Send lawyers, puns, and funnies
The you know what really has hit the fan
Let’s face it: This week is going to be pretty nutty for those of us in the US. The rest of the world will sit back and watch to see if we can get ourselves together.
It should be fun… I hope…
Keeping it light today, I’ll mention that we finished The Acolyte over the weekend, and holy crap, was it good Star Wars stuff, regardless of what the keyboard warriors have to say. Great storytelling that foretells what is going wrong with the Jedi.
Also, I’ve got the Formula 1 bug after beginning Formula 1: Drive to Survive on Netflix. I’ve always had a passing interest in the sport, but I’m all in now. We recorded the Hungarian Grand Prix yesterday morning and watched it last night. SO GOOD.
Over the weekend, I also read Michael Fullan’s book Coherence, which I’m sure will be a good resource heading into the new school year. I recently wrapped up the Three-Body Problem (great, hardcore sci-fi) and Instructional Coaching Connection, which was honestly the best book I’ve read on instructional coaching so far.
Let’s keep it light this week, shall we gang? The fate of the free world might hang in the balance…
Quote of the Day
"People with the growth mindset know that it takes time for potential to flower." (Carol S. Dweck, Mindset)
Musical Interlude
Norah Jones is featured in the most recent Tiny Desk concert from NPR. As always, she’s a joy and calming presence in a very hectic time.
Long Read of the Day
Education Next discusses the recent College Board recalibration of AP exam scores, which has resulted in a significant increase in students earning scores of 3 or higher. The author raises concerns about whether this recalibration dilutes the value of AP exams (who cares?), drawing parallels to past adjustments made to the SAT.
Personally, I would love to do away with AP classes and tests. It’s a crapshoot for students to get an actual college credit for the classes they take. Dual credit courses are far better options as we continue to blur the line between high schools/early college/college.
Video of the Day
So… the US Presidential election just got a lot more interesting (not that it wasn’t before). Now that President Biden has stepped back from the Democratic nomination, some interesting civics lessons will happen when schools head back in a few weeks.
I have no clue what will happen at the Democratic National Convention (I’m sure VP Harris will be nominated), but it could get interesting like it did on the West Wing season 6 finale…