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The greatest hunter in all the north: Pierre Bear

Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder: One Book at a Time

Families across the country are concerned with “Nature Deficit Disorder” – especially after reading Last Child in the Woods or articles like “What Apple is doing to our Children’s brains” (http://money.msn.com/investing/how-apple-is-changing-kids-brains-fiscaltimes.aspx) . Last Child in the Woods is the brings together a new and growing body of research indicating that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults. “What Apple is doing to our brains” details some alarming and interesting information on the changes in the ways our children are learning.

You probably already noticed differences between generations, though, like when your 3-year old son can turn on the i-pad, put in the password, find his “ABC Music” app and begin playing the “nose flute” even though your mother can not seem to locate the New York Times app to read her daily news.

Here in Montana, I know that a lot of parents are concerned about outside play time, but we feel like our kids are still getting outside and going camping, fishing, hunting, hiking, etc. It’s the kids in NYC we should be worried about, right? Our kids here in Bozeman are always going to choose going hunting with dad over playing an “Elkaholics” game on their phones, right?

But some of these alarming trends and habits develop in ways that seem to be out of our control. What books can we purchase at the bookstore?

A book that my children absolutely love, probably because of the way my husband reads it to them, is Pierre Bear, an old Golden Book by Richard Scary. We have a copy of it in the 1961 version of Richard Scary’s collection of favorite stories, and like “Little Black Sambo” this story is not included in the modern printing.

If you didn’t already know it, Pierre Bear is the greatest hunter in all the north. Not only is he a great hunter, but he uses the hunted animal to its full capacity (after he shoots the moose, he makes minced moose meat, moose pie, etc). He finds a lady friend to marry, they have a baby bear, and Pierre Bear does what a lot of Montana dads do – takes his son out hunting with him and teaches him to be part of the next generation of great hunters (with an appreciation of nature).

Why isn’t the story included in the modern collection? You’d have to ask the publishers, but probably because of these two pages : [Pierre Bear] hunted for the furriest seal and then…BANG…he shot him dead” and subsequently made fur/seal coats for the whole family.

I’ll admit, when I first read these pages, I shuddered a bit – no one likes to think of that cute furry seal being shot and used for a coat. I remember looking sideways at my husband as my kids eagerly shouted “BANG” when I flipped the page. After all, I am an East Coast gal who never pictured my hamburgers actually coming from a cow.

As I’ve thought more about it, I think not including Pierre Bear in the newest edition of is a reflection on how nature deficit disorder has permeated parenting, even on the basest level of reading great stories.

But there is something uncomfortable about reading Pierre Bear aloud to our children. Is it possible to get past that discomfort simply for the value of exposing my children to hunting? Or is it better to pretend hunters don’t exist and that seals are all cuddly and need protection.

According to Last Child in the Woods, “Our society is teaching young people to avoid direct experience in nature. That lesson is delivered in schools, families, even organizations devoted to the outdoors, and codified into the legal and regulatory structures of many of our communities. Our institutions, urban/suburban design, and cultural attitudes unconsciously associate nature with doom—while disassociating the outdoors from joy and solitude. Well-meaning public-school systems, media, and parents are effectively scaring children straight out of the woods and fields.”

That scares me. So, I suggest we all read stories like Pierre Bear aloud to our children despite the discomfort it may provide - because how the young respond to nature, and how they raise their own children, will shape the configurations and conditions of our cities, homes—our daily lives -- in the future.

Readers, what do you think?

#Pierre Bear #Richard Scary #Last Child in the Woods #Nature Deficit Disorder

Bus Duty Observations 1

Now that it’s almost spring and my daughter will start riding her bike again, I finally feel like I have the afternoon pickup at my daughter’s elementary school down pat. As I pulled up today, I started to make a few observations about the others around me. I think I can break my afternoon bus duty into two categories: Using Time Wisely and Strategy.

For those of you who will be new to the “pickup/dropoff” program, this entry might give you some valuable advice. For those of you who have been doing it for a while, please add some of your own thoughts. And for those of you who never have to do this job, just don’t be the crazy mom who follows that school bus in your own car to make sure the kids get to school safely. Oh, and if you are the lady in the red audi, I’m sorry: this is all in fun, and I’m sure you have your reasons. In fact, you’re the envy of many who wish they had the nerve to do what you do.

Strategies:

Kindergartners get out at 3:15. If your teacher has bus duty, your child will be walking out the door at exactly 3:16. Grades 1-4 get out a bit after. If you want to be able to see when your child is waiting at the curb, then you need to be within the first 10 cars. To be in the first 10 cars, you must arrive no later than 3:05. If you are not in the first 10 cars, you might find yourself way back on the corner of You're Late and South Last. So, there is a pretty regular group of us who make it to the first 10 cars every day. You can read more about us in the “using time wisely” post. But let’s get down to strategy.

There is a pretty regimented rule system, enforced by the lunch room/bus duty aides, who you do NOT want to mess with. The rules are handed out in a newsletter in the first week of school, and you better read them. Basically, you line up in order of arrival, and you wait. Then, if, and only if, you see your child on the curb, you may pull out of line, stop to pick up the tired grade-schooler, and promptly move on. You may not roll down your window to talk to the teacher, you may not dilly dally at the curb. This applies to everyone, except one woman, who seems to missing the “rule sensitivity chip” and happens to drive a red audi.

Strategy one: arrive before 3:05. I haven’t actually ever been first in line, and I never get there in time for a parking spot (there’s only a few) so I bet you have to be there around 2:55 for those perks. Arrival time is definitely key.

Strategy two: park and walk in. This is the choice of many parents, but if you have more kids in the car, it becomes too challenging. You can always risk parking in the “parent’s night out” spot that is auctioned off every year; so far I have only seen a car parked there for the Christmas performance.

Strategy three: come late, right around 3:15, and drive past everyone, assuming that your child is already on the curb. This is risky, in case the student has not been let out yet. Other moms may find your move distasteful.

Strategy four: come late, call a reliable friend who can see the curb from her 2nd in line space, and wait for her instructions to pull out of line. Alternatively, ask this friend to save you a spot in front of her in line. It is horribly awkward to pull into this spot but very efficient. I think it's borderline immoral, but I have done it.

Strategy five: pull up at your leisure right around 3:15, watch for a parent who has parked and walked in to get a kindergartener and is returning back to his/her car . When that parent pulls out of a spot, pull in and wait. Note: this will not work if too many people become wise to this plan.

Strategy six (I saw this today): park in the middle of the parking lot where people ought to be driving, clog up traffic, and act both important and busy while everyone else waits for you.

Strategy seven: Give a giant F-U to all the moms/dads who have patiently been waiting in line since 3:00, turn right onto You're Late, casually pass by all the cars, nonchalantly pull in front of the first person in line, and wait. Important to act as though you own the place, so the bus duty teachers don’t reprimand you. If you do this, you not make eye contact with other mothers. Ever. Beware that if you choose this route, you should not drive a noticeable car, like, um, a red audi.

Beware of Premature Pull-Out: This usually occurs when a spouse who is not savvy to the routine decides to help out and pick up the child from school. The inexperience can lead to “premature pull out” where the spouse pulls out of the line up, expecting the child to be on the curb. If the child is not yet there, the driver must keep moving, and go all the way around the loop again. It is impossible at this point to re-park, so you might end up driving around and around and around.

Beware of the Tag-a-long Spouse: ‘nuff said. If you have a good thing going from 3:05 to 3:16 (i.e., drinking diet coke, reading magazines, napping, and catching up with friends) the “tag-a-long spouse” can throw a wrench in your afternoon quiet time. You never want to hear the words “Oh, so this is what you do all afternoon” and instead must keep reminding your partner of “how hard you are working to shuttle kids from point A to point B”.

Readers, do you have any other stories to share? (c’mon, I know one of you has a story about another mom hitting your car and another one of you is dying to tell the story about the black caravan at morning drop off…just share them, alright?). Next post will cover “using time wisely”.

#kids #school #driving #kindergarten #moms

Learning from my student teacher

I have a confession to make. I’ve been doing something terrible this semester in my classroom.

I’ve had a student teacher from the university working with me, but that’s not the terrible part. That’s the awesome part. I love mentoring and helping future teachers of America become the best they can be. I love learning from him (like how to implement blogging in our journalism classroom) and I love teaching him some tricks of the trade (like “the look” as my most effective discipline technique). The terrible part is this: slowly, daily, I feel like I am poking a pin into the balloon. What I mean is my student teacher comes to me with great ideas. He is bright eyed, smart, eager, and he comes to me with lots of ideas on how to reach our students and get them engaged in their learning. But then the “mean old worn down realist teacher” in me kicks in. Although I try not to say anything outright to deflate him, I’ve unfortunately been teaching long enough to know that some of his plans will probably result in adolescent eye-rolling and the discussions will likely only last a few minutes and end with the words, “sooo, ummm, yeah.” I try to be encouraging, but I also don’t want to set him up for failure. I hate the idea that the advice coming out of my mouth might be another poke and whoosh of air.

As I reflect on my teaching and try to provide guidance to my student teacher, I’m afraid I’ve lost that spark I used to have: the one that would make me get up out of my chair and hunt down a kid who left for the “bathroom” ten minutes earlier. The one that would make me force a student to come in during lunch, and study hall, and after school until that darn paper was finished. I’ve started to give in to the frustrations of working harder than the failing student and caring more than she does about the F in the gradebook.

Here’s the bottom line, though. I know for sure that I do NOT want to be that crabby old teacher who doesn’t get out of my chair and only hands out worksheets. I like it that my student teacher has that spark – and I’m hoping it rubs back off on me. Even though I am supposed to be mentoring him, I am ending up improving my own teaching too. I know this, because I just chased a kid down the hall to ask him where he was during class, and it felt refreshing to remind him to come in for extra help over lunch to catch up on what he missed.

Readers, any good stories on teachers who have lost their spark? Any ideas for educational reform?

#student teacher #teaching

Skiing with the kids: a checklist for gear and other essentials

One of my brilliant book ideas that has not yet come to fruition is my book of checklists. I use them all the time, for just about everything I do, and they have only gotten more essential as I’ve become a parent. It’s probably something I learned from my husband, whose “gear and travel lists” are a legendary part of his business.

My idea was to have my checklists printed on sticky notes, so I could then stick the list on the dashboard of my car, or on the door to the house, or wherever would be most convenient, and then check items off as I loaded them up. I have checklists for traveling with a newborn, travel with toddlers, swimming, work, the hospital when I’m in labor, the grocery store, camping, and most importantly right now, for skiing with small kids.

Some of my friends have asked to see my list, so here goes. But at the top of the list is patience. Without patience, you will never be able to teach your kids to ski, because there is an awful lot of yelling, crying, whining, and complaining that goes along with the joy of watching your young child make a top-to-bottom run on the bunny hill. I have friends who have been known to threaten “if you don’t quit whining, we’re going to have to go home” and then consequently have to follow through, pack up their half-dressed kids, trek back down to the car and head home without even making a turn. Others get up to the mountain only to realize they’ve left their own ski boots at home, thus ending the ski day before it begins.

So here’s our list: We use a big skiing gear bag because the kids’ skis and helmets fit in along with everything else, but some of our friends use clear tupperware tubs so they can see what’s there and what’s missing. Share your additions here if I've left anything off.

sled with pull rope (put all kids/gear, etc onto sled and pull sled from car to parking lot)

Skis

ski boots

regular snow boots

One -piece ski suit (does the job better than pants and jacket, I think)

Socks (2 pair – must be tall enough)

Long underwear

Fleece pants

Fleece jacket

Clean undies (in case there’s an accident)

Mittens (extra pair in car)

Hand warmers

Head/neck fleece

Favorite blankie or stuffed animal (to be tucked inside skit suit)

Helmet

Goggles

Goggle cloth

Vaseline/lotion for face

Kleenex

Chapstick

“Scooby snacks” (something like fruit snacks or M&Ms to keep energy levels up or bribes going)

Harness for learning skiers – also good to lift kids onto chair with handle on the harness

Edgie-wedgie (some instructors swear by these – keeps the skis in a pie wedge)

Ski pass

Cowbell(s) (for the impromptu race or just fun encouragement)

Thermos with hot chocolate already made. Marshmallows can be taken from lodge.

Change of clothes for ride home

Prize for the end of the day and a job well done (for adults: a cold beer; for children: an eraser or lego guy or something like that).

iPhone with camera/video and the app “ski tracks” which will tell you how many runs you skied, how fast you went, etc.

Coloring books and crayons for the lodge – when you inevitably have to go in for hot chocolate.

Don’t expect too much the first few times. Make it lots of fun! Try the magic carpet over and over again. But with a lot of hard work, patience, and dedication (or the entrusted services of a ski instructor), you will soon find yourself skiing full days with your little ones – who will be begging to do “one more” run down "six shooter" before the lifts close.

#skiing #kids #checklist

Essential Protective Parenting Gear

“Wow. I never knew how much I needed a scapula until mine broke.”

It seems like bad things always happen to me when my husband is out of town. Last month, when I was bending over to put my son’s ski boots on, he jumped up, bashed his big three-year old head into my face, and subsequently broke my nose. We were up at the ski hill, I had blood gushing out of my nose, my baby in a car seat in the running car, two children looking on with horror, and no one to help. My instinct was to curl up, cry, and go to the doctor, but since I was single parenting, I had to take charge of the situation myself. So I called everyone I knew. No one answered, and the blood was still pouring down my face, so I loaded the family up and drove over to the lodge. I left the kids in the car with my babysitter (the ipad and angry birds) and schlepped over the front desk, crying out, “I need help!” Long story short, a few friends came and helped with the kids, the ski patrol came over to evaluate the situation, and I ended up at the clinic with a mildly broken nose.

At some point while I was at the clinic, I began to realize the ridiculousness of the situation, and I started to get a little embarrassed. There were a lot of other hard-core skiing injuries around me – broken legs, concussions – and when the hip young doctor started asking me questions, I felt even more self-conscious. “So, what sports do you do?” he asked (I guess he was trying to decide if I needed a protective nose guard – as if you can protect yourself from a wiggly 3 year who is driven by impulse).

Me: “Um, besides skiing?”

He nodded.

Me: “Um, paddle tennis.”

Doctor: “Oh! Ok! Cool! What else?”

Me: (thinking, not much else I have time for) Um. Sledding?

Doctor: “Great! Great! What else?

Me: (starting to feel inadequate…I don’t really do a lot of sports these days! I can barely get skiing once a week…but I was looking around, and I could tell he wasn’t going to stop until I gave him the answer he was searching for) “Basketball?”

Doctor: (very satisfied). Ok, then when you get back to playing basketball, you’ll need a protective nose guard.

Those of you who know me also know that I haven’t picked up a basketball since summer camp when I was about 10. But I think he may be on to something with the protective nose guard idea. I would wear it when I put the kids in their car seats and when I help them zip their coats. Readers, have you ever needed protective gear for your parenting work? Tell me about it.

Well, just as the nose started to heal, I left work to grab a sandwich over lunch, and I slipped on the ice in the parking lot. I went back to work, even though my shoulder/arm was really hurting. I realized I needed to see someone when I couldn’t lift up the carseat to carry my baby to the car, and when it was all said and done, I ended up having a broken scapula.

Like all patients these days, I immediately googled “broken scapula” when I got home, and the descriptions told me that a broken scapula is a rare injury, most common when thrown from a horse. Hmmm. I’m in my (mid??) 30s, and I slipped on the ice. This doesn’t bode well for my future.

I had my student teacher do all the writing on the board (note: a scribe comes in handy with a shoulder injury), I wore pajama jeans every other day because I could pull them on and they kind of look like jeans, I had my friend/neighbor style my hair, and I plodded along. I found myself dragging the baby around like a mama cat, and I put my older son to work learning how to zip his own coat and strap himself into his car seat.

Now that I’ve weaned myself off the painkillers, my arm is out of a sling, and I can wear more pants than pajama jeans, I can laugh about it. It helps that my husband is home for a while.

I can also admit here that when I ran into an old friend at the grocery store and she asked, “what happened? Skiing accident?” I said, “no, tough basketball game.”

Online Book Club: The Marriage Plot

I'm in a great book club. We meet once a month, and we choose the books for the year at our first meeting each September. We're mostly made up of teachers, and our meetings feel like a college English class sometimes. I have loved my book club - mostly because we all actually read the books, I usually enjoy the books, and we come prepared to talk about the books. But I have found that this year, with the birth of my third child, I am rarely able to make the book club meetings. Sad - since I read the books and I am dying to discuss them. Instead I find myself emailing the members, asking "what did you talk about?" and "did people like it?". Then I call my friends, and I tell them "Oh! You should read this book! And then we can talk about it!". Then I call my mom, and tell her to read it, and we'll discuss it over the phone. It turns out, I've created a mini book club based on phone conversations and emails. So I thought I'd start posting the books I'm reading, and some questions/comments I had about the books; if you'd like to comment/ask questions, please do! And if you'll feel more like you're a book club if you drink a glass of wine while you read the posts, go for it!

The first book we can discuss is The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides. I recommend it, especially for English teachers or lovers of English majors, because there are so many delightful references to literature, university classes, etc. I also enjoyed the modernization of a Victorian theme. But it's not for everyone. My mom loved it. She loved the names of the characters (like Mitchell Grammaticus). My best friend did not. She found herself unable to "like" any of the characters and didn't much care what happened.

So my first question is this: Were you hoping Madeline would end up with Mitchell or Leonard, or did you care?

"She'd become an English major for the purest and dullest reasons: because she liked to read. The university's 'British and American Literature Course Catalog" as, for Madeline, what its Bergdorf equivalent was for her roommates...even as a girl in Prettybrook, Madeline wandered into the library, with its shelves of books rising higher than she could reach...and the magisterial presence of all those potentially readable words stopped her in her tracks."

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

First day of Bus Duty

I’ve tossed the idea of blogging around for a while now (Ok, I’ll admit it, ever since Julie and Julia inspired me), but I’ve struggled with narrowing down my ideas, and I am shy about sharing my thoughts online, because, well, I am. But I have friends who champion me, telling me “you should write those stories down” and I have students who ask me, “why should we do a blog if you don’t?” and I have three kids who ask me funny questions all the time and are way more tech savvy than I am, so I could see them taking out my iphone, putting in my password, and writing their own posts on here. And all this combined, along with my student teacher who is about to start implementing blogging in our classroom (which I think I am going to have to keep up with once he leaves), has brought me to my first blog. And truthfully, I have an innermost desire to make other people laugh.

Bus Duty. I figured this encompassed most of my ideas into one snarky name, since I am a high school English/Journalism teacher, who has bus or lunch duty once a month, and I am a mother of three who spends a considerable portion of each day dropping kids off and picking kids up in my “bus”, which, by the way, is a very messy mini-SUV filled with goldfish, kid’s artwork, ½ filled coffee mugs, and high school papers that have yet to be graded. I guess this blog will be a place where you might be able to see my thoughts on parenting and teaching (my husband says he is “off-limits”) and the hum drum life of a Montana mom/wife.

If you like what you see, keep coming back – and share with your friends.

Stay tuned for my next entry: “Wow. I never knew how much I needed a scapula until mine broke" or possibly the one after that, called "The lady in the red audi who bypasses the pickup line at my daughter's elementary school".

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