Teachers

I honestly think that at one time in any little girl's life she says "I want to grow up to be a teacher". Always a rewarding profession but one that demands little respect or compensation.

Talking about the ones who guide your children until college. They are the mostly ladies that everyone can name from kindergarten until sixth grade no matter how old they are. Middle and high school years, again with a host of these professionals, are not easily forgotten.

I was in elementary school for most of the 60's and certainly considered that when I grew up I would be a teacher. Things didn't work out that way but, through my adult life some of my dearest friends chose this profession as did my Daughter-In-Law. I was the PTA president, secretary, newsletter editor and chairman of countless committees so I consider myself an almost teacher and have seen how it has changed.

From my own elementary school memories.....my teachers had or never did touch a computer, most of the children in their classes walked or rode their bikes to school. There was a set bunch of text books that they adhered to. Unruly children were smacked with a paddle. My teachers dressed in their Sunday best. I never saw them outside the classroom on a "Skate Night" nor did they ever come to my home. From what I remember, there was my teacher, my principal, the office secretary, the custodians and the cafeteria ladies. You could buy a 25, 30 or 40 cent plate for lunch which I remember as awful but there was nothing better than the ice cream sandwiches, the ice cream that was eaten with a wooden spoon or the delight of a bag of the newly invented "Frito's" that were packed in my paper bag lunch. Teacher's lounges we knew were the place where they went to smoke and drink Coke. No such thing as "Diet" then. We began our days with the Pledge of Allegiance.

After the years of High School, College and lack of interest in what was happening in public schools, I had children and there I was again. Twenty-five years had passed and I was back in school looking at it from a totally different perspective. Teachers, sometimes to my children's horror, became my friends and came to our home for a party. We spent summers at the pool with them and my children got to know their children. And, as an adult and contemporary, I was still in awe of teachers. They got summers and holidays off but, their lives revolved around the twenty plus children in their classes each year. Their skill and dedication amazed me.

During these days of the early '90's all my teacher friends had wonderful assistants to help them in the classroom. Political correctness was just beginning. There were still Christmas, Halloween and Thanksgiving and parties to celebrate . There were parents' beating down the doors to help with a special project or bringing cupcakes to make their child's birthday special. My teacher friends sometimes spent their own money to make their class better and, more often than not, had parents there to help cut costs. They were able to sit for at least 30 minutes to enjoy their lunches. They dressed more casually, could not pledge to the flag and had to keep track of all the times of day when so many of their students had to go for their Ritalin fix.

The school lunches were more varied and better tasting than the hot dogs, hamburgers, salads and turkey that I remembered, which still remain the worst variation of these that I have ever had....... There were some great plays, festivals and events. The PTA had about ten committees.

Today my own children are grown but, I again, get to visit the elementary school to help my Daughter-In-Law. The children look and dress the same. The logos on their backpacks and T-Shirts have changed to reflect the current trends. I only see the "Parents" when they might come by to pick up their child for an appointment. You can't blame them because they all have jobs that don't provide the simple luxury of just coming to have lunch with their kids. The PTA president doesn't spend most of her days in the school.

I see my Daughter-In-Law never sitting down or even taking a good breath. She might have 15 minutes to eat in her classroom (is there still a teacher's lounge?) and never leaves when the bell rings. Her dedication is the same of all the teachers I have ever known. She works on school stuff at home and continually shops for her kids. Her duties have far surpassed any that I have ever witnessed. She is now forced to weed out lunch boxes for contraband junk food. Long gone are the days of paddles, her anger at a kid who disrupts the class has to be carefully measured because even the slightest misused word can become fodder for a firestorm.

And, today US public schools are dissected for their so called lack of performance. Parents with the resources always opt for private schools. Children graduate when they can barely read and sometimes with honors. Even as far back as when my adult children were there....their A's for rigorous courses were deemed equal to the A's received from those kids who did half the work all because "No Child Should Be Left Behind". I know that self-esteem roots in a person's earliest years and they all need accolades and encouragement but, does this really prepare them for their adult lives?

Finland has one of the best educational systems in the world. From what I've read their focus is on all aspects of what needs to be learned, hands on experiences and there are no set guidelines for all this. Plus, their teachers' pay scale equates to that of an engineer, as it should be.

So to make our schools better: 1. Pay the dedicated professionals what they are worth.....2. Don't worry about stepping on toes (Isn't this one nation under God?)....3. Remember that public schools are not welfare or police states and not a source for neglecting parental responsibilities.....4. Remember that all enrolled in public schools were born here and those who weren't came to the US for a better life. That better life is to accept the language and customs of the country you've chosen to reside, not for that country to adapt to you.

Here's hoping that somehow public schools again regain the respect they deserve.

1984

In 1949 George Orwell's book "1984" was published. There is some remarkable insight into the future and made me think about the technology that has become available and how things have changed since 1984.

I was thirty years old in 1984 I had just started using a computer and really wasn't getting the hang of it. I had lead a life until this point that the only technical things I had ever had to learn were to turn a TV/Radio on and off and change the channels, my phones were landlocked and all I had to do was punch in only seven #'s to make a phone call to someone within 50 miles of me, to reach further would have made my bill higher.......My car had just been updated to one with AC with an ON/OFF switch to operate. I could change the clock, put a cassette tape in and tune the radio with a few simple steps.

In '84 I was used to the 10 extra channels I could get on TV by subscribing to cable. I had just gotten a VCR and my Dad had a video camera that weighed 25 pounds. The pictures we took with our cameras with film could be processed in 2-3 days. We had a microwave, again with a ON/OFF switch, our dishwasher and stove had knobs. Our fridge only kept things cold and, if we were lucky, it could make some ice and defrost itself.

In 84' I kept in touch with friends and relatives through cards, letters and phone calls if they lived in the same town. Our bank statements required extra postage because they were sending cancelled checks back for us to store. Anything we bought required going to the store. My bills came in the mailbox.

In '84 I think we knew it was possible to have a phone in our cars but it seemed as distant as me flying to the moon. We played Solitaire, and Yahtzee
with a deck of cards, a cup and some dice.

In '84 I had been out of high school for eleven years and anyone I hadn't kept in contact with were people I knew that I would only see again by chance or a class reunion. If I missed an episode of Dallas I could only hope to catch the rerun.

In '84 loved ones could walk each other right to the gate when boarding a plane. Princess Diana was every one's princess and Michael Jackson was that talented kid who grew up to be the world's greatest entertainer. The President of the United States was old enough to be my grandfather.

In '84 there were four food groups and not a pyramid. We knew that smoking and caffeine were not the best for us and we tried to quit or cut down. We knew what illegal drugs were but had never heard of "Crack" or "Red Bull".

In '84 a woman who was flat chested stayed that way. The only way to lose weight were diet, exercise and amphetamines. A face lift was an option of the very rich and there were no surgeries to sculpt tummies and thighs. The only way to make your hair look longer was to buy a wig or grow it out. If you had no eyelashes you could buy fake ones that looked like little spiders.

In '84 I wasn't a Mother and could run ten miles a day while holding a great full-time job. My hair was it's original color. I had never lost a friend or parent to a horrible disease. I had been married six years and was so busy living in the moment to worry about the future.

Flash forward twenty-seven years to 2011 and there is no need to expand on the gadgets I have, the joy I've received and the lessons learned from the sorrows. Since '84 I have become older (making the best of it) and, MAN, I am so much wiser. Bring it on future!

Merry, Happy 2011!

It kind of scares me when at the start of a new year that my last consisted of nothing but really good things. You can be optimistic and positive but you know that life is full of surprises and you can really never count on what the next day holds.

I feel kind of arrogant at this time in my life that I think I can handle most of what is thrown at me. I've lost friends and loved ones and lived through some very difficult times. However, my home has never been destroyed by a natural disaster. I have never been hungry. I have never had a loved one do something I was ashamed of. I have never been beaten or raped. And, I never lost everything I had.

When I look at 2011 I have to pray that life continues to be as always full of, what are minor, ups and downs. I follow the rules of "God never gives you more than you can handle". And.....

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.