Category Archives: Blog

Of Slugs VI

October 7, 2020 By in Blog, General Tags: , Leave a comment

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Hits or what I’ve called them continues.
Like I said before, girls can pack a wallop too.

I was working at a middle-school as a substitute for one of the two vice-principals and charged with routine student discipline and supervision duties. It had been a slow with zero territorial disputes in the lunchroom or other places. It’s indeed a rare day to have no disruption referrals in a school of nearly 600 students. I had made my last roam the halls observations and was typing my report to the regular VP before going outside for bus duty.

There was shouting from the school counselor area and I rushed there. The regular VP was already there and asked me to take the shouting girl to my workspace so he could find out what was happening without the seventh-grade girl interrupting.

The shouting was about her not willing to give up her cellphone, which was strictly forbidden for students to have in those days. She had claimed to the counselor that she’d tossed it to a friend when escorted by security from her classroom. Men, of course didn’t do girl searches, and she’d vehemently refused to allow the woman counselor to do that.

There’s more to the story than I care to or should tell here, but she broke loose several times and flailed her arms when the VP and I were attempting to escort her to the bus. For those who wonder why two men could not restrain a non-compliant seventh-grade girl, try it some time.

In the aftermath, the school secretary said something like, “boy, she sure laid one on you.”

I felt a blow, but thought it was just from her random flailing. The swelling was evident when I looked in a mirror and touched the spot. The closed-circuit hallway video showed her taking an aimed punch at my face.

There was legal action initiated, and there is a ‘rest of the story’ but not for the public.

Slug stories related to classroom incidents have come to an end, or so I think at this time.

From Iniquities of the Fathers: A story of Illusions and Deceptions:

There were no letters that Levi knew of while they were at Vanport; his mother refused him permission to write to Lillie or Adam. Nearly every time his mother went to the store, she brought back newspapers for him. After he finished reading them and marking in his atlas, Levi stuffed them into cracks in the shed walls to help keep out the cold winds.

Of Slugs IV

September 23, 2020 By in Blog Tags: , , Leave a comment

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Again already – the slug series within the school series! Definition for slug used in the junior high school story here –a heavy blow especially with the fist.
Like I said, the junior high school where these things happened won’t be mentioned1Those who know me probably know anyway. … and remember I said characters are composites, but incidents are true.

First period was about to start, students were milling around waiting for the bell, and I was readying my paperwork to take role. The bell rings for about 10 seconds – enough time for them to get into their places. One student, not usually late, burst through the open door. A boy I recognize from having been in my class the year before and should be at the high school grabs him from behind and shoves him to the floor.

I’m at the far side of the room so it takes me a bit of time to get to where the one shoved has stood up and starting to punch at the older boy. No punch lands before I get there and do an around the upper arms restraint from the back of the high school student. He wrestles free and grabs the boy from my class, but I got the grip again.

As I’m being bounced around by the larger than me boy, Paul from “Of Slugs III” calls the school office from the wall phone. Another student moves in to help me restrain the high school kid. He gets kicked.

Had this been a student to student fight, there would be yelling and cheering. I was too busy to realize that the boys in the room, except for the participants and the one trying to help me, were silent in wonderment or confusion about what was going on.

Even being restrained, the high schooler kept after his target, dragging me with him. He was a little over 6 ft. and probably 220 lbs. to my 5’8”, 170 lbs. I managed to get him into a corner, or he managed go get me there with my back to the wall.

The student from my class, nearly the size of the older boy, who was trying to help took a swing at the intruder, but the older boy ducked, and I got slugged.

Within seconds of the principal, assistant principal, and another teacher getting there, it was over. I never expected to get hit by a student and the student could say he slugged a teacher and didn’t get into trouble.

Later, I learned that the attacked student in my class had made the mistake of looking like his older brother who had asked the high school student’s girlfriend for a date.

The attacking boy was suspended for a week, about the same amount of time the burse on my jaw lasted.

There are two more school related slug stories. They will probably be posted next, but I advise you to not risk the farm on that.

From Iniquities of the Fathers: A story of Illusions and Deceptions: “Levi had never planned to join his father in the cemetery. He only intended to leave his rucksack and atlas, his past, his illusions, his shame, his guilt, and his nightmares on his father’s footstone.”

Opinions

September 1, 2020 By in Blog Tags: , , , Leave a comment

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Another thought I’ve had for repurposing this blog. Opinions! If expression of such becomes the purpose, what opinions and with whom do I want to agree or disagree? Should I just spout my own opinions and be ready to defend (justify) (uphold) (rationalize) (etc.). How should I react to rebuttals or challenges?

Remember Neville Chamberlain who served as British prime minister from 1937 to 1940 and is best known for his policy of “appeasement” toward Adolf Hitler’s Germany. I don’t remember him. I was just two-years-old when he signed the Munich Agreement in 1938, relinquishing a region of Czechoslovakia to the Nazis.

Before you read anything into the previous paragraph, take mind that it’s not an opinion. It’s historical fact. An opinion could be a statement about why he did what he did. It seems, no it’s documented, that his successor Winston Churchill expressed many opinions about the issue. One was, “You were given the choice between war and dishonor. You chose dishonor and you will have war.” ((https://www.military-history.org/articles/winston-churchill-quotes.))

I read or heard somewhere, “Everyone has a right to my opinion.” So, does my apply to me and does the category of everyone apply to you? At this point in time, I must consider characterization of specific criteria for beliefs and that urgent consideration might be applied to overriding presentation constraints of covert and overt opinions.

On most days and with most people, I’d rather discuss the weather. It is an issue over which no human has control, ((In some circles that’s an opinion, I think, er – believe, ah…)) but conversations often get to side issues relating to the result of weather. Those issues far too often bring out the, “They should have, they could have, why didn’t… etc.,” comments.

I really miss reading Mike Royko, William F. Buckley Jr., and William Raspberry. I did not always share their opinion(s) but their presentation(s) of tough issues are worth modeling. In my opinion, I’m woefully unprepared to emulate their level of thinking or work.

So, I may slip in an opinion now and then, but I’m quite certain I’ll not focus on opinion as a category for continuation of this blog.

Communications

August 30, 2020 By in Blog Leave a comment

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Communications came to mind when I had thoughts about repurposing this site and blog. What and to whom do I want to communicate? I’ve not yet made that decision.

Revisions of the format are part of my repurposing. Thus, I’ve decided to use what you see here. One reason for this theme is that it is one column – some readers with different monitors said the two-column format made reading difficult.

So, the format has been decided. But I have some work to do on the content of the pages.

Back to communications: Years ago, my duties included communicating information to and about several departments of the place I worked. Meetings that occurred the same time and place during the workweek were routine and always included in the general bulletin. In fact, they were so routine, that most didn’t have to read the announcement – they just showed up for the meetings.

My boss sent me a note for general distribution through the bulletin – I did his bidding. I announced his being out of the area and cancelation of a meeting he chaired. Several showed up. Someone said something about my not letting everyone know. I admit being a little snarky when I told that person it wasn’t in my job description to contact each person individually and orally repeat what was routinely in the e-mail or posted bulletin.

A section leader told my boss and he told me about something that hadn’t been included in the bulletin. That section leader had never told me – he’d asked someone else to let me know and that person didn’t relay the message.

I recall hearing the coach of a minor sport talking to a local newspaper reporter covering another sport about a significant event at a game not being mentioned in the paper. The reporter asked if the paper had been contacted about it, to which the coach said everyone should have known.

Communication is a two-way process. It has senders, receivers, as well as wanted and unwanted filters. Those filters, especially the unwanted could be a standalone dissertation or a series of presentations.

Just who is responsible for successful communication?

Perhaps I’ll choose that question for repurposing this blog.
We’ll see.

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