Bad Books are All Around Me

Until a few days ago, I was starting to think that nobody knows how to write anymore. Several months ago a student recommended a book to me- one she said was "the best book I've ever read." It's called The Shack. I bought it- after all this one was on the Bestseller List! I read it, and I have to say, I could not believe anything so poorly written could have gotten on anybody's list- except maybe one which I won't mention here! I do understand why a middle school girl might like it because it's one of those saccharine stories that tugs at your heartstrings and dares you to believe that there really might be more out there than what we can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. The intention of the book is not bad- maybe even admirable, but where was this guy's editor? The sentence structure was atrocious -among other things. I also found some of it offensive. The best example was when the main character was talking to Jesus (yes, Jesus- the Lord- not Jesus, the cute boy in 3rd period class), and he (the man) tells Jesus that he's surprised by his looks. Jesus replies with something like, "OH, it's the NOSE, isn't it- well, you know I'm JEWISH." So let's keep extending those stereotypes, shall we? Maybe it was the author's attempt at humor- I don't know, but it really wasn't funny. I trudged on through this horrible excuse for literature and can't remember when I was so happy to finish something. Interestingly, many teachers at my school read it and loved it. Maybe they could get past the grammar, but I really couldn't. If any of you read it, please let me know what you think.

Next, I picked up a book about a teacher with Tourette's Syndrome. I think it's called The Front of the Class. It's autobiographical, and I was impressed with the author's desire to become a teacher in spite of his Tourette's, but there's something off-putting about an author with the "look how great I am" attitude. He writes about his awards, about how much he loves the kids- which is a good thing if you're a teacher, but there is not one anecdote in the entire story about what he actually does in the classroom that makes him a great teacher. He does mention bean bag chairs and computers, but what about strategies? What about how one gets that reluctant learner interested? What about how much our students teach us? And worst of all, to me, is that he says he's a great teacher, but he wants to become an administrator! Administrators often say that they loved teaching, but they become administrators to make change from the top, and that is such BS! I have only met one administrator in all my years of teaching who really cared about what's best for kids. 99.9% of them become administrators in order to 1. make more money or 2. to gain power or 3. to do both #1 and #2...and that's it.

So where am I going with this? I picked up a book a few days ago called A Private History of Awe, and so far, it is lovely. The writing is magnificent, and the author is not blowing his own horn. He is dealing with an elderly mom and a new granddaughter simultaneously, making observations about each and giving his history as well as our country's history during the 50's and 60's at the same time. This is the kind of writing I want my students to see and to hear- the kind of writing that I hope will help them become better writers themselves. It is so refreshing to have found something worth reading.

Happy Friday the 13th and Valentines' Day!

I've always chosen to believe that there was nothing to all of the hype about FRIDAY the 13th, but today almost made me change my mind. Some of you know that about 3 weeks ago, I fell in front of an oncoming car after leaving a restaurant. Luckily, I didn't get hit, but I did manage to smash my knee up pretty well. After the initial shock though, the knee was fine- or I thought it was anyway.

Then earlier this week, it started hurting and my leg began to swell and turn red. I checked with the substitute school nurse since the real nurse was home with the flu (a lot of good that flu shot she tried to get all of us to take, did her!), and she said it was because I let it scab over and I needed to soak it and soften that sucker up, put some triple antibiotic on it and WALLA- it would be fine. I took her advice, but the next day, the redness had spread and it was difficult to bend at the knee. That was Wednesday, so I decided to bite the bullet and make a doc. appt.

I took the day off from school Thursday and called, only to find out my doctor doesn't have office hours on Thursday. You can probably figure out how often I see him since I didn't know that. I rested at home, and by afternoon, the swelling and redness were gone. I figured I'd cancel my appt. which was set for today at 5:15 PM, but first I called Ryan, my doctor son, and he told me I'd better keep that appointment and have my doctor at least look at it because I didn't want to get cellulitis. It sounded possibly serious, so I said ok, I'll go.

To make a long story longer (:)), I was sitting in the waiting room this evening when my phone rang. It's Eli on the other end telling me he had broken his finger while playing football with his buddies, and I had to come get him right now. The way he said it was, "The bone is sticking out," so I let the receptionist know that I had to go and told her why.

She grabs the doctor, and he says he'll see me quickly (since it's Friday and I won't have another chance 'til Monday). He takes one look at my knee and says I have a good infection (what the heck is a "good" infection?), has the nurse give me a tetanus shot (ouch!) and gives me a prescription for an antibiotic and an antibiotic cream (both with all kinds of possible side effects although none said anything about a 4 hour anything- whew!- which is why I don't go to doctors in the first place) and tells me if there is any change for the worse to call him immediately!

I rush to get Eli, hit every red light possible and horrible traffic to boot. Eli's calling me every 2 minutes to see where I am. I call Alan- how dare he go out of town this weekend, and I have to deal with all this!! I get to Eli, expecting to see his finger hanging off the side of his hand by a thread, and there's no bone sticking out. My drama king son probably has a jammed finger, though I probably shouldn't say that because I suppose it could be broken, and I'll feel really badly tomorrow if it is. We put ice on it, and it was well enough for him to go to a concert with his friends tonight.

Oh, oh, and do you know what Alan asked? "It wasn't his bowling hand was it?" Argh! No, dear, it wasn't. He will live to bowl another day, and by the way, will you still love me if I have to get a peg leg after this flesh eating bacteria devours this one? Happy V-Day!

It's Groundhog Day and a great day all around!

I love the idea of a groundhog telling us that we'll have 6 more weeks of winter! Of course in San Antonio, we don't have to worry about it, but we faithfully read the newspaper to find out what 'ole Punxsatawney Phil has to say about the weather. I remember in middle school being jealous of our neighbor, Bobbie Sein, who was born on February 2, and got to share her birthday with Phil. By the way, I recently heard he's only accurate about 20% of the time, but I'd have to say that's better than our local meteorologists! No big chill, no snow, no ice, no sleet. I love it when they are so wrong.

Not only is today a great day because it's Groundhog Day, but I also got some cool news. The play I co-wrote with Michael H., Darfur Calls, won the Irving J. Fain Award, which according to our rabbi is the "premiere social action award for the Union of Reform Judaism." And Rabbi wants me to go to Washington D.C. for the URJ's Consultation on Conscience in April to accept it! Even cooler, is that Kristinn and family live up there, and I'll get to see them. I don't care about getting an award, but this will hopefully give our play "legs" and the possibility of being produced in other venues across the U.S. Now THAT would be very cool!

The Big Chill

There was talk on the news yesterday that the "big chill" was finally going to make an appearance. I always have to laugh at the idea of snow here, where we go for years with neither snow nor ice. As a matter of fact, the last time we had real snow in San Antonio was 1985, and the big reason I remember when it was is because Rachel was born in October of 1984, and the snow hit right before her sister, Alana's second birthday in January. We had great fun building a snow "person" in the front yard- Alana had ziplock bags over her shoes to keep her dry.
But I digress...the "big chill" makes people crazy here. The kids get excited because of the possibility they might get a day off from school. They don't sleep because every 10 minutes, they go to the window to check out the snow that is surely falling by now. In the morning, they leap out of bed to check one more time, praying that while they dozed off for that final 10 minutes, a miracle happened and the meteorologist was actually right. The forecast last night was for sleet with a strong possibility of ice by mid-morning. Even the teachers were beginning to imagine a day off by the end of the day yesterday because it was really getting cold outside. I woke up this morning, and I have to admit, I peeked out of the window, halfway hoping to see that blanket of snow. (I always figure if it has to be cold, it could at least snow so that we can play in it!) I couldn't tell from upstairs if there was anything on the ground; I went downstairs and opened the door to see a completely clear sky and no sign of any precipitation of any kind. OH Maaaaaan. How is it that we get fooled over and over again? Then there's the number of accidents that happen when the roads are icy because nobody in this part of Texas knows how to drive in it. We recognize the Northerners by the chains on their car tires, but none of us would know how to get those chains to stay on ours. We secretly laugh at them as we go barreling down the road, pretending we know what we're doing until CRASH, BAM, BOOM, we run into a utility pole and total our cars as that New Yorker rolls by shaking her head. So, in the end, it's probably a good thing we only have snow and ice once every 25 years. We'd just have to make up the school day we miss sometime in June anyway, when the sun is out to stay, and who wants to be stuck inside when the beaches and parks are beckoning? Oh, that is so much better than building snow people and wrecking our cars...

Be the Change

Can you feel the electricity in the air? The hope? I feel so fortunate to be a part of it. What an amazing time! During my conference period today, my phone rang. I usually turn it off when I get to school, but I had forgotten, so I answered it. Kristinn was on the other end, telling me that 3 year old Sofia had something to say. Sofia got on the phone and said, "Hi Bubbe, I am watching President Barack Obama!" I heard 5 year old Gabriel in the background saying, "We're watching the inauguration!" We (teachers) were able to see the swearing in and President Obama's speech before we had to get back to class. In San Antonio yesterday, our MLK March was once again one of the (if not the) largest in the US. It was very moving to see the joy on everyone's faces- to know that a dream few expected to ever happen has come true with this inauguration. People of all ethnicities and religious backgrounds marched arm in arm, and it truly felt like a new dawn is here- a new age of more than just tolerance but acceptance and even (dare I say it?) love. Only a few times in my life have I known I was witnessing a historic event, but today is a day I will never forget. Let's keep the dream alive until we are all truly equal.

Happy Birthday, Mom

Today is my mom's 78th birthday. She's a pretty amazing woman, I must say. Soon after she married my father back in the early 50's, she found herself far away from her NJ home-overseas, in France, due to Dad's Air Force career. She raised two daughters and two sons, while Dad worked, often leaving his family for weeks or months at a time on TDY (Temporary Duty) assignments to places like Turkey and Cameron Bay. We traveled from New Jersey to Louisiana, to Georgia and Germany, back to NJ and on to Texas, and it was Mom who kept it all together. She raised us to be self sufficient with strong work ethics, and though she had not gone to college herself at the time, we all did- and so did she after Dad died. She raised a MSW, a Master Degreed teacher, an RN, and a businessman/owner, eventually earning her own Master's degree in Social Work. Mom began her career at a time when her peers were thinking about retirement and then worked for many years, developing and running the HOPE Program for widows and widowers in and around Camden County, NJ. She's retired now, but keeps up her busy lifestyle visiting her children in Alaska, Texas, and Wyoming and helping care for her grandchildren in NJ. Her friends know she's there for them and so do all of us. Happy birthday, Mom. May this be the best year yet! I love you.

My son has a girlfriend...

My youngest son has his first "real" girlfriend. They're both 14, and with as many times as I've been through this, you'd think I'd be used to it AND have all the answers, right? Not exactly...it's sort of like giving birth- you forget about the pain as soon as it's over. Don't get me wrong- his girlfriend is a sweet girl, and so far things are going smoothly. BUT being the mom that I am, how can I not worry about the first big fight or OMG, her breaking his heart? For Hanukkah, she framed two pictures she painted and gave them to him- very nice. He burned her some CD's with "their" music on them for Christmas. He goes over to her house, and she comes over here. They go out to the movies, and she's even gone with him to his traveling bowling league-now that's real love. Bowling alleys are still some of the most interesting and often bizarre places you'll ever go. Last week, we had to stop at Crispy Creme because my son overheard his girl say she had a craving (NO, not that kind!) for a doughnut. He bought a dozen and went to her house. Sunday, he decided he should bring breakfast tacos for her family. Really, what 14 year old thinks of doing things like that? When I dropped him off, a little boy (her brother) ran out and wrapped his arms around E's legs- and E. didn't kick him off- I actually saw him SMILE. Her parents LOVE him and were even thinking about having him spend the night on New Years. We said no to that, and it ended up not working out anyway, so all was good. Of course, first we had to listen to him talk to us about trust...interesting conversation I must say. This whole thing has brought back somewhat vague (ha) memories of my first "true love." His name was Bobby - and we were 14, too. Bobby never brought me doughnuts or tacos- he just wanted to make out. I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised when after 3 months, I caught him making out with my supposed best friend. He broke my heart- that kind of pain you don't forget- even when you're a 53 year old grandmother- that kind of pain you want to protect your kids from but know you can't. You also know that somehow they'll survive and probably live to break a few hearts of their own, but it doesn't make it any less painful for them or their moms when it happens.
What about y'all - what memories do you have of first love, and what did you learn from it?