tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post4256545492666986170..comments2024-02-21T14:12:55.866-06:00Comments on coming home to myself: The Settling In for the Long HaulDeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post-15981748289289496062013-10-15T11:06:21.636-05:002013-10-15T11:06:21.636-05:00Dear Deanna, those seventh graders were "chal...Dear Deanna, those seventh graders were "challenging" and yet the challenge is what helped me, I think, to become a better teacher than I probably would have been without the baptism by fire. Peace.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post-83388842795537141842013-10-14T16:58:08.762-05:002013-10-14T16:58:08.762-05:00Your story continues to hold great interest for me...Your story continues to hold great interest for me. I recall learning that the Pill came out in 1960. While I doubt it was used by these kids so soon, I also wonder about the affect of it on society in general. But what do I know. There have always been these issues around, and you were given a challenging group. I appreciate the story of your dealings with them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post-79951049495992843732013-10-11T14:55:28.679-05:002013-10-11T14:55:28.679-05:00Dear Stephanie, so good to have you back! I've...Dear Stephanie, so good to have you back! I've missed you. Peace.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post-1430517221765620202013-10-11T14:55:09.830-05:002013-10-11T14:55:09.830-05:00Dear Carol, I suspect that many interests we have ...Dear Carol, I suspect that many interests we have as children parley into adult jobs and avocations. I always wanted to be a mathematician, an engineer, a writer, or a painter/artist. All four still hold interest for me, but it is as a writer that I've found my Joseph Campbell bliss. Peace.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post-11850378949794862872013-10-11T14:23:28.509-05:002013-10-11T14:23:28.509-05:00Ooh! I'm so excited to have some time to start...Ooh! I'm so excited to have some time to start reading blogs again! On to your latest post! Peace!Stephanie Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08117481136259148223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post-32692110439495906442013-10-07T14:01:17.016-05:002013-10-07T14:01:17.016-05:00I was in the fifth grade in 1950 and by seventh gr...I was in the fifth grade in 1950 and by seventh grade some of my classmates had "discovered" the opposite sex. I think most boundaries were still in place and we were reasonably well behaved for pre-teens, but the world of school changed. I was still wearing ankle socks, but I discovered the NY Times, poetry and the yen to travel. Odd hobbies for a seventh grader, but they stuck with me through life. I'm not sure if I hadn't been nerdy if I would have cultivated my life long interests at such a young age. Buttercuphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03804094230127512943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post-31683599437868244532013-10-06T13:48:40.866-05:002013-10-06T13:48:40.866-05:00Dear Deb, yes, I did change. I found more certaint...Dear Deb, yes, I did change. I found more certainty and more freedom also. Thanks so much for stopping by and reading not only this posting but the one before. I know how busy you are and I appreciate your spending some time with this saga of Omaha in 1960. Peace.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post-60184812700039787722013-10-06T13:47:36.141-05:002013-10-06T13:47:36.141-05:00Dear Kate, what you say is so true: ambiguities an...Dear Kate, what you say is so true: ambiguities and undercurrents. Truly, human beings are mysterious an awe-ful creatures. Peace.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post-7977614330125845212013-10-06T13:14:17.088-05:002013-10-06T13:14:17.088-05:00I love that not only are the kids beginning to cha...I love that not only are the kids beginning to change, but that you are also. Looking forward to the next installment. Deb Shuckahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03439395710731341021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post-38747369884210915112013-10-06T07:52:50.896-05:002013-10-06T07:52:50.896-05:00Such a familiar tale, Dee: young people will alway...Such a familiar tale, Dee: young people will always be challenging and rewarding in equal measure to teach. The mind of a human being is filled with ambiguities and undercurrents.Kate Shrewsdayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12254105503503630311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post-78558218146171861162013-10-04T22:15:11.551-05:002013-10-04T22:15:11.551-05:00Dear Rita, like you, I was blissfully unaware unti...Dear Rita, like you, I was blissfully unaware until Sister Mary Norbert told me. Peace.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post-6984899914219553532013-10-04T22:14:29.988-05:002013-10-04T22:14:29.988-05:00Dear Broad, I don't think this was really comm...Dear Broad, I don't think this was really common--at least not in the other Catholic grade schools in which I later taught. But many of the students in that classroom were still truly innocent. But a few had hung out together for years. The boys became a gang; the girls became a clique. Peace.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post-40934313352813584742013-10-04T15:17:13.326-05:002013-10-04T15:17:13.326-05:00So sad that kids start being sexual and dealing wi...So sad that kids start being sexual and dealing with adult issues way before they need to. I was so totally naive that I didn't realize that there were kids in my junior year (and younger) that were having relations, shall we say (1966-7). I heard rumors and did not believe it for a second. Senior year when I fell madly in love I thought I absolutely had to be the only "bad" girl in school. Apparently far from it--LOL! I was just younger than everybody else, idealistic, and quite ignorant. But fifth grade!? Wow! Of course my sister was four years younger and there was a lot of sex happening in the junior high at that same time. I was just blissfully unaware, I guess. Ritahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02043285884495492598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post-88798533011601318222013-10-04T04:18:34.990-05:002013-10-04T04:18:34.990-05:00I, too, am surprised at the sexual overtones of 5t...I, too, am surprised at the sexual overtones of 5th graders in 1960! At the beginning of 1960 I was a freshman in high school and saw less provocation than that! Five years earlier, when I was 10 and in 5th grade I don't remember it at all. I dread to think what it's like now! Anyway, you were a much better teacher than you gave yourself credit for being -- being able to stand up to those parents is proof of that.The Broadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04976467218216864644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post-84026155306418479342013-10-03T20:19:39.305-05:002013-10-03T20:19:39.305-05:00Dear Baiba, it was sad. I got their attention with...Dear Baiba, it was sad. I got their attention with that subtraction problem that I detailed last week. And then I came up with some creative ideas that served me well. Peace.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post-50652093730090830532013-10-03T20:18:36.851-05:002013-10-03T20:18:36.851-05:00Dear Betsy, many of today's children, I think,...Dear Betsy, many of today's children, I think, are respectful but so many aren't because they haven't learned civility in our culture. When we have celebrities--movie stars, sports figures, politicians--who show no civility. Who rant and rage in public, how can the children learn. The adults in front of them act like children. Well, that was a little rant on my part! Peace. Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post-12427094711468582602013-10-03T17:05:35.943-05:002013-10-03T17:05:35.943-05:00wow. That's actually sad rather than shocking....wow. That's actually sad rather than shocking. I don't think I even knew what sex was when I was in 5th grade. Nor did I care.<br /><br />I can't wait for the next post :) I want to know how you got their attention :)Baibahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08910099607668121369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post-15527822821978209482013-10-03T14:00:56.230-05:002013-10-03T14:00:56.230-05:00Hi Dee, Glad you found the answer to your discipl...Hi Dee, Glad you found the answer to your discipline problems.... Sounds like the check-marks have worked well. <br /><br />About kids growing up too fast, it is even worse now, which is hard to believe considering the kids you worked with back then. Today's kids are not learning about respect or compassion---and definitely not learning good morals. Just look at the trash on TV about families these days... Unbelievable! I truly don't know what will happen to our country in the future... <br /><br />Hugs,<br />Betsy<br />P.S. check my blog to read about our latest trip!!!<br />Betsy Banks Adamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16223591156634767330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post-92162452811737349882013-10-03T11:25:43.377-05:002013-10-03T11:25:43.377-05:00Dear Penny, I do hope at some point to do a memoir...Dear Penny, I do hope at some point to do a memoir--maybe even a trilogy of memories: one about my early life up through college; one about the convent; and one about my post-convent life. But writing takes so much time and I find that as I age I need more and more rest! A quandary. Oh, and Penny, I got "Code Name Verity" from the library yesterday. It has the same cover as the one you displayed in your posting. Peace. Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post-40790706420820016612013-10-03T11:22:49.221-05:002013-10-03T11:22:49.221-05:00Dear EC, my mom instilled in me a great sense of j...Dear EC, my mom instilled in me a great sense of justice and fairness and so praising Ron and not changing Pam's grades just seem fair and just to me. Peace.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post-65151865568437776012013-10-03T11:21:29.837-05:002013-10-03T11:21:29.837-05:00Dear Manzanita, it was stressful, and I felt an ab...Dear Manzanita, it was stressful, and I felt an abject failure because so many of the students so disliked me. Peace.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post-31692392890885058072013-10-03T11:20:55.480-05:002013-10-03T11:20:55.480-05:00Dear Shelly, I think there's going to be three...Dear Shelly, I think there's going to be three or four more postings on the Omaha experience back in 1960. Life got much better when I returned to Omaha in the fall of 1960 and taught 5th graders. Peace.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post-4258855756444017602013-10-03T11:19:40.330-05:002013-10-03T11:19:40.330-05:00Dear Arleen, thanks for the compliment. The ones I...Dear Arleen, thanks for the compliment. The ones I gave to Ron did mean something to him I think. But he continued to dislike me intensely. Peace.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post-6891523142305803322013-10-03T11:18:55.835-05:002013-10-03T11:18:55.835-05:00Dear Mimi, you know I didn't feel like a good ...Dear Mimi, you know I didn't feel like a good teacher. I felt "green" as you say and very much a failure. Peace.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195629195750583833.post-65722314498063058922013-10-03T11:18:09.070-05:002013-10-03T11:18:09.070-05:00Dear Arkansas Patti, it's true that gangs prov...Dear Arkansas Patti, it's true that gangs provide approval and they also give a sense of belonging. Complimenting Ron wasn't hard because he was bright and when he chose to respond in class to a question, he gave a well-reasoned answer. Peace,Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com