Don’t Bother Me, I’m Reading
I’m busy reading. I love to read and my addiction to reading and books has been well documented. I’m currently in the throws of “The Time Traveler’s Wife” a love story recommended to me by my sister-in-law. I’ve read 400 pages in two days. That is how I operate, and with the kids at camp there is no reason for me to do anything else. Oh, I suppose I could do the dishes, laundry, sort the kid’s toys, etc but why do the chores that I could do every day, when there is such a book to read? I haven’t finished the book, but I can already tell you that I love this book. It is complex. I am in awe of Audrey Niffenegger and her ability to plan and organize such a big, long story. It is rather sexually explicit at times (for those of you who prefer more G-rated fare) but the depth of these characters are rich. It has made me want to simultaneously cling to David and celebrate in my fortune of finding my own soul mate in life. You cannot tell the story of two lives intertwined, like Niffenegger has, without touching on the anguish, ecstasy, pain and unconditional love that comes with such a relationship.
I’m saying all this to let you know that I’m too busy reading to write a post.
English Majors UNITE!
As I sat on the couch watching the Sunday morning news a commercial came on promoting a non-profit organization that was working to encourage kids to enroll in more math and science programs. It occurred to me, why are we always encouraging kids to study math and science and yet nobody is encouraging students to study English? Why? (caution I am now climbing on my soapbox). Everybody is fascinated by Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, but if these gentlemen opened their mouth’s and said, “y’know, dude, it’s like, uh, a thing, that does stuff that like, lets you write junk and, uh, you can then like, send it to people, y’know? and then people like get it, and like uh, read it…” Would their companies be as successful? The truth is that nobody thinks of the importance of writing or speaking properly until they see or hear somebody do it wrong and then that person is left vulnerable. Nobody is there when their resume is read in the HR office and then laughed at because the basic grammar and speech patterns are so horrendous. Every administrator or politician talks about the importance of reading and writing and yet, when the money gets passed around the first place it goes is to pay for more computers, science equipment, etc. It is not spent on writing centers, books, and other reading and writing tools that are essential for success.
When I decided to major in English the only career option presented to me was teaching. I was NOT an education major. I refused. I worked in online media for ten years and used my degree every day. As a project manager I wrote status reports, communicated with clients, but most importantly I was able to take large complex problems and break them down into smaller pieces. After all that is what you do when you read a book. You look at the whole, understand it, look for patterns, examine it’s components, see the connections and than communicate those relationships to other people. When you put together an ad campaign or a website it is the same process. Studying English teaches you how to identify the undefined problem and then how to think about the problem so you can find a solution. Wouldn’t we be a better country, a better society if we had more creative problem solvers? And how do you teach creative problem solving? You give them Walt Whitman to read, and Ernest Hemingway, Shakespeare, Dickens, et al.
And yet, when we think about encouraging education, and student learning, we think about math scores, science scores and how we get more kids enrolled in math and science. Our students will never appreciate the value of writing, reading and speaking properly if the adults reponsible for funding their education don’t start valuing it first. Why are these most important skills so frequently discounted and treated like second class citizens in the education field? A child will never be a good scientist if he can’t successfully read or learn the basics of reasearch and have the ability to document his findings. I fully appreciate the value of math and science and I am not discounting their imprtance in our society, but I also don’t feel that they are superior to reading and writing.
Is One The Loneliest Number? Really?
In three days both of my children will be leaving for “Nana Camp”. This is an annual event in the Morley family when my mother-in-law takes all of her grandchildren over 3 years old and hosts them for a week. During this time the kids revel in eating ice cream and pizza at every meal, swimming until they collapse, not bathing, not eating vegetables and basically being allowed to do whatever they want. It is truly a child’s paradise and I’m lucky to have such a mother-in-law. The last two years Lucy has been old enough to go but not Max. Although this was very sad for Max, I was glad to have one “little chick” at home. Alas, this is the year that both will leave me.
I’m thrilled.
I’m sad.
I’m overwhelmed.
I’m excited.
I feel like I’ve been counting down to this moment since Max was born and yet now that it is here I’m feeling less sure. What will my house be like without my kids? I’m going to come home from class to what? Silence. The last time my house was totally silent was the moment before I woke David up to drive me to the hospital for Lucy’s birth. Part of me has visions of being this super-productive person who organizes closets, cleans under the kitchen table, and finishes up the kid’s baby books. But instead I fear I will be unfocused and unsure of what to do with my body. Without my children will my day lack all structure and direction? And is that something that I should worry about?
I lived alone once. I have the pictures to prove it. A small 680 square foot apartment with one bedroom and a fireplace. It was smartly decorated, spotlessly clean, and every inch was a reflection of me. Now, I live in a 2,000 square foot house that holds the footprint and reflection of a family – husband, kids, in-laws, friends, etc. I don’t know how to exist alone in this space. This is a space no longer intended for one person. How will it feel to have a glimpse backwards to a life that I no longer have and no longer want?
As of now I’m going to focus on how lovely it will be to sleep in, go to a movie with my husband, eat out, cook breakfast for MYSELF, and take a shower without an audience. On second thought, ignore everything I just said.
