Tag Archives: School

2011 – Our Year In Review

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It is customary, at this time of year to take stock in life and review the passing year. These annual compilations don’t tend to announce any new news, but do serve the useful purpose of review, just in case you missed something. Hopefully, most readers will find this exercise instructive.

Now class, when I say, “ready to teach”, you say, “ready to learn”. Ready? “ready to teach”, “ready to learn”, “ready to teach”, “ready to learn”, “ready to teach”, “ready to learn”. That was great class, so let’s begin teaching and learning.

Compiling the above twelve representative photos, I’ve noticed this trend in my life that my most interesting activities occur in the warmer months. I attribute this to my winter habit of hibernation. Most representative of this behavior, was last February’s storm damage. I slept through the storm. Realization of the damage only dawned the next morning, while looking out the front windows, at the crowd of neighbors that had gathered to gawk.

The placeholders for March and December are just that. December’s photo at least is inline with the retrospective theme of this post, but March, with its dullness, is just mocking me. In real life, January was just as dull, but in the virtual world of this blog, it came alive. Anne’s cousin Mac, asked me to post about his friend, Raymond Davis. They were bike buddies and Mr. Davis was in the news. He was being held captive in Pakistan, as a CIA spy. This one post garnered quite a few hits. Most of the comments made were supportive of Davis, but some were not. I elected not to publish those comments.

The most sorrowful event of 2011, was the passing of my mother, in May. She had been ill for some time, so it was not unexpected. She lived a full life that involved travel around the world. My father’s photo of my mother, epitomizes this and captures the moment, as they float together in a hot air balloon above the Serengeti at dawn. She is missed by her husband, her three sons, two daughters-in-law three grandsons, and many friends.

Our two sons, Dan and Dave, the artist and the engineer, are in graduate school this year. At year’s end, Dan has one more semester to go at CalArts, for his Masters of Art, and Dave has one semester down and TBD to go at Purdue, for his Doctorate, in biomedical engineering. Also this year, Dan had a summer internship at Ox-Bow, in Saugatuck and Dave finished up a year-long internship at NIH.

The summer months were full of travel, mainly to Michigan. In preparation for these travels, we bought a Prius. Prius, iPhones and Lattes, we have arrived. Anne, Jay and Carl left for Michigan first, by way of Tennessee, not exactly a shortcut. I eventually arrived on the shores of Gitchy Gumee, but then only briefly. We headed down-state to the Indiana line, left the Prius with Dan and proceeded to bicycle up the Lake Michigan coastline to the Mackinac Bridge, some 500 miles, with 500 friends, some from Saint Louis, most new to us. It was a great time and put us in fine fettle for our annual MS-150 bicycle ride, in September. Also in September, on one of our local rides to the park, Anne had opportunity to rescue a balloonist, she really threw herself into the task.

So, another year has come and gone. I’m older and wiser now, well, at least older. 2011 was a year marked with loss, but it also showed signs of promise. Near the end of their season, this year’s Saint Louis Cardinals miraculously came alive. They went on to capture the championship, but not before passing through the fire that was the 6th game of the World Series. That game was probably the most excruciating and delightful that I have ever seen.

At year’s end, we find ourselves thankful for what we have, family and friends and the good health to enjoy both. We are mindful for what we have lost, but also remember what we once had. At the cusp of the new year, we are hopeful for what it might bring.

A Tale of Two Cities (with Students!)

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This is a guest post by Anne, my muse, she writes the following: So my musee thinks that I should write a blog entry for him. The muse is not amused, but here goes.

Last Saturday, Le Marquis was fighting off a virus, and didn’t feel like going to the High School play, “A Raisin in the Sun”. He missed a good show! I had read the play back in the day, when I was a high school student, but seeing it live was much better. The students did a great job, and I didn’t detect any muffed lines or technical difficulties. It’s always fun for me to see the student thespians, as sometimes the characters they play are so different from their own personalities. In addition, some of the actors are very shy and reserved in real life, so it is even more rewarding to see them on stage. I know I didn’t have that kind of courage to even try out when I was that age. Bravo!

[I heard on NPR this week about a sequel to “Raisin”, called “Clybourn Park”. In this two act play, the first act is set immediately after the conclusion of “Raisin”. The black family has moved the white neighborhood of Clybourn Park. This act deals with the problems that they encountered while integrating. The second act is set fifty years later. Clybourn Park is now a rundown neighborhood. A white couple has just purchased the house. They encounter pushback from the all black neighborhood that is fighting gentrification.]

Wednesday, Joanie and I joined the Science Book Club on the yellow school bus. We rode to Springfield, Illinois to see Rebecca Skloot, author of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”. Henrietta Lacks was a poor, black woman who died of cervical cancer in 1951. A sample of her cancer cells was taken without her knowledge. This sample became the first human line of immortal cells, and paved the way for many breakthroughs, including the polio vaccine. The book is a very good book, and the students were excited to meet the author. Ms. Skloot interspersed her talk with passages from the book. She also updated us on the status of the Lacks family and the foundation set up to help them. After the talk, she answered questions from the audience. Then there was a book signing in the lobby of the auditorium. She graciously agreed to pose for a picture with our group after she had signed all the books. We will have a dinner discussion next Wednesday at the high school. I’m interested to see the students’ reactions. I dozed a bit on the way home, and it was far too noisy to hold a real discussion.

Class Warfare

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Today’s class will be on warfare, classical warfare. So students, please gird your loins. Take your greaves, spears and shields out of your desks. What? Johnny where is your shield? I’ve told everyone that you must come to class with your shields, or I will have to send you home on one. I want everyone to divide up into two formations. I want the haves to line up on my right and the have-nots to line up on my left. We’ve practiced this before. I want the haves to form a clock formation, because time is money. You have five minutes to make a two o’clock dial. Come on, let’s get moving. Now, I want the have-nots to create the fish formation. That’s it, stay together, and don’t get separated from your school. Education is the only way to better your selves. You all are doing just so swimmingly. Slip loose the dogs of politics, they don’t bite much, but they do bark, all the time. Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark!  Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark! Howl!!

School Daze

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This post is a guest post by Anne the Regen half of RegenAxe. It is in response to another blog post that her cousin Anne also know as Banana made. I have linked to here. Anne was making a long comment on Banana’s blog, when she suggested that her writings were getting long enough for a blog post in of its self. Anne is feeling a bit under of the weather, after having picked up some kid crud after working all four schools in the district this week. So, without further ado, take it away Anne:

“Mein Gott”, as our favorite aunt Betty used to say! Things certainly have changed since we were in 1st grade. I walked to school in kindergarten and 1st grade in Grand Rapids, as well as Ann Arbor after that. In GR I think there was a girl in an older grade that walked me to school, probably to make sure I didn’t dawdle. She may have walked me home too, but I seem to remember having more adventures on the way home.

There was a gas station a block or two from school. I always had to take in a big breath there, to smell the fumes. (leaded gas, anyone?) Then down the hill, turn the corner and a block or two of small businesses, like the bakery and a five and dime store. My mother would sometimes ask me to pick something up on the way home. I remember her writing “pumpernickel” on a note for me. I just handed it to the bakery worker, as I had no idea what it said. [My adult self wonders that I would remember to do this after a whole day of school. Did she give me the note in the morning, or call the school at the end of they day?] There was also the adventure of the change and the penny candy, but I think I’ve told that story already. Then we crossed a set of railroad tracks, with the occasional train. The big boys would run across the tracks before the train, but if I saw one, I always waited. I don’t remember waiting for long freight trains, so maybe it was a small siding. After that, I think we had a few more residential blocks before reaching home. So yes, I was able to walk 4-8 blocks to the store and school.

My children usually were driven to school, then bussed over to ECC where they had after-care, and then picked up. That was the scenario, for the first few years, when Dave was still in ECC (Early Childhood Center) and Dan was at Chaney Elementary. When they were both at Chaney, I would walk with them, picking up their friend Nate along the way. I think I must have then walked over to a bus stop to ride downtown. How funny that I can remember some of my adventures from first grade so vividly, but not this.

Nowadays, as a substitute teacher, I see the end-of-day procedures for dispersing the children from the school’s point of view. Safety is paramount. Busses are on one side of the school, car pick-ups on the other. Right now, since ECC is undergoing construction, the busses come first, and fifteen minutes later the car riders line up. Kiddoes are released to their parents in an orderly fashion and checked off a list, at least at ECC. At the elementary, they don’t need the check list, but still try to maintain order. If an ECC bus rider gets to his or her stop, and there isn’t a parent there, they ride the bus back to ECC, and the parent is called. (I’m not sure if this is true for every child, or only for particular children, but I did overhear such a conversation.)

There are some walkers and bike riders at each school, but it is certainly not the majority. In an effort to encourage more to walk, the schools have implemented “walking buses”, where parents organize a group of kids along a certain route, and some of the parents walk with them. They don’t do this everyday, but I think they’re aiming for more. Our district is a small district, but it is bisected by two high-traffic streets. This, plus the ever-present, freeform paranoia of “stranger danger” is probably the reason most parents feel more comfortable if they drive their kids to school. In addition, if the parent(s) work outside of the home, it is just easier (for the parent) to drive the kids and know that they got to school.

Friends on Facebook

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Beginning this school year, Missouri teachers will no longer be able to friend their students on Facebook or other social networks. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon signed Senate Bill 54 last week, which prohibits social networking between students and teachers. Missouri is the first state to take this measure; the law takes effect Aug. 28. Also known as the Amy Hestir Student Protection Act, the regulations aim to prevent sexual misconduct by teachers. The act’s namesake was a woman who was assaulted by a high school teacher. SB 54 also requires that school districts develop written policies about interactions between students and school employees that: …include appropriate oral and nonverbal personal communication, which may be combined with sexual harassment policies, and appropriate use of electronic media as described in the act, including social networking sites. Teachers cannot establish, maintain, or use a work-related website unless it is available to school administrators and the child’s legal custodian, physical custodian, or legal guardian. Teachers also cannot have a non-work-related website that allows exclusive access with a current or former student. Teachers are, however, permitted to create the more public Facebook Pages and have students be a “fan” of them,. While proponents support the protection of students, critics say the law is too vague and broad, and will be ineffective.

Skunk Cabbage

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I thought yesterday’s April Fools Day post was hilarious. Unfortunately, this sentiment was not universally held. Anne, my lovely spouse, muse and the subject of said post was not amused. So, a day later, this post is a bit of a makeup post. Hopefully, it will smooth some feathers and mend some bridges.

Skunk Cabbage (Eastern), also-known-as Clumpfoot Cabbage, Foetid Pothos, Meadow Cabbage, Polecat Weed, or more formally, in Latin, as Symplocarpus foetidus, is a low growing, foul-smelling plant that prefers wetlands. It is also the subject of Anne’s latest knitting creation, a pair of Skunk Cabbage inspired mittens. Anne models her creation, in the two photos with this post, inspired by a link or two. When Anne isn’t knitting, she is biking, making her monthly quota of miles for March, and doing the family’s taxes. She has finished Dan’s and is pretty much done with ours, but Dave’s taxes are driving her nuts.

Part of the problem is that while Dave has been working and getting paid, he isn’t being paid a salary. Last summer, at Rochester, he was a consultant, not an employee, so no taxes were taken out, bad enough. Last fall, at NIH, as an intern, he is being paid in “taxable energy credits”. TurboTax interprets these credits as equivalent to short-term capital gains and taxes them accordingly.

Speaking of David, he has selected Purdue University, as his school. He will attend this fall, as a doctoral candidate in Biomedical-Engineering. Can you say Doctor Dave? He visited Drexel last week, but was not as impressed with it as he had been with Purdue during his visit there earlier in the month. I wonder it that humongous Philly cheese-steak sandwich didn’t agree with him? He was also accepted at Rochester, his safety school, but the prospect of another Rochester winter, did not appeal to him. There are still several schools that he hasn’t heard from, but he was tired of waiting and decided to enroll.

Dan, our left-coast son, has been busy preparing for this year’s CalArts MFA Open Studios (April 10th). He doesn’t have a formal show this year, but he does have some recent work that he might be able to exhibit. The formal spaces for this show are reserved for graduating students. He had laryngitis earlier this week, but hopefully he is over that by now. Thursday, he took the train up to San Francisco, to visit Cousin Liz and take in an art show.

Under the topic of home restoration, all the contractors, to repair the storm damage are lined up. First comes, the mason, then the roofer and then the awning guy. This will likely take all month or more to occur. As my general contractor cautioned, each day it rains, is a slipped day of schedule. At least he didn’t start rhyming, April showers, brings May sub-contractors, or however it goes. I just remembered a question, who is going to do the trim, vents and lights? Something to ask him, next time we speak, then onto the gutter guy.