No One Was Safe

One of the highlights of February for me is always seeing the Oscar nominated shorts-- animated, live action, and documentary. Being recognized by the academy showcases 5 of these usually low profile little films into an anthology shown in theaters. It's an opportunity to see the work of international filmmakers who are often unfettered by the expense and corporate control of the big studios, and most of these films are usually fresh and innovative and even a little edgy.

In past years there have been memorable tales of time machine builders, a pre-teen Somalian pirate, a modern-day cupid (with real arrows), a babysitting job that saved a guy from suicide, and an encounter with terrorists on a bus ride in Nigeria, to name a few of the live-action entries.

This year the subject matter of 4 of the 5 live action movies included little boys in danger, from themselves, from others, or both. They were unflinchingly grim, so much so, that the audience who sat in stunned silence at the end of the first film, giggled with gallows humor at the end of the second, and guffawed at the end of the program, a little traumatized by what we had all seen in the last 100 minutes.

Because of the similar themes and content, it was hard to consider each movie outside the collective, and I'd have to say that this year, the format was probably a disservice to the nominees. (Except for the one about the dying old woman who wondered what she missed when she didn't pursue a same-sex relationship in 1963.)

"This was our first date after our baby was born," I heard a guy behind me tell the total stranger to his left. "What the hell??"

I, personally, was thankful that the only dog made it through unharmed.

Past, Picture, Present

I was recently messing with the settings on my desktop computer and inadvertently changed the screensaver. In order to restore my previous view of the glacier in Resurrection Harbor, I had to browse through my photo library.

These days when everyone has a camera in their pocket, it's easy to lose sight of the present in an attempt to capture the moment. I know I'm guilty of that, and I try to be more mindful of when and how often I open my camera app. Even so, as I scrolled through my Alaska Album, I was amazed anew at the grandeur of the scenery, and it was hard to believe that not only had I been there, but I had actually taken the pictures I was looking at.

(This is one of the little lakes on the vintage railway line from Skagway to White Pass Summit)

Gagvertisement

This time of year our sixth graders have a unit on media literacy, where they learn to identify the persuasive techniques in commercials. One of the more engaging activities has them working in small groups to view recent Super Bowl commercials and analyze them for their strategies.

The classes usually hum along during this assignment as students huddle in twos and threes, their intent faces illuminated by the glow of their iPads, their ears plugged with earbuds. So I was a little surprised this morning when a student approached me with an urgent request to leave the room.

"I don't feel so good," he moaned.

"Do you need to go to the clinic?" I asked.

"Nah," he shook his head, "I just need to get away from the Chunky Milk commercial."

Memorable? Yes.

Effective? You be the judge.

Garth, Ruthie, and Chuck

When I woke up this morning and heard the radio guy say, "It's February 7, 2019. Garth Brooks is 57 years old today,"  I wondered, in my half-awake state, how he could be possibly be soooo old. It seemed a little sad and wrong.

A little while later, I realized it was my friend Ruth's birthday, also. Just a few months older than I am, she too was turning 57. I reached for my phone to text her my best wishes.

Here's our exchange:

42 Minutes a Day

Having a student teacher reminds me of what a complex task we tackle every day: mastering content, delivering engaging instruction, and managing a mini-mob of evolving human beings. It is a little like juggling the universe.

And, how odd it is to sit on the sidelines and observe the students in my classes being instructed by someone else! The novelty of the perspective is bright and shiny; I have the opportunity to actually look at each one of the 131 kids I teach, in real time, and see the person he or she is, with a whole world of hopes and worries and dreams and losses.

New Sheriff in Town

My student teacher has been getting her feet wet, trying a little instruction over the last couple days. Even though we explained who she was and what her role would be, the shift has taken some students by surprise. They enter the room and are astounded to find me at my desk and the intern up front by the smart screen.

"C'mon guys!" she encouraged them this morning. "You need your iPad and your writing notebook! Let's get ready to go!"

One student stood by her table, stunned. "But... where are we going?"

The Grind

What? Rising at the usual hour and working a full day, five days a week?

There must be some mistake!

Now about that 61 degrees in February...