I had other aspirations for this post. Like that Van Zant song lyric, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.”
So I have to go down other roads today. Not the map that was in my mind will I follow. I have to follow my heart this time.
“Not exactly the way I wanted to say goodbye, Radar.” That is what came to mind when I sat down to write these words. Colonel Potter then said to Radar, “God speed, son.” They hugged and the rest is sweet TV history.
We can all hope for a sweet history, even though it does not work out that way. There are scrapes and burns and duct tape around the frame of every life. How we get through some of what we get through, I will never know. God’s hand is there to hold. We can get into an argument of why bad things happen til the cows come home, go to pasture, and come back again. Now is not the time.
I wanted to sit down and get wistful and take a trip down memory lane about some of the people and places I have written about on these pages since I began writing speaktherights.com. This is post number 656. I have written more than a half a million words here since I started in the summer of 2014. This has been fun.
It is time to take a break. There are a few of you out there. I know you read these pages regularly. I thank you for that.
For some time I have been wanting to work on a more ambitious piece of writing that I need to get out of my system. No, it is not a bad thing I am dealing with. It just feels that way sometimes when I feel bad for not putting something on here when I am wanting to get the other finished. In the process, I make less progress here and there.
Time. There just isn’t enough of it. So, when I finish the writing project, I will be able to come back here and get on with this once again. I’ll be back in the Spring.
Music from February 1977
1 NEW KID IN TOWN –•– Eagles
2 LOVE THEME FROM “A STAR IS BORN” (Evergreen) –•– Barbra Streisand
3 BLINDED BY THE LIGHT –•– Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
4 FLY LIKE AN EAGLE –•– The Steve Miller Band
5 I LIKE DREAMIN’ –•– Kenny Nolan
6 ENJOY YOURSELF –•– The Jacksons
7 TORN BETWEEN TWO LOVERS –•– Mary MacGregor
8 NIGHT MOVES –•– Bob Seger
9 DANCING QUEEN –•– Abba
10 WEEKEND IN NEW ENGLAND –•– Barry Manilow
This was the American Top 40 top ten songs of the week ending February 26, 1977. That would also be my Mother’s birthday! It was a good time to be listening to the radio. In 1977 my station of choice, the one I was probably listening to in between running upstairs to see how many points Dave Cowens or John Havlicek or Jo Jo White had for the Boston Celtics on the NBA on CBS Sunday afternoon telecast, was 1010 WCSI in Columbus, Indiana.
When Robert Becker sold 96.3 WJAA in Seymour in 2020, my daily radio listening life came to an end. Oh there are a few shows I make a point to listen to. Not many. Not everyday. Not like it was. Thankful I had what I did for as long as I did. I tuned in to listen to Becker every morning for nearly thirty years.
Nowadays I spend more time listening to Amazon Unlimited Music and Classic American Top 40 on the IHeart Radio App.
Well, here we go again (I can hear Ronald Reagan’s voice).
This was my classroom last week. It was miserable. The only thing I can think of that could be more miserable is having a classroom full of kids without masks on after a week that looked like the one is this picture.
When word came down from on high that will we be returning to the classroom tomorrow, I was delighted. I was not impressed when that word included masks in the classroom were optional. Oh, I know, it said Parental Choice in leading CAPITAL letters. Having been away from the class for a week, I wish the message had said for the safety of our students and our staff WE ALL NEED TO WEAR A MASK WHILE OUR COUNTY IS IN THE RED. That message would have been much more respectful of all involved in the classroom setting.
We asked parents to wear a mask when they were picking up food outdoors during lunch distribution last week. But go ahead and send your kid to a classroom full of 30 or more students (mask or no mask). Some of those classrooms have no outside windows. I know this all too well.
I suppose it would not sting like it does, had more professionals been recognized as stakeholders in protecting all stakeholders. I don’t blame all of this on the administration. I blame it on the teachers too. As an educator I was not asked what I thought was important for the next steps by either the administration or the classroom teachers association. Seems like my membership (and my remuneration) in the association is respected more than I am.
You better know when it comes time to formulate a school improvement plan, the surveys and the questionaires will be flying around like leaves in a November windstorm.
In full disclosure, I am not one who has worn a mask in my classroom all year long. I am wearing one now for sure cos I want to help us get through this level red mess. This very school year I went from the football sideline to the stage as the drama club sponsor. This ole boy ain’t been hiding.
I feel like when we are not wearing masks and being as responsible as we can be we are throwing healthcare workers under the bus in the process.
Remember when we used to watch National TV news, be it John Chancellor or Walter Cronkite, and we saw a story that looked awful about folks suffering somewhere? What did we tell ourselves? We said, “I sure am glad that ain’t happening here!”
It is happening here. We don’t have to look at it for 30 seconds at a time before Walter says, “That’s the way it is.” or before John Chancellor says, “That’s Nightly News for this evening.” This is 2022 and we have to look at this health disaster 24/7. Why do we have to make decisions that remind us of 1978?
I recently told a friend as long as there is sand, you will always be able to find some Hoosier heads. Sorry kids. Geography can be studied and it can hurt at the same time.
Speaking the rights.
Danny Johnson