Cracks in the base of the ivory tower

I should probably just turn in "speaker/consultant" license right now to the proper authorities. It's been the kind of week here in the district that makes me think the only example of how to run a library/technology program I am setting is a bad example. So all in one week...

• The mail server decides to be temperamental and refuses to move e-mail when it reaches a certain degree of busyness. Yes, there have been warnings that I should have been more diligent in heeding. A new server with greater capacity is now on order and serious discussions about retiring our faithful Sendmail and hiring Microsoft Exchange software are ongoing. Management by crisis. Sigh...
  
• A Twin Cities television station airs a program on student blogging and its "dangers," singling out MySpace. Parents in Mankato, en mass, discover MySpace and that their children are actually using it. Parents call principals demanding MySpace be blocked. Superintendent calls me ordering MySpace be blocked. Quite honestly, I don't have a problem with blocking MySpace in our district, but I am worried that this is the start of a "guilty until proven innocent" approach to website blocking which has not  been our procedure in the past. Discussions, I am assured, will ensue. Sigh...
  
• First district-wide inservice on blogging was held after school on Thursday. Out of 800 possible attendees, 12 people showed up, one of whom was the LWW attending out of sympathy. Sigh...
• Work overloads and miscommunication at one of our high schools is requiring that we go back to using a formal work order process for any technology maintenance or repair requests. Nobody likes the paperwork and the time it takes - neither teachers nor techs. But it looks like it will be a necessary evil. Sigh...
• To cap things off, a long meeting as part of an advisory/steering/focus group on state-wide online testing here in Minnesota. Taking computers out of kids' hands for learning for at least six weeks each year so they can be used only for high-stakes, traditionally normed (not value-added)  testing. Sigh...
  

But all in all this turned out to be a good week. Why? I visited schools on Friday morning and here's what I found:

 

 and

 

and

 
 

and

 

 So the Ivory Tower has leaky windows, a bad septic system and cracks in the foundation. But the view is still pretty nice - when one takes the time to look.

OK, one more reason it was a good week. Grandson #2, Miles, started on solid food. Check out the writing on the bib..

 

Comments

[Jacquie Henry]

I can't stand it anymore. WHAT does LWW stand for? From past posts I have figured out it is your wife (I think) - but what do the letters stand for? Loving Widdle Wifey? Little Witchy Woman? I'm lost and obviously completely ignorant - or almost - when it comes to IM abbreviations. LOL

[John Thompson]

The measure of a man is not how many times he falls, but how many times he gets up.

[Christopher Harris]

Can I add that I rather dislike television news? If it bleeds, it leads. On the other hand, what a great opportunity to suggest the adoption of a district wide blogging solution. The district can "respond" to MySpace concerns by providing a moderated alternative?

Thanks for sharing the pictures! As you said, that is the reason why we are around. It seems clear that the real positives haven't been impacted by "problems."

The glass is WAY more than half full!