JSS: Edmund Fitzgerald-- MASH Final Episode-- Marijuana Commerdials

JSS--  Just Some Stuff

1.  EDMUND FITZGERALD--  Almost forgot to mention that the Great Lakes ship Edmund Fitzgerald sank on November 10, 1975.  Go ahead and play that Gordon Lightfoot song.   What started out as a one-day presentation on the ship, using the song, eventually turned into a three-day presentation when I taught school.

2.  MASH FINAL EPISODE--  On Monday, Liz mentioned to me that MeTV was showing the entire MASH final episode show in honor of Veterans Day.    You forget what an excellent show that was.  And at least there was no Henry Blake leaving MASH.

3.  MARIJUANA COMMERCIALS--  We either get diabetes commercials these days, health sign up or, now that Illinois is getting around to legalizing recreational use of it on Jan. 1, we are sure getting a lot of marijuana commercials.  Those persons who were so smug that they could use it for medical reasons or angry.  And the places who got them the permission are saying you can still do better if you get it for medical purposes.

JSS.  --RoadDog

A Busy Weekend-- Part 2: Old Friends, Vets and Ed Bearrs

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7

This being Pearl Harbor Day, the 77th anniversary, I wrote about it in all my blogs.  My flags were already up for President Bush's funeral.

I drove to Bristol, Wisconsin, to have breakfast with former teachers from John T. Magee Middle School in Round Lake, Illinois.  We had our first get-together back in November and hope to get it to being a regular monthly thing.  It is always fun to get together with old friends, especially ones you don't often see.  A lot of retired teachers from Round Lake have moved to warmer climes, but enough of us stay here to have them.

Afterwards, I drove to the Fox Lake, Illinois, American Legion Post 703 where we were putting on our annual Christmas dinner for the people at the VA Hospital in North Chicago.  I worked in the kitchen plating yams, mashed potatoes and gravy.  We served around 125.

Later I drove to Arlington Heights, Illinois, and visited the grave of Liz's parents in Memory Gardens and then, with some difficulty found the place where Ed Bearrs was going to speak for the Northern Illinois Civil War Round Table at the Arlington Hts. Museum.  Mr. Bearrs is one of the preeminent Civil War people, having written many books and led many battlefield tours.  It was worth the distance and confusion to hear him.  I will eventually get around to writing about him in my Civil War blog.

A Very Long Day.  --RoadDog

Busy Weekend-- Part 1: NCIS, Fatty's, Pizza Pros, Lincoln Inn, One-Room Schoolhouse and the Legiom

THURSDAY, MARCH 22

We went to DeKalb, Illinois, to the campus of Northern Illinois University and heard the Director of NCIS, the real director, not the TV one, Andrew Traver speak.  He is also receiving the NIU Distinguished Alumni Award.

Afterwards, it was to Fatty's and Pizza Pros on Lincoln Highway to watch the NCAA Tournament games.

FRIDAY, MARCH 23

We ate at the Lincoln Inn on Lincoln Highway in downtown DeKalb, then went to an 1880s one-room schoolhouse on the way home.  We later went to the Fox Lake American Legion for 50-50 and watched the NCAA games there and at home in Margaritaville.

This Sure Is One Great Tournament.  --RoadNCIS

Kickin' Off Our Summer 2017-- Part 2: End-Of-The-Year Party

THURSDAY, JUNE 8TH

Lots of yard work to do on our first full day back from the Mississippi.  Of course, a lot of trimming of the too many bushes that I planted.  Cut the grass

We then went over to Kevin and Kelly's place on Fox Lake for their End-Of-The-Year party.  They both teach and Kevin got out of school today.  We had an End-Of-The-Year party every year from 1983 to 2006 for our schools (we both taught as well).  And they continue our tradition.

Always great to sit out in their gazebo overlooking the lake on a perfect day and enjoying all that food, snacks and keg of beer.  We know quite a few of their teachers as well.

Of course, End-Of-The-Year isn't all that special anymore since we're both retired.

It Ain't Over Till It's Over.  --RoadDog

JSS: Fast Clouds-- Chipper's Digging-- School Supplies

JSS--  Just Some Stuff

1.  FAST CLOUDS--  Sitting out FP (Front Porch) this morning enjoying my breakfast, I looked up and had never seen clouds moving so fast.

2.  CHIPPER'S DIGGING--  Also FP, my front porch Chipper (chipmunk) has been a busy little guy (or gal) digging into all my container plants.  I imagine looking for bulbs.  He'll be in trouble if that kills any of my flowers, but he deposits the dirt on the floor.  I tried to get him to sweep up, but he won't.

3.  SCHOOL SUPPLIES--  Hate to tell you kids, but the big stores have their school supplies out now.  They came out the day after July 4th.  First pushing Christmas, now this.  I used to hate seeing the school supplies come out as that meant that I had to go back to my teaching job, but not so much anymore.

Calling It Back-to-School Creep.  --RoadDog

When the Unspeakable Happens

First Off.  No matter how many precautions you take, you can't completely stop things like this from happening.

Some say allowing people to carry handguns would help.  Yes, in a way and at the moment.  If someone could shoot back, that might help.  But, I for one would have to worry when someone gets road rage or mad at someone else.

I would favor classifying people who do stuff like Friday as terrorists and being tried on charges by military courts with a mandatory death sentence.  Let the psychology people find out what they need to know, then end it.  At least many of the killers do the right thing and kill themselves.

Also, I believe some do this just to leave their mark and get their name in the news.  After their identification is known, then it should be they whose name cannot be mentioned.  The murderer at Northern Illinois is treated in this way.  This morning I was listening to the news on WXRT and Mary Dixon referred to the culprit as killer and not by name.

A Sad Time.

The Unspeakable Happens in Connecticut

Evil came to Newtown.

Just horrible news from that town on Friday.  I first heard about it while on the internet and then that twenty had been killed in a store before I went to a movie.

Horrifying.  It especially hit home to us because Liz and I were both teachers.  When we started teaching in 1973, this was something that would be inconceivable.  Yeah, you might have a junior high kid smoking in the bathroom or maybe drinking alcohol...but never something like this.

In my last years of teaching we had lock down practices.  I had to turn out the lights, make sure the door was locked and get my students huddle into a corner of the room that could not be seen by someone looking in through the door window. 

I always got in trouble because there was just no way I could squeeze 29 kids into a corner of the room where some of them wouldn't be seen by someone looking real hard into the room.  Maybe if I had some on others' shoulders.  And, they always picked the practice to be held during my worst class of the day.  I could keep them under control fro 15 minutes, but after 45 minutes if would be like a volcano getting ready to blow.

Er have a lot of friends still teaching and that was a big topic of conversation over the weekend.

Just Something I Could Never Imagine.

JSIS: School Lunch

JSIS-- Just Some Interesting Stuff


1. SCHOOL LUNCH-- From an article in yesterday's Chicago Tribune about the lunches offered at Chicagoland's Niles Township High School District 219. This is one of the richer suburbs.

I liked the cafeteria lunches when I went to school, but wow, this is too much and at just $2.25, WHAT a DEAL!!

September 12-16

MONDAY-- Four-cheese lasagna wit Parmesan garlic bread.
TUESDAY-- Memphis dry-rubbed BBQ chicken with succotash (Well, I would have at least tried the succotash.)
WEDNESDAY-- Grass-fed beef burger on wheat bun with roasted potatoes.
THURSDAY-- Organic pasta with marinara sauce.
FRIDAU-- Asian-marinated free-range chicken with brown rice.

The article says the kids like it. I know I'D LIKE IT! We've come a long way from when schools argued that ketchup was a vegetable.

Good-Eatin' in Niles. --RoadDog

School Daze-- Part 2

School's back in session and I'm not!!

Songs played on Sunday's Rock and Roll Roots show, "Rock and Roll High School."

TEACH YOUR CHILDREN-- CSNY-- Home School or Regular?
(REMEMBER THE DAYS OF THE OLD) SCHOOL YARD-- CAT STEVENS

TEACHER I NEED YOU-- ELTON JOHN
HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL-- JERRY LEE LEWIS-- Eying those young school gils with bad intent?

SITTIN' OUT IN THE PARKING LOT-- BEACH BOYS-- Never heard this one.
SCHOOL-- SUPERTRAMP

SMOKIN' IN THE BOYS ROOM-- BROWNSVILLE STATION-- There was a time that was about the worst a teacher would find in there.
SISTER MARY ELEPHANT-- CHEECH AND CHONG-- Love this one. "SHUT UP!"

BAD BOY-- BEATLES--
NEW GIRL IN SCHOOL-- JAN AND DEAN-- Great little Doo-Wop number.

GOOD MORNING LITTLE SCHOOL GIRL-- JOHNNY WINTER-- Bad Intent?
NO PARTICULAR PLACE TO GO-- CHUCK BERRY-- My favorite school song.

ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART 2)-- PINK FLOYD-- Has anyone ever heard Part 1?
BE TRUE TO YOUR SCHOOL-- BEACH BOYS-- Second favorite.

SUMMER'S ALMOST DONE-- DOORS-- Used to be when school started. Now starts half way through summer.
ROCK AND ROLL HIGH SCHOOL-- RAMONES-- How else would you end the show?

Perhaps the Faber College Song? --RoadDog


THE LAST UNIVERSAL TRUTH: Continuing with yesterday's thought, But no matter what I am, I always hate cyclists.

School Daze-- Part 1

School is back in session (and for many in session for about a month now), but not for me as I start my sixth year of retirement.

Bob Stroud had his annual Rock and Roll High School Show, which included one of Liz and my favorite school songs and one of two we played at our retirement party (the other was "School's Out" by Alice Cooper, as in "Forever!" That is the name of our boat. My quotes.

The songs:

WLCOME BACK-- JOHN SEBASTION-- From one of my favorite 70s shows. Whatever happened to Gabe Kaplan or his hot wife? Shut up Horshack!!
SCHOOL IS IN-- GARY "US" BONDS-- What is has to be before it can be out.

CARIANNE-- HOLLIES
MY OLD SCHOOL-- STEELY DAN--

TO SIR WITH LOVE-- LULU-- What an actor that Sidney Poitier was.
ME AND JULIO DOWN BY THE OLD SCHOOL YARD-- PAUL SIMON-- Now, they'd be selling bad stuff.

STUDENT DEMONSTRATION TIME-- BEACH BOYS-- Where does Bob dig up these rare Beach Boys tracks.
TEACHER-- JETHRO TULL-- Probably my favorite song by Ian and company.

GETTIN' BETTER-- BEATLES-- The old school day got progressively better as 3:00 approached.
GIRL'S SCHOOL-- PAIL McCARTNEY & WINGS-- Wonder why he sang about this?

And, I Was in School for 49 Years. --RoadDog


UNIVERSAL TRUTH: There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you're going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far. Didn't the teacher tell you to quit leaning back in that chair? Or, was it Mom?

Tenth Anniversary of 9-11 in Schools

Tuesday's Chicago Tribune had an article on what schools were going to do to mark the tenth anniversary of 9-11.

I was teaching 7th grade social studies at John T. Magee Middle School in Round Lake, Illinois, when it occurred. As soon as I found out about the attack, not until after first period, that became the lesson for today.

Unfortunately, I could not get the old black and white 13-inch TV set to work. We spent the day listening to the radio, It became a geography lesson where the students located New York City, Boston, New Jersey, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania as well as the Middle East.

We took a look at the history of the United States and the Middle East.

This was the subject the following day and each student had to write a 500 word first-hand account of what happened to them 9-11.

I taught for for four more years after that and each class had to write a report on what they remembered about that day.

It Was a Day to Remember. --RoadDog

Pretty Good Weekend: 100th Anniversary April 25th

Liz and I took a drive this past weekend to the land of 10% sales tax and $3.15 gas, that would be Chicago and Cook County.

Saturday, we got to play with some traffic jams on the Northwest Tollway and Kennedy, but then got to Liz's old neighborhood where the school she went to from Kindergarten to 8th grade, Our Lady of Grace, was celebrating its 100th anniversary. Hard to believe a school that old could be in that good of shape.

Liz actually remembered every room she had in those years and was able to get pictures of all but one. Every little nook and cranny had a story and she can remember them all.

Sad to see the class sizes now. When she was there, they had 40-50 kids in each room and 120 in her 8th grade graduating class in 1965. Now, the Class of 2010 will have a total of 12. That sure doesn't bode well for the school's future.

Back in Liz's time, most students were Polish or German. Now, most are Hispanic.

We then stopped at the apartment building, now condos, where she lived the whole time.

Went to the Super 8 in Morton Grove after unsuccessfully looking for the Buffalo Wild Wings in Northbrook, but we did see where they were building a new one.

They had a dinner dance at Chateau Ritz in Des Plaines where she got to meet and talk with lots of her Class of 65.

As an 8th grade Class of 1965, I graduated from Winston Park Junior High School in Palatine, Illinois. --RoadDog


Life Before Computers: Memory was something you lost with age, not virus.

This Past Weekend-- September 7th to 9th

Friday I met my old buddy Kip at the Triangle Restaurant in Grayslake, Illinois. We talked about what we were doing back on September 11, 2001. He was at a negotiations meeting trying to settle our contract and he suggested that they adjourn to go back to school to be with the kids. They did.

I then went over to Gurnee Mills and walked around it. I saw the big fake snake outside the Rainforest Cafe that really gave me a jump a few months back. I was walking along looking in store windows when I looked up, and saw a huge snake about two feet above my head, looking at me with mouth wide open and tongue flicking. I guess I must have a strong heart as I didn't have an attack right then and there.

Saw an excellent Western movie called "3:10 to Yuma" which was just released. I highly suggest it. You don't see many westerns anymore.

Drove to Richmond-Burton High School and watched the game with Stillman Valley. They led most of the game, but evidently we had a comeback at the end to pull withing two points before we losing 33-31. I had already left after losing my battle with the mosquitoes. Once back at the truck, I saw a really big praying mantis on the top of the cab and it just wouldn't get off. After some work (I didn't want to kill it) I finally got it off.

Saturday, I went to Des Plaines for a meeting of the SCV, Sons of Confederate Veterans. Our camp's name is the Camp Douglas Memorial Camp, named after the infamous Union prison in Chicago where over 6000 Confederates died.

I then went to a memorial service in Fox Lake for the 21 year-old son of friends of ours from the American Legion. He died from massive injuries suffered two weeks ago when a car wash collapsed from a wind shear in the storms that passed through Chicago. He was near Wrigley Field at the time. This was a very sad thing.

We then went up to Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, where Donovan's Reef was celebrating their first anniversary with the new owners. They've done a great job with the place, keeping the things we liked from before and improving everything else. They had an excellent pig and beef roast, and we were able to get five national rankings in NTN.

Sunday I went to the German Club meeting in Lake Villa and then met up with the usual Bears crew at Baja Benny's on Fox Lake to watch the game. That would be Jim, Paul, Sue, Pam, Laura, and Ed. Too bad the Bears lost.

Going, Going, Going. --RoadDog

Labor Day 1967

Last Monday was Labor Day. I can remember a time when it was very important to me, like all through school and teaching, but now, it is just another day. The only difference is that everyone else is now off as well.

I got to thinking about what I was doing way back then while I was listening to Bob Stroud do his final installment of his Summer of Love Rock and Roll Roots Salute.

I was living with my family at 1048 Anderson Drive in Palatine, Illinois.  Liz was living in Chicago, but coming out to Palatine on the Chicago & Northwestern train to attend Palatine High School.  We didn't meet u til near the end of October.

As near as Liz and I can recall, we hadn't gone back to school yet. School, even college, just didn't begin before Labor Day as it does today. Actually, my sister began school in Georgia around August 5th and teachers in Round Lake went back August 13th this year.

I was getting ready to start my junior year at Palatine High School at Palatine High School. I was working at the Burger King on Northwest Highway earning a whopping $1 an hour (but you could buy 3 gallons of gas for that back then). A Whopper cost 49 cents. You got a Whopper, fries, and small drink for 92 cents.

I still didn't have my drivers license, though. At Palatine High, you took drivers ed junior year.

Later, junior year, I joined the school newspaper, the Cutlass.

Forty Years Ago...Already!!...Ya Gotta Be Kiddin'!! ---RoadDog

The Second Day at School

Since I am now celebrating the beginning of my second year of retirement, I look back on memories of the first days of school.

I really disliked the very first half-day, well, at a bit over two hours I guess you couldn't call it a half day.

I would have my homeroom and have to go over the school rules according to the "In the Know" booklet. That was boring and seemed to go on and on forever.

As bad as that was, it wasn't anything as bad as trying to teach the kids how to open a combination lock. A few would have had experience with it, but most had never seen one. I tried to make it as simple to learn as possible, but to no avail for some of the seventh graders, who were getting lockers with locks for the first time.

It was even worse until the last several years at Magee, when the combination locks built into the lockers finally gave up the ghost and quit working. The district replaced them with the hand-held combos. At least this way, we got to practice opening the locks in class instead of at the lockers.

The hardest part was the second move to the left which requires going all the way past the first number. This threw many a kid. And then there some kids who hadn't quite figured out the left-right thing.

To Be Continued...

Let's See, is that L-R-L, or R-L-R? --RoadDog

First Day of the School Year

As I look back on my years of teaching on the second anniversary of my retirement.

The first day of school, we always met en masse: teachers from all five elementary, one junior high, and the high school. Usually, it was in the high school auditorium, which would be crowded to the point of teachers sitting in the aisles.

The coaches and their ilk usually sat in the very back and messed around for the whole time. And we yell at kids when they do that. I normally got a spot under a light so I could read a paper or do some writing when it got boring, which it often would.

The superintendent would get up and give a positive speech about all the great things that had happened over the summer, and all the fantastic things in store for us this school year.

Then, little golden apple insignias would be given out to teachers and staff reaching five year milestones in their Round Lake service. I ended up with six of these.

We would then have a lunch. Usually the district would make it for us.

Afternoons were taken up with meetings, and, if really fortunate, we'd get a chance to work in our rooms. This was something I needed as this would be my first day at my school. Other teachers would start coming in a week or more earlier to "set up."

A Long and Boring Day. --RoadDog

To Walk or Get Driven to School?

The July 14th Chicago Tribune reports that, according to a study, fewer American students who live close to school are walking to school, especially kids in the South.

This, coupled with computer games and schools cutting physical education classes and recess due to budgetary restraints, has led to a major obesity problem with kids.

The study, which is being published in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, is based on a random telephone survey of 7,400 families with children ages 9-15.

In 1969, about 90 percent of children who lived within a mile of their school, either walked or biked to it. In 2004, just 48 percent did that at least once a week.

There are quite a few reasons for this. "Many suburbs and newer cities lack sidewalks so safety is an issue. Also, many families have extra cars and some parents aren't concerned about exercise for their children. Plus, some children think walking is 'uncool.' "

I would like to add that children today have to be the most-spoiled kids ever. They expect their parents do to everything for them- and RIGHT away.

Many kids are driven to school these days. A very common parental excuse is that they fear for their safety. I don't hear of many kids getting shot or abducted on the way to school among those who still do it under their own power.

Kids being driven to school, even when they can get bus service has become a major problem at the Round Lake, Il, schools, especially since 2000. Coming to school and leaving means doing battle with a major traffic jam. I don't remember it being like that when I started teaching back in 1973, or for that matter, up until the last six years. Existing schools have a great difficulty provided a way to do this and it becomes a major factor in the construction of new buildings.

Then, again, with these high gas prices due to Big Oil's excuse of increased usage, one would have to wonder why parents insist on driving their little darlings?

To the best of my memory, I always walked or rode a bus. I remember definitely walking to Cardinal Drive School in Rolling Meadows, Il, for 6th grade, and for two years at Winston Park Junior High in Palatine.

Let My People Hit the Pavement. --RoadDog

Fremd and Palatine High Schools

FREMD HIGH SCHOOL

For freshman year in high school, 1965-1966, I went to William Fremd High School in Palatine, which involved a long bus ride to the other side of the village. All Palatine freshmen and sophomores went to this fairly new school. Back in the 60s, Palatine was experiencing a building boom, much of it coming from the huge Winston Park subdivision where we lived.

It was named for William Fremd who had been a member of the high school board of education for 30 years and had served on other school boards as well.

In the fall of 1966, the first juniors came and they made up the first graduating class.

Fremd is one of the largest high schools in Illinois with 2800 students. The class of 2006 had 727 graduates.


PALATINE HIGH SCHOOL

I went to good old Palatine sophomore through senior years, 1966-1968.

The school was founded in 1875 and was the first public high school in what was to become Chicago's Northwest Suburbs.

The old Palatine High School was built in 1928 and remained in use until 1977 when a new school was built.

Much of the 1928 building was then torn down with the exception of Cutting Hall, which is still used today for plays and concerts.

A big addition was put on during my sophomore year, and that was left and today is used by the police department, village hall, and the park district. Many a class was interrupted because of construction noise my sophomore year.

Unfortunately, my class got to be the lowest class at school for two years in a row with the move from Fremd to Palatine when both were to become four year schools. Not surprisingly, a big rivalry developed between the Fremd Vikings and the Palatine Pirates.

We're Loyal to You, Palatine. We're Scarlet and Gray Palatine. --RoadDog

More on My Schools- Emma Conn School- Raleigh NC

Come to think of it, I didn't go to Fourth Street School in Greenville, NC, for fifth grade. I went to a lab school for East Carolina University named Wall-Coates. We had quite a few student teachers that year, as well as Mrs. Fennel, a teacher I really hated, but the best I ever had as it turned out. She MADE me change my ways and improve my grades.

I did not know who Emma Conn was, so I went on the internet and found some really interesting stuff about her and Emma Conn School in Raleigh, NC, where I went from 1st to 3rd grades. It was named for a Raleigh city school educator of 50 years, 20 as a teacher and 30 as a principal.

Emma Conn had an interesting philosophy on discipline. She would always give a student three choices when they did wrong: 1. sent home with a note- the absolute worst thing that could happen to a kid back then, let the beatings begin, 2. get a switch, and 3. go back to the room and behave. I'm sure most students in trouble chose the last one. She felt that corporal punishment should be done at home. "School discipline consists of guidance, understanding, and patience," she once said.

When she found out the school board was going to name a new school after her, she said, "I will have to be really good for the rest of my life." The new school was to open October 15, 1954, but due to construction delays, the first actual day was January 3, 1955. It cost $390,000 and had 505 students in grades 1-7, 15 teachers and 20 classrooms.

One stipulation from Emma Conn was that her name was not to appear on the outside of the school while she was alive. She died in May of 1970 at the age of 90 and is buried in Raleigh's Oakwood Cemetery. A sign was put up immediately after that. I attended first grade starting in 1957 so it was still a new school.

Tomorrow, I'll do Fremd and Palatine high schools.

Quite a Remarkable Educator. --RoadDog

Day After Party on Fox Lake

Kelly and Kevin have been friends of ours for a about 13 years now, ever since I met them while they were special ed aides at Magee Middle School, where I taught from 1973 to 2006. They got their social work and special ed degrees and Kelly teaches in Antioch and Kevin is a social worker in Waukegan.

About six years ago, they bought a place right on Mineola Bay which is a part of Fox Lake. They now have two major parties each year: an End-of-the-Year school party (keeping our old tradition) in June and the Fourth of July fireworks celebration on the water. I really like going to these, talking with their friends, great food, and cooling drinks. Hey, Life is Good!!!

We traditionally have a Day After Party to finish the leftovers. Sometimes there's a Day After Party II and even, on occasion, Day After Party III. These past two days we had Day After Parties. The weather was perfect. Yesterday, we boated over to it after floating around in the bay for awhile and reading the paper. Now, that is relaxing!!! Generally, there are only six to eight people at these.

We had looked seriously back in 1991 and 1992 at getting a place on the water, but decided to build where we did when it became apparent that we could get a place on the water or the house that we wanted. We couldn't afford both.

Hey, I'm sitting here right now listening to Old Uncle Billy Smith on the Surf. Getting that great Beach Music live from Myrtle Beach, SC. Ain't that sumthin'.

Love Them Day After Parties. --RoadDog

THIS DAY IN HISTORY-- 1777- Congress adopts the Stars and Stripes as the official flag of our young country. That means that today is Flag Day. Go put out your flag right now. I know Mom always has the US flag and NC flag out on that wonderful porch.