just after Thanksgiving. Readership has dropped, but new and exciting blogs and Texas websites and national websites are joining/reciprocating. But, I just figured everyone was super busy eating turkey. I’ve been working the last few days, and have had a hard time figuring out just what I should focus on. I know times are tough, and many are struggling just to make ends meet, but you’ve got to figure, there are many out there who are a lot worse off than you. I was at TMS (Timberwood Middle School) today, and a few of the classrooms are collecting for HAAM and are overflowing their boxes. That’s the good news. One thing I do know for sure, though, our toy drive is down this year. Way down. We need to dig deeper and bring ourselves to help. Print out the flyer and post at your work, your school and join in, please!!

Humble Area Assistance Ministries needs your help – toy donations needed by Dec. 12! Once again we are asking the generous families and businesses of our community to dig deeper and help HAAM help Santa. Humble ISD is partnering with the Tribune, Homewood Suites, Memorial NE Hospital, Kingwood Medical Center, the Humble Area Chamber of Commerce, Deerbrook Mall, and other community businesses and organizations to conduct a first, and hopefully annual, community-wide HAAM Christmas Toy Drive. It will take 3,500 toys to bury the tree, so please consider participating in this effort!

Good Stuff!!!

Occasionally I will post something that falls under the category of Good Stuff. When I attended Capturing Kids’ Hearts in January, they recommend doing something with your classes they like to call “celebrations.” I came up with good stuff for my classes. “Anybody got any good stuff?,” I would say. Granted, high schoolers don’t have much to say, even if it is good stuff. But, sometimes I would get an occasional “we have a game tonight!” I would get that, or “we are attending a competition.” Any who, I do have some good stuff today!! Someone I met recently, through the Diane Trautman Campaign, and who recently graduated from Atascocita High School, where my youngest attends, has a write up, about him, in the Tribune. (I took the pic!) His name is Krystafer Redden. (He’s going to blush,) but this is someone, even in his ripe old age of only 20, someone I admire greatly. He’s very modest, and a bit shy, but has so much talent, gumption, and a whole lot going on, I truly admire and respect him. I look forward to working with Krystafer (love the spelling of his name, but I sure have a dog of a time remembering how to spell it,) throughout Diane’s campaign, and I wish Krystafer all the best in the world. Not to worry, my mother (God rest her soul) lived with the name Paderewski for 70 years! I think I was about 13 before I knew how to spell it! Call me slow…

Superintendent of Northside ISD says it best!

I noticed in the Tribune today, where Jennifer Bernard says we should all write our legislative officials and demand change. Well, I would think they know by now our problems, wouldn’t you? No, the answer is not telling them what THEY need to do, it’s what WE need to do. We need to elect a legislature that understands our need to have proper funding for our children, for our teachers, for our schools. Ask them, talk to them. Last year I attended a forum for “Children at Risk” where the superintendent of Houston ISD – Abelardo Saavedra, Scott Hochberg, our own Dr. Sconzo and numerous others were guest speakers. I asked Mr. Hochberg why the state is not funding our schools better, and this was way before I know what we all know now, and his reply was, that he was told by those above him that they didn’t feel that it was the states job. What??? So, herein lies the problem, in my books (again, no pun.) We HAVE to elect those who really care about our schools, and care about giving them the proper funding, tools and support they so sorely need. Get educated as to who has our childrens’ best interest at heart. We can no longer go on this way. The Observer and the Tribune all have people crying about their sports, electives, etc. getting cut and we just can’t have that. Well, the board has no other alternative. In some of our own households people are making the decision to buy milk or by gas, and fellas, I believe, we have not seen the worst yet. Yes, we need to get fired up, but WE need to do something about it. If they have not been able to fix our crisis by now, they never will. Please educate yourselves, find out what our elected officials have voted for, or against, when it comes to schools, school financing, budgets, etc. As responsible adults, parents, communities, we can all do something. Let’s just hope it’s not too late. We still have the next year to tighten our belts, and even then, there are no guarantees.

John M. Folks Jr. is superintendent of the Northside Independent School District explains our crisis very well. As I’ve heard our very own Dr. Sconzo tout it often. This, of course, was taken from the Humble ISD’s website.