Every time I watch "Extreme Home Makeover," I have to explain to my son that sometimes people cry when they're really happy. "Are you happy?" he asks, "because you don't look happy right now."
Well, son, that's because I need to stop watching this show, which is as bad as a series of Hallmark TV movies, leaving my face all swollen and puffy and our home totally devoid of tissues. I like that show, it inspires me in a much more positive way than say... "Intervention."
I like Intervention, too, for far from altruistic reasons! It's because, like most people who watch it, it makes me feel better about myself. No matter how tough things may seem in my on life, I can always tell myself "Well, damn, woman! At least, your life isn't as horrible as that person's!" I know, that's terrible, isn't it? (And you've never thought the same thing? Riiiiight!)
I prefer Extreme Home Makeover because the homeowners are often people going out of their way to help others in spite of their own diversity. It tends to makes me feel small, petty, and in need of a good kick in the nether regions. The episode I watched today was definitely one of those that kicked me in the parts!
It started off being about a family with three children, the youngest two were twins who were born with severe challenges. One couldn't walk without using a small walker and seemed to have some mental challenges, the other boy had hearing and eyesight problems - but both were extremely cheerful, as the challenged usually are (which makes me feel like an even bigger horse's ass since I suffer from none of those challenges and spend far too much time moping or being pissed off over trivial things).
What made this episode extra special, as if those two boys weren't enough, was that several of the builders of their new home had disabilities, yet were climbing in and out of heavy equipment, ladders, etc... being far more agile than I have been in ages... me, with all my fully functioning limbs.
The person who really got to me was one of the volunteers from the town. He had cerebral palsy and could only walk with crutches, but was the first to tell you that the words "I can't" are not in his vocabulary. This man had been told by doctors that he would never walk, get married, or have children. He shared this as he stood there on his crutches, next to his wife and children.
I've been down in the dumps of late and having a difficult time shaking it off. This man made me feel so... ridiculous. The challenges I face are all ones that I could fix myself if I simply tried harder. The challenges this man faces each day will still be there every day of his life. My biggest problem, like many of us, is that I am simply don't want to make the extra effort and after watching this man today, I felt ashamed of myself.
Mahatma Gandhi said "Be the difference you want to see in the world."
It took a TV show for me to finally get it. What can I say, I am not always the sharpest crayon in the box... but I get there.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Your Kid vs. a Box of Birds? (Who's smarter?)
I was walking in to the office this morning when I noticed a sign above a parking spot. I then noticed a sign on a glass door, next to the parking lot, that said the same thing. This took place in a parking lot that I don't use very often, but often enough that I should have noticed these signs before. I thought they might be new, but everyone in the office says that they've been there for quite awhile.
The signs read, "The Office of the Adequate Education Suruhanu."
For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, Suruhanu is actually a Spanish word that means "herb doctor," and to be honest I have never understood why this office would have the word Suruhanu attached to it, but there you go. What really caught my eye was the word "adequate," a word I was shocked to see used in connection with the word education.
This office is the Governor's liaison with the local Education system on Guam. I don't understand everything this office is responsible for but do know that this is the office that makes sure that Guam's academic expectations are being upheld. One would expect to see the words "Outstanding Education" or "Satisfactory Education" in the title, certainly not "Adequate Education!"
To me, adequate means just enough to get by. Right? Isn't that what it means to you? Not perfect or great or heaps, but just enough. I don't like thinking that my son is getting "just enough" education to get by. What the hell does that mean anyway and exactly where are our expectations aimed? Good lord, even McDonald's hopes their employees will do a bit more than "just enough."
According to Merriam-Webster, adequate means sufficient for a specific requirement; barely sufficient or satisfactory; or, may imply barely meeting a requirement. None of those sound very good, do they? They certainly don't sound like words or phrases I'd want associated with the type of education my son is receiving at public school.
The mission statement of the island's Department of Education is "Prepares all Students for Life, Promotes Excellence, and Provides Support." How exactly do you promote excellence when you're only planning to be adequate? Sounds like someone is going to be needing a lot of support if attaining adequacy is the level of commitment to achieving excellence!
I often use the phrase "cream rises to the top" when talking about Guam's public school system. I remind people that Commander Willie McCool also went through public school on Guam and he grew up to become an astronaut who flew spaceships for a living. Not bad for a Guam educated kid! I also went through Guam's public school system and I'm a pretty smart cookie, if I do say so myself. One of my classmates is a nuclear physicist and another has a PhD and has become a multibillionaire through telecommunications. All publicly educated and not too shabby!
But still, I think we should be very careful of the words we use. If you keep telling a child they're not good enough, eventually, they'll believe you. If we only expect our children to be adequately educated, that's what we're going to get and that's all our children will ever be, adequate. Just good enough to skate by. Just barely meeting the requirement. Doesn't sound like Harvard material to me, or Berkley, or University of Oregon or even the University of Guam, for that matter.
Personally, I think our children deserve more than that.
The signs read, "The Office of the Adequate Education Suruhanu."
For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, Suruhanu is actually a Spanish word that means "herb doctor," and to be honest I have never understood why this office would have the word Suruhanu attached to it, but there you go. What really caught my eye was the word "adequate," a word I was shocked to see used in connection with the word education.
This office is the Governor's liaison with the local Education system on Guam. I don't understand everything this office is responsible for but do know that this is the office that makes sure that Guam's academic expectations are being upheld. One would expect to see the words "Outstanding Education" or "Satisfactory Education" in the title, certainly not "Adequate Education!"
To me, adequate means just enough to get by. Right? Isn't that what it means to you? Not perfect or great or heaps, but just enough. I don't like thinking that my son is getting "just enough" education to get by. What the hell does that mean anyway and exactly where are our expectations aimed? Good lord, even McDonald's hopes their employees will do a bit more than "just enough."
According to Merriam-Webster, adequate means sufficient for a specific requirement; barely sufficient or satisfactory; or, may imply barely meeting a requirement. None of those sound very good, do they? They certainly don't sound like words or phrases I'd want associated with the type of education my son is receiving at public school.
The mission statement of the island's Department of Education is "Prepares all Students for Life, Promotes Excellence, and Provides Support." How exactly do you promote excellence when you're only planning to be adequate? Sounds like someone is going to be needing a lot of support if attaining adequacy is the level of commitment to achieving excellence!
I often use the phrase "cream rises to the top" when talking about Guam's public school system. I remind people that Commander Willie McCool also went through public school on Guam and he grew up to become an astronaut who flew spaceships for a living. Not bad for a Guam educated kid! I also went through Guam's public school system and I'm a pretty smart cookie, if I do say so myself. One of my classmates is a nuclear physicist and another has a PhD and has become a multibillionaire through telecommunications. All publicly educated and not too shabby!
But still, I think we should be very careful of the words we use. If you keep telling a child they're not good enough, eventually, they'll believe you. If we only expect our children to be adequately educated, that's what we're going to get and that's all our children will ever be, adequate. Just good enough to skate by. Just barely meeting the requirement. Doesn't sound like Harvard material to me, or Berkley, or University of Oregon or even the University of Guam, for that matter.
Personally, I think our children deserve more than that.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
The Queen of Facebook
I won't say who, but I have recently been made the administrator of a public official's Facebook page. This is a subject of some amusement to myself and my friends, since it means I am now technically paid to be on Facebook. I think that's hilarious and am naturally milking it for all its worth!
Facebook has turned in to quite an amazing critter over the last few months, surpassing MySpace to the extent one rarely hears it mentioned anymore. These days, I hear Facebook and associated phrases used on TV and in movies all the time. Classic example is the breath mint commercial where the young man offers a variety of people a mint, proclaiming "Friend Request Accepted" each time someone takes the proffered mint and "Friend Request Denied" when a big, musclebound, macho man acts like he's going to smack the guy for offering him a sweet.
Originally created as a social networking program for college students, Facebook has grown to the point where its millions of global users run the age gamut from 13 years old (the minimum age to open an account) to.... well, at least, 74 years old, which is how old my Uncle Richard is and he has an account. Families are now commonly networked through FB, sometimes to their detriment. There was a recent news report about how parents and children may want to reconsider being FB friends, as the father of the story got "unfriended" by his son because he kept posting embarrassing photos of the kid being potty trained. Not cool, Dad!
I do believe that it is important that businesses take advantage of Facebook, as it has become a highly effective tool for raising awareness about products and services. This includes encouraging employees to use FB, even at work. (YES! yell all my FB addicted friends.) However, I do not mean be on FB to the extent that work no longer gets done! (I'm a proponent of FB, not a crazy bag lady! Yet.)
I recently had a client that liked me to physically work in their offices but did not like me being on Facebook one bit, despite the fact my work was always completed on time and done well. My client was part of the hospitality industry on Guahan, a business that can be severely affected by natural disasters and unexpected occurrences. Tourism and the hospitality industry are the number one employers of Guahan's workforce and contribute to 60% of our island's economy... so you can see where anything affecting tourism would be a big deal to us.
One day, the marketing manager asked me to begin preparing a press release because Guahan had just confirmed its first case of H1N1 flu. It was kept very hush-hush, even within the office, because of the potential for tourists to freak once word got out. A press conference was scheduled for 4 pm that day by Guam's health department, where the big announcement would be made in a quietly professional manner. Except it didn't turn out that way.
By 2 pm, the news of Guahan's first case of H1N1 was all over Facebook and because, I, myself, am all over FB, I was able to notify my client that the cat was out of the bag. Needless to say, that client never underestimated the importance of FB again or the potential of having an observant person scanning it regularly. In fact, by the following week, the marketing manager and deputy general manager both had their own FB pages as did the company as a whole.
Facebook is obviously a powerful tool and if not used carefully, can come back to bite you on your behind! I know this firsthand, as I posted a sarcastic remark in my early days as a FB user that was misunderstood and nearly cost me a lucrative new client! Be very careful what you post, because you never know who is reading your Facebook entries.
As an example, someone I know posted negative comments about her co-workers on her Facebook page, to which I added a comment of my own. However, this person was unaware that her employer is also friend of mine and is in my friend list, meaning the employer can read what I write, regardless of whose page its on. You can see where this is going, right? You gotta be careful, people!
Facebook is mostly used for positive exchange between people, most of whom will list "hooking up with old friends" as one of the main pleasures gained from the social networking site. Sadly, there are those out there who use FB for lower purposes, as a way to ridicule people, spread ignorance, or to profit negatively from a site that was designed for positive communication.
More recently, a person that I do not know well began posting very insulting comments about my co-workers and I, writing these negative statements in such a way as to include all the staff in our office. This included me, and truthfully, I have only ever met this person once and don't even remember the occasion. These nasty postings continued for several weeks and on a variety of mutual friend's pages, where I could clearly see what she was writing.
After working in the media for more than a quarter of a century, negative comments about me usually don't bother me at all, but I am protective of people I like and I am fortunate enough to work with a group of people I like very much. So eventually I got sick and tired of this person's online venom and in a roundabout way, made sure this woman knew that I had reached the end of my patience. This was not exactly true.
When it comes to teaching someone a lesson, I can be an extremely patient person. I am not going to lower myself to their level and engage in a namecalling contest, that is far too juvenile and low class for me. No, I am quite content to wait for an opportunity to present itself and after several months, it did. Suffice to say, people who engage in such petty, immature conduct in a public forum should make sure that they never apply for a job where my input is required as part of the final decision. Live and learn, young grasshopper.
But I digress... Facebook can be a joy and while it was designed for a younger crowd, it gives every appearance of being most popular with the 30+ crowd. Yes, we play all the silly games, like Farmville, Mafia Wars, and Cafe World, but mostly we interact with friends and family. We share stories, pictures, and information. We encourage one another, celebrate our successes, and offer a virtual shoulder when things aren't so great.
I love Facebook. I am on it all the time and recently, a dear friend of mine, who incidentally is the same person who gave me my radio moniker "Sister Cindy," referred to me as "The Queen of Facebook." Whew! I'm just thankful someone else said it before I did! Enjoy Facebook, but don't forget that more people are watching than you think, so perhaps it would be best if we all made a pact to play nice and not run with the scissors!
Facebook has turned in to quite an amazing critter over the last few months, surpassing MySpace to the extent one rarely hears it mentioned anymore. These days, I hear Facebook and associated phrases used on TV and in movies all the time. Classic example is the breath mint commercial where the young man offers a variety of people a mint, proclaiming "Friend Request Accepted" each time someone takes the proffered mint and "Friend Request Denied" when a big, musclebound, macho man acts like he's going to smack the guy for offering him a sweet.
Originally created as a social networking program for college students, Facebook has grown to the point where its millions of global users run the age gamut from 13 years old (the minimum age to open an account) to.... well, at least, 74 years old, which is how old my Uncle Richard is and he has an account. Families are now commonly networked through FB, sometimes to their detriment. There was a recent news report about how parents and children may want to reconsider being FB friends, as the father of the story got "unfriended" by his son because he kept posting embarrassing photos of the kid being potty trained. Not cool, Dad!
I do believe that it is important that businesses take advantage of Facebook, as it has become a highly effective tool for raising awareness about products and services. This includes encouraging employees to use FB, even at work. (YES! yell all my FB addicted friends.) However, I do not mean be on FB to the extent that work no longer gets done! (I'm a proponent of FB, not a crazy bag lady! Yet.)
I recently had a client that liked me to physically work in their offices but did not like me being on Facebook one bit, despite the fact my work was always completed on time and done well. My client was part of the hospitality industry on Guahan, a business that can be severely affected by natural disasters and unexpected occurrences. Tourism and the hospitality industry are the number one employers of Guahan's workforce and contribute to 60% of our island's economy... so you can see where anything affecting tourism would be a big deal to us.
One day, the marketing manager asked me to begin preparing a press release because Guahan had just confirmed its first case of H1N1 flu. It was kept very hush-hush, even within the office, because of the potential for tourists to freak once word got out. A press conference was scheduled for 4 pm that day by Guam's health department, where the big announcement would be made in a quietly professional manner. Except it didn't turn out that way.
By 2 pm, the news of Guahan's first case of H1N1 was all over Facebook and because, I, myself, am all over FB, I was able to notify my client that the cat was out of the bag. Needless to say, that client never underestimated the importance of FB again or the potential of having an observant person scanning it regularly. In fact, by the following week, the marketing manager and deputy general manager both had their own FB pages as did the company as a whole.
Facebook is obviously a powerful tool and if not used carefully, can come back to bite you on your behind! I know this firsthand, as I posted a sarcastic remark in my early days as a FB user that was misunderstood and nearly cost me a lucrative new client! Be very careful what you post, because you never know who is reading your Facebook entries.
As an example, someone I know posted negative comments about her co-workers on her Facebook page, to which I added a comment of my own. However, this person was unaware that her employer is also friend of mine and is in my friend list, meaning the employer can read what I write, regardless of whose page its on. You can see where this is going, right? You gotta be careful, people!
Facebook is mostly used for positive exchange between people, most of whom will list "hooking up with old friends" as one of the main pleasures gained from the social networking site. Sadly, there are those out there who use FB for lower purposes, as a way to ridicule people, spread ignorance, or to profit negatively from a site that was designed for positive communication.
More recently, a person that I do not know well began posting very insulting comments about my co-workers and I, writing these negative statements in such a way as to include all the staff in our office. This included me, and truthfully, I have only ever met this person once and don't even remember the occasion. These nasty postings continued for several weeks and on a variety of mutual friend's pages, where I could clearly see what she was writing.
After working in the media for more than a quarter of a century, negative comments about me usually don't bother me at all, but I am protective of people I like and I am fortunate enough to work with a group of people I like very much. So eventually I got sick and tired of this person's online venom and in a roundabout way, made sure this woman knew that I had reached the end of my patience. This was not exactly true.
When it comes to teaching someone a lesson, I can be an extremely patient person. I am not going to lower myself to their level and engage in a namecalling contest, that is far too juvenile and low class for me. No, I am quite content to wait for an opportunity to present itself and after several months, it did. Suffice to say, people who engage in such petty, immature conduct in a public forum should make sure that they never apply for a job where my input is required as part of the final decision. Live and learn, young grasshopper.
But I digress... Facebook can be a joy and while it was designed for a younger crowd, it gives every appearance of being most popular with the 30+ crowd. Yes, we play all the silly games, like Farmville, Mafia Wars, and Cafe World, but mostly we interact with friends and family. We share stories, pictures, and information. We encourage one another, celebrate our successes, and offer a virtual shoulder when things aren't so great.
I love Facebook. I am on it all the time and recently, a dear friend of mine, who incidentally is the same person who gave me my radio moniker "Sister Cindy," referred to me as "The Queen of Facebook." Whew! I'm just thankful someone else said it before I did! Enjoy Facebook, but don't forget that more people are watching than you think, so perhaps it would be best if we all made a pact to play nice and not run with the scissors!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
To Tell the Truth or Not to Tell the Truth
I can't stand people who resort to lying or fabricating facts to win an argument! The moment you do it, the other person automatically wins. Yet, it never ceases to amaze me the number of people who will stoop to that level in an effort to make themselves look like they know what they're talking about and nine times out of ten, they end up getting caught in their own web of deceit.
A few months ago, I was working on a project with our entire office team and we invited a third party to come and review our work thus far. This third person began taking specific sections of our project apart, in a rather insulting way - at least, I thought so, as the section in question was one that I'd written exclusively. (BTW, I am sure I covered my propensity for sudden fits of immaturity in an earlier blog.)
What got me fired up was this person flatly stated, in front of my co-workers, that I didn't know what I was talking about. Oooooh, those are fighting words to any journalist of integrity, who follows the "have three separate sources" rule! I am one of those journalists, so needless to say, I was ready to fight!
I should also mention, that in addition to fabricating facts, I also am disgusted by people who are too stupid to know "who" they're speaking to, in advance! If I'm going to try and scam you, I am going to make sure that I know a lot about you, so that I don't get surprised by something in your personal background that tips you off immediately to the fact that I may be up to no good. Fortunately, I am not in the habit of trying to scam people, so this isn't a big concern for me... this third person, not so much the same story.
I won't go in to all the details of what this person tried to "bola, bola" me with, but will give you the one example that stood out most. An argument ensued over which island is the biggest in the Pacific, with Mr. Third insisting it was Guam. Our beautiful island is, indeed, the largest island in the Marianas and also in Micronesia... but not the entire Pacific. That would be New Zealand, which is made up of two islands, both of which singularly would qualify as being bigger than any other island in the Pacific.
Mr. Third insisted I was wrong. Why? Because, according to him, New Zealand is a continent. Actually, as most people who know anything about geography know, it isn't. New Zealand is an island nation of the Pacific and is, in fact, the largest island in the region. I know this because it is true and (this is what finally shut Mr. Third up) because I am a New Zealand citizen. I actually have dual citizenship, but regardless, I know a bit more than the average non-Kiwi when it comes to New Zealand.
I guess because, being raised on Guam, I don't have an accent, Mr. Third wasn't aware that he was trying to pull a fast one over on an actual New Zealander. It made him very look foolish to the people in the room and certainly proved to all of us that he is the type who will make something up rather than admit he's wrong. Not an endearing trait, but certainly one worth filing away in the "good to know" memory bank.
I got to thinking about that incident last night because of the current fiasco started by GTA Teleguam over their competitor, IT&E, recently winning the first part of a two-pronged federal grant. GTA's vice president stated publicly that the Governor of Guahan wrote a letter of endorsement for IT&E because his brother works there and that this is why they won the grant.
This might be very damning, except the Governor later pointed out that in January 2010 an email message was sent to ALL of Guam's telecommunication companies, including GTA, offering to write a letter of support. IT&E was the only company to take the Governor up on his offer.
In a local newspaper yesterday, the GTA vice president in question stated that GTA never received such an offer. Within minutes, the Governor's office produced a copy of the email which showed it was sent to three top executives at GTA and in fact, the message was sent to more representatives of GTA than any of the other telecommunication companies.
To make all of this even worse, in a press confernce yesterday, the Governor pointed out that NO letters of support were written for any company applying for the first part of the grant. The letter for IT&E, which GTA could also have requested, was written for the second part of the grant, which has yet to be decided. Ouch!
Lying is never a good choice. You always run the risk of getting caught and getting caught publicly is the worst!
The moral of this story: Don't ever call someone a liar, especially not in public, unless you know for damn sure what you're talking about! Otherwise, guess who ends up looking disingenuous and foolish?!
In closing, I have very many good friends who work for GTA and can say that most of my interactions with the company have always been positive. Hopefully, when reviewing this situation, people will simply think that GTA has the misfortune of having a bad employee in the person of this VP who makes accusations withough checking his facts and not that GTA is a bad company!
A few months ago, I was working on a project with our entire office team and we invited a third party to come and review our work thus far. This third person began taking specific sections of our project apart, in a rather insulting way - at least, I thought so, as the section in question was one that I'd written exclusively. (BTW, I am sure I covered my propensity for sudden fits of immaturity in an earlier blog.)
What got me fired up was this person flatly stated, in front of my co-workers, that I didn't know what I was talking about. Oooooh, those are fighting words to any journalist of integrity, who follows the "have three separate sources" rule! I am one of those journalists, so needless to say, I was ready to fight!
I should also mention, that in addition to fabricating facts, I also am disgusted by people who are too stupid to know "who" they're speaking to, in advance! If I'm going to try and scam you, I am going to make sure that I know a lot about you, so that I don't get surprised by something in your personal background that tips you off immediately to the fact that I may be up to no good. Fortunately, I am not in the habit of trying to scam people, so this isn't a big concern for me... this third person, not so much the same story.
I won't go in to all the details of what this person tried to "bola, bola" me with, but will give you the one example that stood out most. An argument ensued over which island is the biggest in the Pacific, with Mr. Third insisting it was Guam. Our beautiful island is, indeed, the largest island in the Marianas and also in Micronesia... but not the entire Pacific. That would be New Zealand, which is made up of two islands, both of which singularly would qualify as being bigger than any other island in the Pacific.
Mr. Third insisted I was wrong. Why? Because, according to him, New Zealand is a continent. Actually, as most people who know anything about geography know, it isn't. New Zealand is an island nation of the Pacific and is, in fact, the largest island in the region. I know this because it is true and (this is what finally shut Mr. Third up) because I am a New Zealand citizen. I actually have dual citizenship, but regardless, I know a bit more than the average non-Kiwi when it comes to New Zealand.
I guess because, being raised on Guam, I don't have an accent, Mr. Third wasn't aware that he was trying to pull a fast one over on an actual New Zealander. It made him very look foolish to the people in the room and certainly proved to all of us that he is the type who will make something up rather than admit he's wrong. Not an endearing trait, but certainly one worth filing away in the "good to know" memory bank.
I got to thinking about that incident last night because of the current fiasco started by GTA Teleguam over their competitor, IT&E, recently winning the first part of a two-pronged federal grant. GTA's vice president stated publicly that the Governor of Guahan wrote a letter of endorsement for IT&E because his brother works there and that this is why they won the grant.
This might be very damning, except the Governor later pointed out that in January 2010 an email message was sent to ALL of Guam's telecommunication companies, including GTA, offering to write a letter of support. IT&E was the only company to take the Governor up on his offer.
In a local newspaper yesterday, the GTA vice president in question stated that GTA never received such an offer. Within minutes, the Governor's office produced a copy of the email which showed it was sent to three top executives at GTA and in fact, the message was sent to more representatives of GTA than any of the other telecommunication companies.
To make all of this even worse, in a press confernce yesterday, the Governor pointed out that NO letters of support were written for any company applying for the first part of the grant. The letter for IT&E, which GTA could also have requested, was written for the second part of the grant, which has yet to be decided. Ouch!
Lying is never a good choice. You always run the risk of getting caught and getting caught publicly is the worst!
The moral of this story: Don't ever call someone a liar, especially not in public, unless you know for damn sure what you're talking about! Otherwise, guess who ends up looking disingenuous and foolish?!
In closing, I have very many good friends who work for GTA and can say that most of my interactions with the company have always been positive. Hopefully, when reviewing this situation, people will simply think that GTA has the misfortune of having a bad employee in the person of this VP who makes accusations withough checking his facts and not that GTA is a bad company!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Let them shine on
I came across some figures today that said that more than 20% of children between the ages of 9 - 17 have some form of mental health issue and that nearly 11% have a mental health issue severe enough to effect their lives at home, school, and other situations where they interact with people. Can you believe that?
When I was growing up, we didn't have ADD or ADHD. Any difficulties we had paying attention in class or at home were usually remedied with a knock up the side the head or a smack to the lower quadrant. Problem solved.
Don't misunderstand me. I am not implying I believe that these new multi-lettered ailments don't exist, I just wonder at how quickly they're assigned to our children. My son had, and still does have, a difficult time adjusting to school. He began school in New Zealand where he was bounced from kindergarten straight in to first grade because he could read. (He's actually been able to read since he taught himself at 3 years old.)
It didn't take long for his teacher to contact me about behavioral problems. Eventually, a specialist was called in and after giving my son a series of tests, pronounced him a "Visual Spatial Learner" as opposed to a "Linear Learner." What this means is he thinks in pictures instead of words. Fortunately, New Zealand is one of the leading countries to provide educational options for VSL children, along with Australia. In the United States, it seems only Colorado is openly supportive of VSL specific education.
Most VSL children are exceptionally bright and the reason they tend to have problems in school is because they are bored. Also, most classes are taught in a linear fashion, with a lot of repetition, writing, and lengthy verbal instruction. Research shows this is the worst approach for teaching a Visually Spatial child.
Eventually, we returned to Guam, where again I was contacted by my son's school for behavioral problems. I met with teachers, counsellors, and representatives of the Special Education division where I explained about Visual Spatial Learners, as to my shock none of them had ever heard of the phrase, despite one of the world's largest centers studying VSLs is located in the United States.
After several meetings, I was told that what they felt my son had was actually ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) and went on to say that they also believed that New Zealand used the phrase Visual Spatial Learner to refer to ADHD. (For the record, this is not true. You can look it up yourself online.)
To get a definitive diagnosis, I took my son to the psychiatrist they recommended, who tested my son and said, yep: ADHD. The doctor recommended that I put my son on Ritalin. Personally, I had a big problem with that. Parents spend a great deal of time telling kids to stay off drugs, but let someone say Ritalin and suddenly, its game on. Not for me. I didn't put my boy on the drug and he continued to have trouble at school.
While he has been very fortunate to have had a few truly great teachers, who were receptive to the concept of VSL and even did their own research, most were not. One item of interest you will find when researching VSLs is that the worst way to try and teach these students is by using Direct Instruction, or the infamous DI that Guam's education system loves so much.
What made matters worse is that as my son continued to flounder in a system not designed for his needs, many teachers became apathetic towards him. Some bordered on hostile. It was terrible, for both my son and I. My son for the obvious reasons and needless to say, he hates school at this point. Me, because it is still illegal to beat the crap out of people so I couldn't give any of these lackadaisical teachers the beat down they so richly deserved. Plus, I felt completely helpless and unable to provide any kind of help for my son.
So I caved. I let them put him on Ritalin, even though in my heart of hearts I did not believe that my boy had ADHD. He was on it for a month. They warned me that the effects could potentially make him fall asleep in class but he'd get used to it in a week or so and we'd see dramatic improvements in his concentration and academic performance. What a load....!!! Know what we saw? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The drug had no affect on him whatsoever and his pediatrician at the time refused to raise the dosage... because she didn't think he had ADHD either. Like me, she thought he was bored silly.
Here we are two years later and my son has missed nearly half the quarter because of illnesses that end up lasting about as long as it takes for me to say he doesn't have to go to school. They're mostly tummy aches and he's now had every test known to man so that his doctor could let me know what she and I had already suspected. He has a raging case of Ihateschoolitus.
He's currently being re-evaluated by a neurologist, who also doesn't see ADHD... now ADD or possibly seizures... that's a whole another story. AND will be a whole 'nother bag of cash to determine definitively, of course.
Why is it easier to think there must be something wrong with a child, rather than something right? Why is being bright not worthy of consideration, but throwing drugs at children in order to force them to fit their square peg selves in to the round hole is considered okay?
My son does not have seizures. He does not have Attention Deficit Disorder. What he does have is boredom. Bored with being taught in a way that he doesn't easily process, bored with being made to feel there is something wrong with him, bored with teachers reprimanding him for something that isn't his fault, and undoubtedly bored with being ostracized by other children for being different.
Do you really believe that over 20% of our children, a full fifth of all our children, have mental problems? Or are they perhaps simply too smart and tired of dealing with the same BS over and over? And what about the parents? We are left to feel as if we're failing our children by being unable to force anyone in the "system" to recognize that what these children need is "out of the box" thinking, a more creative approach to teaching them.
Our children are not dumb, but they are in danger of becoming dull as standard schooling continues to strip away their ability to shine by depriving them of an education suited to their style of learning.
And if you're going to throw drugs at anyone, throw it at the parents! We are definitely being driven crazy by this situation!
When I was growing up, we didn't have ADD or ADHD. Any difficulties we had paying attention in class or at home were usually remedied with a knock up the side the head or a smack to the lower quadrant. Problem solved.
Don't misunderstand me. I am not implying I believe that these new multi-lettered ailments don't exist, I just wonder at how quickly they're assigned to our children. My son had, and still does have, a difficult time adjusting to school. He began school in New Zealand where he was bounced from kindergarten straight in to first grade because he could read. (He's actually been able to read since he taught himself at 3 years old.)
It didn't take long for his teacher to contact me about behavioral problems. Eventually, a specialist was called in and after giving my son a series of tests, pronounced him a "Visual Spatial Learner" as opposed to a "Linear Learner." What this means is he thinks in pictures instead of words. Fortunately, New Zealand is one of the leading countries to provide educational options for VSL children, along with Australia. In the United States, it seems only Colorado is openly supportive of VSL specific education.
Most VSL children are exceptionally bright and the reason they tend to have problems in school is because they are bored. Also, most classes are taught in a linear fashion, with a lot of repetition, writing, and lengthy verbal instruction. Research shows this is the worst approach for teaching a Visually Spatial child.
Eventually, we returned to Guam, where again I was contacted by my son's school for behavioral problems. I met with teachers, counsellors, and representatives of the Special Education division where I explained about Visual Spatial Learners, as to my shock none of them had ever heard of the phrase, despite one of the world's largest centers studying VSLs is located in the United States.
After several meetings, I was told that what they felt my son had was actually ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) and went on to say that they also believed that New Zealand used the phrase Visual Spatial Learner to refer to ADHD. (For the record, this is not true. You can look it up yourself online.)
To get a definitive diagnosis, I took my son to the psychiatrist they recommended, who tested my son and said, yep: ADHD. The doctor recommended that I put my son on Ritalin. Personally, I had a big problem with that. Parents spend a great deal of time telling kids to stay off drugs, but let someone say Ritalin and suddenly, its game on. Not for me. I didn't put my boy on the drug and he continued to have trouble at school.
While he has been very fortunate to have had a few truly great teachers, who were receptive to the concept of VSL and even did their own research, most were not. One item of interest you will find when researching VSLs is that the worst way to try and teach these students is by using Direct Instruction, or the infamous DI that Guam's education system loves so much.
What made matters worse is that as my son continued to flounder in a system not designed for his needs, many teachers became apathetic towards him. Some bordered on hostile. It was terrible, for both my son and I. My son for the obvious reasons and needless to say, he hates school at this point. Me, because it is still illegal to beat the crap out of people so I couldn't give any of these lackadaisical teachers the beat down they so richly deserved. Plus, I felt completely helpless and unable to provide any kind of help for my son.
So I caved. I let them put him on Ritalin, even though in my heart of hearts I did not believe that my boy had ADHD. He was on it for a month. They warned me that the effects could potentially make him fall asleep in class but he'd get used to it in a week or so and we'd see dramatic improvements in his concentration and academic performance. What a load....!!! Know what we saw? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The drug had no affect on him whatsoever and his pediatrician at the time refused to raise the dosage... because she didn't think he had ADHD either. Like me, she thought he was bored silly.
Here we are two years later and my son has missed nearly half the quarter because of illnesses that end up lasting about as long as it takes for me to say he doesn't have to go to school. They're mostly tummy aches and he's now had every test known to man so that his doctor could let me know what she and I had already suspected. He has a raging case of Ihateschoolitus.
He's currently being re-evaluated by a neurologist, who also doesn't see ADHD... now ADD or possibly seizures... that's a whole another story. AND will be a whole 'nother bag of cash to determine definitively, of course.
Why is it easier to think there must be something wrong with a child, rather than something right? Why is being bright not worthy of consideration, but throwing drugs at children in order to force them to fit their square peg selves in to the round hole is considered okay?
My son does not have seizures. He does not have Attention Deficit Disorder. What he does have is boredom. Bored with being taught in a way that he doesn't easily process, bored with being made to feel there is something wrong with him, bored with teachers reprimanding him for something that isn't his fault, and undoubtedly bored with being ostracized by other children for being different.
Do you really believe that over 20% of our children, a full fifth of all our children, have mental problems? Or are they perhaps simply too smart and tired of dealing with the same BS over and over? And what about the parents? We are left to feel as if we're failing our children by being unable to force anyone in the "system" to recognize that what these children need is "out of the box" thinking, a more creative approach to teaching them.
Our children are not dumb, but they are in danger of becoming dull as standard schooling continues to strip away their ability to shine by depriving them of an education suited to their style of learning.
And if you're going to throw drugs at anyone, throw it at the parents! We are definitely being driven crazy by this situation!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Blood Pressure: Normal
Whew! I finally picked up the prescription for my blood pressure medication after three days of fretting that I was going to have a heart attack and keel over. It got me thinking about a recent evening out with friends that took place mostly because of Facebook.
One of the best parts of Facebook, I'm sure you will agree, is hooking up with old friends and making new ones. I have made several new friends through an old boyfriend with whom I continue to have a great relationship with. Recently, one of those new friends and her husband came out to Guam and the four of us had dinner. Afterwards, we stopped in at a local watering hole for some adult beverages, as adults are wont to do.
It was there that we ran in to two other friends of said ex-boyfriend, one I knew personally and another I'd only seen on FB, commenting on my former amour's Wall. She and I recognized each other immediately, introduced ourselves and hit it off right away. The conversations varied between different sets within the group, as they do, with three of us women chatting together a number of times.
During one of those conversations, the topic of procuring prescription medication at cheaper prices in the Philippines came up. The newest of my new friends, who is the picture of health I might add, said that she'd been able to fill all of her prescriptions over the counter in the P.I., except for Lisinopril.
"Lisinopril?" I asked, "but that's a blood pressure medication. I know because it take it everyday. Why are you taking Lisinopril? You're skinny as a rail and the picture of health." (I've no doubt there was just that hint of annoyance in my voice, that tone that only a fat woman looking at a beautiful skinny woman can achieve.)
"High blood pressure runs in my family," explains Ms. Guam Universe (who, of course, is also the nicest person you'll ever meet. Those are the worst kinds of Ms. Universes because you can't hate them, in fact, you end up liking them a lot, which is twice as annoying.)
From high blood pressure, the conversation between the three of us went on to include colonoscopies, stress, Valium (to be used for its actual purpose, not recreation), and a love of naps. "Oh my God," I suddenly said.
"What?" clammored my new besties.
"Do you realize that if this conversation was taking place twenty years ago, we'd be talking about who is the hottest guy in here, make up, and shoes? Now, we're all in our 40's and we're talking about high blood pressure, colonscopies, and naps. What the hell? We're old."
(Deep sigh....)
I wonder if this is part of the attraction between younger men and the so-called "cougar." After sex, men tend to fall asleep. If you're with a young woman, she's going to be pissed. If you're with a cougar, she's going to be thrilled and in fact, may nod off before he does. After all, she's going to need a lot of energy in the morning to swallow all those damn pills she has to take these days. Welcome to old age.
One of the best parts of Facebook, I'm sure you will agree, is hooking up with old friends and making new ones. I have made several new friends through an old boyfriend with whom I continue to have a great relationship with. Recently, one of those new friends and her husband came out to Guam and the four of us had dinner. Afterwards, we stopped in at a local watering hole for some adult beverages, as adults are wont to do.
It was there that we ran in to two other friends of said ex-boyfriend, one I knew personally and another I'd only seen on FB, commenting on my former amour's Wall. She and I recognized each other immediately, introduced ourselves and hit it off right away. The conversations varied between different sets within the group, as they do, with three of us women chatting together a number of times.
During one of those conversations, the topic of procuring prescription medication at cheaper prices in the Philippines came up. The newest of my new friends, who is the picture of health I might add, said that she'd been able to fill all of her prescriptions over the counter in the P.I., except for Lisinopril.
"Lisinopril?" I asked, "but that's a blood pressure medication. I know because it take it everyday. Why are you taking Lisinopril? You're skinny as a rail and the picture of health." (I've no doubt there was just that hint of annoyance in my voice, that tone that only a fat woman looking at a beautiful skinny woman can achieve.)
"High blood pressure runs in my family," explains Ms. Guam Universe (who, of course, is also the nicest person you'll ever meet. Those are the worst kinds of Ms. Universes because you can't hate them, in fact, you end up liking them a lot, which is twice as annoying.)
From high blood pressure, the conversation between the three of us went on to include colonoscopies, stress, Valium (to be used for its actual purpose, not recreation), and a love of naps. "Oh my God," I suddenly said.
"What?" clammored my new besties.
"Do you realize that if this conversation was taking place twenty years ago, we'd be talking about who is the hottest guy in here, make up, and shoes? Now, we're all in our 40's and we're talking about high blood pressure, colonscopies, and naps. What the hell? We're old."
(Deep sigh....)
I wonder if this is part of the attraction between younger men and the so-called "cougar." After sex, men tend to fall asleep. If you're with a young woman, she's going to be pissed. If you're with a cougar, she's going to be thrilled and in fact, may nod off before he does. After all, she's going to need a lot of energy in the morning to swallow all those damn pills she has to take these days. Welcome to old age.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Figuring out a blog
A friend sent me a message today and in it she said something to the effect of how another friend should "get over it because it happened 30 years ago." That really freaked me out. To think that I have reached an age where anything in my past could be referred to as having happened 30 years ago... holy God, am I getting old!
As if I needed another example of my advancing maturity (or lack thereof), I created a blog today. I didn't do it so much because I have so many pearls of wisdom to share as I did because everyone else seems has one. (I did indicate that there might be a lack of maturity in me, so don't look so surprised!)
The trick now will be to see if I can figure out how to use it. After all, I have a degree in Communication, so you'd think I have some sort of natural affinity for any form of communication, right? Wrong! If I didn't have a ten year old, I doubt I'd even know how to answer my BlackBerry! The next trick will be to see if I have anything to say worth reading about... I may have to make some shit up.
Ooops! I should have warned you that as the child of a sailor, I come by my skill and ease of swearing quite naturally... I'll try to behave. I am a college graduate after all and they say that apparently I should have an extensive vocabulary of other, less vulgar, words at my disposal. We shall see.... just like we'll see how this whole blogging thing works out!
Thanks for reading my blog.... Hopefully with luck and some effort on my part, there will be posts here that are interesting enough to share with your friends and who knows... maybe, just maybe, one of your friends will say "Cindy said WHAT???"
As if I needed another example of my advancing maturity (or lack thereof), I created a blog today. I didn't do it so much because I have so many pearls of wisdom to share as I did because everyone else seems has one. (I did indicate that there might be a lack of maturity in me, so don't look so surprised!)
The trick now will be to see if I can figure out how to use it. After all, I have a degree in Communication, so you'd think I have some sort of natural affinity for any form of communication, right? Wrong! If I didn't have a ten year old, I doubt I'd even know how to answer my BlackBerry! The next trick will be to see if I have anything to say worth reading about... I may have to make some shit up.
Ooops! I should have warned you that as the child of a sailor, I come by my skill and ease of swearing quite naturally... I'll try to behave. I am a college graduate after all and they say that apparently I should have an extensive vocabulary of other, less vulgar, words at my disposal. We shall see.... just like we'll see how this whole blogging thing works out!
Thanks for reading my blog.... Hopefully with luck and some effort on my part, there will be posts here that are interesting enough to share with your friends and who knows... maybe, just maybe, one of your friends will say "Cindy said WHAT???"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
