Fashion or Faux Pas?

On Thursday of last week, I was attending to some business in the school library when I saw this painting for the first time. I asked Fred, our school's media specialist/doer of technological hodgepodgery, about it. He told me that in the '50's, Cedar High used to buy art work for the school at local art shows and the school had acquired it in 1956. An art researcher studying the artist had recently contacted the school to find out more about the painting as the name (The Yellow Screen) was listed in a book somewhere but the researcher knew nothing of the subject. Fred took the painting from the food's room where it had been hanging for years to photograph it and send to the researcher. What I found so interesting about the painting, and why I am blogging about it now, is that though I had never seen the painting before, I had on the same outfit as the woman. Down to the linked bracelet. While hers is more chunky, and my shirt doesn't have as large of ruffles, one must admit that it is a little startling to see your outfit on a painting almost 55 years old. When I pointed it out to my colleagues, they commented on the timelessness of fashion. When I pointed it out to my students, who were doing research in the library that day, they gave me pitying looks and comments about how I needed to get some new clothes. Ah, the perspective of youth. (But really, do I need to get new clothes?)

A Lot of Hot Air

On sheets, curtains, and mattresses hot air balloons are a little cheesy. In the air, they are nothing short of spectacular.

Wildfire

In August the Mill Creek wildfire spread suddenly to New Harmony, a small town about 20 miles south of Cedar City. For three days the air was full of non-stop campfire smell (which doesn't smell so great when you're not actually camping) and perpetual coughing, runny noses, and sneezing. Here are some pictures I took of what Cedar City had to deal with during those days (though not even close to what the residents of New Harmony and Kanarraville went through).
The ash that was deposited on my car - and in our lungs - when I came out of work one day.



Wildfires do make for pretty sunrises and sunsets...as long as the fire is far away from where I'm watching the sunset!

Dabbling with ink

This weekend I attended for the fourth time the creative writing conference put on for teachers every year by SUU and had a ball. The conference centers on ways for teachers to incorporate creative writing into the classroom. I center on having an excuse to listen to professional writers who teach at major universities and getting to do my own writitng. Yesterday there were two writers that were particularly interesting to listen to: Simone Di Piero from Stanford Univ (poetry) and Alison Deming from the Univ of Az (creative nonfiction). Today we got to hear Nola Lodge from the U of U, an Oneida Indian from right outside of my hometown of Green Bay, WI, who discussed reacing American Indian students through creative writing.

I've been in a writing black-hole since December when I submitted some poems to a writing competition. I felt like they were the best poems I'd ever written, and not being picked (though I knew it would be a long shot anyway) as even a top 50 finalist was, I guess, more discouraging than I expected it would be. I didn't lose sleep or shed tears or anything, but I haven't written anything since. Until yesterday. And I only wrote what was asked from all 30 of us attending the conference. But it felt good. I'm not done with the creative nonfiction piece yet (which I will share), but here is the poem. Interestingly enough, Mr. Di Piero didn't seem to like it that much. But it didin't faze me like I thought it would. I told myself in the shaking moments before I volunteered myself that he was the published expert and it was an opportunity to find out what I could do better. But Danielle Dubrasky, who was my peotry teacher at SUU and who puts the conference together, and who was Di Piero's student at Stanford, did. Rejection from one, validation from another. I hate Emily Dickenson. Others say she is the best America has to offer. So what does it mean? I can't easily do tricks with words the way others, including the college students sitting behind me, can. But I have something to say. You may or may not like it, but saying it is the important part. What do you have to say? If you started a poem with the same first two lines as mine (the assignment all in attendance were given), how would your poem turn out?

Odysseus told his men

to plug their ears with wax,

keeping for himself

the song worth dying for.

I would have done it,

resented him for asking

because he would have known I

would be the one to concede,

my ears stuffed dumly,

sitting on the wooden deck waiting.

I would hate him right then

for my future later

without that song,

telling myself I could

remember better,

deserve more those notes

though my resolve to stand

tied alone

would have jumped before

we had lost sight of the shore.

President Obama's Speech to Students

The calls started coming in today at the school I teach at from parents threatening to pull their kids out of school during President Obama's speech to students this Tuesday. The principal, my boss, wore each call on his face as he, a few other teacher, and myself discussed the negative and downright hostile responses by so many in our community about this. I feel that one of my biggest obstacles as a teacher is student apathy, so am not opposed to a pep talk to students, but also know many won't listen because of the policital orientation - and I hate to say in some situations, race - of our President. Would the same response be happening if a sports star were coming to the school to talk about the same issues?

What does bother me about the manner in which this speech is occuring is that it is being done during the school day - parents should have the right and privilege to watch this speech with their students at home and discuss it with them. But my bigger concern is the divisiveness these parents are ultimately teaching their children by refusing to allow their children to listen to a person who politically is different from them but has the same educational goals for their kids, and his own, that they do. Instead of pulling their child out of school, why not go with them to school that day and sit in during the speech? Use this as a chance to start a dialog and teach their children how to listen to others and come up with their own conclusions? This is a great chance to talk with their children about what they agree with, and also what they disagree with in the speech. These parents fear possible political agendas being forced on their children but are turning their back on an oppertunity, if they pull their children out, to both talk with their children about opposing viewpoints, but more likely on a chance to find a commonality with the "other side." Becuase in all actuality, this speech will most likely include no discussion of health care plans or wars or the economy, information that would be over the heads of school aged children. Republicans and democrats alike care about the education their children and grandchildren receive. Can we not, for 50 minutes, sit down together on the common ground of the value of education, our children with us, and encourage them to be fair minded, goal oriented students who should value the precious education they receive?