In the 1850s game was abundant in Johnson County. Record books list deer as being seen in many locations across the county. Other animals listed include the American panther or cougar, lynx or wildcat, the common wolf (timber and prairie), red fox, weasels, badgers, mink, otter, bear, raccoons, and many more! A grizzly bear was even reported on Old Mans Creek not far from the site of Hills Elementary School.
The wolves seemed to be abundant and were quite a problem. They seemed fearless and would raid farmers’ livestock and carry off animals regularly. They were doing so much damage that by 1841 Johnson County officials put a bounty in place for wolf scalps. It started out at one dollar per scalp but was raised to three dollars by 1850.
There were many hunters in those days…many hunters, and each with many stories of their adventures in the woods and fields around Johnson County. One was J.M. Douglass who was a crack shot and well known for bringing home a lot of food for the dinner table. It is said that one time he killed 5 prairie chicken with one shot. Even better known was his friend J.J. Shephardson.
J.J. was said to be the greatest hunter in Johnson County. It is said that he killed forty deer and forty-two wild turkeys in one year. One evening, on the way home from a successful hunt for wild turkey, a pack of wolves began to follow him. He had to move quickly to escape them. Fortunately, when he was near his home his dogs came out to greet him and chased the wild pack off. He had similar experiences with wolves on other occasions and barely escaped more than once.
After many close calls he became a wolf hunter and collected many bounties. So it is no surprise that Shephardson and Douglas were very interested when they began to hear many stories about the "White Wolf" that was wreaking havoc in many parts of the county.
It was known far and wide as the "big white wolf" and made his first appearance in the county around 1850. He was seen from time to time for many years in several parts of the county. Many people saw him and many more wished to see this incredible creature.
He was a wolf like no other in the country. Such was his strength that he could carry off a full-grown sheep with ease and handled numerous dogs as if were but terriers.
Many attempts were made to kill or capture but the beast was wary and few got within gunshot of him. Once he was caught in a trap but carried the trap for many miles before breaking free of it and losing a toe, as was discovered by looking at his tracks the next time he appeared in the area.
Several times massive amounts of poison was laid out for him but it seemed to have no effect on him. He seemed invincible!
Douglas and Shephardson saw it as a great challenge and decided to go after the white wolf. They tried every manner of method to trap or kill him to no avail. He always stayed out of shooting range, seemed unfazed by the poisons that were put out for him, and never allowed himself to be in range of a gun.
Douglas and Shephardson decided that the only way to get the white wolf was with a trap. The white wolf had slipped out of many traps over the years and because he lost that toe he was wary of them, too. Traps in those days were generally staked to the ground. The white wolf had pulled many or those stakes out and shaken off the trap without much trouble.
Douglas and Shephardson came up with a plan. They would use two traps and fasten them together with a heavy log chain attached to a blacksmith’s sledge. They figured when the wolf got one leg in the trap he would stumble around and get a leg in the other trap. The sledge was so heavy he would never be able to drag it off.
Days went by as the watched the traps from a distant location. They took out fresh meat from time to time hoping to draw the big wolf in. Days turned to weeks and weeks months. Finally, when they were just about to give up it happened.
Late, one night they heard a tremendous commotion out towards the traps. Horrendous growls and howling filled the night air. They knew they must have him! They turned their four big hounds lose and they headed across the field to the trap spot, but to their surprise when they got there the wolf, traps, and sledge were gone!
They could see that the big white wolf had drug everything off. The dogs set off in the dark night after him. The two men followed along struggling to find there way through the night. They could only imagine how strong this beast must be?
Around sunrise they caught up with the dogs that had now cornered the big wolf near Clear Creek. He had slipped out of one trap and was dragging it and the log chain with the sledge still attached. The dogs attacked him several times, but he fought them off seriously injuring two of them. As the men approached the wolf headed across the creek pulling everything along with him. The two remaining dogs were in hot pursuit. The creek only had a few inches of water that time of year but pulling the extra load was difficult and the old wolf stopped in the middle of the creek and turned on the remaining dogs. The dogs tried to bring the big beast down to no avail and the men couldn't get a shot for fear of hitting one of them.
Finally, Shephardson when down into the creek to try to help the dogs out. About that time the wolf made a huge surge and pulled out of the last trap. Thinking he was going to get away, Shephardson grabbed the animal by the trail. It pulled him across the creek and about half-way up the bank on the other side. There Shepardson was able to pull out his knife and kill the beast before he, himself, was killed.
The white Wolf was said to have legs as big as a man's arm and stood four-feet three inches tall. Its hair was white tipped with steel gray roots.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Sunday, May 02, 2010
Roots
Today I went to our cousin, Perry Bender’s greenhouse. I bought a couple plants and a freshly dressed chicken. I showed Perry my copy to the Joseph Goldsmith book. He was fascinated with it and knew many people in the book. Perry is an old order Amish. Very interesting guy!
I went from Perry’s to cousin E. Dale Miller’s house. He is another old order Amish and, believe it or not, an excellent small engine repairman. Not one electric light in his workshop! He fixed my gas hedge trimmer a while back and I picked it up today. He liked the book, too. Joseph Goldsmith is held in high esteem buy all Mennonites and Amish! Through the Egli's (Dad's mother) we are direct descendents of him.
E. Dale also liked the Got Harmonica sign on my back 4runner window and said he was a harmonica player, too. He also raises goats and sells the milk. A truck from Wisconsin comes down twice a week and picks it up.
From E.Dale’s house I went to the Amish bakery, Golden Delight, out in the country north of Kalona. Wow! Great pastry!
The next stop was Paul Beachy’s green house just on the north edge or Kalona. Paul is an old order Amish that has the biggest green house I have every seen! Not sure we are related to him but he is a great guy and a leader of the local Amish.
If this is an indication of what retirement will bring, I'm gonna love it!
I went from Perry’s to cousin E. Dale Miller’s house. He is another old order Amish and, believe it or not, an excellent small engine repairman. Not one electric light in his workshop! He fixed my gas hedge trimmer a while back and I picked it up today. He liked the book, too. Joseph Goldsmith is held in high esteem buy all Mennonites and Amish! Through the Egli's (Dad's mother) we are direct descendents of him.
E. Dale also liked the Got Harmonica sign on my back 4runner window and said he was a harmonica player, too. He also raises goats and sells the milk. A truck from Wisconsin comes down twice a week and picks it up.
From E.Dale’s house I went to the Amish bakery, Golden Delight, out in the country north of Kalona. Wow! Great pastry!
The next stop was Paul Beachy’s green house just on the north edge or Kalona. Paul is an old order Amish that has the biggest green house I have every seen! Not sure we are related to him but he is a great guy and a leader of the local Amish.
If this is an indication of what retirement will bring, I'm gonna love it!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
90s52 Time For A Break
This is the 52nd installment of the 1990s. It is 260th installment in five years, overall. I wrote 52 for each decade from the 1950s though the 1990s. I have posted a few extra ones that are included that I am not counting. All but the first 30 or so are posted on the Got Harmonica website. A few have been published in one place or another.
For years my wife and other family members have encouraged me to write down the stories I often tell. I set out to do that one-decade at a time starting with the 50s the first year and working my way through each consecutive decade. The intended audience has always been my family but sometimes I wrote the piece just for me.
Initially, I wasn’t sure I could think of 52 things to write about a decade but quickly realized that was not a problem. The more I wrote the more I remembered and the problem became deciding which ones to include. I left many things out!
I have used my father’s journal, my mother’s recollections and notes, and my own journals and notes from over the years. There is a wealth of information, much yet untold, in these resources.
I found it much easier to tell the stories of the early years, the first 30 or so, of my life. The more recent the event the harder it was to tell and the more I worried about accuracy and not offending anyone. I fully expected that relatives and friends would take issue with some of the stories I told or the accuracy of the details I included. It never happened! What did happen was that I think I inspired a few to write stories from their own lives.
My most recent ones, the decade of the 90s, includes a lot of journal entries from that decade. Sometimes I commented on them and sometimes I just let them stand on their own. I did alter them enough to make sure the characters weren’t recognizable. At some point I will return to many of them and tell more of the stories. It just seems very hard for me to do that when it all happened relatively recently.
I still have many stories to tell and someday will take on the rest of the decades of my life. For now, I am going to take a respite from the weekly deadline of completing and posting a piece. I will continue to write and am looking forward to going back and telling some of the stories I skipped over.
The entire time my wife, Becky, has been my faithful editor. I am grateful for her willingness and critical eye. I am grateful, too, for those who encouraged me all along. I have a tendency to set impossible expectations for myself and then burn myself out trying to live up to them. Sometimes I am just too stubborn for my own good.
Anyway, check in once in awhile to see if there is anything new. In the meantime, never underestimate yourself or anyone else.
For years my wife and other family members have encouraged me to write down the stories I often tell. I set out to do that one-decade at a time starting with the 50s the first year and working my way through each consecutive decade. The intended audience has always been my family but sometimes I wrote the piece just for me.
Initially, I wasn’t sure I could think of 52 things to write about a decade but quickly realized that was not a problem. The more I wrote the more I remembered and the problem became deciding which ones to include. I left many things out!
I have used my father’s journal, my mother’s recollections and notes, and my own journals and notes from over the years. There is a wealth of information, much yet untold, in these resources.
I found it much easier to tell the stories of the early years, the first 30 or so, of my life. The more recent the event the harder it was to tell and the more I worried about accuracy and not offending anyone. I fully expected that relatives and friends would take issue with some of the stories I told or the accuracy of the details I included. It never happened! What did happen was that I think I inspired a few to write stories from their own lives.
My most recent ones, the decade of the 90s, includes a lot of journal entries from that decade. Sometimes I commented on them and sometimes I just let them stand on their own. I did alter them enough to make sure the characters weren’t recognizable. At some point I will return to many of them and tell more of the stories. It just seems very hard for me to do that when it all happened relatively recently.
I still have many stories to tell and someday will take on the rest of the decades of my life. For now, I am going to take a respite from the weekly deadline of completing and posting a piece. I will continue to write and am looking forward to going back and telling some of the stories I skipped over.
The entire time my wife, Becky, has been my faithful editor. I am grateful for her willingness and critical eye. I am grateful, too, for those who encouraged me all along. I have a tendency to set impossible expectations for myself and then burn myself out trying to live up to them. Sometimes I am just too stubborn for my own good.
Anyway, check in once in awhile to see if there is anything new. In the meantime, never underestimate yourself or anyone else.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
90s51 Truancy
Friday, February 4, 2000 – One of our students hasn’t been in school all week. The parents say the child has a cold. I think school refusal might be part of it. It is very possible that the parents will blame us for this again even though it has gone very well while the child has been here. Who knows how this will turn out? I was on stand-by at Hills last week and had all kinds of trouble out there. When that happens it takes a lot of time from Longfellow. PTA met last night. The president continues to be very cold towards me and only speaks if she wants something. Staff anxiety seems to be going up here. This seems to happen about every year at this time although this seems to be a little early. Lots of complaining about things and making demands of the secretary and sometimes me.
Tuesday, February 15, 2000 – We had a formal lunch yesterday for Valentines Day and it went very well. This is the second year that we have done this. The school board continues to press for what they call measurable “ends policies.” I think Deming called that rear view mirror driving but I guess we are going to do it anyway. I prefer to build the quality in all the away along. Actually, I think we are already doing that and we have way too many people outside of education telling us what we ought to be doing. One of our frequently absent students is back in school and doing ok though he has had a few problems. One teacher has been unhappy about her assignment all year and can’t seem to move on. The CAO has now given her an associate, but she is still unhappy. Her schedule is not all that bad even thought she goes to three buildings she has 70 minutes of prep daily just at Longfellow but she can’t see that. I don’t think she will stay in the district after this year. Compared to the rest of the Longfellow staff she is not a very hard worker and doesn’t put out the effort that many of them do. She simply is mad about having to serve three schools and can’t get past that. She has made it hard on the rest of our staff. We got our staffing projections for next year. The numbers are not nearly as good as I had hoped. At the primary our ratio is 6.78. We now have 7.0 and I had hoped to have that again. At 3-6 it is 6.90. I hoped it would be much higher…at least 7.0. I don’t know what will happen, but I don’t think half sections will be a popular option. I’ll talk with the site council about it next week.
Thursday, February 17, 2000 – I did storytelling last night at Twain for their Read-In. it was fun and it went well. I used my new poem “Gentle Bill” for the first time and it went over well. I still have to work on getting in memorized but am pleased that it went so well. A frequently absent student refused to come to school yesterday and today. We tried typing a list of things she does well to boost his confidence but she still didn’t want to come in. Forecasts are for heavy snow tonight. Tomorrow is a conference day so I don’t know what will happen.
Tuesday, February 15, 2000 – We had a formal lunch yesterday for Valentines Day and it went very well. This is the second year that we have done this. The school board continues to press for what they call measurable “ends policies.” I think Deming called that rear view mirror driving but I guess we are going to do it anyway. I prefer to build the quality in all the away along. Actually, I think we are already doing that and we have way too many people outside of education telling us what we ought to be doing. One of our frequently absent students is back in school and doing ok though he has had a few problems. One teacher has been unhappy about her assignment all year and can’t seem to move on. The CAO has now given her an associate, but she is still unhappy. Her schedule is not all that bad even thought she goes to three buildings she has 70 minutes of prep daily just at Longfellow but she can’t see that. I don’t think she will stay in the district after this year. Compared to the rest of the Longfellow staff she is not a very hard worker and doesn’t put out the effort that many of them do. She simply is mad about having to serve three schools and can’t get past that. She has made it hard on the rest of our staff. We got our staffing projections for next year. The numbers are not nearly as good as I had hoped. At the primary our ratio is 6.78. We now have 7.0 and I had hoped to have that again. At 3-6 it is 6.90. I hoped it would be much higher…at least 7.0. I don’t know what will happen, but I don’t think half sections will be a popular option. I’ll talk with the site council about it next week.
Thursday, February 17, 2000 – I did storytelling last night at Twain for their Read-In. it was fun and it went well. I used my new poem “Gentle Bill” for the first time and it went over well. I still have to work on getting in memorized but am pleased that it went so well. A frequently absent student refused to come to school yesterday and today. We tried typing a list of things she does well to boost his confidence but she still didn’t want to come in. Forecasts are for heavy snow tonight. Tomorrow is a conference day so I don’t know what will happen.
90s50 Happy New Year
Tuesday, January 4, 2000 – We are all back from winter break. The Y2K glitches that were forecast by many just didn’t happen. The new year seems to be off to a good start. We have lost some students but are also picking up some. Several of them are ESL students so that will help our numbers in that area. We need to hire a 3-hour office associate and a 6-hour one-on-one associate. Hopefully, we can find some good candidates for those positions.
Wednesday, January 12, 2000 – Rumors are that the parents in one of our families’ have separated. These are the parents who gave us so much trouble at the beginning of the year and questioned everything we did. One was upset about having three and a half sections at third/fourth grade, about supervision during recess and on field trips and about everything else. For a while they wanted their fourth grader moved up to fifth grade. I will not be surprised if it is true because they seemed to be so tense and uptight all of the time. Too bad for the kids! We have all felt they certainly needed some counseling. Hopefully this is getting some help.
Friday, January 21, 2000 – A challenging student is back this week and has done very well. The associate is working out well. The child’s mother called me last week and said she didn’t know anything about the child coming back and ask how we were handling it and what accommodations we were making. That caught me off guard because I called her the week before and explained the whole thing and told her who the associate would be. We had all agreed on the accommodations at the December 9, meeting so I don’t know what she was talking about? It has worked out fine and she is coming in next Tuesday to talk about the schedule. Teacher observations have gone well and I am pretty much on schedule.
Monday, January 24, 2000 – A parent came in at the end of the day today. She told me that another parent had pressured her to write a letter against me. She said she reluctantly did but did not say what the other person wanted her to say. She said she also met with Superintendent about it. She said she told him we had some disagreements but that she thought I was very good with kids and the staff and that she didn’t think I did as well with parents. She said other person wanted me removed but that she didn’t support that. She was feeling guilty about doing all this behind my back and wanted me to know about it. It is very interesting that she would come in and tell me this. I do know that the other parent has tried to get several others to write letters but hasn’t had much success. It is sad that this person can’t move on. This parent has alienated many parents and staff but somehow still believes they are on her side. I really haven’t felt the need to fight back because I just don’t think it would be productive but I do think this person is a dangerous threat. This person has dramatic mood swings that many have noticed. I’m not sure this person’s mental health is all that good. This is probably going to be like this the rest of the time their children are here.
Wednesday, January 12, 2000 – Rumors are that the parents in one of our families’ have separated. These are the parents who gave us so much trouble at the beginning of the year and questioned everything we did. One was upset about having three and a half sections at third/fourth grade, about supervision during recess and on field trips and about everything else. For a while they wanted their fourth grader moved up to fifth grade. I will not be surprised if it is true because they seemed to be so tense and uptight all of the time. Too bad for the kids! We have all felt they certainly needed some counseling. Hopefully this is getting some help.
Friday, January 21, 2000 – A challenging student is back this week and has done very well. The associate is working out well. The child’s mother called me last week and said she didn’t know anything about the child coming back and ask how we were handling it and what accommodations we were making. That caught me off guard because I called her the week before and explained the whole thing and told her who the associate would be. We had all agreed on the accommodations at the December 9, meeting so I don’t know what she was talking about? It has worked out fine and she is coming in next Tuesday to talk about the schedule. Teacher observations have gone well and I am pretty much on schedule.
Monday, January 24, 2000 – A parent came in at the end of the day today. She told me that another parent had pressured her to write a letter against me. She said she reluctantly did but did not say what the other person wanted her to say. She said she also met with Superintendent about it. She said she told him we had some disagreements but that she thought I was very good with kids and the staff and that she didn’t think I did as well with parents. She said other person wanted me removed but that she didn’t support that. She was feeling guilty about doing all this behind my back and wanted me to know about it. It is very interesting that she would come in and tell me this. I do know that the other parent has tried to get several others to write letters but hasn’t had much success. It is sad that this person can’t move on. This parent has alienated many parents and staff but somehow still believes they are on her side. I really haven’t felt the need to fight back because I just don’t think it would be productive but I do think this person is a dangerous threat. This person has dramatic mood swings that many have noticed. I’m not sure this person’s mental health is all that good. This is probably going to be like this the rest of the time their children are here.
90s49 More Difficulties
Friday, December 10, 1999 – Today I met with Longfellow Key, our before and after school program, to talk about concerns they have with a difficult parent. This parent has been rude to them and demanding of their space for PTA functions. Apparently, this parent told them the PTA had priority of their program and they would just have to work around the PTA events. I assured him that was not true and that if it happened again he should refer them to the office. He said the Key board of directors was upset about the issue. Once again a difficult parent feels compelled to make the lives of others miserable unnecessarily.
Another parent meeting went fairly well. At least, there were no major outbursts. We are just giving in and doing everything they ask. As long as they get their way they are happy. It’s too bad for the child, but I think everyone is afraid of these people. Besides, what do we know? We have only successfully educated thousands of children.
Friday, December 17, 1999 – Today is the last day of school for this century. Students will be out two weeks. We are losing an associate over the break. He will be going to Mann (maybe?) and we will be hiring a 3-hour and a 6-hour associate. He was not very popular here or at the building where he was before. He doesn’t have good social skills. I hope things work out for him. I am going to be working 3 days each week over break. I hope to get a lot done.
Tuesday, December 21, 1999 – It now appears that the associate I mentioned earlier will be going to his original building instead of Mann. The CAO changed their mind on that one. I think Mann may have complained so much that they decided to send him back to the original building. I’m sure they won’t like that. Interesting implications from this include if you don’t like somebody bad enough you don’t have to take them. Actually, I don’t think the Mann staff ever met him. His reputation was just too much for them.
Friday was the last day here for one of the difficult kids we have come to love. As always, it is hard to let them go. He will be going to the BD program at Lemme. We will miss him but I’m sure it is the best for him.
I think I have finished the first round of teacher observations and am planning on working on the baseline competencies this week and next while there isn’t anybody around to interrupt me.
We have read and heard a lot lately about the y2k implications. That is short to what might happen when the calendar roles over to 2000. Apparently, many believed it would have a dramatic effect on computers.
Another parent meeting went fairly well. At least, there were no major outbursts. We are just giving in and doing everything they ask. As long as they get their way they are happy. It’s too bad for the child, but I think everyone is afraid of these people. Besides, what do we know? We have only successfully educated thousands of children.
Friday, December 17, 1999 – Today is the last day of school for this century. Students will be out two weeks. We are losing an associate over the break. He will be going to Mann (maybe?) and we will be hiring a 3-hour and a 6-hour associate. He was not very popular here or at the building where he was before. He doesn’t have good social skills. I hope things work out for him. I am going to be working 3 days each week over break. I hope to get a lot done.
Tuesday, December 21, 1999 – It now appears that the associate I mentioned earlier will be going to his original building instead of Mann. The CAO changed their mind on that one. I think Mann may have complained so much that they decided to send him back to the original building. I’m sure they won’t like that. Interesting implications from this include if you don’t like somebody bad enough you don’t have to take them. Actually, I don’t think the Mann staff ever met him. His reputation was just too much for them.
Friday was the last day here for one of the difficult kids we have come to love. As always, it is hard to let them go. He will be going to the BD program at Lemme. We will miss him but I’m sure it is the best for him.
I think I have finished the first round of teacher observations and am planning on working on the baseline competencies this week and next while there isn’t anybody around to interrupt me.
We have read and heard a lot lately about the y2k implications. That is short to what might happen when the calendar roles over to 2000. Apparently, many believed it would have a dramatic effect on computers.
Monday, March 01, 2010
90s48 Distractions
Sometimes I think we got what we asked for. We wanted more government support for education. We got it but along with it came more rules and regulations. We wanted more parent involvement in their children’s education. We got it and along with it came more parents second-guessing and questioning.
Hours are spent responding to government rules and parent interactions. Much of that time could be better spent actually preparing to work and working with students.
Parent interaction is important. We should be partners in the education of all children. Some of the required paperwork is good. Our decisions should be data driven. But, when parents and government requirements occupy large percentages of your time, it is not productive.
Tuesday, November 30, 1999 – I have done 4 or 5 evaluations so far and have about that many more to do in the first round. I hope to have them done soon. I got a rather long email from an upset parent yesterday outlining his frustration with the staff and me. I wrote him a response but doubt that it will satisfy him. I also CCed the letter and my response to our acting Assistant Superintendent. The Central Office has been silent on this. I think because this person is prominent in the community. We are kind of out on a limb here. I hope no one cuts it off. I have noticed the pre-holiday stress level of parents and staff going up lately. It seems to be this way every year.
Friday, December 3, 1999 – I am looking forward to deer hunting tomorrow. It is rainy today so I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow. I have heard we may get snow on Sunday. That wouldn’t hurt. All is quiet at school today.
Wednesday, December 8, 1999 – I have heard many more complaints from parents about the way one parent does things and how rude he/she is to them. They have also said this person is back on the issue of the meeting last spring and the perception of how I treated him/her. This person is still trying to get parents and staff members to take their side on the issue. It is making a lot of people very uncomfortable. He/She just can’t seem to move on. I’m sure we will have to deal with this for a long time. Many parents have told me they are not involved with PTA because of this person. Too bad! We need their support and I hate to see one person driving people away. This person clearly wants to control everything they can and is frustrated that I won’t let that happen.
We have a meeting about a difficult student on Thursday. I hope it goes better than the last one. The parents are so angry with us and the people at Child Psych. have not helped. We do really want to do what is best for the child but the parents are not able to look at the issues objectively. Hopefully we can work through this? This time of the year is always stressful for staff and parents. Me, too, sometimes. I’ll be glad when winter break is here. I do plan to work over the break to get some work done.
Hours are spent responding to government rules and parent interactions. Much of that time could be better spent actually preparing to work and working with students.
Parent interaction is important. We should be partners in the education of all children. Some of the required paperwork is good. Our decisions should be data driven. But, when parents and government requirements occupy large percentages of your time, it is not productive.
Tuesday, November 30, 1999 – I have done 4 or 5 evaluations so far and have about that many more to do in the first round. I hope to have them done soon. I got a rather long email from an upset parent yesterday outlining his frustration with the staff and me. I wrote him a response but doubt that it will satisfy him. I also CCed the letter and my response to our acting Assistant Superintendent. The Central Office has been silent on this. I think because this person is prominent in the community. We are kind of out on a limb here. I hope no one cuts it off. I have noticed the pre-holiday stress level of parents and staff going up lately. It seems to be this way every year.
Friday, December 3, 1999 – I am looking forward to deer hunting tomorrow. It is rainy today so I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow. I have heard we may get snow on Sunday. That wouldn’t hurt. All is quiet at school today.
Wednesday, December 8, 1999 – I have heard many more complaints from parents about the way one parent does things and how rude he/she is to them. They have also said this person is back on the issue of the meeting last spring and the perception of how I treated him/her. This person is still trying to get parents and staff members to take their side on the issue. It is making a lot of people very uncomfortable. He/She just can’t seem to move on. I’m sure we will have to deal with this for a long time. Many parents have told me they are not involved with PTA because of this person. Too bad! We need their support and I hate to see one person driving people away. This person clearly wants to control everything they can and is frustrated that I won’t let that happen.
We have a meeting about a difficult student on Thursday. I hope it goes better than the last one. The parents are so angry with us and the people at Child Psych. have not helped. We do really want to do what is best for the child but the parents are not able to look at the issues objectively. Hopefully we can work through this? This time of the year is always stressful for staff and parents. Me, too, sometimes. I’ll be glad when winter break is here. I do plan to work over the break to get some work done.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
90s47 Busy Schedule
Monday, November 8, 1999 – My Dad fell down the basement steps on Halloween. He received a serious cut on the forehead and was up here in U of I Hospital all week. He is doing much better now and is in skilled nursing care in New London for about a week. In the meantime things have gone pretty well at Longfellow. We didn’t get a troubled family we were expecting so that is a break in our favor. This morning we met with another tough family and that meeting went well. They have wanted acceleration for one of their children, but it is not going to happen. Relations with the disgruntled parent who complained to the the superintendent and the board have been better lately. You never know what this person will do so that could change at anytime. I am really trying to avoid conflict with him if at all possible. I am meeting with the PTA Exec. Board today to discuss PTA projects.
Friday, November 12, 1999 – Things have been fairly calm this week. The PTA is having their fall dinner tonight. I am planning on going and helping for an hour or so and then Becky and I are going out to dinner. This one is always hard for teachers because many have other plans for Friday evenings, but feel somewhat obligated to attend things like this. Night activities extend the day for the teachers. In this case it extends the week for them. It is early enough that it doesn’t take up their whole evening. I don’t know how many will participate. It will upset the PTA President if there are not a lot of our staff there. The PTA also wants to have their pajama night on a Friday night early in December. That is a busy time so we have encouraged them to consider having it in January or February. In the past it has been in the middle of November and not many teachers have participated.
Tuesday, November 23, 1999 – We had a meeting at Child Psych. last night regarding one of our students. It didn’t go well! One of the parents became very upset and directed most of the anger at me. I was simply trying to defend the teachers. That person still insists that there would be no problems if we do the accommodations. We do try to do all of the accommodations but that is difficult when we are serving so many kids. Even when we do there are problems. Last spring was a good example of that. We are trying very hard to serve this child and every time something goes wrong the parents think it is our fault. Child Psych. had told us they were going to recommend a more restrictive setting but they did not do that in the meeting. We felt they really turned on the school. The child will probably be coming back to Longfellow after winter break. We are having a transition meeting here on December 9, 1999.
Friday, November 12, 1999 – Things have been fairly calm this week. The PTA is having their fall dinner tonight. I am planning on going and helping for an hour or so and then Becky and I are going out to dinner. This one is always hard for teachers because many have other plans for Friday evenings, but feel somewhat obligated to attend things like this. Night activities extend the day for the teachers. In this case it extends the week for them. It is early enough that it doesn’t take up their whole evening. I don’t know how many will participate. It will upset the PTA President if there are not a lot of our staff there. The PTA also wants to have their pajama night on a Friday night early in December. That is a busy time so we have encouraged them to consider having it in January or February. In the past it has been in the middle of November and not many teachers have participated.
Tuesday, November 23, 1999 – We had a meeting at Child Psych. last night regarding one of our students. It didn’t go well! One of the parents became very upset and directed most of the anger at me. I was simply trying to defend the teachers. That person still insists that there would be no problems if we do the accommodations. We do try to do all of the accommodations but that is difficult when we are serving so many kids. Even when we do there are problems. Last spring was a good example of that. We are trying very hard to serve this child and every time something goes wrong the parents think it is our fault. Child Psych. had told us they were going to recommend a more restrictive setting but they did not do that in the meeting. We felt they really turned on the school. The child will probably be coming back to Longfellow after winter break. We are having a transition meeting here on December 9, 1999.
Monday, February 15, 2010
90s46 Telling Information
(Since my journal entries make reference to real people I have changed the information enough to protect identities.)
Tuesday, October 19, 1999 – I met with an upset parent and the Superintendent last week and it went Ok. I think he got his pound of flesh and I hope we can move on. He has very little support from the rest of the parents and the PTA executive board doesn’t support him. He has been very mean to just about everyone. I will try to work with him but can’t let him run over us on every issue. A student has had a lot of difficulty this fall. He is very verbal with profanity and pulled the fire alarm once. He has also pulled down his pants a couple times. We are meeting with his parents today and hoping they will agree to send him to Circle School at Child Psych. That could really help him! We have another child who is very needy and crying out for attention. He is a first grader. He is very disruptive and has been in time out in the office many times. He is very disruptive here, too. We have sent him home twice and may have to do that more often. We met about him this morning and tried to come up with a plan. Hopefully we can help him, but I think he may end up in a BD classroom.
Friday, October 22, 1999 – The parents have agreed to send their child to Circle School at U of I Hospital. That is good news and should help him and us a great deal. It will be a new beginning and should make a big difference for him. We are excited about it. Still dealing with our difficult first grader. We are hoping to get some help from the AEA and he is going to Child Psych. on Monday for an evaluation. Kids like these two are really difficult for us to deal with. Often we really don’t know what to do and try everything we can think of without much success. We really need more supports in the schools for these kids and their teachers. Hopefully, that will happen. In the meantime I think it often has a negative effect on all the students and staff.
Friday, October 29, 1999 – Two students who used to be at Longfellow have been charged with assault and theft. They are fourth graders in another building and may be returning here. Their case is in the courts and I don‘t know what it will mean. A parent made some comments in a public meeting that have several of our staff members upset. He said he and his wife had spent an inordinate amount of time teaching his children’s teachers how to teach. That is pretty offensive! One staff member has already written him a letter about it. The parents have always thought that if we would just do the right things their child would be fine. Their parenting skills are very weak. Their idea of handling him is giving into him so he tantrums every time he doesn’t get his way. We have a behavior plan in place for our first grader who has major behavior problems. I hope we can help him.
Tuesday, October 19, 1999 – I met with an upset parent and the Superintendent last week and it went Ok. I think he got his pound of flesh and I hope we can move on. He has very little support from the rest of the parents and the PTA executive board doesn’t support him. He has been very mean to just about everyone. I will try to work with him but can’t let him run over us on every issue. A student has had a lot of difficulty this fall. He is very verbal with profanity and pulled the fire alarm once. He has also pulled down his pants a couple times. We are meeting with his parents today and hoping they will agree to send him to Circle School at Child Psych. That could really help him! We have another child who is very needy and crying out for attention. He is a first grader. He is very disruptive and has been in time out in the office many times. He is very disruptive here, too. We have sent him home twice and may have to do that more often. We met about him this morning and tried to come up with a plan. Hopefully we can help him, but I think he may end up in a BD classroom.
Friday, October 22, 1999 – The parents have agreed to send their child to Circle School at U of I Hospital. That is good news and should help him and us a great deal. It will be a new beginning and should make a big difference for him. We are excited about it. Still dealing with our difficult first grader. We are hoping to get some help from the AEA and he is going to Child Psych. on Monday for an evaluation. Kids like these two are really difficult for us to deal with. Often we really don’t know what to do and try everything we can think of without much success. We really need more supports in the schools for these kids and their teachers. Hopefully, that will happen. In the meantime I think it often has a negative effect on all the students and staff.
Friday, October 29, 1999 – Two students who used to be at Longfellow have been charged with assault and theft. They are fourth graders in another building and may be returning here. Their case is in the courts and I don‘t know what it will mean. A parent made some comments in a public meeting that have several of our staff members upset. He said he and his wife had spent an inordinate amount of time teaching his children’s teachers how to teach. That is pretty offensive! One staff member has already written him a letter about it. The parents have always thought that if we would just do the right things their child would be fine. Their parenting skills are very weak. Their idea of handling him is giving into him so he tantrums every time he doesn’t get his way. We have a behavior plan in place for our first grader who has major behavior problems. I hope we can help him.
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