Louisiana's Path Forward On Education
Plus, returning to church, the life of an artist, and the easiest risotto ever.
Tomorrow, Louisiana’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) will vote for the state’s next full-time superintendent. The previous superintendent, John White, announced his resignation at the beginning of 2020 and left the office in March.
There are six finalists for the job, there are only three you need to know about right now: Jessica Baghian, White’s assistant superintendent; Dr. Cade Brumley, superintendent of Jefferson Parish; and Lonnie Luce, superintendent of Charter Schools USA Louisiana.
I endorsed Baghian in a column at The Hayride yesterday.
Of those three, it appears that John Bel Edwards’ allies have been pushing for either Dr. Brumley or Luce, because Baghian was the assistant superintendent under John White, the previous superintendent. Edwards is against her because he was against White, who has been one of the best advocates Louisiana could ask for when it comes to pushing for school choice and reforms that are student-centric, not teacher-centric (or, rather, union-centric).
But the obvious choice in this search is Baghian, because she will push for the same reforms that White himself was pushing. She, like White, is an advocate for school choice, student-centric reforms, and plans to continue the policies that White has been pushing at the Department of Education over the last eight years.
That’s not all, though.
Louisiana needs the continuity right now. This school year ended in absolute chaos, and while there may be a gap in the data, the trends indicate that we have been on the right track leading up to this year. That will have to continue, especially given the gap that is likely to occur here, and Baghian is the right person to carry that legacy onward. Moreover, her role in the Department of Education has had her uniquely positioned to have a hand in shaping the policies already in place.
Further, in this time of pandemic-induced chaos, she would also have very little restructuring to do. The team is already in place, and the people who would be working with her to shape Louisiana’s education policies have been working on them already.
Something else that makes Baghian a great choice is the fact that, while Louisiana has had two female interim superintendents, BESE has never voted to put a woman in the job permanently. From a political standpoint, for a board filled with conservatives, it would send a great message.
There is a problem, though. John Bel Edwards has been lobbying heavily for Dr. Brumley. While he does appear very conservative in many ways, Edwards looking to push someone typically raises a lot of red flags for me. He is indebted to teacher unions for his election and re-election (their support was bought with a frankly lowballed pay raise for teachers, which did little for the teachers but meant union dues would increase), and anyone he is pushing for the top education job is someone the unions would prefer.
But Edwards has also been touting Luce, seemingly as a hedge against Baghian. Edwards did not like White, and worked on more than one occasion to undermine and even try to get rid of White. With Baghian being one of White’s top lieutenants, it is obvious that he would be against her, but that also suggests that she represents things conservatives should be fighting for: School choice and student-centered education.
I support Baghian, and conservatives across Louisiana should do the same.
Returning To Church
On Sunday, we returned to church.
I had volunteered to read for Mass this week, so I headed into the sacristy to read over the readings of the day, and pray both for strength and clarity and in praise for just being able to be back. As I read through the readings for that day, the sixth Sunday of Easter, I was struck by how apt it all felt.
In particular, the second reading ties in so well with the modern era we’re experiencing.
Beloved: Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame.
For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of unrighteousness, that he might lead you to God. Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the Spirit. (1 Peter 3:15-18)
We are so often having to deal with the consequences of a largely secular and even hostile to faith society. People who want to return to their churches are mocked for wanting to spread COVID-19 to the older members of their church (I have to laugh here, because the attendees who largely did not wear masks at Mass at my church were older members). People who wish to live their faith are routinely derided in public and often are pushed out of the public square by a culture largely bent on destroying Christian norms.
But there is a not-insignificant number within our own movement whose response to these secular urgings is an equal amount of hostility, and that does not solve any issues. That is precisely what Peter is saying in his letter that we should not do. He is calling for grace, for us to offer undeserved goodwill to people who are not of Christ and his teachings. Those of us trapped in the negative vortex of social media especially must do better and live by this reading more readily.
Homestyle: Life Of An Artist
On this week’s episode of Homestyle, my co-host Leigh Guidry and I visited with the artist known as Hannah Gumbo of Eunice, Louisiana to talk about life as a professional artist. It isn’t something she does on the side. It’s her livelihood.
There are way more things that go into living as a professional artist that you may not think of. There’s maintaining a website, making sure your finances line up at tax time, and so many other things that are important in maintaining what is essentially your small business. Hannah goes over all that with Leigh and I, plus we get to talk about some of the projects she’s been working on.
If you want to hear more, you can always go back and listen to previous episodes, and we’d love to hear your feedback. Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast here, and if you have cooking, crafting, or family activity ideas, you can find us on Facebook and on Instagram (@Homestylepod).
Recipe Of The Week: Rice Cooker Risotto
The rice cooker might be the greatest invention in food, and I say that as someone who wants to try all the inventions in food. It makes cooking rice so easy. Add equal parts water and rice, push a button, and wait. Perfect rice each time.
Be sure you first wash the rice thoroughly (until the water runs clear) or else you’re left with less than ideal rice.
Naturally, I began to wonder if varying it up a bit would work. I love risotto, and I wondered if it was truly possible to come up with a good risotto in a rice cooker. Several recipes existed online, but you see mixed reviews about the practice. Making a risotto is something people are passionate about. I’m not a gourmet chef, though. I just want to eat something that tastes good.
Turns out, you can absolutely make a great risotto in a rice cooker. Here’s how I do it, but the best part is you can use whatever flavors you want to make a great meal out of it.
2 cups rice
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup shredded cheese
2 cups chopped mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
1 stick butter
Salt and pepper to taste (or use Cajun seasoning like Tony’s)
One cup at a time, wash the rice thoroughly (until the water runs clear) and put it in your rice cooker. Add the stock to the rice.
Add your salt and pepper (or Tony’s) and garlic. Stir briefly to mix in.
Start your rice cooker.
When the cooker goes off, quickly add the mushrooms and the stick of butter, stirring until the butter is melted.
Add the cream, then the cheese, stirring until it’s all fully incorporated.
Serve with protein of choice (my kids love it with chicken).
Alternatively to the salt and pepper, I did go crazy and use spicy brown mustard recently. My three-year-old thought it was the best thing ever, and I liked it more than just salt and pepper or Tony’s to season it. If you want to go that route, I’d suggest 1/4 to 1/3 a cup of the mustard and mix that in right before you mix in the mushrooms.
Final Thoughts
With Louisiana and so many other states opening up, it’s important to remember that this isn’t past us yet. Re-opening assumes a level of responsibility on those venturing out. Disney is taking some heat for saying if you get sick visiting their re-opening stores and restaurants, it’s on you and not them, but they’re right.
Don’t assume it’s over. Wear a mask because it’s for the safety of others, not just you. Keep washing your hands a little extra each day. Don’t just frivolously go out and about. Be responsible here, or else we will see a resurgence in this disease.
Y’all stay safe and healthy out there.