Tag: thoughts and stuff

A few days ago I ended up noticing something a little funny when going through the various feeds I subscribe to. This random oddity caught my attention and led to a neat little game of trying to figure out what’s going on in the local school system. I’ve written quite a bit about the topic–mainly on facebook–and have been going back and forth with (I’m assuming) the school system’s chief IT person. Anyway, as this has been a fun little trip, and it still raises a few questions on the time line of when things were published, I thought I’d post the stuff here. Why? I dunno. I just want to. Plus, as with most of my ramblings, I might want to go back someday and read over what I’ve written. Blah. Anyway, here’s how it started:

The following was originally posted at: http://www.facebook.com/notes/jeremiah-hall-palmer/harrison-county-schools-have-failed-in-a-certain-area-and-are-covering-it-up/10150395630796849

Harrison County Schools have failed in a certain area, and are covering it up!

I subscribe to a ton of feeds to get my news and tech fix–it’s also how I try to keep myself in the loop when it comes to things going on up on the hill.

Today, I found myself with a little bit of time and went thumbing through my subscriptions via my phone and found a gem from the school board; Andy Dotson, Superintendent of Harrison County Schools, had posted that our district was now in “corrective action” due to having fallen behind in a few key areas. As this was a point of interest for me, I decided to give it the ol’ share, and post it to facebook. Little did I know that I wasn’t sharing a darned thing–the original post had since been deleted.

Later, I found myself with some time in front of the computer. As many of us do, I ended up finding my way onto facebook and looking at my own profile–vanity, thy name is Jeremy. Then I noticed something odd. My comment that I had attached to that shared blog link was only the comment. There wasn’t a link. That signaled to me that the post had gone missing. So, I went back to my RSS reader–this time via PC–and found the article I had read before. Yep, there it was. A quick click in the feed to be transported to the original post, and; “Sorry, but the page you requested cannot be found.”

So, it was deleted, eh?

Curiosity got the better of me and I went to the Board’s facebook page. What did my eyes see there? Why a status and link boasting of how well we are doing!

…okay, so am I going nuts? I just read that we are falling behind, yet I see in big, bright, cheerful letters that we are improving!

…back to the post I had initially read. Didn’t Andy say something about us being able to find the reports online? Ah, yes he did! A quick google and search of the Kentucky Department of Education’s site-map led me to an Excel spreadsheet, where–Yes!–it shows Harrison County failing!

…so, what’s up with this? Where did the original post go? And why is the school board boasting of our success elsewhere?

…something stinks here. I want to know why.

—–

You can find the current boasts of success (unless they too get removed) at:

The spreadsheet I found is available at:

…and the original post from Andy Dotson (which was at: as archived by Google Reader follows:

Dear Parent/Guardian,

As part of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, states must use academic assessments and other indicators to annually review the progress of each district to determine whether the district makes Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in reading and mathematics.

Harrison County has been identified for corrective action due to a few of our schools having deficiencies in some of the sub-population groups. Harrison County reached seven of the thirteen targets. Under federal law, a district that does not meet AYP for two consecutive years is identified for district improvement. This is Harrison County’s first year of corrective action. The complete NCLB data is available on the Kentucky Department of Education’s website under NCLB Reports on the Quick Links.

Harrison County has revised our Comprehensive District Improvement Plan and is working on our Corrective Action Plan. The purpose of the plan is to improve student achievement throughout the district.
If you have any questions about what Harrison County is doing to improve teaching and learning in every school, please call Harrison County’s Title I Coordinator, Dee Gee Fischer, at 234-7110.

Sincerely,

Andy Dotson
Superintendent

Later, I added this comment to the preceding post:

‎…there’s a conversation going on here:

http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=292341860788941&id=296254501606&notif_t=share_reply

Harrison County Schools are (is?) claiming that the Commissioner stated that NCLB is invalid, thus what I read doesn’t apply. I’ve not found such a statement.

Meanwhile, the conversation on the Board’s fan page went like this:

Harrison County Schools
Did you know that Harrison County Schools now rank 52nd out of 174 districts statewide? Check it out!
Thursday at 2:54pm

Jeremiah Hall Palmer ‎…but i just read this statement from the Superintendent:

“Harrison County has been identified for corrective action due to a few of our schools having deficiencies in some of the sub-population groups. Harrison County reached seven of the thirteen targets.”

…the quote originated from the Board of Education’s blog — post has since been removed)
Yesterday at 3:10pm

Jeremiah Hall Palmer ‎…a printout of the text I read can be viewed here:
23 hours ago

Harrison County Schools That info came from NCLB. The Commissioner of Education has released a press release that states NCLB is no longer valid.
22 hours ago

Jeremiah Hall Palmer ‎…unless I’m mistaken, what I’ve found doesn’t necessarily say that. I’ve found a few articles which state that Kentucky and several other states have petitioned for NCLB waivers (Cappiello, 2011; Katayama, 2011; Huffington Post, 2011).

I’m likely overlooking something, but I’ve yet to find an article stating that these waivers have been approved. In fact, I read that these waivers aren’t to be reviewed until December. (Kentucky Department of Education, 2011)

So, it’s my understanding that while according to the standards Kentucky wishes to apply we are doing fairly well and deserve the pep-talk and pat on the back that you’ve linked to. Still, we need to recognize that with regard to minorities we are struggling–an issue that a good portion of the Commonwealth is facing.

The point I’m trying to make is that Dotson’s statement addressing Harrison County’s failures according to NCLB were correct and needs to be shared, as well as the claims of how Harrison County is improving in other key areas. Perhaps revision rather than redaction of Dotson’s post would have given a better impression. Admitting the failure, specifying the demographic, stating how the rest of the Commonwealth is facing similar issues and outlining what the Commonwealth and Harrison County are wishing to do in identifying and correcting these issues may have left a better impression.

—-

Works Cited

Cappiello, J. “Ky. ed chief: State will reapply for NCLB waiver.” Houston Chronicle. September 23, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2011 from

Huffington Post. “No Child Left Behind Waivers: 11 States Seek Relief From Federal Education Law” November 15, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2011 from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/15/no-child-left-behind-waiv_n_1095306.html

Katayama, D. “Kentucky Submits Waiver Application for NCLB on Monday.” WFPL News. November 14, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2011 from

Kentucky Department of Education. “Final NCLB Flexibility Application Submitted.” November 14, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2011 from
5 hours ago

Harrison County Schools Please visit our district site at http://www.harrison.kyschools.us/ and click on the 2011 NCLB Update link.
59 minutes ago

I went back to the District website, and, sure enough, there was a link to the information. I had missed it! Grrr!

…but, I figured I might as well double-check things and see what my cache showed. And while I was at it, why not Google’s cache?

So, I checked my cache, which had a last access/mod date of yesterday evening. There was the link. Crud. But the link pointed to a document with a different filename! My cached version went to NCLB_AYP_11_16_11.pdf. The current version linked to nclb_update_11_11.pdf. That difference got me to digging further… Google’s cache linked to NCLB_Status_Letter_10_26_10.pdf. Huh? What’s up with all this?

The differences between all the cached versions are as follows:

Google’s cached version, which was pulled on November 14, 2011 and shows a revision date of November 11, 2011, gave a link to Superintendent Dotson’s letter (from October 26th of last year) regarding the AYP issues. We had only met 12/13 requirements. This document is dated October 28, 2010.

My cached version, which reflected the updates as of last night (November 18, 2011), gave a link to Dotson’s letter (in PDF form, appearing on District letterhead) as I had read it in my feed–the same letter I included above. This document is dated November 16, 2011.

The current (as of this writing) version is a three page document. Page one displays the text that appears on the page originally linked to by the District/Board facebook fan page. Page two displays quotes from Kentucky Department of Education’s Commissioner, Terry Holiday. These quotes come from a statement which was issued in September of this year, prior to KDE’s application for NCLB waiver. Page three of the document is another copy of Dotson’s letter. This document is dated November 17, 2011.

As far as dates go, I have no clue as to what is going on. It appears that what I see this afternoon was created two days ago, but not posted until today. Backdating of system clocks?

Anyway, the current version pretty much gives what I had requested this morning–sing praise of what we’ve done, show where Kentucky is wanting to change how we’re graded and admit we failed by the standards currently being applied.

Of course, once I noticed that the service was turned on, I immediately hopped on the Internet and got to work catching up on a TON of stuff that I have fallen behind on–it’s been two or three months since I’ve been completely online. I’ve been re-syncing my photos and documents, uploading “new” home movies, downloading updates, researching some software–and watching vids related to software…

…and here, in the middle of all that, I think, “hey, I wonder what speeds I’m getting…”

…I really should’ve checked out the speed before I opened so many connections… but, anyway… here’s what speedtest is telling me:

sometimes i struggle with wondering what the other person thinks of me. somedays it is not such a struggle–i simply pay the thought no mind. other days…

diana seems to struggle with the same problem. sometimes it seems as if her fight with these demons is more difficult. last night, i believe, she had another round with them.

i dont know why she, nor i, nor anyone else for that matter care what others think. i dont believe that i'll ever truly understand this feeling. i do, however understand a portion of it, which diana described earlier this morning.

…but before i share that nugget of diana's wisom, i must share a small backstory…

…it came about from her reading a comment that someone left on a social networking site. the comment, and i assume the prior posting to which the comment was made, had been something which amounted to disgust for a "type" of people–those who seem to clutter their lives with drama or gossip and hold their opinions so high that they believe it to be gospel. diana found this to carry a bit of irony as the person who made the comment could easily fit in that classification. diana could not resist joining the conversation.

after some time the commentor came back with a response, stating that she had cut all sorts of people out of her life which seemed to produce nothing but drama. diana felt that this was–and i agree that it is likely–a jab at her.

this ate at diana. how could this miserable excuse of a person–my words–say these vile things of her and fail to see the boulder being hurled toward her crystal castle?

diana then poised the question, "if someone so low can think such things of me, then what do i look like in the eyes of someone who matters?"

i understand that question, as i've asked it many times. never have i found an answer.

Posted via LiveJournal app for Android.

i have now seen the original posting and the comments associated, and offered some differing insight to diana. the original post was simply someone declaring how the community was filled with "drama". the aforementioned commentor had jokingly posted that even drama-queens need attention. it was to this that diana posted how she had tried to shed herself of some of life's drama, to which the commentor replied stating that she, too, had done the same, etc. it was from this that diana thought a jab was being made.

i failed to see where exactly the jab was made, though i cannot say that one wasn't; and even if there had been some sideways slight the advice running throughout the thread by all parties says it all–don't let it bother you.

the problem with which diana seemed to be experiencing with that thread was feelings from days of yore. the troubles with reconnecting with old acquaintences is that one may begin to fall back into the thoughts and feelings associated with the time. though people do constantly evolve we fall back to our last known or greater felt reference points when dealing with those in our past. as these people are from diana's teenage years, she falls back onto some of how she felt at the time–even more insecure and paranoid of being hurt so that another may advance in some fashion.

it is possible that diana was being hurt again. personally, i didn't see it. perhaps i am simply blind to it as i, like another who posted in that thread had said, let things "roll off".

this experience shows how easily one's past can bring about and bring forward a range of old emotions. it also shows how difficult it can be to have old wounds heal.

in any case, the experience has also brought forward an important question, whether or not it can be applied in this particular instance. that question still being, "if one can think this of me, then how does another view me?"

whether or not we are capable of letting things "roll off" we can still be haunted by that question.

I hate what I’ve become. I think. Maybe it’s that I hate what I am becoming. Or maybe it’s… I really don’t know what it is, actually. There’s just something about me that I don’t really care for, and I really can’t tell if it is me or is what I am turning out to be, or…

I’m finding it harder and harder to keep my mouth shut and keep my thoughts to myself, and I’m starting to question whether that is a good thing or not. There was a time where I was very withdrawn. I still am, but…

For quite some time now I’ve blogged (more in the fashion of microblogging since I discovered twitter) all the thoughts that I’ve wanted to share with anyone who’d listen. Doing so has been very empowering. I’ve felt a little more comfortable in my skin since I started publishing everything from how many cups of coffee I drank in a day, to what made me curl up into a ball and cry. I’ve felt more human. Until recently.

I am becoming a monster.

I’m finding more things that irritate me these days, and I am finding it more difficult to filter my thoughts–to know when to keep that certain feeling to myself or hidden away from others. This bothers me.

Earlier today I saw a quick blurb an acquaintance I have (be)friended on facebook, and it just rubbed me the wrong way. I really don’t know why it bothered me so much either. And, I guess that it wasn’t limited to the one blurb, but the comments that started to surround it as well. It was all innocent, wasn’t it? Just someone expressing their feelings on a matter, something that I do fairly frequently–something I’m doing at this moment. So, where’s the harm? Why did my feathers get ruffled?

The person had written about how they had received an email message from another giving rumor to a major soft-drink manufacturer printing the Pledge of Allegiance on their soda cans with the “under God” portion removed (a rumor which is more than four years old, I believe). The person continued to say something to the affect that they were enraged that a major American company would withdraw those two words in order to “keep from offending,” as the rumor stated, persons holding other religious beliefs.

I’m still trying to figure out why I drew offense from hers. My feelings might come from a statement she made equating to the United States being a “Christian” nation and that those who do not like it could “get out”. Maybe I didn’t quite like her views because in my reading I felt that it was somewhat implied that anyone who did not fit her faith should leave the country. And, of course, there were a slew of comments attached from her following with their variants of praise.

All the while I couldn’t help but think of how I had been taught that our nation, while based on “Christian values”–loose morals that are pretty much accepted by most major religions–was settled by people fleeing from a land where they were told how to worship. Wouldn’t her statement be akin to her bellowing that we must all give praise to God? Isn’t that (loosely, granted) telling us how we should worship? Ordering me to pray to God and not letting me feel free to practice Pastafarianism?

And what about this nation’s original inhabitants, those who are natives to this land, what about their religious freedoms? If any group of people should have any right to cry for the removal of those not sharing their beliefs I would think the remaining Native American tribes should have that honor. Oh, wait… Christianity became a major Native American religion due to the various missionary efforts in our nations history.

I don’t know. The whole thing just bugged me… And I wanted to let it be known.

I came close to responding to that blurb and line of comments. Somehow, and thankfully so, I refrained. Then, I found another blurb generated by a status shuffler which begged me to make a snarky comment. Again, I managed to refrain.

It’s this sort of thing that has been bothering me. My desire to inject or attach my opinion to the conversation