Thinking about leaving Guam. Nah, bought a house!

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: SINSULL
Date: 24 Nov 07 - 04:44 PM

Remember when you a kid in school dreading that grade? Did you ever guess that your teacher had better things on his mind? Except for the nuns - they had nothing else and so they obsessed about grades.LOL

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 27 Nov 07 - 06:33 AM

I was reading through the literary analysis that I assigned the students back in October. They had to read a book (a real book! Horrors!) and provide an analysis picking out the various elements of fiction used by the author. The reports were due on November 5.

Of course, the due date came as a big shock to the kids. When I reminded them at the end of October that the report would be due the following week they were surprised. A few of them explained that they couldn't find copies of the book they wanted to do. Others complained that they hadn't had the time to work on it. I was adamant about the due date.

I finally got the papers from about half of them. Over the next few days more trickled in. There are still a substantial number of students who haven't bothered to do the work.

And what they did do was substandard at best. Many did not follow my directions. None seemed to remember we'd done this same thing on class and that they could do it on their own. I had to rethink my approach.

The first thing I did was go through all the papers and use a red pen to highlight all the spelling and grammar errors. There were a lot of them. Interestingly, a paper from one of the poorer students had no errors at all. It used language in such a way that it was obvious that he did not write it. A few minutes on a Google search turned up the exact sentences he had used. He'd bought the book report from a web site. Instant 'F'!

Now we are into the week of the progress report. I have to get all my grading up to date and get my grades into the office by Friday. In only three weeks we have our mid term exams (finals for Composition II) and then we are on vacation until January! I can't wait!

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: SINSULL
Date: 27 Nov 07 - 08:02 AM

I remember when I was in college there was this arrogant fraternity type in a mythology class. He took the course thinking it would be an easy "A", skipped most of the classes and bought his "A" term paper from a fraternityy brother who had bought it from a Columbia student. It was his final semester and he needed the credits to graduate.
Unfortunately for him, Ursula Schoenheim took her mythology class very seriously. And she took her term papers even more seriously. She also took attendance and you lost points for missing class.
this was pre-computer and Google but Ursula had her own library and a photographic memory. She soon discovered that the entire paper was plagiarized. She failed it - 50% of the grade. He failed the course. Ironically he was headed to Law School. Her comment? "Just what we need, another crooked lawyer."
He spent his summer taking another course to earn enough credits to graduate.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 27 Nov 07 - 02:58 PM

I remember a story I heard on All Things Considered a long time ago. It seems that someone conducted a survey of MBA students at Princeton University. The gist of the survey was breaking the law and cheating The summary of the questions was, as I remember it, would you cheat or break the law if you could get away with it? A huge majority of those polled answered that they would.

By now those people must be in the business hierarchy. I think of that story every time I hear someone talking about their investments. I don't think I would want to put my potential future in the hands of that group.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 27 Nov 07 - 03:06 PM

By the way, I recently bought myself an I-Pod. I've been loading my CDs on it. I also discovered the world of podcasting. The kids love their I-Pods. Now I will make them use those machines for something really educational. There are podcasts that cover literature and grammar and vocabulary. Starting in January they will have to tune in and write summaries of what they've been listening to. Muwahaha!

I commented to the kids in my 7th block yesterday that teachers are really good at taking something fun and making it boring. And I was going to do that with their I-Pods.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Charley Noble
Date: 27 Nov 07 - 10:09 PM

Brett-

So true!

Except for me of course!

Dick Dufresne is back in Maine until Christmas. He's complaining that it's not as hot here as where he lives in Florida.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: GUEST,Kelli
Date: 28 Nov 07 - 03:38 AM

Hi Dad,

There is a podcast that I listen to on occasion when I remember- Garrison Keillor does the Writer's Almanac every week. You could make your kids listen to that. ;)

Hope all is well.

Love

Kelli

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 28 Nov 07 - 04:12 AM

Hi Kell - I have that on my list and on my I-Pod. My plan at this point, and I'm sure I will be modifying it later, is to give them a list of podcasts to choose from and have them write up journal entries on each one. If you have any other suggestions I'd be happy to hear them.

Oh! I learned a new word from a podcast the other day. The discussion was about the name of a finger and one of the commentators said it was also called the auricular finger. Do you (any of you) know what that finger could be? (Note: My spell checker had no problem with the word 'auricular.')

Charley, tell Dick that soon his Florida house will be underwater and he'll move back to Maine to enjoy the hot winter weather. Also, please tell him I hope he and his family are well and happy. I miss him and all the rest of you guys too. I hope to see you all next summer.

By the way, yesterday I used the phrase 'Bah Humbug' in replying to something one of the kids said. I confused the poor child. She'd never heard it before! A couple other kids agreed they didn't know it either! It must be time to resurrect Mr. Scrooge.

If you want the rest of the story on the kid who purchased his paper here it is. I was returning papers to the class and used the incident to talk about cheating and dishonesty. I named no names and even avoided any gender specific terms. I mentioned web sites where people can buy reports and term papers and he spoke up and gave the name of one of the sites and commented that you could buy a book report for $5.00. The kids all around him looked at him and said "You're the one!" He hung his head then looked at me and I said, "That's why you got the F."

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: katlaughing
Date: 28 Nov 07 - 10:24 AM

auricular - something to do with a finger in the ear? But, darned if I know which one!

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: ClaireBear
Date: 28 Nov 07 - 10:45 AM

According to various online dictionaries, "the little finger; so called because it can be readily introduced into the ear passage."

Eeeeew!

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 29 Nov 07 - 07:18 AM

That's right, Claire, it is the finger you use to clean out your ear. It is also know as your pinkie.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 01 Dec 07 - 08:09 PM

It's been a hard week for Wakana at work. She has been using the credit slips to encourage participation in the classroom. Then, I heard from one of my students that some of her students were stealing the credit slips. She took it personally. It hit her hard. On top of that she had to get student volunteers for help on the Japanese Festival at Ypao Park on Saturday. She had 20 volunteers and only 5 showed up. She took that personally too.

I also learned that some students were stealing credit slips in my room. That, added to the book report cheater, means I have lots to talk about. I just don't take it personally.

Lots to do and no time to do it. I remember an old National Geographic article about rising waters flooding a portion of South American jungle. The name of the article has always stuck with me, Time is Short and the Water Rises. That's how I feel now.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 03 Dec 07 - 03:23 AM

The kids are getting a little wild. We have a three day week. On Thursday all the students are going on retreat to different Catholic churches in the area. We have to go along to ride herd on the crowd. Then we are off on Friday because it is some religious holiday.

Recently I woke up to the fact that these kids can talk but they don't have a clue as to how the language works. I told them today that kids coming out of Japanese high schools have a better working knowledge of English than they do but that they don't have the opportunity to practice. These kids get the practice but don't know how to use it.

Some examples:

In one of the book report one student was trying to explain how deeply one character loved another. She said their love was skin deep. In composition class I gave a test on the narrative and descriptive paragraphs. I asked the students to list five adjectives and five action verbs. The mish-mash of words I got was not to be believed. I have seen them write that they would "predict on" a future action, they have "alot" of stuff, they fall "inlove", and are frequently "bord". I have invited them to use email to submit their homework but using the keyboard seems to be beyond them.

Wakana says I shouldn't hold out much hope for them but that goes against my nature. It bothers me to see the degree of disinterest they have.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Charley Noble
Date: 03 Dec 07 - 01:44 PM

Brett-

Maybe you should try to get them to do storytelling, if they'd be interested in that. And then play catch-up with the grammar and the spelling. If they're interested in a topic, they may show more interest in learning how to write more correctly, or maybe not!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 04 Dec 07 - 04:31 AM

The funny thing about these kids is that they have no concept of telling a story. And tall tales are way beyond them. I've tried to explain the concept of the Downeast story to them. I was not trying to make them see the humor. I was just trying to get them to realize that telling the truth does not have to apply to entertainment. They only see it as lying. In fact many of them are so concrete that they cannot get their imagination to see the strange things that I tell them. The idea that "you can't get there from here" is just too weird an idea. They all tell me that you can get anywhere from anywhere.

But I do like your idea. I can see that the right approach can get some of these kids moving.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Charley Noble
Date: 04 Dec 07 - 09:44 AM

Brett-

Sounds like an old story-telling tradition has been surpressed. I bet their grandparents still tell stories. Maybe you can encourage the students to write down some of their stories.

I wish I had done that more with my Ethiopian students back in the early 1960's. They were a very studious bunch, and needed a lot of encouragement before they were willing to write down some of the tales of Waq, his battles on behalf of the Gurage people, and why he had left them to their fate. Not enough honey wine was my conclusion.

Most of the State of Maine got over 12 inches of snow yesterday. Gee, it sure looks lovely!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: maeve
Date: 04 Dec 07 - 10:33 AM

Brett- What about the area storyboards? There must be some around, along with elders who would be willing and able to interpret them. Some of the legends may not be considered appropriate for school, but I think there are enough around to make it possible. I know Palau still has something of a tradition there, with many local ghost stories as well.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: katlaughing
Date: 04 Dec 07 - 10:58 AM

I wouldn't get too discouraged with their grammar. The examples you gave don't seem any worse than what I saw when I was grading essays and such done by American students in their high school English classes.

Likewise in some of the submissions I read for my editing job.

Do they like to draw, paint, etc.? Maybe use art to get their stories out or to convey a story, then get them to write it? My daughter who is very concrete is also very artistic, it seemed to help her.

Don't forget to take a deep breath now and then, you and Wakana, both!:-)

kat

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Charley Noble
Date: 17 Dec 07 - 04:24 PM

Gee, it's been over a week since we've heard from our hero. You don't suppose he's been snowed in?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble, under a foot of snow and ice

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Amos
Date: 17 Dec 07 - 05:25 PM

I'd set them to bringing in a story from or about an ancestor -- parents on back.

A

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: maeve
Date: 17 Dec 07 - 06:05 PM

This tends to be a very busy and often overwhelming time for teachers. I expect they're bogged down in grading and such; maybe even sleeping occasionally!

maeve

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: SINSULL
Date: 18 Dec 07 - 03:41 PM

You will be pleased to know, Brett, that Rudy Giuliani is running for President with a hard line on Immigration. All new immigrants, in his world, must read, write and comprehend English plus have an understanding of American Civics.
So how many of your class (or NYC citizens) will qualify? Is the next step to require literacy of native born Americans? Serve him right if the immigrants comprehend our politics and vote him and his fellow idiots out of office.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Amos
Date: 18 Dec 07 - 03:52 PM

Nothing idiotic about wanting higher standards of literacy; but coupling it to immigration policy is not smart at all IMHO.


A

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 18 Dec 07 - 08:26 PM

I dunno. Maybe we could use this concept to deport the President?

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Charley Noble
Date: 18 Dec 07 - 08:30 PM

Dick-

But it would be wrong!

Does he have a native country?

Would any country accept him, other than Iran or North Korea?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: maeve
Date: 18 Dec 07 - 09:44 PM

Sounds mysteriously like thread creep to me. Brett, you'd best come quick and rescue your thread!

maeve

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Charley Noble
Date: 21 Dec 07 - 04:27 PM

No doubt Brett and Wakana are mired in the usual holiday whatever.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 21 Dec 07 - 04:48 PM

I'm here! I didn't go anywhere. But I have been busy both at my job and at falling apart.

Two years ago I had my left knee worked on. I spent my trip to the UK and home hobbling around on a cane. Now, with another big trip in the planning stages my right knee is giving me trouble. Sigh...

Maeve was right. I've been creating semester exams, attending parties, finishing off my grading from the semester and now I have to grade all those damn exams. Add to it the need to create a syllabus for my Composition III class for next semester, plus lesson plans for composition and literature classes and you have a full schedule.

Then there are the Christmas parties. Wakana wanted me to go to the staff party for FD and we also had a party for ND. I felt like a spy in dangerous lands at the FD party but it was fun. There is a young teacher at FD from Pittsfield, Maine. We had a nice time talking about the weather... back home. She is headed home soon and has quit her job. She says it is "family troubles." All I can think of is disease, probably cancer. I feel bad for her.

The ND party was fun. There was great food, lots of prizes, party games, and the secret Santa gift exchange. At the FD party the secret Santa was fun to watch but it was pretty straight forward. The "Santa" would walk up to the table, pick up their gift, hand it to the recipient and sit down. The recipient would do the same.

At our party the "Santa" would pick up the gift and go off in search of the recipient. Often s/he would stop to greet other people while the rest of us wondered who the recipient would be. It lent an air of mystery to the proceedings. Since the two weeks leading up to the party had been spent in trying to guess the identity of the "Santa" it made things very interesting. In one instance the recipient had told a co-worker that she knew who the "Santa" was. The "Santa" volunteered to start off the process and went to the table where she picked up a lovely large flowering plant. She paraded around with it and finally stopped at another table. Everyone applauded. The two women then walked over to the person who thought she knew her "Santa" and presented the flower to her. It seems she really didn't know.

The two weeks leading up to the party were weeks of mystery and suspense. Everyday a small gift would appear in your mailbox from the unknown "Santa." My mailbox always had some form of chocolate in it. I kept "complaining" about it to a teacher who sat at the table every morning. She would commiserate with me all the while laughing inside. SHE was the guilty party. (Now that I think about it I'm not sure what she was thinking. She is a lovely young Philippina, thin as a rail and married to the physical education teacher who once competed in the Olympics in track and field. Both of them ore in fine physical condition. I don't know why someone like that would give candy to an old fat guy.)

So, now we are on vacation. Christmas is coming and I am making no effort to conform to the season. I still have lots of paper to grade, plans to make, and, if possible, fun to enjoy. I have too many jobs to do around the house.

Wakana is very sad. The immigration service failed to provide her with her updated green card. Now she cannot travel. Consequently she will miss the New Year holiday again. I think this is the fourth year running. It is a very important holiday for the Japanese. I feel bad for her.

So, here we are, in Guam, at the beginning of the dry season. We are busy but trying to enjoy our time off. We have no real problems if you don't consider Wakana's disappointment, the cars falling apart, the house needing to be cleaned, the leaking air conditioner, etc, etc.

Oh, and no granddaughter yet... Still waiting. Sabra was due to arrive on December 18.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Charley Noble
Date: 21 Dec 07 - 10:51 PM

Brett-

Thanks for tuning in and bringing us up to date. Lord knows what might have happened to this thread if you hadn't posted.

Still a foot of snow on the ground and the temperature this evening has dropped to 6 degrees F.

Yah. you really should get your air coditioner fixed. Why not mail it to Amos?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 25 Dec 07 - 04:53 PM

Merry Christmas to all.

For those of you on this side of the International Date Line I apologize about being a day late. Sandra, we got your card. It is so pretty. Wakana, especially, was touched. If anything changes her mind about coming to Australia it will be those cards.

Our Christmas was very quiet. We never decorated, we sent no cards, we barely did any shopping. I violated a long standing personal rule and went out shopping on Christmas Eve. I got Wakana a nice watch and a basket of what the Burnham family calls 'toilet treats' or toiletries. It had lotion, perfume, and some other smelly softening things in it.

We spent the day watching movies. I cooked a pot roast for our Christmas dinner.

I hope you all have (or had) a very nice Christmas.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 25 Dec 07 - 09:29 PM

I'll keep sending cards! We would love to have you & Wakana visit sometime

sandra

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Charley Noble
Date: 25 Dec 07 - 11:00 PM

The weather was great in Maine for a change. Brisk but sunny and it's been like that all week. There's still some snow on the ground but the temperature has warmed up to the freezing level. Hardly even need to wear a coat!

We had our personal gift swapping Christmas Eve. This morning we loaded up the van with plunder and took off to the family farm down on the island. My brother's family was up from Brooklyn, and mother was in residence. We swapped more presents, had a traditional turkey dinner, and then sped up the coast to where Judy's brother lives. There was another six or so folks gathered at their farmhouse, and we chatted, watched them down quanities of ham and turkey, exchanged more presents, shared some dessert, and sped on our way back home through the hills. Gee, it's great to be back home with just the two of us, and the two cats.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 27 Dec 07 - 04:25 AM

Today Wakana and I went to get massages at her usual place. Instead of the type we got at Kenko we got an oiled shiatsu massage. It was much different. The masseuse pushed deeper into the muscles. At times it was painful but I sure feel good now.

You need to imagine this. The masseuse was a small Chinese woman. If she weighed more than 100 pounds I'll eat my hat. I stand at 6'3" and weigh in now at about 360 pounds. I must have been a daunting prospect for her but she was game. At one point she walked on my back. She used more than her hands. She knelt on my legs, jammed her elbow into pressure points on my shoulders and used her forearms on my arms and calves. She pushed and pummeled and worked her way through the hour. It was great. Now I am somewhat slippery but I feel fine.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 27 Dec 07 - 01:50 PM

It's almost 5:00 AM. My younger daughter, Amy, called a couple of hours ago to tell me her sister is in labor in a hospital near her home in England. Soon I will be a grandfather! For some reason I can't sleep.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 27 Dec 07 - 07:04 PM

it's amazing how many of my contemporaries are grandparents! Very young grandparents, of course!

best wishes to mother & baby & all the family

sandra

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: SINSULL
Date: 27 Dec 07 - 07:51 PM

Hey Gramps. All those toxins she worked out of your muscles will keep you awake for weeks. Of course it could be anticipation...

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: katlaughing
Date: 27 Dec 07 - 09:23 PM

Birthing must be imminent. Congrats, Gramps!

Shiatsu sounds lovely!

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Barry Finn
Date: 27 Dec 07 - 09:30 PM

Congrats to your daughter Gramps, sorry, no congrats to you, you had nothing to do with it but I'm glad you had a great massage & feel wonderful. Congrats to Wakana, she's now married to a grandfather, what a woman, she deserves congratulations, it's not often that a woman can say her husband's a grand dad & he's still getting walked on by little women.
Stay awake, the moment will pass to soon.

All my best

Barry

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 28 Dec 07 - 05:37 PM

Sabra was born at 11:30 PM GMT on December 27, 2007. She weighed 6 pounds 15 ounces and had a full head of hair. I am still dazed.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Charley Noble
Date: 28 Dec 07 - 05:58 PM

Brett-

Congratulations!

What kind of music does she like?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: katlaughing
Date: 28 Dec 07 - 06:31 PM

What a beautiful name! Nice size, too. Congrats, Gramps! How do you say grandma and grandpa in Japanese?

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: maeve
Date: 28 Dec 07 - 06:54 PM

May you and young Sabra be blessings to one another, Brett. She and Wakana will love each other! Congratulations from Maine!

maeve

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 28 Dec 07 - 07:29 PM

more congratulations to all from Sydney

sandra

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: The Barden of England
Date: 29 Dec 07 - 09:53 AM

And more congratulations from Maidstone, Kent, UK
John Barden

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 31 Dec 07 - 08:25 PM

I now have heard the story and seen some pictures. She's beautiful, of course, tiny with a full head of dark hair. I got one picture of her being held by her father. He looks exhausted and she is asleep on his shoulder. His hand is on her back and looks to be as large as she is.

My daughter, her mother, is doing well. She is tired, and sore, and swears there will be no brother or sister until she forgets the negative side of having a baby.

Now I have to count the months until I can go to England to meet Sabra and play with her.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 06 Jan 08 - 01:58 AM

My vacation is over! Noooooooooooo!

Tomorrow I have to go back to work. Oh most cruel hardship, why must I suffer so? My life of ease has come to an end.

Well, to tell the truth, my life of ease ended several days ago. I've been preparing my lessons for quite a while. Still, tomorrow I have to get up in front of those rotten kids and try to teach them something.

A week ago last Saturday I heard the following poem recited at a gathering celebrating the life of one of my oldest friends on Guam, Dr. Larry Cunningham. It was organized by some of his former students which included an actress working in New York, a prominent Guam lawyer, and a businesswoman from San Diego. They flew his brother in to join the festivities.

The lawyer recited the following verse by a teacher and poet in New York, Taylor Mali. It inspired both Wakana and myself. I hope it inspires you.

I got it from Mr. Mali's website. The website gives permission for it to be passed around and used however people see fit. (Side note: If you feel inspired to pay me for including it here please send some of the money to Mr. Mali.)

What Teachers Make, or
Objection Overruled, or
If things don't work out, you can always go to law school
By Taylor Mali

He says the problem with teachers is, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"
He reminds the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about teachers:
Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.

I decide to bite my tongue instead of his and resist the temptation to remind the other dinner guests that it's also true what they say about lawyers.

Because we're eating, after all, and this is polite company.

"I mean, you¹re a teacher, Taylor," he says.
"Be honest. What do you make?"

And I wish he hadn't done that (asked me to be honest) because, you see, I have a policy about honesty and ass-kicking: if you ask for it, I have to let you have it.

You want to know what I make?

I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional medal of honor and an A- feel like a slap in the face.
How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall in absolute silence. No, you may not work in groups.
No, you may not ask a question.
Why won't I let you get a drink of water?
Because you're not thirsty, you're bored, that's why.

I make parents tremble in fear when I call home:
I hope I haven't called at a bad time, I just wanted to talk to you about something Billy said today.
Billy said, "Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don't you?"
And it was the noblest act of courage I have ever seen.

I make parents see their children for who they are and what they can be.

You want to know what I make?

I make kids wonder,
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write, write, write.
And then I make them read.
I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful over and over and over again until they will never misspell either one of those words again.
I make them show all their work in math.
And hide it on their final drafts in English.
I make them understand that if you got this (brains) then you follow this (heart) and if someone ever tries to judge you by what you make, you give them this (the finger).

Let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:
I make a goddamn difference! What about you?

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 06 Jan 08 - 02:11 AM

Google search on Taylor Mali

an amazing poem & man

I'm sending it to a couple of teachers I know.

sandra

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Dahlin
Date: 06 Jan 08 - 05:50 PM

Brett
    Great poem. Now your beginning to know why I spent 38 years in education. Congrats. on joining the ranks of us Grand-
Dads and Happy New Year.

Dick

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: katlaughing
Date: 06 Jan 08 - 06:51 PM

Thanks for posting that, Brett. My sisters will like it!

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: SINSULL
Date: 06 Jan 08 - 07:18 PM

Welcome Sabra. I can't wait to see the pictures of baby and Grandpa and Grandma.