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 |   So playing the trombone wasn't getting me in enough trouble? |
| I need someplace to write down the often confusing thoughts that enter my mind, while my stories give voice to the characters that wander through periodically, this is the place for my voice. Join me if you wish, comment if you wish, all are welcomed and appreciated. |
A previous blog entry talks about the Regents/Final Exam for a class I teach "So before I embark on Andre's Cruise ---"  The Pertinent Excerpt; "Then, there's the Regents Exam. Every year my Music Theory 2 section has to take a Regents instead of a final exam. For this, they get Regents Credit in Music and can claim that's their quasi High School Major Sequence. The Regents offered by the state do not cover nearly all that my kids have learned, so every year I have to create and submit my own Regents for approval. It always consists of seventy true/false, multiple-choice questions, and a thirty-point creative question. This year the reviewer thought my thirty-pointer was "too hard" and would result in too many kids failing. Aside from the fact that she doesn't know the kids, does she really think I'd set them up to fail? We arrived at a compromise — I created another much easier thirty-pointer, but I am allowed to include both on the final. We have a bet on which option my kids are going to take, she is so gonna lose!" The results are in and somebody owes me an ice cream sundae the next time she's on Long Island for a NYSSMA Solo Festival! 21 of 23 students chose the harder, more creative option 10 of the 21 students received full credit (30 Points) 6 of the 21 students received 28 points for a minor error 5 of the 21 students received 25 points for multiple minor errors Just to be fair I faxed all of the results of the question (minus student names) to her so she could check the results. Her reply; "Yes you win — but you grade too tough."  ...I'm only the trombone player! |
| First, let me say; There is NOTHING more disconcerting than to be notified, via Notifications that you have been mentioned in a blog comment and to go look for that comment only to find it was deleted, doesn't exist, and isn't there for you to read, learn from or answer. Of course, before looking for the comment in question one (at least this one) reads the original blog posting. Read it several times as a matter of fact. Then I read through all of the comments, only to be confused by not seeing myself mentioned. The confusion gives way to a sort of enlightenment, when, after reading the blog post and accompanying comments you realize that many of the points in the Blogger's post pertain in many ways to YOU! WHELP! Guilty as charged on ALL COUNTS! And Proud Of It. No, I don't write or review nearly enough, this has been a weird and whacky year. Covid created nightmares for everyone, especially educators, who in a few short weeks had to relearn how to teach. Toss into that a rolling loss of personal, the need to take on additional responsibilities and it's no wonder that I turned to just PLAYING on WdC. I'd apologize for that, but personally, I don't think I need to. Yes, I have PURCHASED many of the Merit Badges I own. TOUGH! Most of them were bought during a member's fundraising for a worthwhile activity on WdC, or for an activity I took part in and benefited from. GET OVER IT! Yes, I have PURCHASED online currency. With it; I either sponsored my own activities, supported other WdC members activities, purchased membership upgrades for deserving veteran and new members, purchased Merit Badges for groups and members who deserved them, and had Merit Badges created for groups that needed them. YOU CAN GET OVER THAT TOO! No, I don't always answer Blog comments, for various reasons. Sometimes the comment doesn't invite an answer. Sometimes the comment makes an assumption or misconstrues the point I'm making. Rather than start a Facebook-style DEBATE, that ends in stupidity, I just let it go. If you have a particular question as to why I didn't reply to a comment you made, either to my blog, the Newsfeed or anywhere else, let me know. I also make it a point to respond to all Reviews with a succinct Thank You, a carryover from my solo festival audition days, the Kick The Waste Paper Basket When Your Alone Philosophy. And yeah, the same people always win the contests, even the ones I enter. Maybe because they are the superior writers? It's not hard to be a better writer than me!! Short Point? If I'm doing something wrong, Tell Me! I'm pretty thick-skinned (you'll never see me kick the waste basket. After all; I've been told to throw my Trombone under a passing bus. Been fired by Bobby Rydell, we looked too young — Bobby never heard us play. Been told my ellipses were wrong...both ... versions. I can probably handle whatever you have to say. Thanks!! |
| It's been a crazy start to June! It all started when I lost a day or rather tried to do the same day twice, thankfully Lilli 🧿 ☕ was quick to rush coffee and cookies my way and got me back on track! On the job front, the school year is winding down. Instrumental music lessons have stopped so that we aren't pulling kids out of class during review weeks. My two Music Theory sections are in review for Regents Final in Music Theory 2 and Independent Study for Theory One, working on their final project. As of this morning, all of the Director/Chairpeople positions have been filled, we are now filling the openings at the teaching level we created filling the supervisory jobs. I am happy to say that for three out of four of the supervisory jobs we stayed in house, only the Librarian Technology position is a new to the district hire. Today formal offers will go out to the six regular positions, after that I can put this task to bed. It has been decided that we are having a full scale graduation, limiting only audience size to four attendees per graduate. Because of continued state mandates, masks will be required, there is already push-back. Not my problem. I'm just the trombone player in charge of the tunes, on that note, I will be conducting both the band and choir for this year's ceremony in honor of my pending retirement. As for retirement, in 23 days, I'm a free man. Which is weird to contemplate. I am looking forward to more of this; ...I'm only the trombone player! |
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Credit is delaying the pain unless one pays it off every month. I don't buy what I can't afford. I don't go into debt. I live well by living well within my means. 
