Writing My Life

Now and Then


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… it’s about THAT setting, part 3 …

This is a final look at how setting can become one of a book’s characters – sort of. Part 1 examined  The Given Day by Dennis LeHane and part 2 reviewed The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. The first book is historical fiction, and the second is non-fiction. I found that time and place was so influential in these 2 books, as well as the one I’m writing about today, that I connected with the setting as much as I did with the characters. I know this happens often, but inadvertently choosing three books in a row with this commonality grabbed my attention, and I decided to write a little about each one. I guess the experience reinforced the importance of placing or finding a story in the near-perfect place is critical.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Neverwhere is written by Neil Gaiman, an “out-there” British writer who pens books for children, adolescents, and adults. Bazaar as his writing might be for some,  The Graveyard Book won the 2009 Newbery Award, which is “awarded each year by the Association for Library Service to Children to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.” Another one of his popular children books is Coraline, which was made into a movie that received Academy Award nominations. Anyway, I’ve always thought of him as a Tim Burton type that appeals to some but not all.

Because I’m not a big fantasy fan, I’ve never read any of his books, but I enjoyed the movie  Stardust, based upon one of his novels. I guess that’s why I picked Neverwhere off the library shelves. Neverwhere is particularly interesting because readers can check out or buy a traditional novel, a graphic novel, or an audio book that is the “author’s preferred text.”  I listened to the audio-book and am on the waiting list to check out the novel because I want to find the differences between Neil’s audio version – which he narrates beautifully – and the “editor’s” version. My guess is that the audio book includes more cussing. I did look over the Amazon peek-a-boo version of the graphic novel, and saw that published pages followed the story with VERY scary pictures and without Gaiman’s skilled narrative. That’s one thing I miss in graphic novels – the great descriptions of characters and setting.

Published in 1996, this novel, like most if not all of Gaiman’s works, is a fantasy … for adult readers. I found Gaiman’s writing is so good that even a non-fantasy fan enjoys the ride. His characters are intriguing and the plots are fun, if not always easy, to follow. Much like the mazes he inserted in Neverwhere. The book’s main  setting is a parallel universe/city of London, and as the main character Richard Mayhew winds his way through this landing place of all things lost, he embarks upon the hero’s quest to find his way home and help and be helped along the way. He and his companion Door, the survivor of a deadly attack against her family, encounter a mishmash of historical LondonS, dating back to the city’s origins. Because of the challenges of each era, London’s history blesses and curses their adventures.

The upside-down world filled with rats, garbage, and discarded belongings as well as people who have fallen through the cracks, reminded me of the LandFILL of Oz  If Oz was inspired by the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair (a.k.a. The White City), this London was more like the REAL Chicago of that time – dark, dank, and dirty! Gaiman’s characters even make references to Dorothy and her companions’ journey to find the wizard. Mayhew and his friends, however, are searching for an angel called Islington. Because this world is topsy-turvy, the Christ-figure is the despicable Marquis de Carabas, and the arch-villain is the angel.

The titles of both Neverwhere and The Graveyard Book refer to the stories’ settings, but at least in Neverwhere, place is such a large part of the action and outcome that it goes beyond mere setting. It assumes a personality like all the other characters, a complex personality made up of traits both good and bad, strong and weak, ugly and beautiful.


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… it’s all about the setting …

I recently completed 3 books where the setting was as much a character as the protagonists and the antagonists. In fact, the cities operated as both PRO- and ANtagonists, too. Another interesting observation is that these books were 3 totally different genres: historical fiction, non-fiction, and fantasy.  (And yes, while not  CREATING “characters”, non-fiction authors do EXPOSE heroes and villains.)

I have worked on this entry for over 2 weeks, and as a result, it has grown and grown in length. I’m not sure why I am so attached to this idea of commenting upon the settings of 3 books, but I feel compelled to finish it. (You would think I was turning it in for a grade or something.) Because of the LENGTHS I have gone to in creating these posts, however, I decided to separate them into 3 separate entries.

The 3 books are The Given Day; The Devil in the White City; and Neverwhere. Don’t think because I am writing about these titles that I am recommending them. I always hesitate to suggest books because my taste is all over the place. Sometimes I think it is SO non-discriminating that I have no taste. Now I don’t care for romance novels at all; and I don’t like poorly written works, but I do enjoy a good page-turning best seller even though it may lack the craftsmanship of more gifted authors. Once in a while, I’ll tolerate LANGUAGE if the other words are well crafted – I guess that’s why I hesitate to recommend 2 of these 3 cussed books. Reading about serial killers is not usually my preference either, but one of the 3 stars such a demon. Anyway, please read at your own risk and don’t tell ANYONE that I recommended that you check them out!

The Given Day

The historical fiction novel is The Given Day by Dennis LeHane. (Don’t in any way confuse this author with Tim LaHaye who writes the Left Behind series. No, no, no. Dennis wrote Mystic River, Shutter Island, and a bunch more that have been “movie-ized.” If you read excerpts from the link to Amazon, be warned. Profanity is included. )

The Given Day takes place in Boston near the end of World War I or The Great War or The War to End All Wars. Anyway, this incredibly researched novel details that time period so well that whenever I listened to a segment, I felt like my little PT Cruiser changed into a time machine, and I was right there.

Danny Coughlin is the main character, a Boston policeman of Irish decent caught in the thick of a city of immigrants seeking the American dream but finding poverty, discrimination, and violence instead. Boston was dubbed the second Athens, but like a sepulcher, its white and shining exterior disguises a corrupted interior. Danny’s police captain father and the evil Eddie McKenna are part of the corruption, but Danny makes his own way.

Living barely above the poverty line, Danny and his brotherhood of policeman tackle the Spanish Influenza of 1918 that took the lives of 1000 Bostonians. They also faced Italian terrorists and Bolshevik dissidents. The most challenging obstacle, however, was standing up to city government via the policemen strike of 1919.

While readers follow the characters from one page to another, they learn dozens of fascinating details about Boston’s Irish, Italian, and African-American history. Readers are also introduced to more than these ethnic cultures, they see South Boston as it existed for the middle class Irish and the Irish factory workers. Readers walk the streets with the flatfoots of Italian Boston and visit its tenements and markets. LeHane’s researched details uncover a post-war city rocking with tension created by political corruption, cultural prejudice, civil unrest, and industrial abuses. Boston’s charged atmosphere exposed poor leaders’ short-sited choices and courageous citizens’ brave choices that cost them everything but paved a smoother way for others.

If it weren’t for the HARSH language, I’d declare this as the best book I’ve picked up in a long time, but LeHane’s love affair with profanity prevents that endorsement. Nevertheless, his fascinating characters, his meticulous historical research, and his plot development pulled me in. I just couldn’t leave Boston until Danny and Nora left, too.


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… it’s about the setting, part 2 …

This post is the second in a series of 3. The focus looks at the significance of setting. While time and place is important in most novels and many non-fiction works, setting is almost a character in three books I recently finished. The first post examines a novel of  historical fiction: The Given Day by Dennis LeHane, and part 2 reviews The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, while part 3 looks at Neverland by Neil Gaiman

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

When studying reading comprehension, I learned that to understand written text, readers must be able to determine what is important. This is especially pertinent when reading non-fiction. Sometimes authors weave interesting details into events, descriptions, or explanations that distract us from the main point. This minutia is often called “seductive details.”

When I first heard of The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, I was curious as to how and why the author wed the journey of building the World’s Colombian Exposition (a.k.a. the Chicago’s World’s Fair) to the journey of a mass killer, the likes of Herman Webster Mudgett (a.k.a. Dr. H.H. Holmes.) As I read, I started thinking Dr. Holmes’ story functions as THE seductive detail that fills nearly 1/2 of the pages and boosts the book’s sales. Why? Because I just didn’t see a link strong enough to bring the 2 events together through more than coincidence.

While both stories have been separately told before, I don’t know if any volumes reached “best seller” status as Devil has. Simply put, Larson writes that his book explores good and evil and the stage that brought the two extremes together: Chicago, 1893.The question that lingered in my mind, however, was HOW the Colombian Exposition brought the architect of the World’s Fair and the architect of murder together. Rather than reading to find out how Holmes pulled off his murders or how he would be found out, I turned pages to find an answer to THAT question. I honestly thought there would be a stronger link than time and place. Being the questioning reader that I am, I wondered …

  • Would Holmes use the exposition to lure victims to Chicago?
  • Would the bad doctor meet potential victims at the fair?
  • Would he stash bodies on the construction site or in the “white and shining” buildings, thus turning them into sepulchers?
  • Would Holmes murder victims at the exposition?
  • Would Chicago detectives finally catch up to the villain as he stepped off the  fair’s GINORMOUS Ferris wheel?

The answers are – once, sort of;  no; no; no; and no. These were the connections between the two people/events:

  • Holmes did invite the sister of one victim, Minnie, to come to Chicago to visit her sister AND the fair! The sister Nannie  also met her demise at Holmes’ hands, and that incident is the only indication that he indirectly used the exposition to bring a young woman to his lair.
  • Holmes lived near Jackson Park during the building and duration of the Chicago World’s Fair.
  • As Holmes planned and constructed his dingy, dark building, Daniel Burnham, the world’s fair architect,  struggled through the planning and construction of “the white city.” It seems, however, that the author’s comparison is subtly implied rather than explicitly touted. Interesting.
  • Larson does write that the doctor and his legal wife and some of his victims rode their bicycles near Jackson Park during the construction of the fair.
  • Holmes also treated Minnie and Nannie to a day at the fair before disposing of them both that night – back at his own place.

I am not saying the book is not well-written; it is an excellent piece of non-fiction that enthralled me. Devil is a national book award-winner, for heaven’s sake. But I just find the connection of the two historical incidents is without correlation or causation; whatever commonality there is  is coincidental. To a degree, it’s like saying Tiger Woods’ marital problems and President Obama’s health-care reform struggle are connected: The Tiger in ObamaCare.

I did learn so many interesting tidbits about the 1893 World’s  Colombian Exposition – all seductive details in and of themselves:

  • Chicago, considered the western hog-butcher, went all out to win the honor over their nemesis New York City.
  • The White City, its nickname because buildings were all painted white to save time and money, inspired the vision of the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz.
  • The Ferris wheel – first ever built – was America’s answer to the Eiffel Tower, centerpiece of the World Fair hosted by Paris.
  • Walt Disney’s father worked on the fair and talked often of that experience. Devil’s author speculates those stories influenced his son’s vision of the theme park called Disneyland.
  • The fair’s layout and the  buildings’ classical architectural model long influenced city planning and the design of important business and government buildings. I recently learned that our very own capitol was influenced by Burnham’s White City.

By the way, if you are wondering how I manage to read so many books, please don’t be impressed. As much as I love reading, I have become a serious audio-book addict.  I still read, but because I write so much more now, I don’t finish as many books as I used to. That’s why I love listening to books on CDs. AND because I live out here in the western desert, I drive A LOT, so these authors keep me company – BIG TIME.


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… iyc ~ if you care …

In case any of you are interested, I am keeping an online food diary. It’s on this site and located under “Once upon a time” pages vs. posts. The page title is “… once upon a diet dreary …”. I am doing this because 1.) I need to do SOMETHING 2.) I’m online A LOT because of job and hobby 3.) MAYBE it will hold me accountable – we’ll see.

If you are so inclined, you can do one or more of the following:

  • PRAY for ME
  • Wish me luck
  • Send me messages of encouragement

If you are so inclined, please DON’T do the following:

  • Scold me
  • Tell me I DON’T look THAT bad
  • Tell me I DO look that bad!

Thanks, Friends. me

P.S. I also make food comments, including memories made of food. Don’t expect this to be as entertaining as Ann Cannon’s blog: The Writer’s Corner (and also what I ate today).


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… sunshine in my soul …

March is a rather dreary month. The snow that hasn’t melted is petrified and soiled. Desperate as we are to see signs of spring, budding trees or plants have not peeked out enough to be seen by the naked eye. Winter storms, like relatives who have stayed WAY too long, keep returning just when we think they’ve finally exited. While St. Patrick’s Day with its springy green shamrock logo is a nice holiday, it reminds us  that we’re still stuck in the middle of March.

I decided I needed a little sunshine in my soul to brighten up the overcast mood that is trying to dampen my spirits. So, I looked through pictures I haven’t posted to find cheerful, happy, funny, silly, crazy photos in the hopes that a laugh here and a chuckle there will chase away the grumps, scowls, blues, or glums.  But all I could find were these sweet, adorable, precious, cute, darling pictures of my grandchildren. What did you expect?

Look at that cute smile! I hardly EVER see this cute face without it!

Enjoying an INDOOR Ferris Wheel!

She has the most kissable cheeks!!!

Snowy weather doesn't get these 2 down!

Rub a dub dub, 2 Squirts in a tub!

At history camp last summer - Don't tell Spencer the Rebs lost the war!

Waiting for GrammaNae!

Takes concentration to eat unconsentrated oranges - or are these tangerines?

Now, anytime I feel the blahs comin’ on, I’ll pull up this post and let the sunshine in. It just makes me so darn happy to look at these sweeties! I’ve pulled up this entry at least a dozen times since I posted it! 😀


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… it was really wishful thinking …

Yesterday I wrote about my excursion to Capitol Hill, and I observed that many women were there to fight the good fight. Perhaps, I added, The People’s House, a nick name for the capitol building, should also be called The Women’s House. 

As I pondered that idea, however, I remembered a story my teacher friend told me that day. As educators were scrambling to meet with legislators, the difficulty of so doing became apparent. 

“I’m sorry, can’t do that right now.” 

“Maybe later this afternoon.” 

“Could you write me a note?” 

And then, my friend noticed that the football coach from her school headed toward a small crowd of lawmakers. He hadn’t even opened his mouth before one legislator called after him. 

“Well, what’s the state champion football coach doing up here on the hill?” 

The men smiled, shook hands, and then the cluster pulled Coach into their midst for a good ol’ chat. But I really shouldn’t complain because the coach was there to support his school and his district. Because of the proposal to increase class size and eliminate planning/preparation time every other day, teachers and coaches at that school decided they needed to cut some after-school activities  such as spring training for football. Students and parents were not happy about this decision because it’s hard to maintain championship teams without additional training. 

I’m not being sarcastic about this because I see the value of keeping young people busy in our non-agrarian society where they don’t have to plant and harvest crops. I just wish some groups saw the same urgency in beefing up academics as much as we beef up athletic programs. I also wish the legislators extended the same cordiality to the non-coaches, the mothers, and the female teachers that approached them.

Utah's first woman legislator

 

As I wrote yesterday, I stopped by Olene Walker’s portrait to pay homage to her. Gov. Walker was the first woman lieutenant governor and governor. Her party abandoned her when it came time that she could be re-elected, and it hurt Olene very much. 

Once I was on the Capitol grounds, I also stopped to say hello to Annie Wells Cannon, Utah’s first woman legislator. She was active in the territorial government, and in 1912 she was elected to the House of Representatives. Hey! Wait a minute! Women couldn’t even vote in 1912. But they could in Utah, AND they could be elected to public office as Annie was. 

That’s not all she did, however. Annie was  charter member of the Red Cross and the Utah Women’s Press Club. She was a teacher at age 14 and a doctor by her mid 20s. Of course, she also served as a Relief Society President for 16 years, worked on the general board of that organization for 8 years, and raised 11+ children!!!! 

The tributes to women may be few up there on Capitol Hill, but their CONtributions are many, as evidenced by these two examples!


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… my day “on the hill” …

I really do not like the cliche’ “don’t just talk the talk, but walk the walk.” It’s so overused – right along with “put your money where your mouth is,” but last week I decided I needed to heed the messages of both expressions. After venting my frustrations – in rather dramatic fashion – about the conditions in our school district and state legislature, I decided I better join other educators and citizens up on Capitol Hill to voice my support for some bills that could help Jordan School District.

There is something intimidating about walking into buildings of Classicism design because they emanate an air of importance. Add the fervor of a legislative session, and visitors cannot help but inhale the tense atmosphere of decisions in the making. I didn’t expect to feel exhilaration in the face of my frustrations, but there it was: press conferences, interviews, special interest groups, pages, signs, TV reporters and cameras. The sounds of footsteps running across marble floors or climbing up marble steps echoed throughout the rotunda. A mariachi band entertained citizens, lobbyists, legislators, and school children.

Men, women, and children lined the hallways outside the House of Representatives and the Senate Chambers, and they wrote messages to their legislators, urging them to vote for or against this bill or that resolution. It was inspiring to see so many involved. I attended the press conference organized by Utah Education Association to urge passage of House Bill 295 that would ease the financial burdens of struggling school districts like Jordan and Grand by allowing building funds to be used for classroom needs. Next, I spoke to teachers, parents, and education leaders to see what I could do to help. Finally, I added to the stacks of messages being sent to legislators to plead for their help in passing legislation that supports our students’ education. It was a GREAT feeling.

Here a just a few pictures I snapped of democracy in action:

This South Jordan mom joined educators and other JSD patrons to speak out for our children’s educational future. Even HER mother came along to show support for HB 295 that would ease financial pressures, thus forcing a move towards increased class sizes.

These mothers whose children attend schools in Jordan School District are writing memos to their legislators, expressing their concerns and their demands that students come first. TV reporters interviewed the young woman on the far left.  I wonder where that footage went. I didn’t see it on any of the channels.

Looking down from the House of Representative mezzanine, I saw Hispanic leaders addressing their constituents. Now, this community knows how to make an impression. Not only did they lay out a catered feast of Latin American favorites, they entertained onlookers with a festive musical program featuring an excellent mariachi band.  Instead of feelings of frustration, this group filled the air with positive vibes!

On Thursday, the day after my TRIP to the HILL, I thought all efforts had been in vain as I heard that HB 295 and failed to pass, BUT on Friday, law-makers added an amendment to the bill that enabled its passage in the House. Now it goes the Senate, and “insiders” are optimistic about its success there.

Now I’m not an “insider” and many of the citizens who travel to the Capitol are not big time politicians either, but I feel that our voices did count. I recently learned that the state capitol is also called “The People’s House,” and last Wednesday, I witnessed why that title is so befitting. The experience did more to erase my frustrations than my whining ever did. And as I left, I paused in front of former Governor Olene Walker’s portrait because she was such an advocate of literacy and education. In fact, the painting of her shows that she’s reading A is for Arches – an ABC book about Utah, written by Katherine Larsen

As I looked at Olene’s portrait, I not only reflected upon the events of the day, I thought about all the women I saw there and the evidence of women’s political contributions to the betterment of our state. I’m grateful to them all! Perhaps we should add another nickname to that stately structure on the hill: The Women’s House.


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… unresolved resolutions …

I understand that most new year’s resolutions are broken by Valentine’s Day. Last year I stayed resolute for three months and lost about 20 pounds. My resolve dissolved in San Diego where I soaked up more than sunshine. I get derailed so easily, and it takes MONTHS to get back on track especially when stress eating is at the heart of the derailment. I have just got to get past this, but I can’t think of anything to ramp up my resolve that I haven’t already tried.

I went on my first date diet at 15, and it was an INSANE regime! I think 1963 was the year of Metracal liquid diet meals and maniacal diet doctors who dispensed diet pills and starvation eating plans to any and everyone – including teen girls who didn’t want to start high school as plump sophomores.  So Mom took me to Dr. Diet who handed out the pills that curbed my appetite and transformed me into a version of the Energizer Bunny. (My sweet mother can’t believe she did that, but at the time it seemed like a good idea!) In 3 weeks I managed to lose 19 pounds – which is all I needed to lose at that time. And so started the 47-year YO-YO saga.

In the elusive quest of stabilizing my weight, I’ve ventured UP and DOWN so many paths. Here is just a sampling!

  • Weight Watchers – MANY times
  • Jenny Craig
  • Nutri-system
  • Fen-Fen – Yes, I know that was BAD but couldn’t have been worse than the 1960’s Diet Doctor’s magic pills!
  • Atkins Low Carb Diet
  • SlimFast
  • L.A. Weight Loss
  • Posting “skinny” pictures
  • Posting “fat” pictures
  • Announcing my weekly weight loss to the church ladies of the Relief Society
  • Posting weight loss on a friend’s healthy eating blog
  • Recording what I eat
  • Exercising
  • Posting pounds lost on a chart hanging in my bathroom
  • Reporting in to my husband, mother, friend(s)
  • Praying – still do this
  • Weighing often
  • NOT weighing at all
  • Changing the focus from losing weight to being healthy – this IS the best approach, BUT I still fall off the wagon like the food-a-holic/choc-a-holic/sweets-a-holic/carb-a-holic I am.

I seriously don’t know what to do other than NOT giving up. Last night as I worked on this blog, I saw Dian Thomas on channel 2 news. She authored ROUGHING IT EASY in the 1970s, appeared on Johnny Carson and many other talk shows of that era. Anyway, she gained 130 pounds over the course of that career, but 6 years ago decided to take off the excess weight. It took 6 years – the turtle system, she calls it, BUT Dian is confident that it’s OFF for good.

Then this morning I noticed my friend and neighbor Debbie launched a blog just yesterday to support her quest to lose weight and become healthier. THIS GRAMMA’S GOIN’ DOWN is sure to be inspiring AND fun as she is one hillarious writer!

SO, with this added support, I’ll keep on truckin’.  AND maybe someday I won’t have to hide behind frog statuary to disguise my double chin! Have a great day!


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… mothers and King Solomon …

WARNING: This is really a long AND grumpy post! It expresses my opinion, based upon what I’ve read and experienced in regards to the deplorable  situation of one of Utah’s oldest school districts. Just thought you should know and then proceed at your own risk!

Remember the Bible story about the two women who both claimed to be the mother of a baby, and so  they took their problem to King Solomon. In his wisdom, the king rendered a horrendous decision that called for  cutting the infant in half. One mother – and I use the term loosely – accepted the ruling, but the other woman surrendered her claim in order to save the child’s life. King Solomon reversed his edict and granted the second woman full custody of the baby, claiming that only the real mother would make a such sacrifice for the sake of the child.

Unfortunately, it seems that when it comes to educating children, today’s society personifies the attitude of the first and faux mother: “If the child isn’t REALLY mine, then I don’t care what happens to IT.” Now the federal government is TRYING to play Solomon by declaring that “no child [shall be] left behind,” but just as the king dispensed words and/or laws without ways and means – other than threats – so follows the U.S. Department of Education.

Now, it is understandable that states, districts, schools, and parents strongly question the wisdom of the “kings” – present and past, but what is the reaction in Utah? It appears that the legislature, some districts, and many parents have adopted their own mantra: Leave ALL children behind EXCEPT MINE. Gone is the belief that it takes a village to raise a child; gone is John Dewey’s belief that “what the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must the community want for all its children,” and gone is the democratic notion of our second president, John Adams, “The whole people must take upon themselves the education of the whole people and must be willing to bear the expense of it.”

Instead, this is what has happened over the past few years:

  • The legislature tried to undermine public education by pushing through a voucher system that would give tax breaks to those who want THEIR children educated in private schools – of course, the breaks wouldn’t help enough for low or most middle income families to take advantage of the system.
  • The legislature listened to entities that wanted to create their own districts, and so they passed legislation that allowed areas within districts to do so without voter input from the portion of the district “left behind” and without considering the financial impact upon ALL taxpayers and the affected districts.
  • In spite of the fact that the law was flawed and other districts – Granite and Alpine – saw the folly in dividing their districts, Jordan School District’s east side city mayors AND parents decided
    • they did not want to fund the growth on the west side of the district any more
    • they did not want year-round schools any more
    • they wanted sports in middle schools – thus turning them back into junior highs
    • they wanted to create their own district – Canyons – and would do it through
      • bamboozling the “old” Jordan District School Board to adopt a neutral stance until it was too late
      • very little public disclosure of what such a move would entail – 100s of citizens claim they didn’t hear anything about the split – of course, these have to be individuals who don’t read the paper or watch the 10:00 news
      • scheduling the vote in conjunction with the special election ordered by Gov. Huntsman for Nov. 6, 2007;  low voter turn-out (6% of the citizens) barely passed the measure
  • The “new” Jordan District School Board often misreads teachers and patrons because …
    • they aren’t good at informing their employees or the  public of their vision
    • they need a complete college education – not just a course –  in public relations to build a better perception of our district
    • they listen, but they DON’T hear – with few exceptions – and then it’s perceived as bitter REaction instead of the best and/or needed course!
  • The current Jordan District coulda, woulda, shoulda …
    • seriously considered legitimate concerns of eastside parents who complained long and hard about schools in need of repair and air conditioning (Btw, there are also westside schools without air conditioning, too, and I taught in one for a long time!)
    • looked BACK instead of FORWARD when procuring offices for the new Jordan boundaries
      • late 1970s JSD size was similar to current district size – How much room was needed to house employees at that time?
      • decision to procure 2 large buildings, probably based on forecasted growth, was made BEFORE the impact of the current recession
      • Note: wouldn’t have a need for new building(s) had the split not forced eviction
  • Because of the legislators’ poor law regarding district splits, the GREAT RECESSION that hit in 2008, and the infamous Jordan District “split,”  Jordan School District is faced with
    • a $30 million deficit
    • laying off 500 employees, including 250 teachers and 250 district personnel – that will most likely include me
    • raising class sizes by 4+ students
    • eliminating programs
  • The results have been
    • Salt Lake County school districts have to “help out” Jordan by diverting money to this district, which upsets their citizens, and who can blame them?
    • a legislative committee that could have voted to ease Jordan’s burden and its lower per pupil allocation because of lost revenue due to the split was defeated
    • a law suit on behalf of Herriman City went to lower and high courts and lost – good try, but more money needlessly spent
    • west-side taxpayers rose in arms against the Jordan’s school board when asked to pay a 40% tax hike – understandable, but it seems they missed the mark when they failed to see the real culprits: the legislature and Canyon’s mayors with personal agendas
    • teachers AND students picketing against Jordan’s proposal to cut teachers and raise class size
    • a divided Jordan District in terms of teachers and staff vs administration
    • a GRAND CANYON divide between Jordan District and Canyons
    • and oh, so much more.

So my questions are these:

  • Does anyone remember the goal to do what’s BEST for students?
  • Does anyone know where the legislators are who say ALL of Utah’s children deserve a great education? Not just rich children, city children, east-side children. Those magnanimous law-makers are somewhere on the hill – like Rep.  Jim Bird, but there are NOT enough of them.
  • Where are the School Board Members – like Rick Bojack –  who are willing to TRULY do what’s best for students? – It  CAN’T be best for students to raise their class sizes and eliminate teachers and programs.
  • Does anyone remember that Dr. Doty announced to Canyons’ patrons that he voted AGAINST the split?
  • Does anyone remember when Baby Boomers started first grade, and schools had to be built by the hundreds, and grandparents, who survived the Great DEpression and sacrificed for the war effort on the home front, forked over money from their limited incomes to help pay for the education of future generations? (I know that’s a REALLY long sentence) They did it WITHOUT whining or protesting because they saw it as their duty.
  • Does anyone know where the “mothers” (those who truly care about ALL  students) are? Those individuals like the mother who agreed to sacrifice her greatest desire for the good of the child. Fortunately, they do exist in the form of those PTA moms who said, “I’ll pay the extra taxes for the education of our children even though it will be a sacrifice. We have been silent, but no more. We will do what needs to be done. Join us. Sign these petitions to present to the school board to assure them that we will fight for OUR children.”

I wrote this for me, to reflect upon my frustration and my sadness. I’ve never seen education in such a wretched place. I had to stop reading public comments in newspapers because I was beginning to believe NO ONE is well informed and teachers are the most disrespected professionals in the state and nation.

But I am not feeling totally hopeless, and I doubt that I’ll leave the field, even though I have no idea where I’ll end up. Why, because I am HOPING FOR A BETTER DAY!


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… her birthday was yesterday … I didn’t forget …

Cousin Bonnie was on my mind yesterday, February 22. Had she not died 26 years ago, she would have turned 62 on Monday; 3 months older than me. Because Bonnie was such a talented poet, and because I am proud to be cousin to the Utah Poet of the Year 1983, I decided to pay tribute to her this month. I also love  many of her poems because they speak of people and places I know and love. But there is another reason I felt prompted to remember Bonnie, and I wrote a little bit about that in earlier posts. I mentioned that this cousin haunts me. Maybe I should say her words haunt me. But I’m talking about more than her poems; I’m actually referring to the inscription she wrote in my copy of Wake the Unicorn.

After the poetry readings of Bonnie’s work, she signed copies of her book during the reception honoring her. I waited in line to hug and kiss her and to get my autographed copy. We exchanged warm greetings; I offered my warmest congratulations to her, and told her how very proud I was of this tremendous accomplishment .  I remember Bonnie absolutely glowed in the joy of that evening. Finally, she picked up the book,  scribbled a short message, and hugged me again as she handed the copy to me. I didn’t immediately read what she wrote, but when I looked over the inscription, her words startled me.

While I’ve often battled with my own jealousies, I didn’t really see how anyone could be jealous of ME! (Except for my little sister Connie – but that’s normal because oldest sisters get to do MOST things before younger sisters, including growing older!) I never DREAMED Bonnie might be jealous of me, and I could only guess why because I wasn’t close enough to her to understand how or when this developed. I immediately realized I hated being the object of jealousy even more than BEING jealous.

In a scanned copy of a photo, I present Bonnie in yellow and me hiding behind my hands from what, I don't know!

I’ve often read her poems to learn more about her, and as I do, I see reasons to envy her short life. Those who peopled Bonnie’s world are painted as such interesting characters: the teacher of her one-room school house, the American Indian woman who “speaks of the Sun Dance,” the gypsy with the “black oiled hair” and “luminous eyelids,” and the witch who is  “old as your fear of the unknown.” When I add in the landscapes and the seasons; the pains, the joys, and the love Bonnie saw and felt, I marvel at how intricately she observed and how deeply she breathed in everything around her. Not only in reflection, but in the very moment. To find, then pen perfect words, I think Bonnie must have lived the world – simultaneously breathing in experiences through every one of her senses, and then freeing her heart to examine each sensation. I doubt that this makes much sense because I am trying to describe the indescribable. I should just let her poetry do the talking.

Bonnie, happy birthday.

Renae