The View from Here

Mom

I wrote this in 2010 and I offer it to you again today because I could not think of anything to add to it. I still miss her…

Mother’s Birthday

I won’t bother to tell you how old mother would have been today because she isn’t here to celebrate the numbers anymore. That should be a reminder to those of us who sometimes moan and groan about getting older. The alternative is forever.  And while we rejoice in the idea of going home to Jesus one day, we are spoiled to the rewards of being here with family and miss those who go before us. I suppose ideally we’d just like to be here until Jesus returns to earth and then all go to heaven together. Doesn’t work that way…

Those of us left behind mourn and grieve and wallow in self pity for a time, and then we move on. Mom has been dead for eleven years and I’ve stopped crying, but I’ll never stop missing her. I can’t work in a profession where there are mothers everywhere, everyday, without thinking about my own. 

I was thinking just last night about some of the things that have changed since Mom’s death. She would not approve of some of the things that have changed in our family. She would hate some of the things that other people are doing. She would be astonished by our progress in some areas, but appalled by the so-called progress in others. Mom had very strong, old-fashioned values. Mom loved modesty, honesty, and kindness. She loved family, children, and education. She wanted everyone to get along and make the world a better place. And she spent years telling people that in her writing.

Mom wasn’t much of a public speaker, but she was never shy behind the typewriter. She told the world about her depression, her family problems, her feelings, and her failings, always with the hope that she would prevent someone else from stumbling along the same path. I can’t tell you the number of people who have sought me out to thank me for mother’s words. She would love that.

I’m privileged to have pages and pages of mother’s words. I have many of her original manuscripts, short stories, newspaper columns, and letters. I even have some letters written to her by friends and family members. She tucked them away in files and folders. She treasured the words of others as much as her own.  

I suppose that the best tribute to someone who has passed on is to try to fulfill their expectations. Mom expected me to be strong, modest, honest, kind, and moral. She expected me to care about people. She expected me to make a difference in the world. She expected me to continue to tell the stories of our family that would help others with their own. I’m trying…

Going to the Fair

My mind often works in erratic, unpredictable ways and memories pop up when I least expect them. Someone mentioned the Texas State Fair yesterday and my mind immediately went back to my first glimpse of Big Tex. My aunt and uncle took me to the Texas State Fair. I don’t remember when and I only remember bits and pieces of the event. The memories blend with a hundred other fairs I’ve attended.

The most important fair I attended was the one I went to as a young child. I can honestly say that the Fresno County fair, now known as the The Big Fresno Fair, changed my life!  The fair was a “must go” event for our family. The displays, the rides, the games, the food, were all wondrous to a poor little country girl. I saw my first calf birth at the fair. I became fascinated with rocks after viewing a display at the fair and for years afterward every family outing became a rock hunt. I tasted my first beerock (beef and cabbage sandwich) at the fair. I saw my first iris at the fair. I fell in love with a neighbor boy after meeting him at the fair. The Fresno Fair expanded my little world and offered an annual potpourri of experiences that could not be equaled anywhere else.

Of course things change. The last time we went to the fair I was a bit disappointed in the displays. The crowded midway seemed claustrophobic and even dangerous. Everything was much more expensive. The food wasn’t as good as I remembered. But I will hold tightly to the precious memories of happy fall days spent at the fair with my parents and brothers. Nothing changes those! 

Stupid is as stupid does.

I don’t often quote Forrest Gump, but sometimes you just have to go with what says the most in the least amount of words.

And I know that some of you are probably tired of hearing me drone on and on about changes in education. However, I would remind you that education occupies my mind and body five days a week and pays my bills. For that reason I give it a little extra coverage here in the blog. So here goes…

I’ve already made my views about Common Core pretty clear. I accept the challenge of CC and I will endeavor to make my students as prepared as possible to go on to first grade with the knowledge and skills required. But I am amazed that once again our “powers that be” who are supposedly experts and have spent hundreds of hours perfecting this program have also allowed some loopholes that doom the program to failure. First let’s refresh our memory on how this came about:

The release of the standards marks the conclusion of the development of the Common Core State Standards and signals the start of the adoption and implementation process by the states.  The year-long process was led by governors and chief state school officers in 48 states, 2 territories and the District of Columbia. The final standards were informed by nearly 10,000 public comments and by standards in other top performing countries so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy.

And here is a comment from one expert on how this should work:

“I am excited to have a common framework from which to share best practices with fellow superintendents across the nation. With students, parents, and teachers all on the same page and working together for shared goals, we can ensure that students make progress each year and graduate from school prepared to succeed and build a strong future for themselves and the country.” 

But I must agree with Forrest that stupid is as stupid does, and here is what stupid is already doing:

Apparently the CC either does NOT include a mandate on the “best practices” regarding class size or some school districts have managed to circumvent it because I have received numerous reports from fellow teachers in other districts and states who have more than twenty-five, yes 25, kindergarten students in their classrooms. Many have 30! Yesterday I was told that one class has 32 students. That is insane and shows a reckless disregard for years of research about optimal class sizes for kindergarten. In many preschools across the nation we legally require an adult for every 15 children and most preschools would not think of having more than ten children without an assistant. So how can we think that the very next year those same children are going perform to the best of their abilities packed into a room like cattle in a feed lot?

There are also serious physical and safety issues raised by the idea of having 30 five year olds in the care of ONE person. Think for a moment about taking those children to lunch or recess. Think about what happens if one or two or three become ill or injured.

And “best practices”? That’s a joke if you are teaching and testing a group that large. Management alone will take up much of the day. Does anyone think all 25-30 are perfectly capable students who all speak English and have the same foundation of knowledge and skills? In your dreams!

 I know this is ultimately about money. Smaller classes mean more classrooms and more teachers and a bigger budget. I am just so very weary of hearing about money, money, money problems from a society that throws the stuff at athletes and performers. I am weary of hearing money complaints from a society that spends so much of it on gambling, cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs. I am especially weary of hearing about money woes when people who HAVE it will pay $60,000 to hear a candidate drone on and on about what he plans to do to help us. Stop talking us to death and actually do something!

I am privileged to teach in a district that still has small classes and I can spend much more individual time with each of my students. But that doesn’t keep me from getting a student from one of those other districts who is supposed to transition easily because he or she has received the same education elsewhere, and it doesn’t excuse me from sitting idly by while my fellow teachers in other states are used and abused.

I don’t use the word often, but setting higher standards for education and then expecting teachers to implement them with twice as many students is just plain stupid. 

An Accomplished Woman

I have been thinking a lot lately of my mother and the many things she managed to do and learn despite a lack of education, money, and opportunity. My mind keeps going back to one of my favorite books, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and her description of an “accomplished woman”. I know so many accomplished women and I think many of them are taken for granted as my mother often was, at least by her children. So if you know an accomplished woman, and I'm sure you do, give her a pat on the back or an encouraging word today.

And for those of you unfamiliar with P&P (how could that be possible??) here is the scene from chapter eight:

"It is amazing to me," said Bingley, "how young ladies can have patience to be so very accomplished as they all are."

   "All young ladies accomplished! My dear Charles, what do you mean?"

   "Yes, all of them, I think. They all paint tables, cover screens, and net purses. I scarcely know anyone who cannot do all this, and I am sure I never heard a young lady spoken of for the first time, without being informed that she was very accomplished."

   "Your list of the common extent of accomplishments," said Darcy, "has too much truth. The word is applied to many a woman who deserves it no otherwise than by netting a purse or covering a screen. But I am very far from agreeing with you in your estimation of ladies in general. I cannot boast of knowing more than half a dozen, in the whole range of my acquaintance, that are really accomplished."

   "Nor I, I am sure," said Miss Bingley. "Then," observed Elizabeth, "you must comprehend a great deal in your idea of an accomplished woman."

   "Yes, I do comprehend a great deal in it."

   "Oh! certainly," cried his faithful assistant, "no one can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved."

   "All this she must possess," added Darcy, "and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading."

   "I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished women. I rather wonder now at your knowing any."

   "Are you so severe upon your own sex as to doubt the possibility of all this?"

   "I never saw such a woman. I never saw such capacity, and taste, and application, and elegance, as you describe united."

   Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley both cried out against the injustice of her implied doubt, and were both protesting that they knew many women who answered this description, when Mr. Hurst called them to order, with bitter complaints of their inattention to what was going forward. As all conversation was thereby at an end, Elizabeth soon afterwards left the room.

I don't care...

who won an Emmy. Most of the trash on television isn’t worth watching, let alone rewarding.

what the supermodels are driving. Am I supposed to be impressed or jealous? Don’t care enough to be either.

about the new fall fashions. I regret at least half of the clothing choices I made when I did care enough to follow the trends. And I certainly regret the amount of money I once wasted on clothes. Wish I had invested in other things!

which candidates my favorite movie or music idols are backing. I like a few stars because of their creativity and ability, not their political leanings.

which team won anything if they play above the college level. Overpaid, spoiled, misbehaving prima donnas are not on my list of people who need to be watched or admired.

about the new flavors of coffee creamer, ice cream, soda, or “x,y,z”. Recently saw a program on how artificial flavors are conceived and produced in order to entice us to eat more, drink more, and become repeat consumers of products. I already have enough food issues to last the rest of my lifetime!

I could go on and on, but I don’t care enough to do so.

 

Where the Wild Things Were

My son invited me to join him yesterday at one of my favorite places, Hagerman Wildlife Refuge near Denison. Robert lives in Denison and has the privilege of visiting the preserve at any time. If I lived that close I’m afraid I would be more than just a “regular” visitor. Do they ask you to leave if you are there too much, or just sign you up as an official volunteer? Anyway, we had a great time and there were lots of birds to see- far more than I was actually able to photograph. Light conditions and the restrictions of my lens determined what I took. But the experience of seeing some of these creatures was enough of a thrill even without the proof!

Robert and I discussed the constantly changing population of the preserve. I feel sorry for visitors who go to the preserve only once or twice and never return. Each day, each month, each season brings a variety of local and migratory birds to the fields and water. If you have only been once, especially if you had a “less than exciting” experience, I urge you to return for another visit. We visited a couple of times this summer and were disappointed by the dry conditions and the lack of birds. And then yesterday- massive flocks! Later in the winter the snow geese will return.

We also had a funny encounter with a butterfly. It flew into the cab of the truck and stayed on the visor for quite some time. When Robert attempted to make it fly away it chose instead to land on his finger!

Of course when I returned to the house there were wild things waiting for me! Apparently there was a heated discussion about whose turn it was to bathe in the birdbath! There were five bluebirds and a few sparrows trying to cool off, but one bossy bird thought everyone else should go away and he made his intentions quite clear- squawking and flapping his wings and intimidating any other bird that came near. He scared off the others and then enjoyed himself for a few minutes before sitting on the fence to dry.

So…that’s where the wild things were yesterday- out in the sunshine enjoying the first weekend of fall!

(New photo albums on the left. Enjoy!)

 

 

Healthy Young Children?

Most parents of young children claim to love their children and want them to grow up to be happy, healthy adults. They claim they would do almost anything needed to make that happen. However the actions of many parents would contradict that statement.  

We are facing a national health crisis. Obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension are killing us. We have the facts and findings of research to tell us what is causing much of the problem- years of fast food consumption. We know that it is loaded with too much sugar, fat, and salt. Yet we continue to poison our children with it.

We have demanded that schools provide better nutrition for our children. We have held them accountable for feeding students a more appetizing array of healthy foods, including more vegetables and fruits. Yet parents still have the option to arrive at school with their child clutching a bag of doughnuts or a lunch box containing a pre-packaged lunch of artificial food.

You can google “negative effects of fast food on children” and get your own information about the situation, but I found several studies to be particularly interesting. One found that for 30% of children fast food was their primary food source. Research has shown that children who eat fast food also eat more food at other times because of the big portions offered at fast food places (I refuse to call them restaurants), the development of a taste preference for salt and sugar, and the lack of fiber in fast food.  

The most interesting study involved an experiment in the effects of “branding”. The food industry spends more than $10 million a year to market food to children so they will become lifelong consumers. Children as young as 2 can recognize the packaging used by their favorite fast food chain and the result is begging and nagging until they get their “happy” food! The study examined the influence of branding by offering preschool children McDonalds’ food in labeled and generic packaging. Most identified the labeled food as better!

Children do not walk themselves to these fast food chains. Parents take them there. The question is “why?” 

An Ugly Friday

Mrs. Maurer is not a saint.

I know, I know. I hope you were sitting down for that.

And here comes the final blow. We did not have a great day in kindergarten Friday.

Friday will go down in our little history book as an “ugly Friday”. I sincerely hope it is the only ugly day we have this year. But I have my doubts.

Even though we had some fun activities (painting, play dough, new critters in science center) mixed in with our weekly review work half my class did not want to work. Several students got into trouble for things that we have discussed since the first day of school. A couple of them thought of new ways to misbehave. Five had to write apologies to the art teacher for their behavior the day before. This is the reality of education. It’s not all about reading and writing and arithmetic. It’s also about behavior and motivation and application.

I have already bluntly told a few of my parents that their child can’t go to first grade without completing the work of kindergarten. Kindergarten is not merely a step in the process of education…it is the foundation. If students can’t work and learn and follow procedures now, they will not perform well next year when the work becomes even more complex and the work load is bigger. Just sitting at a desk and listening to information is not enough. At some point application is necessary. My niece took an online college exam this week that stated in the instructions:  "This test is designed not to test your knowledge gained, but your ability to apply the knowledge. These questions will test your higher critical thinking skills." This is the true purpose of all learning- not just the acquisition of facts and figures, but the ability to use them.

So…yesterday was a frustrating day for me and I was not my usual patient self. Yes, even though I often seem loud and demanding and unyielding I am usually as patient as the next teacher about individual students having an “off” day when they don’t want to work or learn. But having eight of them doing so was a bit over the top of my patience scale! I had a serious talk with a couple of them because this is getting to be a pattern of behavior rather than a day here and there. I gave them my worst “Mrs. Maurer is very unhappy” face and my gruff “You really need to be doing your work” lecture. I wasn’t angry, but they sure thought I was. And I think it is a good lesson for them to see that I can be unhappy with their behavior, not hurt them, and start off the next day with the expectation that we will both be back to our best work and behavior. (Just as a side note: Anger is an emotion I usually have to “fake” because the real stuff makes me nauseous. I can work up to frustrated, annoyed, or indignant, but I usually save anger for serious adult confrontations, and I don’t often have those anymore with anyone.) I want my students to use the same practices with their peers. I want them to know that it is okay to be unhappy with the situation, feel the emotion and explain their side, even in anger, as long as they do so without hurting anyone, and they start over with a clean slate.  And I am happy to report that there haven’t been any physical encounters in my room, even though some of my boys have had some serious disagreements.   

How to handle bad situations is a great life lesson. That’s why I made my miscreants from art class write and deliver an apology. I told them “this is what we do when we have misbehaved and offended someone”. That is also why I will spend part of this weekend mulling over what I can do differently to motivate my most reluctant students. In any situation, especially one in my classroom, my actions also contribute to the outcome. As Dr. Phil says, “no matter how flat the pancake, it still has two sides”. Even if a student is 99% to blame for not working, I can still work on my 1% of the problem.

So…rest assured that even though Mrs. Maurer is not a saint, at least she knows it!

 

Happy Birthday Hubby!!!

Happy Birthday to my best friend and favorite guy! Lucky me- he is also my husband!

Words can’t begin to explain how much he means to me or how much I’ve enjoyed our 40+ years together. I hope we have twenty more years together!

Gary is 69 today, so if you see him at work be sure to tell him he is getting old. LOL 

Down on the Farm

I miss the farms that once graced the landscape of Bryan County.

I miss the view of long straight rows stretched out across the land, freshly plowed and waiting for seeds.

I miss the sight of flourishing stalks of corn waving in the breeze.

I miss the vision of abundant fields of peanuts, cotton, and vegetables that were once a part of every trip to town.

I thought about the farms this morning as I posted an item about the Corn Carnival to my Caddo blog. The corn carnival was a celebration of harvest and an opportunity for the farmers of the area to boast of their crops and display their success to the world. There were always items in the old papers about the corn crop or the cotton harvest or the weather affecting either. There were several gins in the area and I have old photos of the tremendous numbers of bales produced here.

During my childhood and even into young adulthood there were still farms in the area that produced cotton and peanuts and vegetables. I remember watching my cousin chop cotton just across the road from here. My grandfather grew tomatoes and watermelons and potatoes and peas near Caney. Just south of Caddo was a “peanut patch” that I loved to watch because it attracted so many birds after the harvest was completed. All gone.

I don’t know all of the reasons why our area slowly changed and became cattle country. I suppose there are many economic and political reasons. I suppose there isn’t any way to compete with the corn and cotton producers in other areas. I suppose some of the reasons involve prices and subsidies and such. I suppose our crazy weather and increasing years of droughts are major factors. I’m a country woman, but not a farmer’s wife, nor am I involved enough to know the inside scoop. Cows are not bad. But I still miss the farms.