Teaching vs. Preaching

Is there a difference between teaching and preaching?   I'm not sure.

Sometimes when I blog, I get a little preachy.  I really want people to think about what they are doing.  I'm not sure that I want to change them....except maybe to get them to think more.

I used to wonder why a child with a 27 cumulative average in biology would tell me they wanted to be a pediatrician.  I would talk to them about how a college decides who would be enrolled.  They were supposed to learn the biology in ninth grade, so they could learn more and more.  You really don't get do-overs as a doctor.  A 27 in biology doesn't cut it.  You have to learn 70 percent of the subject matter to get a passing grade.

Grades are such a touchy subject.  Let's say a student does nothing....I mean.....nothing.... during a semester.  I promise you at the end of the semester, a parent will call the principal and tell them that Betty Jo needs another chance to make up their 57.  They didn't know that missing tests, not handing in homework, and being an absolute jerk would be held against their child....

And if they're graduating.....they whine, "Grandma has already bought a plane ticket from Michigan."

So, what will we tell Grandma?

Tell her that Betty Jo has been screwing around and it caught up with her.  Take Granny to the S & S and have a good meal.  This is a life lesson.

See, the schools and the teachers HAVE been telling this to Betty Jo.  She thinks that they are blowing smoke.  She'll tell her momma and momma will make it right.

Well, here's where the preaching comes in.  You can talk about doing the right thing or you can do the right thing.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Rock, Paper, Scissors

Many times I think....how the heck did I wind up where I am?

Makes a person go......Hmmmmmmmmm......

Yes, I had goals.  Yes, I met my goals and set more....but sometimes....life just happens.

For example, Bill and I looked all over Macon for a house when we moved there in 1986.  We loved a house belonging to the guy that was going to take Bill's job in Milledgeville.....so we bought our home from.....the Telegraph.

I met a lady down the street that has become one of my best friends....ever.  We were supposed to be in each other's lives.  AND then we worked together.  And her dad worked with us at Georgia College.

But sometimes, I wake up and wonder, how did I get to 62?  Where did the time go?

Bill and I play the game "Rock, Paper, Scissors" -- we've been married since dirt was invented and we don't squabble over tasks....we gamble for the power to say, "You do it."

I am a lousy "Rock, Paper, Scissors" player.  I rarely win.  But, I keep plugging on.  I might win.  I might be able to fake him out.  But, he knows me so well....Bill watches me think and immediately knows what I'm going to pick...and then simultaneously he picks the winner.

I plug on in life.  How did I get here?

Welcome to the New Central Alumni

Hey, Y'all!  You finished with the day-to-day grind of high school and now you're on to bigger and better things.  Congratulations!  By being a Central graduate there are certain standards that you must maintain.

1.  Central grads are diverse.  We like diversity.  We encourage diversity.  We like each other.

2.  You will be a life-long learner.  Maybe you went to Lanier, Miller, A and B, just A, Vocational and JROTC or the new building....but Central students don't stop learning.  We know that the world is a big place and it's always changing.  We change with it.  If you're not growing, you're dying.

3.  We try to do our best to maintain our planet.  We take care of ourselves, our families, our country and our future.  We aren't all alike.  We do different things.  But the key is that Central graduates DO SOMETHING.

4.  Central grads not only do things, they go places.  One of my favorite bulletin boards was located in the cross hall of A and it had a map of the world with these words-- "The Sun Never Sets on Central HIgh School."  There were little flags representing all the places that our current students and teachers were from--marvelous.  Central is represented all over this big, old world.

5.  We believe in making the world a better place by making ourselves better people.  We give back to others.  We serve our country.  We go places and do things.  We teach in foreign countries.  We meet other Central grads and they're like long lost friends.  We get jobs.  We have families.  We enjoy life.

6. We dance.  And we like to dance.

7.  We bleed orange and blue.

8.  And we know "Whose House?  C's House!"

AND NEVER FORGET WHO YOU ARE AND WHERE YOU CAME FROM!  We Lead; It Can Be Done!  Central High School.

p.s.  The Charger is the horse!

Traveling with a Dog that has Diarrhea

Well, it's not fun.

You Can Go Home Again -- Things Change, but Some Things Remain the Same

I drove home to surprise Mom for Mother's Day.  She's 93 years young and every mile was worth seeing many of the people I love.  Mom lives in the same home where my dad was born in 1914.  So, going home is --going home.

I was raised with the knowledge and belief that Johnny Appleseed planted all the apple trees in the prairie states.  In fact, my Grandma's apple tree was one of them.  I never doubted the tales that the Malloy's told.  Fact and fiction were interchangeable in this big old house.

I loved visiting with my dad's family.  They were talkers.  They talked about everything.  AND they were clannish.  We were lucky we were born Malloys, they told us on a frequent basis....you can marry into the pack....but I was Malloy by blood and that was good.

Bathebee's and shillelaghs were a fact of life.  The stories that flew around the house were priceless.  They talked about the weather, the pets, the children, each other, the CHURCH, the Pope, the Old Country, the crops, the food, the garden, each other all at once.  To say it was lively was an understatement.  It was a large, Irish, Catholic family....full of love and many alcoholics. (New Year's Eve was called Amateur Night-- I heard it with my own ears.)

I had aunts and uncles that would hide tumblers behind curtains at every family gathering.  I was about eight when I slyly tasted it and knew they were drinking beer in the morning...adults should not drink beer for breakfast.  I also had aunts and uncles that didn't touch a drop.  It seems like in my family we're 180 degrees one way or another.

My dad had thirteen brothers and sisters...seven and seven.    He was the baby.  When he died at 56 years old, his brothers and sisters, mourned the loss of Baby Dan.

Family is so important to me.  My brothers flew from Iowa to my side when Mike died.  They got here as fast as they could.  Seeing my brothers, Jim and Dan, walk up the driveway after Mike's death, gave me strength.  I knew I could rest and they would have my back.  I can't explain the connect the three of us have....we just have it.  They would be my eyes and ears.  They would be on duty.  I am still this way with them.

When Dan (my son) was little, a teacher asked the class what they would do in case of an emergency.  His answer was simple.  "I would call my Uncle Dan and wait."  Uncle Dan was 1,000 miles away but he would have taken care of anything...my Dan knew it.

So, Mother's Day 2013 was a hoot.  Jody and Kim ( sisters-in-law extraordinaire) cooked-- ham balls, scalloped potatoes, green beans, and a chocolate brownie parfait to die for!  Mom loved it-- I loved seeing my Iowan niece and nephews....and I got to see Annie and Lucky, my brothers' dogs.  We ate, took photos, laughed and ate some more.

The big house was full of fun and laughter.  Two Erins, Raggs Weaver, Two Dans, Great Nana, and Two Jims....and if you look closely, you can see our senior pictures above all of us seated on the couch. The house is older, we might be wiser (and older),  but the talking never stopped.

"I've seen her nut up"

Mother's Day!  I would like to issue a formal public apology to Molly, Mike, and Dan for:

1.  Allowing swimming to take the place of a bath in the summer.

2.  Refusing to allow soda into the house until Dan was in school.

3.  Believing that you can roller skate in the house.

4.  Encouraging you to jump high on the trampoline.

5.  Teaching you not to take school too seriously.

6.  Living my faith so you could see it in action.

7.  Not sweating the small stuff.

8.  Celebrating life each day!

9.  Laughing at almost everything-- including  myself!

10. Loving my family more than they'll ever know......I should be giving them gifts for getting to be their mother-- wife--daughter--sister.

Thanks, God, for three wonderful children and their terrific father!  What a great gift!

PS. The title refers to one time at Central when I was an assistant principal.  I had two guys being arrested and they were sitting in handcuffs in my office.  Mike came to see me after school and they said to him, "Your mom's a bitch."  He laughed and said, "You should see her at home."

Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave....

Humph!  What do you do about people that have talked ugly about you behind your back?

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I just cull them from my life like a rancher decides which cow is going to be next in the freezer as steaks, ribs, and hamburgers.  Yum.  Sacred cows make great steaks!

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But, then, the said person sidles up and acts like your buddy, your pal, your confidant.

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This makes me want to cough into my hand like John Bulushi did in the movie Animal House while sitting in Dean Wermer's office and say, "Bullshit."

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Look on my resume.  Nowhere does it say, "STUPID."

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I learned from a master to praise in public, punish in private.

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Oh, Ye, who know everything and have an opinion for everything without having all the facts-  Bite me.

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Grandma would say I have a bee in my bonnet.  I have a hornet in my hat, too!

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Never mistake kindness for weakness.

Another Teacher-- Sew What?

My Aunt Alice said that the interior of my garment needed to be as beautiful as the outside of my dress.  Aunt Alice was a seamstress....no, she didn't do this to make a living....she did it to spread her love.  She could sew beautifully--from hand stitching to machine stitching-- she was a whiz.  Neat straight lines, smooth seams, even hems, sleeves that were set in just so!  My cousin, Cindy, had dresses that I tried to emulate through my beginning sewing.  Aunt Alice fooled with me a lot.  I liked sewing and she liked teaching me to sew.

Finishing.

"Erin, the inside of your garment needs to be as beautiful as the outside.  It will wear better because you will be proud of your workmanship."

That's life, too.  We put on make-up to make our outsides look better.  But, how's our insides?  How's our faith, hope and charity?  How's our love?  How's our kindness?  Are we doing onto others as we want them to do onto us?

It's not the big things, it's the little things.  It's the finishing.  It's the small even stitches.

Aunt Alice was right.  We need to be able to create our life so the "inside" is as nice as the "outside".  Thank you for teaching me about sewing, Aunt Alice, but thank you more for teaching me about life.


ps  Do NOT look in my junk drawer!

He Told Me that I Excelled in Talking and Making People Laugh--Stan Doerr--Tuesday's Teacher of the Week

The first time I ever heard a teacher tell an entire class that we were lazy and basically worthless was in Stan Doerr's speech class.  (Which, I might add, was TRUE!)  I was in 9th grade and we all thought we were the cat's meow.

A synopsis of Mr. Doerr's rant was as follows:  I have given you a simple assignment.  None of you have done well.  We will try this again.  AND we will keep doing this until you students (I would substitute MORONS after hearing the tone of his voice) get this right.

As a class, we all went home, revamped our assignments and were blessed with his beaming approval the next day.

His next bit of news:  I expect that quality of work each and every day you're in my presence.

Mr. Doerr produced fantastic musicals-- what a task master! As a drama teacher in a small system, he had no qualms about hunting talent in all the corners of West Marshall High School.  He taught theater and set design to all of us.  His tips on hiding imperfections in a piece of wood or a wall have stayed with me for fifty years.  In the fall there was a play, in the winter there was children's theatre, and in the spring, there was a musical.

We made sets out of cardboard for a summer show because we had no money,  he picked shows to highlight his leading voices,  he would assign students to create costumes, and he was blunt, funny, kind, and a work-a-holic.  Stan Doerr loved his wife, his students, and his pets with all his heart.  He was one of those special teachers that you only meet once in a while....his craft was his work.  His work was his craft.

He told me one time, " Erin, you can sing a little, dance a little, play the piano a little.  But, Erin, you sure can talk and make us all laugh.  That, is your gift.  Use it.  Make people laugh."

I try, Mr. Doerr, I try.

ps  He also taught us how to spell AMONG

Teacher Appreciation Week-- Monday

Almost everyone has been to school at sometime or another.  Most of us have attended for at least 13 years (kindergarten and 1-12).

Therefore, almost everyone I meet is an expert on teachers and the hows, whats, and whys of teaching.  Y'all crack me up.  I love you but you crack me up.

I know what you're thinking.  It's so, so easy.  The teacher stands up in front of the kids, tells them what to do, the kids do it, you go home at 4:00 and get June, July and August off for vacation.  Oh, yeah, teachers are overpaid-- three months off.

hahahahahahahahaha

Whoa!

Great teachers make it look easy.  They're well prepared.  They have the materials ready.  There's no down time in their classroom.  They have studied all the material and are prepared to accelerate individuals or remediate individuals at a moments notice.  They understand and accept that students are at different levels,

Great teachers anticipate problems before they occur.  They have eyes in the back of their head.  They enjoy their students and understand what is developmentally appropriate for the age level they are teaching.  Great teachers give respect and demand respect in their classrooms.  They don't play.  They are business.

Great teachers understand what a student should know before leaving their class.  They are concerned.  They are realistic.  Great teachers differentiate instruction for students and for their parents.  They are optimists.  They came into this profession to help people.  It is a service industry.

Great teachers are lifetime learners.  They realize they don't know everything.  But they give everything they have to their students.

Teacher of the day:

Mrs. Benson.  My first grade teacher.  We made butter.  We made cottage cheese.  The class wrote experience stories.  I got a new pair of brown shoes-- they were slip on loafers.  She read to us.  She liked us.  We liked her.  I think of her in a white blouse, a blue skirt, and a broach at her neck.  We used paste.  We learned to our manuscript printing as we worked at our seats.  Dick, Jane, Spot and Fluff were part of our reading program.   Thank you, Mrs. Benson.  I wanted to be just like you.

Everybody Knows Your Name

You might recognize the theme from Cheer's....

Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got. 

Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot. 

Wouldn't you like to get away? 

Sometimes you want to go 

Where everybody knows your name, 

and they're always glad you came. 

You wanna be where you can see, 

our troubles are all the same 

You wanna be where everybody knows 

Your name. 

I'm a small town girl.  I like to know people.  I have come to realize I shop where there are people I know.  Be it big or little, I only buy things where people are nice to me.  I refuse to frequent stores where I'm just a customer.  I want to be a person first!  Now, y'all can go to them and buy up everything but I'll go back just 'cause I like the people who work there.

These are three stores I love:

 Henry's of Bollingbroke

I almost hate saying this aloud because it is mine.  It  is an antique/new things store that has various rooms run by different people who have tastes that are similar to mine.  I go there to browse, get ideas, and sometimes actually buy things for my house, or to wear, or books to read to the little girls.   "Henry's" let me look.  I wander the store clockwise and then I wander the store counter clockwise.  It's full of different things-- new, old, muted, bright-- they make shopping enjoyable.

After one of my friends chalk painted a piece of furniture and I wanted to try it.   The staff at Henry's talked me through the process.  It was so much fun.  They had the chalk paint, they encouraged me, laughed with me at my observations, and are so, so encouraging.  These people take the ordinary and make it extraordinary.

For Mother's Day, they have a special gift wrap for gift certificates.

Can you think of anything better than a leopard sack with a gift certificate?  I don't think so.

Creter's

My Macon home away from home-- I love everything-- everything in this store.  Trollbeads.  Happy Everything plates!  Flags.  Cards!  Furniture!  Gifts.   Jewelry!  Dishes.  Baby clothes.  Baby gifts.  Lamps.  Christmas ornaments.  Seasonal decorations for my front porch.  Vera Bradley.  BUT, what I really love is their selection of Trollbeads.

I used to browse to calm myself down after a busy day at Central.  I loved looking at this display of beads and bracelets.  I was intregued and knew I wanted one.   My bracelet that started it all was my "good-bye Central, hello Pre-K" bracelet that they gave me the day of the dedication of the new high school.  Every bead on my bracelet means something.....it's a keepsake.   Bill and the kids get me Trollbeads to celebrate any and all occasions. Creter's has a great variety of beads, bracelet sizes, and clasps.  Think of it like designing a one-of -a kind memory--your bracelet can be any color(s) you want.  It can have a theme.  It can be one bead....it can be an armful of beads.  Believe me, it's as addictive as chocolate.  

Monograms.  'Nuff said.

Jack and Darcy's

Rachel Watts Phillips and her entire tribe (yes, everyone is there at one time or another--I love making the trip to just visit with this family) make Jack and Darcy's successful.  The flagship store is located in Milledgeville.  It is worth the drive if you have a "teen to ?" that needs an outfit that's affordable and in fashion.  The selection is fantastic and the prices are unbelievable.

I am excited about the Jack and Darcy's that's opening in Ingleside Village in early summer.  It will be so convenient to stop in and get a gift, an outfit, or just see what's happening.  Rachel did part of my Christmas shopping this year by just listening to what I needed-- and picking it out!  You need to go to their Facebook page (Jack and Darcy) to shop, too.  Somedays they have a deal for the day-- for example, this past week it was a limited quantity dress-- for $22.  No lie!  It wouldn't have fit me, but for that price, I could hang it in my closet and tell people that I bought a "small." This is the world of Internet shopping right in our own backyard.

The men's clothes are GQ.  Great quality, great prices....great style.

Rachel's taste is current and on top of trends.  I swear this woman had the chevrons happening a year before anyone else!  But, what I like is the laughter in the store.  I swear, Ruth Watts can make me laugh by just looking at me with her big brown eyes.  Dale Watts, Johnny Watts, Betsy Watts Powell....
family....they make you feel like family.

These three stores are the top of my list.  Visit them.  Know them.  Support them.  Oh, and notice, they're all locally grown!

How porcupines make love!

I knew you'd read the blog because it's such a great title.

Aren't we funny about things like that?

People are curious.  And they say curiousity killed the cat......

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I visited Central earlier this week for the first time since 2009.  The school looked great.  The students were actively engaged.  It was a new school....but it was the same stories.

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One young lady was wah wahhing about how she'd been wronged by a mean, old teacher.  The problem was her tone.  As an outsider, I wanted to rhetorically slap her up the side of the head and tell her that she was digging the hole deeper and deeper every time she opened her mouth.  Sassy, smart-aleck doesn't do well in the real world.

The teacher's crime.  He'd asked her three times to do something for assessment of her knowledge.  She refused.  After he told her to leave his classroom.....she did the required task....three times.  Oh, my!

The angst.


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High school kids are just like little kids in big bodies.  I got shy "Hi's" and smiles.  Doors were held open for me and it was fun seeing the media students creating videos.  It's that time of the term....projects are due and groups are working together to design interesting.  Springtime is busy in a school.  Add the SACS visit, a new superintendent, budget cuts...you get the idea....it's busy.

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Oh, yeah....how porcupines make love......very, very carefully.

Shoes News (It Rhymes)

I think I need a pair of saddle shoes.  I always loved them.  We wore them to school in the 1950's and 60's.  We wore them with our cheerleading outfits in high school.  They were quite foxy back then.

I think I would make a fashion statement at the Walmart.

I loved my saddle shoes.  They looked sharp, but, they were comfortable.  Very, very comfortable.

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I am going on the quest for a new pair of athletic shoes this week.  I am going to get fitted.  I am going to buy a pair that-- I like.  I enjoy shoes that are comfortable and light.  If my feet are happy, I'm happy.


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Graduation is a very stressful time for students and the teachers.  As we would gather in the Monument Room to get ready for the processional, everyone in the graduating class would look somewhat nervous.  As principal, I'd step to the microphone on the podium in front of the kids and ask, "Do you know what is special about today?"  They'd grin and shout, "GRADUATION."  I'd laugh and say, "NO, I have on a pair of high heels today!"  I wore heels one day per year and that was it!  Everyone would howl and get ready to march.

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High heel shoes should require a permit for some of us.

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I love my Toms, my Fit Flops, my Birkenstocks and my Eccos.

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Don't get me wrong.  I love looking at pretty shoes.  I'd love to be able to wear a pair of foxy heels.  I'd just need to pick out my ankle cast before I wore them.  I can't balance.  I've tried.  I might as well get a pair of stilts and just clomp around.  I can list all the high heels I have owned in my entire life on one hand....

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I want my shoes to be functional.  I want to be able to run, jump, crawl, walk, and just generally enjoy life.  I don't want to limp and whine that my feet hurt.  If my feet hurt, I get mean.  If I get mean, watch out, bird.  Honeybadger just won't care!