Education Total

So many hours of my life have been devoted to children and their education, it would take one of those irritating word problems I used to try to teach, to figure it all out! “If a twenty-two year old woman going sixty miles an hour for the next forty-six years, spent ten months of each year in a classroom of thirty-two students, and every evening and weekend thinking about said classroom…  Add to the total, activities involving three children at home, and hundreds of others in church classes…” You get the idea.  

Having had a break from kids for almost three years now, I’ve decided to jump back into education. “If a seventy-year-old woman going thirty miles an hour…”

Don and I volunteer at our granddaughter’s school, giving weekly assessment tests to each student. Since I’m not the child’s teacher, the pressure isn’t on too high, and it’s so gratifying when the youngster recognizes and can write another letter! The best perk is seeing the cutest little blondie in the whole world in her classroom environment.

On Wednesday nights we travel to our church to Faith Kids Clubs, to experience a different kind of teaching.  Excitement reigns supreme in the church gymnasium as a hundred wound-up kiddos play games and sing. When it seems they cannot get any crazier, it’s time to split up into grade levels, and I go with the fifth grade girls to actually be the teacher of important Bible concepts.  It’s such a privilege to teach God’s Word, and so fun to be with one of my all-time-favorite age levels, that the time whizzes by and the evening is over for another week. 

While having my own classroom of thirty children will never again be in my schedule, this venture back into education fulfills that need. The total?   Incalculable!

Best Laid Plans

For at least three months we’ve been planning a trip to the Nixon Museum with a favorite couple. Today was the day we were supposed to meet them there, but yesterday, Marc called and said there was a tiny problem: Carol had fallen during her usual morning walk and had broken her hip!  Oh my poor, super-active teacher friend, was laid up in the hospital with only two weeks until her classroom must be ready to go. Since we were planning to make the long drive to Yorba Linda anyway, we drove instead to Ontario to visit her after the surgery to put in three pins.

            We found her resting and looking quite lovely, and as still as I’d ever seen her. After discussing how she had somehow tripped on the tiny lip of a driveway in her neighborhood, her prognosis, and how long she would be using a walker (heaven forbid, but necessary), I asked, “How long did you lay on the driveway until you got help?”

She looked sheepish for some reason, and answered, “You’re going to be mad at me… After I found my phone, keys, and walking stick, I…”

            “Yes?” I asked. “That’s when you called 911, right?”

            “Well, I knew I was hurt, but I had a nail appointment to go to, so I hobbled home and asked Marc to take me.”

            “You walked home on a broken hip!!!?? Then you got your nails done, and finally went to the ER?” I was incredulous but not mad. Awed at her strength was more like it. When I had my hip surgery, it was all I could do, during the days just before it, to barely get around!  However, although there was no doubt it didn’t help the break to walk on it,  she was safe and sound, all stitched up, and had even started therapy. She really wants out of the hospital, and I’m sure she’ll make a break, no pun intended, from there as soon as possible. The hardest part now for her is to be calm about not being able to start her own classroom.

          Sometimes, it takes an extraordinary change in our best laid plans to slow us down enough to smell the flowers, appreciate our life, make us contemplate God’s plans for us, or all of the above.

Who’s in Control?

If I know you personally, let me assure you I am not writing about you or your child. All the children and their parents, in my sphere are not the subjects of this blog, and to be fair and honest, most of the children I see are behaving quite nicely.  I guess the kids I know are in this first paragraph!

          However, more and more, I’m seeing behavior of children and reactions from parents which causes me to wonder who truly is in control of their home.

          Here are a few examples of this lack of control issue:  Sitting in our beach chairs yesterday, we observed a dad and his boys. Obviously on their way off the beach, the dad commanded the guys to head for the car.

           “I’m going back in the water,” the littlest kid declared without a backward glance.

           “I said get to the car!” the father roared.

          At that point, the child scampered off to the surf, with his dad hollering, “Well o.k., but don’t get sandy!”  

Whew, unbelievable, because the child was then unsupervised (oh, yeah, the Red Flag warnings were up) as the others went to the car. As many are fond of saying today, “Seriously?”

On another occasion, we were down below the deck of an historic ship named The Californian, which sits in the harbor at San Diego. A dad and his two boys were there as well, surely pretending to sail the oceans, but not in a way expected of people aboard an antique and precious souvenir of days gone by. Yes, tourists are allowed to “steer” with the helm above, help turn the anchor chain, and peer into long unused bunks and galley. However, these guys were hopping around within the displays, checking out off limit cupboards and instruments. In this case, the father never said a word of reprimand to his sons!

While subbing in a church school kindergarten, I proceeded to introduce myself and help them with opening calendar activities. A darling little girl opened her mouth and yelled, “You shut up! It’s my turn to talk.” It’s all a blur after that. Although her parent wasn’t physically in the class, no one gets to that point in rudeness by five years old without a little help at home.

This kind of non or poor parenting seems be on the rise, but I do remember having a father on a field trip with our class in Sacramento MANY years ago who himself acted like a child. Rather than being in charge as he was asked, he allowed his group to disobey most rules, to arrive late for their appointment at the train museum by going to the magic shop instead, and by putting itching powder they’d been allowed to buy in a drinking fountain at the airport.

Parents can’t be their child’s buddy all the time, and believe it or not, kids want and need discipline with justice from them. So keep at it and don’t give up the goal of great kids!

Kayaking on the Pacific

            As I prepared for our adventure of kayaking on the ocean by pulling on a wet suit, buckling into a life vest, and snapping on a helmet, I was picturing a calm paddle from shallow water to not-too-deep water, and then around a bay. All this protection, however, especially the helmet, was making me a bit apprehensive and changing my thoughts. What could happen to cause a head injury, and how cold was it really going to be in the ocean depths? I guess falling off the kayak was possible, hence the vest.  I was soon to learn that kayaking on the Pacific Ocean was a bit different than kayaking on a calm, mountain lake, or even a bay, both of which we had done before. 

            Looking somewhat like a scuba diver, I walked with Don and twelve other people and two guides three blocks down to the beach where our guides explained just how we’d get onto our tandem kayak (affectionately known as a “divorce kayak”)  and out into the water.  So glad America’s Funniest Videos doesn’t have a video of that!  Needless to say, it was not a graceful process, but once we were aboard, our guide pushed us into the surf and our voyage truly began.

            Both of us paddled like mad to get over the first wave, out farther into the foaming breakers, up a large swell, and through a wave which crashed over the bow of the kayak. Oh hurray for the wetsuit!  Suddenly I realized two of our traveling companions had fallen off their kayak and were struggling to mount it again. Patting my life vest with affection, I continued to paddle, erratically smacking Don’s paddles with mine. While it was difficult to set up a rhythm, I doubt it would lead to divorce, especially since it was our forty-ninth anniversary.

            Exhilaration swept over me as my attention focused on the facts: We were out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, cormorants were diving in and out of the water as they fished, and I was looking at the most amazing shoreline comprised of cliffs and caves.  On the cliffs, many varieties of birds and a seal sat sunning themselves, and as the waves collided with the rocks at the cave entrances, white water sprayed into the air.  The interior of one of the caves was our original destination, but because of the roughness of the surf, our leader had us stay out. I suppose we might have gotten use out of the helmets had we gone in!

            After paddling out to sit atop a kelp forest, and get a lesson on the uses and advantages of kelp, we headed back toward the beach. Our guides set up a race which we almost won…well, fourth out of ten.. We were also given an opportunity to slip off the kayak into the ocean for a quick swim. So tempting!

            Too quickly, it was time to go one at a time toward the shore and hopefully catch a wave to ride on to the beach without flipping forward. Taking my cue from Don who used to body surf a lot, I waited and then paddled mightily at the right time to catch the wave. We did it!  Sliding onto the shore gave me a sense of accomplishment and yes, joy!  What a great adventure, one I’m sure we’ll repeat.
I need to add that our daughter bought this trip for us and gave it to us as a gift certificate. Not sure we would have been made aware of such fun without it. Thanks Jenifer!

County Fairs

I can close my eyes and “see, hear, smell, and feel” the FAIR. It doesn’t matter which one I’m thinking about; Los Angeles County, San Diego County, Orange County, or the California State Fair at Sacramento. Indelible memories are in my brain of these incredible events.

            Throw out almost any word and I have memories to match!  Animals - Gigantic, muscular Clydesdale horses strutting their stuff, buildings filled with cages of rabbits with spots, floppy ears, tall ears, and various lengths of hair, rows and rows of cows, pigs, goats, and woolly sheep; Flowers – billows of blossoms everywhere, in huge displays of numerous types of orchids, competitions for who grew the loveliest rose or largest sunflower, and gardening ideas sprouting from patios, walls, pools, and flowerbeds.

            The word Talent brings to mind children dancing, groups singing, and handcrafts ranging from smooth, wooden objects to intricately-patterned quilts. A whole day could be spent gazing and marveling at decorated cakes and cookies, canned jams and jellies, and a host of other delicious, homemade goodies. Just the tip of the iceberg!

            Ice…that reminds me of thirst-quenching drinks and all the food, healthy and not so, that can be found at the fair. Deep-fried Trix, Tang, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are the newest items to emerge from boiling oil. Last year we saw avocados, Twinkies, and pickles cooked in grease, along with almost every other fried food one can imagine. Bar-be-que, corn on the cob, cream puffs, chocolate dipped ice cream on a stick, cinnamon rolls, and gingerbread all clamor for first place in my fair food dream.  

            Going back to my word-association exercise, the word Gadget makes me think of the commercial buildings where scores of “absolutely necessary” items are on display and their proponents actively promote the benefits and joys of owning them. Demonstrations of all types can be found in these buildings; how to transform vegetables into slices, cubes, or juice, how to clean jewelry, or how to get spots out of clothes and furniture using cleaning cloths made of the same easy-to-clean new-age-fabric. One time I even bought a beach jacket and a chamois made from the same stuff!

            Last word; Myriad -  Hundreds of impressions; art, architecture, people, music, horse racing, carnival, giant slide, bungie jumping, county displays, trains, rocks, jewelry, P-Nuttles, boats, RVs, school displays, spas. I could write a book, and almost got to when we had a verbal contract and press passes to the L.A. Fair. We spent nine days and nights walking around and interviewing people, but the project unfortunately fell through, but we have lovely memories. And guess what? We’re taking the train to the San Diego Fair next week. Never done that before!

Empty Nests

For several weeks, a dove has spent hours and hours sitting on her nest under the eaves of the carport at our house. Such an obedient little creature she was, following her instincts to keep her eggs warm and safe.  Almost like a pet to me, she got my greetings and “baby-talk” whenever I went outside, and she watched me with her soft, brown eyes.  I was excited for the day of hatching to arrive.  Her mate spent hours sitting with her as well, and to tell you the truth, I never saw the nest empty until last week, the day after we got home from our trip to Texas.  Once in a while this week I’d see her under the eaves, but most of the time, she was gone.

            I listened carefully for any peeping sounds of hungry babies, but heard nothing. Today I climbed up on my stepstool and took a picture of the inside of the nest by stretching up, placing the camera over the nest, and blindly snapping. When I looked at the picture, there were no birds, shells, or feathers in the nest.  All evidence of developing doves had disappeared.  I just don’t think the babies could have grown and flown away without us seeing anything. Very disappointing.

            Oddly enough, the same thing happened in our daughter’s yard this week, but with a darling hummingbird. She, too, sat on her tiny nest, only to disappear as well, leaving an empty nest when there should have been tiny, new birds.

            I can draw no conclusions or lessons from this experience except that this “empty nest” happens with humans as well, often taking us by surprise because we don’t expect it and have a tough time accepting the disappointment that lingers.

Mother’s Day

This morning I talked to an older woman whose answer to “What are you doing on Mother’s Day?” was so selfless. She responded that since there are several days coming up like Memorial Day, Fourth of July, picnics, and others when she’ll get to see her kids, she tells her two daughters and two daughters-in-law to have their own Mother’s Day with their kids and just send her a card. Refreshing!

My mom, like this woman, never worried about which day we’d celebrate with her, not just on Mother’s Day, but on Thanksgiving and Christmas as well.  It freed us up and actually made me want to spend more time with my mom.

Hopefully, I’m learning that lesson as well. If you want to enjoy your family, and have them enjoy your company, hold them loosely.