{"id":3245,"date":"2018-03-10T02:05:52","date_gmt":"2018-03-10T02:05:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/speaktherights.com\/?p=3245"},"modified":"2018-03-10T02:05:52","modified_gmt":"2018-03-10T02:05:52","slug":"50-years-50-days-day-42-toes-step-may","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245","title":{"rendered":"50 years in 50 days Day 42 The Toes You Step On May Be Your Own"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Working in the recording studio with Rod Wurtele\u00a0 in the Card shirt and Millard Dunn in the back.\u00a0 We were working on a song.\u00a0 Dr. Dunn was my teacher when I first read The Life You Save May Be Your Own.<\/em><\/p>\n

For whatever reason I was thinking today of the Flannery O’Connor story The Life You Save May Be Your Own.<\/em><\/p>\n

For the past two weeks I have been charged with overseeing the ISTEP testing of students in grades 9-11 that needed to take the tests.\u00a0 It is an arduous process and one that is a bit archaic in the days we are living in.\u00a0 What happened to the learning styles mantra we were given in the 1990s?\u00a0 Politics.\u00a0 My mentor and boss of many years ago, Jim Stewart, once said, “Education is the most resilient thing going.\u00a0 No matter how politicians screw it up, kids still want to learn and that is the best thing going.”<\/p>\n

When it comes to ISTEP we give all the kids a cookie cutter of a test that lasts a few minutes and it is supposed to measure what they have learned in a school year that lasts 180 days.\u00a0 Gee…that makes sense.\u00a0 We are not talking the SAT or the ACT here.\u00a0 Those are traditionally taken after most of the high school student’s body of work is complete.<\/p>\n

I know that the school house is a bastion of old world ideology and sturdy social and moral fiber unlike much of the world outside its doors.\u00a0 I suppose it has always been that way.\u00a0 But today, when it is not uncommon to hear a folk or two fly foul mouth invective speaks around in a department store.\u00a0 You look around and no one seems too phased by it.\u00a0 Is that the norm these days?\u00a0 It isn’t where I work.\u00a0 I hope it does not get worse.\u00a0 That would be tragic.\u00a0 But, I suppose the President talks foul and that gives all a license to also?<\/p>\n

A young man was in some trouble today.\u00a0 I sat down and talked to him about how the English language is situation specific.\u00a0 I usually only shared this with the English classes I used to teach, but today it was time to discuss again.\u00a0 Listen closely.<\/p>\n

For whatever reason,\u00a0 the potty-mouths in the store and in the Oval Office never got this.\u00a0 The English language is a functional, living tool.\u00a0 It comes out of the breath we offer it therefore it lives.\u00a0 We need to understand we need to use it to our advantage.\u00a0 If we are in a job interview we are not going to talk like we are at a Saturday Night card game.\u00a0 When I go to speak to a 2nd grade classroom, I don’t talk to the kids like they are in the 11th grade.\u00a0 We must understand our audience and we must address them properly.<\/p>\n

I was not taught to talk nasty talk.\u00a0 That was acquired.\u00a0 You won’t hear it out of me.\u00a0 I will, however, when in the presence of a very few friends I can count on one hand, throw around some colorful language that will not go anywhere outside the room.\u00a0 This is usually in the midst of a euchre game or on the golf course with no one else in earshot.\u00a0 This is a case of situation specific rules of language.<\/p>\n

The only word I ever used in a classroom that could be considered offensive is the word “hell”.\u00a0 It is in the punchline of a joke I told just yesterday to a colleague.\u00a0 I told it to 8th and 11th graders in 1999 in a school building that was built in 1897.\u00a0 I am not sure I would repeat it today.\u00a0 In 2018 the world outside the bastion that is the school house is eager to criticize the school and put blame on it.<\/p>\n

I have witnessed parents that cussed and beat their kids six ways from Sunday, but if the school starts to impart a punishment there is something wrong.\u00a0 Those are scary parents indeed.<\/p>\n

It’s not easy.\u00a0 It never was.\u00a0 It may have been easier thirty-five years ago.\u00a0 I don’t remember such a run on the assistant principal’s office like we have now and you better believe I paid attention.\u00a0 I was sent a couple times myself.\u00a0 \u00a0We didn’t have cell phones then either.\u00a0 Had someone said the words cyber-bullying or social media…we would have asked “Huh?”\u00a0 We had pick up trucks in the student parking lot with gun racks in pick-up trucks with actual rifles in them. No one thought a thing of it.\u00a0 An active shooter drill?\u00a0 For what?\u00a0 It was a simpler time.\u00a0 We talked to each other more back then.\u00a0 We hadn’t texted yet.<\/p>\n

All that said, I like my new phone.<\/p>\n

Speaking the rights.<\/p>\n

Danny Johnson<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Working in the recording studio with Rod Wurtele\u00a0 in the Card shirt and Millard Dunn in the back.\u00a0 We were working on a song.\u00a0 Dr. Dunn was my teacher when I first read The Life You Save May Be Your Own. For whatever reason I was thinking today of the Flannery O’Connor story The Life […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n50 years in 50 days Day 42 The Toes You Step On May Be Your Own - midwestfootballwriter.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"50 years in 50 days Day 42 The Toes You Step On May Be Your Own - midwestfootballwriter.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Working in the recording studio with Rod Wurtele\u00a0 in the Card shirt and Millard Dunn in the back.\u00a0 We were working on a song.\u00a0 Dr. Dunn was my teacher when I first read The Life You Save May Be Your Own. For whatever reason I was thinking today of the Flannery O’Connor story The Life […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"midwestfootballwriter.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=100013659552726\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-03-10T02:05:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/speaktherights.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/millard1-1.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Danny Johnson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@danj0056\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Danny Johnson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Danny Johnson\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac3618f00c1f959c9e5e925f6fecdea1\"},\"headline\":\"50 years in 50 days Day 42 The Toes You Step On May Be Your Own\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-03-10T02:05:52+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245\"},\"wordCount\":818,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/speaktherights.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/millard1-1.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245\",\"name\":\"50 years in 50 days Day 42 The Toes You Step On May Be Your Own - midwestfootballwriter.com\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/speaktherights.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/millard1-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-03-10T02:05:52+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac3618f00c1f959c9e5e925f6fecdea1\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/speaktherights.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/millard1-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/speaktherights.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/millard1-1.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"50 years in 50 days Day 42 The Toes You Step On May Be Your Own\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/\",\"name\":\"midwestfootballwriter.com\",\"description\":\"Football Season Never Ends\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac3618f00c1f959c9e5e925f6fecdea1\",\"name\":\"Danny Johnson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5b8b71bd46d29f300ce30886cbf7d74589ba5aa8bb75312c082f601b65939309?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5b8b71bd46d29f300ce30886cbf7d74589ba5aa8bb75312c082f601b65939309?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5b8b71bd46d29f300ce30886cbf7d74589ba5aa8bb75312c082f601b65939309?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Danny Johnson\"},\"description\":\"Danny Johnson is an educator, songwriter, and enjoys sharing his observations of life.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/speaktherights.com\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=100013659552726\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/danj0056\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"50 years in 50 days Day 42 The Toes You Step On May Be Your Own - midwestfootballwriter.com","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"50 years in 50 days Day 42 The Toes You Step On May Be Your Own - midwestfootballwriter.com","og_description":"Working in the recording studio with Rod Wurtele\u00a0 in the Card shirt and Millard Dunn in the back.\u00a0 We were working on a song.\u00a0 Dr. Dunn was my teacher when I first read The Life You Save May Be Your Own. For whatever reason I was thinking today of the Flannery O’Connor story The Life […]","og_url":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245","og_site_name":"midwestfootballwriter.com","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=100013659552726","article_published_time":"2018-03-10T02:05:52+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/speaktherights.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/millard1-1.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Danny Johnson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@danj0056","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Danny Johnson","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245"},"author":{"name":"Danny Johnson","@id":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac3618f00c1f959c9e5e925f6fecdea1"},"headline":"50 years in 50 days Day 42 The Toes You Step On May Be Your Own","datePublished":"2018-03-10T02:05:52+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245"},"wordCount":818,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/speaktherights.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/millard1-1.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245","url":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245","name":"50 years in 50 days Day 42 The Toes You Step On May Be Your Own - midwestfootballwriter.com","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/speaktherights.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/millard1-1.jpg","datePublished":"2018-03-10T02:05:52+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac3618f00c1f959c9e5e925f6fecdea1"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/speaktherights.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/millard1-1.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/speaktherights.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/millard1-1.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?p=3245#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"50 years in 50 days Day 42 The Toes You Step On May Be Your Own"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/","name":"midwestfootballwriter.com","description":"Football Season Never Ends","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac3618f00c1f959c9e5e925f6fecdea1","name":"Danny Johnson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5b8b71bd46d29f300ce30886cbf7d74589ba5aa8bb75312c082f601b65939309?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5b8b71bd46d29f300ce30886cbf7d74589ba5aa8bb75312c082f601b65939309?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5b8b71bd46d29f300ce30886cbf7d74589ba5aa8bb75312c082f601b65939309?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Danny Johnson"},"description":"Danny Johnson is an educator, songwriter, and enjoys sharing his observations of life.","sameAs":["http:\/\/speaktherights.com","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=100013659552726","https:\/\/x.com\/danj0056"],"url":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3245"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3245\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3246,"href":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3245\/revisions\/3246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/midwestfootballwriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}