So Good

It felt great to be back in church this morning.  Familiar faces; familiar worship. So many thing to be thankful for!

My daughter is sitting at the soccer fields in Zion, IL, freezing.  She actually sent her husband to Walmart for a blanket!  While we have 89 humid degrees here, she is experiencing MAYBE 68 cloudy, breezy temps.  What a difference 200 miles make!

Since it is now September, I consider it fall, even though it isn't, technically.  I break out the fall decorations that will survive until Thanksgiving.  I love fall, but I sometimes also dread it because of the leaves that need to be raked and the gutters that need to be cleaned out.  Thankfully, I have a helper now.  Hope he takes care of himself because I sure do rely on him!!

I haven't done anything today.  It's the Sabbath!   Never mind that I don't do anything any other day, either.  This one is sacred.  :)

On to other endeavors....like foraging for food that I don't need.  Stopped at Panda Express on my way home from church.  Big mistake.  That's all I will eat today, I promised myself.  Really.  Truly!

She's Baaaaaaack!

No, I have not passed into the great beyond!  I was, however,  at my daughter's in Grayslake, IL, unintentionally, for a whole month!  I got into projects and time passed, one thing leading to another, and suddenly my granddaughter's Miss Zion pageant was only a week away, making no financial sense for me to drive home and back for it in such a short time.  I missed the pageant last year.  Didn't want that to happen again.

 

I went up very early in August, two days before my granddaughter's 11th birthday (on the 6th).  Here is a partial list of what I did:

 

*Made a chocolate and bacon birthday cake (Robin's request) and put cream cheese/Nutella frosting on it.

*Attended Robin's birthday dinner with all parents, step-parents, and two grandparents at Olive Garden in Gurnee.
 

*Shopped for a dress for Robin to be used as the base for a duct tape dress that she wanted to make....then shopped for duct tape.  (Two separate trips.)

*Assisted with the duct tape dress, which took several days.  (This was mostly Robin and her mom.)

*Went to the kids' home in Zion, IL, to look at a couple of pageant dresses--one an evening gown that needed a little work but made Robin look absolutely gorgeous (and way too grown up).

*Found a crochet pattern online for a shrug to wear with one of the pageant dresses.  Shopped for just the right yarn.

*Crocheted the shrug.  (This took about 2 days, if you don't count the time I had to rip out rows because I wasn't happy with my execution of the directions.  Haven't crocheted in years!!!!)

*Canned a half-bushel of peaches, with Meg's help.  We did 18 pints of slices and 6 pints of freezer preserves.  (This took most of a day with one of Denis's co-worker's in the house for a work session.)

*Took the children shopping to Five Below in Vernon Hills so Robin could blow some of her birthday gift card.

*Read the book Harris and Me to the grandkids over a week.  They loved it!  (So do I.)

*Did the whole family's laundry twice... because I could....

*Cooked meals and did dishes--ongoing and forever!  (Megan had been diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome in her right hand.  She needed help!)

*Processed and froze 8 HUGE zucchini squash purchased from a little farm down the road. 

*Hemmed part of Robin's pageant ball gown.  (Just for safety, in the back.)

*Helped Robin with one chapter of her summer book for a Gifted/Talented class in middle school this school year.  (She had already read it.  Just wanted to re-read and asked if I would do the honors for that one chapter.  Plus, we talked about the characteristics of the genre of that book, etc.  Never hurts!)

*Met the family when they came out of the theater after seeing Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters, only because Robin had to go to Zion for soccer practice, but Ryan didn't want to go there, so I picked him up and brought him home with me while the rest went on.

*Held the fort while the parents went to various doctor appointments.

*Helped to host Denis's work partner from Colorado.  (Denis had not been able to be at work while Eric was in town, due to back problems, so he was invited here to work.  We did our best to impress him but had the kitchen torn up with peach processing!)

*Washed Ryan's hair.  (Why do I include this??  Ryan takes showers on a regular basis, when told to.  When he emerges, the sides of his hair are wet, but the top is usually mysteriously dry, and it never looks clean.  One day, I told him I was washing his hair in the sink...and I did.  Thereafter, his hair shined and smelled good--proof that he really doesn't wash it when he showers!!)

 

On Friday, August 23rd, we drove the grandchildren back to their custodial home in Zion,  Their summer break at Mom's was over.  School starts Tuesday.  Back to reality for all of us.  Kinda sad...

 

Both children reported some "excitement".  Ryan plugged the vacuum cleaner into an outlet in his bedroom and sparks ensued.  There was a mini-fire.  Daddy came running with a fire extinguisher.  All was well but it scared the children.  Such is life in an old home! 

 After the children left, things at my daughter's got dull and lifeless.  We all hid in corners of the house for recuperation.  Meg and and Denis attended the children's open houses at school on the day before their first day of school.  I just became a vegetable.

Judy and Phil Heffelman, my friends and the grandchildren's paternal grandparents, decided to come up for Labor Day Weekend, to attend Robin's pageant.  God bless them, they (or he?) can't handle the fear of city traffic, so they took I-74 all the way over to Bloomington, IL, the up on I-39 to Rockford and over to Zion.  A trip that normally takes me 3 1/2-4 hours via the tollroad took them 7 1/2!!  They decided to bed with us.  (This is a little hard to explain to people familiar with divorce situations who expect the parties to be "warring".  Not so in our case.  Nathan--my former son-in-law [and family] have an open invitation to stay at my house if they need/want to be in Plainfield because his parents [Judy and Phil] don't have available space for them yet.  And Judy and Phil have an open invitation to stay at Meg's--their former daughter-in-law-- if they want to visit because Nathan doesn't have available space for them yet.  I think it all works out.)

Last weekend, I got a new look at my grandchildren.  Ryan is softer--quicker to say "thank you" and "sorry" without prompting.  Quicker to hug.  Better around his step-sister, and she around him.  (Done with mirrors and smoke??)  He is adorably good-looking, but shy.  (I look for that to change!)

Robin is simply no longer a child.  Long and lean and beautiful with stage presence I didn't think possible, she is a winner!  She did not win the pageant but we couldn't have cared less.  She was a shining star--so much more natural than the girls who were "memorized" and  sickly- sweet with their memorized speeches that someone else wrote for them.  If she was disappointed that she didn't win, she didn't show it.  Words cannot express how proud I am of that young lady!

So now I am home, trying to catch up with all of the repairs that seem to be hitting me in retaliation for my having been gone so long. 

As one of my nephews would say, "Yeah buddy.  Peace out."

 

The Whole Tony Bennett Thing

I will be the first to admit that I have an overgrown gene that relates to fairness in life.  I taught school for 40 years, dealing with adolescents and pre-adolescents, so I think I know a little bit about how immature minds work.  What I don't understand, and what gets me going, is having to deal with politics in situations where politics should not be a factor--politics that is/are self-generating and generally not fair.  Living in all-Republican Indiana as a life-long educator has challenged me to try to understand the adult, immature, political mind.  I'm not there yet. 

Let's backtrack a bit.  When my ex and I moved to Indiana in 1988, the state had just adopted (as had other states) a statewide testing system--ISTEP--that was supposed to have teeth.  Students were going to have to pass the test each year or face retention in grade, or go to summer school for remediation.  This was a state mandate.  I welcomed it.  I figured that it took the pass/fail obligation out of the teachers' hands and placed it on the students where I thought it belonged.  I even signed on to teach summer school in my district for two or three years, hoping to make a difference.

From a teaching standpoint, several problems were immediately obvious.  First of all, the test was administered very early in the school year.  Every veteran teacher knows that it takes a few weeks of review to bring students back up to speed after their summer break, especially with math skills.  Secondly, the tests at some levels were measuring skills that hadn't been covered in the previous year, so even a period of review wasn't going to help students to pass.  Thirdly, special education students were not exempt from the test, nor were any testing situations modified to meet these students' learning disabilities, except to allow them more time and put them in an atmosphere devoid of regular classroom distractions.  Thus, the scores of kids with dyslexia, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, Asperger's Syndrome or other disabilities on the Autism Spectrum, were figured in with the scores of the non-special ed. kids in each school.  Lastly, the passing score was changed at the state level each year to ensure that some were assured not to pass.  Passing became like trying to hit a moving target.  No one knew what to expect.  Still, I hoped that the forcefulness of the new test standards would change things.

How wrong could I be???  In all my years of teaching, I simply cannot recall more than two--possibly three--students who were held back for failing the test or summer school, although there were dozens who qualified.  And those were mostly because of non-cooperation and/or disciplinary reasons.  Summer school was quickly abandoned from state funding, requiring local districts to foot the bill--which couldn't happen, since the state wasn't even sending the expectedlevel of tax funds.  Summer school soon petered out.  So much for that.  So much for the "teeth" of the tests. 

When I transferred from elementary teaching and started at the high school level, I was teaching sophomores.  The then-ISTEP+ system dictated that students had to pass the test at this level in order to graduate.  If they didn't, they would have to take it again as juniors, and if that wasn't passed, again as seniors.  (The test changed every year, and the passing level, did, too.)     Later, I switched to teaching seniors.  Students who had not passed as seniors weren't supposed to graduate.    That was a joke, too.  I can only recall one single student whose graduation came into question, and the district requested a waiver for him because he had passed all of his courses with at least a "C" and was a hard-working kid with a future awaiting him--but only if he had a diploma.  Over the years, ISTEP+ became an anvil hanging over our heads, but with no state financial support to help the kids.  In short, it was a joke.  The students knew it.  The teachers knew it.  We were all just playing the game.

Then came George W. Bush, whose first official charge after election was to install his own education reform:  No Child Left Behind.  NCLB created a lot of paperwork and placed responsibility for student learning (aka test scores) on teachers and schools, no matter what the circumstances.  No excuses.  Each year, a school had to show improvement in scores over the years before, even though the passing level was changed by the state every year.  It didn't matter if you had a district full of impoverished students, special education kids, or if your district was in the middle of a drug-infested neighborhood.  Produce or die!  Every teacher spent the first six weeks of school teaching to the test, even though we had no clue what the test would be. 

Then came Tony Bennett.  Dr. Bennett is a Republican in a heavily Republican state that was led by a Republican Governor (Mitch Daniels).  He was elected as the Superintendent of Public Instruction in Indiana.  His whole thing was to offer parents a school choice by offering vouchers by which public tax monies could be diverted to private/charter schools which, he believed, was a better fit for families than requiring them to attend "failing"public schools.  Not surprisingly, public schools were put in a horrible situation in which they could hardly even afford copy paper to carry on the very basics of classroom teaching.  (Fortunately, I retired JUST before this happened!)

Under Dr. Bennett's leadership, schools were given a grade based on test scores.  Those that failed were to be "taken over" by the state.  (I never quite understood what that meant.  Was the state going to move in with SuperTeachers that would change everything?  What would happen to teachers already there?  And what would be the consequences if the state's takeover didn't work, either???)  Dr. Bennett would not hear complaints.  I felt, quite assuredly, that the system would implode.  I was right. 

The National Education Association and teachers in Indiana soon got weary of Dr. Bennett.  In last November's elections, he was ousted in favor of Democrat Glenda Ritz, who now faces the political manipulations of the Republican government of the state.  After his ouster, Bennett was hired by the state of Florida to oversee their schools.  Indiana was stuck with his dictates.  Until a few days ago.

Somehow, this week, the Associated Press unearthed some internal emails from Bennett to his cronies back when he was still an Indiana employee.  It seems that one of his favorite charter schools--Christel House--came up with a "C" on his school grading system.  Not acceptable!  The founder of that school, Christel DeHaan, is a $3-million-plus donor to the Republican party, including Tony Bennett's last election campaign.  As far as Bennett was concerned, nothing short of an "A" would work for Christel House....so he and his underlings scrambled for loopholes and even delayed releasing the school grades for the whole state until they could come up with some.  They tweaked what they said was a glitch in the system, and suddenly Christel House had an "A".  What a surprise!
(Incidentally, the tweaking helped a dozen other schools...something Bennett was quick to point out.)

When this information hit the media, the you-know-what hit the fan.  Within the span of two days of negative press, quoting Bennett's own email words, Bennett resigned in Florida, based on the allegations of things that happened here in Indiana.  He says he resigned because he was becoming a distraction from the mission of educating children.  I maintain that he had no other choice.  He was "hoist on his own petard".  I didn't think I'd live long enough to see it.

In the wake of all of this, Indiana Governor Pence is making political moves to create a so-called independent committee to oversee schools, in an effort to get around Glenda Ritz.  He still supports the school grade system even though it has already proven to be flawed.  He still supports Tony Bennett.  Unfortunately, he could succeed with this new committee because this state is so overwhelming Republican.  Politics at its best.!  Both Indiana and Florida are now faced with questions about where to go from here.  My best guess is that Gov. Pence is publicly supporting Bennett because they are Republican buddies but is privately cursing him for bringing this firestorm to his early-term in office.  If he hasn't already figured it out, the continuance of this blindness to American Public Education will continue to implode until someone in the state figures out that politicians have no business administering schools unless they have been in the trenches. 

Test scores are NOT the measure of success in a community or even a nation.  Saying that a school/teacher has failed because a number of students haven't been able to pass a test is like saying that a dentist has failed because some of his patients have cavities.  There are far too many variables to make that conclusion.  Fund the schools, then step back and let them work.  Pay teachers what they are worth in a society that CLAIMS to value education but actually doesn't, based on what they are willing to pay for.  Give teachers the time and the resources to do what they do well and cut the crap.  I'm scared for our society because of what politicians are doing to our schools. 

Actually, I'm scared for our society because of politicians, period. 
   

   

I've Met My Match

My friend Patrick sent me a link today to a blog of sorts.  I think the author is a ham operator.  (Not sure.)  I read a few of his posts and figured out that I am an absolute rube in the intelligence/writing department.  The author is opinionated, without a doubt, and has command of the English language with words that I gave up using many years ago because they were way over the heads of my students and most friends.  (Do I want to sound smart or do I want to be understood?)  The man is erudite and articulate.  The problem is that I read several of his posts--certainly not anywhere near all--and realized that I wasn't totally sure where he stood on the issues that he brought up.  And he brought up many, as though he were an expert in history and societal trends.  Where was I when all of this happened??  Guess I've met my match.

Blogs, including my own, are the creations of people who need a public forum to express themselves.  There is no real opportunity for argument or reality checks.  It's your blog, so write all of the racist, homophobic, misogynist, political rants that you want.  Who is to say you nay?  My problem--and it IS a problem--is that I am wired to understand both sides of any given situation, so I am labeled a  LIBERAL.  It's true!  I am!  I can play Devil's Advocate in an attempt to TRY to get people to think for themselves, check their sources for facts, and move on in the direction that their faith or beliefs tell them to go.  Unfortunately, that's not popular these days...at least not in Indiana. 

Thus, I apologize for the banal nature of my blog posts.  Perhaps if I cared more about politics and studied more, I could seem studied and sound.  As it is, I have faith in the USA and believe that the Commander-in-Chief, no matter who he is, deserves respect and allegiance.  The conspiracists and doomsday planners among us are cutting into my positive attitude...and, to be honest, I need all of the positive attitude I can muster these days. 

We do what we do.  Carry on!

How My Mind Works

I have a friend (who shall remain nameless) who calls me almost every day on his way home from having morning "coffee".  I have known this man for probably 13 years, so I am beginning to understand how his mind works....but it isn't easy!  He doesn't call to talk WITH me....he talked TO me. As he drives on his way home, he will comment on things that he sees on the road...things I can't see and don't care about....interspersed with commentary about people and things of importance to him, and I never know when he has changed focus.  One minute, we are talking about someone in his family, and the next, it is someone else that we haven't even talked about.  Lately, I've called him out on warning me when he changes topics.  He now says "I don't have a good segue, so I'm talking about someone/something else."  It helps!  But that's how his mind works.  He is a stream-of-consciousness talker--not a listener.  Once I figured that out, I got better at listening to him and understanding that all he needs from me as a friend is validation.  I can't always give it to him, but I do care.

Six years ago, I suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm while visiting my sister in Illinois. I've already gone into the details of that several times on this blog...but I have come to realize that #1. I was not grateful enough for what was done for me, and #2. I learned a bit about how my brain works. I was not grateful enough because, at no time, did I believe I was in danger.  And that explains some of how my mind processes things.  I knew that my head hurt, and I knew that I was violently vomiting, sick as a dog...but at no time did I go unconscious or lose the ability to speak or walk or think.  To my addled brain, it was just an illness to get over.  Which, thanks be to God, I did.  My neurosurgeon's nurse in Peoria told me I would probably not remember any of what was done prior to or during surgery.  She was wrong.  Some of it is foggy, but I remember most of it.  My neurosurgeon in Indianapolis, once I got home, kept asking me if my mind seemed cloudy, like I couldn't think straight.  No...that never happened (and I kind of resented him for asking that!).

In my life's experiences, I have noticed that my brain shuts down in crisis situations.  It goes into overdrive, which is not to mean that it works harder....only that it goes to another place above all of the chaos.  I guess it would be more accurate to say it goes numb.  Thankfully, I haven't had too many of these situations to deal with.  The aneurysm was one of those.  I was like a passenger on a ship that was going to sail whether I wanted it to or not.  My mother's unexpected death was another one of those numbing occasions.  There were two others that I choose not to write about for fear of injuring people that I love, but I have to tell you that I learned a lot about myself in those happenings.

When not in crisis, I know that my mind processes with associations.  I taught English literature for a lot of years.  When a theme came up, I could often think of the same theme in other genres...themes that I hoped my students would understand.  I couldn't help but share them with my classes.  One day, I sang some lines to a song that verified the theme in a particular literary selection, and one of my students spoke up, "You make me sick!"  Thinking I was about to get a student-cricitism of my teaching technique, he said, "One minute, you are reading poetry, and the next minute, you burst into song!"  I think it was meant as a compliment.  I never apologized for it.  But from that, I came to understand that I cannot think of one theme without comparing it to another.  It's just how I am!!

Things I Will Never Understand

This will be a short post, prompted by frustrations.

I will NEVER understand why things that involve water are made from things that can rust.  I had to replace a garbage disposer once because it had rusted through.  Really??  A garbage disposer????
Then there are the baking pans.  Unless you can find an outlet that sells stainless steel (mostly for commercial businesses), you are stuck with pans that rust and look awful if you serve guests from them.

I also will NEVER understand pretty things that require special handling.  My daughter foolishly bought (expensive) gorgeous fall placemats made of wool and felt years ago, and I foolishly bought her more of them.  One spill...one spot...required dry cleaning.  Left in storage without cleaning, they mold.  I think the whole lot of those lovely placemats got thrown out.  Hurt me, big time!

The same thing applies to non-stick pans and other dishware.  I get that it needs to be handled gently, but I'm just not into washing it separately.  It goes into the dishwasher.  Period!  If it doesn't hold up, I won't buy it again.  Whatever...

So much for whining...



 

Lessons to Relearn

How old am I??? 
Here are some things I already know, but somehow forget about (and suffer the consequences).

If a Cheerio or a potato chip or a piece of popcorn gets dropped on the floor and not immediately picked up, it will get stepped on and rendered into crumbs that spread everywhere. 

If you trust a kid (or a kid-like man, it seems) with a glow stick, it will eventually be bent and played with enough that it will leak glowing fluid all over everything.

If you grease and flour a baking pan for a cake, then dump the excess flour into the sink, it will get wet and dry as hard as cement.

If you decide to soak a dirty pan in water, then don't take care of it right away, it will create a wonderful environment for fruit flies.  And if one of those pans happens to have beans in it, you can count on a magnificent stink!

If you don't take care of a problem right away...say, a condensate pump for your central air conditioner...you can count on a bigger problem....say, water leaking all over the carpet near the pump.

If you make a list of minor repairs, then start on them one at a time, you suddenly ask yourself why you didn't take care of them sooner!

You get the picture....