Even as I write, I do not know how I can write all this about my mother. She would be pained at hearing the accounts I give of her, and she would be hurt at my disloyalty. What I say would hurt her heart, and I yet I am writing down for all the world to see these stories as I observed them and see them now. I tell her stories as objectively as I can, and, still, it is not fair. Sure, these are my stories too, and, yet, it is not fair. My mother, like all of us, had her illusions. We have to have them. She had to have them. We all seem to have to keep our illusions intact. (more…)

 I remember when all milk had cream on top. (more…)

Here’s another story from Kiley Junior High School.

Mr. Brown was the head of English at Kiley Junior High School when I taught there. You remember that all the principal, Mr. Spring, knew about English teaching, he had learned from Mr. Brown, and this had not exactly made my way of teaching look good.

Mr. Brown was so old school, the kids and I found him a terror. (more…)

I loved what Barbara did with her associate at work. How amazing of her to have wanted to do something that uplifted the situation, and then she actually did it. She put her ego aside and came from a different perspective. She came from her heart, and she took action. It was just right, and her creative approach made a huge difference.  She did indeed turn the other cheek.

Her situation was with a co-worker, and mine was with a supervisor, (more…)

I have talked about The Education of Little Tree. It is a fine compassionate book. I regard this book highly. All book reviewers regarded this book highly. It is one of my all-time favorite books. The movie too.

The book was taken off book lists (more…)

Heaven Admin has taken on the project of helping me to fit into Argentinian society. He is introducing me to the subtleties of drinking Yerba Mate Tea. When I can drink Yerba Mate properly with a modicum of artistry and skill, then I will steal all hearts in Argentina and be heartily welcomed by all gaucheros and gaucheras alike.

It won’t matter (more…)

Your comments under the blog entry, Heroes and Value Clarification, shook my limited thinking. When I read the first comment — Jack’s — I would have wanted Bob Kearns to feel just like Jack. I would have loved him to lead the happy integrated life that Jack does. I, too, would like to.

In my life, when I fought things, it was my ego at work. I was piqued. And that’s what my fighting was about — how I was being treated. I was always ready for a fight, if you know what I mean. (more…)

It is amazing to me what a careless reader I am sometimes. I glance and think I have read. (more…)

Jonathan Kozol was fired by the Boston School System because he brought in a poem by Langston Hughes that was not in the curriculum.  (more…)

The other day I saw Jonathan Kozol, author and education activist, on Book TV. I remember his name from my school teaching days.

The following quotation from his web site http://www.learntoquestion.com/seevak/groups/2002/sites/kozol/Seevak02/html/edad-open.htm will give you an idea of where (more…)