Columns & Editorials

Now that spring break for Forney ISD is finished, the last part of the school year begins with time marching just a bit faster than perhaps students, teachers, and parents want. It is again a time of last “firsts” for students and parents– last first game, meet, theater opening night, band concert, state level event. But it is also time for many first “firsts” –first varsity start, first starring role, first solo performance. The teachers in Forney ISD also are working even harder to get all of their students ready for the end of year testing and utilizing the grants that were funded last fall by the Forney Education Foundation.

When you’re driving these days, it’s pretty hard to get lost because your smartphone’s Global Positioning System (GPS) can get you just about anywhere. And as an investor, you can have a similar experience by employing another directional tool – a personalized financial strategy.

It turns out that living in a 130-year-old house is a constant adventure. We are constantly finding things that we didn’t know were there. One thing for example, Lori was checking the filter in a return air grill that is no longer in use. When she pulled out the filter, she found a Brinkman Flashlight that still works. A couple of weeks ago she found a nice picture frame behind one of the wardrobes the previous owners had left behind.

Miracles are big business today. If you have any doubt, type the word “miracle” into your favorite online search engine.

Jesus said: There will be wars and rumors of wars that must come to pass before the end comes. Matt. 14:6.

Dear Aunt B,

Several years ago, a naïve me walked into the Kaufman County Courthouse and paid a licensing fee for a business name. I wanted to open a junk store. I wanted a bucket of rusty things for sale that sat so close to a stack of vintage doilies and those fabric calendars from the 50s that one would have to be careful of the orange hue you could pass along if you touched recklessly. I wanted antique books and faded velvet settees and antler sheds and old chiffon prom dresses and handmade candles and primitive corn husk dolls and creepy portraits of 19th century people I don’t know – all available for purchase to likeminded folks who understand what is lost when we lose interest in the making of the things. And, trust me, this world has lost interest in the making of the things. My husband was not a fan of this idea. He reminded me that I was the only person he knew that carted around creepy portraits and vintage dolls with crackling faces. So, reluctantly, I shifted the perspective of this “company” of mine to something more valuable… me. I would stage events with my collections. You could hire me to do your wedding or your baby shower – I collect vintage high-top baby shoes, too – or your commercial chalk art. Except, my idea of staging a wedding involves heavy furniture, U-Haul rentals, a makeshift flower shop, and my own manic brain that is prone to suddenly turn on a dime because I now see that we MUST have a mime performing, or a working 1890s carousel, or a French accordion player, or puppies instead of flower bouquets. I’m an enneagram 4 wing 5, after all. It’s all about emotions. I have beautiful ones, and I want to share them with the world. Actually, what this column is about today has nothing to do with my disturbed noggin. It’s that old company name of mine, still protected by the county for another 4 years. I was going to call my venture “Lost & Found.” My tag line: all good things must be lost in order to be found.

Dear Aunt B,

AN UNEXPECTED RUSSIAN ENCOUNTER

I often think of how life continually evolves and the systems that evolve or should evolve with it. Medicine, transportation, technology, and agriculture are examples of areas where evolution resulted in greater efficiency, ideally less waste and greater service provision. In our professions we must evolve to stay current and relevant. If we choose not to evolve, we will probably find ourselves phased out in favor of innovative, efficient, and effective replacements. It’s odd that education has not fully evolved with the times. The lack of comprehensive evolution in education is concerning.

My heart breaks for the people of Ukraine as innocents including children are being killed by the Russian attack. The resistance of Ukrainians against unprovoked carnage in their country has been an inspiration to freedom loving people around the world.

In the current state of our education system, not surprisingly, student achievement has taken a hit. With no one stepping forward to take responsibility for two years of learning loss, inconsistent instruction, and teacher attrition unlike anything that has occurred in the last decade, the blaming and fingerpointing continues to swirl, looking for a place to settle. As education leadership debates responsibility, little seems to be improving in our schools. It’s time to examine responsibility and develop a plan for moving forward.

It’s unfortunate but true: If you’re a woman, you face more obstacles than men in achieving financial security. And that means you may well need to put in some extra effort.