From Social Media Weakness, To Historical Strength, An Easter Message Like No Other

 If you've known me for awhile, then you have no doubt concluded that I have a massive interest in history and economics.  I am almost always in the middle of reading something, (as in a book not a social media post), related to those 2 topics.  

As I think back to my teenage years I find an amazing irony that I certainly didn't appreciate at the time.  I was a teenager when internet and cell phones started to hit mainstream and widespread use.  As the 2 coalesced into 1 it became not unlike playing with fire.  Used responsibly like a tool it can be an amazing boon in so many ways benefitting our lives.  However, like fire it can also cause massive destruction and devastation in our lives as well.

I'm well aware that I'm not saying anything that most of you don't already know so what is the purpose of this post then?

Back in 2020 I left Facebook for a very simple reason.  I was tired of having true posts marked as lies and quite frankly got sick of the antagonizing through comments that people with nothing better to do than enflame and divide being a distraction from the actual benefits of social media.

I have a friend with whom I have many differences of political opinion on but with whom I have also built a mutual respect for with regards to opinions across a myriad of topics.  Often we agree which is not what you may expect given the divide you would expect, (largely due to the perception social media presents in our seemingly endless desire for attention).

As I am taking my first shot at public elected office, (school committee), social media is an unfortunate reality of outreach that I have no choice but to embrace to some degree.  Given my love of history I got to thinking about colonial times communication, perfectly normal right? Let's see a show of hands for that one....anybody?

Anyway think of this.  When the Boston Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770 it took one day to spread through the Boston streets.  It took one week, March 12, 1770, to appear in the Boston Gazette.  News hit New York and Philadelphia within 1-2 weeks and by the time about a month had passed it had spread to the rest of the colonies.  The event had turned into propaganda with the "Bloody Massacre" prints on March 26, 1770.  Similar events like the infamous Boston Tea Party had similar spread, the equivalent of going viral in todays social media terms.  

Where am I going with all of this you may wonder?

Well, take the above paragraph about the Boston Massacre.  Because it is well established history and relatively not controversial, there is some debate as to whether the "shot heard round the world" was actually an accident or not but irrelevant, as it pertains to historical fact.  Just about everybody accepts the general Boston Massacre story as fact and it really isn't a controversial topic in today's world or political discourse so therefore finding out the facts on the story is relatively easy.

However, with anti-social media and in a story as old as the American revolution itself we often wish to be told we are right, rather than necessarily told the truth.  We follow groups sympathetic to our personal views to feel less isolated and have a greater sense of being a part of something bigger than ourselves, it is a comfort that many of us long for....

It is also a trap.  Our desire for not only attention but the desire to feel intelligent, to belong to something.  This anti-social trap brings me back to the point about my friend with whom I disagree on some points but with whom I often have my most productive and engaging political and societal discussions.  Most of us have similar situations in our lives.  Friends and family members with whom we strongly disagree but with whom we can discuss those disagreements openly without the poison that comes with social media.

From an educational structure it is hard enough for social media to not negatively affect adults, never mind what it is doing to our children.  Depression, anxiety, loneliness, ADHD, all existed during my childhood but never to the degree of what we would call an epidemic.  We all agree on the reason, social media and too much time looking at screens.

Even in my teen years, (late 90's to early 2000's), we spent far more time actually out with our friends learning about the world in social settings.  School taught us about the world in large groups, our friends taught us about the world in small groups, the combination helped us to grow into functioning adults who didn't grow up to be terrified of every little problem that would eventually and inevitably come our way.

Tragedies happened, accidents happened, (I was in 6th grade when a friend was shot in the head and killed).  At 10, I was hit by a truck while riding my bike, (completely my fault), fracturing my left arm and putting me in one of those oh so cool casts that all the kids wanted to draw graphic art all over.  Boys got into fist fights as did girls, half of the time with our friends, and we didn't require weeks of therapy to get over it.

Older people always call younger people weaker by comparison to similar ages.  Essentially starting with the phrase, "when I was your age" etc.  When I was younger it was often, "we used to have to walk uphill both ways in the snow to get to school" - many parents now in their 60's talking to their children now in their 40's.  

You knew better than to question why the return trip wasn't downhill as logic would suggest.  As all children and teenagers do we would test our parents patience or rules and every so often that led to an ass whooping we likely deserved.

This made that generation, (known as generation X - what is now called older millennials), much more adaptable to life's eventual and inevitable challenges.  Many of us started working at younger ages.  That work could be many things, from knocking on doors to offer shoveling driveways to paper route's. I got my first job at 9 years old learning to cook in the kitchen of a restaurant that my uncle owned at the time, (highly illegal especially by todays standards), but I loved it as did most of the restaurants patrons and employees.

Many younger people today would not only be appalled by that fact but in many cases lack the work ethic to even be able to do that as a teen, never mind as a 9 year old.  

Parents often will speak to their children in true terms of the fact that kids have it easier today than the parents had it at their ages.  What's fascinating about this is that most of us wouldn't trade the childhood we had for the childhood "Gen-Z" currently has.  Our parents said the same to us but it does seem to be getting worse and worse.  

Sure we had video games but even gaming was different. This article breaks down the difference at to the games we played in the 90's, often with friends in the same room playing side by side together, vs the more isolated endless loop games that do the opposite for kids today.

"Gaming was also far more social in a physical sense. You went to a friend’s house, sat on the same couch, argued over controllers, shared tips, and passed levels together. Today, many children play alone in their bedrooms, connected to hundreds or thousands of others online but rarely face-to-face."

Now, as an old school gamer myself, I also now the importance of responsibilities over recreation.  Started working at 9 remember, and never really stopped.  Add to that that many of us 80's and 90's kids were what we call "latchkey" kids today.  Our parents were often at work when we got home so we had a sense of independence on the one had as we had to fend for ourselves for a good chunk of the time, and community on the other as we were in groups with our friends as often as possible.

Social media has become for many the ultimate online video game.  It has riddled our children with a sense of anxiety, isolation, and social awkwardness that goes far beyond what you would call normal.  It's supposed to be awkward to approach a girl or guy at a bar or in person, swiping left or right on an app is easy but socially more toxic.

Many aspects of modern day society are creating a cycle of isolation, weakness, and sensitivity, especially in younger people that is not only leaving them unprepared for the struggles they will face in the future but also one that is in fact as dangerous to them as it is for society.  A popular phrase circulating the internet in recent years was this:

"Hard times create strong men.  Strong men create good times.  Good times create weak men.  And, weak men create hard times." author Geoff Michael Hopf

The internet loves these types of inspirational quotes but we should really consider this cycle of truth.  The history of that truth will blow your mind and as someone that obsesses over history I'll close this out leaving you these last points to consider relating to that above quote from Hopf dating back to 2015.

Point 1 building off of Michael Hopf's quote goes back much farther....to a 14th century Arab historian named Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406):

"The toughness of desert life is lost.  Group feeling and courage weaken.  Members of the tribe revel in the well-being that God has given them.  Their children and offspring grow up too proud to look after themselves or to attend to their own needs.  They have disdain also for all the other things that are necessary in connection with group feeling....Their group feeling and courage decrease in the next generations.  Eventually group feeling is altogether destroyed." - Ibn Khaldun

Point 2, appropriate as tomorrow is Easter Sunday, takes us back even farther to the bible, which I read in full back in December.  

It repeatedly warns about the spiritual and moral dangers of prosperity leading to pride, (which is bad), self-reliance, (which is good if acknowledged in partnership with Gods blessing but bad if seen as independent apart from God), forgetfulness of God as I just mentioned, and eventual decline.  

This cycle of trust in God leading to prosperity followed by arrogance leading to decline happens again and again in the bible so in the spirit of Easter I will leave you with these last passages from the bible.

Deuteronomy 8: chapters 11-18

"Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.  Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.  He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness...He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness...You may say to yourself, 'My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.' But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth..."

Romans 5: chapters 3-5

"we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character; and character, hope"

As Easter is tomorrow, perhaps Romans 5 is the best way to end this blog, reminding us of the resurrection message.  Regardless of your level of faith there is undoubtedly truth in the lessons of Romans 5.  

If you are not a person of faith then just look at the truth in the chain reaction of suffering leading to perseverance, perseverance to strong character, and strong character giving you hope.

The beauty of the message is that if you are a person of faith, then the same exact message applies not only in the story of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, a story of suffering leading to hope like no other, but in a lesson preached over and over throughout history and life....we need only to listen and learn it.

Happy Easter

The Opposite Of Progress Is...

There's an old joke about how, "if pro is the opposite of con, then what is the opposite of progress?...Congress".  There is no doubt relevance to that joke as congressional approval rates often hover near single digits regardless it seems of which major political party currently has it's hands on the reigns.  

In truth there is a far greater enemy to progress, whether progress to you is to mean the progressive terms of sliding society into a more managed by experts form of so called democracy, or whether your definition of progress is more of a libertarian mindset of increased freedom bringing about progress as defined by liberty. The name of that enemy is procrastination.

As I've been getting ready to take a swing at my first run for a local elected office, (school committee in Falmouth), I have been paying close attention to the actions taken by the current members of the committee and the reactions of the parents and public to those decisions.

What I have found has triggered some alarming familiar feelings, a sort of deja vu, showcasing the feeling that I've seen this pattern before.  One we often see in congress.  

It is no surprise that accountability has long been in decline in our country, especially as it relates to elected officials.  Unfortunately, this has transcended into the public as well.  While we expect this to a large degree from children, whose natural immaturity, especially with younger boys, is expected.  To see this come to the forefront more and more with our adult population is alarming even if not completely surprising.

It's easy to sit on the outside and criticize every political decision made by our elected officials.  The useful cancer that is social media has turned everyone into an expert on everything from history and education to landscaping and fashion.  There is a delicate balance to maintain.

As a self educated man, raised by a nurse and an accountant, both with masters degrees.  I watched firsthand as the child of a teen mom working her butt off at multiple low level jobs to help take care of me and my brother.  It was through that example and an old school belief that success requires hard work and that society owes me nothing, we have to become our own success stories, that gave me the work ethic required to get where I am today.

As time went on and my stepfather came into the picture.  An accountant with a masters degree in finance.  He taught me, even to some degree unrealized by myself at the time, the importance of maintaining good credit, and not only living within your means, but if possible to live below it.

Like the rest of us, I have made my share of mistakes.  However, if not for the base of hard work and responsible finance given to me by my parents there is no way I would be surviving in a state like Massachusetts with a family the size of mine.

Now let's pull this back into why I bring this up and how it relates to education in Massachusetts.  As I pointed out earlier in this post I am running for the local school committee here in Falmouth and I have no idea as to what my chances are.  While I am well educated and have likely read more history and economics books in the last few months than the average person has in the last few years my relevance as a candidate doesn't come measured in how many PTO meetings or Farmers market's I've attended.  

It comes from simply watching and listening to the state of education and the concerns of parents in my community with regards to the results we are getting from our current school committee.

Back in October there was a discussion about how to consolidate the grades and whether or not they should close the Morse Pond Elementary School.  There has been division on this decision with some members not only of the committee but also the public as to whether or not this was a good idea.

Those in favor say the school costs too much to maintain and requires maintenance that doesn't make fiscal sense.  This is a 5th and 6th grade school and like most of the schools, (with one exception), it is under capacity due to the declining enrollment overall. 

What is in question, and as of this writing the most recent school committee meeting, is how to configure the grades in the consolidated schools.  If you watch the meeting you will see that for months there has been disagreement as to whose responsibility it is to take the next steps required by the state to apply for the federal funds to expand and consolidate the schools with the new proposed grade configurations.

The school committee, (split 5-4), blames the superintendent.  The superintendent, blames the committee.  Now they are approaching the point where these decisions are supposed to not only be made but also proposed to both the residents and the government for the same reasons, allocation of funding.  This will require millions of dollars from the town of falmouth, (starting with $2 million from town for a "feasibility study").

Beyond that there is the much larger expense of the actual build of the school expected to take several years.  Here is a detailed article regarding some of these issues from the Enterprise Newspaper back on October 30, 2025.

Morse Pond Fate Decided

 

"After that, the committee will need to make a decision on grade configuration before moving on to the proposals on the elementary schools.

A decision from the MSBA is expected in December. If accepted, the school will request $2 million at April Town Meeting to begin the feasibility study. Dart said knowing the grade configuration of Lawrence will help “build the case with the town” so taxpayers will know what they are paying for.

Medeiros said MSBA can be asked to provide assistance and consultation to the district to help decide grade configuration. She said she was in favor of collecting more community input."

We are now days away from the town meeting where the $2 million will be requested.  With the premature decision to close the Morse Pond School there is little chance that the 2 million will not be approved.  If, however, the money isn't approved then the whole project is threatened and the funding becomes unavailable.  

The current projected costs of the Lawrence renovation is about $150 million with an opening set for the 2032-2033 school year.  Like most government projects they will likely fall short on both calculations.  The timeline will likely have to be extended and the likelihood of it costing more than projected is all but guaranteed.

This raised several questions from me.  The first is wondering if the town would have in fact saved money had they instead tried to repair and update both schools.  The town could have a much more accurate figure of repair costs than it can from a multi-year mainly government funded school renovation.

Another question regards my suspicion of other motives.  Several months ago I asked a member of the school committee what the plan was for the Morse Pond School after it's closed.  The answer I received was that it would be given back to the town.

Now think of this.  A major issue dividing communities all across the cape is housing and affordability.  Unfortunately, the prevailing and likely to be successful plans given our current legislative ideological dominance will be and is becoming the massive expansion of subsidized housing.  Basically, grow the welfare state on Cape Cod to create the illusion of affordability.

Whether or not you agree is irrelevant as it relates to the schools but does create a potential massive, thus far unseen and not discussed issue.  I mentioned previously that there is currently an issue with declining enrollment in our local schools.

What happens if the expansion of low income housing causes a vast increase in student enrollment from those housing developments?  

We are playing a very delicate balance here.  If we decline capacity in our schools over the next few years and at the same time develop housing projects for low income residents then we will need somewhere for their children to attend school.

If we decline capacity too much we face a risk of going from under capacity which threatens the funding and rationale for having so many schools in the first place to a problem with surpassing max capacity leading to large class sizes and a whole new set of problems to address for a community already paralyzed by a lack of communication and a propensity for procrastination....the true enemy of progress.

Let us hope the mistakes made in recent decisions all around regarding these issues serve as lessons for us to do better in the future.

When A Bridge Is Silent, The Serfs Stay In The Shadows

“Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear.” - Thomas Jefferson

I start this article with that quote for this reason.  Back on December 16 of 2025 I was at a school committee meeting and saw the first signs of a fractured committee on the basis of public outreach.  A majority of the committee here in Falmouth seemed to think that being elected to the school board meant the elimination of engaging the public on major decisions.

It's true that in our constitutional republic, our system requires us to pick representatives across many levels of government, with routine elections and short terms allowing us to correct course often when we feel that the representation fails to live up to our expectations.  With that said I bring you back to the Jefferson quote.  While his message was meant for all of us it is especially important for our elected officials to keep this in mind.  

When a member of the public attends a town meeting, or in the case of the personal experience I had, a public-school committee meeting, anyone who wishes to speak freely is given 2 minutes with which to do so.  As this is protected free speech there is little that can be done to interfere provided you don't violate some obvious rules, (no violence or throwing things etc. for example).  

The issue is that 2 minutes is not a lot of time and, at least in my own personal experience, reading a script that has been designed to be delivered in less than 2 minutes doesn't hit quite as genuinely as speaking freely does.  

However, I figured I'd give it a shot relative to my feelings on what I've seen from our local school committee here in Falmouth these last few months.  Therefore, I delivered the following message during my 2 minutes on February 10, 2026:

"There are few issues that unite people when it comes to politics, from the highest levels of the federal government to the lowest levels of local elected office.  However, one of the easiest uniting issues with the public at large is transparency.  Even a common goal of wanting to educate our children properly has its differences as to how that can best be achieved based on various approaches supported overall by one side or another.

On January 9, The Falmouth Enterprise published an article about this committee violating the open meeting law.  However, just 4 days later, in the last meeting on January 13 there was essentially an argument between members of this committee about going into executive session, likely unnecessarily and potentially illegally, again.

It seems some members of this committee, including those with many years on it, learned nothing from this article, and apparently are used to a status quo in which the public is on a need to know basis determined by committee members whom apparently are not used to an informed and engaged public and who therefore do not seem to think they, as elected officials, are accountable to that public.  One member of this committee, and not one you'd expect given recent controversial events, even stated that this committee currently has "poor functionality", as well as the obvious failure of public transparency which made the Enterprise article necessary in the first place.

It is my hope, for the sake of our children, parents, teachers, schools, and even this committee itself, that these recent controversial events are opening everyone's eyes and with any luck, exposing the importance of not only the responsibility of this committee and the officials with which it deals to better engage the public at large, but also to showcase the responsibility the public has at staying informed and engaged in the matters with which we elect you to address.  Hopefully, we start to see some new faces on this committee in the coming years.  Thank you." - Brandon Edsall

Now let's circle back to the reason for title of this article and the point of my use of Thomas Jeffersons quote.  During this school committee meeting back on February 10 there was actually some very good presentations given to the committee and any members of the public in attendance or watching online as the public meetings are broadcast live.  The problem was there were no questions from the committee.  With the public unable to do so itself during meetings that quote popped into my head.  Question with boldness, let me explain.

While the blizzard of 2026 had not yet hit us there was some snow on the ground and one innovative idea that one of the schools had was to take the elementary kids outside to do art projects in the snow among other similar things.  Given the low temperatures they limited the program to only a short time but everyone in attendance, myself included, thought it was a good idea and enjoyed the presentation.  I snuck a question in, (which apparently is against the rules), about how much of the class time was being used to go outside for this and got an adequate answer.  The committee praised the program, as the rest of us did, but had no follow up questions, only praise for the program.

However, there was another presentation and the lack of questions regarding this next program from the committee provided the inspiration for the title of this post.  One of the concerns Falmouth has, as well as other local school systems, (Mashpee for example), is the declining enrollment in the schools themselves.

There are many factors for this of course, such as Massachusetts high cost of living driving middle class families with children to other states.  More directly though, we have to tech schools, upper and lower cape, where trades are taught in a biweekly schedule with academics.  The availability, through school choice, (which I am fully in favor of), to attend the tech schools has caused many Falmouth students to choose not to attend the local high school.

School funding is in part tied to the number of children attending the schools.  What this means is that the more children from Falmouth that choose to attend the tech schools, the more Falmouth has to contribute to the funding of those trade schools to the detriment of the towns funding of its own school system.

The presentation I alluded to from the school committee meeting regarded one program where I think the local high school is in fact competing well with the tech schools.  It is a business/marketing program about financial literacy.  The program was presented by the Volunteer In Public service program, (VIPS).

I have long been an advocate for the reality that children need to learn basic finance, especially as they get into their teenage years.  Nothing fancy, but the basic information regarding things such as balancing a checkbook, paying bills and especially loans on time, and in general building a healthy credit profile as they approach adulthood.  The financial literacy program seems to focus on that type of education so what's the problem?

"When a bridge is silent, the serfs stay in the shadows"

At the end of the presentation one of the VIPS representatives said, "interest exceeds capacity", in regard to the financial literacy program.  She then went on to say to the school committee, "any questions?"

I just about leaped out of my chair when the school committee just sat there with absolutely nothing to ask.  I said, "I have one", but was told by the chair of the school committee that the public is not allowed to ask questions.  I respected decorum but couldn't believe that on a 9-person committee, not to mention a DEIB representative, (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging), more on that in a future post perhaps, no one had any questions just basic praise for the program.

If the school committee is supposed to be a bridge between the public and the school system, then it is their responsibility to ask questions on behalf of the public which as I pointed out, I was not allowed to do when they didn't.  My obvious question, had I been given the opportunity to ask would have been this.

Since we all seem to agree that this program sounds exciting and necessary, not to mention the kids are excited to join the program then what is being done to address the problem of interest exceeding capacity?

That would have been my question, and it was so sad to see a committee of 9 members, a superintendent of schools, and a DEI representative miss the opportunity to ask such a question.  My experience cemented a decision I was already considering.

If the only way to ask important questions is to get a seat on an otherwise dysfunctional school committee, then so be it.  

2 weeks later I filed papers to officially run for the school committee as a candidate.  This current school committee isn't a bridge connecting information to the public.  It is a castle keeping the drawbridge up to hide and disconnect as much as possible from the public interest at large.

I suppose my initial message for the public regarding my decision to run for the committee myself is simply this, it is time to lower the bridge and storm the castle.  Let the fun begin.

When A School Committee Disconnects From A School's Community

Now that the holidays are over and we're back to paying close attention we have many decisions to make.  On a personal note I've been focusing on historical research, heavy reading, and focusing on where my own town seems to stand, (which is in a disappointing place as far as the select board and school committee is concerned).

As this is a blog focusing on education I will stay away from political issues that don't have a focus on that topic.  However, when educators inject themselves into political debates beyond typical expectation, (education, budgets etc), then it is appropriate to retort.  This is where I shift to my own town of Falmouth, Massachusetts.  Increasingly becoming an overrated disappointment.  

If you don't live on or engage with Cape Cod then you likely have this vision in your head of a wealthy community, a bit out of touch with middle and lower class concerns, wonderful schools of majority rich (mostly white) kids from old money wealthy families just living it up here on the beaches saving average concerns for the lower classes with whom we are all disconnected.

I can assure you this is untrue.  Here in Falmouth 40% of our students qualify as lower income, (that comes from the towns own 2026-27 school year projections).  The cape is changing and it's not a measure of whether or not that's good or bad.  Obviously, any increase in poverty rates in any given area is a bad thing, unless of course it's intentional and by design which is debatable.

On the note of intent and design, (again from the schools own 26-27 education plans), Falmouth Public Schools are, unfortunately, heavily engaged in the DEI, (diversity, equity, and inclusion), standards.  Headlining it in it's own presentations to the Falmouth School Committee.  You can find the proof here in the 1/13/26 meeting.  I warn that this is a 4 hour meeting but the DEI proof is in the earlier half of the meeting.  I don't expect you to sit through this if not a Falmouth resident but I've provided this as proof of my accusation.

It's interesting to note that the radical leftist superintendent Lori S Duerr, who is all in on green energy nonsense, convinced those on the school committee with whom she aligns to violate the open meeting law in order to renew her own contract last year.

Lindberg’s determination also identified that Duerr was present during the first half of the executive session. “She [Duerr] knew that the committee was convening in executive session to discuss the contract with her. By failing to identify her in the notice and in the announcement prior to entering executive session, the Committee violated the Open Meeting Law,” Lindberg wrote in the determination letter.

What's interesting here is that some of the members of the school committee, (admittedly a minority of members 2 out of the total 9), say off the record that they were misled into executive session and violated the open meeting law without knowledge of doing so.  The scrutiny of the recent newspaper article has put them, perhaps unfairly, on defense.

However, let's get back to DEI for a second.  It's no surprise that in light of the re-election of President Trump there has been stunning, (whether you agree or not), reversal of direction on many issues including DEI.

Let me ask you something.  Assuming you, the reader, is for lack of definition the average person.  Regardless of whether you would identify as Republican, Democrat, Independent, Other, on the right, left, or center politically.  If you know anything about the World Economic Forum, (WEF), what is your initial feeling towards it?

It is my belief that the average person has a less than favorable view of the forum.  The average person on the "right" would accuse it of being a group of globalists actively engaged in the destruction of western society.  The average person on the "left" would accuse it of being a group of rich elites whom they would oppose in the interest of class warfare.

If my assessment is at least broadly accepted as true enough then you need to read this.  DEI is not some wonderful educational guideline established by educators and child advocates as many of you would like to assume.

Over 500 people from over 30 nations registered to attend, and every seat was filled to hear the roster of 35 speakers, including Valeshia Butterfield, founder and CEO of SEED Media; Wanji Walcott, chief legal and business affairs officer at Pinterest; and Chris Foster, CEO of Omnicom Public Relations Group (OPRG). These speakers shared their vision of a more diverse future and presented strategies to tackle some of the most pressing global challenges, such as leadership, technology, and the evolution of equity and belonging.

Now wait a minute.  I thought this was just about combating racism etc. What exactly does equity, diversity, and inclusion mean on a global scale of radically different societal standards and systems of government?

It's no secret that our student scores have gone to levels we, (in the broader context of educators, parents, and curriculum), should be ashamed of.  

I have previously written on the last 2 major changes to our educational policies.  The first being the work of President Bush (43), and the late not so great Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, called "No Child Left Behind".  The results of which in hindsight have shown a far closer result to what should have been called an, All Children Left Behind, policy.  With reading, writing, and arithmetic, (arguably the 3 most important pillars of education), all suffering as a result.

Did the government learn it's lesson?  Of course not, (hell no! if you prefer), the Obama administration doubled down on dumb with the, "Every Student Succeeds Act", (ESSA), in 2015.

Now we have the third "out" in this terrible inning, (forgive the baseball analogy).  With DEI.  Disconnect from your political bias and cognitive dissonance for just a moment and let's talk results.

We are facing a crisis, especially in reading, and you may not be aware just how bad the literacy rate in the US really is.  Look at this.  I'm not sure whether to shake my head or just weep for America's future if this trend continues.  From the above link to https://www.sparxservices.org/:

Historical Perspective (2014 vs. 2020):

• In 2014, 92% of American adults had at least "Level 1" literacy, with over 20% having literacy proficiency at or below Level 1.
• By 2020, 54% of adults in the US had English prose literacy below the 6th-grade level.
• Importance of Addressing Disparities:
• These statistics highlight the need for promoting literacy initiatives to improve overall literacy rates and reading ability in the United States.

We hear a lot of talk about funding, teacher pay, diversity, and enrollment.  Everyone loves to act like an expert in education, or at least the insistence that we trust said experts to make the right decisions.  However, it's worth noting that the charts used above shows a disastrous trend before the pandemic of 2020, (often the scapegoat used to define diminishing scores among our students).

While it's no secret that the Covid 19 pandemic had a disastrous effect on our schools and students I think the loss of literacy and sliding test scores among our students was in fact a story already being written without the need to close schools.

What was far more damaging in my opinion, (as a father of 5), was the lost of extremely necessary social interaction and the development of social skills, especially in our younger children.

Whereas technology, social media etc., was already having a negative impact on our children in regards to anxiety levels, suicide, depression, loneliness, and physical fitness etc.  The closure of schools was an explosive accelerant to these problems.  

Every parent saw this coming a mile away but were the teachers and their union representatives interested in hearing any of that?  No.  Were they upset about paying teachers to not do their jobs for over a year? No.  Instead, you were vilified for stating the obvious. 

I don't want to stray too far off of topic nor make this article any longer than necessary so I'll close it with this.  My town is but one of many sliding in so many different ways and the fact of the matter is that all we get from our leadership is smoke and mirrors and self induced pats on the back.

Our local elections tend to have abysmal turnout rates and community engagement.  Every year Falmouth has a choice of replacing 3 out of 9 school committee members.  The real genius of our system is our frequent elections and numerous elected positions at all levels.

The flaw in our system is the voters that don't engage in it and the establishment of comfortable candidates whom have come to expect not to be held accountable for results.

Why is it that most of us routinely show that we are dissatisfied with congress regardless of the party in power but we sit back and watch local elected officials in offices like school committees, select boards, town councils etc. get reelected over and over in elections where few show up and fewer still run for office?

In the end it is not disconnected elected officials with whom we should be disappointed for less than satisfactory results.  It is the disconnected public with whom we should be disappointed for not holding said officials accountable for the results with which we are disappointed.  

In the local elections we routinely reward failure in ways not acceptable in other aspects of our lives and societies.  This is a problem that will only be fixed when the public increases it's awareness and engagement.  

Most people would agree that maximum transparency from government officials at all levels is desired by the majority of the public regardless of political ideology.  Why then does the public not punish the elected officials whom fail so often to meet that very simple request and standard?

Perhaps when we realize that answering that question is far more important than any other in the national political conversation we will start to see the real hope and change, that Obama so elegantly pretended to stand for, in our local communities.

The Age Of In No Sense

 I concluded my last post with a seemingly simple question regarding age appropriate material in our education system.  I wondered how age appropriate materials in school used to be not only simple common sense but also an issue that most reasonable people agreed on.  Parents, teachers, democrats, and republicans agreed that grade level material existed with regards to curriculum and testing.  How then has it gone so wrong with regards to sexual materials and gender discussions?

As a father of 5 children covering a wide range of ages and grades I have had many years of dealing with various changes to how and what our children have been taught.  Given my political leanings and the obvious educational themes that you will see posted here over time I'm sure you expect that figuring out where I stand is easy here.  Let me clarify it for you and you decide for yourself how extreme my views are on this.

One thing that has been agreed to forever, (even if it proves to be only words for some in the education system), is that parents are the first and most important teachers of our children.  That parental involvement and engagement with our kids teachers and education is not only welcomed, but strongly encouraged by educators.

However, over time this has become more and more of an issue that puts many parents at odds with the teachers and the policies of those whom set the curriculum up.  Especially on the issue of gender.  I could show you an endless stream of recent videos like this one.  Take a few minutes for yourself sometime and just look up the various school board vs parents videos online, it's overwhelming.

So let me ask you what is so dangerous about parental consent regarding controversial issues?  How does it make sense to have to get a parental consent form in order to give your kid an aspirin at school but not gender transformation therapy and treatment?

It seems crystal clear where the extremist point of view lies.  We don't even have to take it that far.  For me, this seems like an easy and simple problem to solve in a way that would avert controversy for all involved, no fighting between parents and school boards, no irreversible harm to children, and no ideological propaganda being pushed one way or the other.

Simply put, increase parental involvement rather than decrease it.  Why is that such a difficult position to hold?  Burlington, Massachusetts recently had a huge fight over a sexual survey given to students as young as 11 years old which was of course changed in 2025 to include very explicit questions to be more inclusive to the alphabet mafia, (LGBTQLMNOP2+??), community. 

Read this story for yourself first and then we will move on.

In light of what you just read and saw let me ask my previous question again, what is so dangerous about parental consent regarding controversial issues?  

Perhaps your next question for me would be, what would I know about these kids, especially ones that may be gender or sexually confused?  Well, first I'll give you an answer in the form of a study performed in Germany.

"Administering irreversible endocrine and surgical interventions based on a diagnosis of such poor diagnostic stability is problematic, given the lifelong, irreversible nature of the "gender-affirming" interventions and their lifetime medical burden."

This points out a very obvious point that most reasonable people have been making all along.  We should not be allowing underage children to undergo permanent life altering medical surgeries or treatments before the age of 18.

How fitting that this study comes out of Germany.  I doubt many of you are aware of this but did you know that the first sex change surgery and the first uterus transplant surgery were also performed in Berlin, Germany in 1931?

Meet Dora Richter, the recipient of the first sex change surgery and Lili Elbe, the first man to have a uterus implanted surgically, (which lead to his death due to complications).

I will bring this post to a close with these final points.  Dora Richter was 40 when he underwent a trans surgery.  Lili Elbe was 48 when he underwent the uterus transplant surgery that lead to his death.  These were not children.  

I stated before that you might wonder what would I know about these issues?  I have a gay daughter whom is married to a woman, (she was 15 when she came out publicly as being gay), and my stepson's biological father came out as trans after my stepson was born before I met my wife.

These issues do hit close to home for me and I take them seriously.  Perhaps it is not I whom is speaking out of ignorance on this issue, rather it is those who would label me an extremist without context.  

To push such an important topic with such dire potential consequences, especially for our children, in one direction, and to intentionally not only keep parents in the dark on it, but to vilify them for their very reasonable positions, to me makes no sense.  Hence the title of this particular post.

Over time the point of my new focus here will hopefully become clearer as I not only try to address some of these issues but also see what we can do about it.  This is not about being against education.  Far from it.  Children have been the targets of this progressive machine forever and for obvious reasons.  

Hopefully, we can come up with ways to push back and actually be a voice of reason in an unreasonable world.  We have a lot to do and much to learn.  With any luck, I'm just getting started.

The Commonwealth Is Dirty....Time To Clean It Up

It's been a long time since I was writing anything for a blog.  Like many of you, I stuck to social media posts.  Pointless back and forth arguments that didn't really accomplish anything but fuel bitterness.  The incessant need to get the last word, going back and forth through the comments and not really accomplishing anything of merit or substance.

For nearly 30 years I've been passionate about politics and history especially and to say a lot has changed in that 30 years is putting it lightly.  As I've grown, been married, had children, and now face them growing I have always worried about what kind of future we were handing them, or at least on track to hand them.  

While the back and forth of partisan politics has sadly not changed much over the years, what is being pushed through our education system to our children certainly has.  It is my hope that through these posts and, hopefully, the discussions that will stem from them we can in the very least have civil debate and honest advocacy for ways to improve something we all should be able to agree on, the education of our kids.

To those with whom I share a majority of political alignment with, this would of course be easy.  However, what I hope to accomplish here is more about finding some degree of common ground in education standards and curriculum.  Ground that even those with whom I may disagree on in many regards can stand on and in the very least honestly discuss.

I would like to think that when many kids are graduating from high school with an 8th grade or in some cases below reading level, there shouldn't be a partisan fight to recognize that this is unacceptable.

Let's start here, over time both parties have been trying to find the best solutions to advance education, and both parties have failed miserably to do so.  At the federal level there have been 2 major changes to education curriculum, (it could be argued that President Trump is focusing on enacting a 3rd that is more about reversing the first 2).  At the state level there has been another set of changes, referred to as "common core", which is not a part of the other 2 technically but let's dig in.

The first of these changes were signed into law on January 8, 2002 by former president George Bush, this was called the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001".  Phasing in different standards over time with annual testing starting in 2005/2006.  

Over time this was criticized by teachers, (most likely because many of them hated Bush so it was ok to ignore the democrats support of NCLB and just pin it on Bush), because many felt they had to "teach to the test".  Of course government did what government does, added more problems and less solutions.  This is where the policy of "Common Core" comes into play.

Common Core curriculum changes officially began in June of 2010.  It was now President Obama in office.  Common Core was technically a state led change to the education system that became a nightmare for parents and teachers.  This is a rare case where both the left and the right were opposed to an education policy albeit for differing reasons.

The "right" opposed it because Bill and Melinda Gates were heavily involved in it's creation and implementation, combined with Obama's use of grants to encourage implementation this became a target of the Conservatives as government overreach above states rights.

The "left", teachers unions etc. opposed it for a similar reason.  Too much input from people like Bill Gates and not enough from actual teachers etc.  What's fascinating is that both parents and teachers considered these new educational standards as age inappropriate, (remember that term).

What has happened to our education system over the last 20 years has in fact drawn criticism from both sides of the political aisle.  The conservatives believe that the federal takeover of education on such a massive scale has not only stripped away an important aspect of states rights but has also given us results opposite of what you would expect with new standards.  You would expect better results instead of worse.

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, (NAEP), our students proficiency scores have been plummeting for years.  How can this be so with all of these wonderful reforms?  We will explore this in time but for now I will leave you with this thought.

Just a few short years ago parents, teachers, democrats, and republicans understood there was such a thing as age appropriate.  How then in 2025 can so many people in the educational community no longer understand that when it comes to topics of sex and gender?  

I will leave you with that question for now.  Thank you for reading.  You can find me on X.