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Art Education and High Stakes Testing

  • Posted on July 16, 2012 at 9:07 pm

Above are artworks created by some of my middle school art students this year.  Keep all of this in mind as you read on about what I’m thinking about today!

It has been about a month since school was let out for the summer.  I have been busy working on curriculum for a new course I will be offering this year.  It is an animation/film class for seventh and eighth grade students.  I am very excited about the plans I am working on for the course and I have received much needed support from my principal.  However, as I sit here thinking about the excitement I will be creating and developing in this course, I wonder about all of the schools that have chosen to dismiss the arts in their curriculums to give more time for developing test taking strategies.  In the infinite wisdom of our federal and state legislators, the bottom line is how students perform  on a standards based test.  This test is basically a multiple choice test about information that the students will probably never use in the most important parts of their adult lives.  We have become a nation of test takers.

If we aren’t testing our children through these standardized tests then we are testing them for ADD and many other worrisome things to try and “fix” them.  Our children are being judged daily on their fitness.  They are told they are stupid and over weight.  The remedy seems to be to make school even more miserable for them!  In the high stakes environment of test taking our children are the human guinea pigs, chess pawns really, in the ever changing education system that tells them that they are failures on a continual basis.  With each test that tells them they are not proficient how does a child cope with this news?  Even in our adult lives we have become test takers.  For many adults this involves being urine tested in order to get a job.  Teachers take tests to prove that they are intelligent enough to become teachers even though they actually graduated from universities and colleges that gave their stamp  of approval.  We seem to be obsessed with testing.  Unfortunately, our adult compulsion is driving our children crazy.  What child wants to be stuck in a classroom where they are routinely told they are not measuring up?  It is a frustrating time in education.  I have said on many occasions that I am glad my child is not in school at this time.  I just want the insanity to stop!

What I know to be true is that creativity is very important for the development of the whole individual.  Frankly, if you are not able to think outside the box, you will not be able to invent and be innovative.  Our growth as a nation has depended on the innovation and inventiveness of its people.  If we teach our children that the only thing that is important is passing a test,  we do them a disservice.  I came across a document this past year called, “Critical Evidence…How the Arts Benefit Student Achievement”.  The document basically explains that testing has been done and there is proof that the arts, such as visual arts, music, dance, etc., help improve the SAT test scores of students that are consistently involved in them.  I just want to say, “Duh!”  However,  many people don’t understand the value of the arts in the thinking and learning process.  While the document stressed that No Child Left Behind treated the arts as important as the core subjects, the reality is that in order to achieve the adequate yearly progress required of NCLB many schools left the arts and made more time for drilling students to try and get them to “learn” the material.

We have been fortunate here in Sturgis as the arts have been an integral part of our students’ learning and have been supported by the administration, board members, teachers, and the community at large.  It doesn’t mean we aren’t feeling the pressure though.  I have had to become more than the visual arts teacher in recent years.  My evaluations will be based on student’s reading scores just like many core teachers’ evaluations.  It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me but after all I’m just one of those creative thinkers that tends to think outside the box of legislative opinion.  I do everything I can to help my students become better students, better people, and over all better equipped for their future but sadly what the legislative body wants to measure is what a student does on one particular day in one particular year of a student’s life to determine not only the student’s fitness and progress but also the teacher’s fitness and progress.  From my point of view I think this is just basically stupid.  I was at the 8th grade awards’ presentation last month.  I noticed that many students that I had taught that are very bright did not get an award for being proficient on the MEAP.  There has to be something wrong with this test when I see students that are top in their class walking away without that word “proficient” attached to their name.  They have been deemed not proficient.  How sad that we have labeled students in such a manner.  I think most people that are not in the education system might not be aware of everything that is going on in schools all across America.  Parents have been told that it’s the teachers fault that their child is doing poorly in school.  Teachers have targets on their backs and I feel it even on my back although I know how hard I work and how dedicated I am to my profession and my students.  From my point of view, the test making and test preparation companies are making a lot of money off education today.

I’m not saying that there aren’t problems in education today.  I just think that the future innovators and creatives in our community are at risk when we expect our children to just regurgitate information on a test without regard for the art and music of life’s challenges.  The divide I see in my classroom has more to do with the economic problems than anything else.  Let’s face facts; students that come from economically deprived families have a bigger struggle than students from the upper middle class and wealthy parts of society.  Over the past twenty years this has become even more apparent.  The answer to me seems to be in fixing the economy as well as always working to improve our education system.  Times have changed and with that change we should be embracing the technology of the 21st Century.  Teachers that do this will probably remain relevant.  Those that don’t may be kicked to the dustbins of the past.  In my own teaching, I have embraced technology in my classroom and in my life.  I think that living in today’s society is much more involved than just taking a state mandated test of proficiency.  We will not know what this grand experiment will reveal until the students of today are the adult citizens of tomorrow.  I do believe if we don’t change this high stakes testing we will create a world full of neurotic adults that will certainly keep the psychoanalyst’s sofa warmed up with their compulsions and obsessions and feelings of inadequacy.

Will all of these thoughts interrupt what I do in my classroom?  I will continue to work hard on my plans for all of my classes including my new animation/film course and I will remain fully engaged and thrilled to be working with the middle school students that I feel so privileged to teach.  However, this past year was extremely stressful for me.  It had nothing to do with the students and everything to do with this constant testing.  If I can feel it when I absolutely love being a teacher, think how the students are feeling when they are faced with stressed out teachers that are forced to jump through hoops to get their students to pass a test.  It is a sad state that we surely must change.

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Mitt’s Money

  • Posted on July 10, 2012 at 1:47 pm

Mitt's Money: This is a photoshopped picture going around the internet but seems so fitting.

Lately I have been reading quite a bit about Mitt Romney’s money.  Mostly, I’m reading about the money he keeps out of the country.  Most of us don’t have the opportunity to hide our vast fortunes in other countries to avoid paying additional taxes on it.  We might have some money invested in a global stock or we might know someone working in another country to make their living.  However, we don’t generally look around for ways to hide vast sums of money from our country in foreign assets.  For me, it is very troubling that we have a person running for the office of the presidency that doesn’t appear to be fully invested in this country.  The American people have been told for years that the “job creators”  aka the “wealthy” should be given the Bush tax breaks because they reinvest their money to create jobs and of course this is all supposed to trickle down to the rest of us.  Obviously, in the case of Mitt Romney, he doesn’t feel the need to be a job creator in this country, unless it’s to create another job for one of his financial advisors or lawyers that know the inside and outside of the tax laws.  Maybe he’s creating those jobs.  It just seems like such a pity that this wealthy man doesn’t care enough about this country to invest that money here!

Many people might not think where he keeps his money is important.  However, to me, he is very unpatriotic.  President Kennedy asked us to not ask about what our country can do for us but what we can do for our country.  That thought process has always made me think that there is plenty the wealthy can do for our country.  The biggest thing is investing.  We all know that most of the wealthy will not be fighting our wars.  Mitt Romney has five sons.  I don’t believe any of them have served in the military.  Since we don’t have the draft the chances of these wealthy people doing their part for the country militarily are slim.  Unfortunately, it’s the poor and the middle class that fight the wars for the wealthy that send them off to war!

Now, some of you might be thinking that Mitt is creating jobs when he is building his summer home in California or taking his vacation over the fourth of July.  Perhaps, he has given some work to people that wait on him in this capacity.  However, with the 250 plus million that he has I think he could do far more.  After all he claims to be some great job creator and businessman.  However, it appears that he is in the “take over” business.  He swoops in like a vulture, takes control of his prey, cuts loose the fat (You know…real people.), shows some paper profit, and then sells for some great financial gain.  Oh, yes, I guess this is referred to as vulture capitalism, the American way.  It’s a sport without a conscious or any regard for the little people at the bottom that might get in the way.

With all of this in my head, I can only wonder what kind of president Mitt Romney would make.  He has a single ambition which involves taking care of Mitt and what belongs to Mitt.  He has shown his arrogance for laws the rest of us follow when he impersonated a policeman as a college student to frighten some young women.  When I read about this, I thought he was creepy.  His wife claims he’s a real prankster.  I just don’t really understand the thinking behind this kind of prank or the one where he gave some poor guy a haircut.  I confess I cannot get into Mitt’s mind.  However, I know that I don’t trust people that act like he has.  Some people may think that this is all in his past.  However, I think it is part of his character.  He shows a lack of loyalty to our country when he hides his money in other countries.  He shows a lack of respect for other people when he pranks them in ways that cause emotional disturbances for them.  What will this mean for the American people?

You can read more about Mitt’s money at Vanity Fair, the Nation, or Cannonfire.

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Mitt Romney Calls Again

  • Posted on June 30, 2012 at 1:20 am

Mitt, calling me once again! (Picture is just for reference.)

Tonight I got another crazy call from Mitt Romney.  I decided one of my brothers must be playing a joke on me.  I cannot remember how many times I have been called by Mitt in the last two months but, it has been enough for me to feel like he has me on speed dial.  I did my usual hang up after he screamed how the first thing he would do is repeal Obamacare.

I frankly am not interested in what the Republicans have to say about healthcare as I am a woman and I had a sister who died an early death probably because she didn’t have health insurance.  What the Republicans offer women just in the area of health insurance is rather pathetic let alone in any other area.  By my understanding, they don’t want to cover much of anything that has to do with a woman’s vagina, let alone “say” that word!  All across the country the right wing Republicans have declared war on women.  They don’t like it being called a “war”.  They just think they know what we should do with our bodies better than we know ourselves.  It’s like they are the “daddy” and daddy knows what’s best for “his” little girl.  Unfortunately, daddy is living in the Stone Age and his daughter has grown up in the 21st Century!  Young women today had better start paying attention or they may end up with a daddy like Mitt who is willing to spend untold money for a prancing horse but unwilling to let his little girl take care of her own vagina.

You may think I find all of this humorous as I am laughing, but I really think this is serious business.  Women today are basically screwed when it comes to politics.  We have very little true representation as there are not enough women involved in writing the laws of our land.  The laws are still basically written by a steady stream of old white guys that don’t really care much for women and women’s rights.  They give us lip service when it’s near election time.  The Democrats try to appear to be on the side of women but hey fall far short representing my gender in any real meaningful way.  The only thing they really have going for them is the Supreme Court.  I cannot imagine another Thomas or Scalia selected for the Supreme Court but it could happen with Romney.  I don’t care much for President Obama but I am happy that he chose two women to be on the Supreme Court.  We now have better representation on the Supreme Court than we do in Washington D.C.

As far as the “Affordable Care Act” goes, I think time will tell how it is going to work.  I, for one, think we should let the dust settle and let the law blossom into what it is supposed to be.  Most of us don’t know all of the details in the law as it stands right now but people probably didn’t know how Social Security, Medicare, or any other program would work until they were enacted either.  Most of it isn’t going to kick in until 2014, so I say let’s see what happens.

The Republicans have spent far too much time strutting like Peacocks trying to get us to notice them.  However, while they have been strutting around trying to get us to fall in love with them, they forgot to do the business of the people.  They work far too hard trying to get rid of President Obama rather than working to push our country forward.  I am tired of the constant tension that is created by a party that wants to sit on their hands while the whole world crumbles around them.  They remind me of the old picture of “monkey see, monkey do”.  Instead of acting like true leaders, they watch each other and follow lock step whatever the first monkey does.  I guess that might be Grover Norquist because he seems to be holding all the cards on the tax situation or maybe it’s the Tea Party.  I don’t know why they have chosen to sit out and become the do nothing Congress that we all have witnessed.  I just wish some of them had the conviction to break from the pack and become true leaders and visionaries for the American people.  They wait until the last possible moment to pass anything like the current job and student loan bills.  They show their faux outrage at Attorney General Holder.   I guess thinking that this is what the American people want.  However, they are so out of touch with what we want that they can’t think straight.

Most of the people I know want to make a good living, take care of their families, be stress fee at work or at home from bills and the possible loss of their job.  Most of the people I know wouldn’t think of telling another person how to take care of their reproductive health or dog them on their church affiliation.  Most of the people I know don’t want to be hassled by the government in any form but definitely want health care to be available and affordable.  Most of the people I know, when they really think about it, don’t want to be sitting next to people that are ill at school or anywhere else that cannot get the health care they need because it is unavailable to them.  They don’t want their children exposed to diseases that were supposed to be eradicated just because parents cannot afford to get their children vaccinated.

I have to come back to what I think the main topic should be and it is the economy.  If you teach a child to swim he can probably save his own life.  The same can be said for people in many ways.  Most people want to work and take care of themselves.  The goal should be job creation.  If we get people working again they will take care of themselves.  It takes money to make money and to get this economy moving money is going to have to be spent.  Austerity measures aren’t going to do our country a bit of good.  We must be willing as a government to do whatever it takes to get this economy moving.  We all know there are bridges and roads that need to be built and repaired.  There are schools that need to be updated.  There are inventors, innovators, and creative young people sitting in classrooms waiting for the future to come.  What are we going to leave them?  Some pot holed roads and broken bridges?  Some school debt that follows them into old age?  Will they have memories of abusive politicians that cannot appear to be civil to each other?  We have choices to make.  I want my students to dream about a future that doesn’t include broken dreams, ineffective government, and a life time of debt.

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White House Correspondents’ Dinner and Bedtime for Bonzo

  • Posted on April 28, 2012 at 11:00 pm

What do Greta Van Susteren, Lindsay Lohan, Arianna Huffington, Kim Khardashian, and President Barack Obama all have in common?  Well, tonight they are all at the White House Correspondents’ dinner.  It is the place to be if you are the rich, the famous, or the connected!  Don’t worry you and I, the “normal” American people, weren’t invited!  We can only watch through a CSPAN camera lens.

This event always irks me because I see the coziness between the White House and the press that is supposed to be covering it for the American people.  It doesn’t matter if the president is a Democrat or a Republican.  These dinners go on and they are all the same.  The president is expected to be funny and self deprecating.  A good laugh is supposed to be had by all and everyone can let their guard down a bit from the stress of everyday life in Washington D.C.  That, to me, is a fantasy because truthfully these people don’t know what stress really is.  They live in a world unlike what most Americans live in.  They are the one percent.  They are the movers and shakers in the country, if not the world.

The rest of us are truly the glue that holds this country together.  We are the ones that take care of their children, educate the masses, watch over their homes, and give dignity to those that are dying in a hospital or on the battle field.  We are the ones that give our bodies to build this country, our heart to fight for it, and our soul to continue to believe in what matters in this world is our humanity!  We are not the one percent.  We are not Hollywood, and we are not politicians.  We are the American people that can see through a fake dinner and are probably the servers at the dinner.  We are the 99%.  We are your sisters, brothers, cousins, and friends.  We hold no title but we serve our country in a manner that the one percent could never understand.  While they are busy patting themselves on the back for doing their jobs and telling the rest of us what they had to give up in the private sector to be a politician, super star, or whatever, we are out doing our jobs every day like we always do.  We don’t complain.  We just want a fair break.  We aren’t stars although we tend to watch the stars.  We are normal folk that just want our country to do the right thing.  This dinner is meaningless to me but it always shines a light on what is happening in our country.  While we are living our simple lives the politicians, Hollywood, and the press are busy figuring out how to manipulate us into the next big thing, whatever it may be.  If we’re supposed to get ready for another big war, don’t worry folks, Hollywood will put out just the right kind of movies to get us in the proper “mood”, you know those movies that make us feel patriotic and want our young ones to do something for their country.  We have all watched them and they do tug at our heart strings in ways we can’t quite understand.

The press already has done their job for this election.  This past year it was obvious that the press wanted Mitt Romney to be the nominee.  Why do you suppose this is? From my point of view, it seems as though there won’t be much difference between the two parties for voting.  We have a choice between Barack Obama who continued the Bush policies, even those tax cuts for the wealthy or we have Mitt Romney, who will continue the Bush policies like extending, once again, the tax cuts for the wealthy.

The reason I’m upset about this dinner is because we, the American people, will get the shaft.  We do all the heavy lifting and while we are doing it these people are really setting the agenda for the coming year.  Does it make any sense that former Senator Chris Dodd went from being a senator to being the president of the Motion Picture Association of America?   He is working right now on legislation that could have a major impact on us “little” people.  This dinner makes a lot of sense to me and it makes it easy to understand how Dodd ended up with the job he did.  These shakers and movers are not really concerned about the American people.  They are concerned about their own situation and their next jobs.  Everything is a set up.  Do you remember last year’s dinner?  The next day was the raid on Osama Bin Laden’s compound.  Following that was “breaking news” about Osama Bin Laden.  Even the death of Osama Bin Laden was so strange to me.  They dumped the body at sea.  I really don’t know what that was about but it sure did feel like we should have learned a lot more than we did!  I just feel the timing for all of this was pretty staged.  It was presented as “all in a day’s work” of the office of the presidency but to me there was much more to it.  It just makes me wonder if there will be any surprises this week.

The one thing I’ve noticed in the past several years is how easily politicians move into the press.  The relationship must be too cozy if these politicians can get their next jobs as pundits on some show.  How else could people like George Stephanopoulos and Joe Scarborough so easily switch into the roles of correspondents or press?  Sarah Palin and Governor Huckabee are both on Fox.  Go figure.  Don’t get me started on Hollywood or I’ll have to be wondering how a guy that was an actor in a movie, “Bedtime for Bonzo”, could ever get the job as president of the United States of America!

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Thank You Rachel Maddow and What’s Happening with Michigan?

  • Posted on April 22, 2012 at 3:21 pm

The Alien Take Over by Dana (Just click on this to see it larger.)

A lot can happen while you’re sleeping and going through the routine of everyday life so to speak.  If you haven’t been paying attention here in Michigan, much has been going on with politics and governing.  While the national focus was busy on Wisconsin, here in Michigan all manner of craziness has been taking place through the passing of legislation stealthily under an emergency provision.  The only national figure that has made much of a fuss about what is happening in Michigan seems to be Rachel Maddow.  For this I thank you Rachel.  I didn’t know about the over five hundred bills that have been passed with this emergency situation.  I knew about the emergency manager law that installs a little “dictator” in the place of people that have been voted into their positions, essentially denying voters their voted choice.  I did not know the manner in which the bulk of legislation has been passed this past year, through an emergency bill that doesn’t even take a roll call vote.  How 73 votes can be counted in a few seconds by a human being is beyond me.  Rachel has a video here that shows how this is being done.  I haven’t read about this in any local Michigan paper and I have been wondering why the Democrats have been so weak.  Well, now I know!  Please watch this video all the way through.  It is radical what is happening in my beloved state.  This is not democracy!

As a teacher here in Michigan, I feel like I have a target on my back.  It is all related to the fact that I am part of a teachers’ union more than anything else.  The Snyder government is swiftly doing whatever it can do to destroy any teacher union in Michigan by passing legislation that essentially disrupts the bargaining process.  The Republicans will say it is about money but it really is about the politics of it all.  They recently passed legislation that will not allow schools to deduct my union dues from my pay.  Now I have direct deposit and money is taken out for a lot of different things including United Way and the Sturgis Foundation.  It just doesn’t make any sense that my union dues couldn’t work the same way as the United Way.  This is just a way to make it more difficult for me as a teacher.  I will protest this and it may be through things like the United Way.  This legislation needs to be stopped.  As a teacher I haven’t been a part of a team that is just concerned about money and insurance.  Class size is an important issue.  It’s difficult to get around to students if you have a large class.  Our advanced math class has 37 students in it.  That is just too many students for one teacher to really get around to every student, no matter how great a teacher he/she is.  The issue of class size is basically a dead issue.  Nothing is going to happen to improve this situation with the current legislative body in Lansing.  I encourage everyone to please get involved and find out about these issues.

The pressure for teachers is very great right now.  They have to produce some kind of result based on a test students take.  If you think this is not going to have any kind of affect on your child, you must be kidding yourself.  Emotionally, your child might be feeling beat up by a system that tells him/her that they just aren’t good enough.  In other ways your child might be denied exploratory classes that might help him/her develop special talents.  This is a frustrating time for educators, but I think it is apt to be even more frustrating to the child that can’t seem to fit into the square peg when they might be more like a circle.  Just as we, as adults, aren’t all the same, children learn and develop at different rates as well.  In my seventh grade art class, I recently had a child create a comic strip called “The Alien Take Over”.  Just so you know, MEAP stands for the Michigan Educational Assessment Program….you know, THE TEST!  Now for the child that is brilliant, this may not have a big effect on him/her.  However, if your child gets stressed out easily, lacks self esteem, needs more time, or is a perfectionist, he/she just might get even more stressed out with what’s happening in education today when they just don’t quite “measure” up!  In the comic strip the student is abducted and taken to the MEAP.  I really wouldn’t want my child’s memories of school to be about some big test.  I remember one big test when I was in school and that was the SAT.  I certainly wouldn’t want that test to be the only thing I remembered in my K-12 experience.  I remember good and bad teachers the most.  I remember the kindness of my second grade teacher, Mrs. Smith, when she gave me a brief case to hold my books because we were moving.  Above all else that stands out in my mind.  I hope you can remember some teacher that made you feel special, not one that made you feel stupid because you failed to pass the MEAP.

By the way, Rachel Maddow, keep it up!  I appreciate all that you do to shine a light on what is happening in Michigan and for that, I thank you!

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Reading is Fundamental with an Emphasis on the “FUN”

  • Posted on April 20, 2012 at 9:58 pm

My son bought me a Kindle for my birthday last May.  I was really busy taking some online courses so I just didn’t get into it until after the summer.  Then I purchased an Ipad.  I have really enjoyed reading this year and I love the fact that I can virtually have any book I want within a matter of moments.

In school we are focused on improving reading scores for our students.  There are many students who just don’t like to read.  It doesn’t matter how many times I tell them, “The more you read, the more you know.”  Some just don’t care or read at such a low level that they are frustrated.  If you or your child is a frustrated reader, my advice is to work harder at finding something that is interesting for you or him/her to read.  If you are reading for information, find things that you want to know.  If you are reading for leisure, find a book that helps you create the “movie in your mind” of that book because then you can compare your version with the soon to come real version in the theaters!

I have made many comparisons this year and I have discovered that movies just cannot possibly beat reading the book!  This year I read many series of books from “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” series to “The Hunger Games”, and even the Harry Potter series.  Yes, I had never read the Harry Potter books!  My sister Colleen, who passed away six years ago, loved Harry Potter.  She even took her grandson to one of the midnight book extravaganzas when she was alive.  Sadly, she didn’t live long enough to read the entire series.  She had given me one of the books years ago and I had never read it because I knew I needed to read the first ones to understand it.  I had only seen the original movie, so I didn’t have any real preconceived ideas about the books.  I decided, as a tribute to my sister, I was going to read that series this year.  I ended up buying a set of the movies and as I read the books, I eventually watched the movies.  I discovered that most movies leave out a lot of details.  If you are waiting for the movie to come out for any book, read the book first.  If you only watch the movie you are getting one interpretation for the book and you are allowing yourself to be manipulated in your thought process.  Movies can be, and are in fact, altered.  In Harry Potter I was surprised when the loyal elf, Dobby, had some prime activities that he had done to help Harry usurped by Neville Longbottom.  Maybe Neville’s agent wanted to give him a bigger part.  I don’t know why movies veer off from the original book, but I prefer the book as it is what the author created when he/she wrote it.

In the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series I was able to watch the Swedish version of the books on Netflix.  All three movies are there and like the American version there are some changes.  The movie that I find most frustrating however was “The Hunger Games.”  In the movie version I detested the crazy, shaky camera that ran over all the violent scenes of the movie and swiftly panned the opening scene of District 12 in such a way that anyone who didn’t read the book would never realize how desperate things were in all of the districts let alone District 12.   In the book there is a real sense of how manipulated the people are by a government gone amok with controlling the masses through these “Hunger” games.  The kids in the games were really reduced to animals, set on each other, and this was truly shown towards the end when Katniss saw Rue’s eyes in the genetic makeup of the wolf like dogs that attacked her and Peeta.  This didn’t even come up in the movie and the Hollywood “interpretation” of the book missed a lot about what the Hunger Games really was about.  It’s more like what’s happening today with the 99% and the 1% than some kind of clever reality game that people “want” to participate in so they can be set for life!  NO one wants to be picked because the reality is your chances of living are slim and none.  It’s like sending lambs to slaughter!  Did I really get all of that from the movie….not a bit!  The violence was smoothed over so Hollywood could make more money by not getting that dubious “R” rating.  Shame on them!

A teacher friend suggested I read “The Help”.  When I first started it I found the narrative to be quite demeaning to the black women in the book but I kept with it.  I felt like it was a white woman writing how she thought a black woman would think and write.  That was why I was turned off.  In the end, I did enjoy the book but once again the movie is not quite the book!  Surprise, surprise!  After reading the book and watching the movie I knew that the author, Kathryn Stockett, was influenced or inspired by “To Kill a Mockingbird” and Harper Lee.  This may seem strange, but I had never read the book, so I decided to get it on my Ipad and read it.  Many years ago I watched the movie but I didn’t remember all of it as I was young.

To Kill a Mockingbird is by far one of the best, if not the best, book I have ever read.  Reading the book through the eyes of Scout I was taken back to when I was a kid living in Kingston, Michigan.  I remember running by spooky houses and stories about strange people that lived in the community.  There were two old sisters that ran a candy store/restaurant.  I was scared to death of them!  I could imagine my brothers daring each other to run up to some old house and touch the door because some spooky person lived inside.  Harper Lee captured all of those feelings and thoughts from a kid’s point of view in such a magical way that the true innocence and horror of prejudice can be seen in a light that is clear to all that read it.  Even though there were changes to the movie, I believe the movie did capture the basic essence of the book.  The book is better but Gregory Peck was stellar in his portrayal of Atticus Finch.  In fact all of the actors were wonderful in the movie and I appreciate the black and white of the movie because that aspect really brings home for me the black and white issue of prejudice whether it be about skin color or idiosyncrasies that individuals have that make people pre-judge them.  Many quotes from the book are in the movie so the movie was able to capture Scout and her viewpoint in a positive way.

I know I’ve rambled on a bit but I hope I have convinced anyone that bothers to make it to the end of my thought process to pick up a book and read.  If you start with “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, I promise, you will not be disappointed.

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The Toledo Museum of Art and Thoughts of My Sister

  • Posted on April 6, 2012 at 1:52 pm

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day, the 5th of April, my sister’s birthday, had she survived the deadly cancer that raged through her body.  I’m currently on spring break.  While many have found ways to escape the stresses of daily life, I have found myself reliving a spring break six years ago when I went to visit my cancer stricken sister.  We celebrated her birthday on Thursday and she died by the end of the week.  My father followed her in death shortly after.  Thankfully, I decided to do something that would delight my senses rather than dwell on what could have been.  However, I am mixed with emotions of loss, love, and a sense that our country truly has turned into the two Americas that John Edwards always talked about.  There are the privileged and everyone else.  There are those like Dick Cheney, who have wonderful health care, and those like my sister, that didn’t and don’t.

There is an “America” in Toledo, Ohio where everyone can participate because it is free.  I drove to Toledo to visit the Toledo Museum of Art.  I had only been there once before and it was back in my twenties.  I can’t understand why I haven’t sought this gem out in the past thirty years.  I just have to say that if you are from Toledo, or the surrounding area, you are a fool if you are not visiting this museum.  I didn’t have time to make it over to the glass museum, so I’ll be going back this summer and devote more quality time to both.  The museum has many galleries loaded with unusual pieces of art and there is absolutely no cost to attend.  Imagine a quality museum with wonderful art and it only cost me $5.00 for parking.  That, in itself, is amazing!  When I went to Chicago and parked underground it was nearly $30 so I was thrilled to think that anyone can attend this museum, any day, for free!  I’m just going to touch on a few artworks that really stood out for me.  Art inspires me and this seemed like the best of days to get inspired!

Morrison Triptych

I was drawn to the Morrison Triptych because of its beauty and clarity.  http://classes.toledomuseum.org:8080/emuseum/view/objects/asitem/96/30/invno-asc?t:state:flow=65b98ef0-38ed-4165-9fe8-8abf0503ce71

The artist is unknown.  Morrison was the person that owned it last.  In the painting one can see great effort at every little detail from the feet, to the rug, and even the background that gives a feeling that it could go on forever.  When I was looking at all of the Christian art in the museum, I had a sense of how inspiring it must have been for people to see this artwork at the time it was created.  I could see how spending time where the art was at, say in a church, could be the most beautiful part of your day.  I’m sure the art was used to control people in some form or another through story telling with strong moral meaning.  Whatever the case, it is easy to see how people would be drawn to places of worship just for the inspiration that would be provided.  Today, religion needs more than a beautiful picture to inspire people to want to participate in daily devotion!

Paul Signac, Entrance to the Grand Canal

Another piece that I was drawn to was an artwork by Paul Signac, Entrance to the Grand Canal, Venice, 1905.  I have never paid much attention to the artwork of Seurat or Signac as tiny little dots just doesn’t really appeal to me.  They almost seem too painstaking for me to find them interesting.  I can appreciate them but I have always liked art that is faster and more expressionistic with quick brush strokes.  However, my perception has been changed by this delightfully colorful piece by Signac.  It is made up of rectangular brushstrokes of wonderful bits of color.  From a distance it reminded me of some of Monet’s work but up close it is much more colorful and less subdued.  My pictures were taken on my cell phone so they lack quality.  My battery had died in my little camera and I didn’t check it before I left home so I snapped some shots off my phone.  Here is a link on Flickr to a better shot so you can see the wonderful color and brushstrokes that I am writing about.  http://www.flickr.com/photos/noctilux-mingqi/4658392020/lightbox/

Louise Nevelson, Sky Presence I

Another piece that I found inspirational for its composition is a piece made out of wood by Louise Nevelson, Sky Presence I.  I loved the fact that she took scrap wood and made something so magically beautiful from it.  Each box alone is a wonderful composition but seeing them altogether is like different chapters to a book.  They each tell a little story.  It really made me wonder where she found all of the different shapes.  The way she composed each piece is interesting as she put curvy lines next to straight lines and they work harmoniously together on the whole when you see them as this huge piece of art.  It’s quite dramatic due to the black color and the size of the piece.

Juan Schnabel, Portrait of a Freedom Fighter

I also really enjoyed “Portrait of a Freedom Fighter” by Juan Schnabel.  It is an artwork created from broken ceramic plates and oil paint.  I was drawn to the three dimensional aspect of the piece and the broken fragments that up close just looked like a mess, but when I stepped back came into focus.  It served to remind me that things are not always what they seem to be whether it is with art or in life.  Some things need a closer inspection to fully understand.

The artwork, “The Salutation of Beatrice” by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, was just beautiful in a romantic way.  It seems the artist was named after the poet, Dante.  This was a tribute to Dante and his unrequited love for Beatrice.  A portion of Dante’s poem is inscribed in both English and Italian on the frame.  It goes like this:

My lady looks so gentle and so pure / When yielding salutation by the way / That the tongue trembles and has naught to say / And the eyes, which fain would see, may not endure.

You can see the piece up close here.  http://classes.toledomuseum.org:8080/emuseum/view/objects/asitem/121/34/invno-asc?t:state:flow=adf30bba-874e-4a61-a6d3-f4c986b75cd8

Dante Gabriel Rossetti, The Salutation of Beatrice

The piece is beautiful but it is the look of longing in her eyes that really drew me into it.  I loved the softness of her pale skin and the way the fabric drapes around her almost as though she was an “angel”.  She just needs the wings and a halo.

An artwork by Paul Gauguin made me forgive him for leaving his family.  He really didn’t belong in the business world.  He had a gift for color and I am so pleased to have come across this image of a road that reminded me of the road he took which was so different from the road he was originally on!  The piece is called, “Street in Tahiti”.  It is full of color and a sense of a different world where people are at peace.  I loved the brushstrokes of the palm tree.  At the museum I could get right up to almost every painting.  There were no barrier lines around most of them.  You could breathe on them.  That was amazing for seeing the brushstrokes so closely.

Paul Gauguin, Street in Tahiti

Another artwork, or should I say artworks, that stood out for me was “The Party” by Marisol.  Here is a link to a Sotheby auction that says a bit about it. http://www.thecityreview.com/s05scon1.html

This piece made me smile.  There was an artist statement about feeling alone even at a party.  What I could see was the many looks of party goers.  Some are looks of boredom, some of thoughtful reflection, like how can I escape?  Some looks seemed to mock the haughty “elite”.  I found this piece to be sophisticated and humorous and I loved the fact that Marisol said they scared her when she was working on them.  I kept picturing waking up in the night to these crazy life size pieces!  This is one reason I love art.  I can be inspired, laugh, and take from it what I want.  Art allows me to make my own interpretations.  They may be what the artist was thinking but often art just makes me think!  If you have the opportunity to visit an art museum in the near future, it just might make you think as well!

I will close with pictures from other artworks that I enjoyed on this fine day in April when I was thinking about my beautiful sister and missing her deeply.

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The Republican Primary, Religion, and Women’s Issues

  • Posted on February 28, 2012 at 6:42 pm

Barbara Kruger, Your Body Is a Battleground

I have been reading the book, “50 Women Artists You Should Know”, and of course I came across the work of Barbara Kruger.  I am familiar with her work from other pieces I have seen.  However, this image says it all for me in terms of the current state of political affairs.  I feel frustrated as a woman during this presidential primary season.  I cannot possibly relate to any of the Republican candidates because they are ready to take me back to some crazy time where women are once again submissive to the whims of their mates.  I thought we had gotten over all of this but of course during the 2008 election I realized that women were still vastly mistreated in the world of good old boy politics.  I remember the mistreatment of first Hillary Clinton and then Sarah Palin by those same good old boys that just couldn’t deal with any woman having the nerve to run for the Presidency or Vice Presidency of the United States of America.  Back to the future of politics, 2012, and I feel like I am somewhere lost in time.

Rick Santorum says some of the craziest things.  Unfortunately, I think he believes the things he is saying which is very scary for most educated people actually living in the 21st century.  Who would have ever guessed that contraception would become the big issue of the 2012 election?  We have an economy that is flat, millions of people out of work, an infrastructure built after WWII in vast need of repair, cities that are crumbling, wars in the Middle East and yet he is more concerned about women’s bodies than anything else.  It befuddles my mind.  I always thought most men wanted some form of contraception.  I didn’t think all men wanted to raise large families.  It seems to me this has been a settled issue.  While most people believe in a separation of church and state, Rick believes the opposite.  The more I hear in this election the more I am frustrated by religious zealots.  I want a clear separation of church and state.  I don’t want to have to follow Rick’s form of God any more than some other religious zealot’s form of religion.

As I look at the other Republicans I see more of the same.  I have some brothers that like Romney.  However, after listening to Rick I can see that Romney and his form of religion could be just as bad.  One of my brothers is a Mormon.  I am divorced.  He once told me that the only way I could get to Heaven is through my ex-husband.  Now that’s a scary thought.  I must already be doomed to the depths of hell if I have to depend on my ex-husband for anything quite so important.  I have also heard about the concept of the baptism of dead people.  I don’t quite understand it.  My parents were Catholic.  I don’t know if my brother has performed the magic baptism on them, but I know my parents wouldn’t be happy if he did!  I am aware that Romney has participated in this concept but he isn’t talking about it.

I really don’t care what your religion is or whether you have a religion.  However, I do care if your religion wants to get involved in my government and create laws that will have an impact on my life.  I believe a woman has a right to her privacy when it comes to her health care.  Men shouldn’t be making decisions for women in the 21st Century.  Women are strong and should make their own decisions about their bodies.  Period!  They don’t need a “daddy” figure in the government controlling their bodies.  If a woman is involved with a mate chances are they will make decisions together.  However, what Rick Santorum, Mitt, or Newt think, really shouldn’t have an impact on my life or any other woman’s life.  They are entitled to their beliefs but they don’t need to make women’s lives miserable with their paternal power.  Newt really cracks me up because when he was messing around on all of his wives I’m sure he was happy that his many women were using some form of contraception!

All this primary election has done for me has made me wish that none of my tax dollars would go to “faith based” entities.  Churches that are exempt from taxation receive oodles of cash from the government to perform their “faith based initiatives”.  Many people aren’t even remotely aware of this funding that has grown over the years.  The group Americans United are for a distinct separation of church and state and I am all for that.  You can check out their website here and read about the faith based initiatives.  http://www.au.org/

The other day I was reading Sky Dancers blog and Bostonboomer posted a video clip from JFK’s speech on religion.  If you haven’t seen it you should watch it.  He talks about the kind of America he believes in.  It is spot on for today.  It is timely.  Watch it and think about what kind of country you want America to be.

Then move on to George Carlin.  Of course you can’t watch George if you’re a prude because he will violate your ears in the way that only George can.  What is amazing is how George is dead but his genius lives on!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCWC4sHbIV0

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Roseanne Barr and Bedtime for Bonzo

  • Posted on February 6, 2012 at 6:13 pm

Roseanne Barr, our next president.  I know it sounds ludicrous but in my mind no more so than Mitt, Newt, Ron or Rick.  What amazes me this year is my total lack of interest in the presidential race.  The Republican candidates have left me totally flat in terms of enthusiasm.  I’m not a Republican, so it’s difficult for me to get enthused in the first place, but I’m left thinking one idea.  Can’t you guys do better than this?  The last four candidates each have their own set of personal baggage that makes this “race” seem so over before it even begins.  For many months the “media sensations” have been telling us it’s Mitt Romney all the way.  Like a self-fulfilling prophecy they guide the voters to “their” choice, “Mitt”.

Personally, I think it’s because the money makers choose Barack or Mitt.  It makes no difference to them.  They will still get what they want.  The losers will once again be the American people.

I have some brothers that have been pro Mitt Romney for some time now.  It bewilders me what they see in him.  He is a rich guy that knows all the ins and outs of the tax code.  Maybe that’s why they admire him.  Some of them just want a “businessman” to be at the helm of our ship of a country.  We had that with GW.  My memory is that it took us to the brink of disaster by sending us on the road to bankruptcy.  Here in our state we have a businessman governor who is running the state with an iron hand or really a “fist”.  He strong arms to get what he wants and deals are made.  Maybe that’s just good business sense but the worker is the one that seems to pay.

This past Sunday I saw some Republican state senator or representative on a local show saying that he’s done all of this without raising taxes.  The statement was a total lie but the “news” man never called him on it.  If you are a retired teacher or government worker you are paying a new state tax, unless you have reached a certain age of course.  Teachers are also paying more into retirement, even though they won’t see that money when they retire.  It’s not considered a tax but it sure is one hell of a fee that is only levied on a certain group of people.  Another thing coming our way is a change in the gas tax.  I’m all for fixing the roads but I know that this type of tax will hit the poorest among us the hardest.  http://www.freep.com/article/20120206/NEWS15/202060380/Lawmakers-tread-carefully-with-plan-to-raise-Michigan-s-gas-tax

In the package of bills is also a plan to raise vehicle registration fees by 67%.  Again, this kind of “taxing” hurts the little guy much more than those people at the top.  http://www.michiganradio.org/post/michigan-drivers-could-soon-pay-more-gas-and-vehicle-registration-fees

I’m sure many people are totally unaware about these issues.  We all go to work, keep our heads buried in whatever we’re doing and just let things happen to us.  When it does, we complain but we keep voting in the same tired bastards.  We watch their stupid commercials and vote on some vague moral issue or some other “personal” quality that frankly means nothing when it comes to what they are going to do in office.  Here is Peter Hoekstra’s latest commercial which I find to be absolutely demeaning to the young lady in the commercial as well as to the American people.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrbdXUWryXk

It’s like back in the day when Jerry Lewis pretends to be a Chinese chef.  Obviously, he was a comic and this was done before we became more politically sensitive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRCsSrnz90s

The Hoekstra ad is just plain stupid.  When I looked up bills that had been enacted that Hoekstra had voted on, there just weren’t many.  He basically hasn’t done all that much.  He certainly hasn’t sponsored or co-sponsored many bills that have gone anywhere!  So, if you want someone that doesn’t do much, I guess Pete’s your man!  You can see all the bills he voted on and which ones were enacted here.  http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billsearch.xpd?PostFormID=billsearch&session=112&q=peter+hoekstra&sponsor=&cosponsor=&status=ENACTED%3ASIGNED%2CENACTED%3AVETO_OVERRIDE&sort=

I’m sick of this type of politics.  The ad treats the American people like we are basically idiots.  Some countries think we are fairly idiotic for our choices in politics but the reality is there just isn’t that much to choose from!

So, Rosanne Barr running for president is about as farfetched of an idea as the guy that played in “Bedtime for Bonzo” running for president!  Maybe we are idiots!

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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

  • Posted on January 8, 2012 at 5:10 pm

I’m coming to the end of my holiday break and feel compelled to have my simple say on the good, the bad, and the ugly.

I’ll start with the good.  Over the holiday break I visited with family and also bought a new car.  Yes, I am helping this sluggish economy by doing my part.  Of course this wouldn’t have happened if my brother-in-law hadn’t passed on his GM discount to me.  My car is the “good” in this little piece of reflection.  It actually ends up being “good” for my son as well because I’m giving him my low mileage Taurus.  Even though my Taurus is ten years old it only has around 82,000 miles on it.  It has been babied by my old lady driving habits, meticulous care, and the fact that since my dad passed away in 2006, I haven’t put on as many miles as I used to traveling up north to see him.  I bought a Chevrolet Impala LTZ and it looks pretty much like the picture.  I have to say it has great pick up for passing.  I also love the heated seats and the remote starter.  Having “On Star” is interesting.  I went from loving it to hating it to figuring out that it just doesn’t always work!  Hence, the Allstate commercial!  I love the Bluetooth connection for my phone as it works great.  I love the Sirius-Xm radio but it serves to remind me of the “bad” that happened over the holiday break.

Christmas Eve my absolute favorite radio talk show host passed away.  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/27/nyregion/lynn-samuels-radio-talk-show-host-dies-at-69.html

God bless Lynn Samuels who was a radio talk show host for Sirius “left”.  I loved hearing her raspy New York, Jewish voice with all of its toasty, warm, goodness.  Lynn had a sense of the world that is unlike any other voice on the left station.  She loved Hillary and couldn’t stand Obama and she let people know this on a regular basis.  Lynn’s show was the only one that I ever actually called in on.  I can’t believe she is gone now.  I would hear something on her show and call my sister up and refer to Lynn as the “bitch”.  I did this out of a form of endearment as I loved her.  It had more to do with her voice and her cranky attitude than me actually thinking she’s a bitch.  I thought she was awesome and her voice reminded me of a woman that I know and feel close to in many ways.  I will miss Lynn and Sirius left better do some serious thinking about finding someone to replace her.  In the morning I can’t stomach the Alex Bennett show because he is so sexist.  I like Thom Hartman and the fact that he has Senator Bernie Sanders on.  However, the only reason for me to ever really tune in to the left channel was Lynn!  I will forever miss Lynn Samuels and I wish more people knew this wonderful individual.

Moving on to the ugly, I just have to say I can’t believe the crap people will buy.  I was watching TV during my holiday break and was assaulted with this crazy commercial entitled, “Forever Lazy”.  At first I checked the station to see if I was on the “Comedy” channel, but to my surprise this is a real product.  I can’t imagine the team that set around dreaming up the product and then the promo for it.  Was this a product that was developed by accident and now they have to get rid of the results or what?  I don’t believe I know a single person that would want to buy something so gosh darned ugly or that proclaims a lifestyle of laziness.  Yahoo, I am forever lazy!  Just what I have always aspired to be…..the “lazy” one.  Not!

We may live in a society that wants to be comfortable in their faded jeans and t-shirts but this is a real stretch.  When I saw the zippers so you can open the “drawers” up so to speak all I could do was laugh!

I think developing quality products is in itself an art form.  However, in my mind this product belongs with the dust bin of crazy collectibles from the past.  I decided it was time to look up some old favorites to share.  While these products may be unique they probably won’t inspire most people to purchase them, except for a joke.  What follows are pictures of real and imagined products, a picture of Lynn and the car are there because they are in my gallery post.  Do you know the difference between real products and a joke?  Don’t feel bad if you don’t because some things are made that you really have to wonder about!

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