Thank you to all the performers who are canceling their events at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

The Teacher in a Strange Land (that's me) chooses the best books she read in 2025, and wonders how fellow readers track their titles. #BookSky teacherinastrangeland.blog/2025/12/29/t...

Ten takes on the reality of education in the US in 2025. flanagann.substack.com/p/most-depre...

The Teacher in a Strange Land (that's me) chooses the best books she read in 2025, and wonders how fellow readers track their titles. #BookSky teacherinastrangeland.blog/2025/12/29/t...

"here is the brutal, depressing truth: The only thing that can stop this authoritarian project is Republican voters choosing to abandon it." www.thebulwark.com/p/why-marjor...

Fascinating story. This line stood out to me: "An indifferent student at the University of North Carolina, he survived academically by relying on the class notes of his girlfriend since freshman year, Amy Howe, who would later become his wife." #Typical www.nytimes.com/2025/12/28/m...

It's here, in northern Michigan. And it's wicked. We're going NOWHERE for 24 hours, at least.

a neat (and scary) survey into AI "companions" and kids www.aura.com/reports/stat... "nearly half of the time kids and teens use AI, it is for companionship, and when they do, the themes of discussion are primarily sexual, romantic, and violent."

A Media Matters analysis this year found that 9 out of the 10 top online shows that it assessed (podcasts, streams and other long-form audio and video) are right-leaning. These types of media are increasingly important in influencing voters. 3/10 🧵

Here are 10 blogs from 2025 that I think represent our current trajectory, such as it is. Wish I could offer readers better news: teacherinastrangeland.blog/2025/12/26/m...

Terrific post for teachers at multiple levels. What happens if you ban ChatGPT by doing all class writing assignments and assessments in person? Revelatory. katemanne.substack.com/p/i-prevente...

Excellent, worth-reading thread. Take a look at Slide 3, especially if you think media is left-- or left-ish.

“Putting the interests of adults ahead of the needs of children.” You know, like teachers with their need to be paid for extra hours of work. @palan57.bsky.social curmudgucation.substack.com/p/oh-an-unfu...

As the rest of the world leaves the U.S. behind.

Kelly Loeffler: "I don't think small business owners have ever been so excited to pay their taxes thanks to President Trump."

We have now lived through 12 generations since ratification, 12 generations governed by the compromises of men who owned human beings, who believed women should not vote, who could not have imagined electricity, automobiles, nuclear weapons, the internet, or a nation of 330 million people. 1/2

Schools of Hope co-location (FL) shifts costs, concentrates disruption in vulnerable communities, strips local school boards of authority, all while insulating the neighborhoods and families with the most resources-- the extraction of resources from public schools accountabaloney.com/much-ado-abo...

Pelosi: "January 6 was really sad in itself. But the sorrow of it also springs from the fact that this president is trying to rewrite history."

Scott Turner: "More research needs to be done on a 50 year mortgage and the other ideas that are being put forth ... the 50 year mortgage and other ideas that have been circulated to the public are being discussed, are on the table."

Pelosi: "Right now, Republicans in Congress have abolished the Congress. They just do what the president insists that they do. That will be over as soon as we have the gavel."

Interesting data on teacher effectiveness in MI. There were 19 individual schools that had effective ratings below 60%. All were charter schools. www.mlive.com/education/20...

🩸🩸🩸 I'm going to post this video every day so we never forget what the 34x POS convicted felon who incites political violence, adjudicated rapist & pedophile Trump did 🩸🩸🩸

Holy schnit. This is terrifying, especially now that we know they're not just theorizing.

What would it take to get the entire planet to commit to necessary sacrifices that could, once & for all, turn climate change and civilization around, practices that would save us all? Mutual assured survival, even mutual thriving? A religion? Yeah. Right. teacherinastrangeland.blog/2021/11/15/t...

EXACTLY 👇 THIS......

Guys, Trump doesn’t care about Christians in Africa and it’s not really about the Nigerian oil. It’s the rare earth minerals. Nigeria has exploded in rare earth mineral production in the last couple of years. In fact, it is the number five rare earth mineral producer on the planet.

Kalen Dion is not wrong. 😳👇

Big Education Ape: BIG EDUCATION APE YEAR IN REVIEW 2025: PUBLIC EDUCATION AT RISK bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2025/12/big-...

America's richest 10% now hold 60% of the nation's wealth. The bottom half of America? It holds just 6%. Wealth inequality is eating this country alive.

“It found that 22% of families with children said they had to reduce portion sizes for their kids' meals. Additionally, 14% were forced to "deprive children of some meals," apple.news/A109vtvqHQne...

My goal in blogging—something I’ve been doing for almost 25 yrs—has always been to write about what it’s like to be a teacher in the US. Lately, the news has not been good: teacherinastrangeland.blog/2025/12/26/m...

How to defund public education in Michigan, destroying business and community well-being in the process. www.forbes.com/sites/peterg...

My goal in blogging—something I’ve been doing for almost 25 yrs—has always been to write about what it’s like to be a teacher in the US. Lately, the news has not been good: teacherinastrangeland.blog/2025/12/26/m...

Trump has now bombed more countries than any president in US history. truthout.org/articles/us-...

why would i want a chatbot to replace my favorite undergrad professor?

Let’s talk about something not many people are chatting about and what’s actually happening right now. You might wonder why Imran Ahmed and the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) suddenly became targets of the U.S. government. The honest answer is that their research hit where it hurt.

Some inspiration! At SF Bay PSR we are working to safeguard and strengthen democracy: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

I don't think most Americans have any idea how dangerous it is for a president to declare an entire ethnic group to be "garbage." This is how the worst atrocities in human history have begun.

I’m Pretty Surprised That Sal Kahn Wrote This Op Ed, & Even More Surprised The NY Times Published It larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2025/12/27/i...

Agree 💯 With Carl......

TRUMP TELLS POLITICO ZELENSKIY ‘DOESN’T HAVE ANYTHING UNTIL I APPROVE IT’

This message hits hard.

Trump issued an order halting the shutdown of two “clean coal” plants in Indiana, claiming the move is necessary to keep electricity affordable.

Via NPR ~ Hundreds of celebrities have relaunched a committee to defend free speech that was first formed during the post-World War II Red Scare. It’s spearheaded Jane Fonda, whose father, Henry Fonda, stood against the Hollywood blacklists of the McCarthy era.⁠ ⁠

AOC Knows. Much of Our Healthcare Money Is Being Spent On ICE......