12 Ways Americans Solved Safety Prolems

February 15, 2018 (The Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, the deadliest school massacre in our history, cries out for us to look at the big picture and examine how our country handles health problems.)

Americans have a history of looking a problem straight in the eye and taking action to solve or lessen the problem. These are a handful of examples:

1. Sports safety equipment has evolved so fewer athletes are injured.

2. Tooth decay, sometimes leading to abscess and sepsis, affected quality of life and sometimes led to death. Toothbrushes, modern dental care and fluoride have led to better dental heath.

3. Houseflies used to homes and spread deadly microbes. Screens were invented.

4. Drivers could not see the edges of their lanes which often led to fatal accidents. Bott’s Dots were invented and used on roads to help motorists see boundaries and stay in their lanes.

5. Years ago, contaminated milk was killing children. Pasteurization of milk changed this.

6. Too many accidents were happening in work places. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was formed to reduce these accidents.

7. Some toys can kill children. The consumer Product Safety Commission was formed to oversee this problem and recall toys that could kill children.

8. Before stethoscopes, doctors put their ear to the patient’s chest to listen to the heart. Now they use stethoscopes for better heart hearing.

9. Years ago, patients who had to have legs amputated or teeth extracted suffered great pain during these procedures. Anesthesia was invented.

10. Children used to suffer from whooping cough (I did) and it was especially life-threatening in babies. Babies and children now are vaccinated with DTaP to prevent this disease.

11.  When so many people were being killed in automobile accidents, seat belts and airbags were invented and legislated.

12. Current problem: “When a gunman killed 20 first graders and six adults with an assault rifle at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, it rattled Newtown, Conn., and reverberated across the world. Since then, there have been at least 273 school shootings nationwide. In those incidents, 439 people were shot, 121 of whom were killed.” (NYT, 2/15/18)    Solution? Send thoughts and prayers and listen to the NRA?

Read more:

 NRA money speaks loudly to our politicians: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/10/04/opinion/thoughts-prayers-nra-funding-senators.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur


How Australians solved a problem: http://www.slate.com/blogs/crime/2012/12/16/gun_control_after_connecticut_shooting_could_australia_s_laws_provide_a.html

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/10/04/opinion/thoughts-prayers-nra-funding-senators.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur

A roadblock to the solution in the US: http://www.newsweek.com/government-wont-fund-gun-research-stop-violence-because-nra-lobbying-675794

Ransom Poetry

It's strange how something that was done more than 20 years ago can take on new layers of meaning today. A creative exercise I did with middle school students has caught my eye while cleaning out my file drawers. We called it cut up poetry. Another name is ransom poetry. I gave students scissors and a pile of magazines and newspapers. They then looked for ways to put together words and phrases they had cut out. These are some of the results:

Patrick Cook, George Fox Middle School, 1995?

George Fox Middle School, 1995?

Jennifer Long, George Fox Middle School, 1995?

Katie Huffman, George Fox Middle School, 1995?

Megan Burrall, George Fox Middle School, 1995?

Sarah Dillard, George Fox Middle School, 1995?

 

Day 304 Touching Lives

October 9, 2015

(If we live with an open and grateful attitude, every day will bring a gift. This is one of 365 gifts during the year I turned 70.)

Former student, Rachel, on a field trip I organized.

I did not realize that October 5 was World Teachers’ Day, held annually since 1994. According to UNESCO, “This year World Teachers’ Day highlights the need to empower all teachers through the provision of decent, safe and healthy working conditions, trust, professional autonomy and academic freedom.”

Today I was reminded of World Teachers’ Day when a former student, Rachel, posted a meme with a message, “Please tag a teacher you love, share with any educator who has made a difference in your life – give thanks to the teacher in your life.”

I was tagged, “Bonnie…for me, it was you who touched my life so incredibly deeply! You have taught me so much and you helped nurse my passion for writing by always encouraging me! Thank you for everything you did for me all those years ago!”

A number of my Facebook friends are former students, some dating back to more than 40 years. Middle school teachers do not expect to receive thanks from kids who, during those three years, are at an in-between-hormonal-tumultuous time in their lives. Many teens just want to forget those years—and do.

However, I have heard from some who have apologized for being bratty in my class and others who have expressed appreciation. Facebook began a few months before I left teaching in 2004 and it has facilitated searching and connecting today for students and teachers. I like to learn about the adults that my former students have become.

Ever since I was very young and asked myself what the purpose of my life is, I said it was to make a difference—not by inventing something great or discovering a cure for a disease or becoming President, but in the small and significant ways that I connect with other human beings. I still believe this.

My gift today is a thank you.

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My husband's tribute to his 8th grade teacher is here...worth reading about his most hated teacher: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2003-05-11/topic/0305100249_1_asbell-louisa-may-alcott-kindergarten-teacher    
          

Day 305: The Shape of Echoes

You can find links to my other posts on this project here:

http://bjschupp.blogspot.com/2014/12/365-gifts.html

Day 217 Re-connecting

July 14, 2015

(This is part of a 365 project during my 70^th year where I write and illustrate a blog on each day’s gift.)

Teacher and student after more than 40 years.

Thanks to the connections that technology enables, I am in touch with dozens of former students, some of whom date back to my beginning teaching days in the late 60’s. Many are Facebook friends and we keep in touch with “likes,” “comments” and “messages.” I’ve also connected in real time with some, even as far away as Los Angeles.

Most of us change quite a bit from our days as middle school and junior high students, so it is interesting for me to re-connect with former students as adults. I’ve seen mischievous and reluctant students transform into loving, hardworking parents. I’ve seen students with beginning passions long ago continue to build on their talents as adults. It is especially rewarding to see some who have overcome roadblocks and who now live happy, productive lives as they help others today. 

Today I met in person with Colleen, one of my students from the late 60’s or early 70’s. It is impossible to remember every one of my more than 2500 students throughout the years but I do remember Colleen as a sweet girl who cared about people and was interested in outdoor experiences. Today was a heart-warming experience as she and her mother welcomed David and me with smiles, open arms and lunch. As she shared photos, writing and family history with me, it was obvious that Colleen continues to be a delightful human being.

It amazes me that a former student even remembers me after all those years and then tells me that I made a difference to her. I was overwhelmed by the graciousness, generosity, sincerity and warmth that I experienced today. Before we left, Colleen gave me one earring she had made and promised to send me another for my other ear. 

My gift today is Colleen’s warmth.

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> Day 218: Sounding Up

You can find links to my other posts on this project here:

http://bjschupp.blogspot.com/2014/12/365-gifts.html

Day 202 Serendipity

June 29, 2015

(This is part of a 365 project during my 70^th years where I write and illustrate a blog on each day’s gift.)

After years of teaching 150 students each year, it is impossible to remember every one. However, some teaching memories linger because of a special spark, intelligence, creativity, misbehavior, a single incident, kindness, a comment or even a note.  

I remember one 9^th grader from the early 70’s who had an insatiable well of questions, a drive to find answers, a passion for connection and learning, an affinity for humor and a talent for all of these. When she wrote, she led readers to explore nuances, and when she spoke, her honesty was evident but you knew there was more. I always wondered how such a teenager came from an unsupportive family background. And I continued to wonder what adult she had become.  Sometimes I searched online, but the chances were slim of finding a woman with the surname of Kelley that had not been changed in marriage.

Serendipity and not technology brought answers. One day in Costco, I heard a voice call out, “Mrs. Caples!” (My past alias.) I turned toward the woman’s voice. “You were one of my favorite teachers.” How could she have recognized me after so many years? When she told me her name, of course I remembered her—one of my nicest students. I gave her my card, received a Facebook friend invitation, joined a Facebook group for Ben Franklin Junior High and asked if anyone knew how to get in touch with Darlene Kelley. Someone responded with information that led me to a Reverend Kelley in upstate New York. 

After all these years, Darlene Kelley and I reconnected and it is obvious that all her special qualities have grown stronger with age. “You don’t know what a difference you have made in my life,” she told me yesterday with a catch in her voice. With a catch in my typing fingers this moment, I say that her words make a difference to me. 

 My gift today is a tribute.

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> Day 203: Clitellum

You can find links to my other posts on this project here:

http://bjschupp.blogspot.com/2014/12/365-gifts.html