“Murder Your Employer - McMasters Guide to Homicide”

 

Imagine hating your boss so much you want to kill them. Where would you start? How would you accomplish the deed? Is this person worthy of all the planning and dedication you are willing to put into such an endeavor?

Would you need specialized training? Classes in forensics? Physical stamina? Acting lessons? A working knowledge of chemistry? How about a few physics lectures? Practical application? A meticulous plan?

And what if there was a place where you could get all those skills and the confidence to carry out your nefarious plan? Would you apply? Could you commit to such a rigorous education?

McMasters may be just the place for you. Goodbye boss!!!!

July 4, 2025

July 4, 2025

This year as I watched the Fourth of July fireworks, my heart was heavy and I wanted to cry. The crowd cheered as the night sky burst in red, white, and blue sparkles, and yet something was off. 

The music that accompanied the fireworks - more specifically the lyrics hit me hard. I was again reminded of lessons I taught in eighth grade. And the fact that this song, written and performed by Neil Diamond*, was a teaching moment…immigrants risking it all to come for a new life in a foreign land. A land they hoped would greet them with open arms. Diamond’s lyrics struck me to the point of tears…

“Far

We’ve been traveling far

Without a home

Not without a star

Free

Only want to be free

We huddle close

Hang on to a dream

Home

To a new and a shiny place

Make our bed and we'll say our grace

Freedom's light burning warm

Everywhere around the world

They're coming to America

Every time that flag's unfurled

They're coming to America

Got a dream to take them there

They're coming to America

Got a dream they've come to share

They're coming to America

My country 'tis of thee

Sweet land of liberty

Of thee I sing

Today”

I’m not sure any of this is true today. The hope. The dream of a better life. The promise of freedom. If immigrants did not leave Europe in the 1600s looking for a better life - free from tyranny and religious persecution - would we have a United States of America today?

My thoughts shifted to the Declaration of Independence - the colonies’ letter of complaint to King George. I suppose there are different ways to interpret that document. Again in my classroom we saw those brave colonists as fighting tyranny and taxation without representation…BUT what if it was really about rich white slave owners who didn’t want to pay their taxes? Puts a different spin on it, doesn’t it? I’m coming to believe it may have been a little of both.

We fought for the right to govern ourselves - to put in motion an idea that had never been tried before. To risk it all for a better life. Hope. The promise of freedom. 

We embraced all who held those same ideals. The melting pot - the rich tapestry that is America. Let’s pray that we have not squandered all that our forefathers dreamed we could be. 

*lyrics have been edited, by me.

Lessons from Eighth Grade #503

 

Lessons from Eighth Grade

Lesson #503 - Ladder of Hate

(Based on Anti-Defamation League’s Pyramid of Hate)

Level 1: Biased Attitudes: Stereotyping, microaggressions, insensitive remarks.

Level 2: Discrimination: Excluding or mistreating individuals or groups based on their identity.

Level 3: Harassment: Repeatedly bothering or disturbing someone.

Level 4: Violence: Physical or verbal acts of aggression.

Level 5: Genocide: The systematic destruction of a group based on their identity.

Part of my eighth grade curriculum discussed hatred. We started by examining bullies as we read The Misfits by James Howe. Our discussion looked at the fine line between teasing and bullying. We talked about when the line was crossed from bullying to the Anti-Defamation League’s Level 1: Biased Attitudes.

We looked at how much energy it took to hate. A constant barrage of thoughts, images, and actions all meant to sustain hatred. We studied the Ladder of Hate. Where in our history did we, as a country, move up the ladder? We could look at our treatment of Native Americans. Did we reach Level 5?

If we look at our country today…can we not see our president, Donald J. Trump, working his way up this ladder too? Insensitive remarks, mockery, name calling, microaggressions. He has done all of these. Harassment and Violence toward specific groups based on their identity. Physical AND verbal acts of aggression. He and his minion are one step away from Genocide…

I hope that the eighth graders that made their way through my classroom over the years took two heart the lessons taught about hate. I hope that they see many of our public servants as leveling their way up the Ladder of Hate. I also hope that they can call out those that continue to fuel hate. That they can reflect and find empathy for all the people of our nation. Diversity is what this nation was founded on, and what continues to make us a great nation. In this world, there is no room for hate.

“Other Birds”

Do you believe that those who pass before us, are still able to interact with the living? I believe that my grandfather occasionally visits me as a crow. So Hennessey’s characters communicating with their dearly departed loved ones was no big stretch for me. 

Embracing one’s past while reaching out to the future. Trying to honor those we loved and still love, without jeopardizing other relationships. Finding a balance. Taking a chance that those around you will understand. 

Lies that lead to twists. Ghosts that cause havoc. Departed loved ones that aren’t able to move on…held here by those that need them the most. Understanding. Love. Perhaps, a happily-ever-after for both the living and the dead.

Lessons from Eighth Grade - #358

 

Lesson #358

“The Misfits” by James Howe

Every story needs an antagonist. Yet, not every antagonist is a bully. This story is as much about the bully, as it is about the misfits that find their voices in order to be seen and heard.

A bully is a crass individual who degrades those he sees as less than. He torments other people to feel superior. Name calling. Mockery. Threats. These are all part of his arsenal. But, a bully would lose steam quickly, if not surrounded by his minions. These people are what I call the “yuck-em-up” guys. Their self-esteem is so low, that the only way they are seen, is by continually propping up the bully. Whether it is laughing at his jokes, bolstering his confidence, or simply being in his orbit - no bully is complete without his “yuck-em-up” guys.

It’s funny. I hadn’t thought about this book and all the great lessons I taught from it, for my eighth grade classes, in a long time. But something about Donald Trump and his minions, brought me back to this book. I suppose what really got me thinking of “The Misfits” is Trump’s name calling. 

Trump is a bully. And, yes, he is surrounded by his own legion of “yuck-em-up” guys. Politicians and non-politicians alike. Bullies only exist as long as they have an audience. Without his followers, inside and outside the White House, he too would lose steam and fade away.

In the book, the protagonists find their collective voice and call out the bully for what he is. It’s time for us to use our collective voices to call out Trump. To hold him and his minions accountable. Will this bring us all the happily-ever-after we deserve? I’m not sure, but it’s better than being at the mercy of a bully.

“The Dirty Book Club”

Wings

This book is all about wings…but probably not how you think. Wings of courage, perhaps. Wings to take chances. Wings to expose one's feelings. Wings to fly, certainly.

Coerced friendship. Earned trust. Secrets. 

The ability to be who you truly are, and be ok with it. To be accepted for who you are. To take chances and be supported. 

To love and be loved. To look at life through a different lens. To let go. To grab at life with both hands. To be happy. To be surrounded by friends who love and cherish you.

Oh, and a lot of talk about sex.