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Category Archives: Education, Coarsely

“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”

Stone’s Throw from Campus

Copyright 2011 Ben S. Pollock Catherine Wallack, a University of Arkansas interior design professor, deserves praise for curating a comprehensive exhibit of furniture produced by the Fulbright family’s wood business and designed by Edward Durell Stone. Wallack is credited with putting together the show, but University Relations leaves unsaid who’s responsible for honoring him after [...]

GOP School Talk Response

Copyright 2009 Ben S. Pollock DATELINE MIRTHOLOGY — Republicans are grateful that Barack Obama released a transcript early for his speech today to American schoolchildren. Rather than responding to what he might say — as they usually do in drafting responses to the weekly presidential radio address and the yearly State of the Union, and [...]

Pig Skinned

As all Arkansans who keep up with the news know, Razorback Coach Houston Nutt received a golden football to resign this past Monday. Reports indicate he received more than $3 million to end his contract. Essentially all of the payout comes from the athletic foundation, not tax or otherwise educational dollars. Hours later, or hours [...]

High School Musical Chairs

Monday night, according to each of the area newspapers, the Fayetteville School Board met in workshop formation and apparently informally agreed with the recommendation of Superintendent Bobby New about the best solution for the ever-more-crowded Fayetteville High School. He favors building on to the current facility. He said a second option, building an entirely new [...]

Your Other Right Foot

“Everybody! Step out on your right foot. “I said your right foot! “No, son, your other right foot.” Coach Malone, I think it was Bill Malone, was the admired football coach of Ramsey Junior High in Fort Smith. I remember at a school reunion where a lot of us in physical education class that day [...]

Set Your Alarmist Clock

Several Bentonville [Ark.] High School students were suspended last week after being caught on camera in what school officials believe was a gang initiation, according to Bentonville Superintendent Gary Compton. Compton described the incidents as a possible ‘gang jump-in’ that took place Jan. 22 and 23 at the high school. ‘We believe it was a [...]

Pro Forma Pro

Professionals — as opposed to, what, amateurs — and professions, as opposed to, what, trades, already were on my mind when a Fayetteville High School English teacher decided to set the record straight in a carefully written op-ed piece that just appeared in the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Milton Burke, the teacher, began by explaining the [...]

Milk fails the Pepsi Challenge

We in Arkansas are proud of our governor, Mike Huckabee. It’ll be a shame to lose him to term limits in 2 1/2 years, as he has grown in office even in the eyes of progressive sorts. He went from being a rigid Republican and a member of the evangelical right — he’s an ordained [...]

Neigh, Justice

Copyright 2006 Ben S. Pollock Justice for horses Sunday, Jan. 1, 2006. NEWS ITEM — Fayetteville High’s band is scheduled Monday to march two places behind the Rose Parade’s grand marshal, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. They’ll find it easier to stay in step than me. In Fort Smith parades, my high school’s [...]

Commencement for one

Tea for two, commencement for one Copyright 2004 Ben S. Pollock April 10,25, 2004. To a graduating high school senior, whose identity I’m not otherwise revealing. This is advice about your coming college experience. These comments are not "nice." If anyone disagrees, fine; I could be wrong. That sentence was written by the nice me. [...]