Tom, I admire anyone who can enjoy teaching middle schoolers. I tried the older ones, but it wasn't a very productive match. :-) I find 3rd and 4th more my speed. They're old enough to have some independence and todevelop abstract understandings, yet young enough to be unabashedly curious. And most of them haven't yet discovered 'mouth.' Younger ones are too dependent for my taste. College works, though. Taught an education class in the Marshall Islands (in the central Pacific). What an experience! The government assigned 'teachers' to be sent to the outer islands, but none had any teaching background. In fact some were nurses, etc. So I had to design a course on everything-you-need-to-know-to-manage-students-and-teach. Challenging, but very satisfying! I'd be interested to have the Armstrong listers weigh in regarding their chosen occupations.Any takers? Jill in Washington- where leaves are also beginning to change and we're enjoying what may be our last warm autumn weather... sigh.... ----- Original Message ----- From: "Thomas S. Fiske" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, September 29, 2006 10:47 PM Subject: Re: [ARMSTRONG] Snakes are okay by me > Dear Ben, > I wasn't exclusive enough to spend the rest of my life there. But I did > teach school in Arcadia. It has one of the better schools districts in > the State and the 7th graders were fun to work with. > > Tom

Dear Jill, You just proved that teachers have an ability that excels in one age group more than others. My wife just retired from teaching math to seventh graders. That was her group. Mine, too. I had graduate and undergraduate students at Whittier University for three semesters in a management course. It was fun but too much work. After I retired from industry, I was bored and began substituting in Arcadia schools at all levels above 6th. A principal in a middle school got me confined to his school, so I spent more time with 7th grade7s where I taught math and science. It was a natural fit for me. 7th graders still have the capacity for awe. In cities near the Arcadia district, parents were doing all sorts of things legal and illegal, to enroll their kids; they would have killed their kids if they mis-behaved and were sent to other schools. The result was that we had pretty nice boys and girls who were well-behaved. Many were Asian. Our daughter-in-law is Chinese so the students looked like our grandkids; I spoiled them (after the lessons were done). When lessons were finished and there was maybe five minutes left in a class, I would tell family stories, like "The Day My Wonderful Brother Blew his Toe Off with a Shotgun." Sometimes I told family history stories in which a murder took place. Or, I told stories about wacky science. Each story had a moral and was edifying. The kids wanted copies of the stories so I put them into a book called "Four on the Floor." (My brother had only "four on the floor" on his right foot after he shot his big toe off.) My son, an artist in Florida, drew cartoons for each story. A couple years ago when I was 72 I finally quit teaching. I had broken 100% of my legs 12 years ago and my repaired legs were no longer working well. I began writing in earnest and have published 6 books. Maybe 7. I also write for "Heritage Quest" Magazine and now I write for "Genealogical Helper." I have a web page with lots of sub pages at http://www.fiskefamily.com/fiskacetics/ Tom Jill Johnston wrote: > Tom, > I admire anyone who can enjoy teaching middle schoolers. I tried the older > ones, but it wasn't a very productive match. :-) > > I find 3rd and 4th more my speed. They're old enough to have some > independence and todevelop abstract understandings, yet young enough to be > unabashedly curious. And most of them haven't yet discovered 'mouth.' > Younger ones are too dependent for my taste. > > College works, though. Taught an education class in the Marshall Islands (in > the central Pacific). What an experience! The government assigned 'teachers' > to be sent to the outer islands, but none had any teaching background. In > fact some were nurses, etc. So I had to design a course on > everything-you-need-to-know-to-manage-students-and-teach. Challenging, but > very satisfying! > > I'd be interested to have the Armstrong listers weigh in regarding their > chosen occupations.Any takers? > > Jill in Washington- where leaves are also beginning to change and we're > enjoying what may be our last warm autumn weather... sigh.... > >

Jill, When were you in the Marshall Islands??? I lived on Kwajalein from Jan 1958 to April of 1959.. I retired from farming at the age of 17 and chose a 30 yr career in the US Navy.. Sincerely, John D A little SoWest of North Jill Johnston wrote: >Tom, >I admire anyone who can enjoy teaching middle schoolers. I tried the older >ones, but it wasn't a very productive match. :-) > > I find 3rd and 4th more my speed. They're old enough to have some >independence and todevelop abstract understandings, yet young enough to be >unabashedly curious. And most of them haven't yet discovered 'mouth.' >Younger ones are too dependent for my taste. > >College works, though. Taught an education class in the Marshall Islands (in >the central Pacific). What an experience! The government assigned 'teachers' >to be sent to the outer islands, but none had any teaching background. In >fact some were nurses, etc. So I had to design a course on >everything-you-need-to-know-to-manage-students-and-teach. Challenging, but >very satisfying! > >I'd be interested to have the Armstrong listers weigh in regarding their >chosen occupations.Any takers? > >Jill in Washington- where leaves are also beginning to change and we're >enjoying what may be our last warm autumn weather... sigh.... > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Thomas S. Fiske" <[email protected]> >To: <[email protected]> >Sent: Friday, September 29, 2006 10:47 PM >Subject: Re: [ARMSTRONG] Snakes are okay by me > > > > >>Dear Ben, >> >> > > > >>I wasn't exclusive enough to spend the rest of my life there. But I did >>teach school in Arcadia. It has one of the better schools districts in >>the State and the 7th graders were fun to work with. >> >>Tom >> >> > > >------------------------------- >To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > >

John, I was on Majuro from Dec.1985 til Feb. 1988. Went to assist the local Baha'i community and to teach school in a private, non-parochial cooperative school begun some years earlier by former Peace Corps people who had married locals and wanted a U.S. grade education for their kids. The Marshallese govt gives funding to ALL schools, public & private, because it can't afford to provide teachers and school buildings to house all its kids. There is very little land (Majuro atoll is only about 30 mi. long and in several places a guy could throw a rock from oceanside to lagoonside) and very many kids, and that's BEFORE kids come in from the outer islands. Admittance at the public high school is through a competitive process due to lack of space, and not all islands even have a high school. At that time, teachers were poorly prepared, knew little about classroom management, and had few or no books. The education system was a mess. I lived in a Marshallese neighborhood, in a tin-roofed, plywood shack that had, unlike the neighbors, electricity, refrigeration, and an electric cooking stove. We had govt imposed water hours, so when we heard on the radio when those were, we tried to have someone at home to fill the 30 gal garbage can we kept for just that purpose. (I got so good at conserving water that I could shower and wash my hair with the water in one toy sand bucket!) When it rained, people would stand under the eaves and shampoo their hair. One year, we didn't have ANY water hours for 2 wks! Droughts and rising sea levels are devastating there. High elevation was less than 20 feet, so with such limited land, any loss is major. Our neighbors cooked outside using coconut husk fires; they also washed & hung their laundry outdoors. The children readily took in our son Jim, and taught him how to use a soup can lid cutter to make sail boats from aluminum pop cans. They were very resourceful; most kids, even as young as three or four, could juggle the coral rocks.They'd play ball using old pieces of plywood or sticks for bats and coral rocks or rubber balls to hit. And talk about accuracy-- I swear those kids could throw a rock and hit anything they targeted! :-) I was on Kwaj (paradise of the Pacific) two times, once on my way to Ebeye, and once returning. I was thoroughly disgusted, and my blood still boils at the thought of the injustices of that situation. Because I am white, no one noticed when I wandered away from the landing area and moseyed into the Kwaj grocery store. I couldn't believe my eyes: fresh veggies that could've been in any U.S. supermarket. Everything was spacious, clean, and well-stocked.Even in the capital city (Majuro) we didn't have access to that quality of goods. And the physical area was like a well-tended U.S. golf course, manicure, watered, green LAWN (not just grass), painted and maintained apartments. Meanwhile, just three miles away via a diesel-stinking 'cattle car' of a shuttle boat, was Ebeye, home of the under-paid Marshallese workers who did the maintenance and service jobs on Kwaj. Conditions caused Ebeye to be called the hell-hole of the Pacific. Over-crowded into rotting plywood and tim-roofed shacks, Marshallese had barely enough room to pass another person between 'houses.' There were no patches of grass, only a few isolated strands due to heavy foot traffic, lack of space and lack of water. There was no source of fresh water except what the U.S. base on Kwaj brought over in a tanker a couple of times a week. There may have been a few private wells which tapped into fresh water lenses (there were on Majuro), but I didn't see any. No space for gardens. There was one basketball court-- yippee. And in the grocery store, it was absolutely shameful: the produce shelves were empty except for a few squishy, brown celery stalks fit only for pigs. I am still aghast at the disparity of conditions and the lack of conscience shown by the U.S. govt toward the Trust Territory peoples. And I won't EVEN go into the Bikini bomb test fiasco. It is another case of misrepresentations, lies, and broken or half-kept promises just like the American Indian mess. (The Brits did the same to their Pacific island trustees.) Governments just use and abuse the powerless. I hadn't really had the opportunity to see that before. Before I left, they were constructing a desalination plant on Ebeye so there would be fresh water available. And, of course, the Trust Territory is no more, the Marshalls having been 'granted' free association status. I've never been completely sure of just what that entails, but I do know that Marshallese citizens can move into the U.S. freely. Living in the Marshalls was, in many ways, like rolling back U.S. time 30 years and more. For example, few businesses even had phones; bank casheirs still did math with pencil/paper and the lines were long and slow-moving. But at the same time, there was inundation by video and TV, creating awareness of and desire for 'stuff'. And, unfortunately, it was these media that provided many people with their major source of English language experience (God forbid!) and with their ideas of appropriate and 'normal' U.S. lifestyle, behavior, etc. Meanwhile, the traditional Marshallese culture has taken huge hits. People's traditional roles are, for the most part, no longer available and there was, at least at that time, nothing to replace them, so break-ins, juvenile drinking, etc. was becoming a problem; unemployment was high, and wages were pathetic. Since life on the OUTER islands, such as Mili, was still relatively cashless, families on Majuro were strained to the max when relatives came in to try to find work or waiting get to the airport to go to Honolulu for medical issues. All in all, living in the Marshalls was, hands down, the most stimulating, awareness-raising, and valuable experience I've ever had!!! It was hugely enriching, and it made me aware of the difference between being a toursit and living in another culture: it's the difference between being among, observing and being an active part of. I find that I am no longer fulfilled by being a tourist. John, I'm not going off on you personally. I just have to clear my pipes on the subject occasionally. :-) No offense intended. I'd be interested in your experiences there. Jill in Washington state ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Armstrong" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2006 9:08 AM Subject: Re: [ARMSTRONG] occupations > Jill, > When were you in the Marshall Islands??? > I lived on Kwajalein from Jan 1958 to April of 1959.. > > I retired from farming at the age of 17 > and chose a 30 yr career in the US Navy.. > > Sincerely, > John D > A little SoWest of North >>College works, though. Taught an education class in the Marshall Islands >>(in >>the central Pacific). What an experience! The government assigned >>'teachers' >>to be sent to the outer islands, but none had any teaching background. In >>fact some were nurses, etc. So I had to design a course on >>everything-you-need-to-know-to-manage-students-and-teach. Challenging, but >>very satisfying! >

Jill, You think it is only in protectorats--- go to any American Indian Reservation in the US. You don't need to leave the continental USA. Patti ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jill Johnston" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]>; <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2006 11:50 AM Subject: Re: [ARMSTRONG] occupations > John, > I was on Majuro from Dec.1985 til Feb. 1988. Went to assist the local Baha'i > community and to teach school in a private, non-parochial cooperative school > begun some years earlier by former Peace Corps people who had married locals > and wanted a U.S. grade education for their kids. > > The Marshallese govt gives funding to ALL schools, public & private, because > it can't afford to provide teachers and school buildings to house all its > kids. There is very little land (Majuro atoll is only about 30 mi. long and > in several places a guy could throw a rock from oceanside to lagoonside) and > very many kids, and that's BEFORE kids come in from the outer islands. > Admittance at the public high school is through a competitive process due to > lack of space, and not all islands even have a high school. At that time, > teachers were poorly prepared, knew little about classroom management, and > had few or no books. The education system was a mess. > > I lived in a Marshallese neighborhood, in a tin-roofed, plywood shack that > had, unlike the neighbors, electricity, refrigeration, and an electric > cooking stove. We had govt imposed water hours, so when we heard on the > radio when those were, we tried to have someone at home to fill the 30 gal > garbage can we kept for just that purpose. (I got so good at conserving > water that I could shower and wash my hair with the water in one toy sand > bucket!) When it rained, people would stand under the eaves and shampoo > their hair. One year, we didn't have ANY water hours for 2 wks! Droughts and > rising sea levels are devastating there. High elevation was less than 20 > feet, so with such limited land, any loss is major. > > Our neighbors cooked outside using coconut husk fires; they also washed & > hung their laundry outdoors. The children readily took in our son Jim, and > taught him how to use a soup can lid cutter to make sail boats from aluminum > pop cans. They were very resourceful; most kids, even as young as three or > four, could juggle the coral rocks.They'd play ball using old pieces of > plywood or sticks for bats and coral rocks or rubber balls to hit. And talk > about accuracy-- I swear those kids could throw a rock and hit anything they > targeted! :-) > > I was on Kwaj (paradise of the Pacific) two times, once on my way to Ebeye, > and once returning. I was thoroughly disgusted, and my blood still boils at > the thought of the injustices of that situation. Because I am white, no one > noticed when I wandered away from the landing area and moseyed into the Kwaj > grocery store. I couldn't believe my eyes: fresh veggies that could've been > in any U.S. supermarket. Everything was spacious, clean, and > well-stocked.Even in the capital city (Majuro) we didn't have access to that > quality of goods. And the physical area was like a well-tended U.S. golf > course, manicure, watered, green LAWN (not just grass), painted and > maintained apartments. > > Meanwhile, just three miles away via a diesel-stinking 'cattle car' of a > shuttle boat, was Ebeye, home of the under-paid Marshallese workers who did > the maintenance and service jobs on Kwaj. Conditions caused Ebeye to be > called the hell-hole of the Pacific. Over-crowded into rotting plywood and > tim-roofed shacks, Marshallese had barely enough room to pass another person > between 'houses.' There were no patches of grass, only a few isolated > strands due to heavy foot traffic, lack of space and lack of water. There > was no source of fresh water except what the U.S. base on Kwaj brought over > in a tanker a couple of times a week. There may have been a few private > wells which tapped into fresh water lenses (there were on Majuro), but I > didn't see any. No space for gardens. There was one basketball court-- > yippee. And in the grocery store, it was absolutely shameful: the produce > shelves were empty except for a few squishy, brown celery stalks fit only > for pigs. > > I am still aghast at the disparity of conditions and the lack of conscience > shown by the U.S. govt toward the Trust Territory peoples. And I won't EVEN > go into the Bikini bomb test fiasco. It is another case of > misrepresentations, lies, and broken or half-kept promises just like the > American Indian mess. (The Brits did the same to their Pacific island > trustees.) Governments just use and abuse the powerless. I hadn't really had > the opportunity to see that before. > > Before I left, they were constructing a desalination plant on Ebeye so there > would be fresh water available. And, of course, the Trust Territory is no > more, the Marshalls having been 'granted' free association status. I've > never been completely sure of just what that entails, but I do know that > Marshallese citizens can move into the U.S. freely. > > Living in the Marshalls was, in many ways, like rolling back U.S. time 30 > years and more. For example, few businesses even had phones; bank casheirs > still did math with pencil/paper and the lines were long and slow-moving. > But at the same time, there was inundation by video and TV, creating > awareness of and desire for 'stuff'. And, unfortunately, it was these media > that provided many people with their major source of English language > experience (God forbid!) and with their ideas of appropriate and 'normal' > U.S. lifestyle, behavior, etc. > > Meanwhile, the traditional Marshallese culture has taken huge hits. People's > traditional roles are, for the most part, no longer available and there was, > at least at that time, nothing to replace them, so break-ins, juvenile > drinking, etc. was becoming a problem; unemployment was high, and wages were > pathetic. Since life on the OUTER islands, such as Mili, was still > relatively cashless, families on Majuro were strained to the max when > relatives came in to try to find work or waiting get to the airport to go to > Honolulu for medical issues. > > All in all, living in the Marshalls was, hands down, the most stimulating, > awareness-raising, and valuable experience I've ever had!!! It was hugely > enriching, and it made me aware of the difference between being a toursit > and living in another culture: it's the difference between being among, > observing and being an active part of. I find that I am no longer > fulfilled by being a tourist. > > John, I'm not going off on you personally. I just have to clear my pipes on > the subject occasionally. :-) No offense intended. I'd be interested in > your experiences there. > > Jill in Washington state > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "John Armstrong" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2006 9:08 AM > Subject: Re: [ARMSTRONG] occupations > > > > > > Jill, > > When were you in the Marshall Islands??? > > I lived on Kwajalein from Jan 1958 to April of 1959.. > > > > I retired from farming at the age of 17 > > and chose a 30 yr career in the US Navy.. > > > > Sincerely, > > John D > > A little SoWest of North > > >>College works, though. Taught an education class in the Marshall Islands > >>(in > >>the central Pacific). What an experience! The government assigned > >>'teachers' > >>to be sent to the outer islands, but none had any teaching background. In > >>fact some were nurses, etc. So I had to design a course on > >>everything-you-need-to-know-to-manage-students-and-teach. Challenging, but > >>very satisfying! > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.407 / Virus Database: 268.12.10/459 - Release Date: 9/29/06 > >

Hi Jill, Are you a Baha'i. If so that makes at least two of us on the Armstrong list. Gene At 01:50 PM 9/30/2006, Jill Johnston wrote: >John, >I was on Majuro from Dec.1985 til Feb. 1988. Went to assist the local Baha'i >community and to teach school in a private, non-parochial cooperative school >begun some years earlier by former Peace Corps people who had married locals >and wanted a U.S. grade education for their kids.

Dear Jill, Teaching was my second career. My first career was in mass production manufacturing, mostly small appliances. At the end I was managing two divisions of a manufacturing company & one of them was in Canada. Little kids in school were not much of a problem. But in industry we hired people for endurance, usually large, hulking types with small amounts of patience and powerful unions. Those folks were the Backbone of America (and Mexico) types. They presented more of a problem than 7th graders. Tom Jill Johnston wrote: > Tom, > I admire anyone who can enjoy teaching middle schoolers. I tried the older > ones, but it wasn't a very productive match. :-) > > I find 3rd and 4th more my speed. They're old enough to have some > independence and todevelop abstract understandings, yet young enough to be > unabashedly curious. And most of them haven't yet discovered 'mouth.' > Younger ones are too dependent for my taste. > > C