So, according to book face, THE OG of livestock transportation, Mr. Bob May AND the OG of online goat marketing, Mr. Tommy Milligan share a birthday!!  I do not think that they are related.  However, my question is this…….

do they have the same hair stylist?

Recently, I had the smelly kid talk with 23 8th grade boys.  We have them in class 1st hour (Thank GOD! Later in the day would be brutal!)   I was blunt but DANG!!   That many bodies that don’t know yet how to properly use deodorant, antiperspirant, showers, soaps, toothbrush, etc.  I know that other teachers had spoken to them about this topic.  I get it.  However, they hadn’t got the message. I have ZERO problem being the blunt one that they remember.  I will gladly buy products if they need them.  I explained that most girls do not like breath that smells like that they had eaten turd sandwiches or BO that makes your eyes water.

Over the years, I have some wicked stories of helping keep BO levels down in a given class.  I’ve never embarassed a kid.  I have been guilty of “selecting” a couple of kids to wash a trailer out during class.  (Oh, and it is OKAY to have a water fight…..just use this soap so that there are bubbles.  The more bubbles, the cleaner the trailer.)  Coaches and ag teachers get to deal with this on a regular basis.  I will gladly deal with the smelly teenage male problems versus the other alternative.

Teachers may or may not get paid enough to teach a given subject.  They NEVER get paid enough to deal with the real life situations that parents fail to teach.

Let’s be real.  Shattuck is a lower to upper-middle class town.  It is a clean town that has civic pride.  Yet, there are some non-natives (mostly white) that one wonders what they do for a living.  As a whole, Shattuck cares more about work ethic versus the color of skin, religion or other factors.  And in true middle America fashion, they like all kids, regardless of parentage,  until the kids prove to be a POS.

I’m related to a large percentage of this town.  Yet, I know fewer and fewer of the kids until they enter our classroom.  Maybe?!   I can go to Dollar General to buy some toothpaste or deodorant.  I may not recognize any employee or the kid that is only wearing a diaper or the dude with the stained wife beater.  No matter, all Dollar Generals look like an earthquake just hit and knocked stuff off of the shelves.

My point….I have always known that Shattuck was a good place.  A place to raise kids.  That hasn’t changed.  What has changed is that more and more students need the basics.  Basic hygiene.  Basic work ethic.  Basic respect.  Basic nutrition.  The kids haven’t changed.  The parental units have drastically changed.

This is getting longer than anticipated.  We aren’t different from your place.  This is just observations from the front lines.  We are still loaded with great kids and great parents.  I am just being honest with some stuff that I am witnessing.

Speaking of smelling like a buck goat….I bet that the Bob & Tom show (Milligan & May if you prefer) could shake up a Dollar General if need be.  I leave you with that happy thought!