Clothesline Dancing

There’s something inherently soothing about hanging clothes out to dry on my clothesline. I stand amid my fruit trees, the snick of the clothespin rhythmic as I hang one garment after another, loving the cool temperatures and the light breeze, while my chickens are alternately scratching and pecking at the yard around my feet, searching out treats that only they can find. Boss, our German Shepherd pup, lays patiently at my feet watching and waiting for me to change my mind, hoping I’ll let him have just one clothespin to chew on. All of this is just background to me as I clasp one item after another to my beloved clothesline. Purchased because I wanted to do my part in reducing our carbon footprint; beloved because for just a few minutes each time I visit it, I find a place of quiet and tranquility.

Crazy as that sounds, it’s true. In a family of five, with two busy teenagers and an inquisitive ten year old boy in the house, quiet is a priceless commodity in very short supply. For the five minutes of each visit, I’m alone in my thoughts. I can reflect, dream or just breathe without interruption. I can watch my chickens meander about our yard, play fetch with the pup, or simply bask in the silence of a quiet mind. I’ve yet to let the rest of the family in on my secret. Even go as far as to grumble a little as I head out the door carrying a load of wet laundry.  So far, no one but me wants to hang clothes out to dry, and that’s okay with me. Guilt of blustering at such a menial chore goes a long way toward getting other things done. And my time alone has become a coveted part of my day.

My clothesline project started out as an energy saving means of drying laundry, and it does that and more.  It not only saves energy, it saves time; dries everything much faster than a drier and it all smells so fresh and clean. The sun kills more germs more efficiently in our clothing, towels and sheets than a drier ever could.

So, to all of you out there grumbling at the inconvenience of having a clothes line, if you have a family like mine, and even if you don’t, get one, FAST. It just might save your sanity!

Education: A Community Effort

            The debate over the fate of public education has grown exponentially over the last decade. As with anything else, there are a plethora of opinions as to the cause of the problem and just what to do to solve it. More money? Less money? Blame the teachers? The students? The parents? We have to stop blaming everyone else and become more involved in our children’s scholastic lives. It’s up to us to make sure that our children get an education. So if we’re doing our part and it still isn’t enough, what then?

More money definitely wouldn’t hurt. At this point though, I’m not sure it’s enough. There’s an old adage about plugging a leak in the Hoover dam with bubble gum. It’ll hold, but not for long. Money will bring more into the education system. The question is, more of what? Books? Computers? Hiring more teachers sounds great. Looks great on paper too. The problem is that needing more teachers is just one aspect of a bigger problem. We need more good teachers.

There are a lot of fantastic teachers out there. Teachers who do far more than just educate, they inspire. They enrich the lives of their students. Just about every student has at least one teacher that left an indelible mark on not only their scholastic lives but became a piece of the core that makes them who they are. That’s who our children need more of. Unfortunately, those teachers are few and far between.

It’s not that it’s difficult to identify a teacher that is not performing at an acceptable level for their students. Most parents involved in their child’s education who have encountered such a teacher, generally pass a warning on for future classes. So, we know who they are. It’s what can be done about the problem after a ‘bad teacher’ has been identified. In most cases, sometimes because of tenure or union involvement, it is extremely difficult to get rid of these teachers. So what then?

Just because a child isn’t getting the education they need at school, doesn’t mean they can’t get it at home. A parent’s job is to educate. Even when a child starts school, the parent’s primary job is still to educate. So educate. Be involved. At the end of the day, it’s your child. If you’re involved at school and you educate at home, chances are, more money won’t matter. They’ll be getting the best education they could ask for, because their parent became their teacher.     

http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/the-failure-of-american-public-education/

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1272/is_n2586_v122/ai_14995074/