Is hindsight still 20-20 if you're blind? (And other weird questions.)

I thought I was so clever in naming this post...until I Googled looking for an image to accompany the post, and found out it had already been turned into a meme!

If something has already been memed it is not original, and it may have been clever at one time, but it's not clever anymore. Darn it.

Nevertheless...I'll press on to the 'other questions' part of the subtitle, as that's where the real focus of the post is supposed to go (and not on my inherent lack of cleverness). There has been a prevalent question in my class of late that I've gotten better at answering, but has left me wanting to roll my eyes and take a deep breath before answering.

Did you get my mom's email? I love it when students ask me this because I'm never 100% sure what kind of response they're looking for. Sometimes I go with, "Yes...did your mom share with you the response I wrote?" Other times I go with, 'No...why don't you tell me what's going on." Then there's the ever popular, "Yes...and I told your mom I would talk directly with you in class." Which always seems to scare kids. I don't have a problem with parents emailing me at all. I even encourage it if they have questions. But when kids ask questions about their assignment and grades through their parents, it's time to start learning to have their own conversations.

For example, I recently received a variation of this:
          "Dear Mrs. Laack, Little Jimmy doesn't understand why he got a D on his project. Can you please explain. Thanks, Mom" 

To which I responded to the student, and cc'd the mother...because clearly it's the student's question and not the mom's.
          "Dear Little Jimmy, You received a rubric that explained your point breakdown for the assignment. If you have specific questions on the rubric, please bring it back to class tomorrow and I can discuss it with you. Thanks, Mrs. Laack" 

The aforementioned parent then responded (just to me and not to their student).
           "Dear Mrs. Laack, Thank you. I was unaware there was a rubric on this assignment. I'll have Little Jimmy bring it back to school tomorrow. Thanks, Mom." 

End of conversation...kind of. Little Jimmy never did bring his rubric to talk about it in class. When I asked about it, the student seemed suddenly content with the grade and didn't want to discuss it.

I can imagine what the backend of the conversation looked like at home. The parent likely had no idea there was a rubric, just heard their student complaining about the grade...maybe not understanding some aspect of the assignment and therefore not understanding the grade, and so they email me, and then reassure their student that they're finding an answer for them.

But I'm trying to teach communication, so being asked "Did you see my mom's email?" when the student could have used the same breath to ask me the question they had themselves is a totally teachable moment! And I'm subtly, if not slightly passive-aggressively trying to use that moment. My parents used to make us make our own phone calls to schedule appointments, ask questions, etc. I HATED it. I think email is WAY less scary, but I see in today's 21st century world, kids hiding behind the keyboard of their parents much like I preferred my parents to make calls on my behalf. I needed to be taught, and at some point, it became less scary.

I can't imagine I'm that scary of a person...but if I am, then I'm the perfect person to practice on!

So yes students...I got your mom's email. Did YOU get my response?

Happy Trails,

Four Thoughts on Friday...

This week...was not great. Sometimes life comes at you from every angle and by today, when people were asking what they could do to help, my go to response became, "Can you make it Saturday? Because that's all that's going to help right now!" But in between the chaos and burnout and beating my head against the wall were small slivers of "everything is going to be OK." (J Word likes to follow that up with, 'You know why? Because it has to be!" This week didn't necessarily feel that way all the time...but like I said, there were small glimmers.

For example, have you ever read the book 'The Giver"? If not, you should...here's the quick rundown without giving away any of the ending. The book is set in a "utopia" where all things have been regulated and equalized. People don't see in color, don't remember pain and suffering, relinquish all decision making to committees and the government, and entrust all past memories of the world as it used to be to a Keeper of Memories. In the book, a new Keeper of Memories is selected and has to receive all the memories from "The Giver." This transfer happens through a kind of "dream" where the experience is passed between the old guy and the new guy.

Ok...that's not a very good summary...but here's where I'm going with it. These "dreams" are memories...just pure experiences. So it's not so much that he wakes up remembering a whole story that happened, but more that he wakes up suddenly remembering what it feels like to have sun shining on his face, or what it would be like to run through dewy grass. They're experiences.

So...back to my small, glittering hopes from the week. This morning I woke up at about 4:30 dreading the day ahead, and I tossed and turned for a while before finally dozing back off. And after dozing off I had a "dream." But it's not like I normally dream...which is to say it wasn't a little story that played out in my mind. This dream was very much just being part of a moment/experience part of dream. From 5:00AM to 6:00AM as I lay in bed asleep, I dreamed I was sitting on a sandy beach, wrapped up in a blanket with J Word, and we were watching the northern lights. That's it...the whole dream. That's all we did for the whole thing. No talking...nothing going on in the background...just us sitting and watching the northern lights. And when my alarm clock went off at 6:00AM, I woke up and thought, "That is the best dream I've ever had!!!"

The rest of the day was kind of a nightmare, but that dream was super perfect! And it was a small glimmer in what's been a ridiculous week.

1. I'm just trying to understand: J Word has been exceptionally understanding this week as I've ranted and raved and sometimes just decided not to talk because I was sick of talking to people in general. In fact, I will say beyond even this week, he does a pretty good job of understanding me on the whole...which is probably a good thing to say about the person you married. (Somewhere he might be sitting and reading this thinking I'm the most confusing person in the world and make absolutely no sense...in which case, he pretends to understand me really well!) ;) In any case, despite all that, along came this list this week that CLICK HERE identified 23 parts of the female experience that men will never understand. And I laughed because all women know #12 is true...and #14 was an active discussion at our house this week. So there is, at least, a little bit of truth to be told here!

2. Revealing your true self : It's almost time for Halloween, and that means it's almost time for Halloween costumes!! After abandoning the necessity or desire for a Halloween costume for most of my college years (I just never embraced the 'Slutty __(insert nurse/police officer/fire fighter/kitten/etc.) ____ trend), I've come to like it again now that I get to wear something goofy to school and be silly with grown-up friends. (And by grown up I mean past the slutty college costume phase.) This year J Word and I are doing a couples costume...stay tuned for that big reveal. And if you're still stumped as to what you might want to wear, then CLICK HERE for a few ideas for you/your significant other/the two of you together.

3. We need a 12 step program for this: Today there was another school shooting, bringing the total to three for the week. Today we also participated in an active shooter training for our district, and while it's good to be prepared, I couldn't help but think that it's insane that we need to be doing this. We have a gun problem in the US. Some people will say the guns aren't the problem, it's the people with the guns that are the problem...but the fact that those people have guns is a problem too...so really we have a problem with people and guns and...yeah...it's just all very messed up! Every time something like this happens, politicians and community leaders and activists and lobbyists all start screaming about whose fault it is and what we're going to do. Today I'll add my voice to the cacophony. We can't keep pretending that, because we need "good guys with guns" we should do nothing to keep "bad guys from getting guns." If the government has the right to tell a woman what she can/can't do with her body...they have the right to tell people who can/can't have a gun!

4. This song's been in my head all week. Then I read the lyrics and thought, this might be my anthem this week. So this one's dedicated to J Word, and here's to a better week ahead!

Happy Trails,

Four thoughts for the rest of the week...

Last week was Homecoming Week, and first thing after school on Friday, J Word and I hopped in the car to go visit friends "Off the Grid." (Ok...off the grid here really just means my cell phone didn't have reception. The rest of the weekend was far from off the grid.)

In any case, my four thoughts on Friday were (in this order...) 1. It's the Friday of Homecoming Week, what are we really going to get done today? 2. What is the revised schedule again? 3. Is my nose getting sunburned? (during the parade). 4. Is it 3:15 yet? Thus...I spared you any long musings on my feelings about Homecoming.

Having come out the other side of the week and the weekend however, there is plenty going on in the world on which to comment and reflect. Here are four thoughts for the rest of this week, piggy backing on thoughts from the week that was...

1. Just 'pope-ing' in: Pope Francis was in the United States this past weekend, where he did a great many things...among them addressing a joint session of Congress. During his address, members of both parties stood and applauded on numerous occasions as he discussed compassion, human dignity, integrity, and respect. This momentarily seemed like a bright spot of hope for a dysfunctional group of immature adults who spend more time bickering and posturing than doing any real good. For a minute I thought perhaps the Pope had touched on their common sense and decency.

...and yet, just hours later when House Speaker Boehner resigned, and the Twittersphere, Republican campaign trail, and 24 hour news cycle rejoice openly (and occasionally malicious/disrespectfully) it became immediately apparent that we had learned nothing.

**Author's Note: Weeks ago I wrote about my list of "I wish I didn't live in a world where..." observations. I'd like to add, "I wish I didn't live in a world where people sat and applauded a message of compassion, only the leave the room and show none of it." Hypocrites!

2. Can you pronounce what's in your food?: J Word and I eat pretty healthily. Partly this happens out of necessity. It's much easier to accommodate gluten free eating when you're sticking to organic...minimally processed...grow it yourself in the backyard...kinds of foods. Beyond that, however, I've always preferred to "eat clean" as opposed to eating a lot of processed foods. The best way to start clean eating (at least how it was introduced to me) is just to eat foods with an ingredients list of items you can pronounce, and understand what purpose they serve in your food. It's not a perfect system...but it's a good start!

So when I saw this article (CLICK HERE) that shows exactly what each of the ingredients in some popular "junky" kinds of food look like, I was intrigued. I mean...Cool Ranch Doritos includes an ingredient called "blue." I know what blue is...conceptually I understand it...now I can see it...but I'm pretty sure it doesn't count as clean. See the 40 ingredients in chicken mcnuggets below!

3. My child is gifted... : As a teacher, I get this line...if not a lot, at least more than is actually accurate. And there's no politically correct way to say, "No, your child is not!" And thus, such conversations become were tricky and sensitive. What's not tricky and sensitive, insisting a child is not a prodigy, as point out by this article CLICK HERE from Yahoo! News, which explains just what child prodigies look and act like. I'll give you a hint. I'm not a prodigy...you probably don't know a prodigy...prodigy are VERY smart and also VERY rare. A perfect ACT score does not make you a prodigy. A high IQ score doesn't make you a prodigy. So what makes you a prodigy? Read the article to find out! ;)

4. Don't Google 'Google Working Conditions' : Really...you can if you want to. I have no idea what really comes up if you do. I do know that Google has repeatedly been named one of the best companies to work for. Then again...I also know two people who had jobs at Google and left because they hated it. So take each opinion for what it's worth...and opinion! This story CLICK HERE provides a little more perspective on the situation. And, if you've never heard "the bad" or "the ugly" side of the "Is it worth it to work for Google" debate, it may be rather enlightening.

I'll also use this opportunity to remind you that I've previously written about the book "The Circle," which could probably be alternatively title "What it's Going to be like to Work at Google in the Next 20 Years." It's a good read! Pick it up if you're looking for a new title!

That's all for Wednesday. Happy mid-week. Here's to sliding into the weekend! (Almost...not quite yet...halfway there...)

Happy Trails,

Why I High Five Little Kids at Road Races...

When I was training for my first marathon, I read an article from an esteemed cross country coach who talked about what he would tell his runner's when they decided they wanted to run a marathon. There was some good advice mixed in with his personal anecdotes, but one thing I remember reading and immediately disagreeing with was his assertion that, while running a marathon, you should not high five the little kids lined up watching the race.

If you've never been to a marathon or a long distance road race before, let me explain. Generally, at some point on the course, there will be kids out cheering with their parents...or cheering for their parents. And generally, at one or more of these locations, those kids will hold out their hands towards the runners going by looking for a high five. Prior to my marathon, I had seen this at every half marathon I'd run, and I had given a lot of little high fives as I'd gone running by. But here, in regards to the marathon distance, the respected coach said no...no more high fives.

His reasoning, I thought, was well intentioned, but also rather stupid. He contended that in a marathon, the runner needed every extra ounce of energy they could muster. While at mile 5 you may feel like you have extra energy to zig-zag across the road hitting outstretched hands, by mile 23 you needed to be running within yourself...focused...not expending extra energy...focused on you.

That's true to a point. At the Chicago Marathon in 2013, I ran so "within myself" that I completely missed the people that had actually come to cheer for me and trekked around the course to see me run. I was focused, and 'in the zone', and that was a good thing...to an extent.

But here's the other thing I've found to be true of my distance running, while you need all the energy you can personally muster, you also need to feed off the energy that the race offers you. The people who come out to cheer for a road race like a marathon, bring a lot of energy! They're cheering, and waving signs, and ringing cowbells, and playing music, and volunteering to offer you cups of water and Gatorade, all so that you can feel good and find that extra push to make it to the finish line.

There are times and places in this world when running up to a stranger holding "Free High Fives" sign in the middle of crowded Chicago might seem like a bad idea. The Chicago Marathon is not one of them!

...especially if it's a kid!

I mean think about it. Here's a kid, who's been taken to stand on the side of the road all morning and watch sweaty strangers run past looking for the one person he/she might know, and instead of getting bored, or complaining to their parents, or playing on an iPhone, they've chosen to stand there with their hand out trying to get a high five. Why? Because they think you're cool! Because they think it's a big deal when one of the runners gives them a high five! You know who else kids line up for to give high fives? Celebrities! Famous athletes! You know what else gets kids excited about standing on the side of the road for hours at a time? People who throw candy from parade floats. If you're running a marathon and you see a kid hold out their hand for a high five...you have reached the level of celebrity/famous athlete/candy thrower. And if you deny them that high five, you're just as bad as those full of themselves pro-athletes who ignore the fan lines after/before the game.

Last weekend was the Med City Fall Half Marathon. The course was lovely, but didn't run through a lot of populated areas, and there wasn't much of a crowd. In fact, by the back half of the race, the racers themselves were pretty spread out along the course, and much of the time I felt more like I was out on a long run by myself then in the middle of a race. But every now and again, there'd be a neighborhood, or a family of a fellow runner, or just some Sunday strollers along the route who would clap and whoop and holler. And three times, little groups of kids excitedly held out their hands waiting to see if they could snag a high five. I felt good on Saturday...ran my fastest race in two years...and had no problem moving over to slap palms. But I'd like to think that even if I was struggling, I'd do the same.

Because here's the thing. Sometimes I feel so good during a race that I'm zig-zagging all over the road going for every high five I can because, "Heck yes! This is awesome!" Other times, I feel so bad during the race that I'm literally looking for someone to give me a high five so that I don't feel like I'm going to die, and it feels like what I'm doing is fun and cool and athletic as opposed to just incredibly stupid. But whether or not I make it to every hand or not, I always appreciate the people who stand there and offer them. Because if you think about it, the only thing about as crazy as signing up to run 26 miles, is voluntarily standing on the side of the road watching people run 26 miles and high fiving them!

 Happy Trails,

Four Thoughts for Friday

It was a taper week this week, coming off a weekend during which I had an EXCELLENT long run. Either I'm ready to race on Sunday, or I gave up my best run last Saturday. Time will tell...but taper week is always a good time, and it came at a good time as this week was a little bit crazy. I kept telling J Word it would be nice when school started and we got back to a more normal routine. I'm in a normal routine as far as my alarm clock going off routinely (and far too early) every morning. But as for life away from school...things haven't really settled down.

Fortunately, there are some things that help keep the chaos at bay. First, J Word is awesome, so there's always that to come home to. Secondly, this week I experimented with online grocery shopping, which you can read more about in my first Friday thought below. Thirdly, most of the 'chaos' is actually stuff that's fun and relaxing, so it doesn't feel all that overwhelming (until my alarm goes off at 6am the next morning!) 

So weekends are always appreciated...and race weekends are always special...so this weekend is bound to be a memorable one in some way or another! And to kick the whole thing off, here are four things to be thinking about!

1. The aforementioned online grocery shopping experience: Here's the situation. We're not talking about Market Day, or the Schwann's man, or Peapod, or any of the online grocery/food delivery services that have popped up recently. The Hy-Vee chain, and the Hy-Vee that I shop at have a new program called "aisles," which is online shopping from the actual store itself, which you can then pick up after it's all been retrieved for you by a "personal shopper." I was curious. I mean...would I really never have to spend an extra 45 minutes wandering the grocery store buying things I didn't need and trying to think up my weekly menu based on what struck me in the moment.

Here's how it went down. I placed my order Wednesday morning before school started. I logged onto my grocery store account, and because I'm part of their customer shopping points card, they already had populated a list of my most frequently purchased items for me to begin choosing from. I could also search items from their full online inventory. All and all, I put my shopping cart together in about 5 minutes, and proceeded to the checkout where they asked for my credit card information, and what time I'd like to pick up my order. Easy peasy! I might never shop in a story again!

There were, however, some things I was leary about in this online shopping experience. First...produce. I'm picky about my produce. J Word hates having green bananas that have to ripen on the counter. Sometimes I want a peach that's ready to eat right now...other times I won't want/need it for a day or two. Sometimes I need a HUGE onion, other times a smaller one works fine. There aren't ways to specify these needs except for a "comments for your shopper" box on the final order page. And I feel like leaving a TON of comments for your personal shopper beyond, "Thank you!" just makes you that really needy, really annoying, really should probably be buying their own groceries in the store, kind of person.

Secondly, I was worried about gluten free shopping as I generally have to check over a lot of ingredients labels to make sure everything is safe. Fortunately, there was a gluten free filter on the product search, which was helpful. The one comment I did have to leave for the personal shopper was to please check that the box of Cheerios they selected was the new gluten free variety and not the old ones.

Lastly, I thought of about 5 things I should have added to my list after I placed my order. Hy-Vee says they can accommodate this if you just go into the store and purchase the extra items while your order is being loaded into your car...but that kind of defeats the purpose of not having to go into the store in the first place. I suppose you could also place a second order if need be and pick the up at the same time?

All and all...here are my final thoughts on the subject. I like the concept...and I'll probably use it again, but probably not every time I grocery shop. Unless I could get really efficient at meal planning, or really decisive in what I want to eat for a week in advance, I'll probably always feel a little compelled to run through the store and grab what looks good/in season/on sale/etc. However, when time is running short, and I need a few things in a hurry, it was SUPER convenient to drive up, call the service number and let them know I was here, and have the bags brought out to me. Very convenient. Kudos Hy-Vee!

2. This whole thing is about to go nuclear: There's been lots in the news about the Iran Nuclear Deal and whether or not it will (or should) be passed. can we all just pause for a moment, however, and talk about the really weird things that have gone on regarding nuclear science since the history of...well...nuclear science. The list (CLICK HERE) of the top 10 nuclear mysteries is spooky, and as an English/Humanities minded person, who only just got through high school physics with a B because I just wasn't that interested nor did I care about any class not AP or English at that point in my senior year, I think my current stance on nuclear weapons, warheads, Iranian deals, etc. is going to be, "Wouldn't you rather just go have a cup of coffee and discuss literature for awhile?"

3. Viva la bella vida, and other things I made up in Italian: This week J Word and I booked our plane tickets for Italy next summer!!!! This is super exciting, and I'm pumped to start planning the rest of the details (though we have a plane ticket, and an apartment rental in the Cinque Terra for a full week, so really all I need now is a swimsuit, bottle of wine, and some pasta!). I had this great idea this summer that I was going to use Duolingo to start learning Italian...and I did really well for the first couple weeks, and then things kind of went to the wayside. But I should get back on it because 1. Now our plane tickets are booked, and 2. Italian just has some amazing words in it that English can't match! CLICK HERE.

4. The people running for president should be called "hopeless" not "hopefuls: This week the Republican conglomerate held their second debate...and I resigned myself not to write about politics on my blog because, "If you can't say anything nice..." So instead I'll talk about a political story I do like: Stephen Colbert, who's actually doing far less politics now that he's moved over to the Late Show...but still has excellent quotability in regards to all things human! CLICK HERE

That's it! On to the weekend. The weather here looks perfect as fall is coming into full swing! Enjoy, and as always...

Happy Trails, 

From the Director's Chair...Auditions

Play auditions start tonight for our fall production 'Fools,' and I am both pumped, and a little stressed about how things are going to go.

There are two things that first cross my mind when choosing a show:
1. How many kids are in the cast? (Sub-question: Will I have that many kids audition?)
2. Do I have the right kids to do the show? ("Right" here meaning ratio males/females, vocal parts/ability if it is a musical, etc. etc.)

After that, I can start to think about whether or not the show is any good, will it be a good experience for the actors/audience, and all those content kinds of questions. But first, I have to figure out if I even have the manpower to consider it. There's actually a second phase to that manpower question, and that happens after I've already answered the question for myself. That happens tonight at auditions. Did I guess right, or did I come out way wrong?!

I've been right, and I've had to get very creative with my casting before. In both cases, the show has gone on, though one with considerably less stress and tension than the other.

That's why I've always like 'Fools,' and I've considered doing it just about every show cycle! The cast is manageable, and the character parts are approachable for kids. You have to have a few strong leads (which I generally do), and there are parts for kids to grow into. I thought this would be a great year to do it because we'd have a couple core seniors/juniors, with lots of room for freshmen and sophomores to grow into their parts and the program. And then the unexpected happened...

A LOT of kids showed up for the informational meeting! And by A LOT, I mean three times as many kids as I have parts for. This is an AMAZING problem to have! There's excitement about theatre and the performing arts, and that's exciting. What's not exciting is thinking about posting a cast list that doesn't have room for everyone to participate.

There is the off chance that not every at the meeting will come and audition. I don't "wish" for that to happen because, like I said, I do want kids to be excited about theatre...though it would solve my casting problem. I also like the fact that more people harbors a little more of a feeling of urgency and competition in the audition process, which will hopefully encourage kids to step up and bring their A-Game. As someone cut from the first play they auditioned for, however, I know that that "pressure" can make people's performances go the other way too. It's a catch 22...but it's my catch 22 to deal with.

It's a great show. I'm excited to direct it, and I'm excited for the kids that will get to be a part of it. What I'm not excited for is the next three nights, and having to decide who those kids are going to be!

Happy Trails,

PS...Though I've never liked the audition process, nothing will compare to the 'Cinderella' auditions, and having to tell 20 high school girls they weren't princesses. (Which I hated almost as much as having to narrow down a pool of 25 elementary school students to 2 little girls for the 'Sound of Music') You know what...on second thought...tonight will be fine! ;)

Four Thoughts for...the night before Friday!

It's back to school week and that means chaos! It also means that I've finally been forced into adjusting my sleep schedule out of summer mode...which has happened reluctantly, as I definitely function best when allowed to sleep 12:00am to 8:45am instead of 10:30pm to 6:00am.

On top of going back to school, J Word and I also spent Labor Day weekend at home, re-homed our dog, celebrated my birthday, among normal life.

I know...I know...play me the world's smallest violin! All I'm really saying is, I'm glad it's Friday! And here are four reasons you should be too.

1. Football kicks off tonight, which means it rolls through the whole weekend, and I find football to be the perfect counterpoint to stressful weeks of school! This past weekend J Word and I had two fantasy football drafts, one for my family league, and the other with a conglomerate of friends from Rochester. My fantasy teams are probably super screwed up. My Green Bay Packers, however, are golden! Bonus points because they play at noon on Sunday, which is a game I can watch. (As opposed to the Vikings who play at (9:30 Monday night...therefore begging me to sleep through the game!) ;)

2. Also in sporting news this week/weekend, the US Open. I think if I had to name a favorite female athlete, I'd go with Serena Williams because she is just amazing at what she does. Plus...she agrees with me about keeping a reasonable sleep schedule, and that's just sensible.

 

3. I showed this as my motivational moment for the first day of school. Enjoy...and see if you agree. 

 

 4. Sometimes when the week is in chaos...you just need something to feel like it's back in order! CLICK HERE. You'll love it...I promise! 

Go...fight...win the weekend! 

Happy Trails,