Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Dropping Bombs Into the Bog

Dave Winer's definition of blogging (at least as it is commonly attributed according to Google) is "the unedited voice of a single person," and I guess what has always frustrated me about Miguel's blog is that it is the voice of at least three people, usually all pitching into each post. You've got Teacher Miguel, who I like and understands progressive education, Administrator Miguel, who just spews crapola and reads awful management tomes all the time, Revolutionary Miguel, who is fighting a losing battle to retain his credibility despite hanging out with Administrator Miguel all the time, plus various Geek Miguel cousins, etc. (GNU Miguel, Mac Miguel, etc), etc...

I have to wonder if it is possible to maintain any intellectual or philosophical coherence as a mid-level district administrator. I don't think it is, unless maybe if you're someone who travels with a star superintendent rather than someone who is subjected to a series of superintendents. But it is otherwise your job to assimilate a constant stream of new standards, strategies, philosophies, management revolutions, etc. and while teachers have to deal with all that crap too, it is probably worse to have to figure out how to sell each successive wave to teachers and figure out how to wedge as much stuff as you truly believe in there as you can, if you can even remember what you really believe.

I respect people who can teach and work in screwed up public schools, but I think people who work in screwed up district administrations are crazy. It just looks like a nightmare scenario to me. 100% of the bad parts of public education without the kids. Awful.

3 comments:

Miguel Guhlin (@mGuhlin) said...

Does all this attention mean that I've been inducted into the Tom Hoffman Hall of High-Priced Consultants to watch?

Now if only the pay were equivalent to that other guy whose thinking is challenged all the time...[long sigh]

Send checks payable to:

Miguel Guhlin
Multiple Personality Bloggers
Around the Corner-MGuhlin
http://mguhlin.net

Tom Hoffman said...

No, it means you've been inducted into the list of people I forbid myself to read, lest I waste all my afternoons being an asshole.

Miguel Guhlin (@mGuhlin) said...

Tom, your antics are hilarious. You remind me of a close family relation.
BTW, shouldn't the title say "Dropping Blogs into the Bog?"

;->