Where have all the cowboys gone?

I have just been flipping through the newspaper here lately. I hear a whole lot about dress codes, accountiblity, and TAKs scores. I basically have gotten where I just shrug and turn the page.

I understand they are going to do away with TAKs. Whatever...All the state is going to do is replace it with something else. There is still a move toward accountibility. I read so in the Sulphur Springs News Telegram.

Who cares really? This damn tax-free weekend is another bunch of bullshit. I read the stuff you are allowed to buy and the things you aren't allowed to buy. They don't make anything worthwhile tax-free, like school supplies. Supposedly our local representative, Mark Homer, made a move to have other items included on the tax-free list. It was never even made a motion on the House floor. Who does Mark Homer think he is kidding?

Well, if you all have read the fine print, tax-free only counts on items under $100. Since when have a pair of sneakers cost under $75, at least decent running shoes that kids won't outgrow? And Wal-Mart in Mt. Pleasant, Texas only lets you buy up to $100 dollars. My kids' backpacks cost more than that.

And dress codes--my pastor is all for them. As if dress code is a distraction. In Sulphur Springs, if you fail to comply, you aren't sent home--you are given an orange jumpsuit to wear. You know what--I love orange suits...Sign me up!

Testing...discipline...You know what I call for? I think we ought to allow for state vouchers. I really do. Then the state legislature can find out how bad the charter schools, magnet programs, and home-schooling suck. Hell the private schools that they so desperately want the state to pay for suck too. Just look at the national average.

And it serves Texans right. They don't want to pay for their children's education. That's right folks. The school system is based on property tax. Compared to California, we have one of the lowest tax rates in the country. We don't even have a state income tax, and yet, people still complain about their taxes.

Well, folks, you get what you pay for. Next time you order from your favorite restaurant, just ask the high school dropout behind the counter to make out change in their heads. They can't do it half the time! They are usually so tired of dealing with sick kids, sick parents, or so fried on drugs that they can't even remember how to spell "French fry."

Texas can kiss my ass. After everything I went through my first year of teaching, I'll never teach in the public schools again. And don't think I'm alone in this feeling....

So where have all the cowboys gone?