More Futuristic Fun Than You Really Wanted, part III of V

[The Good Reverend Roger]

HAND SOAP

Not the anti-bacterial crap, though, I hope.

TGRR,
Knows we're just building a better bug.

[Juana]

Ah, my nemesis...school funding...my trench warfare has made me a jaded old stick.  But I'll tell you this much--it keeps me motherfucking involved.  And how.  I may get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach everytime I read about how some dumbass wants to take MORE funding from education, you know, to "cut the fat."  Right now, the schools that are "making it" are the ones where the parents can "afford" to subsidize for things like: printer ink, printer paper, pens, pencils, crayons, glue, HAND SOAP, kleenex tissues, etc.  Let alone things like: a PE teacher, art programs fully staffed by volunteers, same with drama and chorus, computer lab techs that work IT and anything computer related for the students AND the staff...

The fundraising arms of all PTAs and PTOs are worn out, if not lopped off whole due to the failing economy.  High schools go without SAT prep courses, middle schools go without counselors and elementary schools go without just about anything, while class sizes grow to the point that you can't fit desks into the rooms.

I am waiting for the law suit era.  Because THAT is probably when this shit's going to have to change.  The CA State PTA, the state board of superintendents and a couple of other education-related entities tried to sue Schwarzenegger.  THAT didn't get very far...but if more and more parents, and I'm talking the ones with the amount of spunyo to giter done, decide to "take up arms" in the form not of fundraising but instead lawsuits and votes...we might begin to see a change in how legislators deal with education funding.

I'm hoping, anyway.

I'm right there with you in hoping. I'm expecting to get down in those trenches myself and watching all this happen from the sideline of the frontline is nasty as fuck and makes me sad.

[Jenne]

HAND SOAP

Not the anti-bacterial crap, though, I hope.

TGRR,
Knows we're just building a better bug.

We're uh, NOT in a position to be picky.  Besides, antibacterial or not, chances are the kids aren't washing their hands HALF as much as they should be.  If the amount of viruses I've gotten from my OWN little petrie dishes is anything to go by...

[The Good Reverend Roger]

HAND SOAP

Not the anti-bacterial crap, though, I hope.

TGRR,
Knows we're just building a better bug.

We're uh, NOT in a position to be picky.  Besides, antibacterial or not, chances are the kids aren't washing their hands HALF as much as they should be.  If the amount of viruses I've gotten from my OWN little petrie dishes is anything to go by...

Just give the little buggers a bucket of lye and a scrub brush.

Toughen 'em up.

[Jenne]

Ah, my nemesis...school funding...my trench warfare has made me a jaded old stick.  But I'll tell you this much--it keeps me motherfucking involved.  And how.  I may get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach everytime I read about how some dumbass wants to take MORE funding from education, you know, to "cut the fat."  Right now, the schools that are "making it" are the ones where the parents can "afford" to subsidize for things like: printer ink, printer paper, pens, pencils, crayons, glue, HAND SOAP, kleenex tissues, etc.  Let alone things like: a PE teacher, art programs fully staffed by volunteers, same with drama and chorus, computer lab techs that work IT and anything computer related for the students AND the staff...

The fundraising arms of all PTAs and PTOs are worn out, if not lopped off whole due to the failing economy.  High schools go without SAT prep courses, middle schools go without counselors and elementary schools go without just about anything, while class sizes grow to the point that you can't fit desks into the rooms.

I am waiting for the law suit era.  Because THAT is probably when this shit's going to have to change.  The CA State PTA, the state board of superintendents and a couple of other education-related entities tried to sue Schwarzenegger.  THAT didn't get very far...but if more and more parents, and I'm talking the ones with the amount of spunyo to giter done, decide to "take up arms" in the form not of fundraising but instead lawsuits and votes...we might begin to see a change in how legislators deal with education funding.

I'm hoping, anyway.

I'm right there with you in hoping. I'm expecting to get down in those trenches myself and watching all this happen from the sideline of the frontline is nasty as fuck and makes me sad.

It gets harder and harder to give a fuck sometimes, when you feel like, honest to gawd, nothing you do makes a damned difference anyway.

But it does make a difference in leadership, and I'll have plenty of it next year.  I'm about to be voted in the most influential PTA position of my "career" so far.  Council President.  I'll preside over 35 PTA's as well as the council.

I have a countywide position now, but it's diluted.  But in this Council President position, I'll have the ear of the District Superintendent. 

[Jenne]

HAND SOAP

Not the anti-bacterial crap, though, I hope.

TGRR,
Knows we're just building a better bug.

We're uh, NOT in a position to be picky.  Besides, antibacterial or not, chances are the kids aren't washing their hands HALF as much as they should be.  If the amount of viruses I've gotten from my OWN little petrie dishes is anything to go by...

Just give the little buggers a bucket of lye and a scrub brush.

Toughen 'em up.

  Yeah, well, I survived a whole year of having to use extreme antiviral and antibacterial materials while my husband was ill.  My hands were raw, red and chafed all the time.  But it was a necessary evil, and now the bastard isn't dead.  So I guess I did my job alright.

It's really fucking hard to keep kids germ-free for a whole fucking year.  I defy anyone to try it.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

It's really fucking hard to keep kids germ-free for a whole fucking year.  I defy anyone to try it.

I kind of insist that my kids be carriers for all manner of awful flu bugs, etc.

Never discount the value of super-antibodies.

Obviously, your situation was different.

[Jenne]

It's really fucking hard to keep kids germ-free for a whole fucking year.  I defy anyone to try it.

I kind of insist that my kids be carriers for all manner of awful flu bugs, etc.

Never discount the value of super-antibodies.

Obviously, your situation was different.

Oh now, they are getting sick all over the damned place.  I like them to get sick early in their lives so they don't spend their adulthoods with their heads in the toilets puking (hopefully they won't overindulge in alcohol etc either to get this result, but whatcanyado?) or in bed constantly with sniffles.  The problem is that my youngest has a bad case of asthma everytime he gets a cold, so that means pneumonia and then we have to do nasty things to him with steroids and antibiotics.  So not fun.

But yeah, I'd rather they build up their immune systems now.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

It's really fucking hard to keep kids germ-free for a whole fucking year.  I defy anyone to try it.

I kind of insist that my kids be carriers for all manner of awful flu bugs, etc.

Never discount the value of super-antibodies.

Obviously, your situation was different.

Oh now, they are getting sick all over the damned place.  I like them to get sick early in their lives so they don't spend their adulthoods with their heads in the toilets puking (hopefully they won't overindulge in alcohol etc either to get this result, but whatcanyado?) or in bed constantly with sniffles.  The problem is that my youngest has a bad case of asthma everytime he gets a cold, so that means pneumonia and then we have to do nasty things to him with steroids and antibiotics.  So not fun.

But yeah, I'd rather they build up their immune systems now.

Depends.

Who is sniffles?

[Jenne]

Sniffles is the guy who makes my kids sick.  Bastard.