Ray Talks Live

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?

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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 Universa...

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 wh...

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 ...

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. 

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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 se...

Why is it that drivers/people feel like school zone speed limits and school bus stops don't apply to them???  Are we that in a hurry that we are risking the lives of school-aged children everywhere in America?  Can we please just slow down and relax for those 30-45 seconds?!

***Photo courtesy: CAA National

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This brief episode discusses the headache of a feature that is nearly standard in every vehicle  in today's automotive world...the auto start/stop button.  The purpose is to save gas and emissions when stopped at a red light, stop sign, etc.  But what happens when the engine does not want to restart and there is the possibility of being rear-ended?  Is this a great feature or an accident ready to happen?

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Since the beginning of COVID-19 and the lockdown almost two years ago, mental health has been push to the forefront.  Which is a great thing for everyone, but what about the mental health of educators???  Educators endure with a lot of issues both in and out of the classroom in their daily lives.  But no one is checking in with them to make sure that they're doing well too.  Let's have that serious discussion on ways for ...

Fatherhood...the toughest job a man will EVER have in his life.  In this episode, I talk about my experiences of being a Black father of three, including a newborn son, and the joys, blessings, worries and concerns,  and those rough bumps on this road of being a father.  Feel free to comment and share your experiences of fatherhood on my social media platforms.

Season 5 Episode 6:
Fatherhood--Part 2

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Ray Talks Live returns after a three-month hiatus and is ready for 2022.   The addition of a newborn to the family and returning to the daily grind of a classroom educator led to a pause of this podcast.  This episode is just a quick refresh and outlines a few topics for upcoming episodes.

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Are high schools truly preparing its seniors for the real world?  I ask this question because as a teacher who has taught seniors for the last six years.  Are we truly preparing them for life after high school?  The majority of them do not have a plan or any idea as to what to do with their life.  How can we change this and get the next generation of students ready for the real world?

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Standardized testing is the hallmark of education these days.  But it also puts learning on hold and drains the life out of both students and teachers.  This episode discusses my feelings and takes about the issues and problems with standardized testing in the high school setting.  A bit of gratitude to Governor Ron DeSantis for getting rid of the Florida Standards Assessment testing (FSA) in my state after this 2021-2022 school ye...

Welcome back....welcome back!  Season 4 kicks off talking about Week 1 of the college football season.  I talk about the devastating loss for Miami against Alabama, and the rest of the games during Labor Day weekend.  Also, "Welcome Back" to the new school year.  COVID-19 is still real and is reeking havoc on school districts as the new year starts.  Kids testing positive and winding up in ICUs and teachers/bus drivers dy...

Advice for all parents of school-aged children regardless of grade-level for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year.  Although this advice is mostly for high schoolers, there is still great advice given for all parents from a high school educator.  Please feel free to share this episode  with your family and friends who are parents.

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