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Peter Dutton (Image: AAP/Lukas Coch) NUCLEAR COSTINGS DAY The day has finally arrived. Some said it would never happen but here we are — today we get the much-promised, long-awaited nuclear power costings from Opposition Leader Peter Dutton . While nothing says “please pay real close attention to my policy’s details” like an announcement on a Friday 12 days before Christmas, unfortunately for Dutton people have been waiting a mighty long time to hear more information on his plans to build seven nuclear power stations around the country and previews of his big reveal are leading the agenda most places this morning. The Nine papers report Dutton “will ask Australians to support hundreds of billions of dollars in new spending on nuclear energy, including a controversial move to use taxpayer subsidies to build the industry while promising to bring down household electricity bills”. The papers say a key part of the Coalition leader’s plans will be an assumption coal-fired power stations will continue to operate as the nuclear plants are built, despite energy companies planning to stop using coal in the near future. The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) reckons 90% of coal-fired plants will be shut down before 2035, with complete closure five years later. Disagreeing analysis over the cost of the nuclear plans compared to Labor’s renewable pledges has filled many column inches recently. A rough summary of The Sydney Morning Herald’s reporting goes a bit like: the Coalition handily cites analysis which claims Labor’s renewables rollout will cost $642 billion while its nuclear plan will come in less than $400 billion. The government rejects those figures and cites other analysis that claims its plan will cost $122 billion. Defending the nuclear plans, the Coalition reckons there will be less renewable energy added to the electricity grid than Labor predicts by 2030 and claims renewables will risk blackouts and raise bills. Meanwhile, the CSIRO says the first potential nuclear plant would be completed by 2040 at the earliest (the coalition says 2035) and “a fully operational fleet of nuclear reactors cannot be expected before 2050”. The Nine papers also say the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis believes power bills would rise by $665 a year to repay the cost of building the nuclear plants, while (as previously flagged ) the CSIRO projects nuclear will cost twice as much as renewable energy. So... a whole load of disagreeing over something that potentially isn’t due to provide any help to people’s power bills for decades — something the ABC has picked up and is leading with this morning. The broadcaster points out “senior Coalition sources” have expressed reservations over the nuclear plans, highlighting the fact they will “not map out an energy future in which households would get any immediate or even long-term relief”. A member of the Coalition is quoted as saying: “The fundamental problem is that whichever way you cost it, nuclear power is not hugely cheap. Nuclear will keep the lights on, but it’s hardly going to bring prices back down to where they were 10 years ago.” The ABC reports Coalition strategists are frustrated at the amount of scrutiny Dutton’s plans are getting, complaining Energy Minister Chris Bowen didn’t receive as much over his target of 82% renewable energy by 2030. One could argue perhaps if they’re annoyed over all the attention, maybe they should have considered telling the country a bit earlier about how they planned to fund their eye-catching plan... Anthony Albanese ( see Wednesday’s Worm ) will be shocked to learn The Australian is keen to sell the opposition’s costings vs Labor’s, claiming “wind and solar will still dominate the grid under the Coalition’s model”. RATES CUT HOPES SLIDE There was significant excitement at the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) more dovish interest rates statement earlier this week (even though they were held at 4.35% yet again) but it appears to have already faded. The AAP reports the “drastically stronger than predicted” labour market data yesterday caused economists and traders to scale back their previous predictions of a rate cut finally coming in February. The previous excitement was cut short by the unexpected drop in unemployment to 3.9%. The newswire flags ANZ, Westpac and NAB now reckon the RBA will start its monetary easing cycle in May “given the central bank’s concerns inflation remains too high and unemployment too low”. (Reminder: there’s an election due by May.) Commonwealth Bank still reckons a cut could come in February. For that to happen CBA economist Gareth Aird says trimmed mean inflation (released on January 29) would need to come in below 0.6% (it was 0.8% in September) and the labour market would also need to show signs of softening. The Australian Financial Review says yesterday’s figures cemented Australia’s jobs market “as among the strongest in the developed world”. The paper quotes economists as saying the slowing private sector and employment gains meant “the bulk of the jobs created last month were likely in government-funded industries such as public service, healthcare and education”. Betashares chief economist David Bassanese is quoted as saying: “A low unemployment rate alone should not stand in the way of lower official interest rates next year if inflation continues to decline. Instead, falling inflation and still-low unemployment — were that to occur — should force the RBA to reconsider what it deems to be the non-inflationary rate of unemployment — from its current assumption of 4.5%.” Treasurer Jim Chalmers tried to maintain the enthusiasm at the start of the week by saying: “More jobs and better pay are key parts of our plan to help ease cost of living pressures.” Elsewhere, the AFR provides a few more details on yesterday’s announcement about the payments facing tech firms if they don’t agree to deals to pay news publishers. The paper reports: “Apple and Microsoft could also be caught by the new policy with their Apple News and LinkedIn products respectively if they meet the threshold of having Australian revenue greater than $250 million a year.” The paper also flags AMP has invested $27 million in bitcoin, becoming the first major superannuation fund to buy into cryptocurrency. Finally, The Wall Street Journal flags Meta has donated US$1 million to Donald Trump’s inaugural fund. The Guardian says the donation “appears to be the latest effort by the social media company and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg , to improve relations with the incoming president, and comes just weeks after Zuckerberg dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago”. ON A LIGHTER NOTE... If you’ve ever wanted diamante-encrusted spectacles in the shape of the Sydney Opera House, have we got the auction for you! In February next year, Christie’s in London will auction 250 items from the personal collection of the late Barry Humphries. As well as the pair of glasses from his infamous Dame Edna Everage character, paintings by artist Charles Conder and a first edition copy of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest are also being sold at the auction, the Press Association reports. Benedict Winter , associate director of private and iconic collections at Christie’s, said: “ Barry Humphries is best remembered for his comedic genius, but behind his famous figure was a true polymath and connoisseur. “This refined and engaging collection provides compelling insights into the private world of this very public performer.” Say What? I will not touch bread if it is moist. Kemi Badenoch The Conservative Party leader claimed this week “lunch is for wimps”, sandwiches are not real food and she sometimes has steak brought to her while she works. The UK Prime Minster Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesperson said in response that the PM enjoyed a sandwich lunch (tuna, in case you were wondering) “and occasionally a cheese toastie”. The row continues. CRIKEY RECAP Australia’s media movers and shakers on the biggest threats to journalism DAANYAL SAEED Joe Aston, Kate McClymont, Waleed Aly, Janine Perrett and Sue Chrysanthou (Image: Private Media) It has been a dire, unpredictable year for the Australian media. Jobs have been cut en masse , outlets grappled with ideals of objectivity, newspapers prosecuted campaigns that could see wholesale changes to how audiences interact with news, new outlets formed , others died , there were landmark defamation decisions and investigations into newsroom culture, and an executive allegedly shoulder-charged a reporter. After a year of volatility, job cuts, uncertainty and brilliance, Crikey chased down Australia’s biggest media figures — from journalists to editors to defamation lawyers to academics — to pick their brains about our industry. What they shared has formed the backbone of a multi-part Crikey series, Movers and Shakers , holding a mirror up to the industry and asking it to reflect on itself. Labor elevates early childhood education as Coalition tells regions: less childcare for you BERNARD KEANE It’s hard to know whether the Coalition’s support for retaining the activity test is driven by fiscal discipline — difficult to believe given the hundreds of billions it plans to waste on nuclear power — or by hostility to low-income families. It is, after all, the Dutton style to prefer identifying people to demonise rather than make policy work better. But the Coalition’s formal position is now that children — and, in the long-term, the community — should be deprived of the benefits of early childhood education because their parents are assessed as not worthy. The fact that the Coalition will go to the election telling outer suburban and regional communities that it will be withdrawing funding for more childcare services is likely to be something Labor will constantly draw attention to. Indeed, the Coalition will go to the election as the first party in decades actively promising to cut childcare and childcare funding. On the other hand, Labor, backed by the Productivity Commission and even the business community, is investing in “long-term economic benefits” and “maximising the human talent pipeline of our nation”. Even this shambolic outfit can’t mess that up... surely? Nicolette Boele ‘gave up’ on politics over Labor’s climate inaction. Now she wants to win a Liberal seat RACHEL WITHERS Did the backlash to the speech contribute to Fletcher throwing in the towel? “I don’t know what was in Mr Fletcher’s mind,” Boele tells me. “If you can see your main opponent, and it’s a two-horse race, has been in the field for that long ... Maybe the 12 letters to The Sydney Morning Herald as soon as he insulted everybody was a feedback loop that he needed.” Boele has been critical of the speech, arguing it showed little respect for Fletcher’s constituents. Her statement about it was titled , “Bradfield voters aren’t dopes, Paul”. When I ask how it made her feel, she gives a very teal answer. “It was disappointing, but it wasn’t a surprise. I get very protective, kind of a mum instinct, with the constituents. Like, hang on a second, what do you mean we’re dim-witted? Obviously there were some overtones about the gendered part of it, too, which I didn’t take very nicely to.” READ ALL ABOUT IT John Pesutto defies calls to resign after being ordered to pay $300,000 for defaming Moira Deeming ( Guardian Australia ) Sydney street artist revealed as man found not guilty of two counts of rape ( The Sydney Morning Herald ) ($) Donald Trump 2024 TIME Person of the Year ( TIME ) Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people in biggest single-day act of clemency (Associated Press) Trump’s Middle East adviser pick is a small-time truck salesman ( The New York Times ) ($) Mystery New Jersey drones not from Iranian ‘mothership’ — Pentagon (BBC) THE COMMENTARIAT Peter Dutton’s nuclear policy would have coal-fired power stations operating for a lot longer — Michelle Grattan (ABC): The release of the costings unleashes a tsunami of claims and counterclaims about numbers. That debate will be eye-glazing for many voters. Not to worry. We are talking the span of a generation. Numbers that stretch out to 2050 don’t mean a great deal. Hundreds of things — in technology and politics, for starters — can and will change as the years pass. Moreover, numbers from modelling have an extra layer of complexity and uncertainty. They depend heavily on assumptions that are, in many cases, necessarily arbitrary. Anyone inclined to take modelling at face value should reflect on the Labor experience. Before the 2022 election, it released modelling that gave it the basis to promise a $275 reduction in household power bills by next year. We all know what happened to that. Regardless of the problems in attempting to be precise, the broad debate about nuclear’s cost will be intense. Social media gorged itself on a free lunch of news. The buffet could be over — James Massola ( The Sydney Morning Herald ): In an age when hot-takes and “feelpinions” abound, the federal government’s levy on social media giants is designed to shore up the future of news outlets across the country. In regional areas in particular, where local newspapers are part of the fabric of small communities, the measure could slow or halt their retreat. At their press conference announcing the policy, Rowland and Jones argued it was vital that Australians who accessed news through social media had access to “fact-checked information”. One need only look at the spread of dis- and misinformation about vaccines during the pandemic to see why. In the dispute between social and legacy media, it’s clear the government has picked a winner. Now the ball is in Meta’s court to respond.

Tory Baroness who said offensive racial remark faces three-week suspensionDespite the state’s Democratic majority, more than 53 percent of Californians voted against a ban on slave labor in state prisons . Proposition (Prop) 6 would have amended the state constitution by removing a provision that allows incarcerated people to be forced to work. Though it would not ban “voluntary” work in these facilities, it would prevent prison authorities from compelling an individual to work as punishment for a crime. California’s constitution currently mirrors the 13th Amendment’s notorious exception, which bans slavery except “as punishment for a crime.” That “loophole” underpins the link between capitalism and the carceral state. Nationwide, more than 790,000 people in state and federal prisons are estimated to be working — typically in maintenance jobs within their facilities, and sometimes in manufacturing, agricultural and public-service enterprises — generating several billion dollars in revenue annually, according to a 2022 ACLU report . Tens of thousands of them are in California, often earning less than $1 per hour. Esteban Núñez, chief strategy consultant for the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, one of the groups spearheading the Prop 6 campaign, said the defeat of the measure underscored the need for “more voter education” about what the amendment was meant to accomplish, since many voters may have been confused by the somewhat arcane wording to “eliminate involuntary servitude for incarcerated persons” (written by the attorney general’s office). He noted that, despite Californians’ seeming apprehension about the measure, several other states, even Republican-dominated ones, have approved similar bans in recent years. “This is something that, of course, was personal to a lot of us because we had lived experience with forced labor,” Núñez told Truthout . For many formerly incarcerated advocates like him, ending forced labor behind bars opens opportunities for more productive activities and positive change, like college courses and job training. “Forced labor really prohibits people’s ability to prioritize rehabilitation, and rehabilitation is really what’s going to drive down recidivism,” he added. “Those programs and education are just really vital to preparing somebody to come home.” California’s prison-industrial complex is one of the largest in the country, incarcerating people at a higher rate than most states. The state holds more than 91,000 people in custody as of last November, mostly Latinx and Black men — an ample captive workforce that delivers a variety of goods and services to the government: fighting wildfires , manufacturing office furniture, catering, and, after the pandemic broke out, producing face masks (even as they reportedly were forbidden from wearing masks themselves). The ballot question, which had no organized opposition campaign and was championed by civil rights organizations and the state’s Reparations Task Force , was framed as a step toward “restor[ing] human dignity” and redressing structural racism in prison. But some saw it differently, raising criticisms that seemed rooted in the notion that incarcerated people should have to work to pay the cost of their imprisonment and their supposed debt to society. An editorial in the San Jose Mercury News argued, “The fundamental question here is whether inmates should be required to provide work that contributes toward their room and board. We believe they should, just as the rest of us on the outside who have not committed crimes must also do.” The editorial board also argued that allowing incarcerated people to refuse work might pave the way for more mass work stoppages. ( A major prison labor strike erupted in 2016, with tens of thousands of workers in multiple states protesting what they called inhumane and exploitative conditions.) Additionally, political unease about the public cost of paying incarcerated workers fairly may have drawn opposition. An effort to institute a ban through California’s state legislature in 2022 ran into pushback from the Department of Finance, which estimated that implementing the measure would cost an additional $1.5 billion annually if incarcerated workers became entitled to earn a minimum wage, instead of the typical current pay rates of less than $1 an hour. The price tag led both Democratic and Republican lawmakers to back away from the measure. (In this past election cycle, Prop 6 and its accompanying legislation avoided direct projections of fiscal costs by instead “requir[ing] wages for work assignments in county and city jail programs to be set by local ordinance.”) Abolitionists acknowledge that eliminating prison slavery will be costly for the governments and companies that have long benefited from it. “There is a price to be paid for abolishing slavery, there’s no question,” Andrew Ross, a professor of social and cultural analysis at New York University and co-author of Abolition Labor: The Fight to End Prison Slavery , told Truthout . “But what the legislators don’t do is focus on the benefit,” including the economic gains not just for incarcerated workers but also for their families and communities, which are often distressed, impoverished and disproportionately Black, Brown and Indigenous. Incarcerated workers could better support themselves and their families with decently paid voluntary jobs, which would alleviate dependence on the informal underground economy of prison “hustles” and, once released, help them stably transition to the mainstream economy. Though it is a setback for the abolitionist movement, the defeat of Prop 6 comes on the heels of several successful efforts to end slavery in state prisons in a number of other, even more conservative, states. In Nevada this year — a state that Donald Trump won narrowly — voters approved a ballot initiative to abolish prison slavery via constitutional amendment by a 21-point margin, indicating that such proposals have moral appeal across party lines. Colorado was the first state since the signing of the 13 th Amendment to remove the “slavery exception” from its constitution in 2018. Utah, Nebraska, Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont followed with similar ballot initiatives . Alabama’s 2022 abolition referendum included several other measures that removed explicitly racist provisions of the state constitution, including school segregation policies and a prohibition on racial miscegenation. A bill recently introduced in the New York State legislature would amend the state’s constitution to “abolish slavery without exception,” and a companion bill lays out a framework of labor standards and rights for incarcerated workers. Incarcerated workers would be paid at least the state minimum wage — a massive raise from current hourly wages that typically run under a dollar — as well as workplace health and safety protections, which are crucial for the many high-risk maintenance jobs that incarcerated workers often perform, such as asbestos abatement . On the national level , advocates face a tougher fight to amend the U.S. Constitution’s 13th Amendment. A bill introduced last year declares “the continued existence of slavery and involuntary servitude antithetical to the democratic values, norms, and mores of the United States and can undermine the moral credibility of our country on the global stage.” However, such an amendment would require a two-thirds majority of both chambers of Congress to move forward for ratification by the states — likely impossible with Republicans in control of the House and Senate. Led by civil and human rights organizations as well as faith and labor groups, the movement to end prison slavery runs parallel to the contemporary abolition movement , which broadly envisions dismantling carceral institutions — which have disproportionately targeted Black communities since the end of chattel slavery — in order to replace them with community-focused systems of justice. Abolishing forced prison labor is a step toward removing the capitalist infrastructure that has been built around the systematic exploitation of the incarcerated workforce . The vast majority of the incarcerated workforce is employed in maintenance jobs that keep prisons running, such as janitorial work. About 15 percent work for government-run enterprises and public works, according to the ACLU report’s estimates , while private industries employ less than 1 percent. Shifting all these workers into a system of voluntary labor would require an exponential increase in their wages, especially if incarcerated workers became eligible for standard state minimum wages or prevailing wage standards set for their respective industries. According to a recent study by Edgeworth Economics , transitioning to a voluntary paid workforce would put between $11.6 billion and $18.8 billion of annual wages into imprisoned workers’ pockets, and better-paid work in prison would translate into better economic prospects for workers once they are released. Much of the advocacy around abolishing prison slavery does not go so far as to call for the abolition of prison itself, and some activists say they are above all focused on resolving the immediate human rights crisis of forced labor in prisons. But activists say if forced labor ends in prison, the whole infrastructure of the carceral state will become less economically viable. An obligation to treat incarcerated workers fairly and equally would shake the foundations of a social institution that has been designed for centuries to maximize suffering and exploitation. And empowering the incarcerated with real labor rights would enable them to hold authorities accountable and organize collective resistance to abuse. “It would alter the balance of power in the prisons quite significantly if incarcerated people have the right to refuse ill-paid and unsafe work,” Ross said. “Because the ability to force people to work is absolutely key to the power of the jailor.” But advocates acknowledge that ending forced labor in prison is an incremental shift that would not immediately end ingrained practices of oppression in the carceral system; labor remains an everyday part of prison life, and coercive treatment is endemic to the environment. Indeed, incarcerated workers have filed lawsuits in Alabama and Colorado , claiming they have still been forced to work and faced punishment for refusing, despite their states’ prison slavery bans. Those ongoing legal battles reveal how, beyond policy remedies, creating the conditions for true abolition demands sustained vigilance and organizing. “Formal measures like this are not sufficient, but they’re necessary,” Ross said. “They put you down on the road to freedom, but the road is unbuilt, and you have to then build it.”The Patriots could see Bill Belichick next season, a Drake Maye check-in and more in the Friday 5!

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The 25-year-old Sweden international took his goal tally for the season to 12 in the 3-0 Boxing Day win over Aston Villa at St James’ Park, 10 of them in his last 10 Premier League games, after a challenging start to the new campaign. Isak managed 25 goals in a black and white shirt last season to further justify the club record £63million the club paid to bring him to Tyneside from Real Sociedad during the summer of 2022, but as delighted as he is with his big-money signing, head coach Howe is confident there is even more to come. Murph 🔗 Alex Isak Different game. Same link up. 💪 pic.twitter.com/OMhZf7dtKZ — Newcastle United (@NUFC) December 27, 2024 Asked where the former AIK Solna frontman currently ranks in world football, he said: “My biggest thing with Alex is I am evaluating his game on a daily and weekly basis and I just want to try to push him for more. “Everyone else can say where he is in the pecking order of world football. His game is in a good place at the moment. “My job is to not sit back and appreciate that, my job is to try and find areas he can improve, push him towards that and never stop pushing him. He has all the ingredients in there. Football never stops evolving and changing and he has to evolve with it. “There is a lot more to come from him. Our job is to help him deliver that. “Of course the main responsibility is for Alex to keep his focus, ignore the plaudits and keep helping the team, not be selfish. It is about Newcastle and he plays his part.” It is no coincidence that Newcastle have prospered as Isak has rediscovered his best form, and they will head for Manchester United – where they have won only once in the top flight since 1972 – on Monday evening looking for a fifth successive win in all competitions. He has scored in each of the last five league games having grown into the mantle of the Magpies’ main man, a role performed with such distinction in the past by the likes of Jackie Milburn, Malcolm Macdonald and Alan Shearer, and he has done so with the minimum of fuss. Asked about his character, Howe said: “He is calm, cool – he is what you see on the pitch. “He doesn’t get overly emotional, which for a striker is a great quality because that coolness you see and calmness in front of goal is part of his personality, part of what he is. He seems to have an extra half a second when other players don’t. “With Alex, the beauty of his attitude is that he wants to improve. We give him information and he is responsive. He is not a closed shop. “He is in no way thinking he has arrived at a certain place. He knows he has to keep adding to his game. The challenge is great for him to keep scoring freely as he is now.”

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Johnson City Schools recently named three educators to represent the district in the state’s search for the 2025-26 Teacher of the Year. Towne Acres fifth-grade teacher Karen Bunch, Indian Trail Career Explorations teacher Brandie Wishon-Sanchez and Science Hill history teacher Ben Davenport have been named the district-wide Teachers of the Year. The three will now compete to be named Regional Teachers of the Year, and will have the opportunity to advance to grand division and statewide competitions if they win locally. Before the competition heats up, the three took the time to answer five questions about their careers and the importance of education. Five Questions with Karen Bunch Towne Acres fifth-grade teacher Karen Bunch was named one of the District-Level Teachers of the Year. A Knoxville native, Bunch has a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Tennessee. Bunch has been a teacher for 32 years, with 31 of them spent at Towne Acres. Bunch currently resides in Kingsport with her husband, Michael, and their five cats. When outside of school, she spends her time reading, cooking, traveling and watching UT games with her friends and family. What led you to pursue a career in education? I have wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. I loved ‘playing school’ with my stuffed animals and even had my own chalkboard! Several of my teachers inspired me to pursue leadership roles, which sparked the teaching bug! What is your favorite part of your job? My favorite part of being a teacher is seeing the lightbulb moment firsthand when a student ‘gets it’. That is such a rewarding experience for me! What is your favorite lesson or unit to teach in your classroom? This is my first year teaching fifth grade math, but I love seeing how my students have progressed from basic multiplication facts to more complex skills like multiplying decimals and fractions. It’s been fun learning with them! From my past years in third grade, I loved teaching physical science with exploration and hands-on activities. What is one piece of advice you share with students? Everyone makes mistakes. It’s how you recover that matters. What is one common misconception about being a teacher? One common misconception about being a teacher is work hours. Although our work hours are 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with weekends, holidays and summers off, most teachers willingly go way beyond the contracted hours to provide for their students. Five Questions with Brandie Wishon-Sanchez Indian Trail Career Explorations teacher Brandie Wishon-Sanchez was named one of the District-Level Teachers of the Year. Originally from San Diego, California, Wishon-Sanchez spent most of her early childhood in Guam until moving to Charleston, South Carolina at the age of seven. Wishon-Sanchez moved to Tennessee when she was 16 after her father retired from the Navy. Wishon-Sanchez has a bachelor’s degree in social work and child psychology and a master’s degree in art and teaching. Wishon-Sanchez has been teaching for 24 years. When she’s not in the classroom, she enjoys dancing and spending time with family. What led you to pursue a career in education? As a child, I excelled academically but struggled behaviorally in school. I was the kid who talked too much, had too much attitude and was often sent out of class. Growing up at a time when ADHD wasn’t well understood, I never had a teacher who took the time to sit down, listen and truly understand what was going on with me. That experience shaped my decision to become an educator. I chose this profession to be the teacher I never had—the one who holds students accountable, but also provides the support and understanding they need. My goal is to be there for students, especially those who feel unseen, and to be part of the solution rather than giving up on those who need someone in their corner. What is your favorite part of your job? My favorite part of teaching is the opportunity to connect with students and watch them discover what they want to do in the future. As a career exploration teacher, I love guiding students as they create projects like commercials, video blogs and new business products. I also cherish my role in Hawk's Academy, where I work closely with students who need more behavioral support. Building relationships with these students, who often don’t get the chance to connect deeply with others, is incredibly rewarding and reminds me why I chose this profession. What is your favorite lesson or unit to teach in your classroom? One of my favorite lessons to teach is preparing eighth-grade students for the professional world. In this unit, they learn how to fill out applications, create resumes and navigate the do’s and don’ts of interviewing. The highlight is when community partners come in to conduct real interviews with the students, grading them on key skills like handshakes, confident answers and managing nerves. What is one piece of advice you share with students? One piece of advice I always share with each of my students is to never take life for granted. I encourage them to choose joy and gratitude daily, even during tough times. I always stress that every day if they can find the smallest thing to be thankful for it can lead to a more rewarding and fulfilling life. What is one common misconception about being a teacher? A common misconception about teaching is that it’s like babysitting and easy since we have ‘summers off,’ but nothing could be further from the truth. Having had a few careers and jobs in the past, I can say with all my heart that teaching is the most challenging, exhausting and frustrating job—and yet it’s also the most rewarding, endearing, loving and exciting career I have ever had. Every day, we get the privilege to wear so many hats for our kids. We become their parents, therapists, coaches, advocates, and so much more, we pour everything we have into helping students succeed and grow. Five Questions with Ben Davenport Science Hill history teacher Ben Davenport was named one of the District-Level Teachers of the Year. A Johnson City native, Davenport attended Science Hill High School and graduated in 2001 before going on to receive a bachelor’s degree in history from UT, a master’s degree in teaching from ETSU and an educational specialist degree from Union Commonwealth University. When outside the classroom, Davenport enjoys watching sports, traveling to new places and spending time with family. What led you to pursue a career in education? I visited a high school classroom as a college student and appreciated the interactions and learning that was happening. I have always had a desire to know and learn more. I think that I had positive role models in my life from my family and teachers, and as I got older I realized that those people had a direct effect on my future. I wanted to help others as they helped me, so it was a natural fit. What is your favorite part of your job? Each day is unique, and I love the challenge of teaching. I love the times when the lightbulb goes off in a student's head and they learn something new. I love when they can connect past events to the current day. I love seeing their critical thinking and analytical skills grow. This is the only profession that has an impact on all professions. What is your favorite lesson or unit to teach in your classroom? I love teaching about World War II. My grandfather was a WWII vet and his generation experienced the hardships of the Great Depression and were asked to sacrifice for the greater good to fight totalitarian regimes. Teaching students about the war at home and abroad helps students know about resiliency, sacrifice, empathy and what America can achieve when united for a cause. It shows how great this nation can be when we work together, not against one another. What is one piece of advice you share with students? Teaching history gives me all kinds of avenues to help students learn from the past. The best advice I can give them is to make a positive impact where they are and to have confidence in themselves. What is one common misconception about being a teacher? There are two misconceptions that come to mind immediately. First, students and teenagers are not as respectful or well behaved as they used to be. I find that kids by and large are good people. They want to help others, they are respectful of adults and they will work hard. They are motivated (and distracted) in many different ways, but I see great kids every single day at Science Hill. The second misconception is that teachers, especially experienced ones, can just ‘show up and teach’. Teachers have to constantly adapt and evolve how they teach and even what they teach. You have to be ready for different learning styles, different technology, different content and even different types of classrooms. Answers have been edited for length and AP style. Stay Informed: Subscribe to Our Newsletter Todayx YouTube Video Listen to our archived episodes: Pandora | LibSyn | YouTube Support the show: Patreon | PayPal: 1x or monthly | Square Cash * David Waldman knows what tomorrow’s pre-recorded KITM is about but isn’t telling. He trusts Greg Dworkin to keep mum, but didn’t tell me because everyone knows I’d just blab it all to you... like this: Luigi Mangione was not selected as Time “Person of the Year”. Luigi might not get another chance as why have another “Person of the Year” after this one ? Why have another “year” after this one ? Dictator cosplay is just like real as long as enough people believe . In fact, that is how all dictatorships work . (Follow Ben Wikler on Threads .) Trump appointed Governor-Senator Kari Lake as director of Voice of America . Well, he can’t do that, but he did . Not enough people clapped to keep South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol aloft. Opposition parties will just keep impeaching him until it sticks . Yoon caught social media brain rot , a disease plaguing the entire world. Still-President Joe Biden commuted 1,500 sentences and issued 39 pardons yesterday. KITM staff aren’t included, but still hopeful. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is poised to become the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee . Ideology might not drive money, but it is best if it doesn’t turn it down . The North Carolina Gop traded hurricane relief for Democratic power ... and MTG thought Dems created hurricanes! In Washington, Gops want two reconciliation bills , prosperity for things they like, austerity for things they don’t. Bulletin: Nighttime invaders have been sighted in the skies over Grovers Mill, New Jersey. Reports indicate that Homeland Security has become involved as a State Senator calls for a state of emergency. More reporting as this story develops . The majority of Brexit voters are getting tired of the “Brexit” part of that Brexit thing that they voted for. " Catherine’s Learning Barn ” is in remembrance of Sandy Hook school victims, and a celebration of their ideals.

Trump taps forceful ally of hard-line immigration policies to head Customs and Border Protection