Thinking about education...

I sort of miss teaching.  No, I don't miss the silly bureaucracy; I miss hanging out with kids.  I don't miss legislators or "experts" who have never tried to teach a class of 30 individuals telling me how to do things.  I miss the excitement students feel when they realize they've mastered a tough skill.  I miss the enthusiasm that circulates the room when we reach the climax of a terrific novel.

Then I remember that things have changed in the last decade or two.  Reading for pleasure has taken a back seat to television, video games, and Youtube.  Vocabularies have declined, attention spans have shrunk, respect for teaching has nearly disappeared.  Maybe I'm glad I'm not still in the classroom.

It's not just me.

I always love validation....I'm not alone.

More creative license plates

I'm certain that I've chuckled at a number of plates that I've forgotten, but I made some notes--written and verbal--to help me remember.  People are creative and I, for one, am glad that they share with me.

A well-used, small, blue pickup truck's plate said ZOMBKLR.  Good to know.

A creamy, yellow crossover was SUN E 1.  Could be a comment on attitude.

Another attitude was likely showing on a little gray crossover.  It was an ESCP POD.

Most license plates definitely refer to the owner.  Like the big SUV that said BRWNSGR.  The vehicle was white.

A sporty, red car was flaunting a BASGUTR.

A PT Cruiser had a friendly TOODALU.

Then there are the plates that obviously came from nicknames.  SWEEDEE, WEEZER, B BO, and--my favorite--WYADURP.

My hubby and I laughed at the creativity of the plate we saw while traveling.  When asked for a plate number, the driver could honestly say,  NONE.

I can't help but watch, so I'm bound to collect more.

Deteriorating Language Skills--updated yet again

I was visiting with a much-younger woman this morning and she agrees with me:  today's young people are dreadfully short on language skills.  Naturally, there are a few exceptions, but television, video games, computers, and smart phones have replaced reading and conversation.   It should not be a surprise.  And look at what kids today see and hear.  I've posted about the disappearance of adverbs and the "verbing" of nouns, but these commercials cannot really be explained by any language rules.

Red Lobster workers "Sea food differently."  Doesn't sound wrong, but playing with spelling makes it strange.

The drive-up says, "This is how you Sonic." Apparently I don't sonic, because I have no idea what to do.

The clothing store has, "..savings that make you go Kohls." I don't know how to go Kohls any more than I know how to Sonic.

Sears is "where better happens." Better what?  I thought better described something.  Better happens?  Who knew?

T.J. Maxx wants to know, "What's your HomeGoods happy?" Does this make any kind of sense?

How about the Guilted Bear (maybe just a regional store) that says we should "Shop local and shop unique."  Exactly how does one shop unique?  Can we shop purple?  Or shop wild?

Chex Mix wants you to try a "bag of interesting."  Is that like a bag of hairy?  Same kind of word.

Fabreze makes it so you can "breathe happy."  Personally, I'm always happy to breathe, but the other way around?

Those are just the one-liners some advertising agencies thought up, but sometimes even the sentences used are crazy.  The only one I wrote down after I'd heard it a few times is for an over-the-counter medication.  "Nothing relieves nasal congestion faster or stronger..."  Can something relieve nasal congestion stronger?  Not the kind of sentence one uses in an SAT essay.

When kids listen to stuff like this for hours a day, it's no wonder they are not sure how to use the English language.

Good, it's not just me.

Sometimes I see funnies or hear comments that make me feel like I'm not alone. I'm not the only one whose mind seems to take strange detours. Apparently there are more of us.

Wait a minute.  If there are too many of us, how will we ever get anything accomplished?  We must hope there are adequate numbers of youthful, efficient brains to counteract our need to retrace steps to remember what we were going to do.

Mumbling actors.

I think I mentioned this in another post (as a kind of afterthought), but this comic hit home.  I have noticed the lack of care in making sure the audience can hear what is being said on television shows and in movies.  I have often had to back up (thank goodness for DVRs) and turn up the volume to try and understand what a character is saying.  Then, I have to be certain to adjust the sound for any "action" or commercials that follow.  It is pretty annoying.

Annoying and way too loud.

I have wondered about this because there are several stores whose music has driven me out.  Odd, since I'm sure I have more disposable income than most 20-somethings.  Hard to figure.

Changes in life roles.

Thinking today about life and our roles in it.

In the previous generation, roles were more clearly defined.  In the case of my parents, it meant that the inside of the home was my mother's and the outside was Dad's.  He did the yard stuff, took care of repairs, was in charge of the automobiles (and horses when we had them), and let his creativity show puttering in his shop.

Mom did the inside cleaning, cooking, laundry, and was responsible for budgeting and the social aspects of their life like remembering birthdays and activities.  There was no crossover.  My siblings and I used to chuckle that Dad might starve if something should happen to Mom.

As it happened, Dad passed away.  Mom had to learn to put gas in the car, and many adjustments were needed to take care of things that had been Dad's responsibility.

I'm now seeing the other side of this because my mother-in-law passed away unexpectedly.  She and my father-in-law also had similar, well-defined roles.  He went from his parents' home, to the Navy, to marriage, and has never lived on his own before.  Now he has to learn to prepare food for himself, do a little laundry, and take care of things he's never had to think about.

Fortunately, my hubby and I are nearby and both have siblings who help, but the adjustments are challenging, especially for people in their 80s.

For our generation (early baby boomers), roles are not so straight-forward.  Although hubby and I do have individual strengths and responsibilities, we'd manage the loss of one another with less of a lifestyle upheaval.  I hope that's good.

Grown up student.

I was in my home town, eating at the local fast food joint with my Mother, when a young man sat down next to me.  I didn't recognize him, but he did me.  He had just moved back with his family and was enthusiastic about having his children now in the same schools he attended.

This thoughtful man took the time to stop and tell me that I was his 3rd grade teacher (some 30 years ago). We had a nice visit, catching up a little with each other.  Then he sweetly told me I looked just the same. I guess when you are nine years old, grown-ups look plenty old already. It was lovely, just the same, and it brightened my day.

Often those sweet children grow up to be kind, caring adults.

Leaving a mark

Went to the cemetery with my mother to fix an arrangement on my Dad's grave.  Close by was a lady putting flowers on the grave of a son who died many years ago, but far too young.  It would have been his birthday.   She was accompanied and assisted by a granddaughter.  This granddaughter was a little embarrassed by her just-washed hair and lack of makeup because she was once one of my students.

We visited a while, and she told me I was her favorite teacher. Not only was that incredibly sweet of her to say, but it really makes me think.  How many small things do we do that leave impressions--good and bad--on others?  She was in my class at least 25 years ago, and in my memory she was a gentle, obedient, good-natured girl.  What did I do to deserve that place in her memory?

It reminds me to be conscious of the daily, seemingly small interactions we have with others.  How are those remembered?  I'm sure sometimes we fade into vague recollections, and I often speak without enough thinking.  That kind young woman reminded me that if I leave a mark as I pass by, I'd like it to be a good grade.

I'm with you, Dennis!

So grateful to be getting older!

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic today so I'm taking a detour from my usual posts--few as there have been recently.

Thirty years ago yesterday, I was in congestive heart failure, more ill than I was willing to admit even to myself.  My mitral valve was so stenotic that the left atrium of my heart was enlarged and there was extreme pressure in the pulmonary veins coming from my lungs.  I could not walk a flight of stairs without stopping to rest and even though I had been teaching until a couple of days earlier, I had found myself resting against the walls as I worked with my students.  It wasn't until I looked back that I realized how close I had been to death.

I am so grateful I live in the time I do, because a talented team of people led by a gifted surgeon gave me another chance.  This is like my second birthday and I can't help but celebrate.  Thirty years ago my husband could have been left alone with a 5-year-old and a 14-year-old.  Now they are grown up, successful, and have given me six fabulous grandchildren.  Oh, what I would have missed!

In August there will be another celebration because I needed that surgeon and his team again ten years later.  That time, I knew the kind of trouble I was in.  But that is a story for another day.  Today I am remembering the gift from 30 years ago and feeling grateful for each and every day.

Reminds me of....me.

This comic reminded me of....me. It's nice to know the author of the comic strip has thought some of the same things I do.

Interesting language differences

Just got back from a trip to Australia and New Zealand. Had a lovely time and noticed some fun language differences.

There was a sign on the cruise ship's Promenade Deck asking people to walk or jog in an anti-clockwise direction, rather than counter-clockwise.

You don't call someone on the phone, you ring them up.

If you are a bit chilly, you need to put on your jumper (sweater).

You don't have to yield to traffic, but you may need to give way.

I did have a terrible time adapting to seeing vehicles driving on the "wrong" side of the road.  The idea that a left turn is easier than a right turn seems so odd to me.  I suppose that comes from more than 48 years of driving the American way.  I wondered which other countries do it the way New Zealand and Australia do:  the UK I suppose? Germany? Austria?  I know that some European countries drive the way we do, like Italy.  I think it would be pretty challenging to change back and forth.  Thank goodness I didn't have to do any driving.

Our crazy language

It's funny how language works.  Enough people say something that is grammatically incorrect, and eventually it becomes widely used and accepted.  Take, for instance, the past tense of sneak.  It should be sneaked (I sneaked an extra piece of cake), but people said snuck so much that it is in the dictionary now as an informal past tense.

I wonder why the past tense of peak (or peek) didn't become puck, or speak didn't turn into spuck.  Even sneeze could have been, "Yesterday I snuzz several times."

See, it doesn't really make sense why some words get changed and others don't,

While I'm writing about words, there are some expressions that have become so common that they are beginning to annoy me.  There is nothing really grammatically wrong, but they are used so much that it seems no one is willing to stretch verbal skills far enough to think of another way to say what they want to say.  Listen to how many times you hear (particularly on television) someone avoid answering a question because "it's complicated."  How often do designers of decor or fashion like the way a color or accessory makes something "pop."  Everyone seems to want to take relationships, experiences, or activities "to the next level."  If I notice others, I'll come back and add them.

Meanwhile, since I snuck an extra candy I'll try to take my exercise to the next level.  Afterwards I'll wear my red scarf so my outfit will have that pop of color.  I'd explain more, but it's complicated.

Oh commercials!

Commercial hyperbole is bugging me again.

 If you get a new pair of glasses from VisionWorks (used to be America's Best),  you not only get the glasses but a better you.  That's pretty impressive.  I've known a person or two who could really use a new pair of glasses from there.  Hey, if I get some glasses there, can I get rid of 20 pounds?  That would make me better.

Even more interesting is the United States Postal Service's commercial that states that there is nothing worse than going to the Post Office and standing in line.  Goodness, if that is the most terrible thing that can happen, have we all been making too big a fuss over serious illnesses, accidents, and deaths?  Are all our realities seriously whacked?  I've actually done that standing in line thing many times; it's a wonder I've survived.

I'll add others as they bug me.  Of course I realize that the commercials are not meant to be taken literally, but the exaggerated language annoys me.  That's why I love my DVRs.

I've also seen some cute license plates lately so maybe I'll have to post about those again.  There are some clever folks out there.

How much is a trillion?

I'm afraid we are becoming numb to the enormous size of the numbers our government uses.  When President Clinton was in office, we talked in millions.  President Bush in billions.  President Obama throws around trillions.

As a teacher, I used to try to help students understand really big numbers, because the words aren't particularly scary.  It's pretty hard to get your head around.

A trillion is a thousand thousand thousand thousand.  Not so bad?  That's 10 to the 12th power.  How about a thousand billions, or a million millions?

Still okay?  Current estimates put the number of stars in our Milky Way (the only ones we can actually see) at between 300 and 400 billion--but a fraction of a trillion.

If we had been able to spend a million dollars a day, starting with the birth of Jesus (on which our calendar is based), we would not yet have reached one trillion dollars.

It takes nearly 32,000 years to get to a trillion seconds.  Sixteen trillion is sixteen times as long (more than 500,000 years).  Are you worried yet?  I sure am.

Corn and People

As we have been working on enjoying and preserving the bounty from my father-in-law's enormous garden, I found myself thinking about an odd comparison.

Cobs of corn are sort of like people.  Some of them find their paths early and head toward maturity with purpose and nary a misstep.

Others take detours growing up.  Often finding their way after getting sidetracked by choices, chances, or challenges.

Some are just so darn unique that they defy the "normal" and mature in their own unusual way.

I expect we all know people of each kind.  And, like we do the corn, we appreciate what they bring to us.

I heard another good redundancy today.  A television news anchor was talking about a free concert series and mentioned that liquid beverages would not be permitted.  Here I thought all beverages were liquid.  So could someone take in a Coke popsicle?

I've also heard some new words: suicidality (the likelihood of someone committing suicide?); and how about a skin care product that will redensify your skin?

Then there is the continuing verbing of nouns (like I just did).  Stories are trending, we text, Google, fuel our cars, video events, and bookmark our favorites.  There are more, but I'll end with this appropriate comic.

Solar Eclipse from my front yard!

Just as the moon began to move across the sun.

I held my special viewing glasses in front of my little camera to take a picture.  It wasn't easy.

Getting closer.

Almost.

There, the Annular Eclipse; also known as the Ring of Fire.

It was so nice to have it right outside my front door.  The next solar eclipse to cross Utah won't be until 2023.  The way time passes, it will be here very soon.  I'd better hang on to my special glasses.