BACK TO BEING A REPUBLICRAT!

Marion Pellicano Ambrose

Here I go again- having an opinion that is part Republican and part Democrat.  ( http://delayedreactionlounge.blogspot.com/2011/04/demlicans-or-repubicrats.html)

I nearly gave my husband a heart attack when I said "I agree with President Obama in that there should be a ban on assault weapons (except for police and military) and that no one in the general public should have access to armor piercing bullets! But, even though I'm a registered Republican, this is what I believe. I also agree that there is much to be done in the field of mental health and how we deal with it in this country. I'm hoping that this "task force" appointed by the President, will genuinely address these issues and not just "look into them".
I must also strongly disagree with the arming of teachers. Teachers are already asked to be mother, nurse, psychologist, babysitter, secretary, nutritionist and more. Why would we ask them to take on such an awesome responsibility of being bodyguard and police officer? As a former teacher and assistant principal, I can tell you that teachers are yearning for the days when we were actually allowed to TEACH! Now there is so little actual quality instructional time due to documentation, paperwork, fundraising, school photos, increase of special needs kids in the classroom, differentiated instruction, ... should I go on? Now you want to ask these teachers to carry a gun and learn how to shoot it?  This is insane! Whatever the cost, it would be much more effective to have an armed officer on campus who is thoroughly trained and experienced in dealing with emergency situations.
It was evident , as events unfolded in Sandy Hook Elementary School, that the teachers were well trained in what to do, and were willing to put their lives on the line for their students. How much more could you ask?
Now, here's the Republican in me speaking: We must protect the 2nd amendment and support the right to have a gun to protect ourselves and our loved ones, however, everyone should have to have a background check, take a training course, and people with a history of mental illness should not be able to have access to a gun (theirs or anyone elses.)
Again, it seems to me that there is a common ground for both sides of the table. I don't understand why politics places us at each others' throats! Life is full of compromise or give and take. Why can't we be that way politically?
Well, maybe it won't matter . If the Mayans are correct, we won't be arguing much longer! I'd better get this posted before the end comes and no one gets to read it!
Best Wishes,
Marion

THE TEACHER IS QUIETEST DURING THE TEST

‎"Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts, since the medium is the human mind and spirit."   - John Steinbeck

BARBARA WARD-FINNERAN

Dedicated to my "Family of Friends" ... Past, Present & Future. 
Teachers never cease to amaze me.  They give 110%.  They go above and beyond and put in hours beyond measure.  They do it because they love the children and because they love what they do. They share knowledge.  They share all their passions.  They help to formulate the future.  Touching the heart of every child they encounter along the way.  Helping to bring forth the adults that make our world go round. Most everyone has been blessed enough to have been touched by at least one special teacher.  One that made a difference to them. Made a difference when you were a child, adolescent or young adult.  It might have been your own teacher, or perhaps it is teacher that taught your child. 


Across the board, across the states... changes are happening in our schools.  Public, private and otherwise are seeing change.  Changes that teachers can't stop.  Cuts and layoff that are about numbers and not people and places.  Most will survive.  Most will continue to do more with less.  To keep going and to keep the faith because that's what they do.


That's what they do.  They make a difference.  They make a difference because they teach and love our children.  When they hug them when they are hurt and when they raise the bar higher to make them better then they thought they could become.  When they shed tears in the disappointments and cheer at the accomplishments of our children, they make a difference.  And, I know they all aren't worth their weight in gold.  However, many are worth ten times their weight in platinum!  They make a difference and you can too!  I urge you, before school is out this year, "Thank a Teacher"... for something... for anything.  Nothing is too big or too small.  Remind them that what they do matters.  Remind them that they are the greatest artists of all, leaving a legacy of masterpieces with worth beyond measure.  They are the artists that really matter because they see the beauty and potential in every child and draw it out for all the world to see. 


Blessings to all those who teach.  My endless prayers to all those who teach and are facing the challenges of change.  May you feel the Lord walk with you and guide you.  When we go through difficulty and wonder where God is in all of it... we must remember that the "teacher" is quietest during the test.


"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, what kind of clothes I wore, or the kind of car I drove. But the world may be different, better place, because I was important in the life of a child." 
- Forest E. Witcraft

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THOSE AMERICAN TEACHERS?

Marion Pellicano Ambrose

“My son, the doctor!”, “My daughter is studying to be a lawyer!”, “He’s an engineer, and she’s an architect!” All highly respected careers, wouldn’t you say? Each one is enough to make a mother proud!

Well, why is it you never hear the same respect and awe for a teacher? As a matter of fact, teaching is the most criticized career in America. That’s odd because in other countries around the world, it’s a most revered and honored profession. It’s also no coincidence that in those countries that value teachers and provide the respect and salaries they so rightly deserve the level of education and the all- important test scores are higher.

 “The United States will become a second-rate economic power unless it can match the educational performance of its rivals abroad and get more of its students to achieve at the highest levels in math, science and literacy.” (Brent Staples, NY Times )

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR THE SUMMER!

Marion Pellicano Ambrose

The school year is at an end here in the south, and close to finishing up north as well. As our children pack away their notebooks and school uniforms for the summer in favor of bathing suits and flip flops, let’s take time to remember the gifts their teachers have given to them throughout the year. Teaching isn’t just imparting facts and figures as some people think. Teaching is the gentle molding of a mind and soul, the passing on of knowledge, yes, but of so much more! It’s caring for each child’s physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual growth and development  for 10 month of that child’s life. (And most of the teachers I know never stop caring or thinking of those children even after they’ve moved on to the next grade and beyond.) Any child I’ve ever taught knows that he or she will ALWAYS be my “little chicken” and that I’m still here for them (and many have grown children of their own by now!)

Take a moment to reflect on just what a teacher does, as written in a letter from Abraham Lincoln to his son’s teacher.

He will have to learn, I know, that all men are not just, all men are not true.
But teach him also that for every scoundrel there is a hero;
that for every selfish Politician, there is a dedicated leader...
Teach him for every enemy there is a friend,
Steer him away from envy, if you can,  teach him the secret of
quiet laughter.
Let him learn early that the bullies are the easiest to lick...   Teach him, if you can, the wonder of books...
But also give him quiet time to ponder the eternal mystery of birds in the sky,
bees in the sun, and the flowers on a green hillside.
In the school teach him it is far honorable to fail than to cheat...
Teach him to have faith in his own ideas, even if everyone tells him
they are wrong...
Teach him to be gentle with gentle people, and tough with the tough.
Try to give my son the strength not to follow the crowd
when everyone is getting on the band wagon...
Teach him to listen to all men... but teach him also to filter
all he hears on a screen of truth, and take only the good
that comes through.
Teach him if you can , how to laugh when he is sad...
Teach him there is no shame in tears, Teach him to scoff at cynics
and to beware of too much sweetness...
Teach him to sell his brawn and brain to the highest bidders
but never to put a price-tag on his heart and soul.
Teach him to close his ears to a howling mob and to stand and fight
if he thinks he's right.
Treat him gently, but do not cuddle him, because only the test
of fire makes fine steel.
Let him have the courage to be impatient...
let him have the patience to be brave.
Teach him always to have sublime faith in himself,
because then he will have sublime faith in mankind.
This is a big order, but see what you can do...  
He is such a fine fellow, my son!

                                                    

WONDER WOMAN

Marion Pellicano Ambrose

I recently posted “I am Wonder Woman, I wonder where my keys are, I wonder how I gained weight, I sometimes wonder why I wonder” on my Facebook page. I received a few “me too’s” from friends of mine. It made me start to think about it little differently.

Wonder Woman was born in 1941 during the era of male superheroes. Originally she fought the Axis Powers of WW II and later evolved into the crime fighter she was most famous for being. She was the first woman superhero to be admitted into the League of Justice, and showed that a woman could not only aspire to be the equal of a man, but in many cases she could be superior. She attributed her success to the ability to utilize her brain power. (Of course her super strength, lasso of truth, and ability to run at 80 mph didn’t hurt either!)

LIFE IS GOOD - Living the Logo

Marion Pellicano Ambrose

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After having the trouble erupt with my son over losing his Social Security, I asked
Barbara and Dawn not to print my “Life is Good” piece. I was too depressed and
disillusioned and felt like a hypocrite thinking of the positive things I said in the article.
But since I posted the story about Joe, the outpouring of empathy and support has been
astounding! Dear friends and perfect strangers alike have offered advice and prayers and
I’m SO grateful! I let myself forget that no matter how low the lows may get at times,
there are people who care. Life is indeed good! Thank you all for reminding me of that!

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I had never heard of the Life is Good company until a few years ago when a friend 
gave me one of their t-shirts. A few of the teachers I worked with and I formed a 
Kayak club and this friend bought us all the “Jake Kayaking” t-shirt with 
their famous mantra “Life is Good”. 
I loved the shirt but didn’t think much about the company or the saying.           

     
Sometime later, my husband bought me a t-shirt with Sprocket the dog roasting a marshmallow over a campfire, again with the same saying. I wore the shirt as we set off on a trip to Chattanooga for the Coker Challenge, an antique car rally. We drove our truck and pulled a 1961 MG on the trailer behind us. As we flew down the interstate, somewhere in rural Georgia, not one but two tires blew. The truck swerved out of control and right into the path of a semi tractor trailer barreling towards us at 70 miles per hour.We looked directly into the eyes of the terrified truck driver who could do absolutely nothing. Miraculously, we continued to slide out of his way and off the road, over an incline and into a deep ditch seconds before what we believed was the imminent impact. People stopped their cars and came running, thinking we were surely dead or critically injured. I remember looking at my husband who, like me, was sitting in stunned silence, without a scratch or bump on us. I looked down at my shirt and thought “Life is good!” The truck and trailer were totaled, we never made it to the rally, and the ditch was filled with water, bugs and snakes. But we were together and we were alive!