Al-Anon

After years of sitting alone in my apartment-isolated,-feeling self-righteous,wronged and superior-I decided to attend Al -anon meetings -where i could bring my feelings of self righteousness and superiority to an air-conditioned room.

EDUCATION 8

Most teachers know that learning must at times be fun- almost pure fun but the line between hard work anf fun does not have to be drawn- when the work itself becomes fun then there is no line to be drawn-Students are always eager to try something that might be fun and they are often willing to try something new that might be fun- my search for an assingment that combined both ended when i found a learning tool called FAMOUS TRIALS IN AMERICAN HISTORY the first trial i did with the students was the BOSTON MASSACRE TRIAL OF 1770-this trial has all the elements of fun and learning i was looking for- a pivotal trial in american history it has both the significance of an iconic american history event with a trial that raised significant issues about the American Judicial system- the facts of the BOSTON MASSACRE are well known- almost everyone comes across the famous etching that paul revere did illustrating the tragic event-but the trial is lesser known and it has all the drama of the event itself and more than a few important historical figures- including paul revere himself-and john Adams- an attorney practicing in Boston during that time and later to become our 2nd president.He bravely agreed to represent the defendents in the case- the defendents consisted of mostly British soldiers and officers but the captain[Thomas Preston] invollved was the most intrigiung figure considering the fact that his order to fire on the crowd was at the center of the case- the big question was DID HE GIVE THE ORDER?- that question was the core of the prosecution's case- convinced that he did, they provided several witnesses that testified to that fact- but each witness did have a bias that could be demonstrated and the other witnsses testified convincingly as to the restraint the captain showed under very tryning circumsatnces-the result of the actual trial was to aquit most of the soldiers and the captain- but the result of the trial that one can do in class is another matter-the jury can decide whigchever way they want to based on how effectively the students on either side present their cases- i invariably chose elder ctitizens from the community to serve on the jury- they were remarkably ready and willing to perfom this service for my students and they did a very good job- it was modeling civic duty in a way that almost nothing else would-the students rehearsed their examination and cross examination of witnesses as well as their opening statements- they were not allowed to practice their closing stattemnt as i wanted them to do them extemporaneously for the practice but also for the dramatic effect- no materr how long we practiced we always left room for the spontaneous to occur the day of the actual trial-the studnets loved the work and they did work hard- they also mentioned how much fun it was- we had them create costumes that were appropriate for their roles- and left it to thier parents to be resourceful in finding appropriate attire- lawyers wore vests and or corduroy jackets and suits- dock workers wore jeans and bandanas-they all were endlessly inventive and creative in putting their costumes together and that was fun too- i would serve as the judge- being as impartial as i could- also encouraging them as much as i couyld without helping them too much-and always thinking about the fairness issue and not giving one side more help then another- i would wear a graduaution gown from a nearbye university- it was gold not black but perfect for the purpose of looking dignified and important-I enjoyed the trials as much as the students and i would look forward to having them every year-There were other trials available- one was the salem witch trial-another the Andersonville Trial during the Civil war- But i always liked the Boston massacre Trial the most-it gave the students a chance to not only relive American history but to participate in it-and I am told by may former students that it has left an indelible memory of that period of history in a way that nothing else could-i encourage all teachers of American history to consider holding similar trials in their classrooms-it not only turns the classroom environment into something dynamic and exciting-it always gives a few of them the idea that someday they would like to be practicing attorneys-the natural ability and skill i witnessed among some of them made it clear that they could and would be excellent lawyers.

NO COFFEE!

About thirty years ago a family member was sruggling through a bad emotional patch in her life- this could bring out the best and worst of our wonderful mother-who could respond to an emotional crisis with every care and concern but also brutal honesty and imperious commands to manage healthier living habits-one summer the sister who was struggling had taken sometime off to rest and recharge out in our long island summer home-for that brief period it was only my mother, sister and i living out there-one late morning i walked in from an errand to find my mother pacing the kitchen floor listening intently to the person on the other end- the conversation had obviously been going on for sometime and it did not appear that it would end soon- it was a rare occasion when mom's interlocutor was doing a lot more talking then she was- my sister was across the counter in the kitchen- half listening-and barely noticed my arrival- as not much would happen out there with mother on the phone i waited somewhat impatiently for the conversation to end- finally she turned. moved toward the receiver, and looked as if the conversation was about to end- it did appear that she may have been receiving some instructions as to the best approach in helping her daughter- but the look on her face was barely concealed exasperation-in control but exasperated - finally she thanked the doctor in a low tone-but as the phone left her ear a surge of energy coursed through her body as she suddenly whipped the phone in midair and slammed it on the receiver-as she did this i could see her mouth forming a declaration -and i was sure the declaration would be directed at my sister- she timed it perfectly-phone landed hard on the receiver just as she said- leaning across the counter-NO COFFEE!-she spun on her left foot-and headed for her bedroom- we were left to absorb this as she obviuosly had decided to move on to the next part of her schedule that day-I imagined that the vibration of her voice carried a long distance -it travelled down the East Coast-and hit the Blue Ridge mountains where it bounced off and created a ripple effect that travelled around the world-the effect of the vibration- in the form of sound waves- became weaker as it travelled to far away places-but i am told that people rasing their first cup of coffee hesitated-just for a moment-their cup was actually suspended in mid-air-somewhere between the kitchen counter and their mouth-foir most people it was just a split second-they hardly knew why they were hesitating but one man in China sat there for five minutes-the cup suspended in mid-air-with a slightly concerned look on his face -slightly concerned and slightly puzzled-but he seemed to snap out of it in an instant and took a rather long gulp from the cup-my sister and i waited about 3 seconds- until mom had reached her bedroom-we later learned to put on her tennis outfit-and then we looked at each other-in a knowing way- i went to the coffee urn and poured us each a large strong mug of coffee-I do know what the psychiatrist meant-because the coffee was too strong -i had a sort of psychotic reaction to it and retreated to my room for the rest of the day- i would quietly warn visitors- including our Uncle- our mother's brother - to be careful with sister's coffee-mentioning the reaction i had had that morning-NO COFFEE!-has become a sort of code among us-it means WATCH OUT-or TROUBLE AHEAD!-but it can also just be a reminder of mom-who bless her heart was always way more good than bad in a crisis-and would prove so time and again in all our lives.

Doctors Weekend Wainscott,Long Island-1979

our family spent most of our summers at a vacation home in Wainscott Long Island-By 1979- all of us had sought treatment form experienced medical professionals for one reason or another- so it was suggested that we have a doctor's weekend in early July of 1979-the plan was to have each of us invite the doctor of our choice to a three day weekend at our summer home-we were free to choose the doctor of our choice but it was stipulated that the doctor must have rendered service above and beyond the call of duty for many years-Mom hired a limousine to pick each of the doctors up from their various offices and residences in the NY metropolitan area-then the limousine would proceed on to Wainscott- the hope was that the doctors would be collected and on their way by 2pm so as to miss the horrendous weekend traffic- that would only get worse over the years but it was still pretty bad-it was easy for me- i chose Dr Lubart- a psychiatrist i had been with for some time-he was around sixty years old-a short, rotund man-good natured most of the time-and a dedicated professional- dad did the same- his choice was Dr Hoopalowsi-a psychiatrist he had been with for many years-and one who had seen him through some rough times-she was a little younger then Joe Lubart and also praticed in Manhattan- next was our oldest sister louise-she went with her psychiatrist too- a Dr Barisch-a well known and highly respected therapist practicing on the upper east side- he knew Lubart but we assumed this was all for the good-Harold went with Dr Kuyamjian-an Armenian chiropractor living and working in New Jersey-Harold would go a long way to see him so he must have been very good- We all knew that his mother was his receptionist-this did not appear to pose any problem- and just in case- we knew the psychiatrists there would be able to handle any problem that came up - we considered inviting the mother along but rejected the idea at the last minute-Amy invited a PHD- the school superintendent in Bronxvile where we all attended high School- we all protested when we found out but it was to late to do anything about it- and she was rather satisfied that she had met the criteria we had stipulated- it was no use arguing with her-she was fresh out of law school and more then capable of dimissing any objections we had-that left mom who said she would eventually invite someone but wanted more time- we made a small protest but she emphasized that her choice would find their own way out to Long Island-the limousine would not be needed etc- so we went along with it-by 2:30 pm on that friday all the doctors had been picked up and they were on their way-Dr kuyjian was first as he lived the furthest away- there was one problem- as the others were picked up, it seems Dr k had a preference for rather pungent smelling sandwiches-the other doctors were tolerant enough at first- but after he consumed the first it was apparent that he wasn't finished- just when they thought he was finished eating he would take out another sandwhich-by the third one dr Barisch blew up - HOW MANY OF THOSE ARE YOU GOING TO EAT?-DR K PAUSED FOR A MOMENT-LOOKED A LITTLE HURT THEN SPOKE WITH A MOUTHFUL OF SALAMI-'AS MANY AS I DAMN PLEASE!'- THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN OK BUT AS THE WORD PLEASE CAME OUT A SMALL PIECE OF SALAMI WITH MUSTARD ON IT WAS LAUNCHED ON TO DR BARISCH'S LAP- A FASTIDIOUS MAN IF THERE EVER WAS ONE THE REST OF THE TRIP WAS NO DOUBT GOING TO BE AN ORDEAL FOR HIM-the other doctors took it well enough-even chuckled in that avuncular way they often do-Dr Hoopalowski wisely asked a few very earnest questions about Dr k's eating habits- which he seemed to enjoy-so the whole matter had passed by the time they reached the Throggs Neck Bridge-what happened then could have been predicted- the traffic got worse and worse-by the time they reached the long Island Expressway the traffic had slowed to a crawl-there was sighing and a few mumbles at first- but when Dr Hoopalowski insisted on choosing the radio station the others became agitated- it seems that Dr Hoopalowski was fond of punk rock- that was all the rage at the time-she insisted the driver turn the volume up everytime a favorite punk rock song came on-in quick succesion there were songs from THE CLASH- The Police-Devo-and The Talking Heads-the next song was a little catchy-Dr Lubart appeared to enjoy it-and Dr Barisch was tapping his foot- when Dr Hoopalowski noticed this she offered the name of the group-THE SEX PISTIOLS-Drs Barisch and Lubart looked at each other knowingly-and nodded in that way the psychiatrists often do-so there was some leavening of the mood- they were going to the seaside after all-how bad could the traffic get?-when Dr kuyjian suggested a brief stop for restrooms etc - thay all cheerfully agreed-after a short delay they all returned to the car-a little more refreshed-Not long after they turned back on to the LIE- Dr K pulled out an enormous package of REESE'S PIECES-A CANDY MADE OF A COMBINATION OF SOFT CHOCOLATE AND PEANUT BUTTER- WHILE THEY ARE VERY POPULAR-IT ALSO WELL KNOWN THAT THE SMELL OF THIS CANDY CAN BE RATHER UNPLEASANT AND THE BREATH OF THE EATER EVEN WORSE-Dr K went through the whole bag in about 5 minutes- the other doctors started to squirm- he offered each of them some of the candy and they politely declined but the look of horror on Dr B's face was apparently quite memorable-Lubart went into a spasm of laughter when he saw it -and Dr B never forgave him for it- not then and for the rest of the time they knew each other- one of the frustrating things was Dr k would often appear to be finished with the reese's pieces- he would pop a few in his mouth and neatly fold the bag and put it away- but seconds later the bag would be out again for a few more- this went on the whole five minutes that it took him to consume the whole bag- when he was finished-Dr H closed her eyes and tilted her head upward as if she was praying-the expression on her face showed strain nonetheless.She held this pose for about 3 seconds and then opened her eyes- they darted toward Dr k obviously to see if he had resumed eating- a look of relief came over her but the strain was till there too.The arrival was uneventful. We gathered on the driveway to greet our visitors but it is safe to say that at that point the doctors were not talking to one another and Dr k's breath was awful. We thanked the driver and paid him a nice tip. We showed the doctors their rooms but then unfortunately there commenced an escalating argument over room assignments- we had put Dr L and Dr B together thinking that they were old friends- the look of alarm on Dr B's face when we told him is really unforgetable- it was a look of astonishment with indignation and disdain- as anyone knows this is very difficult to accomplish all in one flash of expression and his face over the years might properly be called neutral or unexpressive. The habits of years of professional detachment had clearly fallen away-i might be mistaken but Dr L seemed to be enjoying this and cracked a big smile saying something like it is just fine with him and he then patted Dr B on the back- much too hard by the way and Dr B shot him a look that made retribution a certainty-he would no doubt find some passive/aggressive way to return measure for measure the slight. We calmed them down promising cocktails on the porch in one hour- we shortened it to one half hour then 15 minutes- we would have offered them a drink right away but that would be breaking every social convention we were raised to observe-as the cocktail hour rolled around each of the doctors ambled their way to the deck where i took their cocktail orders- a round of martinis was the preferred drink- actually when Dr B said a martini please they all nodded vigorously- so martini it is i said- then Dr Hoopalowski said make mine a 'DOUBLE'-and all agreed that theirs should be a double too- we felt that at least some common ground had been established and i hurried to make the martinis- barely splashing each one with vermouth- as the sun went down things seemed to be getting a little more harmonious- we started the fire for the barbecue and brought out some steaks, drumsticks and hamburgers-that is when Dr B said in the direction of dr L- SAY JOE WHY DON'T YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT CONFERENCE IN MEXICO -IT WAS ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO WASN'T IT?- IS IT TRUE THAT YOUR WIFE LOCKED YOU OUT OF THE ROOM WHEN YOU CAME HOME AT 2AM- WAS THAT PRETTY L;ITTLE MEXICAN GIRL YOU WERE WITH A PATIENT- I NOTICED SHE WORKED FOR THE HOTEL- IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN SHE CAME IN TO TIDY UP AND TURN THE BEDS DOWN AROUND 10;OO O'CLOCK-I MUST GIVE DR L SOME CREDIT BUT HE DID NOT RETURN THE SLIGHT VERBALLY - HE JUST FLICKED HIS WRIST AND SHOT A FRESHLY MADE MARTINI IN THE DIRECTION OF DR B's FACE- WHEN THE MARTINI LANDED- ALMOST IMMEDIATELY- DR B PUSHED DR L IN THE POOL- THAT SEEMED TO GIVE DR K THE OPPURTUNITY HE HAD BEEN WAITING FOR- HE SHOVED DR HOOPALOWSKI IN THE POOL-A HARD SHOVE IT WAS-AND THEN A GENERAL MELEE ENSUED- THANK GOODNESS THAT WAS WHEN MOM'S GUEST ARRIVED- IT WAS JULIUS ERVING OF BASKETBALL FAME- BETTER KNOWN AS DR J -MOM INSISTED SHE HAD FOLLOWED THE GUIDELINES AND NO ONE OBJECTED- HE STOOD THERE AT THE EDGE OF THE POOL WITH A WRY GRIN OBSERVING THE OTHER DOCTORS- AS THEY WERE ALL BASKETBALL FANS HIS PRESCENCE SEEMED TO SHOCK THEM INTO SOME RECOGNITION OF WHAT THEY WERE DOING- I HANDED DR J A BEER AND THANKED HIM FOR COMING-THE HEAVY BOOZE CONSUMPTION WAS OBVIOUSLY A MISTAKE BUT THE DRINKS DID TIRE EVERYONE OUT AND SO ONE BY ONE THEY SAUNTERED OFF TO THEIR ROOMS- EXCEPT FOR DR HOOPALOWSKI WHO PASSED OUT ON A CHAISE LOUNGE-BY SATURDAY WE HAD TO SEPARATE THEM ALL- FINDING A VARIETY OF THINGS TO DO-DR B WANTED TO PLAY GOLF-FIRST TIME APPARENTLY- DR L WANTED TO GO FISHING-AND DR K WANTED TO GO SHOPPING- OSTENSIBLY FOR MORE REESE'S PEANUT BUTTER CUPS BUT NO ONE MENTIONED IT- DR HOOPLALOWSKI ANNOUNCED THAT SHE WAS GOING TO REMAIN POOLSIDE AND DRINK- IN FACT SHE WAS MAKING HERSELF A BLOODY MARY WHEN SHE ANNOUNCED THIS- WE DECIDED AS A FAMILY THAT EACH OF US WOULD ACCOMPANY THE DOCTOR WE HAD INVITED OUT FOR THE WEEKEND- AS THEY WERE OUR GUESTS WE FELT THERE WAS NO OTHER WAY TO GO ABOUT IT- DR J WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO WANTED TO GO TO THE BEACH SO MOM WAS VERY HAPPY- SHE LIKES THE BEACH TOO AND SHE WANTED TO SHOW HIM OFF TO HER BEST FRIEND EDNA THORNTON-EDNA HAD BROUGHT BILL RUSSELL THE WEEK BEFORE AND IT CAUSED QUITE A STIR- EDNA SUGGESTED A PICK UP GAME BUT BILL WASN'T INTERESTED SO THERE WAS NO INVITATION THE FOLLOWING WEEKEND-YOU MAY BE WONDERING ABOUT DR LOUIS BRAUN-AMY'S GUEST FOR THE WEEKEND-ALL THE OTHER DOCTORS FOUND HIM TO BE A VERY CONVIVIAL FELLOW- ESPECIALLY DRS B AND L,BUT THEY THOUGHT HE MIGHT BE DEPRESSED SO THEY SLIPPED HIM TWO TABLETS OF A VERY POWERFUL ANTI-PSYCHOTIC DRUG THAT WAS AT THAT TIME BEING TESTED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION-THEY TOOK THE OPPURTUNITY OF PUTTING THE TABLETS IN THE COCA-COLA THAT DR BRAUN DRANK ON THE STOP ALONG THE LONG ISLAND EXPRESSWAY-THEY WERE ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED IT WOULD DO NO HARM AND POSSIBLY HELP HIM-THE RESULT WAS SOMEWHAT DISTURBING AS IT APPEARED THAT HE COULD NOT SPEAK AT ALL 5 MINUTES AFTER FINISHING THE COKE-DR B BLAMED DR L AND DR L BLAMED DR B-BUT THEY AGREED NOT TO MENTION IT EVER AGAIN IN THEIR MUTUAL INTEREST-DR BRAUN?-HE SPENT THE REST OF THE WEEKEND IN A MILD ANTI-PSYCHOTIC STUPOR-HE COULD AND DID NOD HIS ASSENT TO OFFERS OF FOOD ETC AND HE WOULD SHAKE HIS HEAD NO FOR OFFERS HE WANTED TO DECLINE-BUT HE DID BOTH VERY. VERY SLOWLY -ALMOST IMPERCEPTIBLY-THE ENTIRE WEEKEND -AND WITH THE SAME VACANT LOOK IN HIS EYES-AMY WAS VERY BUSY WITH DR BRAUN-BUSY WATCHING HIM THAT IS-SHE WAS FASCINATED AT FIRST BUT IT BECAME BORING FOR HER- SHE TRIED TO INTEREST THE REST OF US IN HIS AND HER PREDICAMENT BUT THE REST OF US WERE NOT INTERESTED-LOUISE HAD THIS TO SAY ABOUT IT' AT LEAST HE IS QUIET-NOT BOTHERING ANYONE'-AND WE ALL HAD TO AGREE-HE DID DRINK TWO MARTINIS BUT THEY HAD VIRTUALLY NO DISCERNIBLE EFFECT ON HIS BEHAVIOR-THERE WAS THE SAME VACANT LOOK IN HIS EYES BUT A HINT OF A SMILE APPEARED AFTER THE SECOND MARTINI-WE WERE TOLD LATER THAT HE FIRED 6 FACULTY MEMBERS AT THE SCHOOL SHORTLY AFTER HE RETURNED FROM THE WEEKEND-6 FACULTY MEMBERS AND THE SCHOOL NURSE-WHO IMMEDIATELY TOOK UP RESIDENCE IN DR BRAUN'S APARTMENT AND REMAINED THERE FOR THE LAST 15 YEARS OF HIS LIFE-NO ONE EVER MENTIONED THIS TO HIS FACE BUT THERE WAS TALK AROUND TOWN AND IN THE FACULTY CAFETERIA- BY SATURDAY NIGHT EVERYONE HAD RETURNED FROM THEIR VARIOUS ACTIVITIES AND WE HAD A QUIET DINNER AT A NEARBY RESTAURANT- THE CONVERSATION RAN ALONG THE LINES OF WHAT WAS THE BEST AND FASTEST WAY TO GET HOME THE NEXT MORNING- THE EVENING ENEDED WITHOUT INCIDENT BUT THE NEXT MORNING WHEN THE LIMOUSINE ARRVIVED AN IMBROGLIO ENSUED THAT IS STILL TALKED ABOUT TODAY ON THE UPPER EASTSIDE OF MANHATTAN-IT SEEMS THAT DR HOOPALOWSKI HAD DECIDED TO DRIVE-THE CHAUFERS OBJECTIONS WERE IGNORED AND SHE REFUSED TO GET OUT OF THE DRIVERS SEAT- YOU SEE THE CHAUFER HAD ASKED TO USE ONE OF OUR RESTROOMS AND SHE SEIZED THE OPPURTUNITY TO GET IN THE CAR- GRAB THE STEERING WHEEL AND START THE CAR- SHE FLOORED THE ACCELERATOR AND WITH A HIGH, SHRILL LAUGH STARTED TO DRIVE IN CIRCLES AROUND THE DRIVEWAY-DAD TRIED TO CALM HER DOWN TO NO AVAIL AND WHEN SHE DROVE OFF WE WERE FORCED TO REPORT THE STOLEN VEHICLE-THE OTHER DOCTORS TOOK THIS PRETTY WELL AND ALL SAID THEY PREFERRED TO FIND THEIR OWN WAY HOME- TO JUST DROP THEM OFF AT THE RR STATION AND THAT IS WHAT WE DID-NO FURTHER TRIPS OF THIS KIND WERE EVER MENTIONED AND THIS WEEKEND WAS A FORBIDDEN SUBJECT FOR MANY YEARS- WE FOUND OUT THAT DR HOOPALOWSKI DID MANAGE TO GET HOME AND THAT SHE HAD TALKED THE LIMOUSINE COMPANY OUT OF PRESSING CHARGES- I THINK SHE AGREED TO FREE TREATMENT FOR THE OWNER'S WIFE- FOR A BOUT 5 YEARS-THE END OF THE STORY IS NOT REALLY REMARKABLE IN ANY WAY-THE DOCTORS INVOLVED HAVE NEVER COMMENTED ON THE EVENTS OF THAT WEEKEND AND THEY PROBABLY NEVER WILL- BUT ONE THING IS ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN- AND THAT IS THAT WEEKEND VISITORS ARE ALMOST ALWAYS APPRECIATED MORE WHEN THEY LEAVE THEN WHEN THEY ARRIVE AND THIS EXPERIENCE WAS NO EXCEPTION.

MY CAREER-EDUCATION 7

My teaching career has lasted 30 years now- i began at a private school in New york City -stayed there for 17 years before one more school for on ly one year then 9 years at a school in iowa and 3 more in Johannesburg south africa-over the course of my career i have taught some of the richest students in the world- on the upper east side of manhattan and some of the poorest in South africa-i have taught 3 year-olds how to swim and 70 year old how to platy tennis- i have taught on the college level and every grade on the secondary school level from 4th grade to 12th grade-i have taught many years on the east coast and almost as many in the midwest-i have taught on two continents and probably a few more before i'm through-and i know a lot about teaching as a result- but i have a lot left to learn too.The main thing every teacher learns-usually pretty early in their career-is that the teacher gets more out of it then the students-he learns more-and has more joy in the process-there is nothing more rewarding that i can think of then to help a student reach his potential-first discover it and then begin to reach it-it is a profound responsibility and a sacred trust-what teaching brings the teachers not quantifiable- but as the years go by the gratitude one feels for being a part of this profession is a constant source of strength and energy for the long haul- even when it isn't going so well- and we all have those times in our career.This book is about what i have learned about teaching students and education in general-but it is also about my life- as the two are inseparable in many ways-it offers the new teacher a direction for their career and the older teacher a frame of reference for their own-but the main purpose of the book is not tell someone how to teach - there are many ways to do it and each teacher must find their style and approach-as they make it their own- while changing and adjusting to their own discoveries and their own growth as a person-each teacher has a lot to offer a new teacher just starting out- and they also have a lot of valuable things to say to parents- but that works both ways,

education 6

The most important thing to establish in any classroom-regardless of the subject- is the right atmosphere to establish creativity-and that means no fear- no fear in the classroom- children will respond to this like nothing else-a classroom that allows them to be themselves and allows them to express their creativity- how to accomplish this?-it isn't as difficult as it may seem-the first thing is to have an open friendly and welcoming attitude to the students-the second is to prevent any other student from making a classmate feel inhibited by put downs and the third is to encourage them to express their point of view without censure or even criticism- there are exceptions and it takes experience and practice to achieve this- what if free expression means one student criticizing another?- is humour allowed?- it takes time to develop the right approach- but above all the teacher must model what he wants from the students-i was told early in my career to be tough at first- be an -expletive-and i know what the teacher meant when he told me this- he knew what he was talking about- but being tough does not mean -cutting down- criticizing or otherwise being sarcastic in any way-these things simply do not belong in a classroom- it is about letting each student find that part of themselves that is brilliant' creative' and beautiful- and every student has this- once they bring it out- it influences every other part of their school experience- confidence gained in one subject area can lead to confidence and success in other areas-one of the other points -a valid one- is what if the student is afraid to begin with-a student that is afraid brings his fear to the classroom-this fear can be expressed in a number of ways- but it does not surprise me to see him start to act out in negative ways- especially when the other students begin to express their creativity- this type of student needs a lot of attention- and the attention cannot monopolize the teacher's time or attention- he must distribute it equally among all the students- but private meetings can help-the most effective tool that i know of to reduce fear in the student and in the classroom is the practice of the TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION TECHNIQUE-it brings immediate and long lasting results and helps when all other methods have failed- the David Lynch foundation is presently working to provide TM in schools around the world- it has made an incredible difference-i will elaborate on some of those differences later-i have had 18 years experience teaching in non- meditatting schools and 12 years working in meditating schools- i have seen the difference and it is remarkable-Fear is tricky business it comes in many shapes and sizes- and it can be very deceiving-but there are two categories that apply-fear of failure-which is common- and fear of success- which is even more common in my experience-and way more tricky too-fear of failure is easy to understand- especially when trying some thing new- but fear of success means that the idea of being successful is a problem for you-what does or will being successful mean?- for some students it may mean unwanted attention or pressure to produce or a feeling of being singled out- the other students often have ways of making the successful student feel bad about their success-they put them down or accuse them of trying to be a big shot or curry favor with teachers and other adults-sometimes their are people at home who are threatened by a family member's success- as they think they never were successful and never will be-all this can be worked out but it takes time- a strong and resilient inner life takes time-but TM can help with this too and that is why i am so convinced that it is needed in our schools today-more later.

EDUCATION 5

Good teaching always involves three things-challenge -creativity-and clear instructions-students must have the advantage of clear instructions- how can they accomplish the assignment if they do not understand it purpose and how to accomplish it?They must be allowed to ask a lot of questions if they need too- and to see the teacher one to one if they wish- every important assignment should have a rubric- stating the assignments overall purpose-with specific instructions on the requirements and how the assignment will be evaluated- due dates and information on methods and techniques is also helpful- so are a few tips- but it is also important to let them do it themselves not help too much etc- parents really appreciate a rubric- especially with students under the age of 15- they often are recruited to help in some way and they love to see what the teacher assigned in writing-it avoids arguments for one thing- a good parent always knows how much to help and how much not to help-and they do help a lot- to an amazing extent- some of the best teachers a child will ever have are their parents- not just mom too- dad is a great resource as well-CREATIVITY-is the key to effective teaching and it is also the key to effective learning- learning truly can be fun but not without creativity-work that is repetitive monotonous and generally unstimulating-wears a student down-there must be some aspect of their creativity they can use in completing the assignment or project-the creative part is the part that leads to discovery-to the feeling one is creating something useful and good- and it is the same feeling they will have when they find meaningful work to do in their lives-there are parts of the teachers art that involve repetition and memorization- these should not be thrown out by any means-but aiming for the creative assignment also gives the teacher a lot to look forward too- the results are usually very inspiring and sometimes astonishing-one assignment i invariably gave in my last few years of teaching was inspired by a book i read with suggestions for projects- it was written by an historian whose name id do not remember-it may have been James Michener-the noted author of books like HAWAII and CHESAPEAKE-the assignment asks the studenst to imagine that the class is going to bury a time capsule in the school yard-the time capsule is about the size of the classroom- they are asked to suggest 5 items to put in- the items must be ranked according to importance and relate to the time they live in- they should also- some of them at least -represent their lives as they are living them in whatever village town or city they live in-for instance if they live in iowa there might be something about farming-but they also are asked to include one personal item that will tell whoever finds the time capsule something about themselves- a basketball- ballet slipper or a picture of their family or pet etc-the instructions include the fact that the time capsule will be uncovered in about 5 thousand years-no item can be bigger than the classroom and the first 4 items must be reflective of the time they live in- the major issues of their day- like global warming- terrorism- or the globalization of the economy-the assignment is to write an essay describing each of the items they have chosen-and to rank each one of them as i said before- each item must be described in detail with an explanation as to why they chose it-the criteria they used and why of course it would be important to include-they have as a guide the important things archaeologists have found from digging at the sites of ancient civilizations- like Egypt and Mesopotamia-tools today include computers-clothing-some kind of food-a book-anything at all is acceptable as long as it can be preserved- one brilliant student suggested a barrel of oil in his essay-other interesting items included a popular tv show like AMERICAN IDOL-the reasons they give for each item may include their own subjectivity- this is alright- but their reasoning in general should have sound logic behind it-it is really an exercise in sound reasoning above all else- but it gives them a perspective on the times they live in like nothing else- i would recommend this for any age level- it truly can work even for college students- but it must be tailored for the appropriate level-more on this later with a few other ideas for creative assignments including holding famous court trials form american history-one that i did for many years was the BOSTON MASSACRE TRIAL OF THE OFFICERS AND THE SOLDIERS WHO FIRED ON THE CROWD THAT COLD MARCH EVENING IN 177O.

EDUCATION TODAY-4.

the old canard-YOU CAN LEAD A HORSE TO WATER BUT YOU CANNOT MAKE HIM DRINK- is as true a thing as you can say when it comes to motivating students-motivation comes from within- within the individual student- and motivating any single student is a tricky business-much less an entire class of students- there are many factors to consider- class size the age level-are two important ones-but the main thing is to recognize that motivation will ultimately be up to the students themselves-you can lead them to water etc- i have a few suggestions along the lines i have mentioned- one is to make the course work challenging- as a student reaches beyond his self-imposed limits he begins to experience the excitement of discovery-the discovery that he actually can go beyond his ideas of what he is capable of achieving-there is no way to achieve this other than to make the work challenging-giving challenging assignments that give the student a chance to show what he or she can do- second the course work and assignments must be relevant-they must see its purpose- in and of itself- but also in their future- one assignment i gave fit the bill pretty well- i had the students oragnize themselves in to groups and then asked them to come up with a business plan to create a new chain of coffee shops- to compete with Starbucks etc- the project invoved design-accounting-management- advertising and marketing-in an assignmant of this kind each student can find their niche- and the creativity it inspires is both challenging and stimulating- it answers the basic question- how would i do it better- it is a good idea to make the assignment a competition- competition is a good thing and there should be more of it in schools- avoiding competitions because of self esteem issues or anything else is a big mistake- the students know that competition brings out the best in them-and it is also a source of motivation too-the students always know who did the best work on an assignment- they often know before the teacher does-but the teacher must be fair in every way- especially the criteria they create to assess the work- but the rules and guidelines too- this must be in writing- the project should not be given until there is a complete rubric explaining every facet of the assignment and until most of the questions from the students have been answered-students are self motivated that is the secret but motivation can be engendered by the teacher if he thinks about it-in a creative way.The most motivated students i ever taught were the poorest students i ever taught-they were from south africa mostly the townships- they came to school motivated- believing in and ready to work for a better life through education- i almost never had a problem with students handing in assignments late or doing their work at a sub-standard level- they were always willing to go the extra mile- another exapmle of an assignment that helps to motivatre students and one i used in South africa with the students i mentioned was to have them do a budget ananlysis for the South Afican government-they would take a 500 billion rand budget and decide to distribute it in the following areas: EDUCATION,HEALTH CARE,DEFENSE,INFRASTRUCTURE,AND SPORTS AND RECREATION-the students loved this assignment- it was both relecvant and a challenge- it helped them see how difficult leadership is- especially the responsibiltiy to spend money wisely- and to know that you cannot please everyone-they took it very seriously and almost everyone of them did stellar work- they brought out points i had never dreamed of-and they made decisions that were both practical and visionary- i loved reading this assignment because i learned so much about each individual by reading their assignment-and getting to know theie values and their reasoning-I was invariably proud of my students when they tackled this assignment effectively.

EDUCATION TODAY-3

one thing anyone over 60 can say with certainty about the educational system in our country is that they try something new every few years-their is always something new to try- and when they try it we often find out it wasn't new at all- it has been tried before-there is always one NEW CURRICULUM to try-or some new emphasis in raising children from a popular psychologist-one recent trend is OUTCOMES BASED educational theory-the genereral trend that concerns me the most- is using a business model in eduacation-both for the general approach but also for assessmant of students and teachers-teaching is an art-not a science- and the reusults always depend on where the student starts out-what he is shown to be capable of- and teachers can only be assessed for their committment and dedication- after they have demonstrated their ability-aptitude and love for teaching-standards are essentiial in any case-The standards a teacher sets should always be as high as he can make them-the trouble is when you have a class of widely varied ability it is not possible to teach at a level that some or even most of the students cannot follow-the standards should be set for the amount of effort- the amount of committment and the ampount of desire the students has for learning- each assignment can be evaluated on this basis - and each student can reach his own level of success based on how hard he is willing to try-what he is willing to do to improve his work- i would not accept work from any student that did not meet a minimum requirement for neatness accuracy and a correct intrepretation of the directions- i would simply give it back to them to try again- with a penalty for the first attempt= this always showed me a lot with regard to the students motivation and commitment - if the student is willing to try again and does a lot better job on the assignment- you have a beginning- the trick is to be willing to read and grade a lot of extra assignments- this takes time but is ever so worth it in the long run-there are schools that have substantial numbers of Mexican or otherwise Spanish speaking students-they cannot be evaluated on the basis of a standardized test score- the entire echools test reults are skwed downwards when this happens- and it does not reflect the quality of the school or the teachers-another subject related to the business model is the notion thet education is a service- that the students and their families are customers and the teachers and administrators are service-providers-it is astonishing how often i hear teachers say they were forced to change a grade or change the content of a test based on complaints from parents and students- i heard of one student in college who called a parent on her cell-phone and reported what she thought was an unfair grade- the student then handed the cell phone to her professor who was then lambasted by the parent- this does not serve anyone- and the student gets an inflated idea of their importance and of their opinions of their professors grading protocols etc-when will this end?- when the schools have the authority to make their own standards and when the parents and students learn to adjust their attitudes to the school's policies instead of the other way around.

Colin Powell

It is hard to know why the republicans and all the pundits are wondering who their next leader will be - It is Colin Powell-and they should do all they can to see that it happens too- he may not run for president-but he does stand for the old style moderation in The Republican party- and a long overdue shift to the Middle is what is needed right now if the republicans want to compete-their attempts to derail the Sotomayor choice for supreme court were almost pathetic- first calling her a racist then retracting the statements- Powell has the intelligence-the experience and above all the common sense to lead the republicans out of the wilderness-the country is far better off with two parties that balance each other out- and the fiscal conservatism they bring to important issues ids needed right now as we sort the financial crisis

Education today- two.

The first thing any teacher needs to know-hopefully at the beginning of their career is TEACHING IS AN ART NOT A SCIENCE-The second thing every teacher needs to know is that TEACHERS ARE BORN NOT MADE-the two go together- this is not to suggest that becoming a teacher is easy- it is filled with trial and error - every teacher must find out for himself what it takes to do the job well-and in every school there are usually more than one example among the faculty to follow and be guided by- i certainly had several and will mention them later-how do you know if you are a born teacher?- you find out by loving the work in spite of the challenges- especially at the beginning- how do you know it is an art?-you find out by using the creative part of yourself to address the challenges- this never ends- no matter how long your teaching career is- one year- 30 years or a couple of month- mine is at 30 years now and i still find myself using that creative part of myself to solve problems and face challenges- it is also necessary to be willing and ready to keep learning- as soon a you think you know it all you are in trouble- and even a new teacher can teach an old teacher things he needs to know-more on that later too- the art of teaching necessarily means that the teacher is an artist and no two teachers are alike- every teacher has something important to contribute to a students education and it is com[pletetley unnecessary and unproductive to compare one teacher with another- what works for one may not work for another- what is effective for one may not work for the other- and the fact that some teachers are more popular then others should not enter into it- a teacher that has the best interests of his students at heart can and often does do things that are temporarily unpopular-it may be much later that a student realizes why a teacher had a rule- procedure-method or standard that he adhered to no matter what people said or thought- including students-parents other teachers- or administrators- administrators are a little more difficult as one has to take their opinions into account- but a good administrator will allow his staff the latitude to develop his own methods, approach and style of teaching-each teacher is unique inso far as he has his own creative center and his own truth to express through the art of teaching- a good school will have every kind of teacher-with every kind of approach- however rules must be followed and it is not good to contradict or otherwise undermine another teachers approach in front of the students- or even comment on it for that matter-popular teachers should not have to apologize for being popular- they are often popular in spite of what they are dping- the popular teacher may be the HARDEST TEACHER in the school- with the highest standards and the toughest assignments-students respond to this- if not right away-All for now.

Sonia Sotomayor

The Sotomayor appointment to the supreme Court has raised a lot of issues-and most of them are irrelevant-the only relevant issue in appoinments of this kind is qualifications-is she qualified to be a Supreme court justice?-the answer is of course yes- a resounding yes-and the objections that have been raised are almost entirley political-that she was 3rd in her class at Princeton and on the law review at Yale quickly dismisses any objections there might have been on the grounds of her inttelectual capacity-but the real issue is her experience- the jobs she has been appointed to and her record as a judge-after law school she spent five years as an assistant DA inthe Manhattan office of District Attorney Robert Morgenthau-then a brief stint in private practice was followed by her first appointment-that a republican president appointed her tells a different story then the one we are hearing from Rush Limbaugh and others-Pres Bush appointed her to the Federal District Court in the southern district of NY-she spent several years there before President Bill Cinton moved her up to The court of Appeals-where she has benn ever since-17 years on the court of Appeals-and a stlellar record there- her off-hand comments-are not fair game- and they do not represent a cultural or racial bias- they do show a pride in bening a woman and a pride in her background-nothing there-but of course her opponents tried to make as much of it as possible-she is undeniably one of the 10 best qualified justices in the US right now-she more then meets the standard- she clearly was not chosen because she is a latina-she was chosen because she was the best qualified woman on the bench-that she is latina is a plus in many ways but not the prevailing reason for the choice- the same is true for Obama- he was imply the best qualified- the smartest-the best temperament-and the most able in the sense of his leadership abilities- this was amply demonstrated in the campaign-most people did not choose him because he represents a racial minority -they chose him because he was the best qualified and the logical choice for the times we live in- he is not black by the way- he is half black half white- mixed racial heritage-nothing there- but it is a fact- his wife Michelle however is black- and she is every bit as impressive as he is and every bit as smart too-now lets look at the appointment of Justice Thomas- he was appointed by Pres Bush senior just before he left office- he replaced the first b;ack justice- Thurgood Marshall who was appointed by Pres Johnson- Marshall had some qualifications- not many- but some- he was a brilliant lawyer who represented the plaintiff in the iconic Brown vs the Bd of education case-he demonstrated his ability beyond question-but he did lack experience as a judge- the appoinment was courageous in many ways- but it did have some political agenda behind it-the liberals knew they could count on his voice in the court for many years-justice Thomas had none of the experience or demonstrated ability of thurgood marshall-he did have the edvantage of being conservative and Black- Bush knew no one would object to his nomination on the grounds of his qualifications because he knew they would be afraid of being called a rascist-nontheless the confirmation process was held up by the hearings that investigated accusations of sexual harassment by anita Hill- a brave woman who did not seek to undermine the appointment but merely answered some questions truthfully when she was interviewed concerning the appointment- she had worked for justioce thomas when he was director of the EPA-however one feels about his guilt or innocence it is clear that he was unqualified-he effectively ended any futher questions into his character and or background when he delivered the memorable line at the hearings-THIS IS A HIGH TECH LYNCHING OF AN UPPITY NIGGER-you could see the fear in the eyes of the justice committee-can't touch that-and can't appear to be biased in any way-not good when election time comes around-justice thomas cannot be blamed in any of this-he was selected-why not go through with it- it was the responsibility of the committee to DO their job in evaluating his qualifications-it was a cynical choice by pres Bush and he should have known better- the fact that he appointed Sonia Sotomayor proves that he knows better-justice thomas cannot be considered a justice with a distinguished record on the court- either for his opinions- that line up with justice Scalia's almost every time- or for his lack of experience-but he has not been accused of anything like sexual harassment either-he is serving out his term in a mediocre way which was to be expected considering his qualifications for the job- Sonia Sotomayor however-is a brilliant choice- she has the chance to continue her stellar work as a justice- but this time on our highest court- it is a time to rejoice-and everyone who is inspired- hispanic americans- people from disadvantaged backgrounds -Princeton graduates -her family and anyone else should be allowed to celebrate her achievement without apologizing for it.All for now

education today

Education today is an outdated model- not because the curriculum or structure of the schools is inherently flawed but because the overarching purpose of education is misdirected and incomplete-education should now and should always have been about enlightenment for the student-until that level of fulfillment is reached the true potential of any student will not be reached- not just the potential to earn an income and be successful by conventional standards but the innate potential every person or student has to be happy and experience the highest level of fulfillment in their lives

Native American History -from the angle of sports.

What one learns about native american history often depends on what angle you approach it from-the angle i often choose is through Sports-the Carlisle Indian foot ball team has almost been forgotten- give Sally Jenkins credit for reviving it in her excellent story of the team in THE REAL ALL-AMERICANS- read it and discover the truth of 300 years of Native American History

native american indians

I came across a book of humorous essays by an african american with the title-JUST GIVE US CASINOS-or something like that-while not diminishing the african american experience- from slavery to racism-i do think that the election of barack obama is a kind of watershed in african american history-they have the long overdue vindication and satisfaction of knowing that president obama is in the white house not to mention his wife michele who is truly african american and possibly my favorite of the two- such a fine person- pres obama could not be the man he is without her and he will be the president we need largely because of her-back to native americans- who properly should be referred to by their tribes- not lumped into a minority category-long overdue is sorting the right kind of justice for them-and for the future generations of indians in america-it is time for this emphasis and i am hoping in all his goodness pres obama will see this as well-time for a better life and a better future for all native americans and for their children most of all!