The year was 1951...I think!

   If my memory serves me correctly, it was September 1951. It was my first day of school, of kindergarten. I don't remember much about that day. In fact, I don't remember anything. It was a long time ago. I am not even sure I remember the name of the school, although I'll take a guess at Roseland Elementary School in Roseland, New Jersey.

   With that day it was the beginning of 13 years of classes in grades K-12, then college, graduate school and even more graduate school. But over the years the nature and delivery and education has changed tremendously. OK. I'll say it. Today's classroom is not your grandfather's classroom any more.

   What I do remember of the early days was the playground, school lunches, and neatly arranges chairs and desks in five rows with seven chairs in each row, each classroom exactly the same. We all went to the boys room and girls room and the same time, even if we didn't have to go and if someone in class misbehaved, we all stayed inside at recess time.

   And then there was the little red-hair girl who I always sat behind in class. But that's a story for another day.

  In the early years if we had a question we raised our hand and, when called upon, we stood up to ask the teacher or were called up to the teacher's desk.

Back in the day, there were black boards, white chalk and erasers that needed to be cleaned (clapped) at the end of each day. We always clapped them against the brick wall of the school building, right near the front door.. The black boards were washed each day and washing the black board for the teacher was either a reward for good behavior or a punishment for bad. (For the record, I did my share of washing! Your guess as to which.

   Above the black board, tacked to the bulletin board, were green cards with the letters of the alphabet. In K-3, they were block letters and after grade three, the cursive letters of the alphabet.

   It was the No 2 yellow pencils for writing, plain 'off white' paper for math and blue lined paper for writing. On occasion we used pens instead of a pencils and I am still trying to remember if this was a time when the ball point pen was taking the place of a 'fountain pen'. But we were never allowed to use a pen for math. What would happen if you made a mistake? Ink didn't erase!

   Let's see now...there were the robins, the blue jays, and the turtles, the poor turtles and poor Joey P, who was a turtle most of his years in school. These were often the names given to the reading groups.

   Remember reading groups? While one group gathered in a circle for reading instruction, the rest of the class was busy at their desks, supposedly doing either map work or doing extra math problems. Nothing to do? How about practicing the alphabet, both the capital and lower case letters. The teacher called it guided practice time. We called it 'busy' work.

   The worst time of the week... music class. Once a week, the music teacher would come into the classroom and attempt to 'teach' us to sing. She would take out her pitch pipe, pick a note and start to sing”The itsy-bitsy spider. Every day, year after year. In grade 1 or 2 it was probably OK. But in the 6^th grade.....

   We called her the old maid. She wore the same gray sweater with big leather button and a hint of mothballs and the same plaid skirt, each and every day. In addition she always wore thick stockings and black shoes that laced up the front. When she walked around the room she often sounded like a small horse, the heels of her shoes hitting the wooden classroom floor. It was always the longest 25 minutes of the week.

   The truth is that I must have found some comfort and pleasure in the classroom. After high school, I went on to college and, after spending a year or so in a business administration degree program along with tutoring high school kids at several local high school in some very rural sections of West Virginia in my free time, I decided to become a teacher and school counselor. Those of you who know me know that I spent the next 35+ years at various levels public education before retiring.

   Those early years, both as a student (and I was not always the best student for sure) and as a beginning teacher, taught me the importance and value of a good education and the opportunities available.

   Schools have changed a great deal since 1951. From the robins, blue jays and turtle reading groups,to trading in the yellow No 2 pencil for today's latest computers or tablets, today's schools offer opportunities we never dreamed about 65 years ago. But what has remained the same? The importance of studying hard and getting the best education available.

   And about that music teacher that drove many of us crazy in class for 25 minutes each week, perhaps she was attempting to teach us more about life than music back then. At least we all started the song on the same pitch each time.

The Sweet Smell of History

  (This is a new post and an actual event in town)

    The town was filled with excitement. It had been fifty years since the last community celebration and recognizing the town’s 200 year anniversary of existence was going to be a big event.

   Committees were formed and ideas for events and activities came fast and furious. Parades, dances, parties, tours, speeches by guest politicians and local dignitaries’ were only a few of the many suggestions. The hard work was just beginning. Would there be enough days in the year to pull off such an event. There were only 365 days to work. Would that be enough ?

   Ideas and the suggestions for events would come and go and get debated until finally what appeared to be a reasonable list of activities and events took shape. History tours, musical events, and art and craft shows headlined the list. And let’s not forget about the time capsule.

   While people seem to always be focused on the present and the future, many have a strong curiosity about the past, their past. What was it like to live in town 200 years ago or even 50 years ago? What did people do back in the day? No cars, No computers. How did they spend their time? Was life as boring as it really seemed?

   I have always been a firm believer in the idea that to plan and prepare for the future, it is important to learn and remember successes and mistakes from the past. Please note that I did not say past failures. Failures only occur when you don’t learn from those mistakes.

   It was agreed by all involved that the request of those of 50 years ago would be honored and that the time capsule would be exhumed from very very deep in the ground and opened amid the cheers of those watching, sharing in the life and celebration of 50 years before. Yes. Beneath the granite block in the local park would be a record of life in town in 1969. There were no written records of what the contents might be or any of the details of what we might find under the granite marker. But that was to be part of the excitement and anticipation.

   Ten feet later and with the help of a backhoe, the time capsule was pulled from the ground. Ten feet down? These folks back then must have had a real sense of humor or a nasty mean streak.

   The capsule was inspected, cleaned and then moved to a location in the town library where people could guess and speculate what it might contain. Again, there appeared to be no written accounts of what might have been placed inside, so it was anyone’s imagination. There were several unusual and funny stories about what  its contents might be, but folks would have to wait just a bit longer to be sure.

   As often happens with committee work, the committee tasked with the program for the time capsule began to ask questions. What if there was nothing in the time capsule except a note that read…”Ha-ha. Gotcha ya!” What if it had been set up as a joke? You know those people from the 60’s. What if the contents had not been properly prepared for the 50 year journey through time and had been destroyed or damaged in some way. What if……?  What if…? How would we know? So a decision was made.

   Help was going to be needed by a local construction company, with all of their tools and equipment to get the tightly sealed container open, so the decision was made to open the time capsule and check on the condition of its contents, reseal it so that it could easily be opened at the time set aside for capsule ceremony.

   With hard hats and safety glasses, the team went to work and within a minute or two the top was ready to be opened. The team looked at each other, nodding and giving the OK to open the time capsule, filled with history, which had been put deep into the ground in 1969.

   Within seconds after taking off the top, with a smell that would take ones breath away, what remained of the contents was revealed. The time capsule had been tightly sealed to keep the moisture out, but it also kept some moisture in and it had done a great deal of damage to the contents over the fifty year period. Did I say wet and soggy and oh yes…smelly? Very smelly.

   The hope for the sweet smell of history quickly turned into the question of…”OMG, what do we do now?”

Civilty should be more than a 7 letter word........

   In the words of the iconic Bob Dylan, “the times, they are a changing.” One only needs to watch the nightly news or pick up a local newspaper to understand that civility, respect and personal character are things of the past. The concept of being a 'positive role model' and someone to be looked up to and respected has given way from the bullies slugging it out on the school playgrounds, except that today, the playgrounds have become the Hall of Congress, the Presidential debate stages or the West Wing of the White House.

   Now don't get me wrong. I am not perfect like some of those around me as they would proclaim. There have been times when I have privately used inappropriate language when I have been angry or upset. On occasion, being angry or upset may not be a bad thing. It's how one handles the anger and frustration that demonstrates a person's true character. But this new found 'freedom for the use of vulgar language and personal insults directed at others, as far as I am concerned, has moved outside the boundaries. I don't like it and I don't like listening to it. And that's my own personal opinion.

   In particular, I am referring to the vulgar choice of words and the childish mockery used by the person who is said to be now leading our country. Isn't that being a role model for children? For anyone? It will be very difficult for a teacher, a parent of past generations to ever discipline a student again because the new standard has been set by the person leading and governing our country. As the young child proclaims in the principal's office or at the dinner table, (if families still sit down to dinner together any more) “if it's OK for the President to use those words, it's OK for me.” What a great role model!

It's Not Easy Being Green....

.

   In my backyard I have two vernal ponds, nature made of course. A home for mosquitoes and other flying insects, they also are the home, this year, for almost a dozen frogs and it has turned out to be one of Lucky's favorite places to 'hang out' in the yard. Hoping to catch one of the little critters, he stands patiently, waiting for one to make its move back into the pond or pop his head up from beneath the surface of the water. As the Spring has transitioned to Summer, there seems to be a new and added respect by each, as they face off frog eye to dog eye and while Lucky would like to get really up close and personal, they are just a bit too quick for him. But that does not prevent him from continuing to try to get just a little bit closer. Always on guard and living in fear of the big black dog, 'it must not be easy being green.”

   These are also the famous words in the title of a song that most of us, at least in my generation, may be familiar. Kermit the Frog of Muppet fame, hit the television screen in 1955 and over the years his wisdom and insight have offered suggestions and advice on living a happier life.

   Today, being 'green' is often associated with protecting the environment, but in his early life, Kermit struggled with his color and being who he was, something we all do on occasion.

I'll admit it. I am a big Kermit fan, and to this day when I hear his squeaky little voice, it brings a smile to my face, even if the day is not going well and every day, according to Kermit, might not always a good day. In his unique way, Kermit was able to offer sound advice in order to get through the rough spots. Here are just a few of some of his suggestions...

   ”Changes happen as time passes by. Soon enough we all grow up.”

   “When green is all there is to be , it could make you wonder why, I am green and

it'll do fine, its beautiful and it's what I want to be.”

   “With good friends you can't lose.”

   “Here's some simple advice: Always be yourself. Never take yourself too

seriously...and beware of the advice from experts.

   “Life's like a movie. Write your own ending.”

   And maybe my favorite regardless of your age.....”Just because you haven't found your talent yet doesn’t mean you don't have one!”

   It was the mid-70's and we had just moved to Maine. I had accepted a position as assistant principal at an area high school, my first administrative experience. Like most assistant principal positions, I was in charge of student disciple: assigning detentions, suspending students for misbehavior and other related events, all of the things that make you popular with the students. It was only about two weeks into the school year when I faced my first student suspension. I remember the student’s name and the reason for the suspension as if it were yesterday. If I thought hard enough, I could probably remember the day of the week and the weather.

   The student waited in my office as I called his parent to come pick him up and take him home. I calmly discussed the reasons for the suspension and the number of days the student was to be out of school. On the outside, I tried to remain as cool as a cucumber, but on the inside, my stomach was doing cartwheels.

   As the mother left my office with her son , she continued to scream and yell at me and called me several names I have not heard since. As I sat back, she returned to the doorway of my office and said...”It's not easy being green, is it? She knew her son had been my first suspension! Those words stuck with me forever.

   Aside from being a color, anytime we start something new we are all green at first, lacking in experience but always gaining confidence as we grow. The student's mom, despite her verbal rampage, had prepared me well. And when she stuck her head back into the office I knew everything would be OK.

With Time on My Hands

          As the recent weekend came to an end, I became aware that I had some time on my hands. No, really, I had time on my hands. I was putting away my freshly washed socks and as I placed them in the drawer, I realized that in the bottom of the drawer were a number of old watches.

         There were two watches that were owned by my grandfather, including a pocket watch and chain. There were several from my father and then there were the ones that I had purchased over the years. Among the collection was the first watch I had ever owned, a Christmas gift from my grandparents, engraved on the back with the year and date. There was a watch from  my wife with my college alma mater on its face.  

       There were no great finds here in monetary terms, only the value in memories.  Each watch had stopped at a different time.

          As I pondered the fate of the collection, I began to think about the concept of time. It is one thing that every person alive in the world has in common. Male, female, black, white or Hispanic, we are truly created equal, at least when it comes to time. Sixty seconds in a minute, sixty minutes in an hour and twenty four hours in a day. It is what we do with that time during a lifetime that makes us different.

          There is the neighbor down the street who appears to be involved in every committee going in town. How does he find the time? So what if he cuts his grass after the sun has gone down while I am trying to watch television, or the soccer mom, taking the kids to practice, then racing home to cook dinner and out to the PTA meeting.

          I remember trying to cram as much into a twenty four hour period as I possibly could. The job and family demanded it, life demanded it, or so I thought. But the second hand continued to tick off the seconds at a consistent, rhythmic pace, the same for everyone on the planet. No person’s second is any longer or shorter than anyone else’s.

           But that is where the similarity ends. While each minute and hour may be the same, it is the total amount of time we spent living that varies. There are many who live well into old age while others die at a young age because of illness or some catastrophic event that cuts short a life. One only needs to read the obituary pages in the local newspaper to see the range of ages at which people lose a life to accident, illness or some other cause.

          As I looked at the watches in my hand, each one had stopped at a different moment and I began to understand that ‘time’ was a gift.  I thought about how much time I had wasted. That time wasted was something I would never gain back, no mater how long I lived. It was gone. What I decided at that moment was that I didn’t want to do is waste any more time.

        By the way, I don’t wear a watch any more.

         

May I have just a little bit more maple syrup... please!

   Within the past several days, I have heard the same comment at least five or six times. “You are what you eat. ” Winter can be a challenging time of the year when it comes to food and healthy eating and many, including myself, often retreat to the 'comfort foods' to get away from the winter cold. But then, as warmer weather approaches we pay the price for the lack of exercise and the over eating as we transition back into shorts and tee shirts. OMG, these shorts make my thighs look...huge!

   While I am not sure I totally agree with the statement that 'you are what you eat', as I walk through the aisles of the local grocery stores and peek at the contents of the shopping cart around me, I do wonder if there might not be at least some level of truth to the statement. Perhaps there is a government study that can be done to validate my observations.

   Take for example, the fresh vegetable and produce aisle. While I don't see too many people pretending to be a fresh broccoli or organically grown kale leaf, their look is a great deal different than those walking the candy and soda aisle. And the same might be said at the fresh meat and fish counter. ( I often wonder what happens to those items that do not get sold. Where do they end up?)

   I confess! I like to eat and I tend to eat a variety of different foods. I especially like Italian, the spaghetti and pizza variety along with stuffed shells every once and a while for a change of pace. Top the meal off with a nice glass of red wine, for the heart of course, and it could be the perfect -10 degrees below zero meal for the middle of January. But, because I like Italian food, does that me an Italian?

   I like fish, either of the fresh or salt water variety, including clams, shrimp, and other things that crawl along the the ocean floor. But I don't think that makes me a fisherman, although in my younger days I did cast a line on occasion.

   Depending upon the time of year, I can pass up a frozen hamburger patty out of a box for a fresh green salad with plenty of lettuce, some freshly cut cucumbers, a radish or two for a bit of spice and several slices of freshly grown tomatoes. With just a few drops of salad dressing, memories of the long, cold winter are gone. But because I like fresh fruits and vegetables doesn't make me a farmer, although I do dream about owning several acres of land, with two or three garden plots, lush with freshly grown vegetables (tomatoes are my favorite), I might also have a small tractor (that's what I really want) and maybe one or two sheep.

   Snacking has become almost a national pastime and was fine with me when I was a bit younger. Potato chips, pop corn and cheese doodles were often found in partially opened bags on the kitchen counter or atop the refrigerator. But as the doctor once said at an annual physical, unless I want to end up in a plastic bag like a bag of chex mix, I might want to think about something a bit healthier. How about chocolate? OK. I like apples and bananas too.

   If I am what I eat, I must be a breakfast person. Of the three meals of the day, maybe more meals for others, I like breakfast the best and to support my liking, the research shows that it is the most important meal of the day and should not be skipped, especially if you are a kid at school (For the record, I do support breakfast programs at school, Too many children come to school hungry and as a result have difficulty learning.)

   Breakfast offers a variety of options and so many different tastes. I know there are people not fond of eggs, but there is nothing like two fried eggs, sunny side up, several pieces of freshly buttered toast, with real butter, two strips of bacon, a fresh glass of orange juice and a cup of freshly brewed coffee. And that's just the appetizer! Just kidding. Because I like breakfast, maybe I am what I eat. No. I am not the chicken or the pig. But I am someone who enjoys a hearty and healthy meal at the beginning of the day.

   But my favorite breakfast is...french toast. The great thing about french toast is that it can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Fresh off the grill and golden brown in color, the only enhancement needed is the warm 'pure' maple syrup, drizzled over the top, poured from one of those tiny little glass pitchers. Maybe I really am French at heart.

   Could someone please pass me the syrup!

Life lessons

Sitting comfortably in an overstuffed chair next to a roaring pellet stove with my computer in my lap, thus the name 'laptop' I would assume, I am surfing the web, checking up on the latest news, sports scores and other somewhat meaningless pieces of information.

A very quiet “ding” tells me that someone has just sent me an email or posted something to my Facebook page. Most of the time the instant communication we now have with others, with the world, allows to to react and respond at our own pace, in our own time. Should I look now or wait until later? What if it's something important?What would I have done twenty years ago before computers or email. I think I'll wait and look a bit later.

While on my surfing expedition, I found several pages of 'best quotes” and sayings, not necessarily by famous people, more from just ordinary, common folks like you and me.

As I scrolled down through the list I found some to entertaining, humor, serious and the….I just don't get it type. Here are several examples:

“Dream what you want to dream, go where you want to go,
be what you want to be. Because you have only one life and
one chance to do all the things you want to do.” (anonymous)

Someone looking for ideas for a New Year's resolution may want to consider this thought. But for many of us, there are times when it difficult to take that first step. We are afraid to fail.

“Don't be afraid to fail. Be afraid not to try.” (anonymous)

Society has done a great job of creating a cultural belief that 'failure' is a bad thing or that winning is all that really matters. A failing grade on a report card often results in restriction to the use of the television, or taking away the cell phone or shutting down the Facebook page, with the intent of teaching a lesson, to work harder. But the result is often an increased fear in trying something new, taking on a new challenge for fear of failure.

If Christopher Columbus had been afraid of sailing across the ocean because of a fear of failure, of not keeping his promise to the find new sailing routes to the Far East, how many more years might it have been before the discovery of a new part of the world.(Speaking of Columbus, aren't there some Columbus Day Sales coming up soon.)

One of my favorite 'life quotes' has to do with open and closed doors.

(Alexander Graham Bell)

Personally, I have had my share of doors closed in front of me, most recently in my attempt to get people to take part in a health study survey sponsored by one of the government agencies in Washington D.C. In some cases, I was also told to get off the porch and never come back again.

Now, I add that as a bit of humor, but the in reality how often have had what we thought was going to be a 'golden opportunity' placed before us, only to have it swiftly taken away and we spent too much time focusing on the closed door and not seeing the open on right next to it.

(I find it interesting this quote credited to Alexander Graham Bell, focusing on open and closed doors and not the possibility of cell phone in the future.)

One of the all time 'sages' of life lessons was Dr. Seuss and without a doubt his wisdom and perspective on the world is missed. One of my favorites …....

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” (Dr Seuss)

…...may have more meaning today that it did years ago. How many of us pretend to be someone we are not for the sake of trying to impress others? Now if you are trying to get a date with an attractive young lady or handsome young man, that's one thing. But what politician or leader has not said things, made statements, to get the vote, when in reality it is not really what they meant to say or reflect upon who they really are as a person? At what cost are we willing to sell our soul to the devil?

As I get older, I hope I get wiser, learn from previous mistake, but always knowing I may make new ones. Making mistakes is often how we learn. But it is may to easy to get stuck in the past, reliving the memories, both the good ones and the bad.

“I've learned that things change, people change, and it doesn't mean you forget the past or try to cover it up. It simply means that you move on and treasure the memories. Letting go doesn't mean giving up... it means accepting that some things weren't meant to be." (Lisa Brooks)

But the time has come to add a bit of humor and lightheartedness so, from and unknown source, I close with the following thoughts about success...............

“At age 4 success is not peeing in your pant
At age 12 success is having friends.
At age 16 success is having a drivers license.
At age 20 success is having sex.
At age 35 success is having money.
At age 50 success is having money.
At age 60 success is having sex.
At age 70 success is having a drivers license.
At age 75 success is having friends.
At age 80 success is not peeing in your pants!”