Thanks, Jim: I Needed That

Here I was thinking that I wouldn't have any more silly comments to blog about since Inez Tenenbaum left office as State Superintendent of Education.

Silly me.

Having been in office not even a month, Jim Rex has made the following comment to the media:

"The state is 'dangerously close to having a demoralized and compromised teaching force,' partly because public schools are criticized."

Really? Well, first, I'm not really sure what he means by "compromised" here.

The Free Online Dictionary defines the word as "A term applied to classified matter, knowledge of which has, in whole or in part, passed to an unauthorized person or persons, or which has been subject to risk of such passing"

Teachers are "classified matter"? Surely not. Mr. Rex appears to need to check his diction.

That they may be "demoralized" seems more likely; however, teachers do not get that way from "public schools [being] criticized." They get that way from incompetent administrators, non-supportive principals, and non-existent discipline. Mr. Rex apparently still has much to learn, since he mentions none of these demoralizing factors.

So, does Jim Rex think the situation will improve if people stop criticizing the public schools?

Pu--leeese!