State of "The U"--Midseason Report 2022

Seven games into the 2022 college football season and the Canes are 3-4.  It really comes at no big surprise considering the product "The U"  has put on the field the last two decades.  Mediocrity is not even the best description for the program.  Coach Mario Cristobal definitely has his hands full in rebuilding this program back to respectability.

Photo courtesy: University of Miami News and Events

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Season 1 Episode 3:
Canes Football/College Football Playoffs

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Micromanaging is such a dirty word in the business world and office setting.  But in education it drives teachers crazy.  Especially when you have micromanaging principals and/or administrators in schools who want to control everything like lesson plans, how instruction should be delivered, to how your classroom should look and be ran; heck, they even want to control the thermostat setting.  Why is that?

***Photo courtesy: FleshSalad

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Loews Portofino Bay Hotel might be the best hotel on Universal Orlando's property.  My wife and I celebrated our anniversary by staying there.  Can I truly say this hotel is absolutely beautiful and will transport you to a little waterfront city on the coast of Italy.  I'll also talk about the perks and benefits of staying there; particularly the unlimited Express Passes that comes with staying there.  Lastly, is Universal Orlando truly ready to go pound-for-pound in a heavyweight fight with Disney now?

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So after a 5-month hiatus break, the Ray Talks Live podcast has return!!!  This episode gives an update on what has been happening and what to expect going forward.

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My podcast has talked a lot about the shortcomings of both students and parents when it comes to education, especially in high school.  However, in fairness and transparency, my podcast has also recognized that at times it is the educators themselves that are at fault or doing the most harm to our future generations.  This episode looks at how the failures and wrongs of educators can cause serious danger and damage, and give the whole profession that "bad apple" reputation.

***Photo Courtesy: Quote Master (picturequotes.com)

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A brief overview about the new hit comedy series Abbott Elementary on ABC.  There is a lot of humor in this TV series about teachers in an underprivileged black elementary school in Philadelphia, BUT there is also a lot of truth in it as well.

***Photo Courtesy: IMDb

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This episode discusses my experience at Walt Disney World during Spring Break (March 21-25).  Let's talk about crowd levels at the parks, the Epcot International Flower & Garden, and my thoughts on Disney Genie+ where I'll discuss both the pros and the cons.  

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So the great state of Florida and its Republican legislature passed three controversial bills for Governor DeSantis to sign: Abortion, Individual Freedom (Stop WOKE Act) and the Parental Rights in Education (Don't Say Gay).  How ironic that the abortion bill passes on March 3rd, during Women's History Month, and the last two bills passing on March 11th and 10th, respectively.  This episode discusses these three bills and the impact, and the serious  repercussions of those bills for Florida Republicans.

Season 2 Episode 20:
Critical Race Theory

***Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

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In this episode, I briefly talk about getting ready to visit Walt Disney World  during spring break.  How crowded will it be for spring break?  But the bigger question: Is Disney Genie+ worth the upcharge of $15/person per day at the parks????  I'm going to already commit to buying Genie+ for the family on the day we visit Magic Kingdom. 

Have you visited the Disney theme parks recently?  How were the crowd levels?  Did you pay the $15 for Genie+ when you visited and was it worth it?

***Photo Courtesy: Walt Disney World (Pinterest)

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In this episode, I revisit a case study from three years ago that is still very relevant today in 2022.  When a student fails (does not graduate from high school), then who is to blame: parents, students or schools?  Blame and fault can probably be shared among all three parties, but ultimately, one group has to take full responsibility for those failures.  What are your thoughts?

Season 4 Episode 3:
Are high school seniors ready for the real word?

Season 3 Episode 12:
New School Year: Advice for Parents

Season 1 Episode 12:
Parents, Teachers and COVID-19

Season 2 Episode 2:
Part 2: Parents, Teachers and COVID-19

Season 2 Episode 17:
Finale: Parents, Teachers and COVID-19

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