surviving second grade

   I've been teaching now for 35 school days.  I've put up with doubting parents and have had one unit of Open Court reading and 30 lessons of Saxon math.  I now have 24 students and am starting to feel more comfortable about teaching though we've been collaberating on lesson plans and newsletters to ease the pressure.  Our first field trip is this week and conferences are only 2 weeks away.  I am bonding with my fellow teachers and they all seem to be good collegues willing to help the new old man.  I do spend many hours at school and 60 hours a week on school work.  We have had great weather this fall and the kids have only had to stay in one day so far.  All the support from my family is a lifesaver.

Teaching second grade

   On August 13th I was hired to teach 8th grade Social Studies at Windemere Park.   I worked my last shift at Meijers Sunday morning at 7am after 2 weeks.  On August 17th I was offered the second grade job and had our first day the next day training and trying to catch up.  Our first day was a half day on Monday the 23rd.  Well I finished my  first week with the help of Mrs. Back and Mrs. Dunckel and Jon with my newsletter.   Teaching is a hell of a lot of work and I've only just begun.    I do have a great group of students and we should be able to have a successful  year. 

Hamburg anniversity

   At the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis the  hamburger became popular with Fletcher Davis of Athens,  Texas selling them.    100 years of burgers in America  though they could be linked to 1891 Germany.   I remember in the early 60's when my dad took us to a hambuger place about 3 blocks from Logan on Main St. near the Olds plant.   Then came all the chains like O'Henrys, Dog and Suds, Hamburger Heaven,  and the 15 cent McDonalds.   The  1st discount super store to come to Lansing was Clarks followed by Arlens, Topps, Spartans, and Shoppers Fair.    The hamburger is still an American staple  though pizza, chicken,and tacos now are competion.   I  remember Casa Nova, Antonios, and Joseppes pizza, I liked the cheese only then.

BLUE MOON

   Tomorrow there will be a blue moon, the second full moon in a month.   They occur about every 2.7 years, the next will be July 20, 2007.   A real blue moon occurs when fine particles of dust, smoke or droplets in the atmosphere scatter all but the blue wavelength of sunlight reflecting off the moon.    This is usually caused by volcanic eruptions, clouds,or forest fires  which makes the moon appear blue.    I also enjoy a BLUE MOON by Coors every once in a while!   I started working at MEIJERS on the 28th training  and will start night stocking in general merchandise at 11pm Saturday.  The term blue moon only began in 1946 when a reporter for Sky & Telescope misread an article in the Maine Farmers' Almanac about 13 full moons in a year.   There is also a blind moon which is a month without a full moon, the next in February 2018. 

first quarter moon

   The moon's first quarter phase is lighting up the clear sky tonight.   It will be followed by the gibbous phase reminding me of the day I was in a 5th grade class in Lansing  where the teacher taught a lesson on the moon's phases and had 3 of 5 wrong.   After she left I asked the students if they thought they were right?   None of them said  anything until I showed them their teacher's mistakes and then they said I thought I had that right.    Just because someone should be an authority doesn't mean they can't make mistakes, we all learn by making them.   Sunday is a day of rest and concentrating on the spiritual and meaningful side of life.

Sirius dog days of summer

   Webster defines dog days as the hot sultry days of July to early September in the Northern hemisphere. Also a period of stagnation or inactivity.   Sirius, the dog star,heliacally rises and sets from July 3 to August 11, and is also referred to as canicula canis.   The madness and violence of summer has been related to this dog day syndrome.   The summer of 1967 with all its rioting was one of the hottest on record.   The dog days of summer weaken us and causes us to become lethargic or easy to anger.   But 67' was also the summer of love so it all depends on how you channel your freedom and express warmth or heat within.   Today was the Alvarado family reunion at Lake Lansing and it was in the 70s and partly cloudy.   There was no dog day as we looked at the new bandshell at the park and looked across the street at the newly remodeled Blue Gill Grill.  Jane's chocolate chip cookies disappeared in a record 10 or less minutes.   The dog days will still be around to stagger us along until we find our way back home.   Love peace and happiness can still be a reality to  the searching seasoned man.   Wiley, the golden dog, has a nice summer cut as we still have 3 cats in our garage living ferally.  Their mother has left Dippy, aka Dipstick, Cloney, and Doozy, aka Pirate Eye as wards of the court for us to care for.

Poetry Afternoon

Chatroom Posting                  I once was a poet                   Now  I  dabble           At cursing the faults             In my worldly relations.                I search the internet  &nbsp  To make my unknown self           Known, unknowingly                           Touched or untouched.                       &nbsp>

The Hood

The hood shifts only when there is an eviction.  Then all the bros. and sisters hit the curb waiting for the man to leave so they can rape the belongings of the unfortunate forgotten souls.  Living like animals on the prey is what they have lowered themselves to.  A short orgy of pilfering and fighting for some soon meaningless gain.  But the slumlandlord will be at their step when their luck runs out and the cycle will repeat itself with them on the street homeless. Another day in the hood instead of a job and the value of achievement.  Vultures wait and rats seek handouts in the filth of no respect for life or even self.  The hood you can have it but we all have deal with its consequences.  Rap on , glorify the hood but it's a living hell that shames mankind. Rap on without  feeling the pain.

coming home early from vacation

   My vacation was cut short a day as I got a call from Simon about being evicted and all his posessions put out on the street while he was staying here.  His tv, stereo and clothes stolen by the boys in the hood who delight in others misfortune.  His landlord (criminal) dumped his stuff out as he was a few weeks short of his lease ending and still a day away from what he thought would be the day he could be thrown on the street.   We all lost something today as we find man's  lack of caring by streethoods and so called Christian landlords.  MY faith in man proves itself worthless in general but God works in ways we need to trust in by trail of fire and true belief.  MY vacation did give me rest and now I pray the strength to do what must be done  to spread God's love through action.   The time spent with my family was greater than my happiness and now we all must fight on against a world of greed and falsehood.  It's a Beautiful Day is playing HOT SUMMER DAY sounding like the Crazy World of Arthur Brown .

july morning

   The heat of summer is beginning with temperatures in the 80's. I wait a job to make myself useful and to support my constant bills. After we get back from vacation at Grand Haven next week I will have to seek work more earnestly. I feel overwhelmed and in a stagnant state of limbo, often relying on sleep for escape. I was offered a chance to teach 8th grade at the charter school but didn't feel comfortable with that assignment. I believe God does open doors for us to follow and will guide us to the correct path if we keep our heart open to Him. Like A Rolling Stone is playing now so that must mean something, so I'll trust the Lord is waiting until after vacation to take care of my needs.  A little more contemplation should intellectually and spiritually lead me to the  desired career path. I have so much so I shouldn't be discouraged and need to share what I do have with others. It's always reassuring to hear and see children I've taught gleam a smile when they see Mr. Pratt at the store or in public. It's time to leave the funk behind and go on with inspiration from Stairway to Heaven playing and my faith in God to comfort me.Amen

SUMMER SONGS

   Summer songs #11 I picked Sunny Afternoon by the Kinks and Warmth of the Sun and Please let me Wonder by the Beach Boys as my favorites.  For the end of summer  I picked A not very August afternoon by the Beacon Street Union with Maggie May by Rod Stewart a close 2nd.  "Everyone had a wonderful time until August came","Maybe it's just expecting the Fall"."Lazy on a sunny afternoon, in the summer time","Ain't no cure for the summertime blues".  The Beach Boys have so many songs that define summer everywhere creating warm harmony.      An ultimate summer album has to be Forever Changes by LOVE  and if you add Freak Out by the Mothers of Invention then summer is complete.