Allan takes a pass on getting involved

An aide to Education Minister Nancy Allan told me the minister would have nothing to say on the rather Bizarro-world job search for a new high school principal in Thompson.

That’s the one for which liars need not apply, nor should people apply who intend to misrepresent themselves or Mystery Lake School Division.

You can read the story here.

Our story led to a segment on As It Happens, which was covered in detail in The Thompson Citizen, and which you can read about here.

The Thompson Citizen gave us full credit for our original story, which doesn’t happen very often.

Anyway, Allan said through her aide that hiring is entirely within a school division’s jurisdiction.

Allan has her staff working with the people in Mystery Lake, which has had a revolving door on its top administrator jobs in recent years. I quoted management experts who were skeptical that Mystery Lake would be able to attract qualified applicants to Thompson, which you would think might affect the quality of education for the 1,000 or so high school students in Thompson, but apparently, that’s none of Allan’s business.

Moving on to other stuff....

I had a senior’s moment at volleyball at Carpathia School last night. Someone had made really excellent chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, and at the water break we had some, after which the level of play fell off considerably. I wondered aloud if they were Alice B. Toklas cookies, and no one was old enough to get the reference.

Sigh.

Change of topic....

Every once in a while I surf the web checking out board minutes and agendas, looking for stuff all over Manitoba. I’m just wondering, why has the Manitoba Teachers’ Society not posted any executive minutes since May 25?

The most recent U of M board of governors minutes available online are from June 21.

Abrupt change....

The enormous news coverage of the child sexual abuse scandal at Penn State University has focused quite rightly in recent days on the alleged victims and the alleged perpetrator, a former assistant coach of the football team.

But has anyone noticed that amid all the initial end-of-the-world coverage of fired iconic head football coach Joe Paterno and the hand-wringing over what this will mean to the future of the Penn State football "program," that you heard virtually nothing about the university president’s having also been fired along with Paterno for the way in which they handled the emerging scandal and the alarming allegations raised over the years?

No, I’m not unaware of the one-sided power relationship in the U.S. between university presidents and iconic football and basketball coaches, but still...

Meanwhile....

It’s always nice to know you’re unique. One coach told me this past weekend that I’m the only soccer referee in the city who doesn’t allow indoor socecr players to hammer each other shoulder to shoulder.

It’s there on page eight of your rulebook, coach, and there’s a reason WYSA has put it in full caps and boldface.

And I reffed an adult match the other night, not much happened, people from 35 right up to my age out there getting some exercise and having a good time, and afterward I had one player in my face, demanding to know how I could possibly miss a player on the opposing team who tried to deliberately break her leg right in front of me.

It’s far from the first time. To hear some players in master’s women’s soccer tell it, there’s more carnage and bloodshed in their matches than in the battle scenes in Braveheart, yet we zebras all seem to miss noticing the havoc.

Back to education....

Quite the story in the Toronto Star about a suburban school board’s secret meeting to name a school after the current board chair, which you can read here.

The trustees’ decision broke all kinds of rules, including those of common sense. Meanwhile, the Star says, the board chair is feeling quite honoured and has no intention of declining, despite a public uproar.

Hang on a minute, if I read The Toronto Star online, will Mayor Rob Ford ban me from visiting the city? Ford is refusing to provide press releases and other public information to the Star because of coverage that he didn’t like, and he’s urging people not to read the paper.