Crossing that Bridge

We cross lots of bridges (and probably burn a few too) in our lifetimes but crossing nine miles over Tampa Bay on the Howard Franklin on my way to St. Pete is one of my favorites.  Be Prepared To Be Pleasantly Surprised, is the saying purported on St. Petersburg’s city website and I am. I roll my windows down no matter what the weather (except driving rain) and breathe in the salty sea air (and if the traffic is backed up some good old exhaust fumes too). I let the wind tangle my hair. I turn the radio up loud. I look for dolphins (yes even when I am driving!) I check out anhinga drying their wings as they perch on the street lamps along with seagulls and an occasional osprey. I watch the pelicans as they seemingly fly effortlessly under the radar parallel to the waters of the bay. No matter what my mood the sights and smells of the bay work magic. Dark and frothy, blue with little white caps or steely smooth like a mirror, just crossing lifts my spirits. If I have a car full of grandkids the magic works on them too. A hush falls over the back seats, ear buds pop out, and they stop asking, “Are we there yet?” The argument over who ate the last Cheetos is forgotten. A single unspoken thought sparks a smile in our hearts. We are crossing the bridge to home. 

Millenials and Education

Millenials…Born between 1980 and 2002, grew up with household computers, plugged in 24-7 with a work ethic described as that of multi-taskers. Millenials buy into the notion that if a person can finish an eight-hour job in four, they should be able to go home early. Many teachers and school age students are millenials. As a retired teacher (not a millenial though) I know eight-hour job days for educators are rare and today’s teachers spend long weekday hours and many a weekend day off writing lesson plans and studying data. Maybe this is one reason it is getting harder to attract qualified millenials to the teaching profession. As for the millenial students, they like all kids of all generations seem to be happy to turn in hurried assignments. Research should be quicker though with so much technology at their fingertips. My granddaughter, like many millenials, can find things fast on her phone. So fast that she can often get an answer before I have my computer booted up. But the computers in our schools are much more outdated than mine. Though there are rules against bringing smart phones (any cell phones- they are all smart aren't they?) to school my millenial grandchildren all do. They are supposed to turn them off but I received a “butt” call from a math class just the other day. Even kindergarteners have phones and they know how to use them. They’re millenials!

Education (in St. Marys, GA)…2012, less and less money for education, shortened school years, no music or technology teachers at the elementary school level, but the same and more state mandated curriculum and common core performance standards for student achievement, less students eligible to ride the bus, and possible privatization of custodial care of school properties. On the surface those multi-tasking millenials that lean toward finishing eight hours of work in four hours should be happy and successful despite the “less-ness” of everything. But it doesn't work that way without a level playing field for all subgroups of students. That’s right I am throwing in the socioeconomic card. In schools here and all over our country kids are struggling and teachers are struggling to meet the needs of our struggling kids. Education hasn't kept up with the millenials. Education isn't even close. There are no easy answers. Each generation is different but there are effective practices that transcend these differences. These are things educators are doing right and that makes all the difference. The expectation that all students can achieve regardless of socioeconomic status is fundamental to our schools’ success. The successes of students in Camden county schools prove it. And reinvesting in the return of the 180 day school year and music and tech teachers at all levels wouldn't hurt either.  

Sew What’s Up with Romney?

Is our country really ready for a new outfit? Political change can challenge the fabric of our nation when we're just getting on the mend. Can we trust the strength of a pattern of government we've never tried on?

The Romney/Ryan ticket doesn't exactly have my confidence sewn up and with all their hemming and hawing over foreign policy during the debates to date. If they are elected, will our allies leave us dangling by a thread? Why won’t they believe the Afghans can cover themselves?

With Romney’s health care changes, are things going to operate better or will people suffer more stitches and more pain? We may need something more than a placebo to cure the ailments of the program he proposes. Does he really believe he can patch all our problems with privatization and vouchers? In other words, can Medicare (and Social Security, for that matter) be mended or will they be infected with more darned bureaucratic baloney?

Can our economy be held together with the Romney/Ryan plan? Their answers during the debates to date were as ambiguous as iron on tape and we all know that iron on tape doesn't hold together too well the more you wash it in hot water. With Romney will unemployment go higher or hire? By refusing to bailout 7up, can Romney really rid our country of "un" employment or just the “un” cola? Will we be job more or job less? Does Romney really know how to make the economy "work" for the people that need it?

And just sew you know, I have not made up my mind yet about who will get my vote! Have you?

Rash Decisions!

This situation began when my youngest grandchild (who happens to be a boy) got a diaper rash and nothing my daughter Nicole tried would clear it up. Because he was a first child for her (tenth grand for me) she got frantic pretty quickly and rather than make any rash decisions, took him straight to the pediatrician. He (the pediatrician that gets credit for this cure was a guy, of course) came up with a simple cure. “Do you have a blow dryer with a cool setting?” he asked? He then instructed her to use the dryer on cool to make sure the “diaper area” was completely dry before applying the ointment he prescribed. The rash was cured in record time but the blow jobs continued. The dryer even got its own place of honor near the changing table with the wipes, the wipe warmer, the lotions, diapers, the diaper pail, and hand sanitizer. Apparently, just the sound of the dryer turning on was enough to immediately silence any crying and still any squirming during diaper changes. This is a nice example, I guess, of when things rub you (or your baby’s bottom) the wrong way sometimes a simple solution is the best way to reach a happy ending!    

Driving that train… in St.Marys, Georgia!

I’ve got a new earworm, the Grateful Dead’s Casey Jones, (I finally got Carly Rae Jepson out of my head, whew!) because today is the highly (not what you Dead Heads were thinking) anticipated St.Marys Railroad Days Celebration.

Because both of my grandfathers were railroad men, I have many fond memories of this wonderful, albeit disappearing piece of Americana. My Grandpa Madigan was a brakeman on the commuter trains in Chicago. My twin and I could always count on him for a train ride to Wrigley Field to cheer on the Cubs on opening day. He never ratted us out to our parents despite the fact that he knew perfectly well we were skipping school and he usually slipped us enough money for a couple of the foot long hot dogs they used to sell on the corner outside the park. My Grandpa Petkus worked for the railroad in Michigan’s U.P. (That’s Upper Peninsula for all non-Yoopers.)When the trains weren’t running he planted trees and cut trees for pulp, just like the logs here that came rolling in to the paper mill via the St.Marys Railroad for many years. He was a quiet man who knew more about trees and plants than anyone I’ve ever known.

And who hasn’t spent at least one Christmas morning watching a model train run ‘round the Christmas tree? But I better get back on track!

Today’s St.Marys Railroad Days celebration runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Theatre by the Trax and admissions are free. There are exhibits, tours, and rides on small railcars to celebrate 104 years of history and service by the St.Marys Railroad along with live music, food, vendors, and fire clowns. Come out and experience an Escape to yesteryear, and immerse yourself in history, romance, and adventure, St.Marys style. Dang Skippy, a new earworm, It’s always a good time! (Carly Rae Jepson again, she’s back!)

And nope, I won’t be driving that train! But I definitely plan to take a ride on it. See you there!

Columbus discovered… Chickcharney?

If you have the good fortune to find yourself at the beach enjoying Discovery Day (that’s Columbus Day in the Bahamas) today, keep your eyes open for the chickcharney! The chickcharney is a mischievous mythical creature known only to inhabit the Caribbean pine forests on Andros Island, the largest inhabited island in the Bahamas. They live in the tops of the tallest pines and make their nests by joining the tops of two tall pines. Chickcharnies have three fingers, three toes, piercing red eyes, and a tail. Flowers and brightly colored cloth can be used to charm them if you are lucky enough to see one. And seeing a chickcharney can result in a lifetime of good luck… if you show it respect. If you cross a chickcharney, it will turn your head on backwards! I haven’t seen anyone on Andros with their heads on backwards (and I have yet to catch a glimpse of the elusive chickcharney). Thus it is easy for me to conclude that no one on Andros has ever crossed a Chickcharney, at least as far as I can tell! Perhaps this is just one more indicator of the culture of courtesy I've experienced on Andros characterized by the Bahamian saying, May We Be Strangers No More... I have had the good fortune to frequent the beaches on Andros and they are truly beautiful. The direction of the sea breeze is explicit in the slant and sway of the clusters of casuarina trees that grow just beyond the wrack line. The water (it must be what the gemstone aquamarine is named for) is crystal clear. The sound of the surf in all its variations is white noise for the soul, both soothing and freeing simultaneously. The beautiful genteel people and pristine beaches are just two of my favorite Bahamian national treasures. As for the chickcharney, my personal jury is still out. I’ll let you know when I see one!   

Is Hallucinatoric Realism the New Normal?

Hallucinatoric Realism, I just love this term! I found it when reading a press release about this Year’s Nobel Literature Prize winner, Mo Yan of China, and I can’t help pondering over it. For Mo Yan, hallucinatoric realism describes how he merges folk tales, history, and the contemporary in is writing. Maya Deren, an American filmmaker and entrepreneurial promoter of the avant-garde in the 1940’s and 1950’s, describes hallucinatoric realism as a place where reality and subjectivity become indistinguishable. Maybe in today’s political climate hallucinatoric realism should be considered the new normal. Political ads are a good example of hallucinatoric realism. A merging of reality and subjectivity is a great descriptor for attack ads and their rebuttals. I think hallucinatoric realism is a better fit than calling the ads a manipulation of statistics, taking words out of context, or revelations of hidden recordings. A lot has been said about the voting public. And a lot is riding on just what the voting public will believe. Can we all  be victims of hallucinatoric realism? Or just some of us? Which part of the voting population do you think is living in a world of hallucinatoric realism, the 47% or the other 53%?

I also love the idea that Mo Yan gave himself a pen name that means hold your tongue that acted as a reminder for him do just that to keep himself out of trouble. I could probably use a reminder for that myself!