Whatever Flips Your Waffle (192)
When I was growing up, we ate fruit most nights at supper. Mom canned a lot of peaches and pears, and that was often our dessert. However, when it came to fresh fruit, I wanted little to do with it.
This went on until I met Michelle. She likes fresh produce and slowly convinced me that eating some grapes or apples or bananas was a good, healthy choice. It was tough to come around to this way of thinking; my whole life I had avoided fresh fruit. Now I eat it, maybe not as often as I should, but still on a pretty regular basis.
Change can be difficult. When we get used to something over many years, the very thought of adjusting from our comfort level can be frightening.
The school year in Minnesota has been basically the same for as long as most of us can remember. We start after Labor Day and finish around Memorial Day. As a kid, the welcoming months of summer were awesome. We ran around outside, played ball, and generally soaked up as much sun and fresh air as we could. Many of us worked summer jobs, whether it was walking beans, baling hay, or some sort of regular job in high school.
As a teacher, I also enjoy a break. Education is a stressful job, and the mental break alone is needed. However, three months seems like too long. Even my kids start to get antsy once the calendar turns to August.
Thus, I’ve been following closely the current debate in Albert Lea regarding their proposed balanced school calendar. For those not familiar with it, our neighbors to the south would start school after the Freeborn County Fair. There would be two-week breaks after each quarter, and summer break would run for two months.
There are two main reasons this calendar is being proposed. One is to curtail the summer knowledge loss that affects all students. The other is to give opportunities to catch up some remedial students for part of the two-week breaks. It’s all in the name of giving students a better chance to succeed.
There are some schools around the nation, including in Austin, which run a 45/15 schedule. They have school for nine weeks, then are off for three. This has been shown to have some success with test scores and general achievement.
But wait! How dare they think about cutting summer break short! We’ve always had three months off! THAT’S THE WAY IT’S ALWAYS BEEN!
Ugh. It’s time to get off that old horse. While I’m not sure I’m ready to jump aboard Albert Lea’s proposal, it may be time to look at changing the way things are done. Kids no longer spend their summers doing the things we did. Too many, my own included, spend more time in front of screens than using sunscreen. Summer’s not the only time people go on vacation, so why not schedule in longer breaks for those who wish to leave town at other times? But in order to do that, you’ve got to give a little in summer.
The biggest problem we have at NRHEG is the Steele County Fair. It would be tough to run school when that’s going on. The State Fair is another matter, but one that can be worked around.
A big problem to look at is what to do with extracurriculars. You’ve got to worry about transportation and practices during these breaks. The biggest impact would be the first couple weeks in October, when the first quarter break occurs, smack dab in the middle of fall sports.
I think we should start small here at home. I’d like to see us start school the Tuesday-Thursday before Labor Day. It takes a few days to sort things out and get the kids figuring out where they’re going. Let’s take those three days we gain there and create a true break around Easter, right about the time we need a break before the stretch run.
Otherwise, it will be interesting to see if Albert Lea goes ahead with this plan and how it will work. Let them work out the kinks before we jump into that end of the pool. Still, it won’t hurt to dip our toes. After all, we might find that a taste of something new is what we’ve been looking for all along, even if it is fresh instead of canned.
Word of the Week: This week’s word is mossback, which means an old-fashioned person, as in, “The mossback cried foul over changing the school calendar since it would mean back-to-school sales would start in June.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!
NRHEG Secondary School will begin our second year of Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) this week after a half year trial last year. This program sets aside a block of time every Wednesday for EVERYONE at school to just kick back and read something, whether it’s a novel, a newspaper, or a magazine.
Obviously, I love it as an English teacher and also as a voracious reader. Sometimes life gets so busy that I don’t have enough time to just relax and read. I heard many staff members last year talk about books they’d always wanted to read and had never had the chance before.
Ultimately, there are two goals to this program. The first is to improve student reading. The more you practice something, the better you get! The other goal is to develop a lifelong love of reading. Too many people leave high school and never pick up another novel again. It’s sad how much joy can be missed out on by ignoring the good literature that awaits one on library and bookstore shelves.
As the summer approached, I was excited since I had made a goal to read as much as possible in-between hauling the kids hither and yon and preparing some new material for this school year. I dedicated this summer to reading a batch of books that appeal to young adults. This way, I can recommend novels to my students. I’ve also discovered that one can really enjoy these, even as an adult. Following is a sample of some good reading I enjoyed the past few months.
I’ll start with The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Many of my female students read this heartbreaker last year, and I kept putting off reading it to see what all the hubbub was about. Finally, Jayna said, “Dad, you HAVE to read this.”
Now I’ve become a little leery of teenage girl love books. I’ve been burned by Twilight (ugh, pure schlock) and Divergent (hard to keep interest). However, I found that Green’s seminal novel delivered on many levels. The characters were likable and real. The basic gist was following a couple teenagers dealing with cancer. I freely admit that I shed some tears near the end, and that happens about as often as the Twins win the World Series.
Many of my students tried out The 39 Clues series last year. There are eleven books in the series, following two orphans on a mystery to discover a powerful treasure. They must fend off and team up (and sometimes both) with various family members searching for the same treasure. This is not earth-shattering writing, but the books are entertaining enough to keep one’s interest, and I’ll be recommending them to my struggling readers. I finished three books and look forward to reading the rest throughout the year.
It wasn’t all young adult novels though. I recently read World War Z by Max Brooks. Many people have told me they saw the movie starring Brad Pitt, but I can only imagine how different it is compared to the novel. This is a book that tells a unique version of a zombie apocalypse. However, there is no real central character to invest in as you read. There is a narrator who is going around after the zombie war collecting points of view of various individuals who were involved in the action. I’ve not read much in this style, but it was enjoyable, especially for someone who’s a big fan of The Walking Dead comics and TV show.
I’ve just started The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. This is another book Jayna recommended to me and stars Death as the narrator. So far, it’s well written (especially the similes!) and engrossing. The problem is I just got a call from the Owatonna Library that a book I requested back in July is finally in. Oh oh, two books at once!
I wonder how many staff and students will pick up a book for the first time since May as we resume. Hopefully, it is less than could say that last year; hopefully, many have at least attempted to keep reading over the summer and can suggest some other great books to read!
Word of the Week: This week’s word is plangent, which means loud and resounding or sad and mournful, as in, “The plangent sounds as patrons left the movie version of The Fault in Our Stars could be heard in the next theater.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!
For many years, I’ve hosted a “Holy Crap, I Have to Go Back to Work Tomorrow!” party on Labor Day for my family. This year we made a change and moved the locale to Lafayette. The reason for this? We helped my grandma move from her home there to a senior living apartment in New Ulm.
This will be a huge change for Grandma. It’s a positive change, but any change requires a period of adjustment. Knowing Grandma, it won’t take her long to get settled in!
Change continues as we enter another new school year. Every student progresses a grade and faces a sense of uncertainty with a new teacher or teachers, different classes, and fresh faces in both faculty and students. No matter how excited some students (and parents) are, there’s always a tinge of fear at the change.
Last year at this time, I wrote about my change in grading philosophy to a pass/fail system. I was anxious about making such a drastic change, but told myself I’d have to give it time, even if it started off rough. I made some tweaks during the year and am now prepared to make some more changes to this standards-based grading system.
I decided to go back to grades. However, the grading formula will be different than what many people use, with 90% being an A, 80% a B, etc. To get an A in my class, you will need to achieve 80%. Wow, you might think, that’s an easy A!
Not so fast. Every assignment is worth only four points. A student earns all four points for exceeding the standard on which the assignment is based. If they meet the standard, they get a three. Partially meeting the standard means a two, and not meeting the standard means a one.
What are these standards? They are the Common Core Standards, which have been adopted by Minnesota for English Language Arts. Every one of the assignments I give links to at least one of those standards, which means I need to make sure my assignments have rigor and true meaning; there will be no busywork in my class!
Now 80% doesn’t look so easy. But wait, there’s more! B’s will cut off at 65% and C’s at 50%. Anything below 50% is an F. If you can’t partially meet these standards, you won’t pass. No D? Nope. D’s have always felt like a cop-out: you can’t do average work, but I don’t want to fail you.
The final component to this radical style of grading is one I started to implement last year. Every student has the opportunity to redo most assignments. If a student wants to get a better score, he or she needs to meet with me to go over how to get better. Isn’t our ultimate goal that our students get better at these skills?
I’m a little scared. Any time something changes in education, people tend to get defensive. If it’s not “the way it was when I grew up,” eyes tend to narrow. I believe in this new style of grading though, so I’ll work through any difficulties, just as I did last year. My hope is that by the end of three years, I’ll have a pretty good system figured out. That means I’d better get to that this year or next year!
The other big change deals with my 7th grade classes. The day has finally arrived: my daughter will be in my class.
You think your parents embarrass you? Try having a teacher as a parent. Worse, try having that weird English teacher who reads books with strange voices and loves getting a microphone in his hands in front of large crowds. Even worse, that dad has already put together some video for the first day for the ENTIRE STUDENT BODY in which he sings (which will hopefully be on the school website by the time you read this!). Ugh.
This will be a challenging year. I know Jayna’s class very well. I’ve coached many of the girls for four years in addition to just getting to know a lot of these kids since they started together in Ellendale. Familiarity can be a double-edged sword. Still, it will be nice to start the year knowing all my students and not needing as much of a “get to know you” stage.
Much like Grandma, I’ll have some big changes. Hopefully, we’ll both make it through just fine, with a sunny outlook and a better lifestyle.
Word of the Week: This week’s word is inculcate, which is to instill something in someone’s mind through repetition, as in, “The teacher gave students many opportunities to do work which would inculcate the vocabulary words.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!
On October 20, 2004, I watched and announced as exciting a football game as I’ve ever seen: NRHEG and WEM were facing off for the Gopher Valley Conference crown.
We hadn’t beaten WEM since my first year here, in 1996. Anticipation was high, and the game didn’t disappoint. The hometown boys drove down as time was running down in the fourth quarter. The crowd got as loud as I’ve ever heard them as Bjorn Peterson found Carl Pederson in the back of the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown with less than 30 seconds remaining. The defense held on to clinch the win and the conference title.
I can get pretty loud with the microphone. But I’m not sure how many people heard me for either the touchdown or the final score. The air was electric, and it’s one of those moments that will be engrained in many people’s minds forever.
Now think about Bjorn and Carl. Every youngster who enjoys sports envisions scenes like this. A walk-off hit. A great defensive stop. A buzzer-beater. Whatever else happened in their athletic careers, they had one of THOSE moments.
I don’t know how many hours I spent by my basketball hoop, pretending to be Larry Bird, hitting the winning bucket against the Lakers in the NBA Finals. I would watch Kirby Puckett play for the Twins and try to emulate his stance at the plate, hoping to have some pop like he did. Any Puckett fan also worked on jumping up walls to snatch back home run balls!
I did not have an illustrious athletic career by any stretch of the imagination. I was a pretty good defensive baseball player and a decent shooter in basketball, but my playing time decreased the older I got. I did get to have one of THOSE moments though.
I was about 13 or 14, and my baseball team was behind by three runs in the last inning. The bases were loaded with two outs when I strode to the plate. Now remember, I said I was a good defensive player in baseball; hitting was not my forte. I can only imagine my coach figured the game was over.
Somehow, I got a hold of a fastball and crushed it over the leftfielder’s head. I was pretty fast back in the day and was headed for third, having tied the game with my hit. As the throw came in, it flew over the third baseman’s head. I popped up immediately and headed for home and the go-ahead run.
A very good throw would have had a chance to get me. It was not even an average throw. The catcher tried to catch and swipe tag me, but never had the ball in his glove. He smacked me across the face, knocking me toward the plate, where I indeed scored. We held the other team in the bottom of the inning and celebrated a win.
And that’s my one big moment. I certainly never scored 50 points and made a huge steal as time expired in a state championship game, a la Carlie Wagner. I never hit two free throws at the end of a game to win like Lindsey Cornelius did many years ago. I never scored a touchdown in the seventh overtime like Jason Lennox did against GFW in 2003 to win a varsity event.
But you know the great thing? I’ve witnessed all of these moments. And while it’s tough to imagine what it must be like to be the hero of the moment, it’s also awfully cool to see those moments happen live.
And that’s what I love about sports, especially high school sports. You get to see the raw emotion up close and feel some ownership as a fan of that team. Let’s face it: we all feel like state champions in basketball, don’t we? And there’s nothing wrong with that, even though we never stepped foot on the court.
Our teams at NRHEG have some chances to be pretty darn good this year. The football team returns some key players and has some young kids ready to step into big roles. The volleyball team also returns plenty of experience. The wrestlers feel like they’re ready to make a big step this year.
Basketball should be fun again this year. I firmly believe both boys’ and girls’ teams have legitimate shots to play in the section finals and give themselves a chance to go to state. Along the way, who knows how many of THOSE moments we might see. Why not come out to some varsity events, just in case?
Word of the Week: This week’s word is puissance, which means power or strength, as in, “Panther athletes showed their puissance with winning records and deep playoff runs.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!
The summer of 1994 I had my first teaching experience. After we had taken a few education classes, we had to go out in the field and observe a teacher for a period of time. Mine happened to fall in the summer for some classes in Rochester which motivated students had signed up for. I had a broad range of teachers and classes I observed, but I was most taken by a comedy class.
The teacher of that class taught about the importance of comedy in our lives and used various funny people from the past century to illustrate that. He would show snippets of Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, etc. As we got closer to the end of my time, he asked if I’d like to try my hand at preparing a lesson. This was my first chance to do it, and he told me to focus on modern comedians.
The first person I thought of was Robin Williams. He had recently appeared in Aladdin and Mrs. Doubtfire, but the movie I grabbed off my shelf was Good Morning, Vietnam. This was a movie that had both funny and heart-rending elements. After watching the movie again, I managed to find a school-appropriate segment of Adrian Cronauer (Williams) doing his radio show, much of which was ad-libbed. Needless to say, it was a hit with the students.
While pausing this past week to contemplate the loss of Robin Williams to a supposed depression-induced suicide, this movie swam to the front of my mind again. If you watch it, notice the frightening parallels between his character and what seems to be his actual life.
First, you have the vivacious on-air personality of Adrian Cronauer, who bucks the trend of what he’s supposed to do in delivering the news to the military personnel in Vietnam. Every time I’ve seen the movie, I burst out laughing at these moments. This is the Robin Williams most people think of, the same guy who voiced the Genie in Aladdin, setting up a type of character that is still often seen in animated movies. This is the same actor who dressed as a woman to be able to see his kids in Mrs. Doubtfire, the same person who burst on the scene spouting, “Nanoo, nanoo,” as Mork from Ork.
As the movie progresses, Williams’ character grows more in tune with what’s happening in Vietnam, and he sees some tragic circumstances. His depth of despair at an inability to do much in the field is palpable, and he realizes the only way he can help in this conflict is through his humor.
This seems to be Robin Williams, the man. He was beloved for his humor, even though he earned an Oscar for Good Will Hunting. Some people will argue his best work was in that movie and Dead Poet’s Society, movies that were decidedly not comedies.
Still, his stand-up work and those resonating comedies are probably how Williams thought he could be special and help people through laughter, just like the character of Adrian Cronauer. But deep inside, he felt helpless, like that character. Williams is known for having fought the demons of alcohol and cocaine and most recently Parkinson’s disease, though it seems that depression was his ultimate enemy.
I’ve written about depression and anxiety before, having had a few bouts myself and knowing others who have fought them. It’s terrible that such a gifted person was unable to overcome this ultimate battle. So many people are in the same boat, and we often don’t have a clue; he’s not the only one who uses acting to cover up the problem.
Like Williams, I’ve found solace in using humor to mask any insecurities I have, though that’s where the comparison ends since he was infinitely more funny than I could ever hope to be. I’ve also found that I can confide in people close to me, and that’s the key to this fight.
If you have anxiety or depression issues, please find someone with whom you can confide and find the proper help, even if it’s professional. You are special too, even if you might never portray Teddy Roosevelt on the big screen, and every person we lose to depression is tragic, even if you don’t trend on Twitter.
Word of the Week: This week’s word is stroppy, which means bad-tempered or touchy, as in, “The Genie was rather stroppy after being locked inside the lamp for so long.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!
The first pet I remember having was a mutt named Benji. Like many people my age, I have fond memories of the Benji movies. When we got a family dog, he looked so much like the movie pooch that we had no choice but to name him the same.
My sisters and I loved Benji, much like many young children. He romped around our place in the country, enjoying the fresh air and chasing the cows and sheep around the pasture. He was somewhat partial to cowpies for some reason.
But then he bit some people. It never seemed like he was being mean, but you don’t want to take chances. When we were on vacation, Dad had a neighbor come over and take care of our beloved pet. I understood why it had to be done, but that was tough.
I was never eager to have a dog again after that. This was in part deference to Benji, but also after a couple of bad experiences with dogs. I watched my dad save an older lady who had been attacked by a dog on her way to church. I also got jumped by a big dog in the neighborhood. I’ll admit to still being a bit jumpy when the dog looks capable of taking me out.
We showed sheep for 4-H for many years. They may be the dumbest animals on the face of the earth, but when you’re nine or ten, you can grow attached to the beasts. I clearly remember bawling like a baby after my first show animal was loaded to ship off after being sold at the 4-H auction. It was a little tough, those first few years of showing, to say goodbye to an animal that I worked with to prep for the fair. (Okay, I didn’t work with them as much as I should have, but still…)
I grew to understand that the sheep sometimes had to be handled in a physical way. We had a tough old buck who we named E.T. This was not because he resembled some squat alien, but instead stood for Extra Tough. He was mean, plain and simple. He would wait and attack me or Dad when we went to feed all the sheep. Dad once took a crowbar to his forehead to keep from getting pummeled, and it didn’t faze the buck! I even had to jump off the manure spreader and ride him away from Dad once!
When the kids were young, we got them a couple of goldfish, Poppy and Lucy. Poppy didn’t last long and had to be replaced by Poppy II. When Lucy died, we didn’t replace that fish and figured it would only be a matter of time before we were fish-less. However, Poppy II lived over five years, ancient for a goldfish!
It’s surprising he lasted that long once we moved ahead and got our cat. Michelle and I debated long and hard and even did research on what type of pet to get the kids. A dog was out because of how much we’re on the run; if we lived in the country it might be different, but keeping the dog cooped up in town without as much companionship kept us from that path. We even looked at rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, and other smaller, furry creatures.
I have to admit to not being fond of the idea of a cat. I’ve got some allergies and Jayna does too. Still, cats are pretty easy to take care of, and once we went to the Humane Society, it was a done deal. Jayna picked out a cat named Taz (which should have been foreshadowing), and he took to her like a fly to manure.
We wanted to give him our own name, and after some debate, Chewbacca became part of our family. He just turned four and has basically taken control of the house. He’s got a routine that must be followed for fear of tripping over him in his desire to get your attention. There are a couple places in the house where there’s a special towel put down because he likes relaxing in those locations.
I was skeptical to start, but I’d really miss Chewie if he were gone. He’s a beautiful big cat, and he brings a lot of joy to our home. As I reflect on all these pets (and notice a startling sequence of movie characters’ names), I realize how much pets bring into our lives. They give love unconditionally, and it’s no wonder we are sad when they leave us. Happy birthday, Chewbacca George Jumpster Shedding Menace Domeier! (Yes, that’s officially his full name, according to the kids.)
Word of the Week: This week’s word is pabulum, which means simplistic ideas or writing, as in, “The columnist thought writing about just a cat would be an example of pabulum, so he expanded to other pets as well.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!
Four years ago, I came home from my first evening as an elementary basketball coach and asked my wife, “What did I get myself into?” I had coached junior high basketball for more than a decade and was so used to players having some grasp of the game that I was startled by the range of ability in 3rd grade, from players who had probably never bounced a ball before to those that knew proper shooting form.
At the end of May, I did the same thing for baseball. I came home from my first night as coach of 3rd and 4th graders and reiterated that exact same question to Michelle. Again, the range of abilities included those who were afraid of any ball coming at them to those who could muscle an inside pitch into the outfield.
Based on how far those basketball players have come in four years, I had to keep reminding myself that it should happen in baseball too. Hopefully in four years, I’ll be able to see the same progress on the diamond as I have on the court.
Why do this? I promised Anton that I would coach him for a sport if he wanted, just as I have for Jayna. He enjoys baseball, and I’m happy to help guide these young men in my favorite sport. I get to be a dad in a different role. The conversations we had on the way home from games, commenting about different things that occurred, were priceless. It’s the same thing I’ve had with Jayna over the years with basketball, and I love it!
And this is where it got tough. Jayna played the same nights as Anton this summer. Luckily, his season was shorter and involved a couple of bye games, so I’ve gotten to watch a decent amount of her softball games. But it kills me to miss any of them. It’s just not the same to have Jayna tell me about something that happened.
This has happened before, but I wasn’t always as concerned about the ballgames at younger ages, when the coach pitches and not all the rules are consistent. Now that they both play what I call “real ball,” I want to soak in every moment I can. Those conversations I mentioned didn’t happen after the earlier ages, but now we can talk and I can teach/coach as we spend that quality time together.
Being a dad is such a privilege, and I was even more inspired to be involved after I got to attend the Father of the Year festivities at Target Field this year when Olivia and Lexie won tickets because of their essays and Olivia’s dad was a finalist for the big award. Seeing those girls with their dads and how much they had mutually respectful relationships made me want to strive to be as good a dad as Doug and Tim are already.
Being a coach is a big way I try to do that. I’m able to share my love of sports with my kids and also continue doing a job I’ve always enjoyed. That responsibility for developing a group of youngsters into a competitive group of athletes is a heavy burden, but one I’m glad to have. I’ve also been lucky to share the load with a couple of fine gentlemen: Todd Born with basketball and Rich Mueller this year with baseball. I’ve seen groups of kids where only one parent has ever stepped up to help in any sport, and that’s an Atlas-like load to carry.
I strive to find other things in common with my kids, areas we can talk about and form memories around. Jayna is a voracious reader and has given me some books to read this summer. Anton and I read comics together and enjoy watching comic book-related cartoons and movies. I’m not always around as much once school starts and sports begin, so I find the time I can, especially in the summer.
Not all dads have schedules like I do and can have all these opportunities. But I do know some dads who have crazy busy work schedules and still are invested in the lives of their kids, so I always think a happy medium can be struck. Whatever the activity is, I want to try to have some interest (a little tougher with things like Minecraft and Pokemon that I know little or nothing about). When the kids are excited, that’s generally a good thing.
I’m no Father of the Year candidate, but I enjoy working toward the goal of being the best dad I can so my kids can retain positive memories and use those to be good parents themselves someday.
Word of the Week: This week’s word is harbinger, which means one that foreshadows the approach of something, as in, “Watching the team with many large, strong players enter the dugout was a harbinger of many balls hit to the outfield.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!
Do you ever watch people at a restaurant or driving down the road and wonder what their stories are? Where are they from? What are they doing?
I like to do that a lot. One of my favorite times occurred when we took a family trip to South Dakota. We stopped at a gas station in Mitchell; as I was filling up, bugs were hopping everywhere and I heard a woman nearby, in a British accent, say, “Oh, what are these horrid things?” I spoke up and told her they were locusts (not sure if I was right). She really went off then! “Oh, how horrid! Look, it’s locusts, girls!” she said to her companions.
We had some chuckles as we headed down the road, trying to figure out who these people were and where they were going. Funny thing - we saw them again. That night, we checked into a hotel in Murdo, and there she was again, pulling in not too long after we did! But wait, there’s more! We also saw that group at a restaurant in Wall Drug. What are the chances? We might never know just what their ultimate destination was, but we sure had fun making it up as we went along.
Trying to create stories for others can be fun, but there are plenty of times I’ll just go and find out. This started years ago at a Twins game. I was probably in my early teens and there with my summer baseball team. The Twins were playing Toronto, and by talking with some gentlemen near us at the game, I found out there were from Toronto and traveled to every Blue Jays game! We had a good time at that game, and I discovered a boldness, even in talking to strangers, that was rather fun.
I haven’t encountered many situations where I can’t find a conversation. The most recent example was my trip to the Home Run Derby at Target Field. I like to ride the train in to avoid the traffic downtown, and you can create many stories and meet many people on that 45-minute ride!
The one thing I found on this trip was just how well known NRHEG has become. Multiple people, when I told them I was from Ellendale and taught at NRHEG, immediately wanted to talk basketball. I ran into people who had watched our girls’ basketball team the past few years during the state tournament runs and wanted to know all about Carlie Wagner and just how good the girls might continue to be. (My answer: still pretty good, and keep an eye on our boys’ basketball team too!)
I met an optometrist from Blue Earth who had a front row seat by the dugout. He must have sold a few pairs of glasses since he mentioned bringing his entire staff to a suite for a Twins game. Another guy was from Long Prairie, and as we watched the rain cascade down and delay the Derby, he bemoaned how he had a two-hour trip home and had to be to work by 6 a.m. I got home about 2 a.m., and he must’ve been home later than me!
While watching the All-Star teams warm up, I met a young man who had a baseball glove almost identical to mine (which is hard to believe, considering mine is over 20 years old). This was an advantageous conversation since he later caught a ball tossed into the stands, and I at least got a chance to look at an All-Star baseball.
A pair of couples sitting in front of me asked if I’d take their picture together. This was after finding out one of the guys had gotten tickets only by agreeing to a challenge from Gillette (one of the sponsors) to come up after the Derby and shave off all his facial hair, of which he had quite a bit!
On the train ride home, not only did I meet a man from Owatonna who has a cabin on Beaver Lake, but also met the most fascinating character in the night’s epic story. A short-statured woman entertained the entire car once we started talking to her with her stories of the 49 All-Star Games she had attended!
Upon prodding, we discovered that she was a Cubs fan living in St. Louis, a Cardinal sin according to this lively lady. She knew many owners in MLB and had visited every stadium. She babysat for some of the players, who in turn helped pay for her liver transplant. She was friends with the Barry Bonds family and spouted out a number of other famous players she knew well.
Now, she could’ve created all these stories, the same way I sometimes do when I’m out and about. Or they could all have been true. It doesn’t really matter in the end; stories add flavor to our lives, even if they are fiction. One day in Minneapolis gave me a full flavor to tap into when I write, and you never know when one of the characters I meet might help spark a new story to write!
Word of the Week: This week’s word is hortatory, which means strongly urging, as in, “The hortatory crowd on the train begged the lady for more stories of baseball lore.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!
The number 100 holds significance in our world. We have big celebrations for 100th birthdays and centennials. For TV shows, the 100th episode is often marked by a “greatest hits” or “behind the scenes” and the 100th issue of a comic book is usually super-sized and has a major event.
This is my 100th column. Yes, for those of you who have been here since August 29, 2012, thank you. For those of you who haven’t read all 100, thank you for tuning in to this one. (And you can always go online and read those you missed!)
This column-writing endeavor actually started long before I typed the first one. Years back, Betty McShane occupied this space. I ran into her one day and told her how much I enjoyed her columns; she responded that maybe I should consider writing one. “Nah,” I responded, “what would I write about?” Still, that simple encounter got my wheels spinning.
When Jim said he needed a new columnist, I thought about it for about five minutes. I’m glad I stopped in at the Star-Eagle office that day, though I’m not sure I honestly thought I could come up with 100 columns, with plenty of ideas still on deck!
I did make a list of ideas when I started, and some of those ideas are still on the constantly-changing page of random thoughts. Many times, when I think I might have to go to one of those original ideas, something pops up in life that spurs me to a different topic.
I usually sit down on Wednesday or Thursday to write my first draft. That’s right, I don’t just preach it in my classroom, I practice it as well! I often tell my students that the best revision is done after letting your work sit for a day or two, so I then wait until Saturday or Sunday for that step. Depending on how I feel about it after that, I’ll usually send it in, though sometimes I’ve come back to it a day later for some fine-tuning.
When I began, Jim said he needed 400-500 words per column. These days, I generally sit between 700-800 words. I’ve had first drafts come in at over 1000 words! In general, my first draft takes me about half an hour to write. Once I get going, it’s tough to stop me! While I mostly know where I’m going when I start, sometimes I’ll surprise myself with where I end up. Plus, I have to pick out a word for the Word of the Week (which I probably receive the most comments about), and I’ve really tried to pick one that fits the theme of the column. Overall, I’ve written about 74,000 words over all these columns!
What I enjoy most about this (as Anton has also discovered after his debut) is knowing that people actually read my column! Any feedback is welcomed, and I treasure each of my readers and knowing what they think. I’ve met so many people who tell me they read (and even sometimes enjoy) my ramblings every week. Thank you for taking the time to introduce yourselves!
I’ve gotten emails, Facebook feedback, and even snail mail regarding specific columns or just in general. I try to respond quickly when these arrive. Email is easy and usually gets a quick response from me. (Thanks to another former occupant of this area, Jody Wynnemer, for his frequent thoughts and encouragement!)
I have a number of former students who catch up online, as well as some that subscribe to get it current, and their remarks are great. They may not always agree with what I say, but we’ve had good discussions, always done in a respectful manner.
Jim has printed a few letters to the editor regarding my column, not all of which like what I write. I’ve endeavored to touch base with those folks, and I do appreciate constructive criticism. I keep copies of the negative feedback along with my clippings to remind myself never to get too big a head.
And then there are the anonymous letters and even phone calls! Paul Cyr took a call after a column about parenting that demanded I be fired from my teaching position; Jim took a similar one at the newspaper offices that week. I happened to be home with a sick child that day, and even my sub had to listen to someone rant about me.
I recently received a letter without a name (and without courage by leaving that out) railing about a column. I was called a liberal (true, at times), an egotist (I’ll go with that – who doesn’t like their ego boosted?), arrogant (I guess I can come off that way when I feel strongly about something), and godless (tough to be when I believe in God). It’s actually fairly entertaining, once I get past the numerous grammatical errors (oops, there I am being arrogant again).
Margaret Wheatley, an American author, said, “Be brave enough to start a conversation that matters.” Hopefully, I’ve done that at least a few times. Lastly, and if I haven’t said it enough, thank you so much for reading! I hope I can continue to meet your expectations week in and week out and come up with enough ideas so we can celebrate my 200th column on June 23, 2016!
Word of the Week: This week’s word is facetious, which means comical or flippant, as in, “The columnist’s facetious tone humored some and torked off others.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!
According to a study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics completed in 2008, the average American holds 11 jobs during his or her lifetime. The statistics vary slightly based on education, ethnicity, and sex, but not by much.
I got to thinking – whoa! That’s a lot of jobs. I decided to backtrack my life, not counting seasonal things like helping people with baling hay or walking beans when I was a youngster. Let’s see how average I am!
I got my first real job with a regular paycheck when I turned 16. I worked at Randall Foods, the same grocery store at which my dad spent much of his career. I worked there through high school, staffing the Christmas center and doing a little bagging before settling into life as a stocker. During high school, I also worked a couple days a week at the local bookstore, often spending my down time reading the comics I didn’t already buy!
When I left for college in Winona, I transferred to the Randall Foods there. I suppose that counts as a change, especially since I ended up in charge of the frozen foods department for a time while my boss was out on medical leave. After my student teaching though, the store had closed, so I finished my college days at Midtown Foods in the produce department.
And then I landed in New Richland. I’ve now been here 18 years and hope I can say this is my last stop on the job train. However, there are a couple of other things which probably count as jobs. I would say coaching has been another thing I’d put on a resume as an occupation; the hours involved alone make that a certainty. I could probably lump my other extracurricular activities (officiating, umpiring, announcing) as one more.
Finally, there’s my writing. I have made a small amount of money on the two novels I’ve written. Plus, I have the pleasure of providing this space with random thoughts weekly. If we count writing as a separate job, that brings my total to eight. Could there be more in my future? I don’t really think so, but one never knows. If anything, I might eventually scale back. Of course, if I get to retire someday, I’ll probably find another job, so we’ll leave that number of eight jobs as pending.
Theories abound that the number 11 will rise with the current generation of workers. There are a couple of reasons for this. According to Jeanne Meister in Forbes in 2012, the average worker today only stays at a job for 4.4 years. Today’s young person might change jobs 15-20 times over the course of a lifetime! Why is this?
I love my job stability, but many of today’s young people will search until they find their “dream job.” According to the above article, that job includes a positive culture and interesting work. Think about yourself or your parents. How many times does coming home entail grumbling about the stupid people or the idiot boss or how dull the job is? Yet, onwards people go because of the steady paycheck. Apparently today’s generation is not in the same mindset.
There’s also something to be said for economic turmoil. I heard something recently on the radio about an increase in jobs for four consecutive months for the first time in about six years. When jobs are scarce, some people switch jobs not out of desire, but out of necessity.
I’ve been lucky to have some good bosses. From Duane DuBois at Randall Foods to Sheldon Rieke at the book store, I’ve developed friends as well. I haven’t had many principals or superintendents during my time (three each), and most of them have been enjoyable as head honchos.
My other “jobs” have had a number of people who might be considered a boss. Among Ted Pelzl, Mindy Sparby, and Dan Stork, I’ve been given a lot of latitude and opportunities in coaching, officiating, and announcing, which always makes those things seem a lot less like a job. Being given the chance to write for the paper by Jim has been a true pleasure. Again, he gives me chances to write what I want, whether everyone likes it or not. Plus, nobody else has given me a chance to attend the Home Run Derby; thanks, Jim!
If you examine your job history, I hope you can find some interesting tidbits, just as I have. Have you had fewer jobs than I have or are you helping to meet the average by going above and beyond? Whatever it is, I hope you have or will have a job that brings you as much fulfillment as my myriad hats have brought me!
Word of the Week: This week’s word is autodidact, which means a self-taught person, as in, “Michelle, upon the occasion of her birthday, realized that she had become an autodidact at her job, figuring out many means to an end.” Happy birthday, my love! Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!
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This week, you are in for a treat – a special guest columnist! That’s right, you don’t have to read my normal tripe. Instead, my son Anton has told me he has an idea to write about, and I love the idea of him wanting to write! Maybe a nine-year old will make more sense than I do! His topic is Minecraft, a game he’s only somewhat obsessed with on the computer, and how to survive your first day. Take it away, Anton!
First, start up a new Minecraft world. When it has loaded, move your mouse around and look around you. (Note: This is on the computer version of Minecraft.) When you see a tree, hold the W key until you are face to face with the tree. You should see a + sign in the middle of your screen. Move your mouse until the + sign is on the tree. Once you’ve done that, hold down left click until a piece of wood drops. Then move your mouse until the + sign is on another part of the trunk. Next, hold down left click until that drops a piece of wood. Keep doing this with the rest of the tree.
You should see a hot bar at the bottom of the screen. In one of the spaces in the hot bar, you should see the wood you harvested. Press the E key on your keyboard and your inventory should pop up. Click on the wood you harvested and drag it to your mini-crafting area. (It is right next to a picture of your character.)
Click on a space in your mini-crafting table. You should see next to it a block with stripes through it. Click on it until you have it all. Congratulations! You made wooden planks. Next, drag your wooden planks to your mini-crafting area. Click on every space in the crafting area once, then drag the rest of your wooden planks down to the hot bar and click a space there. After that, go to where you got your wooden planks and you should see a new block called a crafting table. Drag that block down to your hot bar and click a space in there. (Note: it can’t be where you put your wooden planks.)
After you’ve done that, press your E key to close out of your inventory. Then scroll down until you get to your crafting table. Place it by right clicking the ground with it in your hand. Press the w key until you are next to the now-placed crafting table. Next, right click on the crafting table. Then bring your wooden planks up to a new 3X3 crafting area and put one on top of the other. Now bring your newly crafted sticks down to your hot bar. Take the wooden planks you have and put them in each space in the TOP row once. Then take your sticks and place one in the middle of the middle row and one in the middle of the bottom row.
You should see next to the crafting space a new tool: a wooden pickaxe! Drag it down into your hot bar. Then press the E key and hold down left click on your crafting table to pick it up. Now wander around until you find coal in a cliff face. (Note: W is to go forward, SPACE is to jump.) Once you found it, mine it all. It should make a hole you can go into. Spread it out with your pickaxe by holding left click until a lot of it is spread out. Then cover up the space you used to get in with the blocks you mined by spreading your base.
Make sure there is a one block hole so you can see if it’s day or night. It should be night by now. Quickly place your crafting table down in a place in your base. Then put a stick in one row with coal on top of it. You should get torches! Quickly place torches all around your base so monsters won’t spawn. Congratulations! You survived your first day in Minecraft. Spend the night expanding your base more. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial on how to survive your first night in Minecraft!
Thanks, Anton, for giving your old man a break from writing for a week! Next week, I’ll be back, refreshed and ready to roll again!
Word of the Week: This week’s word, according to Anton, is spelunking, which means exploring caves, as in, “The Minecraft character enjoyed spelunking, until he ran into a Creeper!” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!
I’m not a big soccer fan. I don’t understand the game much and can only think of one match I ever watched start to finish, when the US women won the 1999 World Cup on a kick by Brandi Chastain.
Yet, as World Cup fever has built over the past week, I have found myself rooting on the red, white, and blue of the USA soccer team. I still don’t sit down and watch these games, but I fervently hope the USA puts on a good show and continues to advance. As I write this, they have advanced to the knockout round, so hopefully as you read this, they will be taking another step.
Why do I care as someone who professes to not enjoying soccer? National pride, plain and simple. The same thing applies during the Olympics; I don’t watch gymnastics any other time except during the summer games. As the Fourth of July bears down on us, it’s a good time to reflect on patriotism and what it means to be an American.
While I have never served in the military, I’m proud that my Grandpa Domeier, Uncle Larry, and father-in-law Mike Granowski all served. I’ve known many others who have been in the military and been involved in conflicts overseas, and I salute every one of these men and women. To be free is such a privilege and honor, and we must constantly remember what it has taken to get us to this point in America.
I’ve mentioned before how much I admire people who sing our National Anthem at sporting events. If someone is singing, I will refrain, but when it is a recording or the band is playing, I will belt it out with pride, no matter how much I might mangle the song. I’ve always been a little disappointed that we are only required to say the Pledge of Allegiance once a week in public schools; I recall with fondness that daily moment when I was in school.
I enjoy when Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and the Fourth of July roll around and I’m picking out music for church. It gives me a reason to have at least one patriotic song, whether it’s “America the Beautiful”, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”, or “God Bless America.” These are always times that I hear the congregation singing loudly, and it makes me proud to be an American.
Do we take our freedom for granted? I’m sure we do at times. One should sit and think about what it would be like if the British had won or Hitler had taken over. Look around the world and read about countries that not only don’t have as much material goods, but also don’t have the right to complain about that fact for fear of retribution from the military and/or government.
I’m always amused when I scroll through Facebook and see people railing against President Obama. How many countries in our world would allow you to do that so publically? I always wonder how many of those people complaining voted for him once or twice. (Not voting at all gives you absolutely no right to complain. If you couldn’t be bothered to show up to the polls, a right you are given in our country, keep your mouth shut.) I often think that these same people might find cause to complain no matter who occupies the Commander-in-Chief’s role, and they probably also had problems with George W. Bush when he was in office.
When these patriotic days roll around, don’t just think about what you’re going to throw on the grill or how you get a day off work. Please think about why you have the means to buy that steak or those brats and why you might even get paid for not showing up to work. Remember the people who have suffered to make our country free and those who continue to work to keep that freedom.
Please show respect for our flag at parades and really, anytime you see it, and remove your hat. It’s the first thing I taught my son when he started wearing a baseball cap, and he dutifully removes his hat and places it over his heart when he sees Old Glory. Show respect to our veterans and those still serving. Say a prayer of thanks to God for the blessings we have, freedom being at or near the top of that list. Enjoy the holiday and stay safe!
Word of the Week: This week’s word is pungle, which means to make a payment, as in, “American soldiers have pungled out many lives to secure our freedom.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!
I was visiting with Matt Groskreutz after Round Whatever of Delugapalooza this past week, and we tried to figure out a good place to move that doesn’t have severe weather. Matt suggested a beach in Mexico, but then we remembered hurricanes. Eh, you can’t avoid those when they arrive. I thought about Arizona, but they have dust storms that make some of our snowstorms look tame.
Scientists will go on and on about climate change, and I’ve always been a bit hesitant to swallow that completely, but it sure seems like our weather patterns are shifting. I knew this must be so after talking to my grandma this week, and she was having a hard time thinking of a stretch of years like the past five or so. As a retired farm wife, she knows her stuff when it comes to weather!
I used to be fascinated by severe weather as a child; I even wanted to be a meteorologist for a while! (They and Joe Mauer get away with a low batting average these days.) My sisters and I always thought it was rather neat to be stuffed in the root cellar with the family photo albums anytime a tornado warning was issued. If our house had ever been hit, we’d still have those pictures along with potatoes and all of Mom’s canned fruits and vegetables.
We did have straight line winds go through one year. I didn’t understand why Mom was so freaked out; after all, a couple years before that, I had stood outside our basement and watched a tornado touch down briefly about a mile away. This time though, Dad was down in the barn. Luckily, he was in the basement part of the barn; our chicken shed was destroyed. Dad and I went over to the neighbors’ to help after their barn was shifted off its foundation and their machine shed had been wrecked.
Blizzards were no big deal – it usually meant a day off of school! The snow would stop, and we’d have a chance to play to our heart’s content in the new drifts.
How things change. Blizzards are an annoyance when you have to shovel and make up snow days. Plus, we don’t have an awesome sledding hill in our backyard like my parents did at their place in the country!
Tornadoes aren’t cool either. Witnessing the devastation a few years back was incredibly numbing. I still shake my head every time I drive to New Richland and see all the trees missing by Thompsons and Bartnesses. When you have to help people pick through their belongings that have been flung away in a muddy field, it makes you appreciate Mother Nature even more.
It’s scary, too, that I could drive my kids by Legion Lake Field this past week and point out how it wasn’t even as high as it had been in 2010. At least area people feel better prepared for this eventuality after that initial debacle. After this week of storms, the Land of 10,000 Lakes has probably doubled in the number of watery locations.
And we didn’t even have it as bad as those west of us. I found out my parents and my grandma both had much flooding of their basements and were just trying to keep up with it after a ton of rain fell on the already-saturated ground this week. Plus, the rash of tornadoes to the south and west were stark reminders of the power in those clouds.
I often refer to the weather terrorists when they start predicting the latest Storm of the Century, no matter which season we’re in. However, they seemed to nail it this past week. Just when you hoped they would be wrong, they hit it over the fence in a game we’d rather they not win.
Word of the Week: This week’s word is picaroon, which means a rogue, thief, or pirate, as in, “The citizens stopped the picaroon from thieving from unfortunate people affected by the natural disaster.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!
As a fantasy football enthusiast, Paul Charchian is a familiar name as a leader in that industry, and I follow him on Facebook. I don’t just do this for fantasy sports reasons, as Mr. Charchian often comes up with dialogue on other topics that is interesting, usually outside the world of sports.
And so it was that I first saw the news of California striking down the tenure law for teachers and got to be part of a lively online discussion on the pros and cons of this polarizing issue.
Tenure varies in some ways from state to state, but in Minnesota, it is basically this: A new teacher is considered probationary for the first three years of his/her career. At the end of each school year, a district can choose not to renew that person’s contract without having to give any reason. This is done often, sometimes for monetary reasons and other times because a teacher is not doing the job well.
Once a teacher is offered a contract for a fourth continuous year in a district, tenure rights kick in, and it becomes much more difficult to dismiss a teacher. Also, if a teacher has gained those rights and chooses to change districts, those same rights occur beginning in the second year in that new district.
What does that mean? If Mr. Bunn decided his junior high English teacher wasn’t doing his job well, as principal he’d have his work cut out for him to cut me loose. There is a progression of steps that must be followed, by law, and even then it’s a crap shoot.
I wasn’t surprised by the negative outburst that I initially saw online, directed at teachers, after the California story broke. We have some job security that most people would envy. We also have a job that most people wouldn’t want to do.
There is always frustration with teachers who just seem to be going through the paces. Every district likely has some teachers who are not good, and these are the ones brought to the fore when issues like tenure rights rise up in the news cycle. The reality, especially in smaller districts like ours, is that this is not as big a problem as it’s made out to be.
Teachers have an amazingly important job. As a parent, you always want an excellent teacher working with your child. Does that always happen? Of course not, but I’m convinced NRHEG has a large number of exceptional teachers. My own kids have been blessed with tremendously talented teachers all the way through; believe me, I’d be knocking on some doors if I didn’t think my kids were getting the best education possible.
Ideally, administration will work with a teacher during the three probationary years to steer them in an effective direction. I know that my style and classroom management were severely lacking when I first started, but I had some good guidance from administrators, as well as other teachers and paras. I still don’t feel like I’m perfect and am constantly looking for ways to improve what I do.
Unfortunately, there are sometimes teachers who get burned out and simply reach in the file cabinet for what they did the previous year. These are the teachers who are targeted when tenure laws are attacked, and for good reason. Even I think the laws should be tweaked to make it easier to divest a district of someone sleepwalking toward retirement.
However, there is always some fear that a teacher could be cut based on salary. A district looking to save money might cut a teacher who has been around for some time and makes a lot more than a newbie out of college. Tenure was put in place to keep that from happening, as well as keeping personality conflicts out of the equation. A teacher could be excellent in the classroom, but doesn’t get along with the principal; that’s not necessarily a good reason to lose one’s job.
The new teacher evaluation system in Minnesota will take some steps to help find ways to improve as teachers, even though it’s an incredibly complex system. Districts will now have new avenues with which to help teachers improve. We’re moving away from teaching in isolation (which happens an awful lot) to collaborating more and more to become more effective in our classrooms.
Change can be good. Drastic change like in California is a slippery slope to travel though. It’s best to chip away and create something new out of the old instead of just chucking the old. After all, isn’t that what we should do as teachers?
Word of the Week: This week’s word is sciolism, which means pretentious display of superficial knowledge, as in, “Sciolism was prevalent throughout the online discussion, as many people seemed to think they knew more than they really did.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!