Corpus Christi Chronicle #2

hile I wait to meet with an attorney at the Corpus Christi Independent School District (CCISD), the principal of a school in that district (depending on how the first conversation goes) and a member of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC),  I've spent the majority of my time lately praying for Mariano Rivera and building the case for Hooey Savvy's Cookie-Wise Pablo through the requirements of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS; pronounced teeks) for elementary school students from kindergarden through fourth grade. Now that Mo's assured us he'll be back, I can focus on the task at hand.

The TEKS identify what students should learn each year and what they should be capable of. On its own, Hooey addresses the former, but not the latter. To correct this, I'm drafting a book-affiliated list of activities for students in or out of class. Activities include drawing key scenes from a given story, recording a version of one of the book's songs, taping a kids version of the Budget Dance (akin to "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes", but with rent, food and transportation among other items); writing a book review of Hooey; asking one's parents about their first jobs; and polling fellow students on allowance dos and don't as well as allowance going rates.

Fortunately, the TEKS do a nice job of laying out what they're looking for. I just have to meet that need with a little Hooey for each grade level. The social studies TEKS in particular already include economics and taxation (government) so I can clearly say that this or that chapter of Hooey will meet this or that requirement for this or that grade level.

Nap time, lunch and recess aside, what were your favorite educational activities in elementary school?

Corpus Christi Chronicle #1

olks in Corpus Christi don't beat around the bush: And amen to that! Today I started knocking on doors, shaking hands and making my pitch to local school administrators. In return, I got two encouraging signs and two clear hurdles.

First, the good. Both school administrators, a director and a principal, approved of Hooey and the need for tools such as Hooey to address financial education.

Second, the hurdles. Both school administrators also made it clear that while they liked Hooey, it and the participation of students had to pass the legal smell test and the educational requirements of the state of Texas. Fortunately, the director walked me to the legal services office and the principal led me to the Texas Education Agency's Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), the backbone of the state's public education system.

The attorney was in a meeting, but I'll follow up with him. As for TEKS, I'm writing up a compliance report for the principal that clearly delineates how Hooey satisfies the state's requirements on a number of fronts with specific examples from the book.

In other news: I met a sister-team that is putting together a quote to illustrate Hooey. New York rapper Maslab looks to cut a track from Hooey.

Tomorrow: Follow-up with the attorney; the search for an illustrator continues at the Metro School of Design; and other games of phone tag continue.