Ridin' and Readin'

Yesterday we needed to have the car repaired near here and the easiest way home was the bus. The bus operates in the city near us, 120,000 people, and also into the surrounding communities of the county. I've used the bus before and it's a fairly fun and painless.  I am amazed at the community of people that use the bus regularly.Given the need, I would use the bus regularly instead of buying another car.

The thoughts of community is what drew me to the book I'm reading now, A Paradise Built in Hell by Rebecca Solnit. The subtitle is more pleasant, The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster. The book is about the groups of people that come together after a "disaster." The 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Hurricane Katrina and New York after 9-11 are a few of the disasters discussed. So far I'm guessing the author has tended to be critical of the authorities involved in the recovery of these cities, and praises the grassroots efforts of different individuals after each disaster. I'm looking forward to reading more to get the full idea of what the author is describing.

The idea of community in difficult times has been on my mind. What role will I play is helping others? What can I bring to bear in times of need? What am I doing now the learn more? Why? Because I think we are in for more difficult times before good time, if we get good at all.

"You Can Farm," by Joel Salatin--A Review

I finally finished this, and I say that because it is the type of book you can read right through if you want. I took my time and pondered sections instead.  Maureen finished the book much sooner that I and we discussed many parts and ideas that Salatin presented. Our own "farming" enterprise has changed and evolved in the last year. You Can Farm was a impetus for some of those changes.

There are so many concepts presented in the book that it is difficult to point to a few key ideas. The whole book is one big idea about how to rethink farming and how food is produced. At times it appears that Salatin is promoting a way of life, which he is. He continually talks about working and farming in a way that helps the family and earns a decent income. His numbers crunching was good for me to help me rethink how I do a task. Coming from education I am oriented towards finishing a task; write a paper, finish a unit, coach a team. Salatin reacquainted me with the idea that time and quality of work are also factors that shouldn't be forgotten. Sometimes an imperfect looking project works as well as a beautiful project, but costs less and takes less time to complete allowing you to complete a second job.

I was also struck by the thought strung throughout the book of not needing as much money to start farming as we think. Salatin reminds us that a new truck, white pasture fences and a new tractor aren't required to make a farm work.  He points out that the opposite is probably true. He gives examples of making do until one can afford a used implement. His concept of value adding really struck a chord with me. Try to make something more valuable by utilizing it in more than one way.  Use eggs to bake cookies to sell. Place rabbit cages above the chicken pen so chickens can till through the rabbit pellets and make compost for the garden. Harvest trees from your property to build sheds instead of buying at the lumberyard. There were many ideas that Salatin presents throughout the book.

The biggest help for me was the thorough manner that Salatin wrote about the subject. Everything was laid out one place or another to help a new farmer be successful. This book shows how Salatin has thought through all aspects of farming and has moved away from the status quo to make his own way. I appreciated that.

Selling, Throwing, Coaching

This week has been a whirlwind of different tasks.  Last night was our second venture into the farmer's market gig.  This time it was at a different market, though in the same city.  This market is downtown and there was a different vibe going on. Some of the vendors were different with more food-to-eat sellers than at the other market. Many of the buyers were people just getting off work, walking through and picking up a few ingredients for dinner.  Some were people downtown on their way to or from dinner.  A different kind of market overall. For us is was another learning experience. It has been nice to see another side of the farm-to-table equation.

Cleaning out my classroom is taking longer than expected.  I guess trying to pare down 30 years of materials shouldn't happen overnight, but I had slimmed things down a few years ago already. There isn't much nostalgia just the simple act of throwing away stuff that is outdated because of new teaching standards, material from subjects no longer taught or just plain projects students didn't take home. It is freeing.

Tomorrow night is the All-Star baseball game.  It will be a good chance to say good bye to one of our players and players from other schools. These games are always a bit dicey. You want to play everyone, but there is a wide range of abilities and you don't want to get blown away and embarrass the players. At this point I'm looking forward to having one less thing on my plate that is inedible.

New Day, A New Task

It's been a wild week. Tuesday night up North enjoying James Taylor with Maureen, Wilson and Annie. Waking on Mt. Veeder to coffee and a walk about Lampyridae Vineyards is a nice way to start the day.  Pastries from Yountville, then lunch with John and Ashley. It was a great two days.

Then finish up school with finals and the end of the year luncheon, except this year I was one of the retirees being talked about, and I realized no more of these functions. Graduation was uneventful, which is a good thing.  Still the ceremony is a strange mix of people gathered together that would never under any other circumstances. I've felt that high school is the last of the mixing pot chances we go through as citizens.  From that point on we start diverging.

Saturday morning we were up at the normal time of O'Dark:30 to feed dogs and chickens, then off to a new enterprise.We have been asked and given the opportunity to help a friend sell their produce at a farmer's market. Fruits, various vegetables, pork and lamb in a town near us.  The idea is that we would eventually be on our own, expanding their market. This would help them be at two markets at the same time. It seems like a great chance for us to learn another side of the agriculture business and get out and see new things.

Yesterday we worked at the market we usually go to for our weekly food buying. This time on the other side of the table was a great experience. We got to see friends and meet new friends. It's a situation of calm then hurry up, then almost calm again. The business side was eye-opening, but certainly something good to know. This could grow into some interesting times. Definitely different than a recalcitrant sophomore.

What I Have Learned at Exeter Union High School

I wrote this as a farewell to my colleagues. Thought I would share it. In hindsight I forgot the many lessons I learned from the classified staff, the secretaries, maintenance people, bus drivers and custodians. They truly make a school work

After spending 34 years of my life on this campus, I am finally graduating and leaving.  At least in an official capacity, I will still visit from time to time. I will still ride by on my bike and observe. I have pondered what I had learned in that time and came away a bit surprised.

I learned that change is inevitable, and yet things stay the same. I have taught 16 different classes in 14 different classrooms not including Summer School. Some rooms I sat in as a student, and some no longer exist. Some were in disrepair and some brand new. For a while I was the rookie with the cart moving from room to room paying my dues. Sometimes I was moved to accommodate another teacher. Sometimes I volunteered to move to help someone. One room had lights that shorted out producing flames and smoke. One had 5 inches of Bermuda grass growing up through the baseboard. One room was a former auto shop with a leaking roof. When the rains started we ran for plastic to cover the desks and computers. In one room I had the principal hit me in the face with a pie, and the vice principal pied me again the next period. Through all these room changes though, the reason we are here didn’t change—the students. The students still need us.

I learned that while sports and extra-curriculars are important and many lessons can be taught and learned on fields, courts and auditorium; there are more important reasons to be in school. As a freshman, my Algebra teacher Mrs. Sanders taught me that lesson one day as I rose from my chair to leave five minutes early for a water polo game. She promptly told me to sit down and said I would be able to leave when she was done with the day’s lesson and at the proper time. I learned much more than Algebra that year with Mrs. Sanders.

I learned about being a professional as a teacher when in the above situation Mrs. Sanders did finish her lesson for the day and it was in time for me to leave for the bus. I also learned about being a professional from Mr. Simpson suggesting I wear a tie so the students would know I was a teacher, Mr. Kouklis reminding me to shave for school on one harried morning when I forgot, Mr. Allred questioning why I was wearing tennis shoes to class when I wasn’t a P.E. teacher. Mr. Strable explained to me that it is a good idea to be firm with students, but it’s okay to give them a way to save face in front of their peers. My colleagues in the English department gently prodded and pulled me along towards becoming a better teacher. Mrs. Cairns showed daily that a teacher’s hours would never be 8:00 to 3:00. Mrs. Bucz taught me perseverance and dedication by grading essays on her deathbed. All of these were little lessons, but like a pointillist painting they taught me what it was to be a teacher one dab of paint at a time. For the students.

I learned that English, Science and Math weren’t the only subjects taught in school.  Mr. Allison, Mr. Knudsen and Mr. Harrison showed that there was more than one way to measure, add and subtract. They also showed how all those esoteric machinations in Algebra could be used in real life. Mr. Boydstun and Mr. Crookham taught the advantages of pre-planning a project.  Mrs. Diaz taught me that there is always more than one use for an object even though I never was blessed to take Home Ec from her.

I learned how to laugh after watching Mr. Vigil lift the salt shaker with a loose top, thus spilling the contents over the table for the umpteenth time. Or the positive reason to always keep your coffee cup with you as Mr. Shields drank from his cup filled with salt instead of the sugar he thought he had put into the cup. I learned to value Men’s Town and the Ladies’ Table not as antiquated sexist paradigms, but as different people sitting with their friends. We all want to be with our friends, and EUHS has provided many friends.

I learned that life isn’t always fair. I learned that some things we have no control over. I learned to cry in private after a student tells you a heart-wrenching story that leaves you thinking, “There but for the Grace of God go I.” I learned that you may have the better team on paper, but you still have to play the game. I learned that losing a baseball game 32-0 isn’t the worst thing that can happen. I also learned that in the end you may not get what you want,  and you will not be able to provide for every student, but you will be able to touch and help some in ways others won’t. I learned that there are some people I will reach and others I will not.  Some students will repeat a quote I have long forgotten, but they remember me saying it to them and it helped them.

Years ago I was one of those students trying to find their way.  I was fortunate to have teachers and friends that gently and not so gently moved me on a better path. This happened at Exeter Union High School. I never wanted to be the star, there were others better suited for that.  I just wanted to put on the uniform and get a chance to play. I received that chance for 34 years as a student and teacher, and that has made all the difference. Thank you for making that difference in me.

P.S. As I reread this last night at home I realized that there were more lessons I had learned and forgotten.  That list is too long to  continue.  But more importantly there is a group of people that taught me so many things and most emphatically that to make an organization run we need people doing jobs we prefer not to do ourselves. To call a group classified is such a disservice. Clerical, maintenance and custodial staff are so important to making a school run correctly.  Bev Wallace and Jean Clark kindly and not so gently taught me that lesson that to this day my thoughts go to how to help them just after how to help students. And sometimes before. 

Thank you.