One of the biggest problems my wife, a middle school teacher at a private Catholic school, faces these days is kids who simply don’t care. You might think this is less of an issue at a non-public school, but in those cases, the parents are the ones who care enough to pay extra for their child’s education. The child’s motivation, however, is a separate subject. And this isn’t a matter of “school sucks, I’m going to be a singer/entrepreneur/flight attendant/dental hygienist”. This is “these kids are failing every class and will not be allowed to graduate high school.” (At least, they shouldn’t be allowed to graduate. I never knew anyone…
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My Kindertrauma: The Hippo Song
You know what they don’t have anymore? Children’s music. I mean, I don’t think it was ever popular, but it existed. I guess it’s because children don’t have disposable income, and parents don’t want to listen to that kind of dreck. Also, there’s no avenue for kids to pick up new stuff. When I was your age, we had a thing called the radio to hear new music. By the time they’re old enough to operate YouTube they find stuff like Willow Smith and Justin Bieber. The closest equivalent, Radio Disney, well… it doesn’t play kid’s music. I looked at the Top 30 chart and all the names I recognize…
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Fluttershy Is In a Domestically Abusive Relationship
You already know that I love My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Don’t need to reiterate that it’s a good show. You already know that Fluttershy is my favorite. Maybe because I identify with her the most — she’s introverted like me. Or because she’s the most broken of the ponies, or the most innocent, or least threatening. It might surprise you to know that I still haven’t seen all the episodes yet. I’m almost done with season 2, and was disappointed by the lack of Fluttershy episodes. I understand why, though. It’s difficult to write an action-oriented plot with a main character who’s shy and reactive. Unless you rehash…
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HBO’s Braingames
I was going over old ’80s shows for a future article when I came across something I’d totally forgotten about. A lost gem from my early years: Braingames. Braingames was only on HBO, a channel that was fortunately present in my youth. Thanks to it, I got to see Fraggle Rock and a host of movies my dad recorded. Uncensored, commercial-free, and unedited — the way movies were supposed to be. Apparently, it used to be a half-hour show, but when I saw it, it was broken into single-game vignettes that filled time gaps between blocks of children’s programming or movies. This was the SCARIEST FUCKING THING I had ever…