Operation: Recycle Scrap December 2016

     There were over 400 pounds of metal, circuit boards, and consumer waste. Much of this electronic material had been around for years and its usefulness had vanished with the passing of time. The devices were stagnant and collecting dust. Recycling was a must. Sure, it would've been easier to just throw it all to the curb and let the garbage truck haul it off to the dump. However, with the challenge of my brother for me to take his "junk, get rid of it, and get something out of it," I was bound and determined to turn this pile of unwanted material into cash. In the process I hoped that the items would be recycled into something useful instead of taking up space in a landfill miles away.

     The day before last a small army; consisting of myself, my three nieces and sister-in-law, meticulously packed my suv. Treading up and down my brother and sister-in-law's basement steps with full arm loads of computers and power suppliers was indeed laborious. The younger nieces holding open doors in the cool winter air as the older niece, my sister-in-law, and myself made trip after trip to the belly of their house and up to the blacktopped landscape of their driveway created space in their basement floor and filled space in my vehicle.

     After I drove to my home I opened the back hatch and the both back doors of my vehicle to survey the unlikely loot. There were a few boxes I hadn't been able to see well in my brother's basement. I extracted a cardboard box or two and took them into my house for an even more close inspection. I discarded items I knew couldn't be recycled and disassembled other electronics that I believed would make the recycling process easier. Three phone calls later to recycle centers I found the one that acknowledged they accepted computer towers, hard drives, and power cords. I also threw into the stash a bag of aluminum cans I'd been hoarding and also took my father's disregarded truck rotors he had laying in his garage.

     A short 25 minute drive with a friend and then I helped unpack the materials as the workers at the recycle station tossed the items into a large bin sitting on a commercial scale. An operator would input the type of metal or electronics into a computer while the scale calculated its value. Less than 5 minutes at the recycle station and I was more than $74 richer. Saving the planet and my bank account one recycled piece at a time. Mission Complete.

Hope is a Muscle

This post originally posted 3/2/2016 on plotsisters.com

I’m not sure exactly who coined the phrase, but I read a book several years ago entitled “In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle” written by Madeleine Blais. The non-fiction book followed the journey of a high school basketball team in Massachusetts with its defeats and triumphs. I used the expression to encourage and challenge my own varsity basketball team I coached years ago and I reference the phrase to my current students in my government and psychology classes.

For any skill to improve one must practice to enhance or make it stronger. It is not unique to only athletics. My own personal writing journey has had its ups and downs. I’ve had moments where I’ve wondered and questioned if what I was doing with my time and if my commitment to the craft was merely a lofty dream. 

It’s easy to be renewed by the promise that things will get better when the sun is shining and the atmosphere is pleasant. But, what about the dark days? How do you conjure up the courage to continue the pursuit of your dreams? I believe that’s where faith and hope become essential. Perhaps if you remember the phrase, hope is a muscle, when you’re feeling doubt and when you’re banging your head up against the wall because you see no progress you’ll remember every step forward is progress. Every word you write is moving forward. Life is cyclical. The more you give, the more you get. Maybe not immediately, but in the long haul. Keep believing. Keep doing. Hope is growing.

Sometimes It's Hard to Feel the LOVE

February, the month of cupids and hearts. I'm thankful its the shortest month of the year. In Ohio the weather is usually awful. (As I write this post with two inches of snow on the ground and freezing temperatures outside.) And not to mention the feeling that Valentine's Day conjures for someone that's single, Valentine's Day can be the most dreaded holiday of the year. The focus is always romantic love. Not that there's anything wrong with romantic love. Its great. The passion. The thinking of you texts. The gifts. The surprises. The gushing overwhelming feelings of just being in love.

However, if you happen to be in the percentage of people that aren't currently in love. Then, well, it sucks. Society makes you feel like a loser that you don't have a Valentine or a Special Someone to spend dinner with on February 14th.  I don't know maybe its more how I make myself feel than society. No, no, really I gotta say I think its society that broadcasts these kind of messages to people who are single.

The last few weeks have been rough. Just usual life stuff, but rough, nonetheless. A good friend of my lost his mom. Writing, seemingly knocking my head against the wall. Overwhelmed with bureaucracy at work. And trying to get my second wind for the last half of the school year. Hurting students that don't know how to channel their feelings and personally, feeling at a loss to help them navigate this turbulent time in their lives. The end result for the student is representing these angst in an unhealthy way and being sent home from school and not returning to date. I worry about them. And I feel like my hands are tied.

And although I question from time to time my own connectedness to people, there's always something that happens that brings me back to the truth. Which is: I have a solid group of people in my life who give to me in ways I need just when I need it most. Whether it be encouraging words by email, Facebook, or texts or happy-go-lucky activities or random phone calls. So, thank you friends and tribe members. Thank you for giving to me in the midst of your own craziness and hectic lives. Most of my friends don't read my blog, but a few do now and again. I'm broadcasting this great big thank you to the universe and to God for sending me wonderful people who inhabit my life and I only hope my existence reflects some of the love you share with me. Happy Valentine's Day, and may we all celebrate all the LOVE. Romantic and otherwise.

Can We Become too Casual?

I'm not related to these students. Not really friend's of any of the parents. I have no affiliation with these 16 & 17 year-old kids outside of being one of their high school teachers. I see them less than 5 hours a week for 9 months.

And yet this week. I had a girl ask me for a tampon. A student saying "hi" to their BFF walking down the hallway waving both middle fingers in the air. And one student confessing their parents are getting a divorce, therefore, they are allowed to walk all over their mom because, frankly, in the kid's eyes, the kid doesn't have to respect their parents since her parents' marriage is over.

Now, you may say that these are just anomalies. Random situations, in one week, throughout the course of a school year. I don't want to burst your bubble of optimism, but I'm here to tell you. . . it's a trend. High school is a microcosm of the American culture. We are becoming casual, and perhaps too casual?

There's a veil that's been lifted between teacher and student. And that's not all bad. That's for another blog post. This post is about the slippery slope. When each can NOT distinguish their roles it can be scary and lead to a world of Trouble. As an educator, I am to teach. To enlighten. Facilitate. Guide. Direct. It isn't my responsibility to be their friend. A counselor or mentor, sure. But I'm not supposed to be their friend while they are attending secondary school.

I replied to the student whom asked for the tampon. "I'm sorry. You need to go see the nurse." And quickly scribbled a pass to the clinic.

The student who was double flipping off her friend in the hallway, I tapped her on the shoulder and told her it was inappropriate.  She replied, "I was just saying 'hi'." Then, assumedly after reading my blank expression, the student quickly added a muffled, "Sorry." She scurried off towards her next class.

And to the student whom declared she didn't have to respect her mom because of the divorce. I simple said, "Your mom carried you in her belly for 9 months and more than likely endured excruciating pain to get you into this world. Not to mention, she's been half the reason you've had all your needs met to this point in your life. Both your parents have earned your respect. And if you fail to give it to them, then that's on you."

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the opportunities that present themselves outside the lectures and activities of academia to give input and teach life lessons. Maybe I'm just here to tell you as someone not in the trenches of public education, we're losing ground on the respect front. Expectations are lessening and the students are breaking those expectations down even further. Nothing is sacred. Or at least, rarely sacred. I'm not sure if we can reverse the trend. I'm not sure how to unteach what has been taught by a consistent allowance of ill-respect. It's merely an observation and a question. Can we become too casual?