Josh Shaine

R.I.P., Kids College.

May your killers someday understand what they did.

As most of you know, my mother died a bit more than a year and a half ago. Since then, slowly (if not surely), I've been weeding her paperwork and out-of-date reference books (college guides and phone books).

As I unearthed her (downstairs) desk and the stacks of paper on the floor beneath it, I was struck how much I am my mother's child - and not always in the best ways.

The sheets of mostly used mailing labels, with one strip of unprinted labels left at the bottom...

The multiple copies of different stages of drafts of writing, stacked but not recycled...

The records of clients who she helped into college, and who have gone through and out again long since - and left over mailing lists never used, equally out of date...

Blank forms for potential college financial aid applicants - for 1999/2000, 2000/2001, 2001/2002...

Three staplers.

On the desk.

In the back of my mind, I hear her explaining why they are all there... it's perfectly rational - but wrong.
*****

I think I will print out a copy or two of this, just in case...

Yesterday, I turned 53 years old.

I was planning to spend it pretty much the same way I have spent most of my Thursdays this fall - rehearsal for the Voyagers Shakespeare Company's fall production, Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter, followed by lunch and then tutoring, teaching, and hanging out at Voyagers for the rest of the day.

Oh well! So much for my planning.

When I arrived for rehearsal, the door was already open, and fans were blowing to dry off the carpet, as a result of a flood. We held the rehearsal, though sans any effort at blocking. But classes for the afternoon and evening were canceled.

But while I was there, much to my surprise, a birthday cake arrived - baked for my by Jenny, the older sister of one of the V'ger teens! It was quite yummy - and still is, though not much longer. (I was expecting a cake from Ethel, but she apparently ran out of time...)

And I got a new book for my birthday, Dark Matter: Reading the Bones (SF/F stories and poems from the African Diaspora, including Jesus Christ in Texas, by W.E.B. Du Bois, written roughly 100 years ago). And the promise of another present, but I gather it isn't out yet.

It was a good day, overall.

For those of you who've been following this journal, or my life, for a bunch of years, you've probably heard me kvetch about the postage stamp of a library we have in my town, and my short-sighted townspeople who have turned down substantial state grant money to help us build a new one, with such classic arguments as "but we could just use the money that we would have to put into a library to buy everybody in town a computer!"

A couple years ago, when I was serving on the latest feeble attempt at a library building committee (and I could tell you stories...), the owner of the largest business in town declared that he would donate the entire cost of a new library - and senior center and meeting hall.

Today (10/31/09) was the grand opening/dedication, and it is a stunning and spectacular facility.

80 years and two weeks ago saw the official opening and dedication of the Hart Free Library, the predecessor of the new building. The townspeople did not pay for that one, either - it, too, was donated.

Somebody congratulated me on the completion of this long-held goal, and I observed that while I was thrilled to see it, I really did not see myself has having had a hand in it - that congratulations to me were not called for beyond those due any member of a town that had gotten "something for nothing," so far as we could tell.

Still, and again, it is a truly wonderful building.

Now, if only the townspeople do a better job of maintaining this one than we did with the last.

https://esp.mit.edu/learn/Splash/index.html

What: A weekend in which you can take multiple classes on a huge variety of subjects.
When: The weekend before Thanksgiving.
Who: Students in grades 7-12
Cost: $30
Registration: Splash 2009 student registration will open Nov. 3rd at 8 pm.

One weekend in November, thousands of students of all types flood to MIT just for ESP’s Splash program to learn anything they want. From fractal fun to Hungarian history to aircraft analysis, Splash participants are introduced to a huge variety of topics by over 400 classes taught by teachers from the MIT community.

Up to 20 hours of classes taught by people who enjoy what they have to share to kids who want to learn it! Hard to beat that.

I was re-watching National Treasure 2, and noticed, in the credits that it was written by "The Wibberleys."

I know of an author whose last name was Wibberley, though I'd been pretty sure he had died more than a decade before this movie was made. Still, I went alooking.

Leon (Leonard) Wibberly was the author of one of my all time favorite books, The Mouse that Roared - also a wonderful movie.

Cormac Wibberly (the husband half of the team of screenplay writers) is his son, and did the two National Treasure movies along with several other works.

Color me amused.

Geocities was my first website, as it was so many people's. It provided a base for the beginnings of my Gifted Tutorial, still unfinished, but still developing. It hosted the information from my explorations into non-linear thinking styles. And it hosted my two works on underachievement, From the Inside Out and From Negative Behavior to Potential; along with the companion piece to From the Inside Our - Patterns for Charlie, by my mother - and one of Jim Delisle's pieces.

Tens of thousands of folks read those pieces on Geocities. They were seen there and republished in Australia and Canada, and translated into Flemish, Dutch, German, and Danish.

Thank you, Geocities, for existing and being easily used by a noob. Thank you, Yahoo, for letting it live as long as you did, and for giving us enough lead time to find new homes for our work - it was enough for me, certainly.

I know that many of your pages will live on in the Wayback Machine, but it is not the same. R.I.P. Geocities. You will be missed.

Playoff tickets, anybody?

Of course, the Red Sox don't know when they are playing, because the Yankees don't know who they are playing, because the Twins and Tigers are tied, but are not having their playoff game until tomorrow, because the Vikings are playing tonight in the Metrodome - the dome the Twins are leaving after this year.

But the idea of going to the playoffs is an attractive one, until I remember that the Sox have lost almost every playoff game I have ever gone to!

So, I will content myself with watching them at home.

Unless somebody really surprises me - then the Sox will just have to overcome the jinx of my being there in person!

A Poem, by Henry Gibson:

Jesus picked a flower one day,
My nephew Mel another -
well, not my nephew really:
more my uncle's niece's brother

Thank you.
*****

A poem for Henry Gibson:

I used to love your clever poems;
And wrote, myself, but was just a dabbler -
I really never understood
How you could write Hedda Gabbler.

Rest inpiece

"Try to remember the days of September"

Or at least the appointments and plans for the days of September!

This is a very busy month for me - so, clearly the thing to do is to go out of town for a night or two! This is what we are going to do. I'll be back late Sunday or perhaps sometime daytime Monday...

This also means limited internet access, I suspect.

Listening to him read his poetry.

Watching him stroll across the NMH campus in his blazer, scarf, and moccasins.

Seeing him mime and act.

Watching him direct Anouilh's Antigone for the MIT High School Studies Program.

Going to Balticon with him and Becca.

Attending his creation/direction of the authorized multi-media performance Wizard of Earthsea.

Chess, Diplomacy, and a dozen other games.

Sharing his mother.

The Comedy/Drama of the Life of Marck Morrison abruptly closed forever, last month.

He'd want me to smile. I can't quite manage it just yet.

We got "Whatever it takes!" pins on Tuesday, as symbols of our commitment to do "Whatever it takes!" to reduce the "dropout" rate.

Meanwhile, in the interest of fairness, I have to share that I now understand why I was so frustrated with the Summit.

Here, from the Summit website, are Maine’s Three Key Objectives for the Summit:

1. Highlight the numerous initiatives currently going on within the state using the 15 dropout prevention strategies (Clemson University) and the 5 promises (America’s Promise)

2. Have student groups develop a branding mechanism that all initiatives aimed at putting an end to the dropout epidemic can utilize

3. Raise a broader awareness of the dropout problem in Maine

Given those three objectives, I have to admit that Summit achieved its goals. Period.

Here are two things I would have expected to have as goals:
a. Learn what has and has not worked in current and prior programs.

b. Explore new ways to increase high school completion.

Silly me. Clearly, I had inappropriate expectations and should have read the advance material more thoroughly.

Go Sox!

Earlier this week, I was up in the greater Bangor area to attend the Maine Drop Out Prevention Summit, along with more than 250 other folks, almost all of whom were from Maine, unlike me.

The event was tightly structured, from the 8:20am start on Monday to the final pre-lunch session on Tuesday. By tightly structured/i>, I don't merely mean the starting and ending times of sessions, but how the so-called breakout sessions were handled.

There were 12 groups, with 3 assigned to each topic (in no particular order):
1.) Early Intervention
2.) Making the Most of Instruction
3.) School and Community Perspectives
4.) Core Strategies

I'm not going to go through our process step by step, but suffice it to say that for every step, there was a form to fill out. Within our room, we went to 2's and 3's and each small group developed a broad list of needs. From there, we had to report 2 of those to the room as a whole. Then the room voted on which of those should get the most focus.

The next day, we were shown our top 4 vote-getters and told to determine which two of those to detail actions for. Those two would be read to the entire group, with actions.

Then we would be done.
*********

Aaaaaaaargh!

I'd gone to this event with the intention of being mostly quiet. I know that while I have my strengths, I am hardly an expert in drop-out prevention, and I was looking forward to hearing from those who were, or at least who were more experienced than I.

There was a panel in the morning of the first day at which a variety of programs from around the state were represented, and those folks talked briefly about what their programs did and for whom. Unfortunately, it was decided (not by the attendees) that the scheduled Q & A with the "panelists" wouldn't fit the timeframe, and they could not keep the Commissioners waiting, so the "Children's Cabinet" was presented and given a sample case to discuss - which they rightly noted had too little information to permit them to make an informed decision.

The loss of the first was frustrating. Its being replaced with the second... just too much.

While there were more folks with alternative schools experience gathered than anywhere this side of the alternative schools conferences, they sure didn't seem to have critical mass, overall - and their voices and experiences were given no particular credence in the room my group was in. I've not heard that it was different elsewhere, though it may have been.

So... some notions - notions that work, mind you - were shot down as things to consider, without discussion. Our facilitator was just that - she was not an expert in our field, seeking to guide the discussion, beyond "the commissioners won't go for that," and similar valid, but limited, observations.

Our group reported out two recommended needs, though the second one pretty close to a last minute addition when we were running out of time:
Policies that interfere with completion of high school must be changed or eliminated.

All students' learning styles must be assessed, addressed, and valued. ("Valued" was tacked on the end of my wording, and it was no longer worth arguing, if I wanted the rest of it included.)
*********

One of the other groups suggested to the assembly that we get rid of NCLB.

*********

Okay, so we didn't really listen to or consider, collectively, the experiences of those in the field. And we really didn't get the breadth of ideas to play with.

But at least we got to discuss and explore the ideas presented to the assembly by the 12 teams, right?

Bzzzzzzzzzt!

Nope. Upon completion of the report-out process, a few closing words were uttered, we watched a slide show of snippets of the two days, and we were done.

Done.

I apologize for those of you seeing this 2 or 3 times.

A former student of mine has created a new website designed to make it easier to match up music students with music teachers: http://findmymusicteacher.com

It had a few rough edges when I looked at it the day it went live - but the idea seems sound and the bugs seem minor and readily fixed. So, I'm promoting it, because it seems like a really good idea!

^

I miss Voyagers. That's what I would normally (school year) do on a Thursday afternoon.

Instead, I am flying to Chicago and thence being driven to BIQ Midwest, or what there is of it. I will get to see nifty fun people and do some serious exploration of family dynamics. Might even see some kids - anything's possible!

I'll be on and off during the weekend, I expect.

When I am reading a book by respected historians, even if their essays are in the less well respected realm of "counter-factual history," I expect the facts that are not relevant to the changes in the story line to remain the same, or to be explained so we know where the chance came from.

I was reading What ifs? of American History, and finished an essay that explained why Senator Joe McCarthy did what he did, but with a twist. So it was that apparently McCarthy ended up costing Eisenhower his re-election bid, leading to an Adlai Stevenson presidency. And I would have believed it was plausible and well thought out until I got to the actual electoral college vote: 530 for Stevenson, 312 for Eisenhower.

Sorry, folks! There were 531 electoral votes up for grabs - no Alaska, no Hawaii, and no D.C. But under no stretch of the imagination were there 842 of them.

"Sumer is Icumen In"

I sure would like to believe it, but we haven't really even had spring, yet!

But Saturday is due to hit 80* or so, suggesting that perhaps Summer is coming.

We can hope.

Books that stayed with you after you read them...

This is from a FaceBook 'meme' I did, but a) I cheated on the 15, and b) I included some commentary to make the list more meaningful to me.

1. Harold and the Purple Crayon - Crockett Johnson
We can shape the worlds around us, to an extent, but it can be tricky.
2. The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins - Dr. Seuss
There are arcane forces out there that will mess with our lives, and the powers that be may not believe we really have no control over what's going on.
3. Gremlins - Roald Dahl
Odd things happen. Sometimes they mess things up. Sometimes they make things better. Sometimes they just make things more interesting. But odd things happen, and we have less control over them than we like to think.
4. Andy Buckram's Tin Men - Carol Ryrie Brink
Goodness matters. Kindness matters. Helping matters. But sometimes, things don't work out the way we want them to.
5. The Gilead Bomb - David Sinclair
There are bad things out there. The adults don't always have the answers. And help comes from some surprising places,sometimes.
6. The Ghost of Dibble Hollow - May Nickerson Wallace
Conflicts can come from misunderstanding, and lead to long, bitter division - unnecessarily long, unnecessarily bitter.
7. The Forgotten Door - Alexander Key
Being different is hard. It's lonely. There are people who will hurt you for being different, but there are good people out there, too, who will love and care about you even if you are different - and about whom you can care to. But be aware - they, too, can be targets for caring for and about you.

Really importantly - that the feelings I had inside were not unique to me, even if I had a hard time verbalizing them.
8. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (series) - L. Frank Baum
Too many lessons to name. Friends are important.
9. Patty Fairfield (series) - Carolyn Wells
Normal daily life does not have to be boring. Girls can be cool.
10. The City and the Stars - Arthur Clarke
Idealism upsets the status quo, but it is still worth pursuing, even when it upsets others.
11. Starman Jones - Robert Heinlein
11a. Tunnel in the Sky, Orphans in the Sky, and many others of Heinlein's juveniles
Where to start? You can get ahead even if you don't follow the rules - and some of the rules make getting things done that are important harder, not easier. There are many different ways to view the world - and no one of them is proof that the others are wrong.
12. To Sir With Love - E. R. Braithwaite
Troubled students =/= bad people. Nobody should be given up on. Teachers are important - or can be. Love and respect are more important than academics.
13. Goodbye Mr. Chips - James Hilton
Teachers' impacts go beyond their time with students. Teach and live your values and your values will be taught.
14a. A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle
The universe is a strange place. Stand up to evil. Being smart =/= being wise. Understanding self is important, but damned hard.
14b. The Arm of the Starfish - Madeleine L'Engle
Science is not inherently good. People wear masks to influence people - and not even remotely always in good ways. Naive =/= inherently bad. Sexual attraction (whatever that is) can prompt poor decision-making.
15a. Telepathist (The Whole Man in its U.S. release) - John Brunner
Things that happen to us have long term impact - emotional/mental, not just physical. Letting others in to help us is as important as helping them is - even if/though it is hard. Just because we cannot express an idea, art, music, does not mean it is any less artistic or musical - merely more frustrating for all that.
15b. The Long Result - John Brunner
Breaking past low expectations - our own or others' - is hard, but often worth it. Unfortunately, the results are not always what those who are urging us on expect them to be - and big growth/change in ourselves can result in loss of what had been important relationships. That doesn't make it a bad thing, but it doesn't make it easy, either.

Our actions have way bigger potential ripples than we ourselves can see at any given moment.
15c. Shockwave Rider - John Brunner
Brilliance and adaptability and independence have their limits. There are other people in the world, still and again.