Some parents today are so focused on their child's future achievements that they have no room for levity. It's a shame.
It's kinda like how they're suddenly discovering that if you let the kids go outside a couple three times a day, they learn better. Hello? Recess?
Anyone my age knows that already. It had to be pretty nasty before we had to stay in the classroom during recess (even in sixth grade!), and even then, it was recreation time, not study time.
Played some wicked games of tetherball...
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
The things that parents have to put up with today. My mother went to the schoolhouse when her sons graduated (she did do a little substitute teaching). Orientation? the first day in each grade--here are your books, now sit there and learn.
Johnny
When I was in kindergarten, it was sandbox, blocks, and naps. Maybe some colors and shapes and some of the alphabet.
Nowadays they have to do stuff we used to learn in first grade...
The problem is that the kids aren't coming out of school any smarter than we did, and some say not as smart...
tree68The problem is that the kids aren't coming out of school any smarter than we did, and some say not as smart...
I wouldn't say that. A school is half the battle. If the kids and their families care about education,. they have opportunities that are way beyond the reach of what I even had. With online learning, it's almost limitless what a kid has access to now.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.
zugmann tree68 The problem is that the kids aren't coming out of school any smarter than we did, and some say not as smart... I wouldn't say that. A school is half the battle. If the kids and their families care about education,. they have opportunities that are way beyond the reach of what I even had. With online learning, it's almost limitless what a kid has access to now.
tree68 The problem is that the kids aren't coming out of school any smarter than we did, and some say not as smart...
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
Murphy SidingAnd the kids who access that information because they want to learn can go far.
The problem is that most kids wont go on line for information and learning. They only want entertainment.
Norm
Even before the Internet that was true for most kids.
Murphy Siding...on account of missing 37(!) days of school last year.
And to think, I missed four and a half days in 13 years....
tree68It had to be pretty nasty before we had to stay in the classroom during recess (even in sixth grade!), and even then, it was recreation time, not study time.
My wife, who mostly grew up in Southern California and taught there her whole career got a chance to see some Illinois schoolkids out at recess in a light snow in January when I was being interviewed for a job there. She was astonished, since in California, the lightest sprinkle made them keep the kids inside the classroom.
I guess perspectives did differ around the country.
ChuckCobleighI guess perspectives did differ around the country.
Grades 4-6 we walked to school, about a half mile, on a path that ran through a couple of back yards and some woods. Rain, snow, it didn't matter. It was only up hill one way (going home).
Grades 7-9, it was a mile to the junior high school - all on village streets, but still rain or shine. They wouldn't pick us up with the bus within the village. This time it was up hill both ways - we lived on top of a hill on one side of the village, and the school was on top of the hill on the other side, with the river running through the middle...
The school wasn't quite at the top of the hill. However, in the days when my step-grandfather was a kid (ca 1910), they would start at the top of the hill on their sleds, run down the street and up a small rise, then after making a left turn onto main street, would slide through downtown all the way down to the river - a good half mile plus. Of course, then you had to haul your sled all the way back so you could do it again.
I really do not remember much help from my mother after I started to school; she did help me with my French pronunciation and with the pronunciation of other words (such as "Potomac") that were new to me. The year before I started to school, my brother (who was then one year ahead of me) would bring a a book home and read it to our mother--then I would pick the book up and read it, asking for help with unfamiliar words. It was understood that I WOULD go to school and learn what I could. Sickness and doctor appointments were, in genearl, the only exceptions--though one Thursday in the spring of my senior year, I told my homeroom teacher that I did not think that I would be in school Friday or Monday since I was considering hitchhiking to Bristol to visit my brother who was in college there; I imagine that the next day my other teachers asked where I was and were told, "He's gone to Bristol to visit Tommy."
Back in those days, there were children who had great difficulty in school, and dropped out after reaching the age that exempted them from the required schooling. I really know nothing of their home life. One of my classmates kissed his diploma after it ws given to him. His older brother went on to college, and then taught school.
One day when I was in the fifth grade, one boy opened his desk--and found a beer bottle in it; it was quickly determined who was responsible for the bottle's presence, and he was given the quickest promotion ever--he was in the seventh grade the next day. I do not know how many times he had been held back because of his not making passing grades. He did not finish school. His sister also did not finish high school; I do not remember which grade she was in when she married.
Another girl married when we were juniors--and she was one of two honor students in our class--she and her double first cousin had the same GPA, so we had two honor students instead of just one at our commencemnet exercises.
tree68 Murphy Siding ...on account of missing 37(!) days of school last year. And to think, I missed four and a half days in 13 years....
Murphy Siding ...on account of missing 37(!) days of school last year.
zugmann Even before the Internet that was true for most kids.
Norm48327 Murphy Siding And the kids who access that information because they want to learn can go far. The problem is that most kids wont go on line for information and learning. They only want entertainment.
Murphy Siding And the kids who access that information because they want to learn can go far.
Murphy Siding Norm48327 Murphy Siding And the kids who access that information because they want to learn can go far. The problem is that most kids wont go on line for information and learning. They only want entertainment. I dunno. Replace "kids" with people in general and I'd have to agree. One of my sons said something in reference to homework that made sense- "Why do I have to learn about Steven Douglas? If I ever need to know anything about him, I'll just Google the information."
I dunno. Replace "kids" with people in general and I'd have to agree. One of my sons said something in reference to homework that made sense- "Why do I have to learn about Steven Douglas? If I ever need to know anything about him, I'll just Google the information."
[quote user="Murphy Siding"]
[/quote]And, Steven Douglas comes up in a conversation--so he quickly Googles Steven Douglas so he can tell what he just found out.
afternoon
Ns had a new engine on the point of a westbound stack train when I left.People still dealing with plenty of water here.I am sure they wish they could send it out west.Mowed the swamp today.Work still busy so I am going in tomorrow.ND&W is still waiting for it's big package to arrive.Last we heard it was stuck in St.Louis.Off to get cleaned up.
stay safe
Joe
Deshler Ohio-crossroads of the B&O Matt eats your fries.YUM! Clinton st viaduct undefeated against too tall trucks!!!(voted to be called the "Clinton St. can opener").
We would take the excess water Joe. (all the promised storms here have fizzled before getting here. Some of the fields are getting "crunchy" to walk through.)
Murphy Sidingpronounce the name of the country of Djibouti
She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw
You-betcha .... Then you can try Camp Lemonnier (where people from this office have been commuting. Resort community of the last kind..)
(all I think of is the Buddy Hackett schtick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Jj622vbrrU )
mudchickenCamp Lemonnier
How close am I?
[quote user="Deggesty"]
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A few years ago, I was in the AFHT motel waiting for my call to work. It was the time when there were protests goin on in Iran with speculation that maybe the hard liners in the regime might be ousted. I was switching back and forth between CNN and Fox News who were both in "breaking news happening" mode. Although on different ends of the political spectrum editorially, both organizations' reporting was almost exactly the same.
Until it was announced that Farrah Fawcett had died. That ended the reporting on Iran from both. So both, for an hour or two, just rehashed what little "breaking news happening" they actually knew. (Our local TV news does the same thing when there is "breaking news".)
That ended when it was announced that Michael Jackson had died. So much for Farrah. I don't believe they mentioned her death, or the Iranian protests again outside of a blurb in their regular daily news updates.
It just shows where the priority of the American mainstream public is, or perceived to be. I guess coverage of the end of the world be pre-empted by the news of a Kardashian breaking a nail. Although I suppose to some, a Kardashian breaking a nail IS akin to the end of the world.
Jeff
Mookie Murphy Siding pronounce the name of the country of Djibouti My favorite political channel told me long ago how to pronounce it. Unfortunately your last name hasn't been pronounced there, yet. (No not "siding"!)
Murphy Siding pronounce the name of the country of Djibouti
My favorite political channel told me long ago how to pronounce it. Unfortunately your last name hasn't been pronounced there, yet. (No not "siding"!)
Today, the wife and I arrived back home from a little train ride. 4300 mile round trip on the California Zephyr. Ottumwa IA to Emeryville CA and back. A good trip, but we're both glad to be home. We left our cat at a local boarding facility (Howl-A-Day Inn) where she had a suite all to herself. (Complete with some of her own familiar items to help keep her company.) We had a Roomette and I think she had just as much room in her suite.
On the westward trip, we were about an hour late when we woke up the last morning around Winnemucca NV. They made up about 40 mins, so we arrived only about 20 mins late into Emeryville. Eastward went to bed while train was sitting in Elko NV about 30 mins late. When we woke up we were about 2 1/2 hours late. I brought my scanner along. I know one freight was short on HOS time, but thought it cleared before they died. It sounded like it might've been one of those monster manifests. I heard from the upper berth, at least one go around us. The car attendent thought at least two went around. Picking up 4 private cars in Denver used up the better part of an hour. Picked up some time to arrive about 3 hours late into Ottumwa.
Shoulda let us know you were briefly in town (twice)...
Pat and I can relate to your roomette woes. I, too, had to stay in the upper, with no window, while riding home from LA on the Southwest Chief this past March...Pat was a bit claustrophobic up there. Our train had power issues, and the time we lost could not be made up. We were lucky...at least two hours of the dropped time was spent with good company--the Mudchicken--who stayed up for our very late arrival in and even later departure from LaJunta.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
Eastbound coal train in the siding when I left work.Ns sent a new horse eastbound on the point of a stack train too.Going to go enjoy the afternoon with Stacey somewhere.
Kudos to the suburban Houston (LaMarque) cop and dispatcher at Texas City Jcn/ MP36.4/859510E for keeping their heads together dealing with the drunk into and under one of Uncle Pete's roadswitchers last night after the stopped train started to move.
mudchickenKudos to the suburban Houston (LaMarque) cop and dispatcher at Texas City Jcn/ MP36.4/859510E for keeping their heads together dealing with the drunk into and under one of Uncle Pete's roadswitchers last night after the stopped train started to move.
Bad marks for 1st responders for not notifying UP when they got on scene; well before the train started to move.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
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