On Mother's Day, Mysterious Old Boxes, and Old Photographs

It's Mother's Day again, and while I'm still actually mourning the loss of my own mother just over a year ago, I am actually a mother myself, so I'm going to enjoy the day.  In reality it won't be any different from any other day around here.  I'll get outside in a few minutes and work on the yard (so much to do!), and later will probably throw some steaks or something on the grill.  Watch some baseball.

Yesterday I was cleaning house and trying to clear out some of the clutter around here when I came across a box of mom's things that my brother had dropped off last year.  At that time, he had been cleaning out mom's house and had been bringing truckloads of furniture and stuff to me so I could figure out where it all needed to go.  That box was one of the last things he brought and I was just worn out.  Could not deal with it.  I pushed it aside, knowing it was full of photos and some other random things, and knew it could wait.

Yesterday, when I came across the box I wondered if it was time.  I tentatively stuck my hand in the box and pulled out a folder that looked harmless enough.  As I did this I wondered if Mother's Day weekend was really the best time to go tripping down memory lane, but it was safe.  It had some photos I had taken for mom of the old family cemetery in Rapides parish and it had a copy of an old photo from the 1940s of my dad and a group of his friends sitting in a nightclub after the war.  The picture is already framed on a table in my house, so it wasn't traumatic.

Emboldened, I pulled out another folder and found some small black and white pictures of mom as a teenager with her friends at a camp on Lake Bistineau; I'd seen the photos so many times in the past and she and I had looked at them together so often that again, it was okay.  She kept them in a small white envelope so they would all stay together; she kept them in a drawer in a spool cabinet by her sofa and periodically she would pull them out and reminisce.  I took the little envelope and put them in the same drawer in the same chest that now sits in my home.

Feeling really brave now, I pulled out a brown manila envelope that held lots of photos from a wide span of years; of course I'd seen them all before, but this one picture of my mom and her parents caught my eye.  I don't recall seeing it before but I'm sure I must have.  My mother was an only child and she adored her parents.  She was spoiled rotten and was very close to them both.

I'm not sure where the picture was taken; I don't recognize the house in the background.  But I love it
because she is laughing and her dimples show  She is smartly dressed -- my grandmother spent fortunes on my mom's clothes.  I love how she has her weight balanced on one leg, one knee slightly cocked, and her arms linked through those of her parents.  The tilt of her head, the laugh, and the sun glinting off her hair -- she is forever young.

I don't remember my mom ever looking like that of course.  This picture was taken easily ten or twelve years before I was born.

But she is laughing, happy, and with her parents.  And that's how I want to remember her today.  It's almost as if she sent this photo to me on Mother's Day.  A treasure.  She is happy.  And so I stopped digging in the box.  It is enough for now.

An Open Letter To Hal Braswell

Dear Mr. Braswell,

It was with great sadness and concern that I read your recent article in the Bossier Press Tribune entitled "The Future of Bossier High."  As I read, I could not help but wonder how long it has been since you toured our facility.  Can you tell me when, exactly, was the last time you came to visit us?

Were you at our recent Senior Awards Assembly where many of our graduating seniors were awarded thousands of dollars in scholarships to schools all across the nation?

Were you at Jalen Oliver's signing ceremony when our champion wrestler signed with Bacone University?

Did you meet our principal, David Thrash, during your visit?  Surely if you took a tour of the campus as your article seems to indicate ("..."Bossier High School is sitting half empty.") you met Mr. Thrash.  You'd remember him.

In case you can't recall the details of your visit, let me refresh your memory.  After all, the thesis of your article is that Bossier High is doomed; the numbers likely aren't there to support the continued operation of the school.  That's what kids are to people like you and the demographers:  numbers.  I can understand that to a point -- the MFP funds schools based on numbers and student population.  But certainly an experienced reporter such as yourself knows that kids are more than numbers and you did your research which would include a site visit.

But let's tour the school together, virtually, shall we?

As you drive into our campus that building to your left is the gym.  Have you ever been to a basketball game there?  Maybe you couldn't find a place to sit because it is pretty crowded.  During the playoffs it's even more crowded.  Our boys have dominated high school basketball (in both 4A and again when we dropped to 3A);  they have made the playoffs every year since I've been a teacher there and I came to BHS in 2001.  Those kids are champions!

Did you see that playoff game this season where Devonte Hall played with the flu, fell to the floor at the end of the game, had to be helped off, but still hit a scoring record?  Talk about heart!  You may have heard that

Devonte signed with Northwestern a couple of weeks ago to play for them in college.

Our girls basketball team hit the playoffs at least eight years in a row.  Champions!

As you drive through our campus, Mr. Braswell, please notice how beautiful it is.  One of our teachers and her class planted the flowers around the light posts in our parking lot, and through the years have landscaped and planted various beds around the campus.  The roses along the front breezeway are beautiful this time of year.  Please notice how clean the campus is.  It's also clean at the end of the day because our kids don't want trash messing up their campus.

Our custodians are the hardest working folks in the parish.  When I get to school at 6:50 every day they are out there picking up trash so the campus is clean when the kids come.  You'll see that about our custodians when you enter the building, too, because those floors are buffed up and literally shine like glass.  There may be some peeling paint here and there but the campus is spotless.

When you come on campus be sure and stop by Mr. Thrash's office.  I'm sure he'd love to take you on a tour.  He can show you our ten computer labs (some of which are taking up space in those "empty" classrooms, right?);  we're very proud of our computer labs because so much standardized testing is done on computer now-a-days, and at Bossier High we like for our students to have access to the

best technology we can muster.  We have many teachers that have received rather large grants for technology and other materials.  If you look at our home page you will see that math teacher Marco Reyes won grants totaling over $3,600 and science teacher Amy Washington also has received a couple of very generous grants, just to name two.

Oh, and I guess you heard about that huge Department of Defense grant Bossier High just received from NMSI to help foster and support AP classes next year!  Great news, isn't it!  Our kids are very excited about the AP classes and I know personally that the English department classes filled up as soon as they were announced.  We will have AP in math, science, and American History also.

At any rate, be sure to enjoy your tour with Mr. Thrash; he's an excellent principal and I wish I had several days to tell you the many ways that he mentors and helps our students.  With all due respect, you can't even fathom what he deals with each day.  Yet he does it all with a grin and a hug for every single kid on campus. I've seen him pull a dollar out of his pocket for a kid who needs lunch and I've seen him drive a kid home from school when he missed the bus.

Be sure to go by the library on your tour; you'll notice more computers out there, of course.  The library is really the hub of the school.  In most schools I guess you would consider the office to be the center of activity but at our school it's the library.  That's because our librarian wears multiple hats as both librarian and senior class sponsor.  We call her The Oracle.  She and her team run not only the library but also prom and graduation.  Did you know that at Bossier High we have a tradition at graduation:  our teachers write personal notes of congratulations to the seniors and the librarian slips the notes into their diploma packets for graduation.  I can't begin to tell you how many kids have been touched  by those notes of love and encouragement.

If you hit the campus at lunch time you'll find our cafeteria full of kids and the food lines long.  Our cafeteria workers know every kid by name -- they aren't just numbers to them.  We have picnic tables outdoors and they stay full, too.   You will see our student population is incredibly diverse.  We have neighborhood kids and Barksdale kids.  Our kids are black, white, Hispanic, Asian, and pretty much any ethnic mix you'd like to name.  Did you see the article in your own newspaper about our Alumni scholarship recipients?  You couldn't have a wider diversity there.  But you know what the beautiful thing is?  There really are no cliques at our school.  If you ask any one of them to tell you their favorite thing about Bossier High School a very large percentage of them will tell you that we all get along.  We are a family.

You see Mr. Braswell, that's one of the things your numbers and your demographic reports will not show you.  Our kids get along with each other and they look out for each other.  They help each other.  And they stick together.  For some, it's about the only family they have. There may be band kids, athletes, the "smart" kids, the special education kids, the average kids...it doesn't matter.  They stick together and look out for each other.  I've never seen anything like it and I have worked elsewhere.

Continuing with your tour, Mr. Braswell, be sure and check out our ROTC building where our ROTC instructors hold their students to the highest standards.  They work with our kids with after school archery practice and many other activities.  They take an end of the year field trip, usually, which offers these kids opportunities they may never have otherwise.

Of course you'll want to stop by the football stadium: you can't miss it on your way out.  The record of domination in Bearkat football is legendary.  Not every year is a winning year, but our kids play with heart.  They give it everything they've got.  Be sure and check out the new $200,000 weight room while you're

over there.  It's first class!  And the field house:  you see that Bearkat ripping through the wall?  Our athletic director's wife painted that one summer.  Pretty cool, I think.

I'm starting to run rather long here, Mr. Braswell, so I'll wrap this up.  I haven't even begun to tell you all the great things that happen at 777 Bearkat Drive each day.  I didn't tell you about the Family and Consumer Science department where they've completed projects making blankets for infants, the homeless, and flags for soldiers; they've made dresses from newspapers and quilts from t-shirts.  I didn't tell you about our awesome band and choir.  I didn't mention our Young Authors district level winners and our State Academic Rally winners.

In closing, I will share with you one of the proudest moments (there are so many...) I had early this year.  During lunch one day I was working in my classroom when I heard the rhythmic cadence of the drum line as they marched (in 100 degree heat mind you - it was probably late August or September) to the lunch common area where they spontaneously began to play.  Soon other band members saw them and dashed to the band room for their instruments.  Before long we had a spontaneous pep rally on our hands and the rest

of the students circled around and cheered.  The flag line even joined in.  I hate that you missed that!  You'd have seen our English I teacher, Mrs. Gunn, (aka Beyonce) out there dancing with the leader of the flag line.

But you know what really touched me about that day (and that scene was repeated for several weeks to come).  As I looked out my second story window and listened to the music, I saw one child standing alone, off to the side.  This child is autistic and pretty much non-verbal.  At a lot of schools a kid like that might be shunned, avoided, or even bullied.  Not at Bossier High School.  As the band played their song this student paced and walked circles around the flagpole, very excited, head bobbing and fist pumping, loving the music and the beat.  Before long, other kids joined around this student, including this kid in their dancing.  He grinned and fell right in with them; he might not have been verbal but he knew what love was.  And it was a joy to see.  I mean, it warmed my heart in a

way I can't even describe.  At that moment I felt a love for my school that transcended everything else.

You see, Mr. Braswell, again, these are things that a demographer's report will never show you.  Bossier High might be small in enrollment compared to some other schools.  But research shows that for a school with demographics like ours a smaller population is ideal for these students.   As I mentioned in my blog post last weekend which addressed your article, some of our kids struggle against circumstances that would buckle the strongest adult.  But they keep showing up every day, ready to learn, ready for help, ready to improve.  Don't ever tell them that Bossier Parish is going to abandon them too because I can tell you, the teachers and administrators at Bossier High School are there for the long haul.  We are in it to win it and we are never, ever going to give up on these kids.

Come visit our school, Mr. Braswell.    Come met our students.

Sincerely,

Pat Becker
English II, IV, and Creative Writing
Sophomore Class Co-Sponsor

Big News for Bossier High

As alluded to earlier this week, here is the press release regarding a huge DoD grant for two Bossier Parish schools:

Bossier Schools to Expand AP Program at Military Connected Schools 

Bossier Schools has become the first district in Louisiana to be chosen by the National Math and Science Initiative to receive a $919,618 grant to expand the Advanced Placement (AP) program at two military connected schools; Bossier High and Parkway. 

The grant, made possible by the Department of Defense Educational Activity Fund, will serve as the catalyst for NMSI’s College Readiness Program, which includes open enrollment in rigorous AP math, science and English classes for all eligible students at Bossier and Parkway, whether military dependents or not. 

By giving students the opportunity to take college-level courses and master the material by equipping them with needed resources, they gain not only college credit but are also more likely to succeed in college. The NMSI College Readiness Program has proven to be transformative, both in closing achievement gaps and fostering increased interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) disciplines. 

In addition, the NMSI program provides training and support not only for educators at Bossier and Parkway High, but also their feeder schools to create a pipeline that prepares students for the rigor of AP course work. Another facet to the grant is financial incentives are awarded to teachers, students, administrators and schools for measurable achievement. 

“We are honored and very excited that the National Math & Science Initiative has selected Bossier and Parkway High Schools to participate in this unique opportunity,” said Bossier Schools Superintendent D.C. Machen. “This collaboration will not only provide the venue for each of these schools to dramatically increase the number of students pursuing Advance Placement Courses and achieve the highest rankings on their accompanying AP Exams, but will provide enhanced training, resources, and initiatives to improve the quality of instruction for a large pool of educators within our system. We appreciate the on-going partnership the Bossier Parish School system has maintained throughout the years with Barksdale Air Force Base and their assistance in helping us to receive this grant.” 

Gregg Fleisher, NMSI Chief Academic Officer, added “NMSI’s College Readiness Program has been proven to increase students’ chances of a college degree in STEM related fields, and we couldn’t be more pleased to support Barksdale Air Force Base and the Bossier and Parkway communities.” 

You can read more about NMSI grants here.

Very exciting news!

Close the doors?   Not even close!

The REAL Future of Bossier High School

Bossier Press Tribune reporter Hal Braswell needs an education.  I don’t mean a formal education – he received his formal education in Illinois and in Mississippi.  Mr. Braswell, who lives in Minden and has worked for the Bossier Press Tribune since 2007, needs to come to Bossier High School and see what we do every day. 

Mr. Braswell published an article in the Bossier Press that has ignited a firestorm on Facebook this weekend.  His article, “The Future of Bossier High,” reports on an upcoming demographic report about projected enrollment numbers for Bossier High School.

I’d link to the article, but as of this writing, the Bossier Tribune’s site is still down – it crashed sometime yesterday. Karma?

The article says:

“A demographer’s report being finalized for the Bossier Parish School Board will project student enrollment from 2014 to 2014 and could provide a glimpse into the future.”

Mr. Braswell goes on to report what we all know:  Bossier City is growing outward, north, south, and east.  New schools have been approved and built in those areas; Legacy and Parkway are both shiny, new schools that help accommodate those populations.  Mr. Braswell also reports that Bossier Parish’s two largest high schools, Airline and Parkway, are both scheduled for big money enhancements that the voters approved in 2012:

“Airline High School, already the largest in Bossier Parish, is scheduled for a $22.65 million enhancement that will bump its capacity to 2,000 students. Parkway High School, only a few years removed from locating to an entirely new campus in south Bossier, is slated for a 12-classroom addition in Phase Two of the $210 million bond issue approved by voters in April 2012.”

This is all true and I have no objection with what Mr. Braswell reported up to this point.  It is in the next paragraph of his article that things start to get fuzzy: 

“At a time that millions of dollars are earmarked for expansion and other improvements at Airline High School and Parkway High School, figures provided by the school district show Bossier High School is sitting half empty.”

Mr. Braswell reports that the school has the capacity for 1,361 students.  Now, let’s pause there for a moment.  The school might have been built with that many classrooms in 1938 (the date the current campus was designed), but today some of those classrooms have been turned into computer labs to accommodate modern day
technology requirements and instruction.  We have at least four wired computer labs in the two main buildings as well as several mobile laptop labs, and the library has two computer labs.  There is also a mini-lab in the counselor's office area.  In all, we have about ten computer labs on campus.

Note also that last summer Bossier High received a major electrical upgrade from bond money approved by voters.  The school also has a $150,000 auditorium upgrade coming.  The auditorium at Bossier High is used for many parish functions including the annual parish musical, Lions Club functions, Bossier Council on Aging functions, and parish wide food service training annually to name a few.

Mr. Braswell’s statement that “Bossier High School is sitting half empty” is very misleading.  Tell that Geometry teacher with thirty-three kids in her classroom that her class is “half-empty” and see what happens.  There are no empty classrooms in Bossier High School, and I invite Mr. Braswell to come see what goes on in those classrooms.  I also invite any alumni, especially those on Facebook who are suggesting we lock the doors in 2017 and have a huge alumni party, (imagine!) to come see what we do at Bossier High School every single day.  Come embrace and support our hard work rather than give up on us.

I wonder if Mr. Braswell was at the Senior Awards Assembly last week.  Bossier High School students received thousands of dollars in scholarships to schools all over the country.  We also recognized students who are planning to go into the military after graduation.  The Bossier High School Alumni Association, in fact, gave several very generous scholarships at that assembly.  Our students are achieving great things which should be supported and celebrated.

We just completed Senior Project last week; our seniors (both semesters) have done incredible work with their projects and achieved things they never thought they could.  And I don’t mean just the physical project that each student did; many of these kids did these projects under incredible hardships that I can’t even begin to share. 

Part of Mr. Braswell’s thesis is that Bossier High School’s population is an inner-city, declining, poverty ridden population.  That is demographically true but it doesn’t take into account the personal aspect of our population.  These kids aren’t numbers.  They’re people.  They’re students, and they’re kids with heart, drive and pride.

Some suggest that we just blend these kids into Parkway (already with a population of about 1,200) and Airline (population about 1,700).  One of the comments I saw this weekend in the discussion about closing Bossier High School is that it’s a numbers and demographics issue, not an emotional one.  Well of course it’s an emotional issue.  I’m here to tell you that as a teacher at Bossier High School since 2001, I have personally seen kids who have had that “grass is greener” mentality; they’ll transfer to one of the bigger schools and then come right back.  They get swallowed up at those big schools.  It should also be noted that when the kids at Barksdale were given permission to leave Bossier High and attend another school in the parish if they wanted, almost all of them chose to remain at Bossier.  We continue to have a large population of Barksdale kids.

Many of our neighborhood students come from homes where they receive very little academic support.  In that respect, if we have “under capacity” classrooms, what that means is that in an English class of 25 students, many of whom need one on one assistance, it is possible to mentor and help those kids.  

Our school has a population that is 72% free/reduced lunch.  (Airline is 38% and Parkway 32%).  Who picks up that slack for these kids and functions as a family or mentor?  The teachers and administrators at Bossier High do; we love and mentor our students on a scale that other schools can’t fathom.  I have known faculty members that will pick kids up and take them to church if they want to go.  When a student is stressing out and crying because she doesn’t have $1.00 to buy page protectors for her senior project portfolio who do you think reached into her pocket and helped her?  When a student is sleeping through class because he’s had to work at night to keep the electricity on at the house (because both parents have left), who helps that student?  I could go on and on.

What I’m telling you is that there are great things that go on at Bossier High School; it is so much more than demographic numbers and projections.  You might say that education is a business and best use of taxpayer dollars must be adhered to, and that may be true.  But our mission statement at Bossier High School says it best: 

“The mission of Bossier High School, in partnership with parents and community, is to foster the development of an environment that will facilitate learning for all students, promote self-esteem and respect for others, and launch learners on a quest for high standards, all of which will lead them to be self-sufficient adults.”

It’s that part about “self-sufficient adults” that you taxpayers that want to close the doors need to pay attention to. 

One last note as we wait for the demographer’s report.  Rusheon Middle School, the main feeder for Bossier High, has its largest eighth grade class in recent years, leaving in May.  The majority of those kids will come to Bossier High School which will certainly boost enrollment there.  The numbers at Rusheon are big in the seventh grade as well which should also predict a large ninth grade population for Bossier in the next year.  In addition, there will be a big news conference this week where great news for Bossier High will be announced.  Watch for it. 

Mr. Braswell seems to have written our obituary at Bossier High and paid the undertaker, but it’s not over at 777 Bearkat Drive.  Not even close.  The best is yet to come!  Come embrace and celebrate what we are doing rather than giving up on us.  Locking the doors in 2017?  Are you KIDDING?!

Take a Trip to the Barksdale AFB First Annual Luau

In celebration of  Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage month, Barksdale Air Force Base held its first annual Luau yesterday.

The Luau was well attended and the tables were nearly full when Steve and I got there around 5:30.  Luckily we found some friends that we could sit with!

I have to admit, I got a little teary when we parked behind Hangar 2 and I walked past Joy's parking place and of course there was no little silver Miata convertible there.   I still miss our Joy.  

We got our arm bands for the food and a couple of drinks; we said hello to our friends Tay and Rose.  I didn't get my usual picture with Rose because she was busy getting food ready but here is me (needing to lose a few pounds) and the beautiful, sweet Tay:

I'm going to put this on my refrigerator so I can get motivated to start running again.

They had long rows of tents set up where you could sample more than forty food items from the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, Korea, and Hawaii.  It smelled fabulous!  They also had a couple of pigs roasting!  Margaritaville Casino donated much, if not all, of the food for the event.  Great supporters of the military at Margaritaville!

It was a tasty pig.  I ate some.

Luckily we got in the food line pretty early because that line snaked all through and around the festival site.  It was a crazy-long line, but moved pretty quickly.

I didn't get a sample of everything that was offered but I did get a full plate.  I loved the spicy cole slaw and there was some chicken or pork on a stick that was really good.

Yes, I had two beers sitting there; I didn't want to stand in the uber long beer line again.

We ate and visited with friends for a while and then went to watch the entertainment.  While I was in the food line there was one of those cool Chinese dragons in the performance area but I missed it and the Lion puppet, too.  The dragon was beautiful -- gold and sparkling in the late evening light.  I hate I missed it.

I did catch the Japanese taiko drum performance, though:



By this time the crowd was huge.

The food line went on for hours.

After the Japanese drummers there was a beautifully costumed lady dancing and tossing rose petals.

Later there was a hula dance that was awesome; the ladies danced, then these guys came out and danced, and later they all danced together.

I wish I knew the names for these dances but I don't.  They were fascinating to watch, though.

There was a cool fire dance:



After the cultural performances, our favorite DJ, Larry, opened the floor for dancing while all the volunteers worked to clean up after the festival.  Of course once he started to play "Wobble" the floor filled up!

One of the performance dancers came out and danced for a while; I got a great video of him dancing the Wop.  He was like a rubber band!  Great dancer!

Folks eventually began to dwindle away and go home.  By 10 or 10:30 it was just these cool kids doing the "Thriller" dance:

Steve and I hung out until the last song, or close to it before packing it up and heading home.

It was a great night and a really fun festival.  The staff at BAFB did a great job considering this was the first Luau; they will tweak some things for next year I'm sure.  This was no Oktoberfest -- there was one beer truck and a location to get mixed drinks, but for the most part this was a true family event with lots of things for the kids to see and do.  And there were indeed lots of kids there.

We had a great time and look forward to next year!  Meanwhile, there is Oktoberfest coming up....it'll be here before you know it!

The SIGIS Take a Trip Series:

Take a Trip to the 2013 Highland Jazz and Blues Festival

Take a Trip to Natchitoches for a Sons of the American Revolution Grave Marking Ceremony and Some Gator Bites

Take a Trip to the Sixth Annual Barksdale Oktoberfest

Take One More Quick Trip to Jefferson, Texas and Explore Room 104

Take a Trip to the Cross Lake Flotilla 2013

Take a Spontaneous Mother's Day Trip to Jefferson, Texas

Take a Trip Along East Texas Back Roads

Take a Trip to the "Going Green on the Red River" Festival

Take a Springtime Drive Down the Cane River Heritage Trail

Take a Spring Break Trip to Arcadia Louisiana

Take a Trip to the 2012 Natchitoches Christmas Festival
Take a Trip to the 2012 Grand Cane Pioneer Day and Christmas Parade

Take a Trip to the 2012 Highland Jazz and Blues Festival

Take a Trip to the 2012 Vets for Vets Event

Take a Trip to the Norton Art Gallery and the Photographs of the Vietnam War Exhibit

Take a Trip to Octoberfest 2012 at Barksdale Air Force Base

Take a Picnic Trip to the Lock and Dam and a Detour to Lake Bistineau

Take a Dinner Ride Through East Texas

Take a Trip to an End of Summer Party and Listen to Soulfish Blues Band

Take a Summer Trip to Jefferson, Texas and Meet New Friends

Take a Trip to Dallas, Texas and The West End

Take a Stocking the Freezer Trip to Ed Lester Farms and Find a Cool Truck!

Take a Trip to Coushatta Down Louisiana Backroads

Take a Trip to the 2012 Cross Lake Floatilla

Take a Sunday Drive in North Caddo Parish

Take a Trip to Minden's First Annual Cinco de Mayo Festival

Take a Trip to the 2012 Defenders of Liberty Air Show at BAFB
Take a Springtime Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden, LA
Take a Trip to Logansport, Louisiana
Take a Trip to the Lock and Dam on Red River
Take a Trip to the 2012 Barkus and Meoux Parade
Take a Christmas Shopping Trip to Second Hand Rose in Minden
Take a Trip to the Fourth Annual Barksdale AFB Oktoberfest 
Take a Trip to Grand Cane's Fifth Annual Pioneer Trade Day
Take a Trip to the 2011 Highland Jazz & Blues Festival
Take an Autumn Trip to Jefferson, Texas
Take a Fall Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to the 8th Air Force Museum at Barksdale Air Force Base
Take a Summertime Trip to Grand Cane
Take a Trip to Desoto Parish
Take a Summer Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Melrose Plantation 
Take a Trip to Ed Lester Farms and a Random Antique Stop
Take a Trip to the Norton Art Gallery and the Masters of Cuban Art Exhibit
Take a Trip to Natchitoches to See the Christmas Lights
Take a Trip to the Third Annual BAFB Oktoberfest 
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Oakland Plantation

Take a Trip to Jefferson, Texas 

Full Metal Jacket Saturday:  The Oktoberfest Edition

Oktoberfest at BAFB

The Fastest Three Months of the Year

That was the fastest three months I've ever seen.  It flew by.

I am referring, of course, to the Centenary Gents baseball season which began February 8 and ended this past weekend.  Oh, there are a couple of playoff games left -- it's not completely over, but those games are in Texas.  The 2014 season at Shehee stadium is finished.

And I'm sad.  I miss them already.

There is nothing like baseball to herald in spring.  After the long, cold winter (and we had a few cold days down here in Shreveport!), and the endless dull gray skies, it is pure joy to walk into the baseball complex to bright green grass and the players warming up on the field.

Overzealous, perhaps, Steve and I showed up at a couple of those February games a little unprepared for the cold wind that left me frozen by the end of the ninth.  By the April 22 game the girls were all in shorts, tanks, and sandals soaking up the sun while others took shelter from the blazing sun under umbrellas.

The April 12 game against Austin College was blessed with perfect weather.  We had a mild 75 degrees and a mellow breeze that whistled gently as it blew through the protective netting above us. That was the first game where you could discern the scent of sunscreen in the air from the fans in the bleachers. Centenary won both games that day.

Steve and I started following the team last year after talking about it for ages.  We finally got around to going and have been hooked ever since.  For years I would sit on my deck or in my swing under the magnolia tree in the front yard and listen to the ping of bats as the team practiced.  Sometimes I could hear the music from the PA system as they practiced.  The stadium is within easy walking distance from my house, and we have indeed walked to a couple of games (not the cold ones).

Centenary was in a sort of growing year this year; they lost some good seniors last year and so there were several new players this year.  In fact, there were only three seniors on the roster this year.  They're three pretty good ones though:  first baseman Mark Martinez plays with all of his heart.  At 6'1" and 220 lbs., he's not the fastest runner on the team but when he connects with his bat, that ball just soars.  He's a dynamite first baseman and it will be odd seeing someone else at that position next year.  One of the highlights for me this year was when Mark hit a triple against Austin College; like I said, he's not the fastest runner on the team, and I think everyone in the stands was cheering for him as he breathlessly arrived safely at third.

Another senior saying goodbye this year is outfielder and sometime pitcher Nic Parrott.  We saw Nic sail a couple of beautiful homers this year.  Also leaving this year is pitcher Jake McFarland.  I hope they're all on to bright futures and take good memories of their time at Centenary with them.

Next season looks pretty good as Centenary retains many players from the current roster.  Assuming they all come back, and there are a few new recruits to replace the departing seniors, it should be an awesome team.  There was some great hitting this year and the pitchers have been fun to watch.  Very promising is sophomore pitcher Holden Novak:  he's a tall, lean, 6'4" and he prowls all over that mound as he prepares to take charge with his arsenal of pitches.  He's got a mean fast ball, and a great curve ball.  He's exciting to watch.

I'm also looking forward to watching Christian Sebastien (C-Bass) for one more year before he moves on.  He's a very powerful and athletic player who has no problem with his bats.  Outfielder Chris Jones is faster than lightening and he makes plays happen.  As a freshman, he plays with a great deal of confidence and he will steal a base if you don't watch him!

We've had a grand time watching "our boys" this year.  The fans are great and we've met some really nice people, most of whom seem surprised, and pleased, that we are just neighborhood riff-raff showing up to watch baseball.  "Who's your son?" we get asked all the time.  They're all our boys now.  (My daughter graduated from there, if that counts.)

And the dogs.  Oh my, the dogs.  There's the lady with the yellow retriever and the brindle boxer - beautiful dogs!  And Izzy!  (Izzie?), the wonder dog!  She's just precious.  There are dogs of all sizes that come out
with their owners to watch the game.  Most of them just go to sleep, some watch the other dogs, and some beg to retrieve the balls that sail overhead toward the snack bar or the drainage ditch.  Every time a ball fouls out of bounds by the batting cages you can hear a thunder of sneakered feet as little boys run with their gloves to get it first.

The students that come out to watch their friends play are first class.  A highlight of the season for me, and I still laugh about it, was the basketball team who comes out to support the baseball team.  The baseball team does the same for them, and there's a tradition of heckling the other team that goes on.  Sometimes, I guess, people get a little sensitive about their kids out there on the field, and on one occasion (team shall remain nameless!), some mamas got mad at the heckling.  I have to admit, it might have been a little far when our basketball players were ribbing one of the guys on the opposing team about being, well, vertically challenged.  "Hey!  You need some phone books to stand on while you bat?"  "Hey ump!  How can you call a strike - he's so short the strike zone is too small!"  "Do you need a Fisher Price bat?"  Yeah, it was pretty intense and there was some mama drama, but when the basketball team showed up the next day for Game 2 with a dry erase board depicting a ruler and a sign that said, "You must be this tall to bat," well, you had to be there.  But it was pretty funny.

I can't believe the season is done.  I have to wait until next year for my peanuts and diet Coke, kicked back in my seat behind home plate (did I mention it's absolutely free to get in?), listening to horrible country music during warm-ups and between innings.  Really, I can live the rest of my life without Joe Diffey's John Deere Greene, but then again, it now has a sort of soft spot in my heart.  You can occasionally hear a fan or two holler at the box when they play the same old songs.  Last week during an especially tense game against Trinity, the person doing music played Jason Aldean's See You When I See You and a girl turned around and yelled "Quit playing the depressing music!  We're trying to win a game here!"  It was pretty funny.  All in good fun.

Yes, the sights and sounds of Centenary Gents baseball is over for now.  It's been a wonderful season, and we'll be back next February.  With blankets.  And until then, I'll always think of you, Centenary, when I hear this one:

Follow the Money

My weekly post at DaTechGuy's blog is up and concerns the nonsense that is Common Core and Lexile levels.

Check it out.

The New Republic had a great article on Lexile levels back in October and I have been wrestling with the issue personally since they ripped To Kill a Mockingbird from my cold, hard fingers.  It's now been relegated to ninth grade.

Of course the whole issue with me centers not so much around Mockingbird (although I'm very bitter about losing it), but about the stripping of the decision making process from the individual teacher, the department head, the principal, the district supervisor, the local superintendent, and the state.  Of course we've always had designated reading lists from which to choose our novels that we teach, but we always had more input into what was on that list and more flexibility.  We've always known To Kill a Mockingbird, for example, was read in lower levels, but in upper levels we have been able to explore deeper themes and symbolism and to bring in related texts to support more rigor with the book.

Common Core strips that away.

Julius Caesar, for example, is gone; Macbeth is the new tenth grade Shakespeare play and it's non-negotiable.

It's the same old drum; I've beat this one before but I am a bitter-clinger and refuse to let it go.

Why doesn't it bother more people that the education system is now driven by the Gates Foundation and other big money trails?

I Still Like Marco

Funny, we were talking about this at dinner the other night:  who looks good in 2016 for the GOP?  My first response was "No More Bushes."  And now, Byron York:

The Tea Party surely has had its bad moments (the shutdown is one of them), but it has also developed a sizable group that works and plays well with others, and it is to these that the party should look. They are young, and make Hillary Clinton look tired. 

They come from humble sometimes immigrant, backgrounds, and make her look overly rich and entitled. Their diversity makes her look whiter than ever. None has a relative who has ever been president, but one has a mentor who is the son and the brother of presidents, and a Cuban last name: Marco Rubio. 

Rubio looks like a Bush, likes the Bush issues, has an eloquence equaled by none in his party, and has been called both a Tea Party and an Establishment figure, sometimes on the same day. 

The last three Democrats to be president won as outsiders, running against older, long-time insiders, who themselves came from rich and establishment families. Jeb Bush should call it a day, and become the godfather of the first Hispanic president, who, with Kelly Ayotte on his ticket, will fight Hillary to a race/gender draw.

I'm good with Marco Rubio.  He's made some missteps, but I'm just fine with him.  I've been in his camp since 2009.

Maybe if Marco runs we'll even rev up Not One Red Cent again!

And if you've forgotten how eloquent Marco can be, watch this one more time:



Honestly, I think it's too early for Ted Cruz, Romney says no more, Jeb Bush loves Common Core so he's not for me (though I'm really not a single issue kind of girl), Rick Perry has shot his wad, and as much as I'd love someone like Allen West, I don't think, at this point, he would garner the votes, although I'd love to see him in a primary.  Rand Paul?  Primary.  Get a good strong primary crew and duke it out.

But I like Marco.

On the record.

April 17, 2014.

The State of American Education

Did you catch my post this weekend at DaTechGuy's blog?  A snip:

With regard to burnout and frustration, consider that one of the requirements of Common Core is that states must also implement a rigorous teacher evaluation system.  Professional evaluation is important and I don’t know of a single profession that doesn’t have an evaluation system, but common sense must prevail.  Some of these evaluation tools are profoundly subjective and unfair.  When a teacher is marked off on an evaluation because a student put a dab of lotion on her knees during the observation, which obviously means classroom expectations haven’t been taught and the teacher has poor classroom management, frustration will result. 

When those observations and evaluations are tied to teacher pay and that annual incentive check comes out, the teacher that has Honors and AP kids will get the big incentive check while the teacher with the low-performing, struggling kids who have not been taught social skills at home gets the very small check.  Frustration results. 

In reality, teachers aren’t frustrated with their work or with their job.  They are frustrated with the system that prevents them from doing their job and that persecutes them for things beyond their control.  I don’t know one single teacher who went into the profession to get rich.  Every teacher I know does it because of a love for kids and for the opportunity to make a difference in just one kid’s life.  When that passion is squelched by a system that ties their hands, strips their decision making, persecutes them, and makes them feel like failures, then there is something wrong with the system, not the teachers.

Click on over to read the whole thing.  Let me know what you think.

Test

Just testing something.

Blog Surfing

Rainy Sunday morning here in Shreveport.

Let's do a quick blog surf; it's been a while:

Legal Insurrection has a great couple of photos that illustrate the mind set of so many liberals.

I enjoyed George Kelly's post at Da Tech Guy on What Makes America Great.

The Louisiana Educator has several good posts about what is happening in our current legislative session with regard to Common Core issues and all things education.

The Foundry explains how the environmentalists are killing jobs.

Via Pirate's Cove, Kansas passes a sweeping Second Amendment law.

Michelle Malkin is continuing the good fight against PARCC and Common Core.

PJ Tatler reports on a politically incorrect Easter Egg Hunt - with skepticism.

And speaking of Easter, since all I've had for breakfast is a box of Peeps, I better go find something else to eat.  

A Dog That Will Steal Your Heart

I almost started this post with "It's been a busy week...", then thought the better of it.  Who hasn't had a busy week?  Good grief.  I need to expand my cliche list.

To the point:  What's been on my mind a great deal this week is the story of Braveheart.  Almost everyone in the local community knows about Braveheart and the wonderful people that worked to save his life.  It's a miracle story of hope and love.  I did a post on his story back in October; go to A Voice for Braveheart on Facebook and read his whole story.

The final next court date for Braveheart's alleged abuser is April 8 and  A Voice for Braveheart has been retelling Brave's story over the past couple of weeks and posting pictures of his recovery just to remind people what has transpired since Brave was found abandoned and left to die in a storage locker last September.

This picture below still brings a tear to my eye - it was taken when Brave's foster, now forever, parents Bo and Ronda Spataro were reunited with him after the city seized him as "evidence" and put him in the animal shelter.  The look of love and relief on Ronda's face just kills me.

Whether you're "an animal person" or "a dog person" really doesn't matter in something like this.  To me, this all comes down to whether or not you're a person.  What kind of person are you?  What kind of person would do this to a dog?  What kind of person would fight so hard to save a dog?   It's the two polar opposites of human nature.

As the April 8 date approaches, and since April is Prevention Against Cruelty to Animals Month, I would ask you to go on over and meet Braveheart, or to reacquaint yourself with him.  Braveheart's supporters will be in the courtroom April 8 and anyone that would like to go support Braveheart is free to attend.  They only ask that you be respectful of the judicial process and that there are no outbursts during the

process.  If you can attend and help support Brave in numbers, please do.  If you can't attend, please hold a good thought for Braveheart that his abuser receives the maximum penalty under law for what he did to this beautiful, loving dog.

A while back someone asked Bo if it wouldn't be a powerful statement if he could take Braveheart into the courtroom and Bo had a wonderful answer that could not have been more perfect:  he said that he would not consider doing such a thing because he never wants Braveheart to have to look into the eyes of the person that abused him and left him to die ever again.  From now on he should know only love.

Amen to that.


(Photo Credit:  The top two photos are courtesy of A Voice For Braveheart.)

Loose Thoughts

April Fool's!

Anyone trick you today?    I've spent the day with three classes of teenagers, so you know how my day went.

We had spring break last week and it was a much needed break.  I spent most of the break working on my new research project which included three trips to nearby Natchitoches.  There will be much more of that this summer.

We are back in the testing grind this week at school; this time of year is all about testing.  We've done the PLAN, EXPLORE and ACT tests.  ASVAB is tomorrow.  We have EOC in about four weeks and I just hated to even bring it up today when I was delivering a brief lesson introducing the kids to the test that is to come.  They are just tested to absolute death by this time of the year.  By the time they get to the EOC test, which is counts as part of the school performance score and in part measures my success as a teacher, they are worn out from testing.  I can't blame them.  Sometimes it seems like it's all about the test which takes the fun out of learning.  I hate that.

Anyway, I'm working my way through it.  I'm doing a whole lot of reading that is related to my research project so blogging here s light.  Remember that I have a regular Sunday gig at Da Tech Guy and I'd be tickled if you'd check that out.  Every Sunday at 5 p.m., CST, my post goes up.  Check it out.

The news cycle right now is boring me to death - I'm tired of talking about the missing airplane.  I think it's in Pakistan somewhere and that it's time for us to quit looking in the ocean for it. Start worrying about the home front.  I'm sick to death of the phony numbers of people now enrolled in Obamacare: the program is killing this country and it's ridiculous to try and tell me that seven million people have signed up and expect me to believe that is a success.  How many of them have paid?  How many are under 40?  How many were kicked off a plan that they liked in the first place?  How many are now paying a higher deductible?  How many are paying a much higher premium?  How many jobs were lost as businesses laid off people?  How many insurance companies folded?  Shall I go on?

No.  I think not.

Politics is pissing me off right now.  What else is new?

I'm off to find my happy place and I'll check back in with a happier inner spirit which I find it.  Summer is coming!  (You know, in Louisiana we pretty much skip right over spring.  Spring lasts about fifteen minutes then we are on to summer).  Summer.  I can see it from here.

How is your world?