* We avoided any major political disasters over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Despite the fact that some of our dinner guests are practicing Republicans that watch Fox News, I didn't need to throw anyone out or throw any punches. Thank goodness. However, just before some of our Republican guests left, I had to show them a picture of me meeting President Obama----just to rub it in a little.
* The weekend was even more successful with the huge win of the Buckeyes over that team from up north. It was very cold at the game, even with our hand warmers, fleece blankets, and extra gloves. The appearance of the 2002 National Championship Ohio State Football Team, Coach Tressel, and the win over those varmints from up north, made it all just wonderful.
* In case you missed it---- Another person hired by Gov. John Kasich is having some ethics problems. Plunderbund has all the details surrounding James Leftwich.
*How many Ohio 3rd graders will be retained at the end of the school year? The CoshoctonTribune suggests thousands of students will need to repeat the third grade.
CoshoctonTribune:
...Schools recently received the results from the fall Ohio Achievement Assessments, showing which students need assistance to pass the high-stakes exam....
....In Zanesville City Schools, 43 percent of the 250 third-graders did not receive a proficient score on the reading test.
The state’s third-grade reading guarantee requires students to meet certain proficiency levels on reading tests to advance to the fourth grade. Officials from numerous districts expressed concern that such hard lines don’t benefit students, while supporters said the focus
is on intervention more than student retention....We'll see what happens. When people that know nothing about education and learning try to use untried methods to measure learning, it will be the students, teachers, and parents that will suffer. Kasich and the GOP will live to regret their third grade reading program, especially since they've cut so much from the budget for education.
>> If you live in central Ohio, you should not miss the exhibition of photographs by legendary Annie Leibovitz at the Wexner Center. The photographs span Leiboitz's long career and her wide variety of subjects.