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Writing
I've written several books, a few stage plays, a couple screenplays, articles, academic writing, poetry, online real estate continuing education, and even standup comedy. I really enjoy creative writing and have written everything from children's stories to horror and sci-fi. For this particular section, I'm just going to share a few things I've written.
Links to Blogs:
Why Johnny Can't Do Math
The Election Circus
The Definition of Manhood
How to Develop a Speech
I Don't Have Standard Students
The Diagnosis
Let's Arm Teachers
My AGT Tryout
What is Wrong with Education?
Just Stop It J.J.! My Review of The Force Awakens
The Neophyte
Public Speaking and the Learning Process
Rhythm, Poetry, and Music
The MLB Replay Review Rules Need Changed
Five Keys to Great Speaking
Students to Blame for Our Failing Education System
BOOKS I'VE PUBLISHED
I've self-published several books. I'm not going to include all of them, but will include a few to give the reader an idea of my writing style.
Just Be Creative
Nugget
Jonah
The For-profit College Scam
This is an article I wrote
I have been a college instructor for many years. I’ve taught a variety of speech, writing, management, business, and math classes at: two large state institutions, a private Christian university and two for-profit colleges. I’ve seen the education system from several angles, and I’ve found many for-profit colleges are scams designed to benefit from student loans.
Student loans represent a huge pile of money with little government oversight. To gain access to these funds, all that needs to be done is to sign up students at an accredited institution of higher learner. Sure, there are some regulations, but they do little to protect students. The student is the intermediary—the point of transfer between the government-backed loan and the school.
It seems the only safeguard in the system is accreditation. It sounds like a fancy term, so let’s see how it works. All it means is a third party has determined the education institution is meeting standards. Sounds good if the standards were high. But, in many cases, they’re not. Sometimes the accrediting body is run by people financially benefitting from the schools they’re supposedly policing.
I’ve worked at campuses without a librarian on staff. I’ve seen a lack of quality in terms of faculty. This is often not the fault of the faculty. Faculty are often underpaid and working several jobs to make ends meet. The major of faculty members are part-time. Turnover is rampant. Faculty members don’t have proper support services for students—such as counseling services, a writing lab, or someone on staff to help with learning disabilities. And, since some for-profit colleges have minimal admissions standards (basically, sign the loan paperwork and you’re in), the population is composed of students lacking basic skills (reading, writing, and math), at times severe mental or behavioral issues, attendance issues, and a variety of personal or socio-economic problems that hinder their success. When teaching, one must often teach to the middle. With minimal admission standards, the middle is lower and there is improper support to raise that level. It’s simply impossible to demand the same rigor from students at many for-profit colleges as one would expect at the state university down the street.
The worst for-profit colleges offer a cut-rate education. The road to profit is to view faculty, staff, and support services as a liability on a profit and loss statements. None of the savings of cutting these necessities are transferred to students. For-profit colleges are often expensive—often far more expensive than a state or community college.
I didn’t understand this state of affairs when I started teaching. I liked teaching and wanted to help people better their lives. I was a great teacher. My classrooms were filled with passion. People were learning. However, over time, dealing with an at-risk population without proper support services wore me down. My energy declined, but I still tried to give. Then came the crippling realization that my efforts teaching at a for-profit college really didn’t matter. Whether I was a great teacher or simply going through the motions, my students were still being given a cut-rate education. Many of them didn’t graduate. For those that did graduate, the promises of increased opportunities often weren’t fully realized.
Their diploma was a rowboat attached to the overbearing anchor of crushing student loans. My job in academia, particularly at such vile institutions, was also an anchor hindering me from finding a legitimate job outside academia. I became stuck in a system I hated—one that showed reckless disregard for people in the bloodthirsty lust for money.
Here’s the game in a nutshell: 1) Create the illusion of hope and a quality education to a desperate, at-risk population. 2) Provide a subpar education, cutting every possible corner. 3) Charge as much as possible. The difference between what the promise would cost and what is actually provided is pure profit. It’s corporate welfare achieved through the backdoor of student loans.
If you are considering education, how can you protect yourself? 1) Ask about accreditation. Look for regional accreditation. National or international accreditation is undesirable. Also, realize that some academic programs need a separate level of accreditation for that program or certificate to carry weight. Accreditation may not be as big a consideration if you’re seeking some sort of short-term certificate (like real estate or insurance classes, although still check into things), but if you’re seeking a degree (Associate’s, Bachelor’s of the like) it is important. 2) Ask about support services. Does the college have a fully functional library that is properly staffed? Are there counseling services? Is there a writing and math lab? Are there full-time staff members to help students with disabilities? Are instructors paid to hold office hours? If an institution doesn’t offer these types of services, it’s likely a diploma mill. 3) Shop around and compare. How does the price of your diploma compare with other schools in the area? 4) Check to see if the degree transfers. Here’s one way to check that out. Find several large, state universities in your area. Then, ask some detailed questions about whether they accept credits from whatever institution you’re looking at. If you decide to change schools or a course of study, you want to make sure you have options. If you don’t have options, you may be in trouble. 5) Don’t believe the promises you’re given. For-profit schools will promise flexible schedules, a helpful faculty, tutoring (often a fellow student), or who knows what. Make them show you a current schedule of classes. If a single class isn’t offered at multiple times, is it truly flexible? Don’t believe anything that can’t be proven. 6) Call a few people that are working in the field you plan to study. Ask them about the institution you’re thinking about. Is the school reputable? Would they think twice about hiring someone with a degree from that school? Do they have anyone on staff that graduated from that school?
Education can be a wonderful experience. But, it can also financially cripple you for the rest of your life. Be cautious of any school, but especially be leery of for-profit colleges. Many are vampires that will suck you dry!
LeBron and Delly: The Destination and the Journey
This is an article I wrote
Which is more important—the journey or the destination? If you’re a Cavs fan, we’re watching both in the NBA champions.
LEBRON JAMES—THE DESTINATION
Lebron is the best player on the planet. He can do it all—score, run the offense, pass, rebound, block shots, and make steals. He is the team leader—leading a battered Cavs team in hopes of a NBA championship. He’s consistently scoring around 40 points a night and constantly knocking on the door of a triple double.
In isolation, he brings up memories of Larry Bird doing the same things for the Celtics. His athleticism to the hoop is reminiscent of Jordan. His passing and team leadership has been compared to Magic Johnson. Lebron might be so good that he’s better than these players. He is the Destination—the point where every NBA player hopes to be: the most dominant player on the court playing for a championship.
Lebron represents where we all want to be—at that point where we’ve found our talent, developed it to a razor’s edge, and now use that talent to lead and impact those around us. Lebron is the Destination.
MATTHEW DELLAVEDOVA—THE JOURNEY
Delly is the underdog—the guy people wrote off. He’s not supposed to be on that court guarding that guy. He’s only in his second NBA season, and he finds himself in the starting lineup given the task of guarding MVP Stephen Curry. In the last two games, he’s outplayed Curry seven out of eight quarters. He’s made the big plays—finding the offensive board, hitting key free throws, and finding the loose ball.
There have been points where Delly has been great. He is an emerging player—finding his game, figuring out his style, and learning how to handle himself on the court. He is the Journey.
Delly represents where most of us are at in our lives. We’re trying to find ourselves. Sure, we have an idea, but we’re just not sure what we can become. But, he is unlike us in that he fearlessly tackles the task before him. He shows us what hard work and determination can accomplish. He shows us to forget about the naysayers and just play the game. Delly’s play is a metaphor for life—dive for the loose ball, take the big shot, and be willing to define the game!
How good can he become? Honestly, we don’t know. We do know he can bring big game to the big game. He can make the tough play when the game is on the line. As he matures, he’s going to also miss the big shot. It happens to every NBA player. As we watch, we can see he’s developing into a good player. But, we also see greatness piercing through. Whether Delly will develop the greatness to meet the fans’ hopes is yet to be known. But, he is good enough to give us that hope!
THE MAGNIFICENT DUO
Lebron and Delly make a great pair. They spark each other and they spark their team. They’ve given a city hope—a hope for a championship that has been too long in the making. Lebron is the consummate basketball player—the best on the planet. He is the Destination. Delly is a young player finding his legs and showing us flashes of greatness—the underdog that pulls above his weight. He is the Journey.
Squirrels in Space
Here's the first two chapters of a children's book I wrote
Chapter One
​
Captain Nugget twirls in his seat and presses a button. “Captain's tale, squirrel date eight, seven, six, double O, niner.”
Julie smirks. “Did he just say niner?”
“I heard a double O. That's a little informal if you're using a niner.”
Nugget bristles, “Quiet. I'm trying to dictate my captain's tale.”
“SIR, YES, SIR!”
“I said, quiet!”
“SIR, YES, SIR!”
“This crew is going to drive me nuts. Now, where was I? Oh, yeah. Squirrel date eight, seven, six, double O, niner. It's been several weeks since we've met any new life forms or discovered any new ice cream flavors.”
Jim’s eyes glimmer, “Of course we haven't seen anything, Glum Nuts. Space is really big.”
Nugget twirls in his seat. “Does everyone have to give me sass?”
Julie spins in her chair. “Squirrels are known for their snark and sarcasm.”
Fluffy tips his giant mug. “And our coffee.”
Jim blows on his brew. “Bridge couldn't run without it!”
Nugget presses a button on his chair. “Galley, this is the captain.”
-----
Bob puts down his ice cream and taps his communicator. “We're here to serve.”
Sammy laughs. “Serve up snark and sarcasm.”
Bob waves off the remark. “He can hear you, Sammy.”
“What's short stuff going to do? Throw me in the brig?”
Nugget is heard on the communicator. “We don't have a brig.”
“And that's why I'm not quivering in fear.”
-----
Nugget presses a button on his chair. “Engineering, this is the captain speaking.”
Blacktail is heard on the chair’s intercom. “What's down, Cap?”
“Don't you mean, what's up?”
“Not at your height, Cap!”
Nugget raises his voice. “Would everyone please hold the sass!”
Julie flashes a smile. “I got a bucket of it, Sir.”
Jim lifts a bucket to Nugget. “My bucket's filled to the brim, Chipmunk.”
“Hey. I'm a squirrel, Jimbo!”
“The name's Jim, Peanut.”
Julie licks her lips. “I could really go for a peanut.”
“Okay, okay. Everyone shut up! I'm talking to engineering.”
-----
The warm glow of plasmified acornium pulsates through the engineering section. Blacktail opens his communicator. “What can I do you for, Teensy Tail?”
“Just quit the sass and build me a brig.”
Blacktail laughs voraciously and whispers to the engineering crew. “Hey, guys, Tiny wants me to build him a brig.”
Lorenzo whispers, “Tell him we don't know what a brig is.”
Grey glances at Blacktail. “Yeah. Just play dumb. It's how we always get out of work.”
“I'm sorry, Captain. I don't know what a brig is.”
-----
Nugget winces. “Never mind! Never mind!” Nugget whispers to himself, “I'm surrounded by chestnut heads!” He presses another button on his chair. “Galley, this is your captain speaking.”
Bob comes on the intercom. “We're here to serve, Sir.”
“I'd like an acorn sundae with maple syrup. You know the usual.”
-----
The galley is full of squirrels laughing, dancing, and eating ice cream. Bob presses his communicator. “Aye, aye, Sir. One Napoleon coming up.”
Nugget’s voice squeals over the communicator. “Napoleon? Hey, why do you call my usual the Napoleon?”
Sammy laughs. “We have nicknames for all the usual orders. It helps us deliver quicker service, Sir.”
“Okay. But why do you call mine the Napoleon?”
Bob responds. “Um, ... it's for your, ... ah, ... unique strategic mind, Sir.”
Sammy laughs loudly. “Plus, you're really short.”
-----
Squirrels are snickering on the bridge.
“Look, could I just get that Napoleon, stat!”
An acorn sundae with maple syrup materializes on Nugget's lap.
Julie motions. “Sir, your song is coming on WBKY.”
Jim nods. “WBKY. The Buckeye. All Squirrels. All the time!”
Nugget smiles. “We don’t need the commercial. Turn up the volume! Broadcast it throughout the ship. Time to get your tails on!”
The bridge crew dances while the song plays.
Squirrels in space
Ice cream embrace
Those squirrels are downing some coffee
And exploring space
We got some bushytailed heroes
We got
Squirrels in space
We got some bushytailed, coffee drinking
Ice cream freaks
They are eating acorns
Going to fill their cheeks
Get that javadrive going
With a burst of speed
Little Nugget our hero
Yes, he will succeed
Squirrels in space
Ice cream embrace
Those squirrels are downing some coffee
And exploring space
We got some bushytailed heroes
We got
Squirrels in space
Blasting all through the cosmos
In a ship of wood
Well the coffee is hot
And the ice cream is good
In a ship named the Acorn
An arboretum in space
They are dancing and singing
Kicking up the bass
We got
Squirrels in space
Ice cream embrace
Those squirrels are downing some coffee
And exploring space
We got some bushytailed heroes
We got
Squirrels in space
Jim turns towards the camera. “You all got the basic storyline?”
Nugget waves at Jim. “Jimbo, this is a book not a movie.”
“It’s not a movie yet, Captain. But they’re filming right now. Who could resist a tale about ice cream loving squirrels exploring space?”
Julie turns to Jim. “Your momma! That’s who, Jimbo!”
Nugget grimaces. “Hey, hey, hey. You know my rules.”
Everyone on the bridge shouts in unison. “NO YOUR MOMMA JOKES ON THE BRIDGE, SIR!”
“That’s better.”
Jim waves his finger towards Nugget. “We’re approaching a planet, Sir.”
“You know what that means.”
“Aye, aye, Sir. Navigator, prepare to buzz the atmosphere.”
“Yeah, yeah. I pilot this mighty ship and they don’t even give me a name. It’s just, Navigator, could you bring me a coffee. Navigator, buzz the atmosphere. Navigator, bring me some ice cream.”
Julie smiles. “I could really go for a sundae.”
“Would you like me to buzz the planet first, Ma’am?”
Nugget commands, “Prepare to buzz the planet.”
The crew responds in unison. “PREPARING TO BUZZ THE PLANET, CAPTAIN!”
“Hold onto your macadamias!”
“Batten down the sundaes!”
“Cover your coffees!”
The right half of the view screen fills with the image of the blue-green planet below. A reddish halo begins glowing.
“Yee hah!”
“Every time we come to a new planet, he has to buzz the atmosphere.”
Chapter Two
​
“Red Alert! Red Alert! Collision imminent!”
Matador snorts. “Hard starboard! Hard starboard!”
The crew braces as the ship bucks hard.
“What the milk dud was that?”
Bessie swivels towards Matador. “Captain, it appears we nearly collided with a large acorn that was buzzing the atmosphere.”
“There are no acorns in space.”
Angus interjects. “Captain, I’m pulling up an image on the view screen.”
“Udderly amazing. It looks like a giant acorn.”
“I think it’s a spaceship, Sir.”
“Spaceship? Who would build a spaceship that looks like an acorn?”
“Sir, we’re being hailed.”
“On screen.”
“This is Captain Nugget of the N.U.T.T. Acorn. Nice to meet you.”
“Captain Matador of the M.O.O. Bovine.”
-----
Jim snickers. “That spells moo bovine.”
Julie signals Jim. “Quiet, silly. Those are cows.”
“What’s a cow?”
Nugget waves his tail. “Quiet. You know the rules.”
The crew shouts in unison. “ONLY THE CAPTAIN TALKS DURING FIRST CONTACT, SIR!”
“Right. So everyone be quiet.”
“SIR, YES, SIR!”
“Quiet!”
“SIR, YES, SIR!”
Nugget peers into the camera. “Why do they always have to give me a hard time?”
Jim glances sideways at Nugget. “I thought this wasn’t a movie?”
“Okay, okay. It’s a book.”
Matador snorts on the view screen. “Are you squirrels done fighting? You almost destroyed my ship!”
“Right, right. Sorry about that. We were just having a little fun buzzing the atmosphere.”
“You didn’t even show up on our sensors. Our sensors detect every kind of metal in the universe.”
“What’s metal?”
“Metal: a malleable material that’s highly ductile with good electrical and thermal properties.”
“Never heard of it.”
“People use it to build things like spaceships and computers.”
“What’s a people?”
“People. You know, bipedal sentient life forms that inhabit many planets.”
“Never heard of them. Do they have ice cream?”
“Ice cream? Of course they have ice cream.”
Julie perks up. “I could really go for a sundae.”
“Shhh! You know the rule.”
“SIR, YES, SIR!” reverbs in unison!
Jim interjects. “We LOVE ice cream!”
“Quiet!”
“SIR, YES, SIR!” echoes across the bridge ... again!
Matador grins. “If you’re looking for ice cream, you’ve come to the right place. We’re cows, you know.”
The Navigator whispers to Jim, “What’s a cow?”
“How should I know?”
Nugget waves at the crew to be silent. “What’s a cow?”
Matador squint. “A cow. You know. Moo, moo. Horns. Udders. Milk.”
“What is this milk you speak of?”
“Milk. You know. That stuff they make ice cream out of.”
“You had me at ice cream. Why don’t you come over for a visit? We’ll send over coordinates for your teleporter.”
“Teleporter? What’s a teleporter?”
“Never mind. Never mind. We’ll just open the docking bay doors and you can come on over.”
-----
Matador looks up at the expanse in amazement. “Look at the sky in this place! And those trees! How did you build this arboretum on a ship?”
Nugget smiles. “I think that’s a question for our chief engineer, Blacktail.”
“Well, the floor is basically dirt. That’s why the trees grow. And we made the ceiling really high so the trees could really expand. It’s really quite elementary.”
Angus shakes his head. “It’s really not that elementary. This is amazing. What is this ship made of?”
“Wood.”
“Okay, I can see wood. But, what else?”
“More wood. Everything is made of wood.”
“Wait. How about your computers? There has to be metal in your circuitry.”
“I’ve never heard of this metal you speak of. Everything is wood. We’re squirrels. We know everything there is to know about wood.”
Julie interjects, “And ice cream.”
Jim tips his giant mug. “And coffee. Don’t forget coffee.”
Bessie sighs, “Right.”
Angus asks, “How do you power all this?”
Blacktail ruffles his tail. “Acornium and coffee.”
Matador squints. “Acornium? What the milk dud is acornium?”
“Plasmified acorn concentrate. It’s powerful stuff.”
Angus tilts his head. “What’s an acorn?”
Nugget picks up some acorns off the arboretum floor. “These are acorns. We have a limitless supply on our home planet, Bushytail.”
Bessie peers at the acorns. “That’s nothing but a nut. You can’t power a spaceship with nuts.”
“We can go ten-thousand times the speed of light on acornium.”
“Can we see your engineering section?”
Nugget shakes his head. “No, no. You’d never fit.”
“Never fit? You’d have to have a huge engine to go that speed.”
Blacktail chuckles. “Acornium is more powerful than you give it credit for.”
Nugget interjects. “We also have our javadrive.”
“Javadrive?”
“Blacktail, you have to tell them about our javadrive.”
“Sure, sure. Well, sometimes we want to go even faster.”
“Even faster?”
“Sure. So, we harness the power of coffee. We can hit one-hundred-thousand times the speed of light.”
Nugget nods. “One-hundred-twenty if we really push it.”
“Wait. You can go one-hundred-twenty-thousand times the speed of light in a ship made of wood that’s powered by nuts and coffee?”
The squirrels nod in unison.
“Can we see your bridge?”
“I’m afraid you guys won’t fit on our bridge.”
“Yeah. The only place you big fellas fit is here.”
Bessie bristles. “Hey, I’m not a fella.”
“Sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Doesn’t the udder give it away?”
“What’s an udder?”
Matador points a hoof at Bessie’s underside. “It’s that bulbous thing hanging from her belly.”
“Yeah. It’s good for milk.”
“What’s milk?”
“Milk! It’s what you make ice cream from.”
“We make ice cream out of nuts.”
“And wood.”
“And coffee.”
Bessie sighs. “Right.”
Julie interjects. “Hey, did you guys bring some of that ice cream you made?”
Matador hands Julie a pint.
Nugget shakes his tail. “Hey, wait a tick. How’d you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Hand her that pint of ice cream?”
“What do you mean, how’d I do that?”
“Well, you don’t have hands. You only have those clippity cloppity things.”
“There’d called hooves.”
“Okay. How did you hand her that pint without any fingers?”
Jim interrupts. “And, no opposable thumbs.”
Julie squeals. “Oh, this is the squirrel-diggity! Best ice cream I’ve ever ate!”
“It’s ever eaten Julie.”
“No one likes the grammar police, Jimbo!”
Matador waves his tail. “Why do you squirrels have opposable thumbs?”
“Don’t all squirrels have opposable thumbs?”
“Not on my planet.”
“Oh, guys! You have to try this ice cream! It’s tail-licious!”
Matador hands out ice cream pints to all the squirrels. They sing, dance, and climb the trees while eating their ice cream.
Angus nudges Matador and whispers. “These squirrels are a little nutty.”
“Maybe so, but apparently their home planet has an unlimited power supply. We need to report this back to planet Moo.”
“Well, squirrels, thanks for the visit. We need to go. We’ll leave you several pallets of ice cream before we depart.”
The Navigator’s voices squeaks on Nugget’s communicator. “Captain, your song is on the radio.”
“Turn it up. Broadcast it across the ship. Time to get your tails on!”
Squirrels in space
Ice cream embrace
Those squirrels are downing some coffee
And exploring space
We got some bushytailed heroes
We got
Squirrels in space …
Matador nudges Angus. “Time for us to hoof on outta here.”
​
​