When I was young I was like a little mouse, tiny, insignificant, and afraid. My usual response to seeing injustice was to grow internally angry. I simply didn’t have the chops to do something constructive or to speak out. I suppose that I most enjoyed my debate class because it gave me a legitimate platform for asserting my thoughts and taught me how to use facts, data, and persuasive arguments to bolster my opinions. I was still an innocent even back then. I remember some crushing defeats that my debate partner and I endured at the hands of more skilled thespians who had perfected the art of rhetoric and, dare I say it, the big lie. I remember being shocked the first time that I realized that some of my opponents were willing to make things up just to win. Asserting, “That’s not true!‘ did little to convince the judges that they were being had. I had to learn how to fight fire with fire but I found it just too unethical to use shady tactics. Continue reading “The Great Debate”
Month: May 2015
Understanding the World
When I was a young student I mostly disliked science. The only branch of that distinguished area of study that interested me was chemistry. There was a certain magic about the periodic table that tickled my fancy. At one time I might have considered a major in chemical engineering. It would have combined my love of mathematics with a deep interest in the chemistry of our world. Unfortunately the other branches of science held little sway over me, particularly anything dealing with discussions of the earth. Spending time learning about the earth’s composition held no interest as far as I was concerned. Continue reading “Understanding the World”
Keeping Up with Reality
I was recently thinking about all of the changes that have occurred in my lifetime and I began to feel a bit old for the very first time. I remember once having a conversation with my grandfather during which he spoke of what his life had been like as a young boy. His remembrances made him sound absolutely ancient. He had grown up without plumbing, electricity, glass on the windows of his home. I took all of these modern conveniences for granted and try as I may I was unable to fathom what his youth must have been like. Now I catch myself thinking about all of the things that are readily available today that were not even thoughts in our imaginations when I was a girl. Continue reading “Keeping Up with Reality”
Closing Ranks
Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week and educators around the country were feted with breakfasts, luncheons, gift cards, and trinkets. Of course the standardized testing schedule is so crowded that there was no rest for the weary and school life went on in full force. It will be many weeks before teachers across the country get a bit of vacation and even then the legend of three months without work will not happen in reality. Teachers will work the summer school weeks in June or attend classes to keep their various certifications intact. By the last week in July they will once again be in full prep mode as they look forward to the beginning of the school year and to meeting a new group of students. It is the nature of the business to continually be in teaching mode that only those who have engaged in the profession or their families understand. Continue reading “Closing Ranks”
You Are Beautiful
I have to admit that I’m a competitive person and a control freak. I love having everything around me well organized. I’m one of those people who has to take a deep breath to keep from overreacting when I see rowdy children who are taking advantage of their mothers and making the rest of us miserable with their noise and bad behavior. I like order and design around me. I like being in charge of my domain and so when my mother was alive she and I would often vie for position, even as far back as when I was a child. I was one of those quiet, passive aggressive souls who looked really good to those on the outside but tried my mom’s patience back at home. She was always a bit baffled by my independent spirit as though she never thought to consider that I had modeled myself after her. While my brothers generally conformed to her wishes I was constantly questioning her. I suspect that it was exhausting for her to continually find herself wondering why I was so strong willed. We were, in fact, two of a kind! Continue reading “You Are Beautiful”
All It Takes Is A Little Love 