Joni Fincham
@jonifincham.bsky.social
Houston tour guide, author, and mom trying to help save HISD
Reposted by Joni Fincham
There’s no other way to view his tenure other than one meant to make public schooling in the state’s most diverse city untenable for families who can pursue other options.
Breaking: Houston ISD says its top high schools can consider partnering with nonprofits or outside groups to gain more autonomy over campus decisions.
The schools would become an “Innovation Partnership School” under Senate Bill 1882. www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...
The schools would become an “Innovation Partnership School” under Senate Bill 1882. www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...
HISD unveils plan to allow top high schools to be run by outside partners
HISD says certain top-performing high schools can consider partnering with outside groups to gain more autonomy and control over campus decisions under Senate Bill 1882.
www.houstonchronicle.com
October 23, 2025 at 5:10 PM
There’s no other way to view his tenure other than one meant to make public schooling in the state’s most diverse city untenable for families who can pursue other options.
Reposted by Joni Fincham
Since 2004, new editions of the Choose Your Own Adventure books have included branching diagrams of all of the possible paths through the books. [atlasobscura.com]
These Maps Reveal the Hidden Structures of ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ Books
If you decide to see more, click on this story.
www.atlasobscura.com
July 22, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Since 2004, new editions of the Choose Your Own Adventure books have included branching diagrams of all of the possible paths through the books. [atlasobscura.com]
Reposted by Joni Fincham
Houston: There will be a public re-districting hearing at the University of Houston Student Center, Houston Room (Room 220) at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
If you're as angry as I am that Abbott is taking orders from Donald Trump to force through an unprecedented mid-decade redistricting, here are your chances to be heard:
Austin: capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/...
Houston: capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/...
Arlington: capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/...
Austin: capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/...
Houston: capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/...
Arlington: capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/...
July 21, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Houston: There will be a public re-districting hearing at the University of Houston Student Center, Houston Room (Room 220) at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
Reposted by Joni Fincham
This response has to go down as one of the worst to ever be uttered by a governor whose state is grieving. Just an all-timer right here.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott uses a football analogy to explain why he isn't placing blame for flood response: "Every football team makes mistakes ... The way winners talk is not to point fingers."
July 8, 2025 at 11:17 PM
This response has to go down as one of the worst to ever be uttered by a governor whose state is grieving. Just an all-timer right here.
Reposted by Joni Fincham
The latest on TS Chantal today, but more importantly, we take a deep dive into the causes and forecasts leading up to the horrific flooding tragedy in Texas. A lot to unpack today. open.substack.com/pub/theeyewa...
Making sense of the weather that led to a horrible Texas flooding tragedy, plus Tropical Storm Chantal
In brief: Invest 92L became Tropical Depression 3 yesterday and is now Tropical Storm Chantal.
open.substack.com
July 5, 2025 at 1:05 PM
The latest on TS Chantal today, but more importantly, we take a deep dive into the causes and forecasts leading up to the horrific flooding tragedy in Texas. A lot to unpack today. open.substack.com/pub/theeyewa...
Reposted by Joni Fincham
Reposted by Joni Fincham
I’ve been WALKING, WALKING, WALKING.
June 21, 2025 at 7:15 AM
I’ve been WALKING, WALKING, WALKING.
Reposted by Joni Fincham
Forget oil. Forget rare earth minerals. Water is the shortage the 21st century will have to deal with, and, for the most part, we're not.
H/T @mims.bsky.social
www.wsj.com/tech/clean-w...
H/T @mims.bsky.social
www.wsj.com/tech/clean-w...
The World Is Running Out of Clean Water. This Technology Promises to Fix It.
Deep-sea desalination is on the cusp of providing a source of clean water from the Caribbean to the Emirates.
www.wsj.com
June 7, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Forget oil. Forget rare earth minerals. Water is the shortage the 21st century will have to deal with, and, for the most part, we're not.
H/T @mims.bsky.social
www.wsj.com/tech/clean-w...
H/T @mims.bsky.social
www.wsj.com/tech/clean-w...
Reposted by Joni Fincham
Trump is not a magic god-emperor. He's an elected authoritarian trying to take apart a democracy from within. Existing democratic institutions create constraints; the most urgent task now is figuring out how those constraints can best be exploited to foil his power grabs.
May 23, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Trump is not a magic god-emperor. He's an elected authoritarian trying to take apart a democracy from within. Existing democratic institutions create constraints; the most urgent task now is figuring out how those constraints can best be exploited to foil his power grabs.
Reposted by Joni Fincham
i want someone to calculate how much these collective decisions cost, that it may radicalize us all, ferally
May 15, 2025 at 12:38 AM
i want someone to calculate how much these collective decisions cost, that it may radicalize us all, ferally
Reposted by Joni Fincham
Girls can only have 2 dolls but boys can lose 4 F-18s in the Red Sea
May 11, 2025 at 2:43 AM
Girls can only have 2 dolls but boys can lose 4 F-18s in the Red Sea
Reposted by Joni Fincham
As someone who lost his mom in the last year, this "Call Your Mom" ad AT&T is running during NHL games is a nice little dagger out of nowhere.
But, damn, they're right. Call your mom. Call your dad too if you still can. Some of us can't.
But, damn, they're right. Call your mom. Call your dad too if you still can. Some of us can't.
May 7, 2025 at 12:21 AM
As someone who lost his mom in the last year, this "Call Your Mom" ad AT&T is running during NHL games is a nice little dagger out of nowhere.
But, damn, they're right. Call your mom. Call your dad too if you still can. Some of us can't.
But, damn, they're right. Call your mom. Call your dad too if you still can. Some of us can't.
@houstoncvpe.bsky.social this is also a good description for NES curriculum
Even accepting the premise that AI produces useful writing (which no one should), using AI in education is like using a forklift at the gym. The weights do not actually need to be moved from place to place. That is not the work. The work is what happens within you.
May 5, 2025 at 5:50 PM
@houstoncvpe.bsky.social this is also a good description for NES curriculum
Reposted by Joni Fincham
It's Teacher Appreciation Week. Here's how to appreciate teachers: pay them better.
Yes, What We Pay Teachers Matters
Paying teachers well is an essential part of a healthier public education system
nobody-wants-this.ghost.io
May 5, 2025 at 1:41 PM
It's Teacher Appreciation Week. Here's how to appreciate teachers: pay them better.
Just in time for hurricane season!
I keep saying this... both operationally and in research, the situation is still much worse than most people seem to realize or want to accept.
NEW: US weather forecasting is in worse shape than previously known, with 30 NWS forecast offices missing meteorologists-in-charge and about a dozen offices at risk of no longer serving their communities 24/7. www.cnn.com/2025/05/02/w...
May 2, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Just in time for hurricane season!
Reposted by Joni Fincham
Happy #MayDay and #InternationalWorkersDay! This poster by Dutch artist Jan Toorop was for the Hague's 1898 National Woman’s Labour Exhibition, which had the goal to improve women's wages and working conditions.
More posters from Toorop here: publicdomainreview.org/collection/t...
More posters from Toorop here: publicdomainreview.org/collection/t...
May 1, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Happy #MayDay and #InternationalWorkersDay! This poster by Dutch artist Jan Toorop was for the Hague's 1898 National Woman’s Labour Exhibition, which had the goal to improve women's wages and working conditions.
More posters from Toorop here: publicdomainreview.org/collection/t...
More posters from Toorop here: publicdomainreview.org/collection/t...
Reposted by Joni Fincham
The Misfits from Jem and the Holograms were portrayed as snooty, rich kid, plastic punks. However Jem and the Holograms used AI to enhance their music and performances making them the first AI grifters. In this essay I will
April 28, 2025 at 9:17 PM
The Misfits from Jem and the Holograms were portrayed as snooty, rich kid, plastic punks. However Jem and the Holograms used AI to enhance their music and performances making them the first AI grifters. In this essay I will
Reposted by Joni Fincham
'The 'Eater' Bunny' ~ Wooden spoon carved in Grapefruit wood with turquoise and silver inlay, and pigments.
Funny thing.... the spoon started as a 'frog'. When I returned the next day the frog legs had turned into bunny ears.
#spoon #spoontaneous #art #craft #design #woodworking
#sculpture 🐰🥄
Funny thing.... the spoon started as a 'frog'. When I returned the next day the frog legs had turned into bunny ears.
#spoon #spoontaneous #art #craft #design #woodworking
#sculpture 🐰🥄
April 20, 2025 at 10:09 AM
'The 'Eater' Bunny' ~ Wooden spoon carved in Grapefruit wood with turquoise and silver inlay, and pigments.
Funny thing.... the spoon started as a 'frog'. When I returned the next day the frog legs had turned into bunny ears.
#spoon #spoontaneous #art #craft #design #woodworking
#sculpture 🐰🥄
Funny thing.... the spoon started as a 'frog'. When I returned the next day the frog legs had turned into bunny ears.
#spoon #spoontaneous #art #craft #design #woodworking
#sculpture 🐰🥄
Reposted by Joni Fincham
Cannot begin to quantify for folks out of state how bad this Texas legislative session is looking for learning in this state. All forms and levels of learning: public schools, colleges and universities, public libraries.
April 17, 2025 at 2:13 AM
Cannot begin to quantify for folks out of state how bad this Texas legislative session is looking for learning in this state. All forms and levels of learning: public schools, colleges and universities, public libraries.
Reposted by Joni Fincham
We need to invest more in journalism nationwide. A lot of good reporters and editors are losing their jobs. houstonlanding.org/houston-land...
Houston Landing to cease operations in face of financial challenges
Although Houston Landing launched with significant seed funding, it has been unable to build additional revenue streams to support ongoing operations.
houstonlanding.org
April 15, 2025 at 4:44 PM
We need to invest more in journalism nationwide. A lot of good reporters and editors are losing their jobs. houstonlanding.org/houston-land...
Reposted by Joni Fincham
Based in Houston’s Third Ward neighborhood, Project Row Houses reflects an effort on the part of artists to save everyone else by saving themselves.
At Project Row Houses, Art and Basic Needs Go Hand in Hand
Based in Houston’s Third Ward neighborhood, the organization makes art that can seem luxurious meet real, lived necessities.
hyperallergic.com
April 13, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Based in Houston’s Third Ward neighborhood, Project Row Houses reflects an effort on the part of artists to save everyone else by saving themselves.
Reposted by Joni Fincham
“The avg student is reading and doing math better than the avg student of their parents’ and grandparents’ generation. And while we’re not where we want to be, it’s just a lie to say that there’s been no improvement in academic achievement over decades.”
networkforpubliceducation.org/blog-content...
networkforpubliceducation.org/blog-content...
Jennifer Berkshire: Trump and his allies are selling a story of dismal student performance dating back decades. Don't buy it. - Network For Public Education
Jennifer Berkshire interviewed education journalist Karen Chenoweth about the Trumpian assertion that US students are stalled and unsuccessful. Jennifer Berkshire: OK – let’s kick this off with a quo...
networkforpubliceducation.org
April 9, 2025 at 6:23 PM
“The avg student is reading and doing math better than the avg student of their parents’ and grandparents’ generation. And while we’re not where we want to be, it’s just a lie to say that there’s been no improvement in academic achievement over decades.”
networkforpubliceducation.org/blog-content...
networkforpubliceducation.org/blog-content...
Reposted by Joni Fincham
Don't watch the stock market, watch a baby goat try to figure out a hammock
April 7, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Don't watch the stock market, watch a baby goat try to figure out a hammock