point of view

once upon a time sam and dennis viewed the world outside from the ouside....a lot. i guess as they have gotten older they have the attitude that they have seen it all and it is quite nice to sit in the warm sun watching the birds outside on the back porch.

i think we need to have a change of view every once in a while....not to often...too stressful... but just often enough to keep us growing and our brain working, to keep the fires lit.

i am reading THE TIPPING POINT by Malcolm Gladwell and it has really opened up a new way of looking at things. weirdly it is applicable to the situtation our school has lasped into. his thesis states that there are three rules for the tipping point---the law of the few, the stickiness factor, and the power of context. and it is back up by some studies. just a few statements

....a child is better off in a good neighborhood and a troubled family than he or she is in a troubled neighborhood and a good family

....our immediate social and physical world play a huge role in shaping who we are and how we act.

...simple physical movements and observations cn have a profound effect on how we feel and think.

he proposes that the crime rate in new york went way down because one... the director of the transit system attacked the graffiti problem and made the cars nice and stopped the sneaking on the trains free. then the police chief attacked the small crimes of the neighborhoods.

so small things can make a big difference.

we need a tipping point here. i sneaked in a flower arrangement in the business office, traded out the ugly bell for a pretty one , changed the rack that held small papers. clean the counter which was really sticky. someone else cleaned the spots on the rug. now if i can just get rid of or paint the rag tag collection of tables. to have people perceive you are successful you must look successfull. you can't be niggerdly.


got the cell phone thing done.... a little thing, but i think it will help make a big difference.

the maintainace man is working mega hard to make things work... help moral of teachers which will make teaching better.

i thought we would need some charisma....but i think we just need the right connections after reading the book.

old wise and old hat

the gentleman who is head of education in the central united states is old, very old, he is 70 and still going. they asked him to stay for a little longer past retirement. a testament to his wisdom. he is soft spoken and absoutely non accusitory. still he can lay things on the line. quite a talent. he never raises his voice or uses body signals to undermine his statements. he admists his bias, ie couldn not work on west coast with its liberlism, but absolutely recognizes jewelry etc as cultural not salvation issues. old wise.
i am being good and fitting into a conservative place. i don't wear jewelry, not even my pins. save that for trips. don't think of it as being hypacrital though. if anyone asked me views i would tell them. only trying to be fittable into this culture. i am not completely silent...ie the cell phone thing. but i didn't say anything about egw on our little heritage trip, like her family eating squirrel and such while they were in colorado and supposedly eating meat at the end of her life. you never win firends or converts by tearing down heros or heroines . some of the campus team remind me of persons who figure out stuff in high school, ideas, hair styles, religious beliefs etc, and never revisit them... old hat.

death of an old friend

my friend has been with me through thick and thin, summer and winter, town and country, chic and country. i thought a while about buying my shirt--50 dollars which was a lot for a denim shirt 10 years ago. but it had little brown piping around the cuffs, pocket flaps and collar. it was soft and had a worn friendly look. after going by it several times i finally gave in and got it. it has gone over dresses and jammies. i am wearing it right now. the edges are all frayed and there are holes in the pockets and the cuffs have started to break away from the sleeves. i might have to patch it and see if i can wear it a little bit longer. going to have to look for a replacement. sigh