There is nothing like a parade, especially on the Fourth of July. We took in two – the parade in town at 11 AM and the boat parade on the lake at 3PM.
all of us – O, me, W, and B
July always seems like a busy month, I suppose all of the months are busy, but it’s July and I am in the moment. I’ve been flashing back and forth from past to present and present to past lately, some of it triggered by where I am and some where I’ve been. I needed something in between.
Friday, July 4th. Independence Day. It’s America’s birthday and it’s a three day weekend. America will celebrate it’s independence from Britain. There will be parades, families will get together, there’ll be cookouts and fireworks. There’ll be all sorts of merrymaking – most of which I won’t partake. I’ll settle for the parade, a little boating, hamburgers and hot dogs, and fireworks. It’ll be great day.
It’s bittersweet for us, grandma and grandpa were always here for the Fourth. Always. The past couple of years they’ve been unable to make it up together. Last year grandma was here, but it was different. Regardless, I am always thoughtful of this day as well as our other national holidays – Memorial Day and Veterans Day – and how and why they are important to our culture and who we are as a people.
the Fourth of July parade with grandma, grandpa, and the kids – W and O. 2006
I am ever so grateful for the courageous men and women who went before me – Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, and many more who debated and wrote the Declaration of Independence and set forth the ideas freedoms of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. Continue reading Freedom Friday→
Today is the first day of June. It’s a new month, a new season, and it’s full of possibilities.Summer vacation begins Friday for my students. They are so excited, I can hardly keep a lid on them; four of them have already left early for their summer vacation, and the rest are busy learning and working. I aim to keep it that way through Wednesday afternoon, mainly for my own sanity and mental well-being. Thursday, then Friday will be here before I know it and I’ll be signing yearbooks and asking my students what they plan to do with their 79 days of summer vacation.
“Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never — in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense.” Winston Churchill
It’s a new month, a new season, and it’s full of possibilities. Nevertheless, before I begin to think about what summer will be like, I need to go back and think about the year. The year was a challenge – full of triumphs and pitfalls in and out of the classroom. In the classroom, I had a new ELA curricula, based on the Common Core standards. I cringe when I say Common Core because it is sort of vilified these days. Folks in and out of education have turned Common Core into education’s current piñata – people just love beating on it. Unfortunately, it has not yet yielded any candy. It will be several years before educators know for sure if it is effective. But, I can tell you with absolute certainty there is a difference between my student’s learning from last year and my current students. This year’s students have developed into readers with a purpose, deeper thinkers, and stronger writers who can support their ideas with evidence from the text and their learning. However, they did not start that way. It was rough at the beginning of the year, but they have adapted and grown academically. They’ve also grown as people, too. They are ready for the next step, eighth grade.
Every year we attend the Memorial Day parade as a family. Sometimes we go to the parade at home, and other times we go to the one in Versailles – our home away from home. We usually ride our bikes to the cemetery and find a spot to watch the parade as it winds to an end and the participants file into the cemetery for the official Memorial Day ceremony. This year I walked, the kids and B rode their bikes.
There are veterans, politicians, firemen, police, bands, scouts, and other community organizations that march in the parade. There are the old, middle-aged, and young. They are dressed in red, white, and blue. They carry flags, wave at the crowd, and smile. One year I marched with the cub scouts. Sometimes it’s hot, sometimes it’s cool, sometimes it’s just right, but Monday it was between too hot and just right; depending if you were in the shade or not. The parade route is a lot longer than you think, but it is nothing compared to the sacrifice our veterans have made for their country.
“Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”
It’s that time of the year, again. There are two weeks left before summer vacation. Nine school days. Summer vacation would’ve been sooner, but we had the brutal winter with sub-zero temperatures and excruciating wind chills. Four school days closed twice for two days and days were moved from June to January to make up. There is nothing like summer vacation days in January. My students are working hard and last week it was clear they knew exactly how many days remained; some even knew down to the hour and minute.
Thanksgiving has come and gone and I am still thankful. I intended or planned to get up early Thanksgiving morning before everyone awoke and write a Thanksgiving Day post, but I didn’t get up early enough and when I did, I had a difficult time getting the cobwebs out of my mind and focusing. Instead, I gave up. Electing, instead to stay out of the way and help when needed.
W and I drove to Ohio late Wednesday, after W’s wrestling meet – the first meet of the year. We left a little after five and had to return because I forgot something. I learned later I forgot a few more things, but that is water under the bridge. B and O had left Tuesday. We had Ivy for the ride and she was a dream the entire ride over. In fact, the entire drive Wednesday night went well. The lake effect snow, which had been forecast for our route, was not heavy enough to make a difference on the roads. We arrived a little before midnight and B and O were up to greet us.
It does not exactly have the same ring as the classic line from William Shakespeare’s play, “The Life and Death of Julius Caesar” warning Julius Caesar of his impending doom; “Beware the ides of March.” I don’t have a soothsayer to remind me, I don’t need one, because I know the Ides of November – the middle of November – is a tough part of the calendar for me, it always has been.
Last Sunday was my birthday, I rolled over one more year, and I feel great. My birthday was a great time. W treated me to the Bears vs. Lions at Soldier Field. We had a great time. We took the train – the ‘8:15 into the city’ (“Takin’ Care of Business” – Bachman-Turner-Overdrive). Actually, it was the 8:53 and we arrived without fanfare just before ten. W read his book for English class and I read a book, too. Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick was just beginning to get good when we pulled into the train station. We caught the express bus to the stadium and we were inside watching the teams warm up before eleven. It was W’s first professional game. Even though he’s seen countless high school football games and a couple of Division III College games, the NFL experience is something to experience. It was my first time at Soldier Field for anything. I was impressed. I grew up on games inside in the Astrodome in Houston. They don’t play pro games there anymore, and I have heard they are thinking of tearing it down. Sad. The stadium is right along the Lake Michigan shoreline, America’s great inland sea. It was an absolutely beautiful day – clear skies, cool and sunny. The temperatures stayed in the forties and we were comfortable the entire day. It was Veterans Day weekend and the game was one of the games the NFL selected to be “Salute to Service” games where the league recognizes America’s soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen. American military and national pride was prominently on display. Continue reading Beware, the ides of November→
It’s Tuesday morning and I’ve been in Oxford for five days; counting this morning and Friday night, really, three full days, and I do mean FULL days. Regardless, my mission is done. Julie, rather Juliana (only one ‘N’) has the internet and an iPad.
During my time, here in Oxford I have exposed her to all sorts of new experiences – e-mail, the internet, and iPad apps. Along the way, I have left her a trail of notes and left behind a notebook with screen shots, but I hope, nothing overwhelming. It has been fun to visit, talk, and share. I wish we lived closer so I could visit more often, or she could visit us. However, that is not an option so I’ll have to write, e-mail, and call maybe even face-time. Continue reading Road Trip – Part 2: Homeward Bound→
The 49ers made the Celebration of the Century – 1980s decade stamps
Sunday was Championship Sunday and yesterday, I got half of my wish. I was hoping for a ‘no feathers’ Super Bowl, instead we got the Har-bowl: a Super Bowl where two brothers – opposing head coaches – are pitted against each other. It will be a good one, no doubt, but I will be rooting for the 49ers.
If you have followed me for a while, or even for a short time, you know I enjoy football. You might recall I have rooted for the Packers in the playoffs (2011), the Patriots in the Super Bowl (2012), and wonder if I just root for the team that is on top. Not true. Continue reading Much is required→
When I was a kid, I read a lot. I still do. I read when I can and I have been known to sit down, lay down, curl up and read a book in a day, or two. Sometimes my reading keeps me from doing something and I get the look, and guilt sets in. Over Thanksgiving break, I came home from school with a book I checked out, Safekeeping by Karen Hesse. I started reading in the LMC (library) when I picked it up, and when I got home, I sat down on the couch and read. I read until I was about to fall asleep. I climbed in bed and read some more. I read a bit the following day and finished reading it as the turkey roasted, Thanksgiving morning. It was a good read.
Most of what I read now is related to what I teach, and I teach kids, seventh graders, so I read adolescent literature. Some of it’s good, some not, but it is always interesting. Sometimes I find books for kids that have a similar adult book, almost a match, or similar theme to books written for adults. I truly dislike the term ‘adult book,’ but you know what I mean. As a kid, I read non-fiction and an occasional novel. I read about football, World War II, and occasionally I’d find a good read in a disaster book Continue reading Clothing tags→
