Fix it up or just keep patching it

Five years ago, I bought a "house", using the term loosely.  It is a poorly built, worse maintained log cabin.  We were able to move in, and almost everything worked, but I knew then it was a fixer upper.  I'm doing what I can, including landscaping, adding a couple of outbuildings, shingles, interior things.  But there are other jobs that I don't have time, money or skill to deal with.  So now that I've pretty much decided to stay in the area for a while, I'm considering refinancing my loan, if I can at a lower interest rate, and getting enough to pay the pros to do some of the jobs right and quickly. 
What do I have to loose?  If I can get a lower rate, then my payments wouldn't go up much if at all.  Resale value would or should go up.  And it would be a lot more fun living here.  Who knows..it might be nice enough to actually invite people over once in a while...and they would show up...and not be in a hurry to leave. 
See a more thorough explanation at:  http://richardstidyman.net/FixItUp.aspx
Your opinions wanted. 

CHEATING OUR WAY TO THE TOP

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about contradictions. Here’s one.

We want our kids to be successful. So towards that end, we tell our kids to work hard and get good grades. Higher grades will be rewarded, we say. That may or may not be true, but it sounds good when trying to motivate our children. At the high school level, prestige and potential scholarships await those with high GPAs.

Let’s step back, though. We want our kids to be successful and excel in school and in life. But let’s not forget that our examples will be the most powerful teachers, and they are watching us ever so closely. They observe and record all the little hypocrisies in our lives, all the "white lies" we tell. In addition, we even enlist them to lie for us and maybe to steal. Phone rings: “Tell him I’m in the shower and can’t talk right now.” Or: The cashier accidentally gives you too much change. Whatever your next move, the child at your side is observing you closely.

Frankly, we are pretty good at rationalizing to our children why we don’t really have to play the rules. We don’t drive the speed limit because no one else does. We see non-handicapped people parking in handicapped spaces. If they do it, why can’t I?  And while it may seem minor at the time, we sometimes lie, cheat, or steal and tell our children it doesn’t matter because no one got hurt (other than a mega-multi-billion dollar company and they won’t miss it, and, besides, they deserved it.).

So welcome to the modern day conundrum[KT1]  of encouraging our children to succeed in school even as they witness the positive benefits of lying, cheating, and stealing. Considering what kids see at home, and in newspapers, trash magazines, television sitcoms, and movies, it comes as no surprise that many kids have no moral problems with cheating in school.

At our schools today, students probably cheat at all levels, from those struggling at the bottom to those competing for top honors. And what are the excuses given? “No one is getting hurt.” “Everyone else is doing it.” “I have to get a good grade if I’m going to get into college.” “If I don’t pass (or get a B, my parents will ground me.”

Who does cheating hurt? The fact is people get hurt. Whether or not the cheater gets caught, developing a habit of getting something dishonestly can affect the cheater’s future behavior. It may become so natural that the cheater doesn’t know how to “achieve” differently.

How do we instill integrity into our kids?  Growing up, the Ten Commandments and the threat of Purgatory and Hell made a big impression. But what happens when faith in a higher power holds no power?

I wish I had been instructed in the fundamentals of true happiness and psychological well being, instead. I wasn’t told that by cheating or stealing, I was depriving myself of the most basic foundation of personal satisfaction; that  my sense of personal self esteem depends on striving to become my idea of my ideal self: The real “I” is trustworthy, capable, respectable, loved for who I really am—or  as Pinocchio says, “a real boy.” By cheating, I am robbing myself of that pillar of emotional well being and peace of mind.

How do you define peace of mind? Brian Tracy calls it freedom from fear, guilt, and anger. People who lie, steal, or cheat fear getting caught, but even if they don’t, guilt alone can gnaw away at one’s sense of happiness.  We hurt ourselves in ways we may not realize. Our acceptance of these behaviors in ourselves warps our perception of others, either assuming others are like us, and not to be trusted, or just easy marks. Either way, it does not make for healthy relationships. In fact, it seems to me as a middle school teacher that cliques are formed by students comfortable at different levels of integrity. Cheaters must hang with cheaters. Kids with integrity hang with other kids with integrity. Thugs hang with thugs.   In each group, “like” is more comfortable with “like,” as members think, “I’m okay because I’m like these people, I like them, and I like what we do.”

Maybe we need to spend less time telling our kids to get good grades and more time instilling in them an understanding of personal satisfaction based on honesty and treating others fairly. Maybe we should spend more time saying work hard, work smart, and maybe you will win the prize, but win it honestly. Someday, when they are successful, we can all sleep well and look at ourselves in the mirror without fear or guilt.  And if liars and thieves should win the prize, as they sometimes do, we, and our children, can still hold our heads high and be proud of the honest effort. What greater success is there?

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 [KT1]Richard, I took out perfect storm for two reasons: 1) it’s overused; 2) it involves 3, not 2, elements joining forces.

Why I want to integrate gardening in my CTE classes

This is just a rough draft but trying to organize my thoughts.  Any suggestions?

The middle school curriculum for Career and Technology is extremely broad.  This can be daunting, especially if you are starting out as a new teacher.  This can also be very freeing in the respect that each teacher has their own unique circumstances in which to function.  In my case, I teach at four different elementary schools in Watauga County, visiting two schools per day.  

Students and teachers alike want their classes to be interesting and relevant.  This year I’m going to try something new.  I haven’t named it yet but for this article, let’s call my activity “Growing Things”.   Generally, students will be involved in growing plants, some started indoors, some transplanted, some from cuttings, some from seed, grown on the window sill, others in a greenhouse, or maybe even sprouts in a mason jar in the cabinet (aka hydroponics). 

Why use gardening, horticulture, and even landscaping as a medium for teaching career and technology?  Here are some ideas upon which to speculate.  How many careers are related to food?  Fast food, restaurants, food distribution, transportation of products, chemicals, and biology.   I’d be willing to bet that any food production, distribution, or service industry would have its share of accountants, managers, information technology specialists, and marketing arm.   Maintenance of facility and equipment requires technicians, mechanics, and even engineers in larger companies.  In advertising, one must be adept in photography, videography, social skills, business etiquette, and money management. 

Maybe you are the type of person that wants to emphasize entrepreneurship.  You don’t have to come up with some simulated pie in the sky pretend simulation to teach small business.  Teach it for real.  Market research in the local community will reveal what fresh grown fruits, veggies, flowers and other plants they are anxious to buy.  Further research on the student’s part will reveal what can be grown and at what cost. 

So far, we have included small business, internet research, engineering, financial skills, multimedia, science, marketing and biology. 

That I believe is the tip of the iceberg.  At one of my schools, Mabel Elementary School, we have received three grants in just the last year to promote healthy eating and gardening.  Students have measured the school, and drawn up the school grounds in Google SketchUp to best plan where our raised garden beds will go.  A community day brought out different speakers, who presented their information to the kids with 12 learning stations with information about health and nutrition, sustainable agriculture, landscape architecture, and the SunCatcher greenhouse we plan to build. 

What do we need to grow things?  Besides sun and water, brute force might be needed to dig holes, turn soil, and weed. So now we have exercise.  In fact, a little exercise outdoors might do some of our button pushing Play Station and computer game players some good.  For those bigger tasks at home though, we utilize small engines trim or cut grass.  This presents an authentic need to teach power mechanics in the form of small engine maintenance to support the growing things lesson.   

Once grown, what does one do with the food we grow?  Some is suitable for selling, but much can be prepared for eating, either fresh or cooked.  This too can be another CTE activity in the classroom.  Not only should cooking be considered but also food preservation, such as canning and drying.  Drying can be easily and affordably done with solar food dehydrators, which students can design using drafting and CADD software and construction skills to build.  And the seeds from many plants can be saved, which connects to sustainable living.  As for the leftovers, we can compost that using aerobic or anaerobic composting, or maybe we should venture into vermiculture (worm composting). 

During WWII, having a victory garden wasn’t just a hobby. It was a necessity.  With the current state of the economy and globalization, who knows how our economy will do in the next generation or two?  Some will argue that with the cost of energy, and the concern for health and the environment, growing our own food, flowers and foliage will make strong economic sense for anyone that owns a few square yards of dirt out their door. 

It is the beginning, at least in my mind of something big.  I foresee students across the grades and curriculum growing food and flowers from seed, cooking with some, selling others and donating some to worthy charities.  I see them developing a better understanding of the soil, the earth, climate, solar power (greenhouse, cold frames, and dehydrators) and the need for conservation and preservation of natural resources.  Research skills will be honed as my students search, compile and report on items related to composting, tools, and soil analysis.  Students will experience authentically the fruits of their labors.  When things don’t grow as expect, real problem solving will have to be used to identify the cause and resolve any issues causing the undesired effects. 

We are charged with teaching children how to live in the 21^st century with 21^st century skills.  Seems to me, growing things could be a pretty important skill. 

I may not really understand, even if you explained it to me.

I just got in and looked at facebook.  Tammy, my dear sweet neighbor, already posted a picture of my daughter from the shower she hosted for her.    Baby is due around Thanksgiving.   Baby shower's are not all that uncommon but this was remarkable.  My neighbor Tammy doens't really know daughter.  Unlike me, daughter is shy, and hasn't gotten to know the neighbors.  Very shy.  Daughter is taking classes, working part time and lives with me.  She has lived with me on and off full time since her mom moved out of town when she was 13.  Daughter doesn't have lots of friends, and none that could throw and organize a shower for her. 
So get this.  My neighbor, just because she is loving and kind, organized an incredible shower, and invited many of her friends, also people that didn't even know daughter existed until recently, and met only for the first time today.  I showed up late (in time for cake), created (made is not a sufficent description) by yet another loving and kind neighbor, Sandy. 

I guess I'm not used to people being so kind and generous to people they don't know, but I sure appreciate that they picked my daughter to shower it on.  It helps more than you can imagine.

Thank you all who were involved in making a wonderful day happen, and making daughter and her son's life off to a good start. 

A few simple thoughts on school gardens

I've been posting a few hopefully thought provoking questions on Facebook and enjoying the feedback.  I wondered though, what if I could present my ideas, a little more expanded, and also enable others to comment more thoroughly for all those interested. 
So this is it. 
This morning's thought is on gardening in the schools.  Tell me where I'm misguided.  From what I see and hear, living in our society, is not going to get easier.  Unemployment is up, poverty is up, the environment still suffers will continue to do so as we go to greater extremes to acquire what we need to maintain our comfortable life styles.  The rich get richer and the poor and middle class get poorer. 

While we may learn to live with less, there is one thing we can't do without.  FOOD.  I see us going back to the days of Victory Gardens, and all those that can raise some food will be in a better position.  Growing one's own food increases one's own value in the community and increases one's health, assuming one is growning without chemicals to the extreme. 

The physical and psychological benefits are numerous.  Maby you can comment on that. 

One of my goals as a teacher is to broaden the horizons of my students about FOOD.  Where it comes from, how it is transported, and impacts the energy situation.  What are the health benefits of food choices.  And ultimately, introduce them to growing their own.  Add to that, the opportunities for cooking, meal preparation, health benefits, career opportunities. And then add to that, the interrelatedness of what we need to grow.  An understanding and cooperation with nature.  How to research effectively.  Social and communication skills needed to most effectively maximize the benefits.  Understanding of the tools and equipment needed.  Maintenance of the tools.  Metalurgy.  Power mechanics.  Then throw in the documentation of the activities with photography and video, public speaking for the kids, possible contests.  The list goes on. 

 If it isn't obvious, I am drwaw to the big picture.  Working out the details though is a challenge. 

One detail I'm working out is the beautification of the school grounds at Parkway.  We'll do some vegetable gardening too but at this point, perrenial flower gardens has my immediate attention.  Getting the kids outside to dig and plant flowers is fun. 

I'm learning as much if not more, than they are.  That's just one of the reasons I love teaching.  At this point, I am in fact overwhelmed with where to start. Suggestions?

Do you have suggestions as to where to begin learning about land scape design?  The best book?  The best videos?  The best local resources (Watauga County). Do you know of a landscaper or supplier that might donate a little bit of time or a plant or two, or a truckload of mulch?   I expect this to be a serendiptious collaborative effort with kids, parents, and community. 

Here is a corner of the school lot we hope to amend. 

The wall on the right with the windows faces due sounth.  Will need to put in plants and shrubs that love sun.  The wall on the left gets sun from noon on til the sun goes down pretty much.  More sun loving plants there too.  Possible rock wall on the corner, tapering down, mulch.  Tall sun loving plants on the back side, along the white rail. 

Keep those ideas coming.