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A Story in Two Parts--Part II September 9, 2009 at 12:02pm Yesterday, a 12-year-old boy in the elementary school took his brother's knife to school. This young man has Down's Syndrome and probably has a mental age of half his living age. This young man is one of the sweetest children you could ever meet. He would not hurt a flea.
He took the knife out at school to clean his fingernails just like he had seen his brother, daddy, and granddaddy do many times, I would imagine. This child had no clue that he was doing anything wrong.
His pu... [Read more] A Story in Two Parts--Part I September 16, 2010 at 10:58am I teach school in a place where everybody knows your name. Our kids are raised without a city mentality. They are mostly basketball players or farmboys.
Last year, a couple of junior boys were involved in an incident. These boys were good friends and just playing around. Boy #1 gets his pocketknife out and has it open. Boy #2--not knowing the knife is out or open--accidentally turns and swipes his forearm against the blade. Boy #2 needed instant help and eventually went to the hospital ... [Read more] The Beauty of Bev Doolittle February 19, 2009 at 7:02pm I know nothing about art. I either like something or I don't. Many years ago I was introduced to the work of Beverly Doolittle. If you are not familiar with her work, do yourself a favor and visit her website: www.bevdoolittle.net
Here is a little about her and her work from her website: "She is often called a "camouflage artist" because her distinctive use of context, design and pattern help viewers discover meanings which seem hidden only until they become obvious. "... [Read more] Taking Things Personally February 19, 2009 at 7:12pm I always take things personally. It is not a healthy thing to do because we who do this worry about stuff---I love being able to use that word---that sometimes has little to do with us. I believe the reason we do this is because we truly want to help someone solve their problem and because we become angry when we feel like people are mad at us about something we might be able to control.
Anyway, at a teacher conference at the beginning of this school year, a speaker had a great idea. He sa... [Read more] How to Raise a Child.. February 17, 2009 at 8:33am I found this and thought it worth sharing:
Training began with children
who were taught to sit still and enjoy it.
They were taught to use their organs of smell,
to look when there was apparently nothing to see,
and to listen intently when all seemingly was quiet.
A child that cannot sit still is a
half-developed child.
-----Luther Standing Bear, Lakota... [Read more] Valentines from Mother Earth February 14, 2009 at 5:38pm Today I decided to spend time in the yard it was so pretty outside. I got my old 4-wheeler, George, started and rode around the yard--about 8 acres--to give George and the two dogs a chance to stretch their running legs.
Stopping to fix the deer feeder, I turned my face toward Mrs. Sun and let here place her sweet tingling kisses on my cheeks and forehead. Mr. Wind played riffs in my hair. WIld onion plants marked their locations with good long tendrils and new grass outcroppings from my g... [Read more] Books Worth Reading More Than Once August 6, 2011 at 6:39pm Books are like old friends to me and there are some I choose to revisit over and over. These may not Masterpieces to you, but they awaken in me an opportunity to be transported to other ages and other places. So, I thought today I would share my favorites with you. I know this list is not inclusive and that I will be adding to over the year. The one promise I can make to you is that if you read them, you will be entertained or perhaps even appalled by man’s inhumanity to man.
In no p... [Read more] Writing September 16, 2010 at 9:40am If you have read any of my various blogs or discussion topics on Wdc, you have probably discovered that I love to read about writing and the fact that I can't think of any topic or stories to write....subject or plot-wise. I have always known that this was my "excuse" for not being more productive.
Well, here is my newest epiphany! (I bet Diane is sorry she re-introduced this word to me this semester.) It is a fact that the more you write, the more you write and the more you WA... [Read more] What Do You Think of the Australian Prime Ministers Remarks? February 11, 2009 at 10:14am What follows, I think, is a very controversial issue. It does not involve the United States, so don't off on that. It is Australian in origin, but I want to know your views on it.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard recently spoke these words:
Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia , as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks.
On another occasion, he said that he supported ... [Read more] Open Letter to Our US Congressmen February 15, 2010 at 1:11pm February 9, 2010
US Senators & Representatives
Their Respective Offices
Washington, DC
Dear Duly Elected US Senators and Representatives:
I feel the situation in our country to be deplorable. I find it ludicrous that you have passed legislation that led to the Wall Street fiasco. Yes, we need a stimulus package, but we don't need any more of the gimme-gimme mind set each and everyone of you seems to suffer. It is my hope that you will recover some semblance of public ser... [Read more] The Little Train Who Thought He Could August 6, 2011 at 6:43pm The title of this entry was a story read over and over to me as a child by parents, grandparents, and aunts. It was a thrilling story for a child and it taught a wonderful lesson. I taught that we must try over and over and over again to succeed. We never, I believe, appreciate those things which come to us easily.
My mother taught me a lesson that has allowed me to accomplish or just experience many wonderful things in my life. She taught me by example saying, "I can do that." W... [Read more] Something to Consider August 5, 2010 at 1:18pm While administering the SAT test in a colleague's room, I happened to notice a poster in her room that caught my attention:
BUILD A SOLID FOUNDATION
CARING
RESPECT
FAIRNESS
CITIZENSHIP
RESPONSIBILITY
TRUSTWORTHINESS
Here are my thoughts on this idea and I would enjoy very much hearing your comments about it as well. In no particular order:
1. Where's LOVE? I can't believe they left out LOVE. Yes, I can. On reflection I am reminded ... [Read more] The Ice Storm from Hell Part 6 February 8, 2009 at 4:44pm Days six and seven were pretty much repeats of the other days. We still had no lights, but there were some real pluses about cuddling under the comforters from dark until daylight.
When we finally did get electricity, it took two whole days to clean up from our Camping In exercise. How can you wear the same clothes everyday and have five loads of wash for two people. Beats me!
Sunday the temperature reached 70 degrees. That’s Arkansas’s fickle weather for you. However, ple... [Read more] The Ice Storm from Hell Part 5 February 8, 2009 at 3:30pm On Day 5 we learned via the radio that several places to the north had some generators for sale and we planned to go that way and look for one. After we left home, we decided it would be crazy to go north where the damage was so much greater than here. We again headed south to Batesville. We were primed to go as far south as Little Rock if we necessary. Rick decided to try Home Depot again and I just laughed when we drove in and saw cars everywhere with briskly walking people hustling new ge... [Read more] The Ice Storm from Hell Part 4 February 8, 2009 at 3:44pm Thursday was pretty much a repeat of Wednesday only the temperature was up a bit and some of the local young men tried to remove some of the trees from the road. But, not enough were removed to allow us to get out in either direction of the road.
Rick began to get anxious about his freezer full of meat and nearly hyperventilated on me. He became deadly serious about trying to get a generator. Only problems were, we have no phone service or battery power to use our phones in order to call abo... [Read more] The Ice Storm from Hell Part 3 February 8, 2009 at 12:36pm Wednesday dawned as an intensely brilliant, spectacular day. Looking outside was amazing. The sun glistened through the ice on the trees and sparkled like millions of diamonds. Yet, the ice was very thick around every leaf, tree branch, blade of grass, and anything else in the elements. The electric lines had so many rotund icicles on them that my husband had to duck to walk under them. How could something so beautiful be causing such hardships on so many? I know the word wonderland is trite, b... [Read more] The Ice Storm from Hell Part 2 February 6, 2009 at 1:52pm We woke up at 8:10 the next morning and Rick began preparing breakfast. I turned on the television and thought maybe I would have breakfast in bed. Then, the electricity went off and was to stay off for us for the next seven days. Five of these days the temperatures hovered between twenty-five and thirty-three degrees during the day, dropping in the teens at night.
The sleeting had stopped by nine o'clock Tuesday morning, but then it started raining heavily and rained for hours. With ... [Read more] The Icy Storm from Hell Part 1 February 6, 2009 at 11:50am The worst ice storm to ever hit Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana struck with a driving, frigid fury. As I begin this account of our trials before, during, and after the storm, there are still over 1 million people without electricity……six days after the storm began to hurl itself upon us paralyzing millions of Americans.
Monday, January 23, 2009 started like any mundane Monday morning. Our students buzzed with anticipation of a possible "snow" coming. Teach... [Read more] |
