In this day and age, I get a number of alerts pop up in the bottom right-hand corner of my computer. I no longer let them worry me much. They are a fact of twenty-first century life. Threats are everywhere, not just on my computer. There are threats of terrorist actions against "infidels" as well as threats of "reformist" actions against teachers! Every day, one reads the news with trepidation.
I appreciate that Norton keeps me updated on its activity. It certainly seems to justify the yearly fee. They block this and they block that. They quarantine some other potentially deadly thing. It is my computer's equivalent of anti-terrorism specialists. They foil a plot here. They foil a plot there. I am reminded that, occasionally, the plans of educational "reformers" get foiled, too.
Being a teacher really adds to the thrill of living in a world of constant and immediate threats. There are so many plots hatched to strip me of my dignity. Which one will be next? The Governor wants outside observers to pester us because the people who know us best can't find enough faults. Can you beat this logic? The State wants to make my students' test scores count for, perhaps, half of my worth. Can you beat that logic? Some would strip me of tenure. If I lose due-process rights, I will become a better teacher. Who could possibly argue with that logic?
Despite this new and thrilling world of ed. "reform," I stay grounded. I will reassure myself by my own pop ups. Let me share a couple:
But, here's one the one I'd really like to see on an ongoing basis. If only ed. threats could be removed so systematically:
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