Re-Looking at Re-Cycling, Really

On an earlier post, gee way back in December of 2007, I was discussing the merits and money for recycling aluminum cans. Granted I am more interested in the money I get back instead of the nice warm feeling I get for help the earth survive for one more day. In the earlier post I said that I was paid 60 cents per pound on aluminum cans. Well folks, I am here to tell you that I went by this morning and the price is 80 cents per pound. I took 'em to Lipsitz Metals On south Loop 340 once again. They are paying the same price as the outfit on South IH-35 by Bruceville-Eddy that was closed today.

In December 2007 I took 54 pounds and got $32.40. If I had waited till today I could have gotten $43.20. That's nearly $11.00 for sitting around and waiting. Today I took 34 pounds and walked out with $27.20. Now I really think I should have waited. If I had waited I could walked out with $70.40 for 88 pounds.

Honestly now I'm beginning to think I should have kept it all at home for another 5 or 6 months. This means I will have added another 30 - 40 pounds to the collection and maybe the price will be $1.00 per pound and I would be able to pocket $110 -$120.

My luck though the market will crash and I'd only get a mere pittance.

Let's look at my earlier math and update it with the current numbers:

Now, let's look at the numbers behind the numbers. Thanks to modern manufacturing techniques there are approximately 33.5 cans to make a pound. In 1980 that number was 25 cans per pound. That is why the cans seem so much thinner now. I can remember when I was in junior high and high school guys would show off by tearing an aluminum can in half. I did that recently and was proud of the fact that I could still do it. Then I learned that I could do it because the cans are made a lot thinner these days. So much for the feelings of youth from days gone by. Back to the numbers. So let's see; 34 pounds multiplied by 33.5 cans/pound equals 1139 cans. If you divide 1139 cans by 12 cans in a 12 pack you get 94.92 packs. Let's just say 95 packs. Now we can have fun. My $27.20 divided by 95 packs equals approximately 29 cents per twelve pack. (That is 7 cents better than last time.) (Here's the rub, the price for drinks has gone up also. Let's use a sale price of $3.33 per. That's generally the price here when they go on sale.) If I spent an average of $3.33 per twelve pack to buy the 95 packs of drinks that means I spent $316.35 in order to make $32.40. OH MY!

Let's look at it another way. If I spent $3.04 per twelve pack ($3.33 sale price less the 29 cents made from recycling the twelve cans) that means each can would cost a little over 25 cents. Sometimes it is better to look at the little picture than it is to look at the overall big picture. The big picture can get cluttered up with lots of silly numbers that lead us away from the overall goal which is the fact that each can is worth a little over 2 cents each. (At the last post the price per can was a little under 2 cents. So I guess this is still a money making proposition, of sorts!) Keep that in mind the next you chunk a can out the window. "Hey honey! There went 2 cents."

© 2008 Barry T Horst


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Crunch Time

The countdown has started and it's crunch time.

Today is Friday and the last day for school is next Wednesday. Today is our "No Referral" Incentive party. Let me tell you, there were some unhappy campers yesterday when they found out they couldn't go to the park and skating because of discipline referrals. This will be a first for me. I have never taken a class full of Kindergartners skating. I suppose it will be easier than taking Pre-Kindergartners skating; after all, Kindergartners are bigger.

Next Monday we begin practicing for our Awards/Graduation. The ceremony will be on Tuesday morning. Afterwards, we will have a reception in our classrooms.

Then the day we have been working towards all year long arrives. Wednesday, June 3, last day of school and it's an Early Release day at that. The students dismiss at 12:00 and get to take their report cards and other stuff home and then start summer vacation.

Alas, that is not the end for me though. The staff still has end of year stuff to finish and than a workday on Thursday. Since our campus will be used for summer school and then summer training we all have to make sure our rooms are in order and all supplies are secured.

Fortunately I do not change classrooms this year. I changed last year and it was a major pain. I taught Pre-K last year. Since the district took Pre-K off several campuses this year I transferred to Kindergarten. So my STUFF was moved into another Pre-K classroom whose former occupant took a job in a nearby district. This teacher left behind a lot of STUFF. I also took the place of another Kindergarten teacher who got married and moved away. Her STUFF was also moved to my new room. I spent 2 weeks last summer before school started sorting through all of this STUFF and making sense of it. So again I say, "Fortunately I do not change classrooms this year."

P.S. I sat and made Graduation Tassels for my class last night. Oh the joys of Kindergarten.© 2008 Barry T Horst


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Get 'er Done! Yeah Right!

Since we got the DVR with our cable I have found that I started to schedule my favorite shows to record and then watch them in my spare time. I also do this with new shows so I can watch them later. This is good. Especially if you need to waste your time and not be very productive.

Well, I have now found a newer and much better way to waste time and be even less productive. (Chris is not happy about this.) I have now found online streaming videos. No not YouTube or the like. This is actual TV stations with movies and cartoons and such.

Some of the links I have found are to: Beeline TV . At Beeline you can choose from bajillions of stations from around the world. Well, actually 238 stations today. There is also StreamKick TV that has a lot of links to stations to watch. Then there is FreeTube. If you go to FreeTube and click on the Entertainment tab on the left sidebar and scroll down a bit you can find some good cartoon stations streaming classic cartoons from the 40's and 50's.

Perhaps my favorite site is America Free TV. At America Free TV the have 15 channels streaming various types of entertainment. All of it clean, from what I can tell. Their cartoon channel plays a lot of Merrie Melodies and Popeye. I've seen Three Stooges on one of the movie channels and I watched "Meet John Doe" last night.

A couple of other sites worth going to are In2TV-AOL Videos, TV4U, Entertainment Magazine On-Line, and for classic commercials try Classic TV Ads. All of this is available 24 hours a day which means I can waste the entire day.

Each of these sites use one or more viewers. Some use Windows Media, Apple Quicktime, or some other embedded viewers. Depending upon the viewer and the web-site you may or may not be able to watch the program full screen. And, you may or may not be able to watch without commercials. Some have you watch an ad at the beginning, end or at various spots in the program. And then others make you watch on a small screen and they keep advertising up on the page around the viewer. None of this matters to me. I can tune out the advertising if there is a show I really want to watch.

In many cases much of what I find online is better that what I get off network television. Let's face it, most network programs stink. I'll take most programming from 50 years ago anyday. With one exception. I love to watch shows about how things are made. Enter How It's Made and other shows that are similar. That's OK. I have them covered also with Cool Stuff Being Made.

Now I need to get a larger monitor and better sound and I can just pitch my 42 inch LCD HDTV I bought recently. Won't Chris be excited???

© 2008 Barry T Horst


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WOW, What A Day!

Wow, what a day. It is May in Waco, Texas. That generally means hot and humid. Today was no exception. At least most of the day was no exception.

When I left for work this morning at 6:30 the weather forecast called for a high in the mid 90's and a small chance of rain. Before lunch time it was cloudy and warm. After lunch I took my class out for recess. It was getting hot at 11:30 AM. The kids loved it though. They got to run and play and watch a stray dog wander around the street beside the school. When it was time to go in we definitely had to stop at the water fountain before going to music. By early afternoon the sun came out and it was getting hotter.

At dismissal it was sunny and around 93 degrees. While at our dismissal spot my students were complaining about the sun and the heat. They wanted to go in the shade. By 3:10 PM I had 4 students left and the sky began to cloud up and we started to get a slight breeze from the east. Then the wind picked up out of the east and it was very cool. By 3:15 PM the temperature had dropped about 25 degrees to 68 degrees. Can you say "outflow boundary"? One of my students was actually complaining about being cold when his mom picked him up.

Once my students were picked up, I went in and worked in my room. By 4:00 PM I was leaving and it was beginning to pour. And the thunder was amazing. I wish I could have recorded it and place it hear for you to hear.

Since I couldn't record it I have placed a sound board from soundboard.com below. Listen to Track 1. that is the closest to what I heard.

I raced the rain all the way home. By the time I got home there was a school bus stopped in front of the house and it was raining so hard I had to wait in the carport for the rain to slacken. While waiting the school bus started to back up. How odd! When I finally got in Chris asked me if I saw the tree across the road in front of the house. Now I know why the bus was backing up, the road was blocked by a tree that was blown down by the wind.

Wow, what a day!

© 2008 Barry T Horst

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Is That Really Where I Used To Live?

I was looking at different things on the Internet yesterday. As it so often happens, I will be on one web page and then I will see a link that looks interesting. So I click on it and go to the page to check it out.

Well that happened yesterday. I was on giveawayoftheday.com and saw a link for Rotten Neighbors. I thought, "Hmmmmm! That looks interesting." So I clicked on it and away I went. When I landed on the site I found out that it is a site that allows people to 1. Join; 2. Submit their beefs about neighbors or neighborhoods; 3. Allows members to comment and post on others posts; 4. Look for the best neighborhoods (I suppose the ones that no one has posted anything about.); 5. View a Google map of the offending house-neighbor-neighborhood.

"Wow!", I thought. I immediately wondered about the site and wondered about oversight and what have you. After reading about a few neighbors I kinda got the impression that if anyone wanted to say anything about anyone else they could on this site. Now understand, I didn't join so therefore I do not now about their TOS (Terms of Service) or other legal mumbo-jumbo. It just didn't look like the kind of place that you would have everyone being, shall we say, trustworthy. I mean I didn't get the impression that all of those posting subscribed to the Dragnet Credo, "Just the facts ma'am!"

Then I thought to myself about the recent news story about Waco being the 5th worst place to raise a family. The article is in Best Life Magazine. I've never heard of this magazine before.

Does Waco have a problem? Do they have a lot of rotten neighbors? So I looked. All I found was one entry. All the entry said was, "Loud music!" I looked at the map and what do you think I saw? No not our house. I saw the neighborhood I grew up in over 40 years ago. We lived there until we moved in 1968. Wow.

I stayed on the site and looked a little more and was able to find a few more reports that were not on the first list I looked at. One nice thing I did find on the website was that they show the areas in neighborhoods where convicted sex offenders live. In Texas you can also find this information on the Texas Department of Public Safety site.

© 2008 Barry T Horst


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Picture Day May 26, 2008-Memorial Day

2008 Memorial Day Poster. (Poster created by Virginia Reyes; U.S. Air Force photo/Vance Janes)

030529-N-9500T-003 Seattle, Wash. (May 29, 2003) -- Photographed from a UH-3 “Sea King” helicopter assigned to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island Search and Rescue team, the famous Seattle, Space Needle built for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, stands 620 feet tall with revolving restaurants and a 360 degree observation deck, providing a fabulous view of Puget Sound, Mount Rainier, the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges and, of course, the beautiful city of Seattle. Recently the top was repainted in a red, white and blue stars and strips as a tribute for this years Memorial Day celebrations. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Scott Taylor. (RELEASED)

Honoring those who serve and protect:
Airmen watch the flag lowered to half-staff during a special Memorial Day retreat May 15 at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Marc I. Lane)

Arlington 'Flags In' tribute begins Memorial Day commemoration
Service members place 265,000 miniature flags at every grave at Arlington National Cemetery during Flags In. The Flags In tradition dates back to 1948 and begins the annual Memorial Day tribute. (U.S. Army photo/Adam Skoczylas)

A final tribute
At a base in Southwest Asia, Tech. Sgt. William Allen pays his respect to those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Travis Acevedo)

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Stephen Kuhne places the first flag in front of the Tomb of the Unknowns during the "Flags In" tribute at Arlington National Cemetery, Va., May 22, 2008. Kuhne is the commander of the relief for the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, "The Old Guard."Defense Dept. photo by Sebastian J. Sciotti Jr

© 2008 Barry T Horst


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Just What Is Normal?

I was checking a few things out on the Internet recently. I read something interesting that I have never heard mentioned in the main stream media. So, let's get started.

He did Greenland get its name? According to StraightDope.com, Erik the Red and his father Thorvald were exiled from "Viking Land" for murder. They both went to Iceland. After Erik's father died, Erik apparently continued in the family business of "life cessation activities." He was now sent to a much larger island nearby. After Erik's hiatus expired he decided that his new island home would be a dandy place for his Viking playmates to call home. So, good old Erik named the island Greenland in hopes of luring many Viking settlers from Iceland to his new settlement. Apparently Greenland really was green during this time period.

Again, why was it called Greenland? According to Jared M. Diamond, in the book Collapse: how societies choose to fail or succeed, (2006) Harmondsworth [Eng.]: Penguin. ISBN 0-14-303655-6 Data from ice cores indicate that from AD 800 to 1300 the regions around the fjords of southern Greenland experienced a relatively mild climate, with temperatures similar to today. Trees and herbaceous plants grew there, and the climate initially allowed farming of livestock as in Norway. HMMMMM!!!!! After about 500 years the settlement began to vanish. The condition of human bones from this period indicates the Norse population was malnourished. Main reasons appeared to have been soil erosion due to destruction of the natural vegetation for farming, turf, and wood by the Norse, a decline in temperatures during the Little Ice Age, and armed conflicts with the Inuit.

So that tells me that if there really is Global Warming, then the world is really going back to the way it was and that perhaps The Little Ice Age was the anomaly. And that the earth's climate really is a vast system that is constantly changing and that perhaps "normal" is really "changing" and that man is terribly arrogant to assume that they can truly affect the climate long term for good or bad.

NOTE: The portion in Italics was surreptitiously borrowed from Wikipedia. Thank You Wikipedia for its use in today's blog.Now, for a small break from the total meltdown of the earth as we know it:

© 2008 Barry T Horst


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Field Day: Sometimes It Bites

Yesterday was the annual field day at Brook Avenue. We planned it (Actually, Coach W planned it), we went, and it was a rousing success. At times we didn't listen. But we all tossed, we ran, we tugged, and we threw. Up to the end we all had fun. But that's okay. It was field day.

I sometimes wonder if my kindergarten students get together each morning and decide on what they are going to ask me about or what type of malady they will have on that particular day. For example, I may have one student come and tell me that they have a cut or whatever. Instead of sending them to the nurse or office, often times I will tend to the matter myself. Then I have a steady parade of students with the same ailment or malady. By the time run out of band-aids, and patience, the epidemic is over.

In the past I have had many ailments presented to me. I have seen cuts, scrapes, and burns. I have been asked to tend to toothaches, headaches, and tummy aches. There have been real injuries and imagined injuries. Some students have the same complaint at the same time each day. Many times after sending a student to the office or nurse I get a note telling me their temperature or explaining that they cannot treat that particular ailment. I often end up telling the next student, "I'm sorry, the office can't help with that!"

Yesterday, I had a first for me. I had three students come to me on three separate occasions during the field day activities. They came to me and told me a variation of , "Mr. Horst, I have a mosquito bite on my behind and it hurts." I looked at them, paused and thought, then said "I'm sorry. I can't do anything about it and neither can the school." They weren't happy but time seems to heal all wounds and they soon forgot about it and started having fun once again.

© 2008 Barry T Horst


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FIELD DAY-If You Plan It, They Will Come

Today is our annual Field Day at school. The theme of this years field day is The Olympics. All of our activities have an international flair. For example, we will have Ireland’s Potato Race, Greece’s Torch Relay Race, and China’s Dragon Race. Those activities sound pretty straightforward and actually make sense.

BUT,--------Is it just me? What is it with Portugal’s Popcorn Machine? I thought popcorn was given to the world by Native Americans, not Portugal. Perhaps it has to do with Chapter 5 of the report, "Savory Snacks in Portugal to 2010".

Then there's Italy’s Balloon Toss. Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't the French the first in the balloon category. I know the event is using latex balloons and not hot air balloons. But the first rubber balloons were made by Faraday for use in his experiments with hydrogen. There is more information on balloon history at Balloon HQ. I never saw a mention of Italy. Although I suppose they could have introduced the use of animal bladders and entrails as balloons in antiquity.

Finally, there's Australia’s Marble
Grab. Australia has got some marbles. they haven't lost them yet. (Sorry! I couldn't resist.) Their marbles are actually named Devils Marbles and they are huge. I'm sorry but my babies aren't going to be able to grab them anytime soon. Check out these pictures of them at Australia Marbles.

Forecast for today is HOT and HUMID, high around 92. There was a slight chance of rain but now I think that has passed. Regardless of the weather, fun will be had by one and all. After all, we will be outside running and playing and getting wet tossing all of those Italian water balloons. Maybe they will be filled with Perrier water as a concession to the French who kindly gave the world the hot air balloon.

© 2008 Barry T Horst


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We'll Cross That Bridge When We Get To It

Well the inevitable has begun. I went to work yesterday morning and I noticed that they have officially started work on our portion of Interstate 35. Actually it isn't work on the Interstate. It is on the Sun Valley Drive bridge that crosses the Interstate. The bridge currently has one lane each way. And let me tell you, during peak times it can take an act of Congress to get across. There is a Pilot Truck Stop at the intersection which draws a lot of traffic. But within the past year there has been an Ashley Furniture Warehouse, MHC Kenworth Truck dealership, a truck tire center, two new freight trans-shipment centers added to the current Mack and Volvo Truck Center already located within a couple of square blocks. Add to this they are building a new hotel behind the McDonald's. Oh I forgot to mention that the Pilot also added a truck maintenance facility to add to the traffic.

Wow! That's a lot of trucks in the area. There are certain times of the day when both lanes of the bridge are lined up with 18 wheelers. The west bound side of the bridge is waiting to turn and get on south bound IH-35 but can't move because oncoming traffic is stalled because the east bound lane on the bridge is at a stand still. They are waiting to turn left and head to north bound IH-35 OR go straight to one of the various truck centers OR to turn right to go to the Pilot Truck Stop. If the trucks turn right they have to go across another lane of traffic to get into the Pilot. This wait causes traffic behind them' and sometimes on the bridge, to stall. Of course the trucks are waiting because they can't cross due to that one vehicle at the light that wants to turn left but can't due to the idle traffic on the bridge. AAARGH!!!! All I want to do is go straight but I can't.

Then sometimes, if you hit it just right; No Waiting. Pass right on along.

As the construction continues they will be putting a third lane north and south on IH-35 from New Road in Waco south to Sun Valley.

© 2008 Barry T Horst


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Things Are Not As They Seem

Sometimes things I read or hear strike me as being kind of odd. For instance, last night I was looking at a website for Canadian products. The name of the site is, interestingly enough, Canadaonly.ca. I did some browsing around and marveled at the choice of items. I am sort of jealous. The Canadians seem to have some items that i think I would really enjoy. For instance, Smoky Bacon flavor Lay's Potato Chips. Yum!!!

Then I saw it while perusing the meat selections. Canadian Peameal Bacon, described as "The world's most famous bacon." Okay, this sounds interesting. I continue reading and there it is, "Our extra lean Peameal bacon is shipped from the U.S. direct to you in an insulated container....." (Emphasis added.) I thought the whole purpose of the website was to hawk Canadian items. That sort of reminds of the salsa made "...in New York City!"

Then I started thinking of other things. I went to the store the other day and was looking at the frozen bread. And, of course, there it was frozen and sitting in a box in the freezer, New York Texas Toast. It was made in Ohio.

Soooooo, I did a little research. Mars Bars are not made on Mars. Nature Valley Granola Bars are not made in Nature Valley. Andes Mints are not made in the Andes and Klondike Bars are not made in the Klondike.

Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing may be made on a ranch, in a valley. But I don't know for sure. I think it's because the valley is hidden.

© 2008 Barry T Horst


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If It's Not One Thing, It's Another

As I mentioned yesterday I have gotten my computer half-way back to normal. It works without any problems now. I just have to work to assemble the programs that I still need to do a few things that I still can't get done. For instance I lost all of my audio and video editing programs. They will take a while to get again since many were free.

Now the next problem coming down the road is with my DVD player-recorder for the TV. It seems that it gets rather tired after playing DVD's after 10-15 minutes. It freezes and simply does not want to play the disc at all. It has been freezing for a while but it at least had the decency to wait until and hour into the thing. At least then i could watch at least one show. Now that it has changed to 10-15 minutes I can't even watch a 30 minute show without it acting up. I suppose it feels like it has not been getting the attention it wants since I have been dealing with the computer.

I have an LG DVD Player-Recorder with HD Tuner, Model # RC797T. I got this past Christmas. Wouldn't you know it start acting up after the warranty ran out. And of course LG has brought out a new model and there are no local stores that still carry this one. I have emailed Customer Service at LG and described the problem. I will let you know what happens. Until then I guess I have to break out the cheap Insignia from Best Buy.© 2008 Barry T Horst


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Picture Monday, May 19, 2008

HOORAY! It seems that all of the sordid computer "issues" are taken care of. I have been able to get my pictures from Sea World up and posted.

Below is the dolphin tank. The dolphins are a little hard to see because they were under water when I snapped the picture.

This is a picture I took inside the shark exhibit. I love this picture because of the blue cast from the lighting and water. After I took this picture I turned around walked to the piranha display. While looking at them I overheard two girls talking about them. One of the girls said she thought their mouths looked "cute." I thought, "Cute like a paper shredder!"

Here is Julie and Jace in the children's area getting wet and having a great time doing it.

The day is beginning to get long. Here is Scott and the others looking for a drink and a bit of refreshment.

Jace is getting tired and is intent on seeing that his Mom, Jessica, gets tired also.

Proof positive that Jace's plan worked. Here they are, both having a well deserved rest.

© 2008 Barry T Horst


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Fridays vs. Mondays

I found this video online. I think it shows how we as techers feel on Friday afternoons. After a restful and relaxing weekend it is time to head back to class. Sometimes we have to push it to get there.Thanks to elRellano.com.© 2008 Barry T Horst


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Intense, Insane, Interminable Update

Kathy wrote in and told me the name of the song I mentioned in Intense, Insane, Interminable is Valley of the Vegetables by Laurie Berkner. Listen to a bit of the song at MyStrands.com. The plaayer is on the lower right hand portion of the screen. If you would like to purchase the music you may go to Blue Sunflower Associates and purchase the CD "BUZZ, BUZZ" by Laurie Berkner with the song on it.Thanks Kathy for the information. And in all honesty, and in the light of a new day; the song wasn't all that bad. I'll even listen to it again if you want me too. Once! Only once!© 2008 Barry T Horst


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Intense, Insane, Interminable

Twice a year at our school we have an I³ Day or I -Cubed Day. At this point I really can't remember what the three I's stand for. It could stand for Initiating Intelligent Interaction or maybe Introducing Integrated Information. However, yesterday it felt like the three I's stood for Intense, Insane, Interminable.

Let me explain what I³ Day is. The entire campus teaches various skills and objectives, all centered upon one theme or literature selection. Each teacher is provided with a lesson and all supplies needed for the lesson. Homeroom teachers then teach this same lesson throughout the day as other classes rotate into their classroom. Yesterdays selection was "June 29, 1999". This is a story about a young girl who is doing an experiment for school using vegetable plants. Her experiment is to send plants aloft and see if there is any change in them. Weeks later gigantic vegetables start falling from the sky. Where have they come from? (Go to Blue Sunflower Associates and buy "June 29, 1999" find out.)

I teamed up with a fellow Kindergarten teacher and we both did a lesson on shopping for vegetables at the grocery store. The students were supposed to shop, pay for, and get the appropriate change for their selections. The only problem was we only had 30 minutes for each lesson and 17 - 25 students per rotation into the room. We occasionally modified the lesson and challenged the students to shop for vegetables and try to hit a target amount and not go over. The amount we chose was $3 - $5 depending upon the grade level. Some students did quite well, others broke the bank.

Don't get me wrong. The day is great. Teachers get to see a different set of kids every 30 minutes. (This way we all get to see what the other teachers have to deal with on a daily basis and they see what you deal with.) As a Kindergarten teacher I love it because I get to see my previous students and get to interact with them once again. I also get to see what wonderful students many of them have become.

Now the Intense, Insane, Interminable part. It doesn't really have anything to to do with the lessons, the story, the students, or anything like that. It has to do with the music that our Instructional Specialist chose to signify that it was time to rotate; which is what my head began to do after hearing the same music and chorus over and over and over and over. You get the idea. It was something about vegetables and every time I heard it began to feel like someone was taking a hot poker and sticking it in my head. It really was Intense, Insane, Interminable. Maybe Kathy will write in and tell me the name of the song so I can share it with all of you. After all, you need an I³ day also.

PS: A Google search for June 29, 1999 yielded many scholarly articles. However none are related to what we taught. Goodness knows that we could have done some great lessons on "Neurotoxic Lesions of Basolateral, But Not Central, Amygdala Interfere with Pavlovian Second-Order Conditioning and Reinforcer Devaluation Effects". © 2008 Barry T Horst


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My Summer Vacation, Sort Of

When I became a teacher people told me I became a teacher for three reasons; June, July, and August. I would laugh and reply that it wasn't true because school generally began in the middle of August and teachers had to report before then.

Well, the State of Texas in it's infinite wisdom decided last year that school should not start before the last week of August but schools still had to meet the required 180 days. I guess you can tell what that means for most schools now. Since they can't start until the end of August , most schools have to go into the month of June unless they have cut out some holidays through the year. Waco ISD's last day for students is June 3rd and for teachers it is June 4th.

When the new school year begins teachers will have to report on August 18 and students will report on August 25. Now I know that most of you will say that still gives me most of June and August off and all of July. Not true. You see our district offers summer training opportunities for all staff. While this training is not mandatory it is strongly encouraged. Several campuses will begin a new campus climate program called TRIBES. Also, the district has adopted a new Math program and my campus will phase in a new reading program. All of this requires training. So for my summer enjoyment today I scheduled 51 hours of training during the month of July.

So for all of those who think a teacher becomes a teacher because of June, July, and August; you can tell them I became a teacher because of 3 weeks in June, 2 weeks in August, and not much of July.

© 2008 Barry T Horst


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The Restaurants On Memory Lane

Sometimes you start to reminisce at the strangest times. Well, now is it. Last night I was thinking about some of the hamburger places that my family would go to when I was much, much younger. Waco has had it's share of chain restaurants and local restaurants come and go. One hamburger place I remember that I think was a local establishment was The Chuck Wagon. The Chuck Wagon was a walk up establishment that I remember my family going to many times. It was located on Waco Drive in the vicinity of 7th or 8th Street s or thereabouts. The main thing I remember about the restaurant were the wagon wheels that adorned the outside. We would drive up and park. My dad would go to the window and order and then we would wait to hear our number called. When the number was called you knew that something good was coming. Years later the restaurant moved a few blocks down Waco Drive and then moved again to New Road and Waco Drive. It has been closed for many years now.

Another restaurant that has given me many memories is The Golden Point. They sold hamburgers and fries. I suppose they were similar to McDonald's. We would go there Sunday afternoons and get a bag of burgers and fries. I recall the burgers cost 15 cents. It was located on Valley Mills Drive and Sanger Avenue. At the time we would go to the Golden Point it was on the part of Valley Mills Drive that was beginning to narrow down to a couple of lanes heading out of town towards the lake. Now that same spot has seven lanes and seems like the middle of town. At the time I thought that this restaurant was the only one in the world. Nope! Here is a website that has some pictures of several Golden Point restaurants from across the states. They closed a long time ago and the building was later torn down a replaced by a convenience store.

When I was in high school there was a Sandy's Drive In just down the road from the school. At that time we had open campus for lunch and students could leave campus and go anywhere in town. Just be back in time for your next class. Since I couldn't drive my first year at Richfield I would either eat at school, walk to the McDonald's (A local shop, not the big chain), walk to the snack bar in the Clark's Discount Store, or go to Sandy's. At the time I thought it was great. Maybe that was because I was able to take a break from school. Check out Captain Ernies Showboat for a lot of great information about Sandy's.

When I have more time I will share more of my memories of growing up in Waco. For now, I think I'll go get a burger at Cupp's Drive In or The Health Camp on the Traffic Circle.

© 2008 Barry T Horst


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Let's Go Down The Road Again

Chris and I were running errands yesterday. As we were driving to and from we began discussing the various bond elections that area school districts had over the weekend. Waco ISD, where I work, passed a large bond election to build new schools and remodel aging facilities. This has been needed and will certainly be appreciated by all staff, students, parents, and community members. It is always nice to be proud of your local schools and your place of employment. Over the course of several years the district will build new schools, remodel some, and combine others in an effort to bring more cost efficiency to the district. I look forward to this time as an exciting time to be with the district.

Now back to the conversation I had with Chris. Chris asked about University High School and I told her that they would build a new University High at another location and then University Junior High would relocate to the old high school. I then stopped and corrected myself saying, "I guess it is University Middle School now. They don't call them junior highs anymore, they're all middle schools."

This prompted me to recall how the names of schools and other institutions change with time and our perceptions of the older names. For instance, "Grammar Schools". I'm sure they taught more than just grammar, yet they were called 'grammar school" and not math or social studies schools. Another term from long ago was having a "liberal education". Nowadays that would upset many conservatives because you would expect someone is being indoctrinated with a socially and politically liberal ideas. But years ago it simply meant getting a "well rounded" education.

Another good old fashioned name was "sanitarium" which denoted a health retreat or hospital. Nowadays I think of a sanitarium as being an "insane asylum". Of course the "insane asylum" was ubiquitous many years years ago. Now we have "psychiatric hospitals" or other less offensive terms.

Again, this is just another example of how I can start down the road to school and end up at the insane asylum.

© 2008 Barry T Horst


This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Please visit the Giveaway of the Day near the bottom of the left sidebar for free software downloads daily.