By Kandra Kolehmainen

Picture a beautiful, fall day. All around you the world is filled with movement and life. Looking up, you see a sky full of trees, branches bending back and forth, propelled by a strong, invigorating breeze. Leaves are falling to the ground in unique patterns, sometime smooth and beautiful, other times in a zigzag rush. On the ground, leaves are blowing across the yard as bushes flutter and the grass lies gracefully down. Your ears are filled, not only with the sound of the wind dancing through the branches, but also the dead and crumbling leaves rustling across the sidewalk. Your senses are full of the moment. You can smell fall in the air, and if you try hard enough, you can even taste it.

Now imagine a four-year-old on her way to school on that same day, at that same moment. She takes in all of the newness of the moment: the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes. But, unlike you, she is compelled to touch it as well. Her eyes are as big as saucers as she holds a yellow and green leaf and looks up at all of the life in the sky. Her mind full of discovery, beauty, and wonder that is growing exponentially. Experiential learning is taking place.

As she goes inside, she is full of questions: why are the leaves falling, how do they hook on to the trees, why are the leaves different colors, why do they make a crunching sound? The teacher has a few options: gathering information about trees from books or the internet, directing the child to look out the window and watch, answering the questions that the child has asked, or realizing that what the child really needs is hands on discovery. She needs to go back outside and investigate.

At this point the Reggio teacher seizes the opportunity to gauge the interest of all of the students and announces that they will be going outside to look at the day. Back outside real life experience continues, as our four-year-old, as well as many other students, are able to make connections between trees and leaves, live leaves vs. dead leaves, the effect of wind on both trees and leaves, and how trees and leaves are joined. They study what leaves look and feel like, as well as the differences and similarities between them. They look at all the different colors. They listen to the different sounds that stomping creates on both dead and live leaves and (one of childhood’s greatest pleasures) what it feels like to roll in a pile of them.

At the end of the day, the Reggio teacher creates a web (a type of flow diagram) laying out not only all of the directions the project might take, but also which skills can be taught along the way. This is not guesswork but rather a thoughtful examination of the subject matter. The project may not go where a teacher thinks it will, but all avenues are prepared for so that learning does not have to wait for materials or the environment to be prepared.

With leaves as an inspiration, learning continues both inside and out over the next two weeks. Children experience leaves on dry days, windy days, wet days, and calm days. They go on walks around the neighborhood and to the local park. They notice other indications of fall: the change in temperature, the fact that it gets dark earlier, and the pumpkins on every porch. They notice the nuts on the ground and the squirrels chasing each other up and down trees while collecting the nuts. They take containers on their walks to fill with fall “treasures.” The teachers are constantly challenging the children with questions and focusing their attention on things they may not have noticed.

Back in the classroom children draw pictures, create clay sculptures, paint leaves to make stamps, and use rollers to make prints. They make leaf garlands, necklaces, and belts (art). They write stories and poems as they are able and read them to teachers and other students. They dictate stories to teachers which can then be acted out (language arts). Some children count, sort, and compare the leaves by color and shape and order them according to their quantity. They learn positional words like over, under, up, down, beside, above, and below. Quantitative words like more, less, fewer, add, take away, heavy, light, full, and empty (math). Others create beautiful displays and use leaves as instruments, props, and costumes in a musical play (dramatic play and music). Through questions and books, the teacher helps students answer their own questions and the questions that teachers pose: why are some leaves dry and cracked while others are smooth and pliable, why do they fall from the trees, why do we only see pumpkins in fall (science). Many students work together with yellow, red, green, and brown blocks, Lego, and with recycled materials glue and paint to construct trees and leaves. Together, Reggio students and their teachers have taken one inspiring moment and turned it into a project that includes math, science, art, music, dance, theater, costuming, construction, and language arts.

Although most adults can see how much fun and how interesting a project like this can be for preschoolers, many doubt that this approach can be used when “real” academics need to be learned. The truth is direct experience combined with high interest equals successful learning at every age. To quote Albert Einstein, “Learning is experience. Everything else is just information.”

To see how this works in an elementary setting, look for our article next month.

By Dr. D. Jackson Maxwell and Laura Smith

‘Tis the season for exchanging gifts. Unfortunately, this can be a time of uncertainty and anxiety. What do our friends and family really need, value, or want? What can I give them that will have a positive impact on their lives or make lasting memories? Hopefully, this column will provide you with a few ideas for gifts that will be remembered.

Family memberships to a museum or park are gifts that keep giving throughout the year. Memphis has a number of excellent museums. For the musically inclined, consider these: Memphis Rock N Soul Museum (audio tours of interactive displays of music pioneers, age 5+); and STAX Museum (audio tour paying tribute to soul music, age 9+). Art lovers will like: National Ornamental Metal Museum (rotating displays and practicing metalworking artists, age 7+); and Brooks Museum of Art (permanent and visiting collections of visual art, age 7+). The history buffs have: National Civil Rights Museum (archives of artifacts of the Civil Rights struggle, age 4+); Fire Museum (interactive exhibits of firefighters and their apparatuses, all ages). Memphis is also home to excellent parks: Memphis Botanic Gardens (nature themed activities, workshops, and family playgrounds, all ages); Pink Palace (family of museums including Lichterman Nature Center, Mallory-Neely/Magevney Houses, Coon Creek Science Center, plus Pink Palace IMAX and Planetarium, age 4+); and Memphis Zoo (animals on display in natural settings, all ages).

Gifts that can be used repeatedly or help the receiver gain knowledge are always a bonus. Subscriptions to magazines are great for many reasons. Children and adults alike anticipate their arrival in the mail, magazines target specific interests, and they encourage reading. Some recommendations are Sports Illustrated for Kids, Dig, Cobblestone, Highlights, Ranger Rick, Kidz Fun, Footsteps, Appleseeds, Hopscotch for Girls, and National Geographic Kids. Thoughtfully selected board games can be both fun and intellectually stimulating. They can be enjoyed by all ages, encourage family interaction, and build happy memories of time spent playing them together. Some examples of these types of games are Boggle, Upwords, Balderdash, Trivial Pursuit, Charades, Scrabble, Life, Password, Scattergories, Yahtzee, and Blokus.

Some of the best selling gifts of recent holiday seasons have involved gaming systems. Wii, PS 3, Xbox, and Nintendo DS have released a wide range of intellectually challenging games that the whole family can play together. For example, Wii has really broadened its catalog of educational games of which Smarty Pants Trivia, Endless Oceans, Wild Earth: African Safari, and Big Brain Academy are a few of the best. The PlayStation 3 (PS3) system has a couple of offerings such as Little Big Planet and Flower that promote learning. Kinectimals and Axeland Pixel for the Xbox 360 are mind enhancing. Finally, for those who are more inclined to use portable devices, there are Nintendo DS games. Art Academy, Warioware, and Scribblenauts all encourage emergent game-play and creativity through puzzles and art challenges. While there are many other high quality educational games, this list should provide a starting point.

Anything we as gift givers can do to inspire fun learning opportunities involving the whole family is definitely a plus. The suggestions offered here will hopefully appeal to those on your gift list. So, this holiday season consider giving presents that stimulate the mind, spur the imagination, and encourage family togetherness.

A special thanks to Laura Smith, who in addition to being an outstanding, highly qualified teacher, co-authored this article with Dr. D. Jackson Maxwell. To ask further questions, contact djacksonmaxwell@gmail.com.

By Diana Owen

Cooper-Young’s very own Corey Mesler was kind enough to let me pick his brain after I was bowled over by his poetry. I am about to head to Burke’s Books to pick up his latest book, Gardner Remembers, and per Corey, it’s “a novel told in the form of an interview with (fictional) Memphis musician, Buddy Gardner. It’s small enough to carry in your back pocket or to fit into your Christmas stocking.” Sounds perfect. Now, onto the metaphysical meanderings and questions that surfaced after soaking up some of his poetry.

Q: Your poems radiate from your quest for enlightenment and speak to the intangible. Have there been any local places that have spoken to you and given you verse? If so, which places inspired what poems and how/why?

A: I don’t know if specific places in my hometown have spoken to the poet in me. Certainly the river runs like background soundtrack music to whatever happens in the city. And music runs like a backbeat to the river behind us, too. There really does seem to be something ultra-mundane about the music in this city. You can feel it if you spend any time here at all. You can feel it just walking our city streets. I think, for me, it’s more the whole ambiance of Memphis that fuels my writing. We live in a city of deep soul, a city that embraces funky as if it were a religion, and a city that not only tolerates but celebrates eccentricity. I feel free in Memphis, if that’s not an oxymoron coming from an agoraphobic writer who spends many hours of each day all by himself in front of a glowing screen trying to wring the ineffable out of the effable.

Q: Memphis is enmeshed in the matrix of your writing. How has its presence affected you as a writer? If you are a life-long Memphian, is this something that has been more noticeable as you have gotten older? Or, if you moved here at some point, did Memphis call out to you or have you had a slow and deliberate attachment to our city?

A: I was born in Niagara Falls, NY, but I moved to Memphis when I was 5, if you call suburban Raleigh “Memphis.” At that time, 1960, you did not. Probably the Memphis that is in my head is different from the Memphis that most of us walk around in. It’s a Memphis of myth, of a personal myth that is germane to me alone, that is part of the cloud cuckooland in my sconce. I think it would be impossible to live here and do something creative—write, paint, sing, dance, make pottery, design litter boxes—and not feel like the city has seeped into you, even like the city was part of your process. And living in Midtown, which is the heart of the city, and Cooper-Young, which is the heart of Midtown, I take great pleasure from my bohemian surroundings, with its unconventional denizens, quirky shops, and eateries. I love all my hip neighbors. Many of them actually read books.

Q: Having been a writer for quite some time, do you find yourself more of a poet or a novelist? Do you go through phases of each? When did you know that this was your form of connecting with other souls on this planet? If you would like to describe how your agoraphobia relates to this connection, I am very interested.

A: Some days I feel more like a poet than a novelist or short story writer. Some days I feel more like a bookseller than either. And some days I feel like I couldn’t get elected dog catcher. But, overall, I am most happy with my prose. Poems have become what I write when I can’t get my novel moving. When I was younger all I wrote was poetry…well, bad poetry. I came to prose later. But I am most happy when I am working on a novel, a writing project that takes a couple years. Then I am engaged for the duration of my entire waking existence with this other life, this imaginary one.

As far as connecting to other humans through my writing I suppose that would be the reason to keep doing it, wouldn’t it? Of course, we must keep in mind that my audience is only a dozen or so family members and friends. And only fairly recently did I realize that some people occasionally like something I’ve written. I am not being flippant here. I really didn’t understand that there were a few resilient souls who actually empathized, communed, connected with my writing.

As far as the agoraphobia is concerned, writing is my lifeline. As I’ve said elsewhere, my writing walks around in the world for me.

By Betty LaMarr

There are more people interested in finding the fountain of youth than the Holy Grail. Cosmetic products and plastic surgery are industries that bring in billions of dollars each year. We try to hold on to our youth for the things it represents – beauty, vitality, fun. But instead of trying so hard to cling desperately to our youth, why don’t we focus our energy on bringing these same qualities into old age with us?

Who says the elderly aren’t beautiful? Who says all we can do later in life is play Bingo? Old age can be full of fun and vivacity. And we all know that the best kind of fun is had when there is no place to be early the next morning. Think of all the advantages of old age! You are wiser than at any other point in life and don’t have to constantly be paying the price for poor decisions. You finally have time to spend with friends and family. You are able to enjoy old hobbies or create new ones. And when you forget birthdays or things your spouse asked you to do, you can just blame it on your failing memory. What’s not to love?

However, if you want to be around to enjoy all of these perks, you must take care of yourself and make choices to keep yourself in good health. We can all learn something from those who have made it deep into their old age. My Aunt Eva, the matriarch of the Spann family, just had the privilege of turning 103 years old in October of this year. She was recognized with a standing ovation for all that she brings to her family and community. If asked for the secret to living well for so long, my aunt would say that God has been good to her and blessed her with many years. It is very true that God knows every individual’s time on this earth and when it will be finished, but it is also true that good choices increase our quality of life tremendously and often give us more time to spend with those we love.

My Aunt Eva would also say that she does not take many medications like most elderly people do these days. Though it is important to listen to the advice of medical professionals, when given the option of making a lifestyle change or taking a pill to relieve a symptom, one should always choose making a lifestyle change to truly improve health. Even if you are young, you understand this logic. Taking a diet pill while you are sitting watching television and eating Twinkies does not improve your health as much as actually getting up and going for a walk. Medication may seem like an easy way out as you get older and health issues start to compile, but save yourself the pharmacy bill and go for a walk, stop smoking, or choose to eat less red meat. Any choice you make to improve your health will give you the option later of how you want to spend your time. If you would rather spend your retirement fishing by your lakeside home than bedridden in a hospital, now is the time to make those changes because by the time the consequences set in, it is often too late.

When you do see people who have made it into their later years, acknowledge them. Our elderly should be treated with love and respect. They will almost always have more wisdom than you and have hundreds of entertaining stories to cure any episode of boredom that may come along. If you are lucky enough to have someone in your family like I do to bless you with the knowledge and tales of their years, appreciate it. Our time on earth is precious, and we will all leave a legacy of our own. As for me, if I live even close to as long as my Aunt Eva or leave a legacy even half as powerful as the one she has been establishing for decades, I will count myself blessed all of my days.

For questions or comments contact missbettylamarr@gmail.com. The Betty LaMarr Show can be seen weekly at 9:30pm Friday on Comcast Channel 17.

By Matt Martin

When it comes to seasonal cinema offerings, they can’t all be so sweet. Of course, the winter months should be filled with all the classic Christmas movie moments, from Bing Crosby singing “White Christmas” in front of a roaring fireplace in Holiday Inn, to Jimmy Stewart running down the snowy street shouting holiday praise in It’s A Wonderful Life. No holiday is complete without nights filled with the Grinch, Clark Griswald, and Red Ryder BB guns (if you don’t get these references, you’ve never lived through an American Christmas). In fact, the winter holidays are inseparable from the cinema that came from it. Check out my history of holiday movies article from the December 2010 LampLighter for more on traditional Christmas movies.

But sometimes, as December rolls by, we need more than the standard seasonal film offerings to indulge our festivities. Sometimes we need more than the traditional, the sentimental, and the serious. There are times when cinema fans need something a little off the beaten path; something a little more chaotic and strange, bizarre and unusual. So when you’ve had your fill of the classic yuletide movies this season, here are 15 anti-holiday films to stuff your cinematic stocking. Turn your attention to the underside of “normal” Christmas movies and watch the whole seasonal spirit get turned upside down.

1. RARE EXPORTS – Straight from snowy Finland comes this hyper-dark and very funny holiday horror movie. On Christmas Eve, an archaeological dig unearths a very different and far more lethal Santa Claus. Soon after, children start disappearing. Trying to stop it, one young boy and his father capture Santa, and with the help of other hunters, hold him captive…until his army of “elves” come for their master. From fields filled with slain reindeers to unkillable naked elves, this disturbing yuletide gem is a warped masterpiece.

2. BAD SANTA – Directed by Terry Zwigoff (Crumb, Ghost World), this hysterically bleak look at Christmas consumerism is quickly becoming a staple of modern seasonal cinema. Billy Bob Thornton is a thief and a safecracker who every year moonlights as a department store Santa – all the easier to grab the stores loot on Christmas Eve. All that stands in his way is a homicidal, untrustworthy sidekick elf, an out-of-control drinking problem, and a little boy who is convinced he’s the real St. Nick. With phenomenal final performances from John Ritter and Bernie Mac, it’s a bitter glass of eggnog but goes down so smooth.

3. THE REF – Denis Leary is a lowlife thief who specializes in home invasions. But when he takes an unstable and quickly disintegrating couple hostage (played with bitter, caustic insanity by Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis) on Christmas Eve, he becomes the couple’s unwilling therapist as well as their captor. All three leads are in top-of-their-game performances, turning every moment into twisted but honest explosions of unstable families and holiday desperation.

4. BLACK CHRISTMAS – Among all the Christmas horror films, none are as creepy and chilling as this, the original 1974 film (skip the poorly done remake from 2008). A small sorority is getting ready for the holiday break when a series of increasingly disturbing phone calls starts a chain of killings that not only threatens their lives, but turns them against each other. Truly haunting with an insanely dark ending.

5. GO! – Directed by Doug Liman (Swingers, Bourne Identity) and starring Katie Holmes, Timothy Olyphant, and Sarah Polley, this multi-storylined tale of twenty-something ecstasy dealers and players in the L.A. rave scene on Christmas Eve is a blast, tracing several characters as their holiday gets more interesting, even as it’s getting more dangerous. The pacing is fast, the music faster, and the drugged-out visuals are on overdrive. Give in to it.

6. TRADING PLACES – Few people remember that John Landis’ brilliant satire on class conflict and runaway greed in the go-go 80′s is set during a particularly cold Christmas season, with elaborate Christmas trees and festive lights in every shot, reminding us that holiday celebrations are a luxury of the rich. Dan Akyroyd is phenomenal as a millionaire snob who has his wealth and power stripped from him on a bet, but it’s Eddie Murphy in his breakout role that steals the show.

7. GREMLINS – So dark that it was one of the deciding factors in the creation of the PG-13 rating, this “children’s movie” was one of the biggest hits of the 1980′s. A small, sweetly innocent suburb (literally patterned after the iconic small town of It’s A Wonderful Life) is invaded by an army of mischievous beasts after a local teenager is given one as a Christmas gift. Anarchic, fun, and often very creepy, director Joe Dante (The Howling, Innerspace) and producer Steven Spielberg take great pleasure in destroying each and every holiday tradition of small-town life.

8. BRAZIL – Visionary director Terry Gilliam (12 Monkeys, The Fisher King, Monty Python and The Holy Grail) unleashed this terrifying yet hilarious Orwellian nightmare in 1985 to rave reviews. Set during Christmas in a future fascistic society, not too different from our own, hapless low-level bureaucrat Sam Lowery descends into paranoia, fear, and insanity when his attempts to break free from society and chase the girl of his dreams is met with disastrous consequences. Hysterical and horrifying, chilling and unsettling, this absolutely pitch black comedy drowns us in a landscape dominated by runaway technology, state-sponsored terrorism, and blissfully zombified citizens. Sound familiar? Literally decades ahead of it’s time, Brazil is the ultimate dark holiday film. Nothing says Christmas like when your captors give you a Christmas gift…right before they torture you.

9. SCROOGED (with Bill Murray)

10. IN BRUGES

11. THE ICE HARVEST

12. SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT

13. JACK FROST (about a killer snowman…awesome!

14. SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS

15. SANTA VS. SATAN (yes, you are reading that right)

Now gather around the Christmas tree with a candy cane dipped in Arsenic and enjoy these morbid mistletoe masterpieces, guaranteed to add some sardonic spice to your cinematic seasonal feast.

Matt Martin has written movie reviews for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and is co-owner of Black Lodge Video, located on the corner of Cooper and Evelyn. Black Lodge is the largest video store in the eastern US and is a faithful CYCA membership sponsor.

By Matt Martin

When November rolls around and the days grow shorter, America prepares to honor family and prosperity in the form of a day-long feast. Meanwhile, cinema junkies have only one question in mind: why aren’t there more Thanksgiving films? Think about it. There are hundreds of Christmas movies that have become cultural icons. And Halloween has an entire genre behind it, giving thousands of holiday horror movie options. These holidays have become inseparable from the films that helped define them.

But for Thanksgiving there are meager few choices. In fact, with some research you’d be hard pressed to find more than a dozen or so. Why so few? Is the holiday so bereft of ideas and situations that there’s nothing cinematic to make of it? I think not. As long as family and friends come together, everyone argues, bickers, and bonds, and America sets in for some serious marathon eating, there’s always room for more Thanksgiving films.

So until the next one comes around, settle in with one of our few great turkey day flicks and remember why we put ourselves through this food-drenched family therapy in the first place.

PLANES, TRAINS, & AUTOMOBILES – Often considered the best Thanksgiving film, Steve Martin and John Candy are two salesmen who drive each other crazy trying to get across country for the holiday by any means necessary. Every scene is hysterically painful, from the overly cramped plane flight to an endless series of interstate driving disasters, and ends on one of the more touching and beautiful Thanksgiving moments in cinema. A career high for both Martin and Candy, as well as director John Hughes, who finally departed from his highly successful teen comedies (Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club) to make this, his most mature work. Watch for Kevin Bacon in a quick but effective cameo as the catalyst for all the film’s events.

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS – After losing her job and finding out her daughter would rather spend Thanksgiving with her father, a broken but defiant Holly Hunter returns to her family home for a little love, support, and quiet…none of which she’s going to get when she finds her entire dysfunctional extended family has the same idea. Directed by Jodie Foster and co-starring Anne Bancroft, Claire Danes, and Robert Downey Jr., this bittersweet comedy not only perfectly conveys the hectic, confrontational nature of holidays but also captures the combination of love and desperation that defines the modern American family.

HANNAH AND HER SISTERS – One of Woody Allen’s best. Mia Farrow leads a phenomenal ensemble cast (including Michael Caine, Barbara Hershey, and Dianne Wiest among many others) in this examination of destructive family politics that begins and ends with emotionally raw Thanksgiving dinners. Winner of multiple Academy awards, it remains one of the finest dramatic examples of the subtle cruelties of family and the tensions of forced holiday encounters.

GRUMPY OLD MEN – Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau (so wonderfully paired in earlier comedies like The Fortune Cookie) are old men at war when a lifelong feud turns ugly at the arrival of a beautiful woman in their lives, played by an always game Ann Margaret. As funny as it is sweet, with wonderful supporting turns from Kevin Pollack, Daryll Hannah, and Burgess Meredith, the film spans from Thanksgiving to Christmas showing how holidays push otherwise repressed people to open up to loved ones and friends.

PIECES OF APRIL – If Grumpy Old Men is the “elder generation” Thanksgiving comedy, this is the view from the youthful perspective. Katie Holmes, as April, is struggling to make ends meet with her boyfriend in a broken down apartment on New York’s lower east side. In order to impress her disapproving family and to get closer to her estranged mother, she wants to prepare the ultimate Thanksgiving dinner for everyone. But with an oven that dies unexpectedly and a boyfriend who’s beaten by thugs, April’s “perfect” holiday quickly and hilariously begins to self destruct. With Patricia Clarkson and Oliver Platt.

There are only a few other Thanksgiving movies in the history of cinema. The Ice Storm, Ang Lee’s hyper-dark study of imploding suburban families in 1970′s set across the holiday weekend, and The Myth of Fingerprints, a look at four siblings coming to terms with past family problems, are both phenomenal, if somewhat grim, dramatic choices. What’s Cooking is a wonderful feminist Thanksgiving film. Tadpole with John Ritter and Sigourney Weaver is an amusing, uncomfortably funny holiday treat. And on the horror side, the turkey/zombie film Poultrygeist and the giant psycho turkey men epic Blood Freak are fun and ridiculous ways to laugh your way through leftovers.

But in the end, virtually all of these films only use the holiday as a back-drop for their plots. Besides the various “pilgrim” films from across time, most of which are lifelessly dull, only one film really discusses the holiday itself: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Once again Charlie Brown and the gang show us the true meaning of the American holiday and its various enjoyments and disappointments, with Charlie holding on to his Thanksgiving spirit in spite of constant ridicule and a crappy candy-and-pretzel feast. Now that’s a true American. Well played, blockhead.

Matt Martin has written movie reviews for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and is co-owner of Black Lodge Video, located on the corner of Cooper and Evelyn. Black Lodge is the largest video store in the eastern US and is a faithful CYCA membership sponsor.

By Dr. D. Jackson Maxwell

Every few years I write an article on one of my favorite topics – the baffling machinations of our educational system. Being a parent of two school aged children this subject is dear to my heart. As a parent, I have observed many things good, a few bad, and some downright odd. Ponder the following and see if you, like me, find the following policies and practices as peculiar as I do.

My first concern is a health issue. It is common knowledge that the best way to prevent the spread of colds, flu, and other diseases is by frequently washing our hands with soap and warm water. Oddly enough, I have never found a sink in a school that students have access to that has warm water! When asked, one teacher postulated the reason was that the school designers were fearful children would scald themselves if they turned the water on too hot. Nonsense I say. All you need is a regulator on the hot water heater to control the temperature. So what’s real the deal?

Why do some schools allow teachers to choose the classes they want to teach based primarily on seniority? Shouldn’t the principal assign teachers to subjects they will teach based on their test scores and proven experience? Doesn’t logic dictate that this is the best way to assign teachers to a particular subject? Yet many courses are assigned to teachers based merely on their seniority, personal preference, randomization, or favoritism rather than a proven performance record. Hmmm.

Under Superintendent Kriner Cash’s administration much emphasis has been placed on holding teachers accountable. It has been asserted that more time needs to be purposefully directed to good first teaching and targeting specific student needs. Yet Cash, by his very own actions, has consistently made this extremely difficult. For example, in 2010 the Cash administration terminated hundreds of teaching aides. The president of the Memphis Education Association stated this was a terrible blow to morale which ultimately piled the former aides’ tasks on to already over worked teachers. While a few aides were eventually rehired, the end result is that now teachers have been taken out of their classrooms to do nonacademic jobs such as watching students eat lunch and other housekeeping task for four or more hours per week. Educators with master degrees, doctorates, and even National Board Certification are picking up trash, monitoring noise, and clearing trays rather than developing curriculum, writing grants, and doing the work of actually educating students. Hmmm…a true waste of professional talent, eh?

Beyond this, problems abound concerning the public’s perception of Dr. Cash’s opulent lifestyle. In a city noted for its high poverty rate, Superintendent Cash makes an annual salary in excess of $258,000 plus benefits and is chauffeured around town in a school board owned car accompanied by a detail of police-style Memphis City School officers. It’s not just Dr. Cash who merits the royal treatment. Similar benefits are bestowed upon much of the upper management. While in its own right appalling, all of these over-the-top, taxpayer funded benefits are being heaped upon the Cash administration while they regularly announce teacher layoffs and decry the need for more money. In my humble opinion, these ego-stroking perks are a waste of tax dollars. What are the superintendent and his cronies so afraid of that they need to be escorted around town in security vehicles protected by armed officers? Could it be those very taxpayers they are bilking of millions to support their bloated salaries and benefit packages? Or is it the throngs of educators in the trenches—teachers, teaching aides, and support staff—that their administration has terminated. Perhaps they are afraid of a revolt by parents who are sick of seeing Dr. Cash and his entourage parading from one media spectacle to the next while each year more and more Memphis City Schools fail to make the grade. Hmmm, indeed!

Lastly, President Bush initiated No Child Left Behind where all students are to be 100% proficient in reading and math by 2014. Hmmm, everyone 100% proficient? As you already know, for 100% of any large group to be proficient in anything the bar has to be set mighty low, and that is exactly what happened. To make strides toward this unrealistic goal and avoid the penalties, many states chose to dumb down their tests thus enabling more students to be deemed proficient. Need I say more?

Despite my best attempts to understand the reasoning behind the actions of our local and national leaders, I remain at a loss. I guess these things are not meant for a mere taxpaying citizen to understand. If you have any similar type questions or answers to my ponderings, please feel free to email these to me, and I will try to pass these along in future articles.

Dr. D. Jackson Maxwell is a parent, freelance writer, and Educational Consultant. If you have any questions or comments, please email him at djacksonmaxwell@gmail.com.

By Diana Owen

Our city is a cog in the American wheel of starving artists – raw talent just beginning. Memphis is famous for supporting little buds of creativity, nurturing them, and making them shine before unleashing them on the world. This is a great place to be from, and more importantly, most artists don’t make it big here. They drink themselves into a blur and find fellow creative minds to help them trudge along toward some semblance of an income. This sort of limping toward the future is part of what eventually endeared me to the protagonist of Nathan Summers’ debut novel, GPS.

GPS is a compelling story written for baseball enthusiasts, sci-fi junkies, and bookworms alike. It’s a tale of a man finding out what he’s capable of in spite of the most bizarre and horrifying conditions. After reading this book, I had a few things that were gnawing at me, so I contacted the new author to see if he may be able to take a break from his day job as a sports reporter and answer them. Here’s what I got:

Q: You’re familiar with our city. What does Memphis represent to you as an artist?

A: When you come to Memphis you don’t have to go to a certain street to find out what’s happening. It kind of finds you. It’s one of the few cities in America that tells you its story without you necessarily having to go to a particular museum or a certain restaurant. Although Beale Street, like Bourbon in New Orleans, will always be the place tourists want to see first, it’s not until you’ve gotten that part of it out of your system that you can start to really appreciate Memphis. My decade of living, working, and traveling throughout the Southeast has changed my perspective on things – people, art, music – and Memphis is one of my most-visited, most-loved places. You walk into Uncle Lou’s, for example, and you don’t have to ask them to tell you what Memphis people are like because you live it. For those 20 minutes you’re just part of it. They embrace strangers and regulars alike, and the man himself comes to your table to make sure you love his food.

Q: How did your past and family history influence your characters and/or certain scenes in GPS?

A: GPS became a multi-layered story very quickly, and it actually forced me to learn a good deal more than I already knew about war and about those who commit themselves to causes that might well cost them their lives. As the story grew, so too did the parallel between the unknown war Jeff discovers and the ones that shaped American history, namely WWII. In one of the book’s critical scenes, elderly veterans of the war recount their experiences, drawing comparisons to today’s war on terror. In trying to capture the feeling of young men in early 1940s America, I turned to plenty of historical accounts but also to my late grandfather’s WWII letters home. GPS constantly challenged me to learn more, to be more accurate, and to rely very little on what I previously thought I knew.

Yet, much of the content of the story and the backbone of its construction is about me – my life spent around baseball, my love for New Orleans, and my own experiences with family and friends. It not only made me understand better how someone becomes so committed to a cause he earns Purple Hearts in two separate major conflicts, but my WWII research also led me to my second writing project, retracing my grandfather’s path through the Pacific through his letters.

Q: It seems like Jeff is a drop in the bucket of humanity. By that I mean that he doesn’t necessarily have any distinguishing characteristics that make him stand out. How did you decide to create him as a sort of Everyman?

A: The characters I typically fall for and the stories I usually try to write don’t begin with heroes already decorated in medals and glory. Instead, like Jeff Delaney and Felix Ascondo, they usually begin as people in need of help, a break, or a change; people who don’t possess special powers or rule countries, at least not when we first meet them. After that, it’s on. Jeff’s ordinary challenges make the otherworldly ones more appreciable. If he was a picture of perfection, a perfect husband with a great job, Jeff’s story could never have happened. Jeff Delaney really is an ordinary man, and GPS is a story of a man who cares about only one thing as the other things in his life fall by the wayside. Jeff’s downward spiral into alcoholism isn’t halted by magic or spells or sorcery, but by a willingness to let everything go and recreate himself.

By Betty Lamarr

I am sure you have all heard that we need to embrace our differences. After all, anyone who has had to deal with people of the opposite gender, the opposite side of the political spectrum, or from opposite religious philosophies would tell you that embracing similarities is not the problem. People who think and look the way we do are the ones that we embrace. It’s those [insert least favorite sports team/religious group/political group here] that are the ones who are wrong in their ways. Well, this may often be the case. However, do you ever notice that the most terrifying confrontation for some is not facing opposite cultures or philosophies but looking in the mirror?

It is often mentioned that people who are passionately against the rights of homosexuals are frequently those with homosexual tendencies they are ashamed of. It has been written in history that Hitler, who was trying to weed the population down into a specific “perfect” race, had his own bout of image issues before his eventual suicide. We have all met people who are excellent at religious rituals and frequently go to church but are hiding a secret sin. Confronting who we really are can be so horrifying that we quickly find another person or thing to point our finger at. As long as the focus is on hating others we don’t have to deal with our own inner humanity. We don’t have to deal with learning to love ourselves.

On the flip side, sometimes those who can’t love themselves actually inflict harm or discrimination upon people who look or act like them. A circumstance like this happened to me just the other day. I live in an area where I am one of the only black women in my complex. As I was leaving home, I met another black woman who looked shocked to see me in the area. I greeted her immediately and expected her to be friendly in return, but she barely spoke to me. It seemed difficult for her to embrace the fact that someone of her race would live in the same area. I have heard similar scenarios from friends of many different races. Do you think this could stem from the other person trying to run away from who they really are? Perhaps we would not judge others so harshly if we did not see some of ourselves in the thing we don’t like.

One of the wonderful things about God is that he made us all unique. Each person is their own beautiful color with their own combination of personality characteristics, talents, and gifts. What you may see as a personal weakness may be a source of strength for others. It is all too easy to look at others with a judgmental and competitive spirit. I know from my own experiences how some people can judge simply based on if your business is profitable or if they feel your car is too nice. Competition can easily turn into jealousy. However, if people realized that they are full of strengths and talents that other people (perhaps the person they are the most jealous of) is lacking, then that judgment would cease to exist.

Before you embrace appreciating the differences of others, take a long hard look in the mirror and appreciate the amazing creation God has made. Your skin color, your gifts, your ideas, your experiences, and your personality are all what makes you into the person you were designed to be. Be proud of it! When you see some of that in others, embrace it! And when you see differences, embrace the variety and uniqueness of creation. You cannot love others until you genuinely love yourself. Embrace who God has created you to be and end the awful trend of self-hatred. This simple step can help end racism, sexism, and a variety of other destructive forces that inhabit our society. Tomorrow, take a long look in the mirror…and smile.

Betty LaMarr is an advocate for social issues and concerns. You may contact her with questions or comments at askbettylamarr@aol.com.

By Milton

Note: Milton the cat decided to write this month’s column while his mom, Trisha Gurley, was at work.

Hi everyone. It’s my understanding that my mother writes a column for this here paper. I know what you’re thinking: how does a cat type with no opposable thumbs? None of your business, silly human. We cats can do much more than you think.

I was initially sprung from the Memphis/Shelby County Humane Society by my parents after being there for two years. What happened to me in the years before is shrouded in mystery. I’m a renaissance cat, and I prefer to look forward. I am also a black cat. I am told this worked to my disadvantage when trying to find a family since black cats are considered unlucky. Humph. I prefer to think I am always perfectly dressed to match with any decor or outfit. Mom likes that my shed hair does not affect her primarily dark wardrobe. She was not put off by my dark shroud that day she looked for a new friend at the Humane Society. But I admit I fooled her.

When my mom scooped me out of my cage that day, I was thrilled to get attention all to myself. Not that I was neglected in my temporary home. But my caretakers had a lot of other kitties to look after, and I was pretty low maintenance at the time. I knew she was good people, so I made sure to purr and rub my fuzzy head on her shoulder. My plan worked, mom melted, and I was taken to my new home that day.

I say that I fooled her because once I was adjusted, I began executing my plan to take over the world. You may not know that all felines are in cahoots to take over the world or at least our domains. Mom still likes to scoop me up and cuddle me, and I’ll indulge her for a minute or so but then it’s time to move along. I have plans to make and such plans exhaust me, hence all the naps we cats take. Other times I’m deciphering quantum physics in my head. It varies.

Mom got another surprise when I began my nightly ritual of running from the bedroom window to the living room window, jumping on the sills and meowing. I make sure to do this just as she’s falling asleep. She’s grown accustomed after all these years, but does not realize I am protecting our domain. I am an older kitty now, so I have grown more ornery. Since I am strictly an indoor kitty, this is my way of telling other neighborhood critters to stay off our lawn. My meow strikes unspeakable fear into the hearts of trespassers or potential burglars! I am a mighty hunter and a mighty warrior, people!

Aside from guarding our home, my daily routine involves ensuring my food and water bowls are filled and refreshed adequately. So far my parents do an excellent job of this, but only because I remind them multiple times a day. I also like to keep the humans limber and sharp by dodging in front of them as they walk, or even nibbling on their toes as they try to sleep. Some cats do this as a means to kill or injure their humans, but I prefer to think I’m helping them stay active so they might serve my needs longer. I’m also responsible for pest control in the home, but as I’ve aged I feel such work is beneath me. Bugs are toys to bat about and forget.

I’m a very generous and noble cat for doing all these things for free. My shiny black coat ensures I will look good while I do what I do, and that’s important. Uh oh, I think mom just came home. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to nap or maybe conjure new tactical moves. Later, silly humans.