HOW DO WE GET THE GENIE BACK INTO THE BOTTLE?

This message is coming to you from a middle school teacher who is very concerned about the deteriorating condition of public education in this country. As we continue to fall behind in the standings of other civilized countries of the world, in terms of educating our youth, it would seem that the reasons are glaringly visible. Parents of students no longer view a solid education as the path to a better life and they have stopped considering education a privilege and see it now as a birth right. The presidential program “NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND” has created an atmosphere that all children, no matter how disruptive, have a right to remain in the classroom. Principals and teachers alike have allowed discipline to slip from their grasp for fear that they might offend or upset the powers that be and thus cause themselves to come under scrutiny for their inability to comply with the law of the land.
I recently wrote a lengthy letter to the Obama transition team detailing these problems as I see them and I requested that he revisit the current legislation that has become a road block to achievement. There are a multitude of children in the public system only because their parents cannot afford a private education for them. Many of these students have a burning desire to do well and excel in school but are handicapped by those disruptive students whose only goal in life is to be seen as a bad example. They complicate matters by causing young, first term, teachers to rethink whether the career field they have chosen was such a good idea. We are losing these teachers at an alarming rate, so what is to become of the system when the experienced teachers chose retirement. The chasm will by that time be one that we cannot bridge and the downward spiral into mediocrity will continue.
In my letter to Mr. Obama’s advisors I suggested that we bring back or put greater emphasis on a trade school education for students that continue to flaunt the school systems inability to control them. This approach might give some of them a dose of reality that may well bring them into line. If this fails to impress upon them the value of education and they continue to act like the thugs they so idolize then let them try to make a living without the benefit of any education.
It’s time we recaptured our role as educators instead of babysitters.

Me and my BFF (50 pint blood donors)

Have you every shared the company of genius?

I ask this question in all seriousness. Have you ever felt like you either knew of someone or have been in the company of someone that you think could fall into the category of a genius?
Most people’s opinion of such a person is someone similar to an Einstein or a Galileo. That might be someone extraordinary in some field of study or someone with powers of concentration so great that they can accomplish great deeds that are virtually impossible for us normal people. Some other person’s definition of a genius might be someone with little or no practical or common sense but at the same time they might be able to perform some masterful feat. It is a rare occasion when you personally know someone of this magnitude. It is better yet when you can call this person a trusted friend. Because of the rare nature of true genius I would consider it quite lucky if you were to encounter someone of this caliber just once in your lifetime. This is why I consider myself to be just that lucky because I consider my (BFF) best friend forever to be just such a person.

His name is Kevin Mazarac and we have been good friends for the better part of twenty years. Although I am much older than he, we have remained best of friends. He is a self styled inventor who walked away from a lucrative career with Halliburton Industries (a six figure career) to pursue his own interest of inventing equipment to help others with manufacturing problems. In the beginning times were quite lean and it was in fact a struggle. But by sheer determination he has reached a level of competence that few people will ever achieve. He looks back on his past and views every aspect of it as a learning experience that has lead him to where he is today. His ability in solving complicated problems with multimillion dollar rewards at stake has made him in high demand lately. He is beginning to see the rewards of years of learning and hard work. His ability to focus his concentration on a problem is legendary among his close friends and acquaintances. He once taught himself how to utilize the very complicate software program INVENTOR 5.0 by locking himself in his office for a week until he was satisfied that he could use it with much success. He also taught himself how to be a Master machinist and to that end I have seen him create machined projects with just a lathe and a milling machine that machinist with for more experience than he could ever hope to accomplish. This is where his true genius lies. When I am in his workshop and he is in his element I sometimes think that this is how it must have been for those apprentices working with Thomas Edison or some other great inventor. I am often awed by his ability but more often lately I am delighted by his success. No one is more deserving of the rewards that come from hard work and brute determination.

REACH OUT AND TOUCH SOMEONE.

L to R Larry Roussell, Edwin Lauricella, Edward Lauricella, me, Chuck Stringer, George Torlage

It should be apparent by now that I do not blog very often. I guess like so many others I only post when I have something to say. Today I want everyone to know just how great it feels to reconnect to old friends whom you haven't seen or heard from in forever. There are no valid excuses for not finding these old friends and catching up with them or finding out what they have been doing for all those years. My standard excuse was that my life was to busy and I had no time. I found out just recently how lame that excuse was. I recently reconnected with friends from my childhood. People I grew up with from childhood through adolescence, preteen years, teenagers and into adulthood. For some unknow reason these friends all thought that I had died. Our reunion was that much more poignant when they found out that I was alive. I was glad for this as well. We all have agreed to meet annually from now on.

In keeping with this theme of reconnecting to the past, I recently reconnected with someone, once very important to me, by way of e-mail. It was a heart warming connection to see how her life has in some way parralleled my own. The pictures I recieved showed a very happy parent/grandparent and a number of her beautiful children. She seems to have escaped the ravages of the ageing process as well for she looks so much younger than I, but I know she isn't. California's climate agrees with her very well.

If there is someone out there who you haven't seen in a very long time do all that you can to locate them and reconnect to the past we all wish for. Modern technology has made it easier than ever to reach out and touch someone. You will be amazed at how quickly the distance and the time melts away and all that remains are the memories.

Until nex t time.

What is normal? Does normal make you happy?

Most people who evacuated for the most recent hurricanes will tell you that things are finally getting back to normal. But what exactly is normal anyway. I guess they are referring to returning to the same routines they had before the storms hit us. If so, that is ashame. If these storms taught us anything it is that life can be disrupted at a moments notice and friends and family are the most precious gifts we all have. We shouldn't have to wait for a storm to reminds of this. We need to return to a time when families visited each other on Sundays instead of being self absorbed by things of much less importance. Turn off the TV or the video player and make someone happy by visiting for a few hours with kin folk you haven't seen in forever.

Joy and guilt

I know I should feel guilty about having so much fun during an evacuation, but it was hard not to have fun when surrounded by family and friends on a beautiful lake in Arkansas while living on a luxury houseboat with an onboard jacuzzi, ample supply of great food and a more than an adequate store of alcohol. This was not a spontaneous evac, but a well planned family reunion/vacation that just happened to coinside with a major hurricane. What perfect timing.
I do hope those less fortunate than I are safe and well and all will return to normal quickly.
By the way, we have already booked next years evacuation for the same time, Labor Day.