Hitler Youth to Brownshirts; Painted Babies to Beauty Queens

TLC premiered the pageant documentaries Painted Babies at 17 and Toddlers & Tiaras in September. I don't watch much TV, so I missed them.
I did, however, just watch this clip, and it makes me shudder. Kids are so very responsive to parent/guardian praise and punishment. They are so very eager to earn praise and to do good. I don't know if any other beastie in the animal kingdom is so hardwired for positive reinforcement. I do know that this kind of behavior on the part of a parent is deplorable.

Boys are far from immune, either. I've witnessed hapless youth manipulated into daddy's little (fill in the blank--mini-me). It was nationalized by the Germans when the Hitler Youth came into being, but it is widespread everywhere, even here in Kansas, today. Sporting events are the most obvious. I've seen parents at ballgames behaving in ways that would make even the Fuhrer embarrassed! I know of one daddy who drives his kids so very hard with insults that I have come close to intervening. It reminds me of an article I read last year about some parents pitting their kids against one another in a street fight, just to "toughen them up." I wouldn't be surprised if those same parents may have been taking side bets on the victor.

To me, it all goes back to letting kids be kids. Let them be little. Give them time to grow into whomever they are inclined to become. I hope I do not put too much of my direction on the shoulders of my little ones!

Reflections

*sap alert*

It's the end of October, a time of year my Trick or Treat bag is stuffed with jawbreakers, deal-busters, heart ache and mirror-shattering reflection. Irrevocable errors happened here, this date in history, events occurred in haunted houses now bull-dozed away (some of them literally).

Death haunts me in this season, when I feel the chill in the air and curse the ice to be scraped, when I mourn the loss of leaves and stare bleakly at the cold gray days—I remember vividly the last heart-to-heart I had with my late father. I return to that ghastly first Thanksgiving without him, and the funeral just days later. It’s the time of year things happen for a reason: rediscovering the ring my uncle pulled from my dad’s dead fingers and put into my palm, finding an old file box with journal entries from that first year without him. I feel the cold indifference and harsh wind of western Kansas, always pushing against me.

I revisited the campus and office and mentor of SLC, these three letters meaningless to any reader, though forever emblazoned on my soul. It was Service Learning Central, a cause I mistakenly gave my very life’s blood for a decade. I had no life to speak of, and I drove so many people so hard it’s a wonder I have any friends from that era. We did many great things, but the motive is always dubious in my memory and the blinding zeal I once had for it will never return. (Here, anyone who endured that with me is happy!)

It was bizarre to be back in that place at this time, almost five years since I left. I was working early in the morning on the first day of Thanksgiving break when a sheriff called me in the office to give me the bad news about my father. From there it was a whirlwind of decisions, of doors closing, of leaving and moving and mourning not only my loss of my father but also the shattering of my spiritual compass, my driving force. I was without rudder, without a soul it seemed, for the better part of a year.

To stand again in my old office, the birthplace of many great ideas, the forge which burned white hot so often with enthusiasm unbounded…to be me, now, unplugged, in that place that had once been more my home than my house…it was so very odd. I was just in an office, an old paneled and painted humble basement office. Very little of the original furnishings, photos, etc. remained—just enough to bring back a resonance I was not too sure I wanted to feel. I was all at once haunted, then relieved. My wife and three kids were with me there, and I was quickly able to distance myself from myself, to regain my traction and healthy perspective that I’ve worked at for these last few years.

The end of October also screams shrilly of the end of the semester, a time one should be relieved, a time to enjoy some vacation time. I tend (typically) to balloon up with regret and sorrow. I begin, about now, to miss the students I’ve just come to know. I start listing, last week in fact, my many shortcomings this fall that I would like to improve upon for next term (late return of work, not enough emphasis on textbook…). At the turn of the year, I do this same thing with my own self improvement inventory.

I know it’s football season, that it’s the time of scarecrows and bonfires and pumpkin carving fun. I love the color, the crispness, the upcoming Turkey feast! I like nesting for the winter some, not having to mow for a few months. I even like the challenge of getting from point A to point B in the snow, against the elements. Hopefully, whenever I am in the shadow of all the darker memories of this season I can find a focus to celebrate now and then.

Otherwise, it’s pretty grim!

' Verse

We may have lost the battle...okay, even the war...but you STILL can't take the sky from me. You can't even take my patriotism away. Like it or not, thousands of veterans pressed for this monument, our last stand, oddly enough a place I'd never visit (but love to know is there).

I could so easily get drawn into RPG's. Long ago, there was a little game we played on the big floppies called ZORG. It required one to have several disks on hand, to swap them out on command. It was purely a monochromatic screen with interactive text, but it wowed me at the time. I worked my way through a series of levels of that game, and had it not been for a computer failure, I might still be at it to this day--absorbing.

I do not know what it is that makes one so susceptible to such gaming, where one takes on a persona, lives and breathes in-character. Maybe it's a sort of frustrated acting urge. Maybe it's some dissatisfaction with real life (RL). In my case, it isn't either.

I think in my case it's that I like fiction. I really like being immersed in a good read, and for me, one step further is being interactive with a fiction. That's likely what the springboard has been that's stimulated my interest in Virtual Worlds, namely, currently, Second Life.

I am going to do some research on this whole thing, from RPG's to VW's overall.

Meanwhile, an update: I have now discovered how troubling it can be when one's avatar goes bad. Well, it was no one's doing but my own, of course, but it seems my avatar is forever changed. I was tinkering with various "looks" and now cannot return (without a great deal of rework and time) to his look of over a year. (I should have saved his likeness in-world, in my inventory, I now know.) Anyway, I'd read of how people became attached to their avatars, how they even developed relationships of a kind with them. When one finds too much of his/her identity in a cartoon (as my skeptical friends call them)likeness, something is, indeed, amiss. I would not say that I am mourning Gawain's lost appearance, but I am disturbed by it. This, too, would be a great area to research and report on: self-image and avatars.

For now, I will close with a thought (redundant for anyone who is a regular reader, I fear, or anyone who is a meatspace friend) on corporate greed. I have a deep, abiding dislike for corporate ownership, franchising, branding, naming...the works. I wish everything were mom and pop operations.

How refreshing to encounter, say, variations in our food at fast food restaurants. How great it would be to stumble upon the unexpected gem among greasy spoon cafes. I love to do this, but I am always out-voted in my family; they favor eating food in paper wrappings in a laminated environment that is likely cleaned with a garden hose.

Already advertising creeps into our every pore and pixel, and that is the first wave of corporate branding. Already some parents whore out their children to be branded by major corporations, models of theirs, sponsored by x, y, z company. The exchange is that the kid wears company gear, talks the company talk, etc. Already space launches have been sponsored by corporations--space, the final frontier! Space above countries is "owned" you know, and there are already lawyers who work exclusively on issues of air space and space law.

Some companies are so vast we are not commonly aware of them. They have ownership and market controls of everything from food products to auto parts, from pencils to porn (I'm just speculating on the porn). Altria, PepsiCo, Sony...

In my 'verse, there's an even bigger corporate presence, Blue Sun.

Music--so Interesting!

I thought I had a good grasp of music, that I knew what I liked, until I began twiddling around with online tools that give me free access like Seeqpod and now Pandora. I've used iTunes and LastFM and LimeWire for various purposes, and I have surfed my way into some very interesting music at such spots...but Pandora, part of the "Music Genome Project" is my favorite musical tool online. Through it, I have found bone-wracking interest in Ska, some Punk, and a broad variety of Electronica that I would never have paid for upfront w/o a listen.

Right now I'm listening to LostProphets and Reel Big Fish. Earlier, I was on my own channel for Irish instrumental music of Tempest and Runrig. First thing this morning, I started the day with some interesting "surf revival" music from my friends, "Man-or Astroman." and Hellecasters.

I've quadrupled my musical horizons, if one could measure such a thing, in just a few months. I've made some very unique playlists, and if only I had time, there's a great deal I'd like to do with some of the music I've discovered, from using it for podcast sound beds to making overlapping mixes and such...even to just do something artistic (shadowbox, sculpt in clay, weld) to some of this music would be very liberating and fun!

The radio is so boring by comparison.

What is it?

I'm mechanical, and I like this site, "What is it?"
I frequent the site and am constantly challenged. See what you think!

The Jag-Wolves Pack

Grass growing high,
Vultures laying low.
Wolves laying on their left side;
Jaguars laying on their right side.
Footprints washing away
Rain swooping down with hail.
Bears hibernating.
Dingoes off for their evening fish hike.
Lions off for their evening dingo talk.
Tigers off for their talk about the city.
Cheetahs talking with alligators about the tiger plan.

A poem by Jaxson Jarvis, age 5

CLICK

I've written of this repeatedly, so I guess it's a theme now. I so wish I could stop time, like in the movie, Click. I was just recalling a special effect of the Matrix series, in which one could zoom 360 around an action scene slowed to a stop...I wish I could do that.

Ever been in a car wreck? There is a moment of, "Oh, boy!" when you tend to know you're wrecking, when your car is upside down or your head's penetrating the windshield--and you stop time then.

A car wreck also leaves me with that terrible feeling that things are out of control, that I cannot reverse course now but must instead ride it out. Things are churning, chaotic, and chitty.

Such is this moment in my life, when everything from personal finances to national elections seems out of control. It's a time when I am away from my family so much it grieves my soul (even though I'm with them far more than most fathers get to be).

I am on a gut-wrenching merry-go-round, and I'm about to puke.

Usually, I'm pretty handy at fixing things. That's just it. Give me a plugged up toilet or a dead car, and I'm ready to go to work. Give me my personal life, and I don't even know where to begin. I need a therapist with some really innovative approaches to fix this broken machine, someone like MacGyver...

Haunting

YESTERDAY, my family made scarecrows. It was a great bonding experience, though we did have meltdowns, feuds, and some discussion over artistic license. Just as I was warming up, seeing scarecrow potential in everything from rakes to scoop shovels, trunk lids to tomato stands--we were done. (I made another one, later that day, just because!)

There is something in me that seeks expression in the crafting of beings--not my kids, here--scarecrows, sandsculptures, effigies, stick people...I do not know why this is a tendency I have. I don't remember anything profound from my childhood.

Deeper, I also find I am very good at crafting "scares" for others. This has some roots in April Fool's pranks, but it goes farther and farther from center. I operated a haunted house for two or three years, giving MONTHS of my life to its success. It consumed me. I was part of something large-scale scary, so much so that I could not tour my own haunt w/o screaming like a little girl. I was engaged in online chats with the operators of haunts in St. Louis, Salt Lake City, and on the outskirts of Hollywood. I toured a factory in Greeley, Colorado, makers of those life-like, life-sized creepy robotic things. We literally bought out a haunted house in Topeka, and 8 of us and a semi-tractor trailer hauled it back and adapted it to our purposes.

Now, for any new readers, I am not into the occult nor black arts. I don't even like Black Sabbath. (I don't even like the color black, if you really care.) There were no pentagrams nor strange worship services at our haunt.

A pinnacle, however, was the larger-than-life Grim Reaper we crafted. It was shockingly realistic (though, how could a mythic figure be realistic?). I hope I still have photos of it somewhere.

Building scarecrows reminded me of building that Grim Reaper. I could populate my whole 11 acres with such things and invite the public, but I don't think my family would like it much.

I still don't know why it gives me such a charge.

There be monsters...

I waffle on this, for to acknowledge anything beyond flesh and into the supernatural opens opportunity and responsibility to reckon with all things ethereal. While I have been at the deep end of the pool on this before, of late I've been treading water.

That said, I find the theory that kids see into this beyond to be a very engaging theory, one that I have had a good deal of exposure to and one that my kids evidence regularly (without being prompted, coached, educated, etc. in this).

My wife chronicles this often in her blog. One kid or another over the years has sighted, had conversations with, is afraid of...someone who is not tangibly present. I'm not writing of your typical "imaginary friend" here, but someone who can cause a boy to stop in his tracks and wet himself in fear. These are the invisible visitors that may make a five year old (or a toddler) weep, cling to a parent, etc.

Sure, they have been inclined to put blame on these "ghosts" for their own misbehavior at times, and (even though we do our best to regard their notices of visitors as just another conversation) they might have mentioned a hobgoblin for attention sometime or another. All three do have very vivid imaginations and all three do have (readily acknowledged) imaginary friends and episodes of monologues (and dialogues) which would lead any outside observer to question their their perceptions of reality if not their sanity.

But none of their imaginary friends, Nobody, Jeff, etc...even the one legged man with the hat--none of these regular "folk" cause the reactions that other, more sinister apparitions seem to.

Many argue that we limit our perceptions as we grow older. It is said that this is vital to our coping with all the sensory overload we increasingly-encounter. We also are very responsive to social conditioning that tells us what is real and true, what is accepted behavior (even observation). We are beaten over the head with, "That's just pretend" and "You're making that up," and other conditioning that (so they say) numbs us to potential supernatural perception.

I intend to make this an object of study beyond my own kids. I wonder if most young children have such sightings. I want to find out! Meanwhile, we continue to listen to our kids express themselves (with as little judgement, coercion, etc... as we can) to better understand what it is they may see that we cannot.

An ignorant voice on the Bail Out

See the title? I admit I know virtually nothing about this. Established? Good.

I do know that when politicians and the media begin shifting semantics and spinning euphemisms that it is time to be wary. What began as a bailout has become a rescue plan. By the time it is signed, sealed and delivered, it will likely be further blurred to "The Financial Support" law or something equally non-descript.

I do know that when farmers were going through bankruptcy there was no bail out from the feds. Any good farmer would have rejected it anyway, on principle, but too many of us had already sold out our principles to the FHA to stay in business. Remember farmers, those folk who feed you? Not some sneely, squirmy, white collar criminals shuffling paper all day.

I know that, under whatever pretense, once the government "owns" most business, industry, enterprise, etc...that we're in deep dip. All we need now is some charismatic hero to raise the homeland to new heights. Then all the predictions of my professor regarding fascism shall come to pass in my lifetime, as he would daily rant to us over 20 years ago.

I know that I am not yet at the point of self-sufficiency, self-reliance and self-defense that I need to be. I may have seeds, arms, skills, etc...but dependants in my household are also drug dependent. We have no stockpile of fuel (well, wood I guess).

Which, while I'm ranting, gets me to dependency in general. I have shaken the chains of tobacco and television. I gave up culinary delights and would just-as-soon eat cornbread every day for the rest of my life. (mmmmmm....cornbread!) I have escaped a prescription mood enhancing drug (...the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at 2.4 billion drugs prescribed in visits to doctors and hospitals in 2005. Of those, 118 million were for antidepressants.) I guess I'm ready as I'll ever be for financial ruination. Bring down the grid. Let weeds grow in the cracks of our highways. Let freedom ring...oh, but...what about my Internet. I can't live without that!

Stop the press and let me vote. I'll not be without my Internet!

This, I think, models what we need to do for all of voting age. Drill down. (Not like JMc and Palin, per se.) Drill down to what matters to people, whether it's the daily fix of Dr. Phil or the constant contact of a cell phone. Whether it's (gov't supported) Meals on Wheels or (gov't dependent) school sports. Wherever it hurts, we must touch with some catalytic vigor to drive all the sheep to the polls.

Even if they're ignorant, like me.

Sensitivity Training

In its original context alone, this phrase "sensitivity training" is interesting. It is used to help people better relate/identify with people who are differently abled. In my former life as a volunteer coordinator, we would host sensitivity training events in which able-bodied students would don gear to simulate disabilities, everything from visual impairment to numbed limbs. It was a 'walk a mile in my shoes' object lesson, and it was potent. We also had a campaign in which we would get ahold of a dozen wheelchairs and spend the day trying to navigate town/campus from that vantage point--VERY eye-opening. We reflected not only on the challenges, but also on the way we were treated differently by others.

Sensitivity training could also be offered between spouses. Usually one thinks of the insensitive male, though my wife accuses me of crying at movies (a blasted lie, I say).

It's really kind of silly trying to amp up one's sensitivity. At the physical level, I've heard it can be done temporarily with various substances abused in entertaining fashions. I know, too, that when one gets a burn or chips a tooth, they become more sensitive at this physical level. I've even participated in some meditative exercises that brought sensation to my heightened attention.

HOWEVER, what I'm writing about is my personal need to be more sensitive to my own children. Last night proved this out fully. First, we live in the country and do not have anyone in a cul de sac or otherwise on our land/in our driveway unless they have reason to be there. Unsolicited, as we had a visitor last night, leads us to cracking open the armory, as we did last night. A loud vehicle pulled into our driveway (as too damn many do to turn around) and did NOT beat a hasty retreat. The headlights poured into our family room. People reacted differently. Roger (beagle) howled. Some of us joked around coarsely. One actually did secure arms. The surprising thing was the reaction of our 20 month old. He ran to his aunt and clutched her, his heart pounding. He would not be put down for a 1/2 hour. He then would stand at the window and look out with great anxiety for the longest time....and he can't even talk about it. Poor kid. He absorbed everyone else's varied angst and amplified it for himself. He is very empathetic.

Child number two will cry big crocodile tears and be wounded of spirit if you nag, poke fun, sometimes even mention or question him wetting his pants.

Child number one, last night, had his own thermonuclear meltdown. We watched "America's Got Talent" this season (sorry, I must confess this most embarrassing truth). He had a chosen favorite that made it to the final two...but when the "piano man" lost out to the opera singer--WOW! My son flopped out of his chair, rolled on the floor, cried until he could not breathe nor speak, got very worked up in bowels and generally contorted his whole person into a hateful, vengeful anger. I mean, c'mon son, it's only a game show. He would NOT be consoled. He would NOT listen to reason. He was mad.

It's very interesting (and often alarming) to see raw emotion, absorbed emotion, and other such things coming unvarnished from my kids. Such an interesting study. I do not mean to take their emotions lightly, and I do not intend to objectively study them like lab monkeys--I'm just saying, it's outright fascinating.

I'm glad, after these recent exposures (and in spite of what I said a few entries back) that adults harness back some of this emotive blast.

Entropy

The sky is falling.

Online Etymology Dictionary
entropy

1868, from Ger. Entropie "measure of the disorder of a system," coined 1865 (on analogy of Ger. Energie) by physicist Rudolph Clausius (1822-1888) from Gk. entropia "a turning toward," from en- "in" + trope "a turning" (see trope).

American Heritage Dictionary
entropy
4. The tendency for all matter and energy in the universe to evolve toward a state of inert uniformity.
5. Inevitable and steady deterioration of a system or society

It truly seems to me (yes, even me, the eternal optimist!)that we are at a nexus, a crossroad, a point of no return--something big here, anyway. I don't know what to call it, and I don't have ample evidence for anything, but I feel it. Don't you?

The stock market is more volitile than it has been in history. We're spending more as a nation and in debt more as individuals than ever before. We have bizarre doings in abundance in politics, global inequities, and general unrest.

At the same time, we have a population of sheep that is inclined toward "inert uniformity" locked in the doldrums of television and a pop culture that's lost its poop.

This is an uneasy time to be a parent. It makes one sometimes regret those moments of reproductive rhapsody, for what have conceived and borne must bear out this strange new world, and we (parents) are too-soon going to leave them to it, to fend for themselves.

Hell, it's an uneasy time to be anyone. If I were only a pet owner, I'd have misgivings about what my poor beagle was to be subjected to in his 12 years.

Students must have a terrible time sleeping at night, for they are less insulated from/more immersed in the wild New World. Apparently, they have grown up with it and have a degree of immunity or deniability, for they cope amazingly well with pressures of the media, of peer groups, of the economy that won't let them enjoy childhood, let alone their college years.

Too much pressure. I just wonder how long it can all endure w/out some collapse and restructuring...and I wonder if maybe, just maybe, that would actually be a good thing.

Serenity/Firefly character...buggy display but fun!

Your results:
You are Wash (Ship Pilot)

Wash (Ship Pilot) 75% Jayne Cobb (Mercenary) 75% Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command) 70% Malcolm Reynolds (Captain) 65% Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic) 60% Derrial Book (Shepherd) 45% Dr. Simon Tam (Ship Medic) 35% Alliance 35% Inara Serra (Companion) 25% River (Stowaway) 25% A Reaver (Cannibal) 20%

You are a pilot with a good if not silly sense of humor. You take pride in your collection of toys. You love your significant other.

Click here to take the Serenity Personality Quiz

Second Life -- who says you can't have a do-over?

I am referring here, of course, to the immersive, 3-D, first-person "player" online presence known as Second Life. A great deal of educational theory is being tested in-world these days, and I'm happy to become a part of secondary ed's toe-dip into that environment.

I am too lazy to provide extensive links right here/now for my 3 readers, but I will suggest this one 'portal' to so many more: Pathfinder Linden (John Lester)'s Education Bookmarks

I know it is not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but I do think some students will find a home there, take classes w/n Second Life, etc. I hope to offer at least office hours if not whole courses w/n SL sometime in the near future.

My most public avatar is Gawain Grut.

Come into Second Life and look me up.

SNL makes me LOL in the early AM

Man, I've got to start staying up later!

Blended Learning

I am involved in yet another academic experiment, blended learning. Truly, this is only a buzz word, like "active learning" or "experiential learning" or any number of other phrases for common sense pedagogy...or more importantly, andragogy. All that jazz has to do with making learning engaging, memorable, fun, etc...and that's what I'd be doing even if I were sans computer. I always have made efforts to make learning palatable for all comers. (I do not always succeed, but I do try.)

Blended Learning is the practice of integrating tools of distance learning and face-to-face technique. I'm sure there are better definitions out there. For me, it is something I've practiced since I first started teaching online and via tele-courses and interactive television. Students are responsible for book-learnin' and for all manner of content absorption outside of/in advance of class. (I made a big deal of this during the first week this term, and a guy asked, "Mr. J, aren't you talking about...homework?" ...and yes I am.) When together in person, we then have the opportunity to share, digest, practice, work together, etc. in any variety of exercises, etc. to enhance, reinforce, restate, etc. what should be happening outside the classroom.

Leave it to my sick, twisted way of thinking. The first thing coming to mind when blended anything is mentioned is the classic bass-o-matic commercial.



Recently, I have had two sections of class that has "gone blended" and I hope never to go back. While students have been slow taking hold of it, those who do seem thrilled. The strategy reminds me of a format my old history prof used, lectures twice weekly (in which he had masses of students and he did not know/care who was there) and then a recitation/discussion break out every other week. The accountability was high in those small sessions, and I would say my learning was far accelerated via that venue than any other in my college experience. (It was over twenty years ago, so no high-tech distance learning technology allowed him to do anything but lecture to drive out content, back then. Now we have online learning management systems, like ANGEL, WebCT, Blackboard, etc. Now we have podcasting, TeacherTube, etc...what Dr. Linder could have done with all that!)

I, too, hope to amp up the accountability and learning curve in those face-to-face sessions. I hope that they will learn to come loaded for bear. I hope they will stump me daily. I, as stated all over this blog, hope to be their coach, and if they show up to practice all hot for English, well then, we can get something accomplished.

Getting folks there, primed, is the trick.

I hope to post more on this in the future as my adventures in Blended Learning continue.

Birth Order

I've not done any research on this, yet, but I am intrigued by birth order and personality development. Seems I remember somewhere that first-borns are often the Alpha type, and that would hold true from my personal experience and that which I'm seeing in my boys.

I know historically the first born would be first-entitled to inherit the wealth and responsibilities of an estate. I know (generally...often) first-borns are expected to shoulder the load, escort their younger siblings, set the example.

I could whine about this, that first-borns have so much put upon them. How could it be fair that we, simply by being first down the chute are thus expected to do more, be more, bear more?!

On the other hand, it must suck being second in line, second fiddle, always on the back burner. It must really bite hard being the kid foisted off on the older sibling when mom/dad has no time to manage whatever crisis that second one brings up.

I know my second born is struggling for his position in the pecking order, becoming ever-more vocal to compete with the non-stop stream of consciousness think-speak of his older brother.

My third in line uses his brawn rather than his bawl to assert himself.

Makes me wonder how it will all shake down as they grow up.

Anyway, I'm going to give this birth order issue more attention. Any suggestions are appreciated.

FRT's

Go here for the story on fish farts, then come back for more. So little that we know! I am fascinated by nature, and I'm happy to keep company with biologists that can enlighten me on a regular basis. I ask them questions like a 5 year old, and like a kind parent, they are always happy to lift the veil and make me smart.

The story linked above is not new news, but it's new to me. I guess I did not think much about fish flatulence prior to reading that piece. Now, considering how many fish are in the ocean, I wonder why it is not always churning like a bubbling jacuzzi. (I also thought fish, if they did fart, would contribute to the methane problem, but it turns out they fart nitrogen. I wonder what it would be like to fart nitrogen instead of propane? I'll have to ask a biologist.)

The article discusses a form of communication that routs from the fish's swim bladder out their south pole. I find it curious that the sound is almost an exclusive for that species, that other fish cannot hear their farting communication. That would be interesting. I wonder if my beagle can hear it when I pass gas on one of our walks. I wonder if fish make profound speeches in fart talk....state of the union addresses? proposals for marriage? polite conversation? water cooler--oh, well, their world's a water cooler, I guess...

I also wonder, as I do whenever I read such articles, just who has the time to listen to fish fart? Who's paying these jokers for their troubles? What potential application might this revelation have for our life/times? The article made me think that perhaps one might hone in on various kinds of fish and lure them in (or at least find them grouped, a shoal.) If we learn to communicate with them, maybe we can learn something new from their kind.

I was also taken aback by the potential problem of human-generated noise pollution. The scientists speculated it may have some adverse affect on fish communication. How often does one think about noise pollution to begin with...and then to think of it underwater? (!) I'll confess my ignorance--I'd never given it much thought. I figured a speed boat roaring over a lake might cause some annoyance for those below the water line, just as it does for those of us shore-side. I've always thought deep sea tests of nuclear bombs would not likely be well-received by marine life. But I've not often (well, maybe when swimming underwater) thought of noise pollution under the sea.

The "Family Bed"

The very idea of a “family bed” used to give me the willies. When I thought of kids sharing a bed with parents, my mind was drawn to Monty Python’s “Every Sperm is Sacred.”



When I heard the phrase, “the family bed,” I envisioned the scene from Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, in which Charlie has conversations with all four of his grandparents, who share what must be a filthy bed.

These sentiments were, of course, before parenthood. My wife introduced me to the idea just as our first child was born, and it was not long before we were debating what most parents must—do we let the kid cry it out in a crib or comfort him between us? Young parents are always on edge, eager to do What’s Right. The practice of sharing a family bed, also known as “co-sleeping” in the literature, or as night parenting among the Attachment Parenting crowd is an increasingly-common point of discussion.

According to James J. McKenna, Ph.D., an anthropologist and internationally-known expert on infant sleep, the parental urge to take junior aboard may stem from the thousands of years of human evolution during which family co-sleeping was the standard. In a winter, 1996 article in Mothering magazine, McKenna summarizes his views on the anthropological relevance of family sleep sharing, noting that "nighttime parent-infant co-sleeping during at least the first year of life is the universal, species-wide normative context for infant sleep, to which both parents and infants are biologically and psychosocially adapted...Solitary infant sleep is an exceedingly recent, novel and alien experience for the human infant."

Sources claim that what is taken as the norm now--solitary infant sleep and separate bedrooms for parents and children—truly is a phenomena of western culture and only about 150 years old. Most families of the developing world still share beds today. (93% of families in India co-sleep, while only 2% of American families regularly do.) Family beds (or at least bedrooms) are not so far removed from our common culture that terms like “sleeping lofts” or porches are alien to many of us. Back when warmth was hard to come by at night, families snuggled together under one quilt in one bed.

Some theorize that the move to pull apart families at night was one that advanced with affluence; as we could more readily afford more rooms, we did. Others claim a largely patriarchal psychological platform took nighttime parenting in a perverse direction. Consider this advice from the standard American baby handbook, What to Expect the First Year: "If you can tolerate an hour or more of vigorous crying and screaming, don't go to the baby, soothe him, feed him, or talk to him when he wakes up in the middle of the night. Just let him cry until he's exhausted himself-and the possibility, in his mind, that he's going to get anywhere, or anyone, by crying-and has fallen back to sleep.” Rationale for this behavior often returns to Dr. Benjamin Spock, whose book ''Baby and Child Care'' is considered the parental bible, warns against taking children into bed, because it fosters dependency and insecurity. There are also those who argue both ways as to the safety of a baby between two adults in bed.

The Family Bed is not something that bachelors really ever hear much about, and few men are eager to share their nuptial bed with a squirming, squalling reminder of birth control. There is little to be said in favor of sharing a wet family bed, and a new father need only be christened in spit up breast milk once—it’s enough to make any self-respecting man picket against the very idea of sharing a bed with a baby!

No, it’s not really an issue that gets much air time. Usually proponents of the Family bed are also those same individuals who “wear” their baby, grinding their own baby food, milk goats for fun and profit and candle ears for whatever ails ya. Naysayers might be the building trades (why have a 5 bedroom house if one room will do?), bachelors (see above) or the baby industry. I do not mean, here, the parents accused of being baby factories, but instead the commerce that has blossomed around babies, from shower gifts to furniture, accessories, and, of course, the ubiquitous: toys.

The industry has even come up with a device (look it up!) called Nature’s Cradle.” Katie Allison Granju, in her (1996) book, “Attachment Parenting: Instinctive Care for Your Baby and Young Child” shared some ad copy from a recent edition of the OneStepAhead baby catalog:

Nature's Cradle -- the most natural place for your new baby to sleep! This truly revolutionary sleeping and nurturing environment gives baby the familiar, comforting, soothing sensations of the womb, and even includes a maternal heartbeat. Nature's Cradle: Is it magic? Or just a brilliant new way to love your baby? The basic Nature's Cradle looks and feels like...a crib mattress. But it holds a unique secret -- a sophisticated system that simulates a pregnant mother's natural walking motion and rhythm, as well as her internal sounds and the gentle cushioning pressure of the last trimester...the mattress moves in a smooth, rhythmic rocking motion, accompanied by soft "whooshing" similar to the sounds of amniotic fluid and the beat of mother's heart...proven to be the most nurturing, calming place for your new baby to sleep. The Baby Bolster is an essential part of the system...three foam-filled positioning cushions properly swaddle your infant to keep him sleeping safely.


Reminds me of the old adage: “you can’t buy love.”

Why do I teach?

I was asked again today just why I choose teaching as a career. I cannot seem to go at that concisely, so here's the long-play version...

I like teaching. I told classes this week that I truly aspire to be a coach, rather than a teacher, for that seems to me more hands-on, more motivational, and more helpful in terms of skill building. I think of myself more as a facilitator of energy and optimism and language than I do as a conveyor of content. (At least, that's how I'd like to be seen, and how I see myself.)

I choose the Community College for many reasons, but overall, I feel I can be most helpful here. I know what it's like teaching at the University, for I did that for 5 years. Here, at least from my limited perspective, I am able to do more good, and that's what gives me my juice. The community college is more democratic, welcoming everyone with open arms rather than throwing up GPA or $ thresholds. The community college is, and this is key, IN the community, into community, enhancing and building on community. Beautiful synergy when it works.

I think most students (regardless of school) need a shot in the arm of enthusiasm and positive attitude. I am constantly impressed with their creative genius; they too often just fail to see it w/n themselves. That, to me, is what it's all about, inspiring that can-do attitude when it comes to writing.

When I was a kid we played Careers, a game (you guessed it) about employment. There were 3 veins of stuff to keep track of: fame, money and heart. The teaching track, just like real life, was heavy on heart, but not-so-much on the other two. That's just fine with me. I'm not in it for the cash. More important than the money, I have found free time, I've gotten myself a life, in the last few years. Before, I poo-poohed the vacation time, the flexible hours, etc. NOW, I crave every minute of time I can muster, and this job affords me a fair shake.

I am very content at the community college level and I feel that this level of education is going to become more appreciated as time goes by. It is localized, democratic, and user-friendly. It is the place for me.

*Brilliant*
Taylor Mali on "What teacher's make..."

Aspiring Pirate Playhouse Artist

Aye! That's me.

I've been surfing the net for two years and have found no better model than Daniel's Wood Land, Inc.

I so wish I could afford one of their ships, but I'll have to make my own. My boys and I have been scheming and drafting for some time now, and I hope to begin construction this fall. (Hey, I built an entire haunted house, I don't think this will really be that challenging!)

I have very lofty ambition but little resources. I do have trees, and that's a start. I'm hoping to make it something like the Swiss Family Robinson tree house at WDW (or better).

It will likely not be finished before my boys turn into men.

Dentists and Teachers

I heard this on the radio and have been giving it some serious thought...are teachers (traditional content-driven/delivery type teachers) a good deal like a dentists, free to harangue all they wish to a captive audience?

My dentist tries to establish rapport and maintain dialogue, even when my mouth is full of tools. I find that a bit disturbing.

I know some dentists really do just carry on a monologue the entire time they are working over patients. Typically, the patient has no opportunity to interject or interact. It's a one-way communication.

I sure hope my teaching is nothing like that.

Throw Deep

"I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather than my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time."
--Jack London

Someone once asked former NFL quarterback, Kenny Stabler what London's quote meant to him. He replied, "Throw deep!"

I used to cite that London quote when justifying being a workaholic. I frowned with disdain at folks who gave time to anything but community service/volunteering, saying they were selfish and squandering time. That was the old me, the deluded me. Now I know that time has to be BALANCED over many venues including spirit, family, freetime, service, work, etc.

Nonetheless, I am leaning toward something as graceful and compact for my vision statement as Stabler's reply.

As I understand it, to be a quarterback who is willing to throw deep is to be one who is a risk taker. For one, the defense is gunning for him and to throw deep takes a good deal of time, waiting for a receiver to get there, etc. To throw deep also requires more skill, and it also is risky for all the factors of passing are magnified with distance thrown. When such a pass is successful, it is a thing of beauty, awe-inspiring. It is often done when there's little to lose. It is the kind of move that can be mistaken for showboating, but it can also be the record-breaking, game-winning play.

I'm still analyzing it, but "Throw Deep" seems to be a pretty good, if not all-encompassing, vision. Feedback welcome.

Man's Surprising Laugh (video)

Man’s surprising laugh

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I was led to this last summer, and I still call it up whenever I need a good "yuck yuck" (like after a long day of lecture or grading). Once in a while, I will encounter someone with a distinctive laugh like this, for I listen for odd laughs at movies, comedy clubs, etc. Enjoy!

I'm seeking a Vision

So, last week we had a video warm up at in-service, something produced by National Geographic (at least it featured a photographer from NG, Dewitt (what a terrible name to grow up with) Jones. It was titled, "Celebrate What's Right with the World," and in a nutshell, that's what Mr. Jones had adopted as his personal motto or vision for life.

I've mentioned it before, yet I've yet to do anything about it. I have no vision. I suppose a guiding maxim for my life might be: do unto others...but that lacks direction.

In the shower I thought one up: "Be where you care to be, and be all there." Mr. Jones challenged us to limit our vision to six (6) words, so I've got some work to do if I stick with that. I like my working-vision, for it suggests that one would consciously and conscientiously choose where to be, then choose to be wholly in the then and there, that is, in-the-moment. Too often my mind is racing forward and back, replaying songs I like, going to my happy place...but if I can "be all there" then I might be 100% attentive, making more of the time.

I have a terrible time w/remembering exact detail unless I write it down, for I don't think I've got to lug it around in my head if I can just find it in writing somewhere (or a playlist, DVD collection, etc). My head is full of sub-routines of "things I like" rather than "must-remembers" or even trivialities I need to remember (like, say, my own phone number or where I parked).

MAYBE if I adopted the working-vision above--what was that again...oh, yeah...anyway, if I did, maybe I'd be more focused, like a Jedi or someone.

I continue on my vision quest, requesting any leads, input, criticism, etc. anyone might offer. Comment here!

Dead Still

Apologies to animal lovers of all sorts. I made an error in judgment.

We have a fire escape / climb-out window-well in our basement, and it has hosted cats, snakes, assorted insects, and lately (with all this moisture) frogs.

In fact, there was a frog family, if I'm not mistaken, living in that window-well. Three young ones grew from the size of my finger tip to a bit larger than my thumb--and it seemed to happen in just a week! Before I knew it, I could hear them jumping at the window, then sliding down. I could see them jumping two and three feet high, then gravity would bring them back to the window-well.

Well...

Eventually there was only one frog left, and it grew something like three-times the size of my thumb or more. One day last week I noted it was sitting in the corner, looking toward us at the window. I showed my boys. Then, a few days later, I spotted it there again, this time at night, and I shined the flashlight on it so the boys could again see the frog. They were thrilled.

...but a couple days ago, it seemed strange the frog was STILL in the same spot. It died in that spot, my wife suspects, for now it is being consumed by the very insects it would have eaten.

From my vantage point, it seems like that frog just sat to death. (I've seen students do this, and I'll have my hand (seat?) at it this week for in-service, too!) I have some ideas on what happened.

The frog was not as athletic as its two brothers and when it could not jump out as they must have done, it gave up. Complete lethargy. Resignation. "Just let the bugs eat me."

Maybe, the frog was a reincarnation of someone who was so overwrought with longing for life inside our basement that s/he just sat there aching for it, and ultimately ached to death.

Or...the frog was just waiting until that perfect moment, the absolute culmination of sun, moon, moisture and wind that would have made the escape jump perfect.

It may be the frog was brain damaged in an attempted escape jump and just could not get it back together.

Or maybe it was just a very lazy frog.

Anyway, now I have to explain it to my kids and shovel it up...unless I make it an object lesson in natural order, decomposition and all that "rot."

What is beauty?

I've been working over my course contents and remembered teaching the concept definition paper when I taught Comp 1...and I've been studying digital enhancement of models and body image in advertising lately for Comp 2 preparation...altogether, it's led me to this.

Today, it seems beauty is some artifice no one can achieve. It's a painted, flawless, china doll (though much thinner) airbrushed rendition of humanity. In many ways, it's becoming androgynous, and it seems to be encompassing older generations than it did just a few years back. (This last item, doubtless, due to the consumption potentials of the baby boomers--would not want to count them out with too much focus on youth.)

I'm no expert, but it seems beauty changes with the seasons. Not all that long ago, it was big hair (Farrah Fawcett Majors, for example). Trends seem to be heading toward the skeletal skinny and the immorally young for so much advertising. (I hear a rumor that Miley Cyrus was propositioned to endorse a condom company.)

I'm just musing here, but what if culture really adopted the "young look." We've all seen older people dressed "too young," but what if everyone did. We'd all be wearing action hero clothes and Care Bear lunchboxes would be IN.

I would not doubt that trends may take us there, to where every possible measure to look young, like pre-teen young, could be the order of the day. As cosmetic science advances one nip/tuck at a time, who can predict the end of it? We'd all be lusty pedophiles, though the object of our lust would be mature men/women.

I'm not done with this train of thought, but I'm fresh out of time.

Visual Thesaurus!

I was using this tool back when it was an idea, when it was in beta. I've been subscribed to Thinkmap's Visual Thesaurus for some time now, and I employ it in classes, in creative writing, and sometimes I just poke it for fun. iGoogle has made it a widget or gadget option (for free) these days, and I've introduced hundreds of people to it there.

The beauty of the visual thesaurus is that it "mind maps" words and their relationships. This is excellent for me, for it's how I think and how I learn. (Yes, I was a big fan of sentence diagramming, too, though no one else seems to have shared my zeal.)



I hope that some folks find it to be as useful as I do. (I have even downloaded an interactive version of it to my word processor.) From now on, it will be part of my header at MusementPark, for the utility of my readership.

A Romp on my Land

At long last, after over two (2) years of living there, I've finally found an expert who is willing to help me learn what's on my land: Bob Broyles, steward of Birds, Bees and Butterflies Nursery. I'm especially excited, for he is a xeriscaper, a naturalist, and shares my love for native plants and places (like the Konza Prairie). This past weekend we spent three hours roaming the property, taking pictures (forthcoming) and identifying flora. I learned a great deal, and I have ever-more appreciation for the land I'm on.

For great pictures of Kansas prairie, check out Judd Patterson's work.

FreeCycling

Outside Looking In: Freecycling

Bulletin boards are a dying breed. Once a powerful information outlet and community builder, they are becoming harder to find, like the public pay phone. One can still spot them in the occasional café, locally owned grocery, laundry, or mechanic’s garage, but they are not the ubiquitous resource they once were. The bane of corporate greed, bulletin boards offered free advertising of cheap, bartered, even free goods and services. They were free to use, unregulated, and often amusing. The cork was not judgmental, supporting both religious tracts and “For a Good Time, call…” promotionals. Some ads were simply business cards, while others were elaborately hand-crafted works of art that should have been canonized and catalogued. Creative spelling and poor penmanship could be found pinned next to crisp photocopied mass-production promos. There was no limit to the stuff of free enterprise. Imagine how many relationships were spawned by the bulletin board…what labor was bartered for a motor boat…millions of kittens given away…

Though they have not seemed to take note of the bulletin board, sociologists have noted the decline of civic groups, porch sitters and pay phones. They blame this ever-increasingly insular society on our economic boom, on air conditioning, and on television. Among the theorists, Robert Putnam, who penned the memorable “Bowling Alone” develops a convincing thesis along those lines. After the great wars, men returned needing a sense of camaraderie, and that was filled in part by civic organizations, bowling alleys and houses of worship. The economy was booming, and developments sprung up everywhere, like weeds, to accommodate the returning service men and to create a new lifestyle, the suburb, the bedroom community, etc. Houses were set in neighborhoods with designed traffic ways, with fewer sidewalks, with gates. They were often built with little or no porch to sit on, for with the advent of television and air conditioning, people retreated indoors.

Other advances have also affected our culture, like fast food which has soured digestion and dinner conversation. Cell phones have all-but-trumped the pay phone. And the Internet—well, the Internet gets kicked around like the Anti-Christ, blamed for just about every social illness. Altogether its built a curious climate in which a teenager may not know anyone else in their cul de sac, but s/he has “friended” over 234 people in social networks online. One may be able to pull down on a city from satellite imaging to even see faces and storefronts, yet not be able to find Ash St. with both hands.

Common sense has gone digital and sense of community will wink out with the power some day. The vestiges of bygone days, bulletin boards and real coffee shops—all but gone. Alas, it seems today only a small inner circle of folk know where to find and how to use a bulletin board. Our circle of community shrinks, our numbers dwindle, and our sphere of influence is smaller than a grapefruit.

I would offer, however, that not all hope is lost. My regular readership knows of my adoration of the Internet, and yes, yet again I would offer that one way to recapture that fleeting sense of community might well-be online. An electronic bulletin board is no substitute for a tangible one, but it might foster friendship, might muster commonalities if not true communities, and maybe, just maybe, something really good could come of all that. Fact is, I could rattle off a dozen web sites that speak to my interests and share freely, from gardening to parenting. I have bookmarked, saved, printed, so many great places to go over the years! Recently, in my mining of the world wide web, I found a small vein of gold that is worth sharing here: free-recyling.

The Free-recycling--or freecycling--movement has grown since the launch of The Freecycle Network in 2003. There are more than 4,000 Freecycle communities reporting some 3.5 million members. The concept is simple, that one man’s trash is another’s treasure. The mission statement of www.freecycle.org reads: “Our mission is to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community.”

Freecyle.org issued a press release that claims they are growing at the rate of over 20,000 new members each and every week. “The Freecycle Network has grown to encompass over 4,000 cities from Adelaide to Istanbul, in over 75 countries.” It goes on to report that freecycling, “enables individuals to gift items in their local communities rather than to throw them away, thus keeping over 300 tons out of landfills daily.”

I’m all about saving landfill space. My wife insists that must be my personal mission; I hear her grumble that every time we sort through our garage sale and storage debris. I am also enthusiastic about bargains, and nothing is cheaper than free! Above all, I find giving to be very rewarding emotionally, churning out good karma by the bucket load.

I like to think of it more as cyber curbside than a cyber swap meet, for there are no strings attached. That’s a fundamental of all freecycling, free sharing, etc. If someone responds to your post offering your old deep freeze, they do not have to swap something in return, no chores, no cash. They don’t have to bring anything to the transaction (well, if they’re fetching your deep freeze, they’d need a dolly and a pickup).

All the usual concerns apply to free-cycling over the Internet, including stalkers, scammers, and con artists. One cannot go trotting out into cyberspace without always being vigilant and mindful of such things, sorry to say. There are a number of rules and regulations in the self-governing community of free-cyclers that help control greedy antique dealers from just sucking the teat of karma dry. One generally unwritten principle of the movement is that one would not simply lurk on the board and grab stuff up, but that all members would also give.

In many ways, free-cycling offers nothing new. I’ve been dumpster diving since I was in college. I still brake when driving by a pile of promising junk that’s set curbside for trash collection. I went through an e-bay phase, and I’m a life-long garage sale junkie. I think I’ll get a tattoo of “One Man’s Trash…” Hand-me-downs abound in large families, and parents have passed down their cast offs since we were Neanderthals.

Even though it’s not new, it broadens horizons. Maybe no one in your family wants your old 19 foot fiberglass boat hull. Maybe you’ve left your tall metal rooster vase curb-side for three weeks, and no one has taken it yet. You need a bigger community, a broader sphere of influence. Bulletin boards broaden your reach to the whole literate world, but only if they come by your board and read it. At a free-cycling site, people are eagerly reading. In the Wichita area, one of our local groups has 7,388 members.

Here’s an added bonus of Freecycling: You’ve had a hankering for some Slim Whitman LP’s, but no one you know has anything like it to give you, even if you were to ask. Freecycling allows you to post requests for those things you may be wanting as well as those you are wanting to be rid of.

I’ve seen all the above and much more posted on the free-cycling sites just in the last week. I’ve even gotten a fine couch through freecyling for my nieces who just moved out on their own. I’ve read of hot tubs, lap-tops, and baseball cards, of cloth diapers and entire garage sale leftovers—all posted by like-minded people who want to unload the old, declutter their homes, and make someone else’s day. Best of all, it’s entirely free, from membership to posting to pickups. Check it out!

Back In Black

Well, it's been a while...it has been quite a little while...I will now have to rebuild my readership, rethink my privacy, and overall, recondition myself and this blog.

I believe I will do more musing, less reporting. I will, of course, enjoy a readership, but I will not so worry about what they may think of my mind as I share it.

That said, and out of sheer laziness (well, it IS still summer, you know) I will share a recent column I wrote on distance learning. To wit:

August is the month many of us will return to school. The cusp of autumn, this time of year brings back so very many memories. When I visit elementary schools, the smell of freshly waxed floors, of aprons and tempra paint, the cafeteria—it all comes back to me. I would get new school clothes: two pair of Tough Skin Jeans and a couple shirts, maybe even shoes. I would get fantastic school supplies. (I still marvel when I visit that aisle this time of year).

Those early years I attended the school of hard knocks, learning my place on the school bus, finding my niche on the playground. I got into (and lost) my first fight in kindergarten, while waiting for Thad Coffindaffer’s mom to pick us up at the carpool drop. (I had called Wade Dodson a Potty-pot-pot, so he pounded out retribution with my head and the pavement.)

As I grew up, I was likely the only kid greatly relieved summer was over, for I could get off the tractor, stretch my legs, and wear clean clothes. It was fall, and high time to go chum around with friends. When it was time for college, I can vividly remember my parents dropping me off—the car careening wildly away, tires screeching, as my last bag fell from the luggage rack.

My kid starts school this year, but he won’t need school clothes, and he won’t be waiting for the bus. He won’t have to rush around in the morning, and he’ll never be bored by Charlie Brown’s teacher droning on and on. He won’t be mainstreamed or blended or held back or labeled. My kid’s going to go to school, virtually.

Home schooling was an intimidating prospect for us, but it was something we were exploring four years ago. When our boy was 13 months, he was singing the chorus of the funk classic, Brick House. At 18 months, he had a vocabulary of over 200 words. We felt we should do all we could for him, but we found much of the home school curricular content to be of a particularly religious bent, too pricey, or too disorganized.

Rather than running helter-skelter to round up stray content components, we began seeking out a packaged program, and we feel confident we have settled on the very best, K-12. From their website: “K12 Inc., an education company based in McLean, VA, is a leading provider of high quality curricula and learning programs. K12 has created a nationally acclaimed learning program which includes thousands of lessons in traditional subjects, academic assessments, and planning and progress tools delivered through the innovative and powerful K12 Online School. The learning program also incorporates many traditional learning materials including books, workbooks, classical stories, K12 PhonicsWorks tile system, math and science supplies, maps, art books and tools, instruments, music CDs, and much more. The K12 curriculum and learning program was developed by a team of education experts using extensive research to identify the best learning methods and materials. More than 20,000 students nationwide are currently using the K12 learning program in a variety of learning environments, including traditional public school classrooms, virtual (online) public schools, and homeschools.”

All of his instructional manipulatives, books, multi-media dropped at our door if not our in-box. He, like every child in the system, will be issued a brand new laptop computer every few years. We were relieved, amazed, and ready to sign up, but we feared our budget could not handle it. What we were very, very surprised to learn was that some school districts have adopted virtual school programming such as this, and that the cost is no more than traditional fees paid at a local school district. We are enrolled through Lawrence Virtual Schools, and when our boy graduates, he will have a bone fide diploma from Lawrence High School.

I am fully aware of other perspectives on home schooling and distance learning. I have taught online for nearly ten years, and I’ve heard it all. In my environment, college, there is question of academic honesty. Who’s to say an online students’ boyfriend didn’t do her math problems for her? There are delivery issues, from slow modems to boring content. There are questions of reaching every student’s learning styles and needs. Over the last ten years, I’ve seen the content improve, the delivery “shells” like ANGEL, WebCT, Blackboard, eCollege, and others come/go and improve. Multi-media content from streaming videos to podcast lectures are becoming more and more accessible to address variations in learning styles. Interaction is amped up by instant messaging, chat rooms, whiteboards, and desktop sharing. Still, sometimes even the best student with the greatest intentions can feel adrift, even in this sea of technological connection. They can feel their relation with their teacher is being strained through the string connecting a two-tin-can telephone.

This is where I find live, human, face-to-face interaction vitally important to the virtual school. In the case of my children, they will have 20% of their content online, but the bulk of it in-hand and shared with parents in the early years. At my college, we are now offering Blended Learning courses, which seem to offer the best of everything. Students will only have to burn gasoline and commuting time ½ as often, doing much of their reading and learning online; they will come to class in live-time for personal interaction, reinforcement, questioning and review.

A major argument against home schooling is one of socialization; it goes something like this: “Aren’t you worried your child won’t get exposed to the way the world is?” That, in turn, is a very good reason to home school, to filter media overwhelm, to combat cultural confusion, and to offer a sounding board for varied other exposures that can be discussed before being coerced by peer pressure. The opposition argues that home schooled kids will not be workforce ready, but very little I have seen in the work force resembles any of the iconic heroism of the playground or physical education class. It is true that sports build character, and our regional home school association offers a complete array of activities, athletics, and field trips that ensure ample interaction with peers and parents.

In this era when so much is available to us to capitalize on, from completing a degree in our pajamas, online, to virtually home schooling the next Abraham Lincoln, I am happy to be where I am at right now, before my keyboard.

Man’s surprising laugh

Man’s surprising laugh

Posted using ShareThis

I was led to this last summer, and I still call it up whenever I need a good "yuck yuck" (like after a long day of lecture or grading). Once in a while, I will encounter someone with a distinctive laugh like this, for I listen for odd laughs at movies, comedy clubs, etc. Enjoy!

Job$

I've been entertaining alternative employment--lookin' for another job--since our main source of income dried up last fall. Surprisingly enough, no matter how much we complain, educators are not that poorly paid for their services. The more I explore, the happier I am, where I am. As stated before, I would like working online from home more, to be with my family, but aside from that, I could not be much more happy.

Oh sure, I wish papers would grade themselves or that I had chosen to teach speech rather than composition. Sometimes I wish I did not elect to teach Comp II over some (easier?) haul like basic English. There are days I am not impressed with student performance or my own instruction, too. But on the whole, I am very satisfied (at the moment) in my career.

Now if I could only make more money at it.

As it stands, it looks very much like I will be downsizing everything (including my home, lifestyle, etc) to live on the cheap. Even then, I do not seem to find a way to get along. *sigh* I can remember moving to southern KS with nothing more than an El Camino load of "stuff" and the only bill overhead was my student loan. Those were the days. Should I have to make all the sacrifices I foresee in this downsizing, I would wager my very happiness is at stake. Though that likely reads a bit melodramatic, and though I know it is wrongheaded to tie one's state of mind to one's things...I would miss my farm and home so very much.

Alternative, additional lines of work under consideration:

• Trainer/speaker for corporate America
• Online overload teacher for large online universities
• Microfarmer (truck farming, dried flowers, greenhouse, etc)
• Personal historian (digital media biographer)
• Pole dancer (just checking if you're reading closely)
• Resume writer (and interviewer, overall marketability)
• Daycare provider (do what you love, right?)

Meanwhile, I will do the best I can at what I do and see what shakes out of our budget.

Falling...Head over Heels

Literally.
I used to find great amusement in the simplest of things, like the slapstick classic where a person slips on a banana peel. That always just cracked me up, and the more dignified the fall-ee, the better.

That is, of course, until it happened to me.

Last term, I had a similar incident, where I fell no less than three times when getting my car open (door freezes shut) and then the windshield cleared--but that I could understand and anticipate at least a bit, for I was engaged in wild gyrations on an obviously icy surface.

However, yesterday I was leaving my workplace and took a hard fall not ten steps outside the building--yesterday it was not even all-that iced over outside. It looked like a little drizzle, but it was treacherously slick! Upon getting up, I fell again in two steps, hard. I had to crawl part of the way to my vehicle.

What's so funny?
Makes me think (not about litigation, except when I move and it hurts). I guess it seemed funny before when people would fall for they were doing something out-of-the-ordinary, surprising (at least to the fall-ee). Maybe the humor was in the sudden loss of dignity, the pulling-the-rug out from under someone? I don't know much about the theory of humor, but I do know that sudden incongruity plays its part. I would bet my airborne antics were pretty funny, too, as physical humor goes. Now that I have been subject to such a fall, however, I don't know if I will find it so very funny when I next witness it. I do, however, find it highly amusing when someone trips on a crack, falls indecorously, then gets up to examine the crack in an exaggerated way to call attention to the crack, as if to say to all the world, "Ah-ha, that's the culprit, I am NOT a klutz." I suppose I will always find that face-saving silliness to be funny.

I am not bitter about it, and I'm not defending myself. After all, no one witnessed it but my wife and son. Admittedly, I was ignorant in this instance, totally blind-sided by the ice. I should have known better, I guess, somehow. I am not blaming the ice nor the workplace; it was my fault. For those who do not know me, I walk with an ostrich-like gait, bobbing, big/quick steps something like a pigeon, I'm told. That is an unwise walk on ice, let me tell you!

It brings up a question. Since it was funny until it happened to me, does that suggest that the more such things happen to me, the less I will find life to be funny?

Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us

The Machine is Us/ing Us

I find this inspirational and thought-provoking...

Not only does it provide some insight into Web 2.0, it also gives a good perspective to any Luddite who is not up to snuff on this stuff. I agree with the premise, that what is being created online is organic, alive. It is, indeed, learning with our every keystroke. What I like about this is that I can tap into it randomly and likewise learn at an exponential rate (compared to my good ol' hardcopy library roaming days).

We really are challenged to rethink everything!

Edison, at 1st

[admittedly a gushy parenthood entry]

Instead of a year in review, I offer you a year of Edison. He just turned one yesterday. We celebrated with a John Deere themed party (remarkable, but the party story did not have goods to match my antique Farmall tractor, which I intended to park outside the party as my contribution to decor). In true 1st year baby party tradition, Ed had a cake to himself and made a fine mess of things.

As my three sons' lives go...Eddie's has been smooth sailing so far. Jax has endured four moves, family career changes, deaths in the family, baby sitters and daycares, etc. He has traveled quite a bit for his age; he was in Washington, DC in a sports bar watching the Super Bowl when he was only two or three months old. Carson at least had one move to deal with. Edison, to date, has known no other home, no complicated life. I wonder which builds the better character, or if, even, any of that has to do with building character.

Jax is outspoken, always-speaking, and very creative. He warms up to people very quickly, makes 'friends' at every park or play place, and never forgets a house guest. He is a story teller (in part due to our nightly stories we have made up his entire life) and loves to be read to. He also loves watching movies, television, etc. His favorite playtime activity is having his action figures interact, fight, etc. Carson, on the other hand, is much more shy. His build is slight, his way is subtle, but he is a powerful little man emotionally. Though not as outspoken, what he does say matters. He seems to be a little more of a comedian though less of a showman. He has absolutely no interest in watching anything of any media, but he will allow you to read a book to him sometimes. His favorite activity at play is to cook or build.

Edison, at first, seemed a blob of flesh. He has grown remarkably fast into his own person already. He was the youngest of the three to walk. He, more than either brother, seems omnivorous and has an insatiable appetite. In my recollection, Eddie seems to be more interactive and engaged with others for his age. At about 6-8 months he was already playing cars, and now he can already do 'voices' when he's playing with characters (the words, of course, are not intelligible).

He is also the first to sleep on his own in a crib without fussing. He recognizes a handful of people and loves them, yet like Jax did before him, has separation anxiety (pitches a fit) when we leave him with family most of the time. Edison has never had a paid baby sitter, and he has never been to daycare. He has never travelled much, except a bit by car.

These vast differences are of great interest to me. I don't know how much environment has been at work and how much of it is just some mysterious stuff inside them. I don't know if I believe all that about birth order, but I am sure there is a good deal of peer influence and pressure at work between these three young men. My study of them will continue, but I will likely spare my readership most of it.

Happy birthday, Edison.

Hats-off, cuffs-on, bubble burst

For context, one should likely start with this in the Wichita Eagle and poke around the Eagle's archives for all-about Etheredge. I've mentioned a lament or two about his theme park closing before, but it seems a good topic for my new year of blogging.

I find I have an addictive personality. When I was a kid, I'd eat whole jars/cans of an item in one setting (green olives, Parmesan cheese, cool-whip, little smokies). In college, I was at one time addicted to a pin ball machine so entirely that I skipped classes and likely wasted my entire student loan on it. When video rental became affordable, I would binge on 007 or Star Trek movie marathons (and this has not gotten any better, though I resist the temptation, with television series now on DVD).

This addictive personality trait is coupled with a weakness for charisma. I have fallen in behind many movements and faiths. Curiously enough, I also have a knack at creating such a following.

Knowing all this (and confessing it here) is merely to acknowledge that I really should know better. I really should not be so smitten by a big guy in a ten gallon hat.

...but dagnabbit, I also have a soft spot for big dreamers, big sky salesmen, folk who don't know "no." If a man wants to plant a theme park here based on Betsy Boop or Jesus, I don't mind, so long as he really, really believes in it. It's a good thing I am not a man of means, or I would have most likely been on Etheredge's donor list. We did buy season passes.

And here's the thing. I met Thomas Etheredge the day we walked up to buy our season passes. He met my family on the boardwalk outside the gates, and he did not seem insincere. He had a bubbling passion for his park. He seemed, to me, like Walt Disney of the West (although, I admit, even Walt had issues). He was proud of the park, and he was happy to see us. He spoke with my boys and our family a little bit, and I was flattered, frankly, that a man with so much on his mind and so much money invested and so many other things to do--that He would pause for us.

The day the park opened, even though the weather was not so great, my family was there. This was the second time I was able to size up Etheredge. The crowd was small that he gathered around a wooden wagon/stage. There were prayers, speeches, even a song or two, I think. He spoke of dreams coming true, of his vision for children enjoying our western heritage. He praised dozens of other people, had many up to the stage to talk or take a bow. Finally, he led them in a ceremonial ribbon cutting (it was actually barbed wire, in keeping with the park's theme).

Throughout that schmaltzy presentation, I remember feeling like part of history in the making. I was proud of Etheredge's accomplishments, and I wished him the very best. I remarked that I wished more people were there, and that I was considering getting a part-time job there or something to further his cause. In other words, I really bought in, and I really believed Wild West World would someday incorporate the Hopalong Cassidy museum (now sold piecemeal at auction) and host/promote other treasures of the Cowboy era. I was glad such a national monument was in my backyard.

Alas, it did not come to pass.

The park was only open for about a month or so, and I only went that opening day. My family got a bit more use of the season passes, but not much. The park closed with the excuse of no money. That can be exhaustively reviewed in the news. Etheredge skipped town and plays hard to get, somewhere in Texas. That can be interpreted several ways, but none of them characterize the man I though was under that ten gallon hat.

Like so many other charismatic leaders, Thomas Etheredge seems to have fallen. People remind me of my previous scrapes with charisma. They tell me, over and over, about money being the root of all evil. They point to Etheredge's criminal record. Indeed, I have read the news and know the facts; however, I will always remember him as I saw him on opening day, regardless. I don't have a theme park or a dream to draw people toward, but I admire that enthusiasm, that zeal, that confidence he had that day. It really seemed as if his dreams were coming true, and I was happy for him and happy to be a part of making those dreams come true.

Piracy and Plagiarism

I was elated to receive the film in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series for Christmas. Though it’s silly to admit, I’ve bought into the pirate craze. I play pirates with my boys (we even dress up). I collect Jack Sparrow memorabilia. On September 19, “Talk Like a Pirate Day,” I ‘treated’ my classes to a day of pirate lore and language. Now, I’m educated enough to know that all this is myth and fancy, that pirates were swarthy at best and certainly not a people to celebrate. Nonetheless, I find myself, for lack of a better word…hooked.

However, as smitten as I may be in my mainmast, there’s a form of piracy I have no truck with: plagiarism. This is vastly different from robbing and pillaging fellow vessels at sea. Plagiarism is the theft of ideas, and the very idea of it shivers me timbers.

I am an instructor of English Composition II, and in that capacity, I teach responsible use of credible source material. I spend hours on finding and evaluating resources, and we spend even more time insuring that all material is adequately incorporated and documented—giving a nod to the original source and inspiration of the student’s research paper. We cover other material in that course, but I consider this my greatest contribution to a student’s academic future, for they will be writing papers throughout college and then engaging in professional writing all their lives. It is my greatest contribution and also my highest duty to equip people to find good support and use it correctly.

All that said, every semester I find students who operate quite contrary to everything I hold dear. These individuals, well-versed in attributing material to its source and very well-aware of the consequences of not doing so, still cheat. I am most amazed and perturbed with those who cut and paste entire web pages to word processor, then submit the work as their own (without the least bit of editing or attention to detail). In academia, this is roughly equivalent to those “stupid criminal” reports and Darwin awards. In my class room, it is absolutely unforgivable and results in a failure in the course.

As astonishing as this may seem, students are not especially disinclined toward cheating. A recent survey reported 78% of high school students had engaged in copying, submitting others’ work as their own, or resorting to some new-fangled, high tech form of cheating employing text messaging or mobile phone photography. 75% of students in traditional classes admit they have cheated (Rowe, Cheating in Online Student Assessment: Beyond Plagiarism, 2004). Schools nationwide are finally ramping up to cope with this epidemic by recasting policy and procedure. Never one to think legislation or regulation is the answer, I am fishing for what truly may be a good fix.

To me, it seems to be a cultural issue. Not too long ago, illegal file sharing was in the news, for millions of songs were being shared via download without any royalties (the rough equivalent of acknowledgement in general) returning to the artists or industry. Even after being bombarded on the news with cases of individuals being fined and imprisoned, the practice of pirating music and other files runs rampant. People shrug it off, saying it’s no big deal and the likelihood of getting caught is minimal. I know one individual who brags that he has ‘ripped’ over 300 feature films off the Internet. One of my relatives claims to have over a gigabyte of illegally downloaded music on his mp3 player.

Even at play, our culture seems to vilify cheating. Over the holiday, I played a new board game based on a popular television show. Built right into the game were two versions of cheating, namely copying and peeking. Of course, media has always glamorized the criminal element, (like, oh, say…pirates) but when this gets so very close to the class room, and therefore my line of work, I become very attentive.

If it is a cultural phenomena, like childhood obesity, road rage, and abuse of mobile phones, then I feel it should first and best be addressed in the home. It surely should not be something that is neglected until college. Students who ‘get away with’ these practices for 20 years should not suddenly be brought to task. That makes no more sense to me than legislating the drinking age.

Education on plagiarism should begin, in my opinion, with young children. It should likely start with property rights and ownership, then progress to the ownership of ideas. Somewhere there, it seems, we all just turn a blind eye. Anyone with a patent or copyright, however, will be quick to tell you that an idea is in some ways tangible and in every way something that can be owned (and therefore stolen).

I suppose I should begin by lecturing my kids while we watch Captain Jack Sparrow stealing ships from the British Navy. I should wag a finger and nag my boys on ownership and honesty.

Maybe I will, after I watch it a few more times for fun.

Christmas Eve

WOW was the forecast whacked or what!? (See previous blog on weathermen and their "accuracy") We have had an estimated 6 inches of snow over the weekend. I was out in western Kansas driving literally through a blizzard. I had to take a back road to avoid a highway closing, and on that back road, two semi's and two cars were stranded...but by and by we made it to my mother's farm, and now we're all tucked in back at my farm north of Wichita.

My mom used to collect what she called, 'Twas poems. Maybe I should write one for her. That used to really make her happy. (It's these strange little things that seem to matter.) She smoked like a chimney in the pickup on the way here, 5 hours on the road. If anyone is unfamiliar, I quit smoking again just last May, so it was something like wagging a raw steak in front of a dog all day long. Added to my frustration, my poor two year old had to gasp for air now and again. (It's not all that bad, she did crack the window...and I grew up with a cabin full of smoke always, everywhere we travelled...but I don't like exposing my boys to such things in such concentrations.) My mom has to smoke outside, in the 6 inches of snow, when she visits my place.

I have a picture of the family all sitting smoking on the couch at some holiday. All of them are dead now, save my mother.

I don't have anything against smoking. It's anyone's right to do things to their bodies as they please. I sometimes have issue with those who have issue with public smoking, all the second hand smoke scare. My argument used to be a wave of the hand and some statement about how it's gone on for generations...however, sometimes I wonder what concentrations of chemicals, what alien substances, etc. are in modern day cigs. If everyone grew and rolled their own, I would still have little issue with it.

But, back to this holiday. . . a personal perspective from my family. I was once married to a 'serious Christian' who's family more-fully appreciated and celebrated a faith-based Christmas, a Christ mass. That was a very different experience than the commercialized one I grew up with and that is being perpetuated for my boys. I'm none-too-sure I'm sold on either way of celebrating, but I'm all about having a celebration. If nothing else, it's family time and I'm not grading papers!

It was a good time to get together, but as the matriarchs pass on, it seems families are doing more insular, more immediate holidays. I miss the celebrations featuring 40 people. I miss a lot of things, but then, I'm getting older.

This is the most random post I've made here, much more in the style of my lesser-site posts at xanga, etc. Sorry.

My modem's so slow...

How slow is it?

It's so slow, my coffee went cold while IE opened.

It's so slow, I watched a spider form a web while IE found Blogger.

It's so slow, I had time to think of all this and do a load of laundry while Blogger logged me in.

It's so slow, I grew a beard while it downloaded a file.

It's so slow, we conceived and birthed a baby before my online course opened.

(Give me a break, I'm normally pretty creative at this hour, but I've been mired in grading, complicated by non-compliant software, computers, etc.)

But seriously folks, I am on a satellite modem, not dial up. The company claims to be 30X faster than dial up. If that is true, I pity anyone on dial up. I spend hours a day on this, teaching online, and my beloved plans to become a virtual assistant. We'd better rethink such things if we cannot get better Internet access. DSL and cable have yet to thread their way to the hinterlands. Maybe HughesNet or one of the other providers of satellite access might be better? Maybe I need to have a test conducted on ours to see if there's a glitch? (Maybe I just need to quit complaining and be patient?)

Not so many years ago I sat in front of a monochromatic display of text only, teasing out articles and information from the Internet before it was so user friendly. Back then I did not mind a 10 minute lag; it gave me hang time. Maybe I should just pace myself around this primitive modem speed. Slow down and enjoy life a little.

*sigh*



That didn't help. I have grades due. The LMS for the online courses I teach shuts off at noon today, even though we have until tomorrow to submit grades! Nuts. I'd better get back to work.

SF Taiko Dojo in Taiwan, '05

Great to grade by.