Summer 2009
Week of September 20, 2009
Go to Fall 2009
Week of September 13, 2009
I remember him
With every breath I take
He lives on in me.
It has been four years since he slipped away. I miss everything about him. My father, my coach, and in the end, my friend. I hope I can be the same for my boys.
Week of September 6, 2009
Boylan Bans Barack
Catholics kids cannot watch
Blind leading the blind.
We send our boys to Boylan Catholic High School to get a good education and learn about the values and the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Church. How embarassing that the school chose not to allow the president’s speech to be aired in class. The president’s words to the students of our country were wise and inspirational. Who will be silenced next? What books will be removed from the library shelves? What ideas will not be allowed to be discussed? Who will not be allowed to speak?
Week of September 6, 2009
Week of August 30, 2009
Camelot’s last prince
After a long shining life
Fades into the spot.
Goodbye Ted Kennedy. You worked the aisle so hard in order to help people. You ran the good race. Your darkest hour did not stop you from doing good. May you find peace, reconciliation and new causes to champion wherever you are.
The following is one of the Kennedy’s family’s favorite lines from the musical.
Don’t let it be forgot
That once there was a spot,
For one brief, shining moment
That was known as Camelot.
Week of August 23, 2009
Time to teach again
To let go of what I know
To be a student.
Every teacher who isn’t a student as well needs to retire or get a new job.
Week of August 16, 2009
New curriculum
Teaching U.S. History
Dead white guys and wars.
I’m still bitter because I could not save the world (geography). The state standards and curriculum map for U.S. History 1810- 1900 focuses primarily on the political dimension of the U.S. past. History is so much more than the waging of war and political blunder. What was the latest dance craze of 1810? What did people eat and what technology was considered a sign of things to come? What song was number one? Who was the rage on the stage? Time to travel into the past.
Week of August 9, 2009
Back from vacation
10,000 things to get done
Think I’ll take a nap.
A testamonial to the power of haiku; my brother-in-law, Jay, read this poem and then spent the next three days in bed.
Week of August 2, 2009
Before religion
Older than alleluia
The hymn of ocean.
I think the cistertian movement was inspired by the ocean. The beauty and immensity of the sight and sound of waves causes me to grow silent and listen to the primordial om. Although we have evolved and developed the capacity for thought and speech, it is an ability all too often wasted, especially by religious types, politicians, and info commercials. The older I get, the more I have come to understand that silence is golden. Saying less has become a mid-life discipline. So, with that, goodbye.
Week of July 26, 2009
Dreaming of teaching
Standing in front of my class
Without any pants.
I am a true believer in the “be here now” mentality of zen buddhism and aging hippie authors. I do not teach for the three reasons of June, July, and August. I teach because it is a privilege and an honor to help young people discover, and hopefully, change the world. I thoroughly enjoy summer vacation and think year round school is an idea that escaped from Hell. I count myself the most fortunate of workers. I have a great job, fantastic benefits and a strong union to protect my livelihood. Despite my incredible situation, late July and early August dreams haunt me. Unable to find my class, not knowing the curriculum, and pantsless paranoia fill my sleep. The only thing that seems to help is wearing a belt on my pajamas to bed.
Week of July 19, 2009
Parents in the stands,
Watching someone else’s kids,
Cheering for the bench.
Sitting on the bench is no fun. Especially for the players and the fans that have travelled over an hour and a half to see their kid play. My son said to me, “I’ll prove them wrong next year.” He already has. Good coaches know how to get as many players in the game and stay competative. Poor coaches stack the line-up and regardless of the score, keep kids in the dugout.
Week of July 12, 2009
Summer vacation
Leaving soon for vacation
Life’s a vacation.
Only a teacher could write such a ridiculous haiku. Summer vacation ~ simple enough. Recall your own childhood memories of the last day of school and the abundance of time spent outside in the sun, rain, and wind. Even though the summer was officially a time out of school, it was a time of becoming reaquianted with the natural world and learning about it. Unfortunately, the screened in culture of video games, T.V., and texting have eliminated this aspect of summer break for many people. Second line ~ Leaving soon for vacation. Kate says that her family was the only one that would come back from vacation less tan than they were before going. Her father specialized in educational vacations, like visiting the Parker pen factory. My family hit the hotels with swimming pools and travelled to tourist traps. In the end, her family gained insight and education and my siblings and I are checking our skin for melanoma. Last line ~ Life is a vacation. I know, I have a job, a home, a loving spouse, great kids and my health. For me not to acknowldege that my life is a vacation would be evidence of my ignorance of how all too many of my fellow human beings exist. When tragedy strikes perspectives are altered. My last line may have to be changed one day, but for now I’m on,in, and leaving for vacation.
Week of July 5, 2009
Governors gone wild
Like dead fish floating down stream
Something really stinks.
Some of those in power suffer from what I call “Illusions of Grand Marnier”. Sarah Palin and Mark Sanford are just two gubernatorial guests whose mishaps and entoxicated egos have been floating in the public view too long for anyone’s good. Sanford is an idiot whose sense of service has slipped into his pants, and Palin’s nonsensical rationale for quiting as govenor should to justify a state trooper giving her a breathalyzer.
Week of June 28, 2009
Red, White, and the blues
Not a lot to celebrate
Let’s just barbeque.
I give thanks for my wonderful life. It helps that I have a beloved wife, wonderful kids, a house, a job and a few bucks in the bank. We live in a great country, but with unemployment in Rockford at 13%, foreclosures still on the rise, state services getting cut, it is definitely greater for some than others. The economic recession has done a tremendous amount of damage to peoples’ lives. Hopefully we are on the mend and re-employment is not far away. We still have our democracy, despite the limited quality of some of the characters we elect. As for me, I have much to be grateful for, but I feel my exuberance should be muted given the difficulties so many of our fellow citizens are facing.
Week of June 21, 2009
In honor of God
Overthrow theocracy,
Allah bless Iran.
The Iranian political system which puts the ultimate decision making in the unelected hands of religious clerics makes a mockery of democracy. The clerics, with their total control over social rules and behaviors, especially of women, make a mockery of Islam. The regime of Ahmadinejad and Khamenei have targeted the opposition that supported Moussavi. The hope for Iran’s future is in the hands of the thousands of courageous protesters who took to the streets and rooftops. The international community needs to continue to focus its concern and cameras on what is happening in Iran. The opposition will not go away, but they might be taken. Allah bless Iran!