I have seen the following several times, and it makes me laugh each time. I don't know how wrote it, but I am sharing it anyway.
Could you imagine if teachers got paid what athletes did and athletes what teachers did?
Teachers' hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work 9 or
10 months a year! It's time we put thing in perspective and pay them for
what they do - babysit! We can get that for minimum wage. That's right.
Let's give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any
of that silly planning time, or any time
they spend before or after school. That ...would be $19.50 a day (7:45
to......... 3:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch and plan-- that equals 6
1/2 hours). Each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to
baby-sit their children.
Now how many students do they teach in a
day...maybe 30? So that's $19.50 x 30 = $585.00 a day. However, remember
they only work 180 days a year!!! I am not going to pay them for any
vacations. LET'S SEE.... That's $585 X 180= $105,300 per year. (Hold on!
My calculator needs new batteries).
What about those special education
teachers and the ones with Master's degrees? Well, we could pay them
minimum wage ($7.75), and just to be fair, round it off to $8.00 an
hour. That would be $8 X 6 1/2 hours X 30 children X 180 days = $280,800
per year. Wait a minute -- there's something wrong here! There sure is!
The average teacher's salary (nation wide) is $50,000. $50,000/180 days
= $277.77/per day/30 students=$9.25/6.5 hours = $1.42 per hour per
student--a very inexpensive baby-sitter and they even EDUCATE your
kids! WHAT A DEAL!!!!
Heaven forbid we take into account highly qualified teachers or NCLB . . . .
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Fireworks Community Show
Each year for the last 10 or so years, my local community has hosted a fireworks show. At first, it was just the city shooting them off from a field for all to enjoy. Everyone would drive to the other side of town to get a good view. In the last few years, they have had activities for families to do earlier in the evening or from about lunchtime until the fireworks start at the large community park. Last night, they even had a concert with a somewhat well-known country singer after the fireworks for those who purchased tickets. The community is really working to make this annual event something fun and worthwhile.
When my family began enjoying the community fireworks, my niece and nephew were little. We decided we would put together a picnic and go early to find a parking space, have a little fun, and settle down to watch. Our picnic each year consisted of pizza and soda. The kids loved it! We backed the truck or van into one of the first spaces with a grassy curb on two sides. We put down the blankets and chairs, we enjoyed dinner and conversation, and then we were ready for the fireworks. The kids loved it! My grandmother loved it! When my cousins, all right around my niece and nephew's ages, were in town, my aunt would bring them out, and the fun multiplied. We have great pictures of the kids all dressed in red, white, and blue having fun with one another. The kids remember these events and even mention them to this day.
While it isn't July 4th quite yet, the community fireworks were popped tonight. I surprised my mom and Great Aunt by telling them to put their shoes on and get in the truck. They didn't know where we were going. We stopped at Sonic for a half-price shake and then drove to the high school to get a spot. They enjoyed the show. This year, we could hear music playing. I think the community played music at the park, and we could hear it where we were.
While the evening was fun, it was sad. My niece and nephew weren't there for us to share this experience, and this is the first year without my Granny and Great Uncle, with whom my Great Aunt always watched the show. I know all those who have passed have the best seat in the house to see all the Nation's fireworks this year. I hope my niece and nephew get the opportunity to watch fireworks, even if it isn't with Gram and me.
Here are a few pictures I snagged from a friend on Facebook. I didn't take any pics, and when I do, they normally don't come out well.
When my family began enjoying the community fireworks, my niece and nephew were little. We decided we would put together a picnic and go early to find a parking space, have a little fun, and settle down to watch. Our picnic each year consisted of pizza and soda. The kids loved it! We backed the truck or van into one of the first spaces with a grassy curb on two sides. We put down the blankets and chairs, we enjoyed dinner and conversation, and then we were ready for the fireworks. The kids loved it! My grandmother loved it! When my cousins, all right around my niece and nephew's ages, were in town, my aunt would bring them out, and the fun multiplied. We have great pictures of the kids all dressed in red, white, and blue having fun with one another. The kids remember these events and even mention them to this day.
While it isn't July 4th quite yet, the community fireworks were popped tonight. I surprised my mom and Great Aunt by telling them to put their shoes on and get in the truck. They didn't know where we were going. We stopped at Sonic for a half-price shake and then drove to the high school to get a spot. They enjoyed the show. This year, we could hear music playing. I think the community played music at the park, and we could hear it where we were.
While the evening was fun, it was sad. My niece and nephew weren't there for us to share this experience, and this is the first year without my Granny and Great Uncle, with whom my Great Aunt always watched the show. I know all those who have passed have the best seat in the house to see all the Nation's fireworks this year. I hope my niece and nephew get the opportunity to watch fireworks, even if it isn't with Gram and me.
Here are a few pictures I snagged from a friend on Facebook. I didn't take any pics, and when I do, they normally don't come out well.
Random Thoughts From My Vegas Trip
Now that I have returned from our family vacation, I have had some random thoughts.
1. I love listening to my niece and nephew sing to the radio/CD, especially when they don't think they can be heard. Oh, how I miss those sweet voices!
2. 103 degrees in Las Vegas is far different than 103 degrees in Texas. I can handle warmer temps in Vegas far better than those in Texas. In Las Vegas, there is a big difference between standing in the sun and standing in the shade. You can feel the difference. In Texas, there really is no difference between standing in the sun and standing in the shade.
3. I really enjoyed being able to walk to and fro and found myself wanting to walk more and more. I didn't get tired, which surprised me.
4. I am so glad I got to have this experience with my mom and that my niece and nephew got to have it with her too.
5. In my opinion, the scenery on I-10 is better than the scenery along I-40 with the exception of the Grand Canyon.
6. Use the bathroom every time you see a roadside rest stop or when you get gas b/c there are areas where gas stations and bathrooms are few and far between.
7. Las Vegas is not as smoke-free as many other areas and states. I just kept thinking . . . If we weren't on the path to Lung Cancer, we are now.
8. More people stared at my mom, who is on oxygen and uses a wheelchair when we walk long distances, than we have ever experienced anywhere else.
9. I was astonished at the number of people who would literally light their cigarettes/matches/lighters right next to us with my mom on oxygen.
10. Las Vegas has a homeless situation, and the more we walked and passed these people, the more thoughts I had on what Las Vegas should be doing to change the situation.
11. We only visited one buffet, and I asked the waiter what they did with all the food at the end of the night as we were there just before they closed, and he said they just put it all in the trash. Really?!? I am sure there are rules that have to be followed, but with the homeless situation, is the trash the right place for all that food?
12. There is a volcano in Arizona. We happened upon Sunset Crater Volcano in the middle of the night as we were headed to Four Corners, so I don't have good pictures. Wish we could have seen it in the daylight.
13. There are lots of tourists in Las Vegas. The majority tend to sleep late and stay up late. If you want to walk around with few crowds, head out between 9:00 and 11:00 am.
14. We tried to eat like the locals and find less crowded and less expensive areas. However, restaurants and fast food places, even gas stations, away from downtown and the Strip close at 10:00 pm. Just be prepared.
15. I was a little worried about taking kids to Las Vegas for "vacation," but there is plenty for them to do. Check websites and blogs for free and less expensive things to do as a family. There were many families there, even with tiny babies and toddlers. (We were there for my niece's dance competition or it would not have been a place we would have visited right now.)
16. My niece and nephew noticed there were no children's channels on cable/satellite in the Las Vegas hotel.
17. We went through Border Patrol in New Mexico at 3:30 am. I was driving at the time, and everyone in front of me had to show ID. When I rolled up to the officer, he was nice and polite, asked how many were in my car, and told us to have a nice night. He didn't ask for or want to see my ID. I found that very interesting.
18. The parking lots and roads at the Hoover Dam are very dirty, covered in oil or something. My niece, nephew, and sister-in-law all wore flip flops. By the time we got back in the car from our visit, their feet were black. When the kids washed their feet in the tub once we go to the hotel, the dirt left a black ring around the tub.
19. The night we walked The Strip and wandered in and out of most of the hotels, Celine Dion was in concert in whichever hotel. As we walked by her theater, I told my niece and nephew all the people we were passing were going to a Celine Dion concert. They asked, "Who is Celine Dion?" I thought it was funny. My sister-in-law told them she is the lady who sings to the Titanic song. They then acted like they knew who she was, but I'm pretty sure they only knew her for that one song.
20. It is possible to go to and have fun in Las Vegas and not gamble, drink, or see a show. :-)
1. I love listening to my niece and nephew sing to the radio/CD, especially when they don't think they can be heard. Oh, how I miss those sweet voices!
2. 103 degrees in Las Vegas is far different than 103 degrees in Texas. I can handle warmer temps in Vegas far better than those in Texas. In Las Vegas, there is a big difference between standing in the sun and standing in the shade. You can feel the difference. In Texas, there really is no difference between standing in the sun and standing in the shade.
3. I really enjoyed being able to walk to and fro and found myself wanting to walk more and more. I didn't get tired, which surprised me.
4. I am so glad I got to have this experience with my mom and that my niece and nephew got to have it with her too.
5. In my opinion, the scenery on I-10 is better than the scenery along I-40 with the exception of the Grand Canyon.
6. Use the bathroom every time you see a roadside rest stop or when you get gas b/c there are areas where gas stations and bathrooms are few and far between.
7. Las Vegas is not as smoke-free as many other areas and states. I just kept thinking . . . If we weren't on the path to Lung Cancer, we are now.
8. More people stared at my mom, who is on oxygen and uses a wheelchair when we walk long distances, than we have ever experienced anywhere else.
9. I was astonished at the number of people who would literally light their cigarettes/matches/lighters right next to us with my mom on oxygen.
10. Las Vegas has a homeless situation, and the more we walked and passed these people, the more thoughts I had on what Las Vegas should be doing to change the situation.
11. We only visited one buffet, and I asked the waiter what they did with all the food at the end of the night as we were there just before they closed, and he said they just put it all in the trash. Really?!? I am sure there are rules that have to be followed, but with the homeless situation, is the trash the right place for all that food?
12. There is a volcano in Arizona. We happened upon Sunset Crater Volcano in the middle of the night as we were headed to Four Corners, so I don't have good pictures. Wish we could have seen it in the daylight.
13. There are lots of tourists in Las Vegas. The majority tend to sleep late and stay up late. If you want to walk around with few crowds, head out between 9:00 and 11:00 am.
14. We tried to eat like the locals and find less crowded and less expensive areas. However, restaurants and fast food places, even gas stations, away from downtown and the Strip close at 10:00 pm. Just be prepared.
15. I was a little worried about taking kids to Las Vegas for "vacation," but there is plenty for them to do. Check websites and blogs for free and less expensive things to do as a family. There were many families there, even with tiny babies and toddlers. (We were there for my niece's dance competition or it would not have been a place we would have visited right now.)
16. My niece and nephew noticed there were no children's channels on cable/satellite in the Las Vegas hotel.
17. We went through Border Patrol in New Mexico at 3:30 am. I was driving at the time, and everyone in front of me had to show ID. When I rolled up to the officer, he was nice and polite, asked how many were in my car, and told us to have a nice night. He didn't ask for or want to see my ID. I found that very interesting.
18. The parking lots and roads at the Hoover Dam are very dirty, covered in oil or something. My niece, nephew, and sister-in-law all wore flip flops. By the time we got back in the car from our visit, their feet were black. When the kids washed their feet in the tub once we go to the hotel, the dirt left a black ring around the tub.
19. The night we walked The Strip and wandered in and out of most of the hotels, Celine Dion was in concert in whichever hotel. As we walked by her theater, I told my niece and nephew all the people we were passing were going to a Celine Dion concert. They asked, "Who is Celine Dion?" I thought it was funny. My sister-in-law told them she is the lady who sings to the Titanic song. They then acted like they knew who she was, but I'm pretty sure they only knew her for that one song.
20. It is possible to go to and have fun in Las Vegas and not gamble, drink, or see a show. :-)
Friday, June 28, 2013
I Love My Doctor!
Starting in January 2012, I began seeing my current doctor. I needed someone closer to home, and I needed to follow-up on some things I had been monitoring with my previous doctor. I had heard good things about this doctor from my brother and sister-in-law, so I decided to give him a try. I really don't like seeing male doctors, but I gave him a shot anyway.
He is all about taking care of the whole body and not just the ailment. He wants complete health, and I really like that. He is also a data man, and I love that. I love data! Because I have insurance, I can get my blood work analyzed every three months. It is a very detailed, multi-page analysis where he looks at everything possible. After giving blood, I visit about 2 weeks later to go over everything. He gives me my own colored copy to go through with him. He makes notes in advance, and then I can make all the notes I want as he talks. We discuss each part. He asks me questions when some areas are a little off, and I ask questions when I don't understand something. He is patient and takes his time to make sure I understand where I stand with my health and what I need to do in the next three months.
For about a month before I give blood, I tend to worry that I'm not doing everything I need to do, but when I go for the analysis, I get good news. (So far anyway!) Everything I have been doing/trying is paying off. I am losing weight, my health is getting better and better, and I am feeling so much better than I did a year ago.
I was a little nervous at first b/c I thought he was into supplements and other things I really didn't understand. Well, he is about vitamins and Metagenics. He does his research about everything, reads constantly, and only wants the best for his patients.
When I leave his office each time, I feel invigorated to do even better the next time. I can stay the course and keep working toward good health and less weight.
I love my doctor!
He is all about taking care of the whole body and not just the ailment. He wants complete health, and I really like that. He is also a data man, and I love that. I love data! Because I have insurance, I can get my blood work analyzed every three months. It is a very detailed, multi-page analysis where he looks at everything possible. After giving blood, I visit about 2 weeks later to go over everything. He gives me my own colored copy to go through with him. He makes notes in advance, and then I can make all the notes I want as he talks. We discuss each part. He asks me questions when some areas are a little off, and I ask questions when I don't understand something. He is patient and takes his time to make sure I understand where I stand with my health and what I need to do in the next three months.
For about a month before I give blood, I tend to worry that I'm not doing everything I need to do, but when I go for the analysis, I get good news. (So far anyway!) Everything I have been doing/trying is paying off. I am losing weight, my health is getting better and better, and I am feeling so much better than I did a year ago.
I was a little nervous at first b/c I thought he was into supplements and other things I really didn't understand. Well, he is about vitamins and Metagenics. He does his research about everything, reads constantly, and only wants the best for his patients.
When I leave his office each time, I feel invigorated to do even better the next time. I can stay the course and keep working toward good health and less weight.
I love my doctor!
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Cell Phones and Other Modern Conveniences
I have had a mobile phone since I began working during high school. It was a bag phone that was too large to carry around with me. I didn't get a cell phone that I could carry in my pocket or purse until I was a Junior in college. I know I used it, but I wasn't "attached" to it. I used it to make sure my family knew where I was. I always called home when I left work, school, etc. I hardly ever texted, and I made few phone calls.
Once I began teaching full time, I still used my phone sparingly. I called home every day when I left work, I used it to talk to folks when necessary, and I began texting more.
When I moved from the classroom to Central Administration, I got a Blackberry. I know now, looking back, that I was a little too attached to my phone during the first few years of having it. I checked it constantly. I got over a 100 emails a day, numerous phone calls, and plenty of texts. Being in a new position, I felt "on call" all the time. I had 3 campuses and central office asking questions, needing info, and more. I finally set some rules for myself. No messaging/checking messages after 9:00 pm or before 6:30 am.
Now, I try to make sure I don't have my phone out and visible when my attention should be on something else. If I am at the table, a meeting, class, etc., I try to keep my focus on the people I am with or the task at hand.
I had to do some growing and learning, but now I see how wrong I was those few years. I missed out on family time and appeared disrespectful when not giving my full attention. With this in mind, it amazes me the amount of time and when people are on their phones.
I saw this on Facebook yesterday. Enjoy!
It reminded me of my thoughts on cell phones, but it hits on many other modern conveniences that could be discussed. I put my thoughts in blue at the end of each statement.
Growing up without a cell phone
If you are 36, or older, you might think this is hilarious!
When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were. When they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning.... Uphill... Barefoot... BOTH... ways...yadda, yadda, yadda
And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on my kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!
But now that I'm over the ripe old age of forty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today. You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a damn Utopia! And I hate to say it, but you kids today, you don't know how good you've got it!
1) I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have the Internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the damn library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalog!! (When I was in high school, we volunteered through National Honor Society to begin the city's public library. One of our jobs was to create the card catalog!)
2) There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter - with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox, and it would take like a week to get there! Stamps were 10 cents! (Well, stamps were more expensive than that, but I did right many letters. I also wrote tons of notes to friends that we passed between classes.)
3) Child Protective Services didn't care if our parents beat us. As a matter of fact, the parents of all my friends also had permission to kick our ass! Nowhere was safe! (In the town where I lived, if you got in trouble at school or somewhere in town, your parents knew before you got home. You knew how to act b/c you were raised "right" and b/c everyone knew you. We knew everyone and everyone knew us.)
4) There were no MP3's or Napsters or iTunes! If you wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the record store and shoplift it yourself! (My dad was a record collector, so we spent many Friday nights in the record store.)
5) Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio, and the DJ would usually talk over the beginning and @#*% it all up! There were no CD players! We had tape decks in our car. We'd play our favorite tape and "eject" it when finished, and then the tape would come undone rendering it useless. Cause, hey, that's how we rolled, Baby! Dig? (Yep!)
6) We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called, they got a busy signal, that's it! (Yeah!)
7) There weren't any freakin' cell phones either. If you left the house, you just didn't make a damn call or receive one. You actually had to be out of touch with your "friends". OH MY GOSH !!! Think of the horror... not being in touch with someone 24/7!!! And then there's TEXTING. Yeah, right. Please! You kids have no idea how annoying you are. (Yep!)
8) And we didn't have fancy Caller ID either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your parents, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, the collection agent... you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister! (If you wanted to dodge calls, you just didn't answer at all.)
9) We didn't have any fancy PlayStation or Xbox video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like 'Space Invaders' and 'Asteroids'. Your screen guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination!!! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen.. Forever! And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE! (My brother played Atari. I'm sure I played some, but I wasn't into video games, and I still am not today. I played and played using my imagination daily. I think kids are missing out on that today.)
10) You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your ass and walk over to the TV to change the channel!!! NO REMOTES!!! Oh, no, what's the world coming to?!?! (I was the remote for my parents' tv when I was little. I had to get up and change the channels. When my parents replaced the living room television with a new one, I got the old one for my bedroom. The remote only went one direction. If I was on channel 8 and wanted channel 5, I had to go all the way through all the channels until it got to the end and then started repeating or I had to get up and change it at the tv.)
11) There was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I'm saying? We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little rat-bastards! (Yep! We only had cartoons on Saturday mornings until I was a little older and there were some on television right after school.)
12) And we didn't have microwaves. If we wanted to heat something up, we had to use the stove! Imagine that! (I don't know how I made it with out a microwave. I use it all the time now.)
13) And our parents told us to stay outside and play... all day long. Oh, no, no electronics to soothe and comfort. And if you came back inside... you were doing chores! (My brother and his friends played all day at each others' houses or outside. He didn't come home until it got dark. I, on the other hand, was not one to play outside. I played in the house, especially my room, using my imagination to do all kinds of things or visit great places.)
And car seats - oh, please! Mom threw you in the back seat and you hung on. If you were lucky, you got the "safety arm" across the chest at the last moment if she had to stop suddenly, and if your head hit the dashboard, well that was your fault for calling "shot gun" in the first place! (Car seats existed when we were little, but they were not required. My brother wouldn't stay in his.)
See! That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled rotten! You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1970 or any time before!
Once I began teaching full time, I still used my phone sparingly. I called home every day when I left work, I used it to talk to folks when necessary, and I began texting more.
When I moved from the classroom to Central Administration, I got a Blackberry. I know now, looking back, that I was a little too attached to my phone during the first few years of having it. I checked it constantly. I got over a 100 emails a day, numerous phone calls, and plenty of texts. Being in a new position, I felt "on call" all the time. I had 3 campuses and central office asking questions, needing info, and more. I finally set some rules for myself. No messaging/checking messages after 9:00 pm or before 6:30 am.
Now, I try to make sure I don't have my phone out and visible when my attention should be on something else. If I am at the table, a meeting, class, etc., I try to keep my focus on the people I am with or the task at hand.
I had to do some growing and learning, but now I see how wrong I was those few years. I missed out on family time and appeared disrespectful when not giving my full attention. With this in mind, it amazes me the amount of time and when people are on their phones.
I saw this on Facebook yesterday. Enjoy!
It reminded me of my thoughts on cell phones, but it hits on many other modern conveniences that could be discussed. I put my thoughts in blue at the end of each statement.
Growing up without a cell phone
If you are 36, or older, you might think this is hilarious!
When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were. When they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning.... Uphill... Barefoot... BOTH... ways...yadda, yadda, yadda
And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on my kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!
But now that I'm over the ripe old age of forty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today. You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a damn Utopia! And I hate to say it, but you kids today, you don't know how good you've got it!
1) I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have the Internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the damn library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalog!! (When I was in high school, we volunteered through National Honor Society to begin the city's public library. One of our jobs was to create the card catalog!)
2) There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter - with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox, and it would take like a week to get there! Stamps were 10 cents! (Well, stamps were more expensive than that, but I did right many letters. I also wrote tons of notes to friends that we passed between classes.)
3) Child Protective Services didn't care if our parents beat us. As a matter of fact, the parents of all my friends also had permission to kick our ass! Nowhere was safe! (In the town where I lived, if you got in trouble at school or somewhere in town, your parents knew before you got home. You knew how to act b/c you were raised "right" and b/c everyone knew you. We knew everyone and everyone knew us.)
4) There were no MP3's or Napsters or iTunes! If you wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the record store and shoplift it yourself! (My dad was a record collector, so we spent many Friday nights in the record store.)
5) Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio, and the DJ would usually talk over the beginning and @#*% it all up! There were no CD players! We had tape decks in our car. We'd play our favorite tape and "eject" it when finished, and then the tape would come undone rendering it useless. Cause, hey, that's how we rolled, Baby! Dig? (Yep!)
6) We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called, they got a busy signal, that's it! (Yeah!)
7) There weren't any freakin' cell phones either. If you left the house, you just didn't make a damn call or receive one. You actually had to be out of touch with your "friends". OH MY GOSH !!! Think of the horror... not being in touch with someone 24/7!!! And then there's TEXTING. Yeah, right. Please! You kids have no idea how annoying you are. (Yep!)
8) And we didn't have fancy Caller ID either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your parents, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, the collection agent... you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister! (If you wanted to dodge calls, you just didn't answer at all.)
9) We didn't have any fancy PlayStation or Xbox video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like 'Space Invaders' and 'Asteroids'. Your screen guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination!!! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen.. Forever! And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE! (My brother played Atari. I'm sure I played some, but I wasn't into video games, and I still am not today. I played and played using my imagination daily. I think kids are missing out on that today.)
10) You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your ass and walk over to the TV to change the channel!!! NO REMOTES!!! Oh, no, what's the world coming to?!?! (I was the remote for my parents' tv when I was little. I had to get up and change the channels. When my parents replaced the living room television with a new one, I got the old one for my bedroom. The remote only went one direction. If I was on channel 8 and wanted channel 5, I had to go all the way through all the channels until it got to the end and then started repeating or I had to get up and change it at the tv.)
11) There was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I'm saying? We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little rat-bastards! (Yep! We only had cartoons on Saturday mornings until I was a little older and there were some on television right after school.)
12) And we didn't have microwaves. If we wanted to heat something up, we had to use the stove! Imagine that! (I don't know how I made it with out a microwave. I use it all the time now.)
13) And our parents told us to stay outside and play... all day long. Oh, no, no electronics to soothe and comfort. And if you came back inside... you were doing chores! (My brother and his friends played all day at each others' houses or outside. He didn't come home until it got dark. I, on the other hand, was not one to play outside. I played in the house, especially my room, using my imagination to do all kinds of things or visit great places.)
And car seats - oh, please! Mom threw you in the back seat and you hung on. If you were lucky, you got the "safety arm" across the chest at the last moment if she had to stop suddenly, and if your head hit the dashboard, well that was your fault for calling "shot gun" in the first place! (Car seats existed when we were little, but they were not required. My brother wouldn't stay in his.)
See! That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled rotten! You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1970 or any time before!
Teaching: The Job Everyone Thinks They Can Do
I read this blog yesterday and thought it was worth sharing. Enjoy!
The Hardest Job Everyone Thinks They Can Do
The Hardest Job Everyone Thinks They Can Do
Monday, June 24, 2013
Those Who Can and Summers
Last weekend, I heard, for the umpteenth time, "Those who can, do. Those who cannot, teach." I don't know who said this originally or why, but it really angers me when I hear it. I mean ANGERS me! Yes, most, well, all of the time, it is said by a non-educator who has absolutely no clue what it is like to teach, but still. It angers me!
My dad gave me a sweatshirt many years ago that said, "Those who can, do. Those who can do more, teach." This I love!
One time in a store, a lady misread my sweatshirt and almost attacked me. Once she reread it, she really liked it and explained how the original quote upsets her too and she was ready to go after me if that is what my shirt said. She, too, was an educator.
I am sure you have heard comments about how teachers get paid for the summer when they don't actually work. "Teachers get 3 months off plus all those other holidays," they say. I just saw this on Facebook, so I thought I would share. It isn't one I have seen before.
My dad gave me a sweatshirt many years ago that said, "Those who can, do. Those who can do more, teach." This I love!
One time in a store, a lady misread my sweatshirt and almost attacked me. Once she reread it, she really liked it and explained how the original quote upsets her too and she was ready to go after me if that is what my shirt said. She, too, was an educator.
I am sure you have heard comments about how teachers get paid for the summer when they don't actually work. "Teachers get 3 months off plus all those other holidays," they say. I just saw this on Facebook, so I thought I would share. It isn't one I have seen before.
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