I try not to get all meta around here, but this is post #5000 at the mother ship of the Curmudgucation Institute, so I'm going to take moment to savor the sheer bulk that we've added to the interwebs. First post went up on August 16 or 2013. I recommend that you do not go back and look at the early posts from what is best described as the "What exactly the hell do I do with this thing" period of my blogging. It took my a while to hit my stride.
Have only been reading Curmudgucation for a couple of months but want you to know how much I enjoy it. Retired from a 36 year career of teaching HS mathematics 3 years ago and was so unhappy with the course teaching had been forced into the last 15 years I decided to start writing my own blog on Substack, Crisis in Education, and while as a math teacher my writing may not be stellar, the reading it has inspired me to do has been the best part, and finding writers like you has given me goals to shoot for! Keep up the good work! The kids - and especially the teachers - really need it!
Smiling at the thought of being the first reader of #5000, more or less.
Sincerely-- congratulations. That's a milestone, and milestones are important.
And while your four responses to the 'why write?' question are familiar (especially the low standards and reading a lot), you must also acknowledge the absolute fact that not enough garden-variety teachers are writing. They're too busy, for the most part, if they're still in the classroom, and if they're not, they're traveling or napping or getting pedicures, things that were impossible when they had 150 students.
You have always been the essential teacher voice and perspective, a blog without footnotes and written as if we were sitting over our tuna fish sandwiches in the lounge for the 28 minutes we got for lunch. There's probably a fancy word for your kind of writing-- colloquial?-- but your blogs are easy to read and make me think.
Thank you for all you do. You are an indispensable source of information for me. Your ability to connect the dots and make sense of the tangled issues surrounding educational policy and decision-making has helped me navigate many local issues from a much better informed perspective. Congratulations! Here’s to 5,000 more (at least).
Even tho it’s easy to count the number of posts (or let the blog gods count them for you) it’s impossible to quantify the value your work has to those of us who are working in support of public education. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Have only been reading Curmudgucation for a couple of months but want you to know how much I enjoy it. Retired from a 36 year career of teaching HS mathematics 3 years ago and was so unhappy with the course teaching had been forced into the last 15 years I decided to start writing my own blog on Substack, Crisis in Education, and while as a math teacher my writing may not be stellar, the reading it has inspired me to do has been the best part, and finding writers like you has given me goals to shoot for! Keep up the good work! The kids - and especially the teachers - really need it!
Smiling at the thought of being the first reader of #5000, more or less.
Sincerely-- congratulations. That's a milestone, and milestones are important.
And while your four responses to the 'why write?' question are familiar (especially the low standards and reading a lot), you must also acknowledge the absolute fact that not enough garden-variety teachers are writing. They're too busy, for the most part, if they're still in the classroom, and if they're not, they're traveling or napping or getting pedicures, things that were impossible when they had 150 students.
You have always been the essential teacher voice and perspective, a blog without footnotes and written as if we were sitting over our tuna fish sandwiches in the lounge for the 28 minutes we got for lunch. There's probably a fancy word for your kind of writing-- colloquial?-- but your blogs are easy to read and make me think.
Raising my coffee cup... Well done, my friend.
Thank you for all you do. You are an indispensable source of information for me. Your ability to connect the dots and make sense of the tangled issues surrounding educational policy and decision-making has helped me navigate many local issues from a much better informed perspective. Congratulations! Here’s to 5,000 more (at least).
I’ve been reading you for quite a while and continue to be impressed every day by the quality and humor of your work. Thank you for all you do.
Congratulations. Your contribution is immeasurable, but a milestone like this is worth celebrating. THANK YOU.
Even tho it’s easy to count the number of posts (or let the blog gods count them for you) it’s impossible to quantify the value your work has to those of us who are working in support of public education. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Peter, you saved what was left of my sanity when I discovered Curmie back in 2013! Don't slight those early days.
Congratulations to you, your CMO, and the Board of Directors. My profound thanks for adding your quintessential teacher voice to the Education Wars.
Congratulations, Peter! 5000 posts is definitely worth celebrating!