Sunday Blend

 

I remember back in the day when I was still teaching at Sandpoint High School, it was probably a journalism student---maybe named Tucker---who alerted me to the fact that "the deer are watching you." 

I think the reminder may have been repeated a few times during those days.  Whatever the case, it stuck with me. 

I often think about where the deer may be while they are watching me, but yesterday I knew for a fact. 

Mama Deer was standing right outside our living room window at the bird feeder. 

She wasn't watching all the time, and she even allowed me to tap emphatically on the window without her doing a 180 and prancing away. 

There were sunflower seeds to be consumed, so she had to take a little time out of watching to fill her tummy. 

Anyway, she was mighty close when I snapped this shot---just a window between her and me.

 

No, my camera lens is not dirty.  

Hard to see with the naked eye, but the mirrors in Roxane's arena might be coated with some residue  when horses go trotting or galloping by. 

Yesterday CB and I walked around the arena, which is filled with big mirrors.

I figured that the more time I spend walking him and allowing him to get used to seeing himself in the mirrors, the less distraction it will be for Laurie when she rides him. 

Besides, it was great exercise for me as I added to my Fitbit steps.  

And, CB is definitely a nice pal to hang out with. 

An Education Miracle?

by Sarah Mervosh

in today's New York Times Morning Newsletter

In 2013, Mississippi changed the way reading is taught, embracing the science of reading.” 

Teachers use sound-it-out instruction, known as phonics, and other direct methods, like the explicit teaching of vocabulary. Editor's note:  Hmm. Why does this sound familiar to people my age?

Around the same time, it also raised academic standards and started giving every school a letter grade.

But the state hasn’t simply demanded proficiency, as under No Child Left Behind, which set an unattainable goal of having every child in America be proficient in reading and math. 

Instead, Mississippi has emphasized student growth toward proficiency. Schools get credit when students improve — and double credit for the improvement of their lowest-scoring students. That means every school, rich or poor, has an incentive to help everyone.

The state also approves a list of curriculums, used by most districts. This is not always the case in other states, where decisions are often left up to individual school districts.

And the state doesn’t just punish schools that are struggling, another difference from No Child Left Behind. It also takes a proactive role in helping them.

Take the state’s literacy coaches: They are sent into the elementary schools that have the lowest reading scores each year, with a mission to teach teachers, not children. 

On my visit, I was surprised to find that teachers seemed to love it. That is probably because coaches are there to mentor, not to tattle on bad teachers.

Other states have tried to copy Mississippi, mostly by focusing on the science of reading. But people involved in Mississippi’s turnaround told me it was nearly impossible to cherry-pick strategies and expect results.

“You’ve got to do that and that and that,” said Carey Wright, Mississippi’s state superintendent from 2013 to 2022. “And you have also got to do it year in and year out.”

One criticism of Mississippi’s approach is that it revolves around standardized testing.

I visited the elementary school in Hazlehurst, a rural area south of Jackson where more than half of children live in poverty. Students there take tests every two weeks, a greater frequency than even the state recommends.

There was also plenty of joy. I saw preschoolers sounding out letters into toy telephones, and second graders coaching one another on how to sound out words like “disappointment.” 

One 10-year-old named Johnny told me about the satisfaction he feels from learning: “If I make a bad grade but I’m going up, it’s like a staircase.”

A big question now is whether Mississippi can keep going in the face of declining test scores nationally. 

At Hazlehurst, scores have climbed to 35 percent of students reading on grade level, compared with 12 percent a decade ago.

No miracle, but real progress.

📗📘📙📚📕📖

Bridie and I walked through the woods south of the house this morning. 

We apparently were not alone.  

Fresh coon tracks headed from west to east. 

I love raccoons but hope that this coon, and any friends, doesn't discover the bird-feeding area.

Wise and Comforting Thoughts in Uncomfortable Times 

by Dick Ragland

Dick Ragland graduated from Sandpoint High School in 1962, the same year as my brother Mike. 

A little math will tell you that Dick is 80 something. 

In the past year he has logged "roughly 47,000 air miles since leaving Medellin, Colombia."  These travels have taken him to around 15 countries in North and South America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe. 

I don't know Dick's entire story, but I do know that I have followed him in his travels via Facebook and that he truly inspires me, not only in what he has done for a man his age but also for his ability to put together wise words into wise sentences. 

You'll see an example of the latter in Dick's post (below) from this morning.

Thank you, Dick, for your thoughts and for allowing me to share them.  

Lately I’ve been noticing how tired the world feels.

So many people — all over, not just in one place — are worn down, confused, stressed, and wondering if things will ever feel lighter again.

I see it especially in people who are brave enough to say it out loud. And I get it. I really do. 

Life can pile up in ways that make you feel alone even when you’re surrounded by others.

I just want to say this, simply and without pretending to have answers:

You are not weak for feeling this way. You are not broken. And you are not alone.

Most of us are carrying more than we let on. We’re all trying to make sense of things, one day at a time, often without a map. 

Sometimes the best we can do is keep showing up, keep breathing, keep choosing small acts of care — for ourselves and for each other.

If you’re struggling right now, I see you.

If you’re tired, that makes sense.

If you feel like you’ve lost your footing, you’re not the only one.

We’re all in this together, even when it doesn’t feel like it. 

And sometimes just knowing that someone else understands can make the load a little lighter.

💜💛💚💙💓