Flat Scalzi is in Ontario, in case you didn't know!

This entry is for those who are wondering who or what is Flat Scalzi. If you get this as an email alert, click on the link to my blog. Once you get here, I will have links to his adventures in Canada.

He had a rather long journey, which nearly drove him mad, but he recovered. Not before transforming his host Paul into a similar Flat Person.

 

Then the Flat Ones had a conversation, and Flat S showed up decked out in, of all things, a curling uniform? I thought he looked cute in his green plaid tam and maple leaf jersey.

There was a reference to Ski-doos and igloos I didn't get. What's a ski-doo, anyway? Maybe it was an inside joke.

 

Then there was the entry in which Flat S and Flat P talk about their favorite beverages.

 

Finally, Flat S is mailed off to his next destination... is he going to New Jersey?

However, he forgot to transform Paul back into his flesh and blood self.

Okay, enough silliness! I am hooked on the travels of Flat Scalzi. How often does someone get to have their alter-ego, albeit paper, flit about the country in an envelope, and visit his Journal-land friends? I think it's quite an honor to be flattened out, folded up, and sealed up in a brown envelope, then dropped into the nearest Post Office box and sent off into the world via air mail.

If you get this alert twice it is because the pictures didn't copy and I had to go back into the journal and re-edit. I apologize if that happens.

 

Weekend assignment: Recently purchased music

 

This weekend assignment from By The Way: What are some of the most recent music albums you have bought? Name up to three. Note that I said "bought" -- I want to know what music you've liked so much that you've actually shelled out cash for them.

Extra Credit: Did you buy these albums on CD, or did you get them online through iTunes or another music service? http://journals.aol.com/johnmscalzi/bytheway/entries/5856

Recent doesn't necessarily mean last week, last month, or last year, does it?

I haven't bought music this year, that I can recollect. However, I scanned my CD's to find what I "recently" bought, and it's definitely not mainstream.

Also, I have never bought music online. I suppose one day I will attempt it, but it isn't an area that I have explored since first learning about the opportunities and available treasures on the internet.

So, I'm down to naming just three, eh? I'll try without going into the history of my changes in music tastes over the past 35 years, which, indeed, there have been some major changes. I'll save those words for another entry, however.

Yanni's Ethnicity album is probably my most recently purchased album. I bought it at his Ethnicity concert tour in North Carolina about a year ago. A friend and colleague of mine from school attended it, and by the intermission, we were both applausing with tears in our eyes. The man makes beautiful music. One song is called The Promise. I don't know if you'll be able to hear it by clicking on this link or not, but give it a try. It's just a tiny sampling, not the entire song. Watching Yanni play his seven keyboards, and dancing as he directed his orchestra of musicians from all over the world, stirred my soul.

Another that I bought several years ago (I'm telling you, my definition of recent isn't measured by months) is Spirit: A Journey in Dance, Drums, and Song. There is a huge live production in the makings, but I didn't attend a live production. I found out about Peter Buffet when I tracked down the music CD for Dances with Wolves. One of the scores during the scene where Dunbar is dancing around his campfire, alone, as he misses his new friends, gave me chills. I discovered the song was not on the DWW CD. I was so disappointed. A few months later, I was watching a PBS show about Spirit: A journey in dance, drums, and song. I heard the same haunting tune, although slightly disguised in a slower rhythm... still, it was the same tune. And the dance production was awesome. I taped it. I love the sounds, drums and voices of the Native Americans lifted in song.

My favorite of the three, and one I listen to nearly every day is called Songs from the Potter's Field by Ray Bolz. My favorite is Give Me Your Hand, about a young man who slips and falls as he is climbing a mountain. He calls out for help. He hears a voice say "Give me your hand, I'll lift you up, don't be afraid, you just have to trust. I have been there, in the place you stand. There's no need to fear, that's why I'm here, give me your hand." The young man reaches out for him, and is rescued. When he asks his Savior what can he do for him in return, he is told just be there for the next person who comes along and needs your hand, and "There are many others to be saved." That's just a summary, but it's beautiful, in the lyrics, the tune, the instruments. The entire album is one any person who loves hearing stories of Jesus in modern day life put to song. Every song on the album is my favorite. Hey Little Brother is a meaningful retelling of the prodigal son. Never Lost has this helpful reminder for the chorus: "As we step into the next moment, or into eternity... never lost., He knows where you're going. Never lost, even though the wind is blowing. And there may be some stormy seas He says you must cross. But with Jesus by your side, you're never lost."  Roar is aboutthe Lion of Judah and asks the question "Are you ready to hear the Lion of Judah roar?"  The Potter's Field are the words "In the potter's field, love is truly spoken. Nothing is concealed 'cause everything is broken... in the potter's field..."  Beat of the Drum makes me dance!

So what were your last three music purchases? Leave a link if you write about it, or you may leave a comment with your response. Name up to three.

Another critter to study. What is it?

Friday again!! Love those Fridays, particularly one that went well. This morning, in our 5th grade reading class, the students got to try a recipe for Dogs in a Blanket, which they read about yesterday. For most, it was the first time trying homemade sauerkraut... I'm sorry to say, that most of the kids did not find the sauerkraut as tasty as I did. Seems only the teachers and two other students cared for the sauerkraut, but then, most of the kids here are true Southerners, quite unfamiliar with sauerkraut on wieners. Here, chili-dogs are the norm. At least, the kids were willing to try it before they said they didn't like it. After ward, they were given a moment to be reflective and tell what they liked or did not like about this non-traditional recipe. What they liked was that they were eating in the classroom, that it was something they had never tried before, and that it wasn't even lunch yet. What some didn't like was the texture of the kraut, and that they had to share!

Later, just as we were about to begin my Wilson Reading class (#11-13), in walks a boy with a caterpillar he had found while playing outside. He willingly held it in his hand for the photo above with his buddy who was with him when he found it. We decided to begin a photo file on it just in case we get to keep it in the butterfuly pavilion and watch it cocoon like we did the polyphemus.

We couldn't figure out what it was at school based on the available information. I haven't gone on the internet yet to identify it. Will do so tonight.

Does anyone know what it is? Let me know if you do.

Yeah, it's been a pretty good day for this nature girl!

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS FLAT SCALZI?

If you are following the journeys of Flat Scalzi, then here are three noteworthy entries:

One is a map charting where he's been... we can only wonder where he is going. Rumors are flying!

The other is where he is now... in Canada, for goodness sake! Seems he got a little bored, maybe even a little "loopy" while traveling north to Ontario.

It seems Paul was transformed into a Flat version of himself... they ought to be good company for each other, don't you think?

(Yeah, I know, silly, but I had to.)

Turning Points

I am at a turning point once more.

I can remember other turning points in my life. The obvious ones come to mind:

when I met my husband in 1974 (which led to our marriage, but the meeting and "courtship," or dating as we called it back then, was more dramatic and spectacular than the wedding);

when our son was born in 1978, and parenthood changed everything about me, about us, for the better I might add;

when Steve built our house in 1981, I didn't see his vision of our home until after it was built -  my faith in him was restored;

I quit my job as a State employee in 1985 to stay at home with my only child. The years that followed were wonderful and indulgent and sweet. The time I spent with my son and his friends as they grew up was priceless. I could never have done the things we did had I been working full-time. I thank my husband for thinking it was a good idea, too.

Those were the turning points that took place on the outside, but there were others that happened on the inside, for reasons explained only by faith and intuition:

when I first became aware of God as a personal companion and Savior, I was about 16 years old. The awareness came to me in a dramatic dream of being rescued during a dark storm. It was only the awareness, as I took no action to follow up on it because I didn't understand it at the time. Looking back, I see that it was a message of reassurance to trust in Him while my dad was in Viet Nam. He took my fear away. Dad came home to his wife and seven children alive, albeit there were some major anxieties that took time for him to get over.

when I realized I could tap into my dreams to learn more about myself in this world, and to find the strength and courage to do things I had fear of doing ( I was about 35 years old).

when I became depressed one year, and found that I couldn't even save myself (1993). That's when Jesus became very personal. I turned to Him and emptied my heart for him, and in turn, He filled mine with His. I became very involved in our church as a result, started teaching Sunday School, began to act with more compassion.

when another dream story/message was followed by my husband saying the words that changed the course of my life, "You could teach" in 1996 (that was followed up by my going back to school to get the degree I needed). I began teaching in 1999 at the school where I am presently.

Yes, it seems that 1996 was a bigger turning  point than I first thought.

Specifically, May 18, 1996 at Louisburg College, during a Christian Personhood Conference for the United Methodist Women.

The guest speaker was Evelyn Laycock. Her words turned me around in a way that I hadn't been turned before. She had told us that we didn't have to try so hard to look for God or Jesus, because He was looking for us.

What a revelation that was for me! I had been looking for Him for years, ever since that dream when I was 16. I was trying to find him in my life, in me, but I was never certain that I had found him in my life. I could see him in other people's lives, but couldn't see him in mine. I had wondered if I was blind to spiritual matters, if I had a character flaw?

But then to hear her say that I could stop looking for Him because He was looking for me? I was a parent... I could understand that analogy: I knew what it was like to search for a lost child. I had told my own son that if you ever get lost, "STOP! where you are and wait for me, and I will come find you. I will not stop looking for you. Wait for me!"

I realized right then and there that that was exactly what I needed to do. I had to stop looking for Him, to be patient, to wait, and He will find me. He will find me!  He will show me the way home.

Here's what I found out about Him: He was always there with me, but I didn't recognize Him. I didn't notice Him because I was too busy taking care of things for myself, I was too busy looking at the world through my eyes and not His. I was selfish and narrow-minded, and my heart was closed to Him.

Irealized that in May of 96. By the end of summer of 1996 I had had another one of those dramatic rescue dreams. In one I was rescued, and in the other, I was the rescuer. The implications were far-reaching. It gave me great confidence. Jesus had found me and rescued me, and in turn, I was able to rescue another.

When my heart was opened, I was able to see again. I was able to find Him all around me and in me. He was working through me, and using me in ways I hadn't thought was possible. This coming from a girl who nearly professed the belief in no God at all.

It's time for me to stop again so I can find him once more. I know He's there, but I've been using my eyes again, not His,and I've been filling my heart with my desires, not His.

I'm at a turning point once more, so I very much need to stop and listen, to be still and wait upon the Lord. I need to know which path He wants me to take. I am standing at the crossroads, waiting for Him.

What are your Turning Points? What events turned your life around, turned you in a different direction than you had been going? What surprises did these new directions bring for you? Did you ever think you made the wrong turn? Are you at a Turning Point now?

If you write about it, leave me a link in the comment section. I think this is a worthy topic!

Pursuing my mother's happiness.

My mother seems to be happy and healthy at this time. I didn't blog about it as soon as I got back from Alabama (we got home on the 15th) because I had to email all family members first, to let them know the details, then there was all that unpacking, then it was Easter Sunday, then school started back up... it's been a busy week, what with Flat Scalzi being here and then the moth emerged... so I put the Mom entry on hold until I had time to think about what I wanted to say.

Since I had mentioned her in a few previous entries, I should at least mention the results of our time together last week when my husband and I drove to Alabama.

I think the pictures say more than my words can.

Not everyone in my family is pleased that mom has moved to Alabama, and I understand especially my sister's point of view. Her moving has resulted in more than a separation by miles. It seems to have separated a few hearts as well.

I remember a mother who gave a whole lot of her time, her love, her spirit, and her courage to making sure her seven children grew up healthy and strong. The happy part was for us to pursue. She helped us get to adulthood, and you know, that counts for something in my book. Now she is pursuing her own happiness. I wish her well on that one.

When a person loses her husband, daughter, and granddaughter within a five year span, then she loses her home, you have a major crises situation. When that person is strong-willed and independent, you are not going to contain her, control her, or even bribe her to live with her children. No matter how much they want to take care of her. Right now, she obviously doesn't need that kind of taking care of.

Hallmark would have us believe that every mother is an angel, their cards describing the mothers of our hearts. When I think of my mother, I only think of the good because that's what is important. All her goodness, all her laughter, and all her time spent working so we could have the things we needed growing up. There were times my mother was the only angel I knew.

My mother would be the last person to see anything about her life as angelic. She would laugh at the idea that she was an angel for anyone. Yet, I know many people who say "You're mother is an angel.," because of some act of kindness she did for them. Yes, sometimes my mother was an angel.

She has never claimed to be perfect, and she doesn't always do what is right in the eyes of her children. Whoever does? Lord knows I haven't always done what is right in the eyes of my son, either. I'm sure one day we'll have that talk and I'll be saying, "Yeah, I'm sorry about that one... you're right, I shouldn't have done that." I hope he will forgive me for my many mistakes, misjudgments, misunderstandings, and misdeeds.

Who ever has lived a life free of mistakes, absent of lies, without doing or saying something that hurt another? Not anyone that I know of can claim that kind of life except Jesus. And it is because of what I know about Jesus that I can forgive and be forgiven. Therefore, so is my mother.

Despite any wrongs, real or imagined, done directly or indirectly, I have to say that my mother has every right to pursue her own happiness as well. She's raised her seven kids. If she chooses to live away from her family, so be it. Someday, she may choose to return to be the grandmother we all want her to be. But will anyone let her be the kind of grandmother she wants to be?

My husband says it this way, "Toni is Toni. She is not going to be any different to make someone else happy." I have to accept that. She is as unique an individual as any other I have met. Why should her maternal relationship to me change the way I think about a person's right to live their life in pursuit of what makes them happy?

When she is ready to leave where she is now, I want to be there waiting for her with open arms and welcome her back home. That is not a new idea. That story was told two thousand years ago.

Classroom computers and laptops

Yes, Barbara, we do have computers in every classroom. In fact, some classrooms in our school have two, three, or four computers. We even have a computer lab, and I do have pictures of that as well, except none of them are on my home computer so I couldn't insert them for this entry.

In the course of a school day, the students will use the computers to research a topic for social studies or science. They use them to take reading assessments after they have read a book, and they use them to write their essays if there is a handwriting problem.

Many students go on the computer to work in programs that will help them sharpen their reading skills, math skills, or just listening skills (which ultimately helps their reading and spelling skills).

The computer above is in my classroom. While we are working on decoding skills, comprehension skills, math skills, or writing skills, someone is usually on the computer for a fifteen minute session of math skills practice and/or review. Students take turns each day, rotating through a list until all have put in their time. Over a period of time, from days to weeks, the teacher can pull up the results of their efforts, and can see if there has been progress in particular areas or not. For example, I can see if John has made any gains in the area of adding fractions, or in the area of multiplying two digits, etc. This kind of information helps me determine which area of focus in math would be most beneficial for John.

Students do spend time on the computers in the classroom. Often the teacher will bring in what we call the Tech Cart. That's a self-contained unit on wheels, which includes an overhead projector, a printer, and up to twenty laptops for students. The students can watch on the overhead screen while a teacher demonstrates a lesson, then they can each go off on their own little research assignment on their individual laptops.

We have two of these TechCarts, and the teachers must sign up for them in advance to use one in their classroom. I've seen some pretty exciting lesson plans come from the use of the Tech Cart, from exploring animal habitats throughout the world to discovering the beginnings of our own country.

In the Computer Lab, where students go as a classroom once a week for specific instruction or to work on class research projects, the Lab instructor often introduces them to a new program, a specific educational website, or shows them how to find what they are looking for. Students at this age are so quick to learn computer skills. I've had students show me how to use the computer because they have more experience with the Apple computers than I do. They know how to save and print their works, and they know how to access their favorite websites within seconds of getting on the computer. Scrolling through web pages and clicking on links is old-hat to them, but we still have to be mindful of where they are going. There's always a kid or two who will try to go somewhere that  has nothing to do with where we want them to be!

We even get to do a little spontaneous research from time to time. On Cinqo de Maio, for example, a Hispanic student came to me and asked me what that was. I was surprised that he hadn't heard of it, so we did some research right there on the spot. I got him started, and he did the rest, printing out a five page article that he could take home with him.

Another time, my 4th grade reading group wanted to know what happened to the elephant Mary that they had been reading about. Mary was an elephant who painted on canvas. It was very interesting, but the story ended without telling us what became of Mary. I suggested we go on the internet, we did a search of the author of the book, and of the family who kept the elephants. The girls found a website about the family with photos of all the elephants, and stories about them. They composed an email, and we sent it to the elephant's owner, using my school email address, of course. Every day the girls asked if we had gotten an email back from them. Three weeks later, we did. They learned what happened to Mary: she had died since the story had been written. But the good news was that another youngster seemed to be following her footsteps as a painter! The girls were so excited. They are now elephant lovers, and they can tell you the difference between an Asian elephant and an African elephant.

Yes, we use computers at school daily, but I'd love to see computers in every home. The benefits to the student who is curious and wants to know more about something when the question comes to mind is priceless. Imagine: they ask a question. Parent says, "I don't know... let's go find out."

Internet research leads to all kinds of discoveries. There's a vast arena for learning out there, beyond games and videos.

Maybe someday it will be more affordable.