Another OOPS at the mall

Another big oops at the mall:

A young father reminded me to never assume all parents want their children to attend college.

Met a young father with a child, about 6 months old, in a baby carriage. Young child gave me eye contact, smiled and babbled happily. Father agreed he has a very smart baby. When I told him he has to start saving for a college fund, he said as he rocked in rhythm, “Naah, he’s going to be a musician.”

How could I have forgotten what I told the Third Circuit Judge in Hawaii? After reading how he lectured to  the juveniles who appeared before him, to raise their grades so they can attend college, I wrote him accusing him of being an elitist. What if some of the young people wanted to be the best waitor,  or bus driver?  Think of all the people who serve him daily from cashiers to limo drivers. He listened, agreed and thereafter he sent them out to do community service.

There are extremes, of course, like the father of a third grade student who wasn’t concerned about his daughter’s lack of interest in learning “because she’s going to be Miss Hawaii someday. All she needs to do is be a good hula dance.” The mall is a perfect place to be reeducated.

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Our children are not dolphins

 

Than

Thank you, Sacramento Bee, for publishing my letter to the Editors. This is in response to a story they ran on education. They had hired a dolphin trainer who worked well with dolphins and children to teach in a poor school district.  I saw red when I saw this, having spent my whole career with our children. They deleted my line “Our children are not dolphins.”

For teachers and parents who work with children, please check out my book on how children learn best: Teacher, You Look Like a Horse. We certainly don’t feed them fish for every right answer.

 

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Why I Cherish Elderly Men

At the post office, an elderly man with a cane and I approached the door at the same time and I opened the door for him. He thanked me, put his back against the door and let me in first. I thanked him. Yes, ladies first.

Leaving the post office, a young man tried to enter as I was leaving. He  opened the door and entered, closing the door into my face.

Walking into the Alzheimer’s Office, I saw a caregiver and an elderly man with a cane coming out of the office. I opened the door and the caregiver walked out. The elderly man exchanged looks with me and I got his message. He held the door open for me, a bit unsteady on his feet,  and I walked in, thanking him. Yes, ladies first. I saw his caregiver waiting by her car.

After a business lunch in Hawaii, my host walked me to the car and opened the door for me. I told him,  “I can’t remember the last time someone opened a car door for me.”  When I was in high school, I asked one of the boys to open the door and he said, “What? You cripple?” But we forgive boys in high schools, don’t we?

We speak in fear of what the electronic world is doing to humanity and how invisible we are becoming.  Are these men I mention the last disappearing act?

 

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Racism in CA

In today’s front page of our paper, a story of how kids from a public school here were called Asian racist names during a basketball game.
This is not the first time these girls were taunted with racial slurs…being yelled “Soy Sauce!” Go Back to Fiji!”, “Small Eyes!”, “You’re Ugly!”
A Japanese father who was there told the Bee on-line, how his grandfather was interned, his father was in the Army during WWII so their children wouldn’t
be treated with such indignities.  I wrote the following to the authors of this story. Whether they will publish or not is a ?.

Dear Ms. Locke and Mr. Lindelof
My gratitude to you for the story in the Bee this morning.

Would be you be able to direct this to Letters to the Editor?

Do you think unkindness and inhumane behavior that have been so carefully or so carelessly taught in these youngsters can be unlearned?
When I was in high school, these students drove us Japanese girls to use scotch tape to make our eyes look bigger for  that ” Caucasian  double eyes look” to avoid
taunts of “Jap”  and “Slant Eyes”. I am saddened and furious that these youngsters have not gone away and are still here in El Dorado Hills.

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