A Week of Many Endings

This week was packed with all kinds of activities and events that have created a huge mound of stress. As I was busy taking "one day at a time," I thought about my post for the week. I really didn't have anything special to write about, no earth-shattering or profound statements or events on which to expand. But I did see a common theme throughout the week -- the endings, or last times, that certain events would happen for me and others.

This week was the last semester exam for my dual-enrolled seniors. It's also the last semester exam that I will probably give since seniors are exempt from second semester exams if they are passing. I'm working hard to make sure mine are all passing. :-)

I also graded my last outlines/essays. Funny that I've had these kids all year, and they still won't put their names on their papers. 

Yearbooks arrived this week, too. It's the first book I haven't sponsored in 33 years, and I thought I might feel a little sentimental. I did not. I'm very grateful that the book is in the hands of a wonderful teacher who will produce a good book each year and will probably enjoy sponsoring the class for many years as well.

These students scan through the new yearbook. This young lady doesn't normally dress in her grandmother's church clothes, but it was "Senior Citizen Dress-Up Day" for the seniors.

Drew and I attended the last FSU Capital Children's Choir concert for the semester to hear Cloee sing. It's always great to hear those beautiful voices of children!

Friday, many of the seniors went to Grad Bash, a night when Universal Studios closes down except for seniors from all over the state. Only a handful of kids actually come to class that day, so I decided to buy them donuts. It's my final treat for them.

 













And finally, the final "last of" belongs to Kelsey who is finally finished with college, or at least until she gets into grad school!

The picture is not quite in focus, but I think you can see the excitement and enthusiasm that Kelsey felt with the completion of the first four years of college.

With only 30 days before retirement, the end weighs heavily on my mind, but mostly, I'm looking forward to the new beginnings I will pursue.

Is Taking Your Kid to Work Always a Great Idea?

This week, I had the pleasure of participating in Take Your Child to Work Day (TYCTWD) by taking my granddaughter, Cloee, to school with me.

TYCTWD started back in 1993 by Gloria Steinem and the Ms. Foundation for Women as Take Your Daughter to Work. The intent was to educate girls and encourage them to enter the workforce.  The hope was a girl would see what her parent did at work and decide what she might want to become.

Cloee is ten and has lived with me for the past four years. She has begged me every year to take her to work with me, but I wouldn’t do it. I never did it with my children, always making a joke by saying that the reason I went to work was to get away from them. Also, I really didn’t see the need in taking them or Cloee with me. After all, I’m a teacher and they see what a teacher does every day in their own classrooms. Cloee had been to school with me many times before – when she was sick and I had to take her to school with me to wait for the substitute, when she had an appointment we had to attend, etc.

I put her off every year by telling her that I would take her on my last TYCTWD which occurred this week. I couldn’t back out of my promise.

I had a couple of problems with taking my 10-year-old granddaughter to school with me. First, my school is huge compared to what she’s used to, with over 2,000 teenagers milling around. Also, my students are all about to graduate and consider themselves adults already. Many of them have a less-than-stellar commitment to education right now. I didn’t want them modeling any bad behavior, so we had a long talk the day before Cloee’s visit, discussing topics like inappropriate behavior or language.

A couple of years ago, a teacher at my school brought his pre-teen daughter to class with him and one of his male students made a very suggestive comment about his daughter. I have seen some mad people before, but this man went off on this kid like I had never seen a teacher do. I don’t think the teacher was worried one bit about his job on that day. I can’t say that I blame him, either. My memory of that event is the reason I wanted to prepare my students.

For the most part, my students were pretty good after a quick reminder that we had an impressionable visitor in the classroom. I will probably have to take them some candy as a reward. They may pretend to be adults, but they can still be bribed with candy.

When we got home, I asked Cloee what she learned during her visit. She said she noticed that I said the same thing over and over to the classes which is because I have the same subject during several periods. She also said she understood now what I meant by the term Spawns of Satan.

I don't know what Cloee wants to be when she grows up. She has mentioned teacher but also veterinarian, nurse, etc. I'm sure she will figure it out and make a great whatever she becomes. I don't know if her going to work with me will make a difference in her decision but now she knows, at least. And I enjoyed TYCTWD, probably most because it was my last one!

  

.   

Cloee learned that teachers often have to eat lunch at their desks because they have to tend to grading papers, preparing lessons or taking attendance.

Cloee got a chance to check out the new yearbook which looks fantastic!
Kudos to the staff and praise the Lord, I wasn't the yearbook sponsor this year.

         

What's in Your Time Capsule?

“According to the International Time Capsule Society at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, there are approximately 10,000 time capsules in the world. However, they also estimate that no one remembers where 9,000 of them are buried.” – www.mentalfloss.com

Recently, repairmen working at the Massachusetts State House in Boston discovered a time capsule originally placed in the building’s cornerstone by founding fathers Samuel Adams and Paul Revere in 1795. How exciting finding and opening that box must have been for those involved, and because of the technology we have today, millions of people were able to see the box’s contents via various media.

The box contained five folded newspapers,  23 coins, a copper medal with George Washington’s image and the words “General of the American Army,” a seal of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a title page from the Massachusetts Colony Records, and a silver plate with fingerprints still on it, bearing an inscription dedicating the State House cornerstone on the 20th anniversary of American independence in July 1795. Since the plate was silver, it is assumed that famous silversmith Revere made it.

The Paul Revere/Samuel Adams time capsule and its contents

Time capsules are fascinating because they are actual artifacts left for future people to discover. Finding one makes a person feel like a true archaeologist. 

These memory containers are scattered throughout the world, and I understand why so many are lost. I can't remember where to find my shoes from day to day. 

It’s interesting to see what people think is worthy of being placed in one. Most of the time, the contents are items that represent that particular location and events. Usually there’s a newspaper, photos, medals, coins, etc., but I found several stories about strange items in several capsules.

For example, the National Millennium Time Capsule in Washington, D.C., buried in 2000 and scheduled to be opened in 2100, actually contains a Hostess Twinkie. In 2007, the people of Tulsa, Oklahoma unearthed a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere with only 7 miles on its odometer. 

A 1957 Plymouth Belvedere like the one placed in the Tulsa time capsule.

The car was placed there, along with a gallon of gas and some Schlitz beer, to be opened in 50 years and awarded to the person or his descendants who correctly guessed the population of Tulsa in 2007. 

Workers unearthing the Tulsa Belvedere

Here’s the story of the outcome of that time capsule: Tulsa Time (not the song by Don Williams)

The Time Capsule Company sells mini time capsules to be filled on a wedding day or on the day of a baby’s birth. The prices range from $20 to $70 for the product. They also offer ideas for items to be placed in time capsules which include:

I'm sure there are events I have lived through worth remembering. At least, wouldn’t they be exciting to some unknown entity 100 years from now? So what would I put into a time capsule to be opened in the future? I tried to think of items that would not only represent me but society as well and found it very difficult. I asked some of my students, and their first response was “My phone!” I’m not surprised at that suggestion.

Here’s my list of several worthy items that I would include:

A high school yearbook: I know books are on the way out with all the advanced technology and that digital cameras make seeing pictures of your friends all too easy; however, I think school yearbooks are here forever. Maybe I’m prejudiced because I was a yearbook sponsor for 33 years, but I have seen various forms of technology come and go, but that book has stayed. A yearbook can show people in the future what our youth was like as well as fashion, trends, sites and events of the day.

A K-cup: To me, this little coffee pod is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Is it because I was the official coffee maker in my house for my adult life and got sick of cleaning the pot and preparing the coffee for the next day? Probably, but I love the perfect cup of coffee the K-cup makes every time and with such ease.

A “selfie”: What better way to capture the huge egos of today? With Snap Chat, texting, Instagram and Facebook, we can show our faces in front of many fascinating backdrops/scenes.

A selfie taken at Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina

A collection of great albums: My choices would be Beyonce (always my #1), Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, and Norah Jones.

 A bottle of cheap wine: I don’t drink, but I’d bet that even a cheap bottle today would be worth a lot of money if it were 100 years old.

It’s fun to consider what is important enough to share with future generations. Paul Revere and Samuel Adams thought their items were worthy. Maybe the people in charge of their time capsule will throw in a bottle of Sam Adams beer when they replace it in the Massachusetts State House. That would really confuse future finders.

What would you put in a time capsule?