Saturday, March 19, 2016

We Have Room For All Of You. Period.

We reject the idolatrous notion that we can ensure the safety of some by sacrificing the hopes of others. No matter where we fall on the political spectrum, we must respect the dignity of every human being and we must seek the common good above all else.

Readers are aware that I worship in the Episcopal Church these days.  Linked below is another reason why I unapologetically call myself an Episcopalian.  The U.S. House of Bishops were recently in a retreat, and have issued  a statement, that they have titled "A word to the Church," about the treatment of those who are marginalized and are being demonized in this current Presidential election season.
The Church is constrained against being for or against specific candidates in its pronouncements, so some of the pronouncements on issues may sound sort of indirect, but to me, at least, the references are to the shameful way that the GOP candidates are encouraging discrimination and violence against immigrants, refugees, people of color and the LBGT community.
You can read the full announcement here.

Tuesday, March 08, 2016

Good Lord, What Am I Doing Here?

Recently, after << mumble >> years in the workforce, I've found that getting work has been a bit slower than usual, I've been told I'm "over-qualified," "not in touch with new computer trends," "we are concerned that if you take the position at the salary we offer  you'll leave when the economy picks up," yada, yada, yada.

So I'm back in school again.

Some  things stay the same: study groups; the vending machines are overpriced and steal your money; between 30% and 60% students desperately try to cram a full semester's worth of studying into the 2 days before the finals; and students are still taking courses that they are woefully unprepared for.

Other things change: the use of online resources; the requirement for every student to be at least minimally computer literate (we have a course for that); courses that are taken  online only; use of computer spreadsheets, presentations, etc as part of your required coursework (we have a course for learning  that); etc, etc.

But, O. M. G., they all look so young now. I don't remember them looking so young before....