Remember this brilliant study?
Well, a new one says "In fact, the study found that low-attaining students were nearly twice as likely to be disengaged in classes of 30 students as they were in classes of 15." I couldn't read any further to find out if my tax dollars had paid for this study or not. They could have just called me.
Thursday
Why I Go To Church
We had a bit of excitement last night at church. Every Wednesday during the school year we have a pre-service dinner. We call it 'Manna and More' because we are catchy and clever like that, and our church also never passes up an opportunity to name AND logo-tize something. Manna was particularly fitting last night as one particularly unidentifiable dish kept being asked about, "What is it?" (look it up, people).
So the evening was going as usual. Pay your meager fee, get in line, heh-heh with the serving ladies (teams of cooks, servers, and cleaners all rotate their duty about once a month) find a spot, get a drink, yada, yada. I was somewhere between getting a drink and the yada when one of the serving ladies stepped out of the kitchen to holler at the 100+ crowd of people, "Is there a doctor or nurse in here? We need a doctor or nurse!" I scanned the crowd trying to think of one person I knew who was such (sorry, Karene, but I was so freaked I couldn't think of one person). And I felt so helpless.
Trying not to be in the way, I just returned to my seat and glanced up toward the kitchen. There was one lady on the phone to 911, a small crowd around the evidently ill or injured person, one very focused woman trying to keep the food line moving by serving food, and a growing line of folks waiting to get their food. I watched and evaluated for a little bit -- I REALLY didn't want to be in the way or a gawker -- but it didn't take long to realize what I COULD do. So I got up and went to help the lone lady who was serving. (I only served one or two plates before I thought to stop and wash my hands!) Before long Tammy came back. Then she left when the 911 caller could return to her spot. Then Denise relieved me to go finish my meal as two other ladies were coming into the kitchen to trade out full trays of food for empty and replenish dessert trays as needed.
I'm sorry to say I can't give an update on the downed kitchen worker. She was awake and talking while I was in there, and the ambulance took her to be checked out. I'm not even sure what happened, and I don't know the lady's name. I'm not even positive I could pick her out of a gurney line-up. But folks needed help. Not only the sick or hurt, but the workers. I (and LOTS of others -- there is no tooting of my own horn here) just did all I knew to do or COULD do: I slapped food on a plate and smiled and heh-heh-ed with people. I teased the tiny gals for eating so little. I teased the teen boys for eating so much. I helped my serving sisters how I could and when I could. Because it has been done for me over and over and over again.
Years ago in a different, smaller congregation, we were welcoming a new staff member at a small gathering. I noticed one particularly eccentric member had the new staff member cornered and was talking non-stop. I told a dear friend next to me, "Wouldn't you like to follow around the new person and explain everyone to him? It's just like family -- that's just crazy ol' Aunt Trudy (Trudy's name is a pseudonym to protect the crazy). We love her, but we all know she's crazy." That's how church is to me -- just like your own family tree: full of nuts. But nuts that will serve, weep, laugh, mop, pray, build, hammer, teach, hug, and love as needed.
My church isn't perfect. Neither is yours. But they're my family and I love them dearly. And I hope no one sues me if they found one of my hairs in their food last night.
So the evening was going as usual. Pay your meager fee, get in line, heh-heh with the serving ladies (teams of cooks, servers, and cleaners all rotate their duty about once a month) find a spot, get a drink, yada, yada. I was somewhere between getting a drink and the yada when one of the serving ladies stepped out of the kitchen to holler at the 100+ crowd of people, "Is there a doctor or nurse in here? We need a doctor or nurse!" I scanned the crowd trying to think of one person I knew who was such (sorry, Karene, but I was so freaked I couldn't think of one person). And I felt so helpless.
Trying not to be in the way, I just returned to my seat and glanced up toward the kitchen. There was one lady on the phone to 911, a small crowd around the evidently ill or injured person, one very focused woman trying to keep the food line moving by serving food, and a growing line of folks waiting to get their food. I watched and evaluated for a little bit -- I REALLY didn't want to be in the way or a gawker -- but it didn't take long to realize what I COULD do. So I got up and went to help the lone lady who was serving. (I only served one or two plates before I thought to stop and wash my hands!) Before long Tammy came back. Then she left when the 911 caller could return to her spot. Then Denise relieved me to go finish my meal as two other ladies were coming into the kitchen to trade out full trays of food for empty and replenish dessert trays as needed.
I'm sorry to say I can't give an update on the downed kitchen worker. She was awake and talking while I was in there, and the ambulance took her to be checked out. I'm not even sure what happened, and I don't know the lady's name. I'm not even positive I could pick her out of a gurney line-up. But folks needed help. Not only the sick or hurt, but the workers. I (and LOTS of others -- there is no tooting of my own horn here) just did all I knew to do or COULD do: I slapped food on a plate and smiled and heh-heh-ed with people. I teased the tiny gals for eating so little. I teased the teen boys for eating so much. I helped my serving sisters how I could and when I could. Because it has been done for me over and over and over again.
Years ago in a different, smaller congregation, we were welcoming a new staff member at a small gathering. I noticed one particularly eccentric member had the new staff member cornered and was talking non-stop. I told a dear friend next to me, "Wouldn't you like to follow around the new person and explain everyone to him? It's just like family -- that's just crazy ol' Aunt Trudy (Trudy's name is a pseudonym to protect the crazy). We love her, but we all know she's crazy." That's how church is to me -- just like your own family tree: full of nuts. But nuts that will serve, weep, laugh, mop, pray, build, hammer, teach, hug, and love as needed.
My church isn't perfect. Neither is yours. But they're my family and I love them dearly. And I hope no one sues me if they found one of my hairs in their food last night.
Tuesday
Slowly... Blogging Slowly
Okay -- here I am, 7 days later! Jehosaphat! My spring break consisted of a head-cold and frequent naps. We did do a little Dallas traveling at the end and I did see parts of North Texas I have never seen before. Wow. Texas is big.
I love the reactions to the quote. Stephanie and I would either get along fabulously or have some very lively conversations! :-) There's always an exception, isn't there? -- or, at my house, a loophole! The thing that struck me the most about that quote was how many talented people there are that aren't using that talent to its fullest (that is how I will choose to define 'unsuccessful' in this instance, Stephanie -- fair?) So true. Think of your friends: there are some amazing talents around us, aren't there? And don't you know a lot of talent that is shoved to the bottom of life due to everything else pressing in? I do. It just struck me -- mainly because persistence is so basic, yet so crucial. I wholeheartedly agree...
Oh -- update on aforementioned creek drama: one bicycle is total trash, the other can be repaired for about 50-75% the cost of a new one, and I'm investing in a new library book tomorrow. People irritate me on occasion.
Y'all go welcome Kelly to blogworld. 'Cause she rocks and I like to pretend that I'm all cute and happenin' like her.
10 weeks from today is June 3. Are you ready for sitting at the pool? I so am!
I love the reactions to the quote. Stephanie and I would either get along fabulously or have some very lively conversations! :-) There's always an exception, isn't there? -- or, at my house, a loophole! The thing that struck me the most about that quote was how many talented people there are that aren't using that talent to its fullest (that is how I will choose to define 'unsuccessful' in this instance, Stephanie -- fair?) So true. Think of your friends: there are some amazing talents around us, aren't there? And don't you know a lot of talent that is shoved to the bottom of life due to everything else pressing in? I do. It just struck me -- mainly because persistence is so basic, yet so crucial. I wholeheartedly agree...
Oh -- update on aforementioned creek drama: one bicycle is total trash, the other can be repaired for about 50-75% the cost of a new one, and I'm investing in a new library book tomorrow. People irritate me on occasion.
Y'all go welcome Kelly to blogworld. 'Cause she rocks and I like to pretend that I'm all cute and happenin' like her.
10 weeks from today is June 3. Are you ready for sitting at the pool? I so am!
Agree or Disagree?
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
--Calvin Coolidge
--Calvin Coolidge
Sunday
Tiptoe-ing Back Into Blogworld
I looked for a picture of the t-shirt I saw on one of those folks who think their bad attitude doesn't exude from them enough without cue cards printed on their chest: "I'm here, aren't I? What more do you want?"
I figure my first little tippy toe back into blog land should keep the bar pretty low. There won't be any humor or ingenious observations on life (as if I ever just crank that kind of stuff out on a regular basis).
I had a few thoughts, that were actually even kind and nice, but my children just returned home from one of their adventures down at our local creek -- which I was so loving as their little fun slice of Americana -- and they came home with bicycles broken beyond repair from bricks or rocks thrown onto the spokes, and a ruined library book from it being thrown in the water. I'm so unamused with the general public of my "wonderful neighborhood". So my kind and nice thoughts are few and far between.
JD thinks that 'LOST' has 'jumped the shark'. What do you think?
It's our spring break. It's supposed to rain and my throat hurts.
This morning the scale looked better than it had in months, but my hair is still in its post-haircut rebellion stage. When it's a good scale day AND a good hair day, I'll let you know.
Anyone doing anything fun for spring break?
I figure my first little tippy toe back into blog land should keep the bar pretty low. There won't be any humor or ingenious observations on life (as if I ever just crank that kind of stuff out on a regular basis).
I had a few thoughts, that were actually even kind and nice, but my children just returned home from one of their adventures down at our local creek -- which I was so loving as their little fun slice of Americana -- and they came home with bicycles broken beyond repair from bricks or rocks thrown onto the spokes, and a ruined library book from it being thrown in the water. I'm so unamused with the general public of my "wonderful neighborhood". So my kind and nice thoughts are few and far between.
JD thinks that 'LOST' has 'jumped the shark'. What do you think?
It's our spring break. It's supposed to rain and my throat hurts.
This morning the scale looked better than it had in months, but my hair is still in its post-haircut rebellion stage. When it's a good scale day AND a good hair day, I'll let you know.
Anyone doing anything fun for spring break?
Tuesday
My Two Great Regrets of the Campaign of '08
1) That I EVER registered to vote, thereby putting my phone number on some "please harass the stuffin' out of these people" list.
2) That I don't have caller ID.
One more phone call from Barak and I am SO going out and rounding up anyone on the street and taking them to vote for Hillary.
2) That I don't have caller ID.
One more phone call from Barak and I am SO going out and rounding up anyone on the street and taking them to vote for Hillary.
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