You know that kid I wrote about a few posts ago, the 6 year old with the filthy mouth and the desire to break the law? He got kicked out of the residential camp last week, and so he won't be returning to our camp. Apparently, he jumped off a 10 foot high railing (Dangerous? Stupid? Also very AGAINST the rules!) and tried to run away from the camp. It took two counselors to chase him down and get him back to camp. And I thought restraining him on the bus was rough. I really can't say I'm sad he's gone.
You know how you go to church and hear the same things over and over again, and still hear something new much of the time? Well someone today was talking about the Family Proclamation. In it, it mentions that parents are responsible for raising "law-abiding citizens." That part had never stuck out to me, but I thought of this student. He had obviously not been taught to be a law-abiding citizen, as his statement to us was that his first infraction would most likely be because of graffiti, and that he was sure he wouldn't get caught. You know, the "no one can catch me, I'm unstoppable" attitude.
Oh brother.
.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
My Foundation
Today seemed like the "How to raise your children in the gospel" day in church, and so that had me thinking a lot about the fam today. Since many of you have never met them, maybe just some of them, I thought I could introduce to the awesome members of the Ross family. Besides, they rarely read my blog anyway, so they won't have a chance to protest before I write this ;)
First, meet Dad Ross.
I am lucky, I got one of the best dads ever. He hails from Pittsburgh, PA and his dad used to pack them up for Sunday drives to various places around the area. This is something my dad did with us (although we usually made weekends out of it), and so we spent a lot of time in Amish country, at Hershey's Chocolate World, and hiking in PA and Virginia (Shenandoah? We went there, right?) We traveled everywhere from Maine to Florida to Idaho, and so often on Sundays I get the itch just to go somewhere, anywhere and see something. I thank my dad for this! My dad is also a super hard worker, and he has what I think is a cool job. He helps cities and universities draw up emergency plans for chemical disasters, which sounds a bit morbid I guess, but after 9/11 its become necessary. Someday I want to see one of the drills he helps put together. His new job is moving my family to PA, which I am sad about and excited for at the same time. They will be close to Hershey and Gettysburg, and will hopefully have more room for visiting grown-up children!
Here's Mom.
This is kind of a bad picture, but my mom is known for not being too photogenic, so she probably won't mind that our faces are a bit dark! This picture was taken in front of the Palmyra temple (another one of our Ross family travels).
My mom and I are a lot alike. We look alike and people say our laughs are similar. My mom is from Idaho, and now I'm an Idahoan (for now) so things have come full circle. She did something super hard by going back to school in her 40's, but she is a super smart lady and her classmates respected her. We were all very proud of her. Right now, she is preparing the family for the move and enjoying her new grandchild. My mom is one of the most generous people I know. She always treated my friends like they were her own and she is a very good friend to others. My mom is a strong member of the gospel and is very spiritual. She told my dad no a few times when he tried to ask her out before he became a member of the Church. Through my mom, my dad received exposure to the church, and got baptized. Well, obviously, she eventually went out on a date with him, and the rest, as they say, is history. When they met, they were working in the mall!! It's totally cute to think my parents met at the mall :)
Now, for the siblings. This is Jess, aka "Baby Buffalo."
She will probably be mad I put her baby nickname on my blog, but she is 500 miles away so she can't do anything about it yet. Plus, I'm older by three years so I have authority! I'm not sure why she received this nickname, but growing up she was always stronger and could always beat me up. We don't always see eye to eye, and lots of times in our teenage years we would yell at each other and get in girl fights (you know, smacking, hitting, pushing, that kind of pleasantry). This probably drove my mom nuts. However, we really do love each other and as we've gotten older we get along better. I have to try hard not to give her older sisterly advice, but she puts up with it well when I do dish it out (and she usually ignores it anyway). She was also a great sport by driving with me the 3000 miles out to BYU a few times, and learning how to drive a stick on the I-80. She is married to Joey McCabe (Joey has practically been family for a while now too!) and just had a little boy...they grow up so fast!
My oldest youngest brother is Ian. He is the tall skinny one on the right (that's probably obvious).
This kid has grown like a weed in the past two years. In my wedding pictures, he is a bit on the chubby side, and short! In Jess's pictures, he looks so different! Anyway, Ian and I get along great. My mom always talks about his laidback personality, and its so true. Ian is just...chill. He has other interests now (girls, but I think that might still be a secret), but when he was younger, he would always tell me all about his video games. He is still into them (he even let me win playing Star Wars back in January), but he saves all the technical stuff for his friends who know what he's talking about. He is a smart kid, but he's not into school like I was...something about getting his stuff turned in! He's like me in that way, though, he would rather be doing other (fun) stuff than worrying about some of that other more important (boring) stuff (like cleaning...wait, thats just me!) He is getting to the point where he can almost give me piggyback rides. It's weird, when I left home for BYU he was 9 years old, so he is almost always still 9 in my mind. Let me tell ya, it was shocking when his voice changed and I kept thinking my dad was answering the phone!
Last, but not least, Jacob (Jake the Snake, Chickenlegs, etc etc)
Ah, the baby of the family. He had to fight for attention even more than the rest of us, so he is the comedian in the family. He is the one who when I heard my parents were having another baby, I cried. Yes, I cried because of this cutie pie. But in 10 years, I have forgiven him, in fact, I even LIKE him! Of course, 3000 miles can do a lot of good for relationships, but he seems to like me when I'm home. Anyway, Jacob always says funny things, makes funny faces, and does funny stuff. He got in trouble in third grade for plagiarizing part of his Powerpoint presentation. An honest mistake, especially by a third grader (they teach 3rd graders Powerpoint now?!), but just another funny Jacob story.
Anyway, there they are. I seriously grew up in a great home, where we were taught the Gospel. No, things were definitely not always perfect (especially some of the attempts at FHE), but I feel that we are a tight-knit family, and I will be forever grateful for that!
First, meet Dad Ross.
I am lucky, I got one of the best dads ever. He hails from Pittsburgh, PA and his dad used to pack them up for Sunday drives to various places around the area. This is something my dad did with us (although we usually made weekends out of it), and so we spent a lot of time in Amish country, at Hershey's Chocolate World, and hiking in PA and Virginia (Shenandoah? We went there, right?) We traveled everywhere from Maine to Florida to Idaho, and so often on Sundays I get the itch just to go somewhere, anywhere and see something. I thank my dad for this! My dad is also a super hard worker, and he has what I think is a cool job. He helps cities and universities draw up emergency plans for chemical disasters, which sounds a bit morbid I guess, but after 9/11 its become necessary. Someday I want to see one of the drills he helps put together. His new job is moving my family to PA, which I am sad about and excited for at the same time. They will be close to Hershey and Gettysburg, and will hopefully have more room for visiting grown-up children!
Here's Mom.
This is kind of a bad picture, but my mom is known for not being too photogenic, so she probably won't mind that our faces are a bit dark! This picture was taken in front of the Palmyra temple (another one of our Ross family travels).
My mom and I are a lot alike. We look alike and people say our laughs are similar. My mom is from Idaho, and now I'm an Idahoan (for now) so things have come full circle. She did something super hard by going back to school in her 40's, but she is a super smart lady and her classmates respected her. We were all very proud of her. Right now, she is preparing the family for the move and enjoying her new grandchild. My mom is one of the most generous people I know. She always treated my friends like they were her own and she is a very good friend to others. My mom is a strong member of the gospel and is very spiritual. She told my dad no a few times when he tried to ask her out before he became a member of the Church. Through my mom, my dad received exposure to the church, and got baptized. Well, obviously, she eventually went out on a date with him, and the rest, as they say, is history. When they met, they were working in the mall!! It's totally cute to think my parents met at the mall :)
Now, for the siblings. This is Jess, aka "Baby Buffalo."
She will probably be mad I put her baby nickname on my blog, but she is 500 miles away so she can't do anything about it yet. Plus, I'm older by three years so I have authority! I'm not sure why she received this nickname, but growing up she was always stronger and could always beat me up. We don't always see eye to eye, and lots of times in our teenage years we would yell at each other and get in girl fights (you know, smacking, hitting, pushing, that kind of pleasantry). This probably drove my mom nuts. However, we really do love each other and as we've gotten older we get along better. I have to try hard not to give her older sisterly advice, but she puts up with it well when I do dish it out (and she usually ignores it anyway). She was also a great sport by driving with me the 3000 miles out to BYU a few times, and learning how to drive a stick on the I-80. She is married to Joey McCabe (Joey has practically been family for a while now too!) and just had a little boy...they grow up so fast!My oldest youngest brother is Ian. He is the tall skinny one on the right (that's probably obvious).
This kid has grown like a weed in the past two years. In my wedding pictures, he is a bit on the chubby side, and short! In Jess's pictures, he looks so different! Anyway, Ian and I get along great. My mom always talks about his laidback personality, and its so true. Ian is just...chill. He has other interests now (girls, but I think that might still be a secret), but when he was younger, he would always tell me all about his video games. He is still into them (he even let me win playing Star Wars back in January), but he saves all the technical stuff for his friends who know what he's talking about. He is a smart kid, but he's not into school like I was...something about getting his stuff turned in! He's like me in that way, though, he would rather be doing other (fun) stuff than worrying about some of that other more important (boring) stuff (like cleaning...wait, thats just me!) He is getting to the point where he can almost give me piggyback rides. It's weird, when I left home for BYU he was 9 years old, so he is almost always still 9 in my mind. Let me tell ya, it was shocking when his voice changed and I kept thinking my dad was answering the phone!Last, but not least, Jacob (Jake the Snake, Chickenlegs, etc etc)
Ah, the baby of the family. He had to fight for attention even more than the rest of us, so he is the comedian in the family. He is the one who when I heard my parents were having another baby, I cried. Yes, I cried because of this cutie pie. But in 10 years, I have forgiven him, in fact, I even LIKE him! Of course, 3000 miles can do a lot of good for relationships, but he seems to like me when I'm home. Anyway, Jacob always says funny things, makes funny faces, and does funny stuff. He got in trouble in third grade for plagiarizing part of his Powerpoint presentation. An honest mistake, especially by a third grader (they teach 3rd graders Powerpoint now?!), but just another funny Jacob story.
Anyway, there they are. I seriously grew up in a great home, where we were taught the Gospel. No, things were definitely not always perfect (especially some of the attempts at FHE), but I feel that we are a tight-knit family, and I will be forever grateful for that!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
As Read on a News Blog
I was reading sbynews.blogspot.com, a news blog from what used to be home, and found this interesting. Of course, it supports my side of the coin, but it was nice to know exactly what's going on over there in Congress (they actually work? really?). Also, with gas prices killing us, I was hoping they'd say "drill, building refineries, drill!" but they didn't quite get that blunt.
May 21, 2008
Earlier today, the Senate Judiciary Committee summoned top executives from the petroleum industry for what Chairman Pat Leahy thought would be a politically profitable inquisition. Leahy and his comrades showed up ready to blame American oil companies for the high price of gasoline, but the event wasn't as satisfactory as the Democrats had hoped.
The industry lineup was formidable: Robert Malone, Chairman and President of BP America, Inc.; John Hofmeister, President, Shell Oil Company; Peter Robertson, Vice Chairman of the Board, Chevron Corporation; John Lowe, Executive Vice President, Conoco Philips Company; and Stephen Simon, Senior Vice President, Exxon Mobil Corporation. Not surprisingly, the petroleum executives stole the show, as they were far smarter, infinitely better informed, and much more public-spirited than the Senate Democrats.One theme that emerged from the hearing was the surprisingly small role played by American oil companies in the global petroleum market. John Lowe pointed out:I cannot overemphasize the access issue. Access to resources is severely restricted in the United States and abroad, and the American oil industry must compete with national oil companies who are often much larger and have the support of their governments. We can only compete directly for 7 percent of the world's available reserves while about 75 percent is completely controlled by national oil companies and is not accessible.
Stephen Simon amplified:
Exxon Mobil is the largest U.S. oil and gas company, but we account for only 2 percent of global energy production, only 3 percent of global oil production, only 6 percent of global refining capacity, and only 1 percent of global petroleum reserves. With respect to petroleum reserves, we rank 14th. Government-owned national oil companies dominate the top spots. For an American company to succeed in this competitive landscape and go head to head with huge government-backed national oil companies, it needs financial strength and scale to execute massive complex energy projects requiring enormous long-term investments.To simply maintain our current operations and make needed capital investments, Exxon Mobil spends nearly $1 billion each day. Because foreign companies and governments control the overwhelming majority of the world's oil, most of the price you pay at the pump is the cost paid by the American oil company to acquire crude oil from someone else:
Last year, the average price in the United States of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was around $2.80. On average in 2007, approximately 58 percent of the price reflected the amount paid for crude oil. Consumers pay for that crude oil, and so do we. Of the 2 million barrels per day Exxon Mobil refined in 2007 here in the United States , 90 percent were purchased from others.Another theme of the day's testimony was that, if anyone is "gouging" consumers through the high price of gasoline, it is federal and state governments, not American oil companies. On the average, 15% percent of the cost of gasoline at the pump goes for taxes, while only 4% represents oil company profits. These figures were repeated several times, but, strangely, not a single Democratic Senator proposed relieving consumers' anxieties about gas prices by reducing taxes.The last theme that was sounded repeatedly was Congress's responsibility for the fact that American companies have access to so little petroleum. Shell's John Hofmeister explained, eloquently:While all oil-importing nations buy oil at global prices, some, notably India and China , subsidize the cost of oil products to their nation's consumers, feeding the demand for more oil despite record prices. They do this to speed economic growth and to ensure a competitive advantage relative to other nations.Meanwhile, in the United States , access to our own oil and gas resources has been limited for the last 30 years, prohibiting companies such as Shell from exploring and developing resources for the benefit of the American people.
Senator Sessions, I agree, it is not a free market.According to the Department of the Interior, 62 percent of all on-shore federal lands are off limits to oil and gas developments, with restrictions applying to 92 percent of all federal lands. We have an outer continental shelf moratorium on the Atlantic Ocean , an outer continental shelf moratorium on the Pacific Ocean , an outer continental shelf moratorium on the eastern Gulf of Mexico , congressional bans on on-shore oil and gas activities in specific areas of the Rockies and Alaska , and even a congressional ban on doing an analysis of the resource potential for oil and gas in the Atlantic, Pacific and eastern Gulf of Mexico .The Argonne National Laboratory did a report in 2004 that identified 40 specific federal policy areas that halt, limit, delay or restrict natural gas projects. I urge you to review it. It is a long list. If I may, I offer it today if you would like to include it in the record.When many of these policies were implemented, oil was selling in the single digits, not the triple digits we see now. The cumulative effect of these policies has been to discourage U.S. investment and send U.S. companies outside the United States to produce new supplies. As a result, U.S. production has declined so much that nearly 60 percent of daily consumption comes from foreign sources.
The problem of access can be solved in this country by the same government that has prohibited it. Congress could have chosen to lift some or all of the current restrictions on exportation and production of oil and gas. Congress could provide national policy to reverse the persistent decline of domestically secure natural resource development.
Later in the hearing, Senator Orrin Hatch walked Hofmeister through the Democrats' latest efforts to block energy independence:
HATCH: I want to get into that. In other words, we're talking about Utah , Colorado and Wyoming . It's fair to say that they're not considered part of America 's $22 billion of proven reserves.
HOFMEISTER: Not at all.
HATCH: No, but experts agree that there's between 800 billion to almost 2 trillion barrels of oil that could be recoverable there, and that's good oil, isn't it?
HOFMEISTER: That's correct.
HATCH: It could be recovered at somewhere between $30 and $40 a barrel?
HOFMEISTER: I think those costs are probably a bit dated now, based upon what we've seen in the inflation...
HATCH: Well, somewhere in that area.
HOFMEISTER: I don't know what the exact cost would be, but, you know, if there is more supply, I think inflation in the oil industry would be cracked. And we are facing severe inflation because of the limited amount of supply against the demand.
HATCH: I guess what I'm saying, though, is that if we started to develop the oil shale in those three states we could do it within this framework of over $100 a barrel and make a profit.
HOFMEISTER: I believe we could.
HATCH: And we could help our country alleviate its oil pressures.
HOFMEISTER: Yes.
HATCH: But they're stopping us from doing that right here, as we sit here. We just had a hearing last week where Democrats had stopped the ability to do that, in at least Colorado .
HOFMEISTER: Well, as I said in my opening statement, I think the public policy constraints on the supply side in this country are a disservice to the American consumer.The committee's Democrats attempted no response. They know that they are largely responsible for the current high price of gasoline, and they want the price to rise even further. Consequently, they have no intention of permitting the development of domestic oil and gas reserves that would both increase this country's energy independence and give consumers a break from constantly increasing energy costs.
May 21, 2008
Earlier today, the Senate Judiciary Committee summoned top executives from the petroleum industry for what Chairman Pat Leahy thought would be a politically profitable inquisition. Leahy and his comrades showed up ready to blame American oil companies for the high price of gasoline, but the event wasn't as satisfactory as the Democrats had hoped.
The industry lineup was formidable: Robert Malone, Chairman and President of BP America, Inc.; John Hofmeister, President, Shell Oil Company; Peter Robertson, Vice Chairman of the Board, Chevron Corporation; John Lowe, Executive Vice President, Conoco Philips Company; and Stephen Simon, Senior Vice President, Exxon Mobil Corporation. Not surprisingly, the petroleum executives stole the show, as they were far smarter, infinitely better informed, and much more public-spirited than the Senate Democrats.One theme that emerged from the hearing was the surprisingly small role played by American oil companies in the global petroleum market. John Lowe pointed out:I cannot overemphasize the access issue. Access to resources is severely restricted in the United States and abroad, and the American oil industry must compete with national oil companies who are often much larger and have the support of their governments. We can only compete directly for 7 percent of the world's available reserves while about 75 percent is completely controlled by national oil companies and is not accessible.
Stephen Simon amplified:
Exxon Mobil is the largest U.S. oil and gas company, but we account for only 2 percent of global energy production, only 3 percent of global oil production, only 6 percent of global refining capacity, and only 1 percent of global petroleum reserves. With respect to petroleum reserves, we rank 14th. Government-owned national oil companies dominate the top spots. For an American company to succeed in this competitive landscape and go head to head with huge government-backed national oil companies, it needs financial strength and scale to execute massive complex energy projects requiring enormous long-term investments.To simply maintain our current operations and make needed capital investments, Exxon Mobil spends nearly $1 billion each day. Because foreign companies and governments control the overwhelming majority of the world's oil, most of the price you pay at the pump is the cost paid by the American oil company to acquire crude oil from someone else:
Last year, the average price in the United States of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was around $2.80. On average in 2007, approximately 58 percent of the price reflected the amount paid for crude oil. Consumers pay for that crude oil, and so do we. Of the 2 million barrels per day Exxon Mobil refined in 2007 here in the United States , 90 percent were purchased from others.Another theme of the day's testimony was that, if anyone is "gouging" consumers through the high price of gasoline, it is federal and state governments, not American oil companies. On the average, 15% percent of the cost of gasoline at the pump goes for taxes, while only 4% represents oil company profits. These figures were repeated several times, but, strangely, not a single Democratic Senator proposed relieving consumers' anxieties about gas prices by reducing taxes.The last theme that was sounded repeatedly was Congress's responsibility for the fact that American companies have access to so little petroleum. Shell's John Hofmeister explained, eloquently:While all oil-importing nations buy oil at global prices, some, notably India and China , subsidize the cost of oil products to their nation's consumers, feeding the demand for more oil despite record prices. They do this to speed economic growth and to ensure a competitive advantage relative to other nations.Meanwhile, in the United States , access to our own oil and gas resources has been limited for the last 30 years, prohibiting companies such as Shell from exploring and developing resources for the benefit of the American people.
Senator Sessions, I agree, it is not a free market.According to the Department of the Interior, 62 percent of all on-shore federal lands are off limits to oil and gas developments, with restrictions applying to 92 percent of all federal lands. We have an outer continental shelf moratorium on the Atlantic Ocean , an outer continental shelf moratorium on the Pacific Ocean , an outer continental shelf moratorium on the eastern Gulf of Mexico , congressional bans on on-shore oil and gas activities in specific areas of the Rockies and Alaska , and even a congressional ban on doing an analysis of the resource potential for oil and gas in the Atlantic, Pacific and eastern Gulf of Mexico .The Argonne National Laboratory did a report in 2004 that identified 40 specific federal policy areas that halt, limit, delay or restrict natural gas projects. I urge you to review it. It is a long list. If I may, I offer it today if you would like to include it in the record.When many of these policies were implemented, oil was selling in the single digits, not the triple digits we see now. The cumulative effect of these policies has been to discourage U.S. investment and send U.S. companies outside the United States to produce new supplies. As a result, U.S. production has declined so much that nearly 60 percent of daily consumption comes from foreign sources.
The problem of access can be solved in this country by the same government that has prohibited it. Congress could have chosen to lift some or all of the current restrictions on exportation and production of oil and gas. Congress could provide national policy to reverse the persistent decline of domestically secure natural resource development.
Later in the hearing, Senator Orrin Hatch walked Hofmeister through the Democrats' latest efforts to block energy independence:
HATCH: I want to get into that. In other words, we're talking about Utah , Colorado and Wyoming . It's fair to say that they're not considered part of America 's $22 billion of proven reserves.
HOFMEISTER: Not at all.
HATCH: No, but experts agree that there's between 800 billion to almost 2 trillion barrels of oil that could be recoverable there, and that's good oil, isn't it?
HOFMEISTER: That's correct.
HATCH: It could be recovered at somewhere between $30 and $40 a barrel?
HOFMEISTER: I think those costs are probably a bit dated now, based upon what we've seen in the inflation...
HATCH: Well, somewhere in that area.
HOFMEISTER: I don't know what the exact cost would be, but, you know, if there is more supply, I think inflation in the oil industry would be cracked. And we are facing severe inflation because of the limited amount of supply against the demand.
HATCH: I guess what I'm saying, though, is that if we started to develop the oil shale in those three states we could do it within this framework of over $100 a barrel and make a profit.
HOFMEISTER: I believe we could.
HATCH: And we could help our country alleviate its oil pressures.
HOFMEISTER: Yes.
HATCH: But they're stopping us from doing that right here, as we sit here. We just had a hearing last week where Democrats had stopped the ability to do that, in at least Colorado .
HOFMEISTER: Well, as I said in my opening statement, I think the public policy constraints on the supply side in this country are a disservice to the American consumer.The committee's Democrats attempted no response. They know that they are largely responsible for the current high price of gasoline, and they want the price to rise even further. Consequently, they have no intention of permitting the development of domestic oil and gas reserves that would both increase this country's energy independence and give consumers a break from constantly increasing energy costs.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Thoughts
I am really glad that I have made the decision to be a teacher. I feel that being with kids is where I belong, and I love that every day is different.
When I first applied to BYU and was filling out that list of potential majors, I thought about social work. Growing up I had a good friend who ended up in the foster care system, and I knew that money was tight in the program itself, the placements were not always beneficial for the children, and that once you turned 18, the system had to turn you out and you were on your own. I considered becoming a social worker until I thought about the situations that I would see children placed in or coming out of. Being a sensitive girl, I wasn't sure if I had the personality that would be able to handle seeing children come in and out of bad situations all of the time. I decided against a social work major...I didn't want to be reminded of how some kids have to grow up.
By the time I had graduated from BYU and decided to go back to get my teaching certificate, I had kind of forgotten about the reasons I decided not to go into social work. In Boise, I worked with kids who wanted to be in school, whose parents wanted them there and cared about their student's education, who grew up in a middle-class lifestyle, much like my own. And for me, this was perfect! I have things in common with these kids, and at the risk of sounding prejudiced, these are the kinds of kids I want to teach. I like working with kids who are smart, and motivated, who understand respect, and respect each other. I have great respect for teachers who teach in inner-city schools, but that is not me. I have no desire to teach there, and I don't think that is where my strengths lie.
Then I moved to Columbus. This summer, I am working with a summer camp through Campfire USA. This year, they have received a government grant that allows many students from downtown Columbus to go to our camp free of charge. This is an exciting thing for the program, and as a counselor, I was excited to have kids who were attending camp for the first time, maybe the only time ever. The first few days of camp were tiring, but really really fun. I worked with a great group of kids, really awesome co-workers, and the environment can't be beat. We are at a huge city park, with access to fishing, hiking, creeking, and an awesome nature center.
Over the course of a few days, I started to notice that some of the kids didn't really seem to understand what it's like to have to work with other kids and other adults. I noticed a lot of disrespect, towards the counselors, and towards the other kids. Kids were getting made fun of, nasty remarks were being made, and no matter what we tried to do or say to dissipate this behavior, it continued.
This behavior is worse on the bus. The bus transports the kids who are going to camp for free from the city out to the park, which is in the outskirts of Columbus. I hate to say it, but the kids that are there for free are the worse behaved out of all of the kids attending. Thursday was a rough day for me, because I saw some of the most extreme behavior I have ever seen out of a group of students. The sad thing was, the child exhibiting the most crass language, the child threatening to shoot other students and saying horrible things about other student's anatomy was---get this--SIX YEARS OLD! His attitude was "I own this bus, no one can make me do anything." In the morning, he got in a fist fight with his half-brother, and in the afternoon, his behavior escalated. He was using foul language, threatening to hurt other students, standing on the bus seats. As counselors, we tried our best to talk him down, get him to obey the bus rules, teach him why his remarks were wrong, but I truly believe he was out of control. He has been raised to believe that this behavior is acceptable. Later on during the bus ride, I had to pull an older kid off of a younger kid. I was so angry, I put him off the bus (we were stopped already at our first stop), so that I could cool down and he could cool down. I couldn't believe that I had to be subjected to this kind of behavior from kids younger than 5th grade.
I came home really upset about what had happened. First, I felt sympathy for the kids who were out of control. Dad is in jail or dead, their families have very little money, and their only role models teach them negative behaviors. However, I think there is a point where some students (or their parents) give up and say, "Hey its not my problem, I am the way I am, and whether right or wrong, I am entitled to be this way."
I also felt really bad for the kids bearing the brunt of the ridicule. These kids, too, have very little...and often the kids picking on them think that because they have it so hard, that gives them the right to make life harder for other kids; when in fact, the kids getting picked on also have a parent in jail, low socioeconomic status, and self-esteem issues. What always amazes me is the resiliency of some kids. They can go through h-e-double hockey sticks, and have a smile on their face, a genuine smile, lighting up the lives of the people around them. Other kids crumble, like the one on the bus, falling victim to nature, or nurture, but its always someone else's problem, and there's always another excuse to be made for this behavior ("He is tired in the morning," "He has mood swings").
So I guess this past week has been a wake-up call for me. I have been truly blessed to grow up in amazing home. Then, I see some kids who have so little and yet still find joy in their lives, and this makes me so so sad. Or, I see other kids who have so little and it crushes them and in turn makes them want to crush others, and this also makes me so so sad. So, I guess what I was trying to escape by avoiding being a social worker has come full circle this week.
I have learned some things this week that I would like to record:
1. A kind word from me may be the only kind thing that student may hear all day.
2. I can't change the situations my students are in, but I can affect how I behave towards them during the day. Greeting students with a smile matters.
3. Good things will happen to bad people, and bad things will happen to good people. That is how life goes. It is one of those things very few people understand, including me, but again, I can control how I make others feel in my own small circle.
4. Never get into a power struggle with a child. You will lose, and feel silly afterwards. It just ain't pretty.
5. When you read in the scriptures how Christ wants us to be like small children, remember the young kids you are working with who have impacted you, and taught you about happiness and resiliency and patience. Then mirror those qualities that you see in those kids.
This week definitely hasn't changed my desires to teach in middle-class suburbia. I don't think I have the constitution or the experience to deal with the special circumstances that students in the inner cities face. However, it has made me recognize the blessings in my own life, to the point where I have even felt guilty for receiving those blessings. Why did I get such great parents, and siblings, while other kids don't know their parents? Why was I able to go to camp, and do band, and soccer, and ballet, while other kids play in the streets, unsupervised most of the time? How was I able to walk the straight and narrow path (barely) during high school while many of my friends crumbled under peer pressure? How did I get a kind, sensitive, spiritual husband while other women like me find themselves partnered with a man who abuses them?
I guess "life's questions" have been weighing on me heavily this week, and there are just no good answers, right? Some of you work with kids, how do you deal with situations like these? Do you feel guilty for having it so good while those you work with may have so little? How do I get some sleep at night?
When I first applied to BYU and was filling out that list of potential majors, I thought about social work. Growing up I had a good friend who ended up in the foster care system, and I knew that money was tight in the program itself, the placements were not always beneficial for the children, and that once you turned 18, the system had to turn you out and you were on your own. I considered becoming a social worker until I thought about the situations that I would see children placed in or coming out of. Being a sensitive girl, I wasn't sure if I had the personality that would be able to handle seeing children come in and out of bad situations all of the time. I decided against a social work major...I didn't want to be reminded of how some kids have to grow up.
By the time I had graduated from BYU and decided to go back to get my teaching certificate, I had kind of forgotten about the reasons I decided not to go into social work. In Boise, I worked with kids who wanted to be in school, whose parents wanted them there and cared about their student's education, who grew up in a middle-class lifestyle, much like my own. And for me, this was perfect! I have things in common with these kids, and at the risk of sounding prejudiced, these are the kinds of kids I want to teach. I like working with kids who are smart, and motivated, who understand respect, and respect each other. I have great respect for teachers who teach in inner-city schools, but that is not me. I have no desire to teach there, and I don't think that is where my strengths lie.
Then I moved to Columbus. This summer, I am working with a summer camp through Campfire USA. This year, they have received a government grant that allows many students from downtown Columbus to go to our camp free of charge. This is an exciting thing for the program, and as a counselor, I was excited to have kids who were attending camp for the first time, maybe the only time ever. The first few days of camp were tiring, but really really fun. I worked with a great group of kids, really awesome co-workers, and the environment can't be beat. We are at a huge city park, with access to fishing, hiking, creeking, and an awesome nature center.
Over the course of a few days, I started to notice that some of the kids didn't really seem to understand what it's like to have to work with other kids and other adults. I noticed a lot of disrespect, towards the counselors, and towards the other kids. Kids were getting made fun of, nasty remarks were being made, and no matter what we tried to do or say to dissipate this behavior, it continued.
This behavior is worse on the bus. The bus transports the kids who are going to camp for free from the city out to the park, which is in the outskirts of Columbus. I hate to say it, but the kids that are there for free are the worse behaved out of all of the kids attending. Thursday was a rough day for me, because I saw some of the most extreme behavior I have ever seen out of a group of students. The sad thing was, the child exhibiting the most crass language, the child threatening to shoot other students and saying horrible things about other student's anatomy was---get this--SIX YEARS OLD! His attitude was "I own this bus, no one can make me do anything." In the morning, he got in a fist fight with his half-brother, and in the afternoon, his behavior escalated. He was using foul language, threatening to hurt other students, standing on the bus seats. As counselors, we tried our best to talk him down, get him to obey the bus rules, teach him why his remarks were wrong, but I truly believe he was out of control. He has been raised to believe that this behavior is acceptable. Later on during the bus ride, I had to pull an older kid off of a younger kid. I was so angry, I put him off the bus (we were stopped already at our first stop), so that I could cool down and he could cool down. I couldn't believe that I had to be subjected to this kind of behavior from kids younger than 5th grade.
I came home really upset about what had happened. First, I felt sympathy for the kids who were out of control. Dad is in jail or dead, their families have very little money, and their only role models teach them negative behaviors. However, I think there is a point where some students (or their parents) give up and say, "Hey its not my problem, I am the way I am, and whether right or wrong, I am entitled to be this way."
I also felt really bad for the kids bearing the brunt of the ridicule. These kids, too, have very little...and often the kids picking on them think that because they have it so hard, that gives them the right to make life harder for other kids; when in fact, the kids getting picked on also have a parent in jail, low socioeconomic status, and self-esteem issues. What always amazes me is the resiliency of some kids. They can go through h-e-double hockey sticks, and have a smile on their face, a genuine smile, lighting up the lives of the people around them. Other kids crumble, like the one on the bus, falling victim to nature, or nurture, but its always someone else's problem, and there's always another excuse to be made for this behavior ("He is tired in the morning," "He has mood swings").
So I guess this past week has been a wake-up call for me. I have been truly blessed to grow up in amazing home. Then, I see some kids who have so little and yet still find joy in their lives, and this makes me so so sad. Or, I see other kids who have so little and it crushes them and in turn makes them want to crush others, and this also makes me so so sad. So, I guess what I was trying to escape by avoiding being a social worker has come full circle this week.
I have learned some things this week that I would like to record:
1. A kind word from me may be the only kind thing that student may hear all day.
2. I can't change the situations my students are in, but I can affect how I behave towards them during the day. Greeting students with a smile matters.
3. Good things will happen to bad people, and bad things will happen to good people. That is how life goes. It is one of those things very few people understand, including me, but again, I can control how I make others feel in my own small circle.
4. Never get into a power struggle with a child. You will lose, and feel silly afterwards. It just ain't pretty.
5. When you read in the scriptures how Christ wants us to be like small children, remember the young kids you are working with who have impacted you, and taught you about happiness and resiliency and patience. Then mirror those qualities that you see in those kids.
This week definitely hasn't changed my desires to teach in middle-class suburbia. I don't think I have the constitution or the experience to deal with the special circumstances that students in the inner cities face. However, it has made me recognize the blessings in my own life, to the point where I have even felt guilty for receiving those blessings. Why did I get such great parents, and siblings, while other kids don't know their parents? Why was I able to go to camp, and do band, and soccer, and ballet, while other kids play in the streets, unsupervised most of the time? How was I able to walk the straight and narrow path (barely) during high school while many of my friends crumbled under peer pressure? How did I get a kind, sensitive, spiritual husband while other women like me find themselves partnered with a man who abuses them?
I guess "life's questions" have been weighing on me heavily this week, and there are just no good answers, right? Some of you work with kids, how do you deal with situations like these? Do you feel guilty for having it so good while those you work with may have so little? How do I get some sleep at night?
Welcome Ari!
This post is a bit long in coming since Ari is now a little over a week old. I am now an aunt! My little sister Jess had her baby last Thursday, June 12th (4 days after her wedding anniversary and a week before her own birthday!) He looks like a cute little guy and I am excited to see him sometime in the future...and figure out what this aunt business is all about!
Mom and baby are doing great after what sounds like a pretty difficult pregnancy. However, Jess didn't earn the nickname "Baby Buffalo" for nothing when she was just a small thing, and so she has puled through wonderfully and is enjoying adjusting to the new mom life.
So Congratulations Jess and Joey, on little Ari, and happy birthday Jess!
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