u/thattreeisgay

CCSD released the full District Teacher Kickoff video this year, so I watched the whole thing 🫠

Ragsdale has some interesting opinions. He also makes quite a few statements that sound like facts but are... maybe worth checking.

A few parts that caught my attention:

The book removal/trafficking section -36:53

This one is WILD. He says “Every two minutes, a child is sold into trafficking in the United States of America. Let that sink in. Every two minutes. Now, folks, the sexually inappropriate materials we removed from this school district have one intended action. To condition kids at a young age to accept this whole deal around trafficking is normal some way, shape, or form. And either you agree with protecting kids or you don't. There's no politics involved." This is an alarming number and I couldn't find any credibility to any of this claim. Apparently, CCSD has a human trafficking awareness component in its health curriculum for grades 6-12. Purely anecdotal, but my child has never received this awareness education. Why doesn't he discuss this aspect of prevention instead of repeated justification for book removal? He follows that up with the whole good vs. evil, no gray area, if you disagree you have no business in education argument.

The Trump/Wheeler section -34:44

He spends a pretty significant chunk of the speech defending the presidential visit, including suggesting that people who opposed it were essentially bringing their own politics into it. I am just leaving this to speak for itself. No politics in schools, yet repeatedly bringing politics into schools.

“Using data to make decisions” -11:16

Every decision? That's a pretty broad statement. I'd genuinely love to know what that means in practice. Quite a few parents and groups have asked for specific data and not much has been verified.

Safety -15:40

$35 million is spent on safety annually. He goes on to describe the Vapor Wake program. “48,000 people scanned” sounds impressive, but what does that actually tell us about effectiveness in the school setting? There are currently 16 dogs, one at each high school. A gun was just brought into Campbell Middle School. Where's the data on Vapor Wake prevention?

53,000 applications for 450 positions -51:12ish

This one sounds very impressive until you remember that applications aren't necessarily applicants. Multiple factors can come into play here. What positions? Were those positions actually filled? Still an interesting number, but what exactly is being measured? "It truly is better in Cobb, right? It's always always better in Cobb."

“Best education at the lowest cost in metro Atlanta” -23:08

This one is just begging for someone to define “best” and “lowest cost.” I'm sure a lot of parents who have to advocate relentlessly for their child with special needs would beg to differ (for example).

There are plenty of things in the speech that are factual too, which honestly makes the other stuff more interesting. It's the blending of facts, anecdotes, opinions, and huge assertions without much distinction between them that makes it difficult to understand where Cobb actually stands.

There's a LOT packed into this speech. I only highlighted a few because ugghhh, I can't do anymore. I'm curious what anyone else thinks about what he says. As well as why Cobb decided to make the video in its entirety public this year? Historically it's been a very edited PR version of a few highlights. Enjoy!

Cobb County School Board meetings no longer livestream the public comment portion, so if you want to hear what parents, teachers and community members actually say, you generally have to be there in person.

There's currently an older gentleman who has been doing the incredibly helpful work of recording public comment himself and uploading it, but he's doing it entirely on his own time. And honestly, we need to make sure this doesn't depend on one person being willing and able to keep doing it.

Anyone in Cobb who might be willing to volunteer a little time to take this on more consistently?

Nothing fancy is required. Ideally someone who:

knows their way around a camera or decent phone setup

can get reasonably good audio

has basic video-editing skills

can upload to YouTube/Facebook/anywhere

doesn't mind sitting through a school board meeting every month

understands that the goal is simply making public comment accessible to the public

The idea would be to record the public-comment portions, clean them up enough that people can actually hear them, and create a consistent place where Cobb residents know they can go to watch them afterward.

If you're a videographer, journalism/media student, YouTube person, retired media person, local government nerd, or just someone who thinks “people should actually be able to hear what their neighbors are saying to their elected school board”, we NEED you!!

And if you know someone who might be perfect for this, please send them this post.

My husband and I have been together for over 11 years and from the outside we apparently look like a great couple. He’s kind, physically present, works hard, doesn’t cheat, doesn’t party, etc. Most people would probably describe him as “one of the good ones.”

But internally, I feel deeply alone in this marriage.

I recently tried explaining (again) that I’m overwhelmed by being the default manager of our entire life. Not just chores, but the mental load of everything:

household management

noticing what needs to be done

initiating tasks

planning meals

keeping up with kids’ needs

emotional labor

family relationships

appointments/school stuff

maintaining the home- fixing things

constantly having to ASK for help instead of shared ownership

yard work and upkeep

Etc etc etc

He keeps responding with things like: “I do things.” “I go to work.” “I do dishes.” “I get our son ready in the morning.” “I’m always here, aren’t I?”

The problem is that most of those things still require my initiation or planning beforehand. For example, he says he gets our son ready in the morning, but I’m still the one making sure clothes are ready, school things are prepared, etc. I also chose to delegate this to him to remove at least one easy thing from my list. He gets him dressed and teeth brushed 10 minutes before the bus arrives. He’ll unload the dishwasher (after I say something) but leave dirty dishes all over the counter and sink. He’ll make dinner, but only if I planned it and bought ingredients. He takes out the trash, when I say it's full. I feel like I’m carrying the executive function of the household and our relationship. Like I'm his manager.

What hurts most is that every time I try to explain this, he hears: “You’re a failure.” “You’re not enough.” “You’re a bad husband.”

That is NOT what I’m saying.

I’ve never attacked his character. I’ve repeatedly used “I” statements: “I’m overwhelmed.” “I’m at capacity.” “I can’t sustain these dynamics long-term.”

But the conversations always turn into: “You hate me.” “Nothing I do is enough.” “You’re disrespectful.” “You’re condescending.”

I genuinely feel misunderstood. I don’t think he understands what emotional reciprocity, mental load, or shared partnership actually mean in practice. He admitted he avoids conflict, which honestly explains a lot.

What concerns me is that he already seems maxed out just from working (tennis pro) and a few basic life tasks. We have children, a household, and life is only going to become more demanding when I go back to work. I don’t know where this goes if he already feels overwhelmed by his current level of responsibility.

I’m not looking for comments telling me he’s a terrible person, because I don’t think he is. I also know I’m not perfect. I can become stern and emotionally exhausted after years of repeating the same concerns without change.

I think I’m just at a point where I no longer know how to explain this in a way that lands and produces sustained initiation and follow through. I feel hopeless more than angry at this point.

Has anyone successfully come back from a dynamic like this? Especially when one partner experiences discussions about mental load/emotional connection as criticism instead of a shared problem to solve? We are planning on going to couples counseling, but I'm not even hopeful that it will produce sustainable changes. Just feeling very stuck, but absolutely want to avoid separating/divorce.