Last summer the Viking was awoken to the sound of Sophie and her “Big Girl”,  “I Mean Business” bark.  He checked around and didn’t find anything or anyone. But the next morning he noticed the living room window screen had been completely slit through at the bottom.  Good Girl Soph!  Two summers ago we had a rash of break ins in the neighborhood where women’s pocketbooks left in their kitchens were rifled through and money/credit cards stolen.  Please note: this is a very blue collar neighborhood and section of town.  We aren’t well off by any means and we ALL work very hard for what we do have. Not sure why these neighborhoods are being targeted – other than propinquity.  And if that’s the case then the offenders have obviously never listened to the old adage about not pooping where you dine.   Our dogs provide at the very least a good alarm system but frankly I do worry about my Mom and Stepdad down the street, and others in the area who either can’t afford an alarm system or don’t have a dog.

For years now, I’ve kind of scoffed at my mother for locking her doors during daylight hours when she is home – but I am now seeing the great sense in this. Most of my life I’ve been relatively fearless after taking reasonable precautions.   These days, I’m feeling much more insecure.  Is it aging?  I’m certainly not 25 – but I am in much better health than I was at 40 – so maybe?  Or maybe not. These are our streets, and I would like to be able to sit on my front stoop and watch the world go by – without thinking that every person walking by my house might be casing the joint.  Not that I have anything in here valuable enough to steal – but still…. its mine.

Is this type of crime an unintended consequence of the current generation’s sense of “self entitlement” ? In other words, “I want it, don’t care if its not mine, I’m taking it….” Are we not teaching our children proper boundaries?  Does it harken back to valuing things that are worked for; not handed out?  I’m taking an educated guess here, but I’d say yes to all of the above.  And these days  I often think we are more focused on blaming circumstances /bad parenting etc than on holding offenders accountable for their actions.  If you break the law, there are consequences, period.  That’s the way it should be anyway.  Too often theres too many excuses and not enough restitution or justice.

Which brings me to another point: If greater pride was taken by the neighborhood community perhaps the crime rate would decrease.  So:   How do we instill a sense of pride in our neighborhoods when we barely speak to our neighbors? The Northeast has a pretty frigid reputation when it comes to being neighborly. The lack of fluency in English makes it difficult to communicate well with the increasing number of immigrants in the area. They are often not willing to embrace “American” culture, either. They certainly do not trust the police.   Hardly anyone on my street allows trick or treaters at Halloween anymore – the kids have to go outside the neighborhood.  Another good example is our neighbors across the street hanging their laundry – including unmentionables - on the shrubbery in front of their house.  Quite the eyeful as I sat here on my front porch, I must say. Repeated requests from all the neighbors went unheeded (a communication issue perhaps), but finally our community police officer had to tell  them in no uncertain terms to hang their laundry in their backyard…. But anyway – we are isolated in our home bubbles.  Going to work each day, coming home, doing our yard work and chores etc and focusing internally.  I  have never ever been to a block party or community party in my neighborhood, and I only know my neighbors a few houses up or down the street on either side.  Which is kind of sad, and admittedly at least partially my fault.

So here’s what I AM going to do.  Continue being nice, first.  It costs nothing to smile after all.  Increase my vigilance and awareness of whats going on in the neighborhood. Including getting out for walks with the Viking and the puppies more often.  The more familiar I am with things, the more likely I am to spot something out of whack. I’ll be checking on our elderly neighbors.  And lastly – we’ll be making sure the canine alarm system stays healthy, and will definitely be locking our doors even when we are home during the day. Any other suggestions or comments would be  most appreciated. Thanks all!

Related articles

• Does Your Neighbor Have Your Back? (simplisafe.com)
• On Being Neighborly (artofmanliness.com)
• Downtown Westfield Stabbing
• Westfield Home Invasion
• Westfield Shooting

And Just for Fun:  Both of my grandmothers used to sing this to me and my sister when we were little – its derived from a very old English Nursery Rhyme – that has MUCH bawdier origins. This version won Burl Ives an Academy Award in 1948, and was his first major chart topper.  Here’s the song reference:

Related articles

• Lavender for a Relaxed Summer (streampointwellness.wordpress.com)
• Lovely Lavender…Cuttings! (smplyliving.wordpress.com)
• ღ Lavender Love ღ (blissfilled1.wordpress.com)
• Lavender patch (thesimplelandscape.com)

I steadily moved my way onward and forward moving into day programs and working with the elderly; becoming an activities director at a local nursing home part time for a short time.  I moved back to residential programs and became a House Manager for another short period of time.  I can honestly say that those folks are paid nowhere NEAR enough for everything they have to do – and on salary.  I averaged 70 to 80 hours a week but got paid for 40 and was on call one weekend a month.  My longest week was 115 hours.  I passed out from exhaustion at the end of it. OK yeah, I was only 27 years old at the time – but a girls got her limits.  After several months of me unplugging my phone when I was not on call (in order to avoid the late night  ” there’s no milk in the fridge – what should I do?” calls)  and yes, I got those regularly – as well as the sick calls where I ended up having to cover the shift myself – hence the long work weeks – sigh.   I realized this was not my cup of tea. I moved into working in Day Programs at another agency in 1991 and haven’t looked back. I discovered how nice it is to work M-F and not dread the sound of the telephone ringing when I was home. I started in direct support again and moved up to case and program management, then into QA case management and administrative – where I  currently “reside.”  Years of lugging and tugging clients and the occasional aggressive episode left me with a bad hip and shoulder so I don’t do direct support with the clients anymore – can’t.  I prefer that term to the current “consumer” as “client” infers that I provided a service -which I did. “Consumer” infers no reciprocity, and I gained so much from working with my folks – they didn’t just take from me.  Anyway, that’s my meandering career path to now.  What a long strange trip its been.

The last three months of my life at work have literally been taken up by a massive annual project – recontracting with the state for Fiscal 14.  My background is not accounting, business, or finance, as I’m sure you noted when you read the beginning of this post -. so this was a real challenge to me to fly “solo” this year. The process was self taught and I am so thankful for the great mentors I have who were available to answer my questions and “point me in the direction of Albuquerque” when I got stuck. But I have to admit I’m fried and in dire need of this time off.  So today, I’m not dreading the inevitable return to the Monday grind. In fact, I’m planning a little road trip with my youngest daughter for a couple of days.

And, this coming Friday is our 28th wedding anniversary.  June 21, 1985 – which was also a Friday. I will have to do a “Tales from the Northland” post to commemorate the event. So you all  can look forward to my  wedding recollections when we get back from our road trip. (heehee)  So now, I must take us all back to yesteryear…. Glam Rock and Girl Power!

Related articles

• Peonies (whimseypie.wordpress.com)
• Spring Peonies (proflowers.com)
• Peonies with History (freshcoatofpaint.ca)
• Eight perfect peonies (naturesurrounds.wordpress.com)
• Things we love: Peonies (finchnwren.wordpress.com)

I pull in the driveway just as the shadows are starting to lengthen and the afternoon is at its golden magical moment. Its been a long day and my feet are killing me. As I walk up the deck steps to the back door I don’t hear our two dogs barking – which is strange,  because they usually bark when a leaf blows by the window – never mind when they hear footsteps on the trex decking. But no matter – I’m tired. I open the door and take a step into the dim coolness of my kitchen – shedding my sweater as I walk in.

I’m greeted by Miss Nellie – our old greyhound, who lifts her head off the couch and grins at me, tail thumping. For a millisecond I accept this – then I freeze. Nellie’s been at the Rainbow Bridge for close to two years now.  Then I hear his voice behind me -  “What’s for supper, Donna Jean?”   Dad?  Oh, Daddy…. I spin around and RUN, fast as I can,  hugging him tightly. He’s real, and I’m not hallucinating.   “Take it easy kiddo”, he says, “I’m still recuperating. I just got the OK to drive again today.”  That’s when I know.  It’s June 6, 2007.  Its not the date I woke up to this morning – but when I stepped through my back door this afternoon it’s where I ended up.  And I’ve been given a rare gift.  One more last afternoon with my father.

I frantically try and think of any way to keep him at my house for as long as possible, as we chat about the girls and wait for them and my husband, to get home. Its surreal. My brain is telling me this isn’t possible, but oh, my heart…. my heart.  I don’t know how I manage to keep it together; as this great big lump of emotion in the center of my chest tries to work its way up my throat and explode out of me.  But I do keep it together, barely.  Dad doesn’t seem to notice. There’s so much I want to tell him, but can’t.    The crew gets home just as I think  I can’t stand any more and they prove a distraction.  I’m in for another shock – when I left them this morning they were 20 and 14.  Now, they’re 14 and 8. We decide on pizza for dinner and Grandpa is highly encouraged to stay. As usual, the girls have him wrapped around their fingers,  and so he does.  I content myself watching him with them, remembering how much they mean/t to him and how much he loves/loved being their grandfather.

Time slows, I start to almost feel like this is normal – and then it suddenly accelerates as Dad gets ready to leave – he’s heading for an AA meeting – just like he did before. My heart sinks because I know he’s leaving and this is the last time I’ll see him – again. Don’t go Dad. Stay awhile. But the time arrives. I know it, and I know I can’t stop him.  I tell him unequivocally to take it easy – reminding him (as I follow him out to the car this time) that he has to see the surgeon before he goes back to mowing lawns and landscaping. But I know it won’t make any difference.   There really are no do-overs. What was, was. What is, is. And what will be, will be. The timeline is locked in, and on June 7, 2007 he will have a massive heart attack while unloading his lawn mower at a clients house and he will pass away before I can get to the hospital to say goodbye.   “I know,” he says.  “Love you.  Sayonara, Kemosabe.  Keep the Faith.”  “Bye Dad, I love you too!” And with that, he leaves – just like before.

As I turn and walk back up the driveway the light shifts back to golden for an instant.  I hear the dogs barking inside the house. I go back through the door again, back to my future. I smile through the tears I can now let loose -  because I got my chance to say goodbye, after all.

Related articles

• Weekly Writing Challenge: Through the Door (dailypost.wordpress.com)
• Today

I got absolutely drenched getting these shots, but what FUN!  I hope you all like the photographs as much as I liked the process of taking them.

Time for a brief American History lesson:  Our government was set up by  privileged landowners. Many of them were also slave owners.  When they said “all men are created equal” they were not thinking about anyone other than people like themselves.  Its a hard truth; and we have amended our thinking somewhat in the ensuing years – as evidenced by constitutional amendments, court rulings and new laws for all. But make no mistake folks – our government’s representatives are by and large interested in making and keeping money for themselves, and keeping the power that goes along with that.  Think about how difficult and expensive it is to run for office.  They don’t want an average joe in there. They want someone with a silver spoon- someone who thinks like them.  Now you can get donations- but who are the donors -Corporate, right?  If they are gonna give you money then they expect you to vote the way they want you to.  You are beholden and obligated; so even if you weren’t born with that silver spoon, you have to act as part of that club. Corporate Finance drives decision making in this country and you can bet your sweet bippy that most politicians are in their back pockets- where the money is.  Here endeth this lesson.

So the system ain’t fair,and they want to keep it that way – (Thank you Captain Obvious!)  How do they do that? By highlighting or creating issues that increase the divide between  parties, between right and left, so that the gen pop is more focused on taking potshots and full on sniping at the “other” side. Rather than focusing on Socially Responsible, Common Sense Right (ie Correct) change.  Change that does the most good for the most people. Change that benefits all of us.

One of the other problems is that we all wear rose colored glasses to an extent. We’ve been raised to believe that like us, most people are good and decent. We don’t think, or more correctly – we don’t like to think, that there are A LOT of people who are not good and decent. People who are corrupted by avarice, power, or just plain sociopathy – and who will do anything to get what they want.  We seem to have elected many of them to go to Washington. These are people who think that the rest of us are only good enough to be used.  Remember that the next time you think  ” Oh, the government wouldn’t do that to us.”  This is what the Germans and the Jews thought about Hitler and the Third Reich  -and we all know what a price was paid to fix that problem… Governments are all about self protection.

So folks, lets not focus on the fact that our president forgot to return a service members salute, or that he used an umbrella during an outdoor speech on a drizzly day. Or that our combat troops are having to eat MRE’s once a day as the military support system dials down in preparation for leaving Afghanistan. Given a choice, I’m absolutely positive that any service member would prefer to go home sooner rather than having a hot meal 3 as opposed to 2 times a day. Screaming and yelling at each other about trivialities keeps our attention directed away from where it needs to be, and we need to remember that’s what they want. “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!”  Indeed.

Lets focus on cutting waste and stopping fraud and abuse of “entitlement” programs. Let’s  focus on actually educating children rather than teaching them to perform well on a standardized test. Let’s focus on assuring that everyone has their basic needs met – that no one’s going hungry, without clothing, or without shelter.  Let’s focus on changing our collective self entitled attitudes so that we can be content with what we can  afford to have -rather than living beyond our means. Let’s focus. On creating employment opportunities for everyone. Let’s focus on taxation that actually makes sense – a flat tax rate so that everyone pays their fair share. LET’S GET OUR SPENDING UNDER CONTROL AND REDUCE THE NATIONAL DEBT.  And lets focus on making people accountable.  Threats of  “I won’t vote for you next election” carry little weight when our collective memory is even shorter than an Alzheimer’s patient’s. So let’s keep our eyes on the prize, shall we?   We’ve got some first-rate sorcerers in DC, who are really, really good at keeping the rest us off-balance, off-target, and divided.

Related articles

• Divide and Conquer (writeressblog.wordpress.com)
• Time to Abolish Left vs. Right . . . it’s about time we start understanding this necessary fact: We’ve been divided in order to conquer us! . . . ~J (jhaines6.wordpress.com)

“But I do not believe that just because you’re opposed to abortion that makes you pro-life. In fact, I think in many cases, your morality is deeply lacking. If all you want is a child born but not a child fed, not a child educated, not a child housed, and why would I think that you don’t? Because you don’t want any tax money to go there. That’s not pro-life. That’s pro-birth. We need a much broader conversation on what the morality of what pro-life is.”

Life is not just about what happens between conception and birth – but more importantly about what happens afterwards.   Isn’t it quite hypocritical for someone to insist that a woman bear a child – and then push to restrict or limit tax funded assistance to that woman as she struggles to raise that child in less than optimal circumstances?  Because that seems to be whats happening. Don’t we owe it to our born children to do our best to provide a good life for them?  Should we not  think about whether or not a child is affordable to us BEFORE we get pregnant? Because if we do not think about that, then aren’t we perhaps maybe setting ourselves up in a potentially neglectful situation?  We are certainly not being socially responsible if we are birthing children year after year after year that other people (ie taxpayers) are essentially supporting.  That’s not only abusing the system but the child as well.  And before I get jumped on for that statement – think about it. Would it not be easier for a low-income family to get out of its poor financial and social situation with fewer children to think about and provide for? OF COURSE IT WOULD.

I submit it is morally irresponsible to  continue having children you cannot support. That does not however, relieve anyone of their social responsibility to assist and support others. If everyone does their part, then the costs of child-rearing can be manageable.  But resources are not unlimited.  It costs a middle income family almost a quarter of a million dollars to raise ONE child to 18. Not including college expenses. ( Data supporting this statement can be found here.)  Taxpayer dollars are dwindling as incomes aren’t increasing, unemployment numbers rising, and we take on the burden of care for non-citizens (who are also having children). I say again: the pool of funds available is not infinitely sustainable.  Hence the frustration on the part of the conservatives who completely understand that.  I believe we can only save the world by understanding that we have to reign ourselves in – socially, economically and environmentally.  We start by remembering that just because we CAN do something does not mean we SHOULD. This applies to sexual behavior  as well as to deforestation, fracking, and how we recycle.

As more of a centrist,  I do believe that showing some moral fortitude instead of turpitude would assist everyone in allocating said diminishing funds appropriately. Low cost or no cost contraception is available anywhere. If we ladies are truly in charge of our own bodies then we can just say no to unprotected sex – by using contraception, or by remaining abstinent. Because after all, there is no obligation to provide for a child that has not been created – is there?  Responsible behavior on the  part of most would  certainly free up funds to  help women who are in terrible situations through no fault of their own. I say that because, ladies, we can’t have our cake and eat it too.  If we are to be truly empowered that means we take responsibility for ourselves and our actions.  We provide our own birth  control, we make our own doctor appointments, get educated, have  careers etc etc.  We don’t blame other people or expect to get bailed out when we make poor decisions.  We figure out how to live with them – and we make sacrifices to  assure  we support those we love in the best way we can.

That said, let me address the “purist” pro-life stance for a minute or three.  Every life is precious. Agreed.  Marriage and Sex are for the procreation of children and stabilization of the family unit.  Agree that this is certainly part of the function of marriage and sex. (but not the end game of it) According to catholic doctrine fertility awareness; ie the rhythm method is the only sanctioned method of birth control practicing Catholics should be practicing if they practice it at all.  I’ve got a huge problem with this.  First, this doctrine doesn’t take into account the social component of marriage. People also marry for companionship – increasingly so, at least in the US.. Marriage is not solely about having children together.  And, the rhythm method is notoriously unreliable contraceptive method. – only 91% effective if used properly – and people rarely use it properly. Many fail to use the correct formula when calculating the fertile period.  Many women do not ovulate mid cycle, and changes to a woman’s lifestyle (medications, illness, life stressors etc) make it impossible to accurately predict the menstrual cycle month to month. It also can take up to 6 months or more to get a semi-accurate “read” on the menstrual cycle in order to even get a baseline prediction of the fertile period. And perhaps most importantly, this method offers ZERO protection from sexually transmitted diseases. Adopting out a child is always an option for a woman with an unaffordable or unwanted pregnancy – but the market appears severely skewed. Supply may be high, but demand is decreasing as families discover and avail themselves of new methods to  have their own biological children.  As many as 104,000 children are awaiting adoption in the US alone, right now.

Using a condom, the patch, the pill, an IUD and or spermicide is in my mind a viable, completely acceptable alternative for a committed couple to enjoy the benefits of a physical relationship without having to worry about a financial obligation towards children they can either not afford or do not want at that time. Using birth control is being socially responsible in its best sense. And let me be clear here: abortion may in the legal sense be termed a birth control method, but in my opinion should be a last resort and only utilized in the gravest of circumstances.  I have been told that even though this is my opinion, I cannot be classified as a pro-lifer because I do believe there are life circumstances and/or life threatening circumstances wherein abortion is the best alternative for the woman. Performed for appropriate reasons (which are determined by the woman and her doctor),  in the appropriate medical setting, with qualified medical personnel, abortion can save lives.   Abortion really is not an all or nothing issue. Factor in diminishing dollars and we have  arrived where we currently are. Which is why contraception is so flipping important!

English: Picture Of Ortho Tri-Cyclen oral contraceptives with Ortho Dialpak dispensers (photo taken by self). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One other problem I have always had with the “purists” is the whole attitude of “We have dominion over all things” and “God will find a way”  NO.  If we truly have dominion over everything, then it is our obligation to be responsible with that power. To conserve our resources, to act for the benefit of all.  It is not – and never has been, our “duty” to birth children we cannot fiscally or emotionally care for.  “God” is not going to find a way to fix things when we run out of money, run out of clean air and water, literally run out of gas, and run out of space to support the human population. We certainly do not need to follow the example of China and limit families to one child. But a little restraint would go a long way.  God gave us brains – and I think,  expects us to use  them.  To do the greatest good for the most amount of people. That means we are OBLIGATED to act responsibly in ALL we do.  Including the number of children we have, so that those children can have the best possible life.

Related articles

• Am I Pro-Life? (Part IIb – Abortion and Abortifacients) (footballandphysics.wordpress.com)
• “Pro-Life” Is A Lie, Here Are 10 More Accurate Descriptions They Won’t Like (addictinginfo.org)
• Pro-Life and Pro-Choice (thepolitilady.wordpress.com)

I was in a discussion on Facebook today- I had posted a link to a picture of Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby – which led to the following -  ( rather than paraphrase I figured I’d save time and copy/paste) I have erudite, intelligent friends – just so you know – several of whom are wonderful  educators.  Here is the transcript:

• Friend 1:  I still have mental twitches from having to read “The Great Gatsby” in school — I have been thinking, after lo, these many years, I might have to overcome this and try reading it again…

  Friend 2: Friend 1, you just hit on something that is one of my pet peeves. We force kids to read novels the content of which really is just over their heads, and it turns so many off of reading. They are capable of decoding the words and maybe even grasping the general concepts, but they are not mentally or emotionally ready to absorb the true message. I probably didn’t say that as well as I could, but I’m super tired and just took cough syrup.
• Friend 1: no, I think you got it exactly right — my son was assigned to read Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” over the summer as a HS freshman, and that is not a book that a 14-year-old boy has an interest in, he hated it; I remember also detesting Steinbeck and Hemingway, who were the “in” authors of so-called classics at that time. Luckily I did a lot of extracurricular reading, so I wasn’t turned off to reading as such, but many kids don’t come from families that read a great deal, and that would make a difference. Sorry to be so long-winded, but I could discuss this for hours..
• Friend 3:  Students do seem to enjoy “Of Mice and Men” by Steinbeck. But now our curriculum is filled with a lot of nonfiction that neither the student nor the teacher enjoy. I think we do need to read nonfiction but all the extended text in my curriculum. I feel as if I am teaching history and not English.

  Donna Hoyt Erickson You guys nailed it! So many people get turned off of reading because of the reasons you stated. Sometimes the message is way over heads. In order to enjoy reading it first has to be an enjoyable story and well, vividly written. I LOVE To Kill a Mockingbird. Read it in middle school, my take away was mostly about the consequences of bullying and finding a friend in unexpected places. Re reading it a few years later, my take was a bit more mature – centered around the (till then not obvious) sexual undertones of rape and incest, social injustice, prejudice, social class, and inequality. I think, and correct me if I’m wrong, that we take from any media (medium?) what our developmental stage and maturity level allows us to. We need to train ourselves to interpret written materials and think critically; allow ourselves the gift of exposure to literature we might not quite be ready for. Personally it’s SO MUCH more fun to read for enjoyment and for love of the story than it is when you have to interpret it for a class assignment. The best teachers hopefully key in on the students interests first and help instill a love of reading at the get go. Mine did. Thank you Mrs Chandler! (Son of Mrs Chandler – please give a shout out to your Mom for me – thanks) Then, the dry boring stuff is a little easier to take. I could discuss for hours too, but you guys already knew that. .

  Friend 1: funny you should mention that, my son and I were discussing this and he said “To Kill a Mockingbird” was a favorite of his for required reading — embarassingly, I’ve never read it (hides head in shame). One of the things we discussed was the possibility of broadening the choices available — students certainly must be introduced to a variety of reading materials, just like everything in life — or they will not know what’s “out there”, or be able to extract meaning from writing — but the curricula must take into account the age and personal tastes of the students. There are plenty of well-written and thought provoking books in the sci-fi field, for instance, and since both I and my son are SF aficionados  we naturally read more of that than anything else. and Donna makes a fine point that you take out of a book what you are able to depending on your age and maturity level… Friend 3, do you think the English curriculum contains nonfiction at the expense of fiction?  so difficult to marshal my thoughts coherently when I have so much I want to say!

  Friend 3: Yes I do. I believe students should be exposed to nonfiction but to have an entire curriculum dominated by nonfiction is over the top. Instead of teaching English I end up teaching social studies and science. It would be more beneficial for students to read those texts and discuss them with the social studies and science teacher. We do get to teach a little writing and very little grammar. But as for reading literary books whatever the genre-not happening. I am adding in an independent read right now to open the door to students individual taste in literature. Much more engaging for them.

  Donna Hoyt Erickson Independent Study is a great work around! This discussion has inspired a blog post (forthcoming) Thank you ladies!

      I honestly do feel that in order to learn from reading anything the first step to infection with the virus is to read what is enjoyable to you – so the process of reading is positively reinforcing in and of itself.  You cannot become a bibliophile if this step is skipped. I witnessed this firsthand with my daughter’s former boyfriend.  No interest in reading whatsoever.  He was never encouraged to read about what he enjoyed – only told what he had to read.  He hates to read, unsurprisingly.   That always made me sad.  I prefer reading to watching TV or movies actually.  Love the places my mind can take me.  As an awkward, physically uncoordinated person, books were my sanctuary in my younger years.  They still provide a happy place for me.

      I did find the discussion about the English curriculum disturbing. Nonfiction reading has a place in English classes – but not to the exclusion of other genres of literature.  The human mind is at its best when it IMAGINES.  Dry as dirt rehashing of what-has-been does little to stimulate a love of reading – or dare I say – even a love of learning if the learner has no interest in the material.  I doubt we are doing students any favors by “browbeating” them with nonfiction they have no interest in.  As adults, they will then not likely have much love for literature in any form – having been so adversely conditioned in school. And what of the teachers?  How much enthusiasm can they be expected to generate over material they don’t enjoy?  Students learn best when the teacher is energized and enthusiastic about the material being presented.  An entire generation with no love for the written word, inoculated against the virus.  I’m so saddened.

       I do love non-fiction and find myself reading more and more of it as I get older.  With this caveat:  Only about subjects I have an established interest in.  The Tudor period. The Renaissance. Sea Stories. Mountaineering.  World War 2.  Aviation. Prohibition, The Mafia, and Forensics/True Crime. (to name a few)

       Not to say that we shouldn’t cultivate a well rounded cache of reading material which we can discuss.   We absolutely need to be able to  think critically and communicate effectively. We can’t do either of those things unless we are infected enough with the virus to enjoy reading.  The enjoyment of the process gets us through the dusty musty stuff and forward to the next level.  I admit I approach all of my reading concretely.  What happens in the story is my first concern. And if it ain’t interestin- I ain’t continuin to read it.  My infection leads me next to ask why I find the material interesting. Why does it resonate with me?  Post traumatic stress disorder prevents me from traveling down the theme interpretation path too far; but there are in fact themes that resonate with me. My core values would be a good way to put it, I guess.  Love, Friendship, Family, Overcoming Hardships, Perseverance, Actions of Integrity in Adversity, Honor, Loyalty.  BUT whatever I read has to be well written or it’s gonna get tossed.

       Which brings me to a discussion about authors.  I’ve found that my preferences for writers are not so much about how they write (they wouldn’t be published if they sucked at writing, now would they?) – but rather what they write about.  If you’re not a fan of the horror genre you may not like Stephen King, or Dean Koontz. If you are then you probably like at least one of them.  Frank Herbert may be too cerebral a writer for you even if you are a sci-fi fan. To each his own – and we all develop during the course of the disease in us, an affinity for a particular author’s style within a particular genre. Virus mutations, for lack of a better term. Although it’s perhaps the perfect term to use given the title of this post – Hahaha!

       Sadly but unsurprisingly, the US is not a frontrunner in terms of literacy and education – although it should be. (we have the resources, and the personnel – just not the values)   Why can we not address critical thinking skills by allowing students access to literature that reflects a theme but not curtailing them by only allowing them to read one book. Multiple choices. We need to rethink our teaching curriculums to reflect a new mission statement.   To instill in learners -  at whatever age, – a lifelong love of learning and investigation. To help learners want to learn.This is the true virus that needs to infect us all. Bibliophil-itis. The process starts with gladly opening a book.

  Related Material:

  http://youtu.be/MBykMeLvU1o