Insight: Class is in session

By Ed Pierce
Managing Editor

Teachers are the heart and soul of the American educational system, but it took me marrying one to fully appreciate all they do for us.

Here are a few examples of things that I have observed in the 20 years I have been married to a grade-school teacher:

At the elementary school she taught at in Florida when we first met, she had 22 students in her class. The school had a copy machine exclusively for teachers but to hold down expenses, it would limit teachers to 10 copies made per day. If my wife had to give a test that day, she’d have to plan for it three days ahead based upon her daily copy limitation.

The same thing applied for student handouts or anything else needing to be copied, therefore, to create more flexibility, some teachers would have to negotiate with other teachers who were not making copies that school day. More often it resulted in teachers purchasing a copier for their homes and meant the teacher paid the additional expense of buying copier ink, paper and the copier itself.

Weekends were supposed to be days off for teachers, but a good portion of that is spent grading a mountain of papers or preparing lesson plans for the coming week. Contrary to what I thought previously, most teachers don’t just stand before their students and wing it, they have a plan for everything they want to instruct and developing those plans takes hours of work.

Record-keeping for teachers is also time-consuming. It used to be grades were entered into a teacher’s notebook, but these days grades are kept digitally and navigating that process is not always easy. One year, while adjusting to a new record-keeping software system, all the additional comments my wife entered for student report cards were published twice for some inexplicable reason. The double comments were flagged by the school principal and all her report cards had to be redone at the last minute before being sent home with the students.

One year my wife was assigned to a classroom without a bathroom. Her students had to leave the classroom and walk several doors down to use the restroom. On the first day students had returned to school after two weeks off for the Christmas holidays, a student asked if he could use the restroom, and my wife allowed him to. She asked him to return to the classroom as soon as he was done. It happened to be the lunch period for some other classes at the school and after a few minutes had elapsed, the principal showed up at the classroom door with the student who had left for the restroom.

It seems the student had entered an unlocked classroom of students who were gone for lunch, and he was caught going through the purse of the teacher in that classroom. When asked, he said he was told his teacher wanted to wish the teacher whose purse he was rifling through a “Happy New Year.” That student wasn’t allowed to leave for the restroom unaccompanied again that school year, giving plenty of work to an ed tech assigned to my wife’s classroom.

No matter how hard she tried to help him, that student’s grades never improved and by the end of the school year, he failed to meet the minimum standards to advance to the next grade. My wife recommended to his mother that having him repeat that grade might give him a better grasp of reading and math. However, the student’s mother chose not to hold him back and instead pulled him out of public school and entered him in the next grade at a nearby charter school.

One story that left me scratching my head was about a reading coach at the school. This woman had been a classroom teacher at one time but over the years had been promoted to a position overseeing reading activities and lessons at the school. To help her, the school district gave her volumes of books and instructional materials to share with the teachers to help them boost student reading.

But the reading coach refused to share any of the books with the teachers. She insisted the best way to instruct reading was to read to students attending the school. To get her to visit their classrooms, teachers had to make an appointment and when she was available, she would come in and read to students.

During another school year, my wife was assigned a student who was represented by an attorney. That same class had a defiant student who refused to do his assignment. When my wife asked him to try, he said, “No.” When asked again, he said, “What am I speaking Spanish? I said no.”

My wife’s teaching career included many moments of triumph and success for her students and recently a student she taught in the 1990s reached out to thank her for inspiring her. That student is now a psychologist in Ohio. Many of my wife’s past students are now parents of their own with kids in school themselves.

Teaching is a noble profession that shapes the future, and in my opinion is greatly unappreciated. <

Andy Young: Going nuts over acorns

By Andy Young

Recently I was entertaining company when a sudden noise coming from outside the house made my guest pause mid-sentence and murmur, with a concerned expression, “That sounds like gunfire.” Chuckling knowingly, I explained it was just the sound of acorns falling onto my garage’s roof.

Moments later we heard a sudden rat-a-tat-tat that sounded like machine gun fire. I don’t want friends thinking I reside in a war zone, but that second volley was indeed alarming. Thankfully, it was just another fusillade of acorns coming down in rapid fire fashion on my neighbor's metal roof.

Were acorns locusts, people would be describing what’s currently going on in southern Maine in biblical terms. There is no overstating how many of these ovine nuts are being produced by the oak trees along my street.

There’s always a reason for what Mother Nature does, even if human beings can’t always understand her rationale. I know next to nothing about dendrology (the study of trees; I looked it up), but that ignorance allows me to make up my own explanations regarding why certain things occur (and what’s going to happen as a result) without being contradicted by any pesky documented facts about the subject. Intelligence and education can be awfully inconvenient at times, but fortunately I don’t have that problem when it comes to science.

Or in many other areas, now that I think of it.

I’ve decided that because of all these acorns there’s going to be a bumper crop of small rodents around here next year, since they’re currently stockpiling acorns, and will no doubt be gorging themselves on them this winter.

I’d like to take this opportunity to invite any winged predators who can read this to take up residence rent-free in any tree in my neighborhood. It’d be nice to thin the chipmunk population, since they’ve been a local scourge for the past few years. Given that most of these objectionable rodents will be all but inert next summer thanks to their upcoming gluttony, well, it’s likely that any nearby owls, hawks, or falcons will be looking at a potential cornucopia thanks to the hundreds of morbidly obese chipmunks and squirrels that are all but certain to be waddling around next year. It’ll be like shooting fish in a barrel for any flying carnivore.

The only reason the local rodent population hasn't exploded even further is that there’s competition when it comes to consuming the ongoing oak-provided bounty. Pigeons, ducks, woodpeckers and other birds go for acorns because they’re high in vitamins, carbohydrates, and good fats. Blue Jays have been known to bury acorns and go back to recover them months later.

Bears, possums, and raccoons are all acorn-consumers, too. Another fun fact: acorns can make up 25 percent of a deer’s autumn diet.

So why can’t hungry humans eat some of this fall’s acorn bounty? Well, they taste pretty bitter for one thing. They also contain tannins, which are complex chemical substances derived from phenolic acids. Tannins are considered nutritionally undesirable for humans, even though they can, in low doses, stimulate the immune system and help lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Unfortunately, ingesting too many of them can irritate the stomach lining and intestines, which can cause kidney damage. Tannins can also be toxic to certain animals, so don’t feed acorns to your dog, horse, pig, or sheep.

Eating acorns can harm humans, yet mice, squirrels, chipmunks and deer can munch on them to their little hearts’ content. How does that make sense?

I wonder if an owl or a hawk could take down an acorn-bloated possum, deer, or bear? <

Insight: What’s in a Name?

By Ed Pierce
Managing Editor

The process of creating a nickname for professional athletes has always fascinated me.

Billy Scripture's nickname given to 
him by his fellow ballplayers was
'Old Hardrock.' He could demonstrate
chewing the horsehide off baseballs
for anyone who asked him to.
COURTESY PHOTO  

Some are derived from physical characteristics such as football’s William “The Refrigerator” Perry, so named for his size or Ed “Too Tall” Jones for being an overly large 6-foot-9 defensive end. Then there’s baseball’s Walt “No Neck” Williams stemming from a typhus injection he received as a baby that left him with an overtly short neck, Mark “The Bird” Fidrych for his resemblance to the Sesame Street character Big Bird, or Rusty “Le Grande Orange” Staub, who was so dubbed by French-speaking fans of the old Montreal Expos who admired his flaming red hair.

Basketball has Dennis “The Worm” Rodman who earned the name for the way he wriggled around when playing pinball, Larry “The Hick from French Lick” Bird, who grew up in French Lick, Indiana, and David “The Admiral” Robinson whose nickname pays homage to the time he served in the U.S. Navy.

But my all-time favorite nickname for an athlete is for a minor league baseball player you might not have heard of.

Billy “Old Hardrock” Scripture had that nickname hung on him supposedly for his penchant for munching on rocks with his strong teeth. It wasn’t true, he preferred chewing the horsehide off baseballs.

Earl Wayne “Billy” Scripture had been a star high school quarterback, wrestler, and baseball outfielder at Princess Anne High School in Virginia and earned a baseball scholarship to play at the college level for Wake Forest University. He led his team to consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference titles and was honored as a NCAA All-American before being drafted by the Baltimore Orioles to play professionally.

Working his way up to the Orioles’ top farm team, the Rochester Red Wings in 1968, Scripture was admired for his on-field hustle and never-say-die attitude. He personified toughness, refusing to acknowledge pain when hit by a pitch in his jaw.

According to Scripture, his practice of chewing on baseballs began as a nervous habit while sitting in the dugout at the old Silver Stadium in Rochester and watching his friend and teammate, Merv Rettenmund, batting during games.

Instead of chewing bubble gum, tobacco or sunflower seeds, Scripture would use his teeth to loosen up the heavily stitched seams and then proceed to rip the cover off baseballs. It was a unique talent that drew the scorn of dentists but bonded him forever with teammates and fans.

His ascent to the major leagues stalled because of Scripture’s inability to hit a curveball and by 1972, his playing days were at an end without ever reaching the majors. He was offered a minor league managing position by the Kansas City Royals and skippered teams in the Midwest League, the Gulf Coast League and the Southern League. In 1978, Scripture managed a minor league team for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Western Carolina League, and he returned as a manager one last time in 1984 to guide the Nashua Pirates in the Eastern League.

Among the players he managed who reached the majors are outfielder Bobby Bonilla, pitcher Dave Dravecky and infielder Ron Washington, who currently serves as the manager of the Los Angeles Angels.

To impress young ballplayers with his toughness, he once climbed a light tower to do chin-ups, or he would let the pitching machine bounce fastballs off his chest.

But nothing compared to Scripture demonstrating for sportswriters while managing the Jacksonville Suns in 1975 how to chew the cover off a Spaulding baseball.

He explained that his frustration intensified as a manager, and he would chew baseballs to alleviate gametime stress.

“Only lost one molar so far, and that's a whole lot less expensive than an ulcer operation," Scripture told reporters.

The trainer for the Royals, Mickey Cobb, said that Scripture was oblivious to pain and before a spring training game, he noticed Scripture had 19 blisters on one hand from hitting fly balls for outfielders.

Cobb said Scripture walked into the dugout and poured rubbing alcohol over the blisters and refused any Band-Aids for them. Later that same day, he saw Scripture having other coaches hit fly balls to the outfield so he could demonstrate to players the best way to run head-on into a chain-link fence.

After leaving baseball, Scripture spent a lot of time training labrador retriever dogs. He was a duck hunting guide and would compete in trap shooting competitions. He became so proficient at it that he became a director of trap and skeet shooting clubs in Indiana, Nevada, Texas, and Florida.

In 1968, I remember going to a Rochester Red Wings game against the Toledo Mud Hens and when the game ended, a few players stood by the dugout signing autographs for fans. I approached Billy Scripture and asked him if he would sign my program for the game.

“Why would you want a silly autograph when you can have something of mine even better,” he asked me.

Giving him a puzzled look, Scripture handed me a tiny knawed-on piece of a baseball. It sat for a week on my bedroom dresser before my mother tossed it in the garbage as if it were trash.

Who knows what it might be worth today?

Andy Young: Five thumbs, four of them up

By Andy Young

Not long ago I was coming home from work when I ran into one of my favorite people walking along the country lane I was navigating.

I’d like this person even if we didn’t have so much in common. We’re neighbors, we both have three children, we’re both educators, and we share similar views on various contemporary issues. It was a beautiful afternoon, and since the street corner where our paths crossed wasn’t heavily traveled, we enjoyed an impromptu visit.

We chatted about the beautiful weather, caught up on the doings of our respective families, then compared notes on the start of the school year.

From there we moved on to the topic of books, at which point my neighbor told me I must read a work of fiction called The House in the Cerulean Sea. Its messages, she told me, are ones everyone should hear. Her recommendation was made with an uncommon amount of zeal, even for someone who is by nature enthusiastic. I wrote down the name of the book and the author (T. J. Klune), then wished her well and moved on. But for reasons I still don’t fully understand, her last four words (“Everyone should read it!”) remained etched in my memory.

I didn’t want to disappoint my friend/neighbor, but the truth is I don’t read much fiction. Tastes vary in literature, just as they do when it comes to food. I intensely dislike parmesan cheese and feel similarly about turnips, yet others enjoy those things. Conversely, I love stewed tomatoes, which others detest. For me fiction, particularly the fantasy genre, is particularly pungent cheese. I would never tell my sweet, kind neighbor I wasn’t going to read what she had complimented so ardently, but I already had a stack of books nearly as tall as I am in the “to be read” queue.

However, the next day a student in one of my Grade 12 English classes who sports a significant amount of metallic facial jewelry arrived at school carrying a copy of the very book my neighbor had lavished praise on. When I asked about it the response was another rave review, along with four suddenly familiar words: “Everyone should read it.”

Later I asked another avid bibliophile if they’d heard of The House in the Cerulean Sea. The instant reply: an appreciative grin, and an aside about how much they loved one of the book’s more memorable characters.

Endorsements from three unrelated individuals in a short period of time cannot be coincidence, so I went to the library, found a copy of the book, and perused the synopsis on the back cover.

The words I read didn’t describe subject matter I’d have chosen on my own. In fact, to me they vaguely brought to mind something along the lines of literary Parmesan. But remembering my neighbor’s zeal, the bejeweled student’s endorsement, and the voracious reader’s genuine appreciation, I decided to give it a try.

Four days and 390 pages later I finished it.

Without that trio of recommendations, I’d have never tried reading The House in the Cerulean Sea. But my neighbor, the student with the multiple piercings, and the world-class reader were right. The book is indeed terrific, and truly does contain important and powerful messages.

Okay, full disclosure: after the fact, my cousin, an intelligent person who also loves reading, said she absolutely hated the book. But then, perhaps she loves turnips. Nevertheless, the verdict is in. Scientifically conducted research reveals that 80 percent of the respondents to my exhaustive survey recommend that everyone should read The House in the Cerulean Sea! <

Rookie Mama: Crock and roll all night (and soccer every day)

By Michelle Cote

Here we go, Crocktober – Slow cookers are the savory secret weapon to feeding my entire brood throughout this season.

Ladies of a certain age may recall the classic ‘Mall Madness’ game – Folks, what we’ve entered is truly ‘Fall Madness’ – We’ve buttoned down summer, deflated pool floats, and autumnal sports are gorgeously in full swing, with blazing reds and golds saturating all surrounding foliage that envelopes every soccer field gorgeously here in the Northeast.

But how do parents find time to cart their kiddos to said gorgeous sports fields during the already sparingly few hours separating the school day’s last bell from the dinner bell, which ultimately leads to homework and bedtime routine’s slow roll?

Well, friends, it looks like crock and roll is here to stay.

Slow cookers, to me, are the working-class alternative to hiring a personal chef who spends all day whipping you up a scrumptious stew as you work and tend to business as usual.

There are hundreds of slow cooker recipes to suit a variety of dietary needs, and mouthwatering options abound for entrees, desserts, beverages, galore.

I’ve even made a decent yogurt – It’s easier than you’d think.

Some crock inserts can even be removed and placed in an oven for dishes that may need broiling or that certain crispy je-ne-said-quoi, such as a whole chicken flanked by potatoes, carrots, and all the mouthwatering flavors of fall spice and everything nice.

This, readers, is something I only learned of in the past five years. Always a rookie.

Slow cooker recipes are often as uncomplicated as you want them to be, can be prepared ahead of time – freezer meals for the win! – and literally dumped in as you run out the door.

Just don’t forget to switch it on – Set it and forget it.

Forget cleaning, too – For the truly lazy-man’s experience, one can purchase slow cooker liners and place them in your insert ahead of dumping in ingredients.

Then, you only need to remove and toss the bag after dining’s done; no need to soak and scrub the crock.

Your house will smell heavenly with a butternut squash soup or beef stew on, which is perfectly timed with windows snapping back shut after those hot summer nights are truly wrapped up ‘til next time.

Slow cookers also offer up nourishing dishes and soups that proactively combat those sniffles – or assist during recovery – because ‘tis that season, too.

I also appreciate that Crockpots are a most fabulous way to utilize your remaining fresh garden abundance. While I blanch and freeze most excess harvest so my family can eat homegrown produce all winter long, there’s nothing like freshly grown goods and spices added in a hot, tasty dish.

Although I seriously have no idea how I’ll find enough varied recipes for all those summer squashes – Yikes.

Most of all, slow cookers offer up ultimate convenience. They use very minimal energy and were designed for mamas in their soccer season.

They’re low maintenance, cost effective, who could ask for anything more?

And if you do ask for anything more, buy a second slow cooker – I use two at once frequently, because that comes with the territory of having a large family and hankerings for lots of the leftovers.

So, crock around the clock tonight – Enjoy your slow cooker era, an idea truly worth warming up to.

Consume hearty food – not precious time.

Just don’t forget to bring the crusty bread for dunking.

Who knows, you may have some free time to play a round of two of Mall Madness.

­­– Michelle Cote lives in southern Maine with her husband and four sons, and enjoys camping, distance running, biking, gardening, road trips to new regions, arts and crafts, soccer, and singing to musical showtunes – often several or more at the same time!

Insight: Life in the Moment

By Ed Pierce
Managing Editor

With yet another birthday less than three months away, I recently was fortunate to watch a video of Oprah Winfrey visiting with Al Roker to help him overcome his fear of turning 70.

Ed Pierce, age 7, Brighton, New York, 1961

Roker said he had experienced some trepidation about reaching his 70th birthday and sought out Oprah’s advice about reaching that milestone in life.

Her advice to him was encouraging and she told him she felt great peace and a sense of calm when she turned 70.

“I felt a sense of knowing there’s not as much time left and yet a sense of urgency about living well,” she said. “I think it’s all about being able to live in the present moment and worry about things as they show up.”

Oprah also told him she feels at age 70 that the greatest gift she has to offer people in her life is her love.

“70 is a number but it’s nothing to be worried about,” she said. “Don’t be scared.”

Roker told Oprah that he liked her confidence and enthusiasm about being 70 years old and he hoped to apply it to his own life.

She emphasized to him that by the age of 70, most of us have conquered the most significant issues that younger people struggle with, such as career, family or health issues.

“You’ve already overcome some of the greatest challenges,” Oprah said. “What is amazing is that your heart has been pumping and pumping right on time for 69 years just for you. Don’t be scared.”

Hearing that interview, I came to realize that in having already passed the age of 70 myself, I have nothing to stress about when it comes to age.

I’ve survived some of life’s most intimidating moments. I’ve overcome many challenges and obstacles thrown my way and been able to accomplish many things I never thought possible.

When I was 45, my doctor told me after exploratory surgery and having been diagnosed with cancer that I probably wouldn’t live another 90 days.

At the age of 32, I gave up my military career for an opportunity to finish my college degree and with the hopes of being able to pursue a career in journalism.

At the age of 50, I found genuine and lasting love and got married to my wife Nancy after having been single for 13 years. I also became a stepfather to three great young men at that same time after living for more than a half century without being a parent.

At the age of 12, I was selected to play in the Brighton (NY) Little League All-Star Game in my fifth season of playing. I hit a home run in that game after having gone through my first two seasons at age 7 and 8 without ever getting a hit and striking out in every single at bat.

At the age of 53, I purchased my first home and was finally able to afford to do it after years of renting townhouses and living in apartments.

At the age of 35, I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of New Mexico after having first entered college 17 years before. I had dropped out after three years and lost half of my credits when I transferred to a different college and then resumed my studies after getting out of the U.S. Air Force.

At the age of 23, I was living in Germany and got to travel extensively throughout Europe as a member of the U.S. military. I have so many great memories of places and sights that many people will never experience like visiting the Cologne Cathedral or the real Oktoberfest in Germany or touring Anne Frank’s Home in Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

At the age of 29, I was in Las Vegas, Nevada during the World Series and watched as my favorite team, the Baltimore Orioles, defeated the Philadelphia Phillies to win the championship. That was the third time in my lifetime that I have celebrated as my Orioles won the World Series title and some people are fans of teams that have never even played in the World Series.

At the age of 5, my last grandparent died, and I grew up without any living grandparents. Fortunately, our family friends Bill and Ida Topham stepped in and served as excellent foster grandparents and role models for me.

At the age of 37, I struggled and was distraught when a drunk driver in Florida struck and killed my father as he drove on a stretch of highway near Orlando. I experienced a tragedy and rode the roller coaster of grief for months and years afterward. It is certainly something I do not want to go through again, but knowing I endured the pain of that loss and am still standing today counts for something.

I have to say that I agree with Oprah and am not scared about what may lie ahead in the future after going through many of the experiences that I have in my life.

Age is indeed only a number and as I await another birthday, I’m eager to see what’s in store next.

Maine’s system of voting for president is fair, unique and should be a model for other states

By Barbara Bagshaw

Previously, I have expressed concern with proposals to nullify the voices of Maine citizens by making radical changes to our elections. Specifically, I wrote that the national Popular Vote Interstate Compact approved by Maine lawmakers, if allowed to stand by the courts, would give our state’s four electoral votes to the candidate who won the most popular votes nationwide. This would make the choices of Mainers irrelevant and cede power to large states with big cities like California and New York.

State Rep. Barbara Bagshaw

I like the current system which awards 1 electoral vote per Maine congressional district and 2 to the candidate that wins Maine. That system has resulted in several candidate visits to Maine even though other small states have been ignored.

That is why this week’s comments by Maine House Majority Leader Mo Terry (D-Gorham) that we may be “compelled” to consider a special session if the Nebraska legislature changes its system of awarding delegates by congressional district. Maine and Nebraska are the only states that do this.

I am a problem solver committed to good policy, not partisan theatrics. Just because another state chooses to engage in national partisan politics ahead of the November election does not mean that Maine should change their system just because of Nebraska.

I agree with House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham when he said: “Maine has the gold standard of presidential election processes in the United States. “We should be trying to convince other states to use a more representative process like ours, not change to winner-take-all like other states.”

I have enjoyed representing Windham in the legislature. Our caring community is special. The biggest issue I have with the Maine legislature is that the majority is too concerned with making Maine more like other urban places instead of focusing on everyday concerns like high prices, high energy costs, high taxes, and our housing crisis.

Maine should do what is best for Maine and always remember what makes our state special. I am not in favor of calling a special session right before the November election just because party leaders want to change the rules to favor one candidate over another. Let people make their choices in November. That is democracy!

It is an honor to represent part of Windham in the Legislature. If there is any way that I can be of assistance, please contact me at barbara.bagshaw@legislature.maine.gov .My office phone number is 207-287-1440. You can find me on Facebook. To receive regular updates, sign up for my e-newsletter at https://mainehousegop.org/ <