Adults are enamored of committees. This year, I am a member of the District Literacy Committee, the Literacy Committee subgroup (to develop a plan for the Literacy Committee), the Literacy Committee book study group (to report back to the Literacy Committee on the books we read) and the school-specific Literacy Committee. Confused yet? Me too.
I understand the necessity of forming small groups of like-minded people to both study a problem/issue and to take action on it. However, sometimes it gets a little overwhelming. While it's all for a good cause (Literacy, for goodness sake!), I often feel that I'm meeting more than I'm doing, but I'm glad to be a part of something bigger than anything I could do by myself. Meeting adjourned.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Hunger in Kansas City
From the Sunday, November 25 edition of The Kansas City Star,
“When you provide food to a child, you are providing much more than a simple meal,” said Karen Haren, president and CEO of Harvesters. “Your gift is an investment in that child’s health, ability to do well in school and grow into someone who contributes to our community.”
Hunger is a real problem in Kansas City, the United States and the world. Just because it is the holiday season doesn't mean it's worse for homeless and hungry, but it's a good marketing opportunity for food banks and homeless shelters--a time when people are feeling their most generous. the Star followed Darius Bryant, a formerly homeless person who is now a college student. They told his story as only a home-town newspaper could, by letting him do the talking.
What I wonder is how this can happen in America today? With a general population that is so connected, so in-touch with each other, how do people like Bryant slip through the cracks? It would be great to have someone to blame, someone or something to point a finger at and say--there's the problem! But I think we'd all be lying to ourselves if we didn't point that same finger inward and say, there's the problem, it's with me!
I've volunteered at Harvesters (see quote above), but usually only when I had to for Kauffman Scholars or for work. I always take my kids with me and we always feel good following our work there, but I don't do it on a regular basis. Why not? Am I selfish, uncaring, unfeeling? I see kids coming to school with no breakfast, with no showers because their water got cut off, not eating lunch because they can't afford it. I've shared my lunch, I've directed students toward agencies that can help their families. But is that enough? Am I doing all I can? If people like Bryant exist, then clearly the answer is no.
What do you think? What have you done to help the cause of hunger in Kansas City, KS? What else can you do?
“When you provide food to a child, you are providing much more than a simple meal,” said Karen Haren, president and CEO of Harvesters. “Your gift is an investment in that child’s health, ability to do well in school and grow into someone who contributes to our community.”
Hunger is a real problem in Kansas City, the United States and the world. Just because it is the holiday season doesn't mean it's worse for homeless and hungry, but it's a good marketing opportunity for food banks and homeless shelters--a time when people are feeling their most generous. the Star followed Darius Bryant, a formerly homeless person who is now a college student. They told his story as only a home-town newspaper could, by letting him do the talking.
What I wonder is how this can happen in America today? With a general population that is so connected, so in-touch with each other, how do people like Bryant slip through the cracks? It would be great to have someone to blame, someone or something to point a finger at and say--there's the problem! But I think we'd all be lying to ourselves if we didn't point that same finger inward and say, there's the problem, it's with me!
I've volunteered at Harvesters (see quote above), but usually only when I had to for Kauffman Scholars or for work. I always take my kids with me and we always feel good following our work there, but I don't do it on a regular basis. Why not? Am I selfish, uncaring, unfeeling? I see kids coming to school with no breakfast, with no showers because their water got cut off, not eating lunch because they can't afford it. I've shared my lunch, I've directed students toward agencies that can help their families. But is that enough? Am I doing all I can? If people like Bryant exist, then clearly the answer is no.
What do you think? What have you done to help the cause of hunger in Kansas City, KS? What else can you do?
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Romeo and Juliet
So, the freshmen are working on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and as usual, I ended up talking to my own children about my experiences with them. We have the most interesting conversations and this time they gave me some good feedback about general presuppositions about the play and the usefulness of Shakespeare in general.
My son, a seventh grader, was able to summarize the basic plot and wanted to know why Romeo and Juliet ended up killing themselves. Did their deaths, he wanted to know, prove their love? How did that make sense? And, do people really do that? I had to tell him yes, people really do that, but no, it didn't make any sense to me.
In fact, by the end of our unit, I am usually ready to kill both Romeo and Juliet myself. Two more whiny, irresponsible people I have never known. I just can't stand them after "hearing" them moan about their impossible love multiple times a day. The magic of Shakespeare is that they seem like real people to me. And I care enough to be mad at them.
Good authors, of whatever age, make you care. Even if you don't like the characters, even if you think the plot or the situation is crazy--you care.
My son, a seventh grader, was able to summarize the basic plot and wanted to know why Romeo and Juliet ended up killing themselves. Did their deaths, he wanted to know, prove their love? How did that make sense? And, do people really do that? I had to tell him yes, people really do that, but no, it didn't make any sense to me.
In fact, by the end of our unit, I am usually ready to kill both Romeo and Juliet myself. Two more whiny, irresponsible people I have never known. I just can't stand them after "hearing" them moan about their impossible love multiple times a day. The magic of Shakespeare is that they seem like real people to me. And I care enough to be mad at them.
Good authors, of whatever age, make you care. Even if you don't like the characters, even if you think the plot or the situation is crazy--you care.
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