BS: Getting well in Guam

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 25 Oct 14 - 07:32 AM

The new thread is Continuing in Guam.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 25 Oct 14 - 07:29 AM

It is October. My last entry was about 8 months ago. I'm sorry. It has been a difficult time with bad times and some very bad times.

Neko died on September 30. She was sick with an infection which the feline leukemia would not let her fight. Wakana sat up with her all night. Around 3:00 AM I was wakened by a cry of grief and devastation I hope never to hear again.

That afternoon we dug a grave under Neko's favorite mango tree. Whoever graded the lawn used large blocks of coral as fill, blocks which we had to dislodge to make a hole big enough to lay Neko in. She was wrapped in a towel and rested on the cat bed I'd bought some years ago. Wakana included some cat treats and some plumeria flowers as well as the weed that grows around the house that acts like catnip. After we filled the hole we stacked concrete cylinders over her to keep the boonie dogs and wild pigs from digging her up.

We are still grieving. I just went through all the Guam entries pulling out the entries that included news about Neko and her mother as well as Mika and Shawna. It will be a story called Pets in Guam.

In other news I was not renewed at Inarajan Middle School. I did get my teaching certification but too late to ensure my continued service there. I was picked up at the very last minute (and I do mean last minute) by John F Kennedy High School in Tamuning.

I was informed that I had the job at 6:45 PM on Friday, August 15, and the first day of classes was on the following Monday. I spent Monday going through the hiring process and my first day of work was on Tuesday, August 19.

I am teaching English 9 and 10 to "repeaters," kids who have failed those classes already. They all read at very low levels and have a very tenuous grip on the idea of academics. They'd much prefer to sleep or text to friends, or talk or do anything but read and write.

Then about half way through the quarter they changed my schedule to give me one class of real English 9 students. So I have 3 lesson plans to make up every week.

More in a bit...

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 28 Mar 14 - 09:11 PM

I wish I could have heard the singing and seen the dancing.

It sounds like you have presented your students with an interesting challenge. I hope you will share some of their lyric/poetry choices here as well as your own!

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 28 Mar 14 - 11:58 AM

Bay of Fundy, Brett. Tell them about Gordon and Maine.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: Ebbie
Date: 28 Mar 14 - 11:25 AM

Brett, a woman I play music with a couple of times a week, speaks and sings in Chamorro. She was born in Saipan but her family moved to Guam when she was 13 and she lived there until about 15 years ago.

My point is that she knows tons of songs in a half ton of languages. I never even knew that Japanese songs are beautiful as are Chinese (no gongs!). And 'Island' songs! I go around humming them.

I couldn't stand the heat so I can't regret that I never went there but I absolutely love the music that seems to permeate every corner of that world.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 28 Mar 14 - 11:05 AM

thanks for the great descriptions of the school celebrations. I went looking for more info google search on 'Chamorro month in Guam' see also image search

I eagerly await the results of the poetry lesson

sandra

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: GUEST,naemanson
Date: 28 Mar 14 - 09:57 AM

Hi All,

We are well and very busy. Don't let anyone tell you teachers have it easy. That two month "vacation" is not quite long enough for full recuperation!

March is Chamorro month in Guam. The Chamorros are the indigenous people of Guam. Where I work in the southern end of the island the majority of the population is Chamorro. Most of my co-workers are as well as most of the students.

Like indigenous peoples everywhere these people have been given the short end of the stick. The government (GovGuam) spends very little on them.

But they are a proud people. A major part of the mission of the school is to help the students identify with their culture and to be proud of what they are.

Today we had the second activity in the ra yan raina competition. (Ra=King, Raina=Queen, roughly) The candidates had to make their own native Chamorro costume and then had to describe it in Chamorro. They also had to answer a set of questions posed in Chamorro and had to answer in the same language.

They did a lovely job on the costumes. The 13 candidates paraded around showing their workmanship. There were grass skirts, hats and decorative weaving made of coconut fronds, woven rice cooking baskets, and digging sticks. There is quite a bit of license taken by the people because their ancestors did not use any clothing and they cannot do that and stay within the mores of the 21st Century.

After the kids were done, and while the judges conferred, the Chamorro cultural dance instructor led the whole student body and the Chamorro faculty & staff in song. The words were Chamorro but to hear all those voices raised in song, with the hand gestures, sent a chill down my spine. It was beautiful. It brought home to me the importance of carrying on the culture that so many invaders have tried to abolish.

The dance instructor is a marvelous woman. I have no idea of her age but back home ignorant people would criticize her because of her weight. She is indeed short and chunky. But she has been a dancer for many, many years and she floats when she moves. She wears a lava-lava to work. She is as graceful as a gazelle. It is a wonderful experience to see her dance.

Our next unit in school is poetry! I told the kids to bring in their favorite poem. Of course they immediately protested they did not know any poems. I pointed out that songs are poems set to a melody so they can bring in lyrics to their favorite songs. That got the juices flowing. Then I told them they had to write down every word and syllable. Dried up those juices real fast. One kid looked at me with fear in his eyes. "Do we have to write it down?" "Yep! If the singer sings 'love, love, love' then I want every repeated word." The point is to look for the rhythm of the words. Also I intend to read some of them out loud, not sing them. Should be fun.

I don't know yet what my contribution will be. I have too many choices. I find I am limited in what I can sing to them because so many folk songs have "adult themes" like drinking, unfaithful spouses, child abuse, etc. Gotta skull this one out.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: maeve
Date: 19 Feb 14 - 12:36 PM

How are you, Brett & Wakana?

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 18 Dec 13 - 04:25 PM

Brett-

We'll look forward to seeing you next summer.

Charlie Ipcar

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: GUEST,Hello Kity
Date: 18 Dec 13 - 02:07 AM

Lots of wonderful recipes.

Great source of protein, delicious, you can even prepare them like the fried lam strips of your beloved Maine.

Develope the markets and you have your fortunes made with meat exporting and tanned skins. There are "diamonds in your own backyard."

www.fort.usgs.gov/resources/education/bts/resources/recipes/fried_snake.asp

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 17 Dec 13 - 08:29 PM

Thank you, Sandra. Now I've looked at other photos and videos of it and listened to its call.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: maeve
Date: 17 Dec 13 - 08:31 AM

"Welcome Swallow"- what a wonderful name!

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 17 Dec 13 - 08:27 AM

ChanteyLass - the bird is a Welcome Swallow as identified by a local birdwatching friend

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 16 Dec 13 - 08:45 PM

Where'd my post go? Sigh.

Naemason, you are a superhero!. You saved everyone from the "poisonous" snake, got bit by it, and survived.

Maeve, thanks for the help with Sandra's link.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 15 Dec 13 - 12:44 PM

Tastes like chicken, I believe.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: Jeri
Date: 15 Dec 13 - 11:26 AM

So if Brett had been taking Tylenol/acetaminophen and the snake bit him, maybe the SNAKE could have died of snakebite?

How do these snakes work in chilli?

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: maeve
Date: 15 Dec 13 - 10:49 AM

Tylanol, Sins:
RE: BS: Military Attack on Guam

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 15 Dec 13 - 10:17 AM

I just read an article on the snake problem in Guam. It seems they allergic to minute amounts of aspirin or Tylenol - I forget which. Authorities are injecting dead mice with the drug and airlifting them into the rain forests (are they rain forests?) The mice have tiny parachutes and get hung up in the trees where the snakes eat them and die. They figure it will take 10 to 20 years to get the snake population under control.
The really sad part is that they believe the snakes came in a food delivery. A few snakes have now produced thousands.

We have a similar problem in the Everglades where huge boa constrictors have wiped out all the local mammals and are large enough to eat crocadiles. People tossed their unwanted pets away.

That aside, how are you and Wakana doing?

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: maeve
Date: 15 Dec 13 - 08:44 AM

http://cupofkindness.proboards.com/index.cgi
Gnu- To see Sandra's bird, click on link above, click on General Boards, then Spring Birds 2013. Lots of excellent bird photos there. You don't need to join, though I've invited you before, unless you want to click on the photos to download or enlarge them, or unless you'd like to post.

Sandra's link works fine- just look for "Home" toward upper left, then follow the steps for my link. Again, no need to sign in for basic features.

Maeve

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: gnu
Date: 15 Dec 13 - 07:57 AM

Sandra... Error: Guests are not allowed to download attachments. Please login below, or register for an account.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 15 Dec 13 - 07:03 AM

the snake was good (ie. non-poisonous) as well as bad (introduced)

here in my part of Sydney we have lots of birds - seagulls, pigeons, Indian Mynas, & a few natives (not that seagulls are introduced but they are pests in the CCBD), so it was a lovely surprise to see a native bird (ie. not one of the named birds) alongside the James Craig at the Maritime Museum the other night. I wish I'd been carrying my good camera.

sandra

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 15 Dec 13 - 06:11 AM

I am tentatively targeting next summer for a trip home. I need to reconnect with family and friends.

Last Wednesday I went to a meeting at the school library. There were some kids "working" at a table in the back. One called us that there was a snake in the flower pot. We went to look and, sure enough, there was. It was a brown tree snake, about a foot and a half long. I picked up the flower pot to take it outside. It started to slither over the side. I knew if he got to the floor we would lose him so I grabbed him... around the middle... and got bit on the thumb.

At this point the question comes up about poison. There are some people on Guam who believe the snakes are poisonous. I have never been one of them. I heard early on that they are not. Now I was going to find out. The little bastard drew blood.

As I was carrying him outside he latched on to my pants (crotch level). I let him chew the fabric. Everything inside is safely tucked away from harm. I took him outside and beat him to death on the concrete.

For those of you who feel bad about that let me remind you there is an ecological disaster going on here in Guam. The snakes are an invasive species and have decimated the bird population. Next time you see birds flying overhead, enjoy the diversity and sight because we do not have that here. There are some sparrows and the ubiquitous pigeon, some frankolins, and that is about it.

Oh, and no poison. Not even any infection.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 10 Nov 13 - 09:03 PM

Brett-

Nice to see you updating this thread.

Any plans for revisiting Maine?

Charlie

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 10 Nov 13 - 01:45 AM

I hope your students think that more books for your classroom are a welcome addition. I think it was a good experience for them to sign the thank-you card. And your wife's phone-call-in-Japanese idea was a good one, too! the students may have been relieved when they'd done that, but I'll bet they will remember it and look back on it with pride.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Nov 13 - 09:01 AM

I try do do most of what you suggest. As for sarcasm I try not to use it where learning is involved. However, when it involves silly questions intended to distract me or disrupt the lesson I can't help it.

"Is that a picture of your wife?"
"No, I just put up random pictures of Asian women."

"You're wearing shorts today."
"Oh my God, I've lost half my pants!"

"The music from the other classroom is bothering me."
"The wall doesn't have a volume control."
(They say this without any consideration of the noise we make in our room; which is sometimes considerable.)
@@@@@@@@@@
Today we had some friends over for dinner. Wakana had assigned her students to call her to invite her to join them somewhere (their choice) using only Japanese. We all planned to answer the phone in Japanese so they would have to ask for "Burnham-sensai" which only increased their nervousness. One problem they had was that three of us were sensais and two were fluent Japanese speakers. The possibility for confusion was enormous.

None of her thirteen students did call and we took turns answering the phone. I had an image of teenage boys all over the island making the call with shaking hands and breathing a big sigh of relief when it was over.

In preparation for the gathering I took a 2 quart plastic pitcher and a pair of kitchen shears out to the calamansi tree and filled the picture with little orange citrus fruit. As I worked I reflected on the November temperatures back home. I was happy to be where I was. I often think on Gordon Bok's comment in one of his music books about the hills in November offering as much comfort as a cold iron crowbar.

My mother managed to get together a bunch of books from the Carey Library in Houlton, Maine, which she sent to me. I had the best artist in class create a thank you card (butcher paper about 30" to a side) and the students signed it on Friday. I'll mail it out on Tuesday. It looks pretty nice. Need to take a picture.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 05 Oct 13 - 01:06 PM

You certainly have your work cut out for you!

If you haven't already done the things below, you might try them for several months. I wish I'd known these at the beginning of my many years of teaching. I came to realize that managing behavior was the first step in being able to share information and very little behavior management was taught to aspiring teachers when I went to college.

Hard as it is to do, avoid sarcasm. In spite of your students' attitudes and weak academic skills, they need to know that you respect them as potential learners and as people. This is a difficult age group--late tween years with teenage hormones present, the awareness that adults don't know everything, often valuing peer opinions over those of authority figures) in the US, too. Sarcasm is one thing among friends, but you are not their friend--you are their mentor. Keep being firm and consistent.

If you haven't already done so, post rules in your classroom, but keep them few and simple, like: Be polite to everyone. Listen. Raise your hand to ask and answer questions and wait to be called on. Take good care of material things. (Explain the last term.) When someone breaks a rule, point to it and then get back to teaching (unless of course it is a severe infraction).

Reinforce good behavior. Tell the class as a whole or individuals, "I like the way you . . . ."

As much as possible, model simple politeness. Say please, thank you, and you're welcome, pause, wait, and if necessary prompt when students should say these to you.

If handshakes are customary between adults in business situations in Guam, shake your students hands on their way into and out of class.

When you show a video, tell them why and what they should look for.

Choosing the shortest book possible is something else many children in the US do, too. It's good that you are continuing to have them do daily silent reading. I could make other suggestions but with your shortage of materials they would probably be irrelevant. I know that lots of US schools are short of materials, too, with students even having to share textbooks, and sometimes I taught in schools like that.

Find out who are the "best" teachers at your school and ask them how they deal with some of the problems you face. The best teachers will probably be those with experience and also enthusiasm for teaching and their students.

Good luck!

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 03 Oct 13 - 07:12 AM

Ah, the operation... the short answer is no.

My fingers are no better. I type with all my fingers on the right hand and only the index finger and, sometimes, the middle finger of the left. If I ask the ring finger or pinkie to hit a key there is no telling where it will come down or how many times it will hit that key.

Having said that I am playing the guitar again but not up to the mediocre standards I used to hit.

Tomorrow is Fitness Friday. They passed out a list of timed exercises for the students to do. The list looks like something I used to see when I was a kid, sit-ups (full range of motion), running in place, squats, push-ups, wall sit, etc. We will only do this once a semester as I understand it. Wakana is off tomorrow and has proposed coming to the school to lead my kids in Japanese fitness exercises as done all over Japan.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: Noreen
Date: 01 Oct 13 - 02:35 PM

You mentioned your operation, and the discomfort afterwards, but was it successful in reducing the numbness in your fingers?

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: Noreen
Date: 01 Oct 13 - 02:29 PM

Very interesting to catch up with you, Brett.

Your current situation reminds me of when I was in my first year of teaching, with a group of 'slow readers' (10 and 11 yr olds) in Darkest Salford a good few years ago. They had the same attitude as your group about the incomprehensibility of reading a whole book.

After teaching them for over a term, and sending a reading book home with them regularly then expecting them to return it to be changed, one of the lads asked me why they took reading books home.
This totally stumped me... my experience was of sending a book home with a child whose parents/older sibling/ grandparent would hear them read.
I hadn't ever thought to explain this to the children- and this boy (and possibly others) had gone through his whole primary school life, taking a book home, and bringing it back- or more often, losing it and getting into trouble for not bringing it back, and wondering why!

There was probably no-one at home who would support him- most of these children would not have a book at home, and possibly no-one at home who could even read themselves.

And we were expected to achieve the same targets with these pupils, as those from leafy suburbs with supportive parents who read with their child from when they were a babe in arms...

Keep positive!

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 01 Oct 13 - 07:30 AM

You ask about the parents. I attended a meeting for a child with learning disabilities. The mother made the comment that they have several children ranging in age from mid-20s to this one at 12. The one that is 17 has autism. They didn't notice the autism until the kid was 10!

We had parent-teacher night and the family of only one student showed up. The school offers a free dress-down day to kids whose parents attend PTO or parent-teacher conferences.

As I understand it there is no help there.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 01 Oct 13 - 03:27 AM

Brett, you are living in interesting times!

I enjoyed Kelli's blog & Etsy store, she does beautiful work. I used to dress dolls in period costume & have made doll corsets, & plan to make more corsets - one day, when I have time ...

Doll photo album

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: Donuel
Date: 01 Oct 13 - 02:11 AM

I missed your vivid journals and am happy to catch up.

Lucky you. ADHD drugs are said to be energizing and refreshing.
Do they at least help you feel good?

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: Ebbie
Date: 01 Oct 13 - 01:47 AM

Question, Brett: What are their parents like?

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 30 Sep 13 - 07:37 AM

By the way, my daughter, Kelli, has started a Blog on what she is doing on the ranch in Maine. Find it at Kelli's Blog.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 30 Sep 13 - 07:34 AM

It's been over a month since the last entry. Sorry about that. It has been an amazingly difficult month. The kids are very difficult. They are like a force of nature. You can gain some small measure of control but it is only partial.

I don't know where to begin.

I guess I should start with the physical conditions. I have a room, fairly good size, with a teacher's desk, thirty student desks, two air conditioners, a shelf that extends across the back wall, four filing cabinets, a large metal cabinet and a metal bookshelf with four shelves. There is a connection for a computer but no computer. There is a phone that doesn't work. There is a clock, analog, and brown metal chalk boards across the front of the room. Some of the fluorescent lights are missing their covers.

Only 24 of the mismatched student desks are actually useful. The rest have broken seats and/or tops that are so scratched or worn the kids cannot write on them.

The windows cover one wall of the room and have metal louvers that are closed and cannot be opened. There is Plexiglas on most of the windows except the one behind the bookcase. That one has no Plexiglas and is missing a couple of louvers. One morning last week I walked in and frightened a scrawny mangy stray cat that was sleeping on my construction paper. It scrambled out the hole behind the bookcase.

The outer walls are concrete but the inner walls are thin plywood. We can hear everything said in each others' classrooms. Sometimes it's pretty funny. The AC wasn't working in one room (I've been lucky so far) and I heard the teacher yell, "I know it's hot! I've been in this room all day!"

I have added my old beat up laptop (5 years old at least, missing keys and battery completely useless), the projector that rattles on start up, a folding table, and two shelves of books for the kids to read. The books include Harry Potter, The Little Prince, Bridge to Terabithea, two books of Silverstein's poetry, the second Percy Jackson novel, Under the Blood Red Sun, and a few books intended for kids two or three levels below where these kids should be.

These are the books available to my students.
Bridge to Terabithia        Charlotte's Web        Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Ghosts, Pirates, and Treasure Troves        Grandma's Little Girls (2)        James and the Giant Peach
Life as We Knew It        Light in the Attic        Mariquita - A Tragedy of Guam
San Francisco Splash *        Sea of Monsters (Stolen)        Sheltie the Hero *
Sherlock Holmes        Stuart Little        The Adventures of Charlie and Mr. Wonka
Under the Blood Red Sun (2)        The Golden Compass        The Inheritor
The Last Hero        The Little Prince        The Sidewalk Ends Here
The Adventures of Tintin (Vol 3 & 6)        The Land of Droon (4 Vol) *        
* marks the books that are several levels too low for the kids
They are very thin and also the most popular.

I start my class with 15 minutes of silent reading (or as I have written it on the board, "SILENT Reading"). It takes 5 minutes to get the kids to settle down so they effectively read for only 10 minutes. Many of them in making their selection on the first day based that selection on the thickness of the books. Thus, the lower level books were the most popular. The first shocker for the kids was when they realized they had to read THE WHOLE BOOK! The second was when they asked what they were to do when they finished the book. They couldn't believe that I expected them to read a SECOND book. So far, as we start our 7th week only two of my kids have finished their books.

As for the students, well, they are kids, around 12 years old and full of the energy all the sugar and boredom can give them. They are continually pushing and shoving each other, grabbing things from others, playing keep-away, and talking. Most of them find it impossible to stay in their seats. They are primal humans in their most basic form. They KNOW there are no other people around them and what THEY want is what they should get, right now!

Example: In a few minutes of time before the bell rang I put up a YouTube video of a confrontation between 5 lions and a rhino. There were four boys avidly watching it when one of the girls turned to me and said "Put something else on, I don't like this." I pointed out how the boys were enjoying it so she went over to tell them that they didn't need to watch it. Fortunately the bell rang at that point.

Which brings us to their ignorance. I use ignorance in its proper definition, i.e., not knowing stuff. At one point early on I put up the Som Sabadol video showing the orchestra doing a flash mob in Vienna. The kids had never seen an orchestra let alone most of the instruments. They were fascinated. I called out the names of the instruments as they came out into the streets. They recognized the bass and the violins. I had to point out that those "violins" were actually violas. The bassoon threw them for a loop. When the brass section showed up someone commented that those were the expensive instruments. I guess he figured metal was more expensive than wood. I explained a little of the actual value of some violins. I don't think he believed me. He thought the musicians must get huge paychecks to afford instruments like that.

But they know NOTHING. They have experienced nothing of the world, many of them have not experienced any other part of the island. When I talk about Guam's history it goes right over their heads.

On top of that they ask STUPID questions. I put a picture of Wakana over my desk a week and a half ago. Even today they still ask if that's my wife. I started by answering with, "No, that's my girlfriend." That scandalized them. More recently I have countered with "Who ELSE would it be? Do you think I chose a random picture of an Asian woman and put it over my desk?" I wore shorts on Friday (permitted at IMS) and they took one look and informed me I was wearing shorts. I looked down and said, in shock, "Oh my God, I've lost half of my pants!" Someone saw me walking across campus with my guitar on my back and he had to ask if I played guitar. "I don't know what you are talking about. I've never seen a guitar in my life." Today one of my students asked the same thing and I gave the same answer. I almost had him believing me even with the guitar case leaning against the wall next to me. Then he pointed to a capo sitting on my desk and asked why I had that. I swept it into the pocket of the guitar case and said, "I don't know what you are talking about." I think I'm getting sarcastic.

We just gave the students the practice SAT 10 test and the HIGHEST reading score I saw was 59… out of 100. Projects were due today. Thanks to a couple of oversights I ended up giving them three weeks. Out of the 31 students I saw today I got about 8 submissions. The rest didn't seem bothered at all about not having it done. I told them the turnaround time for projects from now on is one week.

Today at the water store I told the guy, who we've known for years, that it was almost but not quite like having a room full of chimpanzees except these can talk and should know better when it comes to the things they do.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 25 Aug 13 - 01:32 AM

I'll second that

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 24 Aug 13 - 04:31 PM

It sounds like you've got your work cut out for you teaching those kids in that school. However, it also sounds like you've made a good start!

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: gnu
Date: 24 Aug 13 - 01:51 PM

Great stuff and, yeah, I was wondering about that lost month too.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 24 Aug 13 - 10:34 AM

Wow! Has it really been a month since I wrote here? So much has happened.

On August 19 I started teaching reading to an unruly mob of 7th graders. What a trip! This is so different from teaching high school seniors. They have so much energy and are so antsy. Some want to learn and others want... well, something, anything else.

And I am trying to teach reading. I have a small bookshelf of age-appropriate books and I told them to select one to read. I explained that we would have 15 minutes of independent reading at the beginning of every class. The next class they came in and forgot to pick up their books. Once we had that sorted out some of them were appalled to learn they would have to read for a whole 15 minutes! And that they would have to continue that every class!

One boy, who had chosen the thinnest volume, kept telling his neighbors that they had chosen books that were too thick. I explained to him that there was no such thing as a book that was too thick. He asked if I had read any of them. I explained I had not read all of them but I had read every one of the Harry Potter books on the top shelf. I told him I loved to read and could spend hours reading. He was literally shocked to think anyone would read for more than the few minutes it takes to scan the newspaper sports page.

He made such a fuss over others choosing large boks that I told him I would assign him one of those books if he didn't drop the subject.

The second time we did this the class was shocked to find they would have to continue with the books. One asked how long he had to read the book. I told him he would continue until he finished it at which time he would start another. I appear to be straining the incredulity of these children. I don't know what will happen if the kid who complained about size ever finishes the tiny child's book he selected.

I introduced the concept of prefix root and suffix to them with words written on the board. They were words like purist, telephone, asteroid, etc. They were skeptical about writing them down and did not want to believe that the words came from a 5th grade reader! One said that they shouldn't have to work this those words because American schools were more advanced than Guam schools. I told them they would work with those words and more!

The school is the first public school I have worked in. There is no copy paper so I had to bring in my own. I have two air conditioners but only one works with the remote control. I have to turn the other on with the reset switch which means that one runs at maximum all the time. My classroom has not screen so I have to point my projector at the side wall. The projector is my personal property, not school property. I pointed out to the kids that the only thing in the room owned by the school is the furniture. Everything else is mine. There is no computer but there is a line to connect to the internet... I think. I haven't tried yet.

The building is made up of blocks of four rooms connected by outdoor covered passageways. You can cross the whole campus without getting wet when it rains... which it does often because this is wet season. Windows are aluminum jalousie louvered windows with a sheet of plexiglass on the inside. The window controls don't work so the louvers stay permanently closed except where they are missing.

More in a bit.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 22 Jul 13 - 04:27 AM

Happy Liberation Day, Brett & Wakana

Today my physio recommended Holosync meditation as it helped her brother after his wife died. She thought it would help me as I have trouble concentrating & emptying my mind with traditional meditation. I've also put on a lot of weight cos I can't be bothered not overeating, nor can I be bothered walking (my only exercise). And my mind never shuts up!

I've applied for the free CD & we'll see how it goes before ordering the set of CDs

sandra

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 22 Jul 13 - 03:22 AM

That last was from me. For some reason my cookie got tossed.

I have tried meditation but the thoughts come flying whether I want them or not. In fact, the quiter the space the more energetic the flashes in my head. It's like that friend who has to keep talking whenever he's in a quiet place.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Jul 13 - 03:18 AM

Well call her up and wish her a happy Liberation Day. Today, July 22, is the anniversary of the beginning of the liberation of Guam from the Japanese in 1944.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: Ebbie
Date: 22 Jul 13 - 03:04 AM

Wow, Brett. I had no idea. What a rough way to go, both for you and those who love you.

Is it possible for you to learn to meditate? It doesn't sound possible, but then the whole idea of meditation is to quiet the mind, so maybe?

Thanks for sharing this.

By the way I am currently playing tunes with a woman who was born in Saipan but grew up in Guam. Her first language was Chamorro, but she is married to a Korean so she speaks that language too. She is fun to play with- she plays a lot of tunes that are esoteric to me, tunes from Japan, China, Guam, Saipan, Hawaii (She does a couple of slack key tunes)and a lot of American songs she learned from her father, post war. One of my favorites is a Chinese tune; the only name she knows for it is "You Lieekee?"

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Jul 13 - 02:35 AM

I recently sent a letter to my family explaining how ADHD has affected my life. Below is an edited version. I include it here in the Mudcat to explain to my former band mates and to anyone who has had to listen to me stumble of lyrics just why that happens:

A few years ago I announced that I had been diagnosed with a disability called Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The announcement seemed to fall into a pool of silence. At the time I didn't worry about it but in recent calls and messages I have come to realize how little that means to you all.

Consider, if I had been confined to a wheelchair all my life you would understand how that impacted my life. Because I do not go halting through my days on wheels or crutches you cannot see the impact and therefore you discount it. I am going to try to get you to see what I am talking about.

ADHD is a mental disability that is recognized by the medical establishment and is covered by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004. As such it is one of the things teachers must be aware of and families need to consider for their kids' education. It is widespread with many different estimates of just how many people have it. It does not go away when the child grows up. It continues throughout the person's life.

Symptoms include but are not limited to: Difficulty Getting Organized; Reckless Driving and Traffic Accidents; Marital Difficulties; Extreme Distractibility; Poor Listening Skills; Restlessness; Difficulty Relaxing; Difficulty Starting a Task; Chronic Lateness; Angry Outbursts and; Prioritizing Issues. Any of that sound familiar? Several of these can be ascribed to extreme distractibility. Difficulty getting organized, reckless driving and traffic accidents, difficulty starting tasks, and problems in prioritizing issues can all be called examples of extreme distraction.

I need you to understand this thing called "extreme distraction" to make you see how difficult it has made my life. Since I cannot imagine what it is like to be inside your brain I cannot make a comparison. Here is a trip through my mind at any given minute. Take a task, like reading a textbook, or getting dressed, or driving a car. You begin well, but immediately your mind runs off in another direction and suddenly you are singing in front of an audience with Roll & Go, flying to Florida on your first airplane ride in the 1960s, snorkeling in the Virgin Islands from back in the Navy days, remembering you need to take out the trash, wondering how long ago you changed the oil in the car, deciding you are hungry… Then in the second minute of your task… I'm serious. It is just like that. All. The. Time. And there is no prioritizing those thoughts or pushing them away. They flash through your head as fast as possible and the only way to make them stop is to go to sleep… if you are tired enough that they slow down long enough to let you relax.

Another part of this is impulsive behavior. People with ADHD tend to be overweight because they eat impulsively. Because of the distractibility issue they have a difficulty keeping up with an exercise program. As a result they tend to have more health issues. Because they are so forgetful (once more the distractibility issue) medical appointments are missed and calling to reset them doesn't get done. Medications have to be placed exactly where they will see them when they are most likely to have a beverage in hand which means at their place at the breakfast table. That does not mean in the junk that occupies one corner, or "out of the way" or anything like that. "Out of sight, out of mind" must have been written by someone with ADHD because the next time that needful task floats through their mind is when the medications are not anywhere nearby.

The impulsive behavior is also why I have trouble saving money. After the ID theft incident I cancelled all my credit cards. I will not have another. Currently the only long term debt I have is my house and my car. I want to keep it that way. But that does not mean I am saving money. I try very hard to stay away from town because I know if I go I will spend money.

Another symptom is something called hyperfocus. While the distractibility keeps a person from paying attention to people or things the person with ADHD can become hyperfocused when there is something that really catches their attention. Hyperfocus is not what you have when you are just interested in something. When you are hyperfocused the rest of the world ceases to exist. These days it is most common with video games but it can happen with a range of things depending on the person.

While there are plenty of people without ADHD who have marital difficulties people with ADHD have them because of the forgetfulness, the inability to participate in a conversations, and impulsive behavior. When the spouse wants to talk the ADHD person might be willing but soon loses the thread of the conversation. Too many other things are pressing for his attention. When the spouse needs something done and the ADHD spouse forgets to take care of it only a few minutes after being asked it is hard to remember that there is a reason for it.

This is how it is for me. Just taking showers I've washed my hair twice or forgot to rinse my armpits until toweling off. I have to be very careful in pretty much everything I do. Sitting through a class, a meeting, a conversation, only works for a short time because the uncontrollable thoughts take your mind away. Reading anything not absorbing, such as a textbook, becomes a struggle.

There are workarounds. When I need to read a text that is the least bit dull (pretty much all of them) I scan the chapter into the computer as a picture, convert the picture to a digital word document, and then, because the scanner and software are never accurate, I edit the document to correct errors. I cannot read it but I can edit it. In the process I can highlight important points and make comment in the margins. My medications are placed front and center at my place for breakfast. I use the calendar on my phone and my Nook to track where I need to be and when. If it doesn't go into the phone when it is scheduled then I will probably forget it.

If I can somehow repeat a task often enough it might become habit and I might remember to do it when it needs to be done. That is how I remember to call Mom on Sunday mornings. It isn't perfect. Many times Wakana has to remind me or I will forget to call. That's also why the phone card lives on the table.

I frequently fail to keep in touch with anyone who isn't right in my local area. If it weren't for FaceBook, which I check at irregular intervals (forgetful), I wouldn't be able to keep up with family and friends. I sang with Roll & Go for 10 years but Charley is the only one I keep in touch with and that is only because he initiated it and I got him into my FaceBook page as a friend.

The following list of symptoms is from WebMD but the descriptions are mine. If you want to see what WebMD has to say about this you can click (http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/10-symptoms-adult-adhd) to go to that site.

Symptoms of ADHD include but are not limited to:

•        Difficulty Getting Organized
o        Until I could get my paycheck delivered straight to the bank and have the bank pay my bills from my account I was always late with payments. Quite often my power or cable would be shut off for non-payment. I must have paid thousand in late fees and reconnection charges. Now things get paid regularly.

•        Reckless Driving and Traffic Accidents
o        I've been lucky with this. I like to drive so I tend to do it well enough to avoid most near misses or accidents. However, Wakana generally insists on driving because riding with me makes her nervous.

•        Marital Difficulties
o        The person with ADHD can't focus on conversations and is very forgetful. Need I say more? Wakana gets frustrated because she will go into town for something, tell me where she's going and why, and then hear me ask where she's going. Or she will have to ask me several times to do something that needs to be done.

•        Extreme Distractibility
o        This really drove the guys in Roll & Go nuts. We would be on stage and someone would say something or someone in the audience would do something and the song was instantly wiped from my memory. I was never well rehearsed because I would forget or otherwise get distracted when I was supposed to be practicing. Remember, there is no automatic prioritization of thoughts and no control over them. This is why I cannot have a pet. I would not feed them regularly or clean up after them no matter how bad the smell.

•        Poor Listening Skills
o        This really frustrates me and has led to my avoidance of social situations. I am fine in the first few minutes of conversation but the damned ADHD soon tears me away and sends me into other regions. Also, in a crowd I cannot distinguish my conversation with one person from those conversations going on around me so I tend to avoid those situations.

•        Restlessness
o        This has not been a big problem for me though my feet and legs are continually bouncing and moving. Also I cannot work for long on any one thing, be it something I like or something I am ambivalent towards. Thus, I could never remember to practice with my guitar and never was able to play it very well.

•        Difficulty Relaxing

o        Never been a problem for me except as regards the previous item. ADHD manifests differently in different people and especially between men and women.

•        Difficulty Starting a Task
o        Dad used to tell me that a large part of any project is accumulating the materials. Because of the extreme distractibility starting a project means losing track in that stage. Next thing you know months have gone by with no progress. But if you just start the project planning to accumulate the materials as you go you quickly lose track of the project and, once more, months go by with no progress.

•        Chronic Lateness
o        This relates to extreme distractibility. As stated above if an event does not go into my phone calendar it doesn't happen for me. Even with notification in time it is likely I'll be distracted in the process of getting ready to go and end up late anyway.

•        Angry Outbursts
o        This one relates to impulsiveness. The quick flash of anger, expressed loudly, hits without warning. This really frustrates Wakana, as it has for the other women with whom I have shared my life. I try, really I do, to keep from boiling over but sometimes it pops before I know what is happening. The weird thing is almost immediately after there is nothing left of the anger. But the people around me do not forget.

•        Prioritizing Issues
o        Can't be done, at least not by me. This has frustrated my bosses down through the years as well as family and friends. I used to tell my co-workers to make headquarters ask for something three times. If they didn't ask three times then they must not really want it. This was just a cover for not being able to prioritize. I decided the needs of the local offices were prime and generally ignored the needs of headquarters. I used to tell people my job was like an archaeologist's. I would dig down through the layers on my desk looking for the oldest needful thing.
o        At home I would work on whatever came to my attention first as long as the other issues above didn't stop me. Usually they did.

As an example of all of the above consider that it has taken me most of a year to write this letter. If you've made it this far: congratulations. If not then I have nothing more to say, you wouldn't see it anyway.

There is no cure but there is a treatment. I have been seeing a psychologist for a long time. He diagnosed the problem and is trying to treat it with stimulants. We've tried Adderoll and Ritalin. I am now trying Vyvanse. He has another plan if these don't clear my head.

As I said, I am writing this only to try to explain to you what I go through every minute of every day. I hope this clears up some of the confusion.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Jul 13 - 02:30 AM

I set my alarm to wake up at 3:45 AM, my best guestimate for when the launch ceremonies would start. I woke around 2:00 AM and couldn't get back to sleep. Came in to the computer and saw... nothing. I was too early. So I did some work and puttered around and the Coast Guard band started playing just before 3:00.

I'm not good at sitting through ceremonies. I opened another page and continued to work while the endless speeches droned on and on. Finally they broke the bottle (water from each of the oceans the Morgan sailed in)and announced that the lowering equipment would take 20 minutes to get her into the water. So, more speeches and then Geoff Kaufman sang some songs until they announced that she was afloat.

I sat there, focused on the lowering of the ship and thought about how my father would have loved to know the morgan was back in the water.

The Morgan arrived at Mystic in 1941. I was born in 1952 when my parents lived in a trailer park across the river from the museum. I have known that ship all my life. My earliest attempts to walk were on her deck. I had tears in my eyes when I saw how beautiful she looked.

It's now 4:30 PM and I am sleepy. I would go take a nap but then I'd never get to sleep tonight.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 21 Jul 13 - 10:14 PM

Brett, you seem to have lost your cookie!

Running into another Mudcatter on Guam is cool. And good luck with your new job!

I was at the launch of the Morgan. I am a Mystic Seaport member and live in Rhode Island, so I go there often. I saw Charley Noble (Charlie Ipcar) there. I put some photos on Facebook--several in a group and one by itself. I hope Charlie will put some up when he has edited them. If you are on FB, you and anyone else can see my photos (which I didn't edit but just put up from my cell phone camera), on my timeline here. https://www.facebook.com/janet.handford?ref=tn_tnmn If you are interested, the sooner you look at them the better, because they will move farther down my timeline as I post other things, and I post often!

I hope you do get to see the Morgan sail in 2014. I am looking forward to it and hope to see her leave Mystic and also in Newport and New Bedford. Maybe I'll see you at one of those places!

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: GUEST,SINS
Date: 21 Jul 13 - 12:05 PM

I think of you guys often and fondly.
Stay in touch.
SINS

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Jul 13 - 10:46 PM

Yeah, uh, misadventures are what they are, Roger.

Thanks for the welcome and a Mudcat welcome to Micky. He isn't a folkie... yet. He may learn to regret inviting Wakana and I into a get-together.

We've been over a week since the water heater died. Cold showers on Guam (and the rest of the tropics I suspect) are not the same as for those who live in the northen southern latitudes.

To start with, our water lines run just under the ssurface, just deep enough to protect them from lawn mowers or weed whackers (on Guam they are called bushcutters). Add to that the daily temperatures in the 80s and taking a cold shower is like getting into a swimming pool. It feels cold at first but you quickly get used to it. It isn't painful like some cold showers I've taken in Maine.

Tomorrow Mystic Seaport will be launching the Charles W. Morgan. She's been out for refit for the last several years. I wish I could be there. I am planning on getting up at 3:45 AM to watch it on the computer. They will be streaming the video.

When I was born my parents were living in a trailer an the hill across the river from Mystic. At that time she'd only been at the seaport about 9 or 10 years. I have visited that ship off and on since I was a baby and I feel a kinship with her. It breaks my heart that I cannot be there tomorrow.

Next year they plan to sail her and I really want to be there to see the departure. I hope I can do that.

My new job will be in a middle school teaching reading to 7th graders. Yikes! The concept scares me. The one thing that reassures me is that Inarajan (the 'j' is pronounced as an 'h') uses a team teaching concept so it should not be like the Romans throwing Christians to the lions.

And I will be a GovGuam employee. This might not be a plus. GovGuam always has financial problems and education is one of the biggest budget items so that gets slashed first. Still, their retirement plan is pretty good though it is THE biggest budget item for GovGuam.

Some time ago I bought a Nook reader andlately (while on vacation/unemployment) I've been catching up with the reading I did in my childhood. I have to do that because ancient books are cheaper and some of my childhood authors are in Gutenberg.org which is free. It is fun to see what modern devices were thought up by the old SF authors. Currently I'm reading The Mote in God's Eye which predicted tablet pocket computers.

I love this stuff. Surfing through the different sites I see that Mark Twain predicted the internet, Star Trek Voyage Home predicted transparent aluminum, and so many other science fiction stuff that is coming into reality. Every time I see something like this I laugh out loud and feel the victory every SF fan should feel.

Gotta get to work cleaning up my side of the office to prepare for another year of lesson plans and UOG classes. As Superman used to say on TV, "Up, up, and away!"

Or, as he would say if he were a Scot, "Oop, oop, and awa'"

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: Jeri
Date: 20 Jul 13 - 10:18 PM

Mickey-san, welcome! I'd say "small world" but it isn't. Places like Mudcat just draw people together.

Brett, I've missed hearing about your adventures. I hope you'll fill us all in on what's been going on.

Subject: RE: BS: Getting well in Guam
From: GUEST,Mickey
Date: 20 Jul 13 - 08:07 PM

Hi, Brett-san and Wakana-san. Happy Liberation Day! (I'm still looking for an angle to liberate myself.) Let's get together so that you, Wakana-san and Keiko can talk. I will lurk. All the best, Mickey