Beijing: Day 2

Here it is day three and I've hardly written about my time here. Presently we are on the number 916 bus headed out of Beijing for the Great Wall. There are multiple tours that will make a day trip to the Great Wall for what seems a reasonable price - 100 Yuan, maybe $15. The problem is that I have read so many horror stories about these one day tours. Almost all of them force you to stop at silk factories, tea sellers or jade and jewelry stores. Not only do these "tours" cut down on your time at the landmarks, but the sales pressure is high. Many operators change the rules of the game when you get to the destination. "Now you must pay the tour guide YU 100 to take the tour." The government appears to have very few controls on ripping off tourist. Also we have met very few Chinese who speak English even though they were taking it since kindergarten.


Thus we chose to take the 916 bus, about an hour ride to a small town, where we must negotiate a shuttle to the wall. YU 12 each for the bus trip. We were met by a gentleman that pushed to get us into the bus. Being here has made me suspicious of everyone who approaches you, for so many are on the take and will charge you whatever they can get. This guy appears to be selling himself as a guide for us, a guide that doesn't speak English. Nevertheless the bus is clean and air conditioned if not tight in the small seats.


We were alerted to begin the next phase of our journey - about 30 miles north of Beijing now we get out of the bus and we are immediately approached by a driver. He wants to drive us to the Great Wall and says: 60 Yuen. In fact Chinese expect negotiation when giving a quote. We had heard that it was 30 to 40 Yuen, So I immediate said "Forty". He said "fifty" and that is what we agreed to. Again this man spoke very little English, but he drives tourists to the Great Wall for a living. When we got there he asked if we wanted him to take us back and we said yes. We agreed upon a time to meet. I handed him 100 Yuen for the trip there and back (I thought). Just for reference 100 Yuen is about $15- really not a bad price to be driven another 20 miles or so.


I should clarify that we are visiting the Mutianyu part of the wall. There are at least four locations that tourists can access. This location is one of the closer ones to Beijing, as well as having many amenities and known for its spectacular views. It was begun about 200 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, under the Emperor Qin Shi Wang. It was revamped under the Ming Dynasty. I have heard the Mao encouraged citizens to take its bricks to build their houses, but now extensive parts of the wall are being meticulously restored.


Tourists arrive in a little commercial village - with a Burger King included. We had just missed breakfast at the hotel, so I was starving. There were many little restaurants and I saw the words Cappuccino and scrambled eggs- a nice combo for me. I included a plate of fruit, which turned out to be mostly bananas. Still it was the right combination for the right time. After breakfast we climbed a hill to board the shuttle bus to the ski lift- actually enclosed orange boxes, very safe. I was astounded by the length that one could walk on the wall, if you so desired, probably 3 miles in each direction.


More spectacular were the views- the views of distant mountain ranges, the views of green valleys, the views for the wall stretching in both directions over the hills. This part of the wall apart from the spectacular views is well maintained. It appears that is brick is not out of place. And there are treacherous climbs up and down with mostly small steps up and down. The wall undulates mile by mile and ups and downs on these small steps are frequent. Guard houses pop up ever hundred yards or so. They are fun to climb on top of and take in the views.


We were smiled upon by low 80s weather and a few clouds. There were breathtaking views in every direction punctuated by the guardhouses that stretched for miles in both directions weaving through the mountains. Truckee reminded me that the views also actually increased the security of the wall, as guards along the wall could see for miles.


At the end of our walk along the wall, we ended out it with a trip on an aluminum toboggantrack- It was a great way to end the trip and to these hills. It was totally safe, but exhilarating too. Children as well as old folks like me could get on and accelerate or slow down as they wished. The easy to use controls made the toboggan a ride that could feel safe or risky. I have stunning photos of the wall. I will try to post them as html. Let's see how that works.


We met our driver as planned. When we arrived at the bus stop, he asked for 100 more Yuan. We said that we had already paid him as agreed, 50 yuan each way. He said that was 50 yuan per person each way. Live and learn.


From the first day I have been approached by pedibikers who pick up tourists and ride them where ever they want to go. "Where you go? 3 Yuan..." It is repeated over and over again, as you walk along the street. Then, "Ok, 2 Yuan, you get on" There are 15 Yuan to a dollar. That would be changing 15 cents for the ride. Again from what I have read, one cannot be too careful. For if he charges you 100 Yuan at the end of the trip, it is your word against his, and he speaks the language. You don't. It is indeed tempting to take the offer on these very hot days in Beijing.


You asked if people discuss politics. I honestly don't know, but I have a guess. Other than to the very educated politics don't seem to play a roll in the every day lives of Beijingers. They are mostly concerned with the everyday existence they have, whether it be in an office, restaurant or hustling on the street. Among friends I am sure that there are open discussions about politics, but I really don't think that it enters the minds of most people here. This is in stark contrast to Russia, where many people love to discuss politics, but again it is mostly among friends.

Chinese Historic Story Panels

Just next to our hotel in Beijing was a larger, slightly more luxurious hotel, the Jade Garden Hotel. Surrounding the hotel is a seven foot wall with a beautiful copper landscape. I am lost for the correct term, as it is a city landscape at the same time a historical snapshot. I have been lucky enough to see these in several forms while in China. Here at the hotel’s wall in copper, at the Archery Tower, Zhengyangmen Gate or (Qianmen) (simplified Chinese: 前门; traditional Chinese: 前門; pinyin: Qiánmén; Wade–Giles: Ch'ien-men; literally: "Front Gate") and at the Pagoda in Hangzhou. I am posting several photos from each in the order mentioned above. I would appreciate how these pieces fit into the history of Chinese landscape painting.

Manuscript from the Arrow Tower in Tian' anman Square

Beijing: Day 1- Youfang

Just a preface: My blog did not move and I was unable to access it while I was in China. I did nevertheless keep up with my writing and take a bounty of photos. I will publish at least one entry per week and probably more. 

All the reading, anticipating and packing are finally over. On the plane I am thinking, “What did I forget?” And how am I going to navigate without Google? Is my phone going to work. I packed light and still I took too much. I took a long sleeve shirt and a light jacket in case of a chilly night. The chilly night never happened. I took a few masks for breathing in Beijing. I never used them. I brought a pair of unfashionable light pants and never wore them. I took two pair of jeans, and probably could have done with one, but by the twelfth day, those were very very dirty.

I took about 6 tee shirts. They were all dirty and wet with sweat by the fourth day. I took to washing them in the sink at the hotel, and I bought two more. I brought the right mouth of underwear and socks and washed both twice along the way.

The United flight sat for two hours on the tarmac before it took to the sky. In the twelve hours of flight I had only one strong moment of claustrophobia, where I wanted to jump out of my seat and scream.  We landed 12 hours later, then another 13 hours because of time difference put me in Beijing at 9 am in the morning following a huge crowd of mostly Chinese through customs. The ten lines handled the crowds with relatively quick dispatch. I took the train along with the others to the Dongzhimen Bus and Subway station. I had a stack of paper maps, hotel registration information, registration to help guide me to the proper stop. Truckee had texted me earlier that his flight was delayed a day.

Where did the day go, Monday? I was riding the subway with my luggage and looking at my printed map of the hotel location. I had printed a map that supposedly showed exactly the location of my hotel. The landmark was across the street from the Apple Store. I exited the subway at Dongdan, just East of the Tian’amen exit. After a couple of blocks I dropped into a computer store thinking that a techie might be able to ascertain the correct direction via GPS. He was friendly but not helpful. I had the words of the hotel printed in Chinese, and the address in English. Young Hotel, 5 Nanheyan Street, Dongcheng District. I stumbled in the main shopping district of Beijing and there before me was the giant Apple Store, but it was not likely that my hotel was anywhere in the vicinity.  Addresses did not match. I stopped into a small motel, and the staff was very helpful. Two young women drew a little map and pointed me in the direction across the street. Everything seemed to turn to a dead end. I tried a jewelry store. Again four young women were determined to help me find my way using their cell phones. One actually brought me to a little alley way and pointed the direction that I should walk- also equipped with yet another detailed map- 3 blocks, a little jog, then another block. Alas, I was lost again. I dropped inside another hotel. He had no idea, but it turns out I was only a block away. I crossed the street and 2 policemen had apparently just got off duty.  They walked me to my hotel. I thanked them (Sie-sie), and we parted ways.

It was a modest hotel with maybe 20 rooms in an ideal location. I was next to a green way that followed the road, and saw there later an excavation of the early city wall of Beijing. As far as I know, none of the original city wall is left the remnants dismantled during the construction of the subway in 1965. A Ming era construction (1553), these were part of the Imperial City, within that the Forbidden City. It turns out that I was just 4 blocks from the Forbidden City. Outside the Imperial City walls were the Inner city walls and south of the Inner city the fortifications around the outer city- all gone now save the formidable walls around the Forbidden City. 

The next morning the hotel had a large and mostly delicious breakfast spread- 4 varieties of mixed vegetables, hot and cold, bacon, chicken, two kinds of eggs- one somewhat unpalatable for me, fried rice and the now familiar weak sweet coffee. I spent the next day walking what felt like endlessly around central Beijing- Tiananmen Square, the largest square in the world, the outskirts of the Forbidden City, past the Monument to the People’s Hereos, around the Mao Mausoleum, and visiting the Shenyang Men Gate. 

CHINA- Moving my blog- maybe temporarily

http://editor.wix.com/html/editor/web/renderer/render/document/7730d567-94e7-41ad-96b3-db3c7c9d48fb?metaSiteId=c6f0e1ab-f91e-4256-991e-fb4b217f67a5&isSantaEditor=true&dsOrigin=Editor1.4#!I-have-created-this-blog-as-a-way-to-write-about-my-trip-to-China-Making-preparations-My-plane-leaves-tomorrow/m1az3/57704e7b0cf2bcae6e3fe94e

That appears to be a crazy link. China blocks anything Google and Blogspot is google. So I am making an effort to publish my site from my Wix account. I am not sure that it is working given the above URL. But tomorrow morning I get on the plane at SFO and arrive in Beijing the next day at 2 pm.

Although I will try to access this site, China has hundreds of breaucrats trying to make it impossible. So just grab that giant URL and paste it in. See if it works.

Ed

Career Transitions- Student Endorsements 2016

 This is the third time that I have taught Career Transitions here at Empire. It is a rewarding class to teach because it changes students' views of themselves. Starting with the curriculum of the Pacific Institute and supplemented with inspiring personal stories student begin to see the ways that they have been sabotaging themselves in the past by negative self-talk and destructive patterns of thinking. Career Transitions helps students build confidence and create goals by using and practicing with tools such as affirmations and visualizations. Without a doubt it is the most powerful teaching experience that I have ever had. These little reviews just asked for a class evaluation. As you read, you will see that class also changed lives.  I have published the comments from my two previous classes on my Linked In page.

Students evaluate Career Transitions class taught by Ed Lynch

Take about 10 minutes to think about how this has affected you. What could be added or subtracted? Are there other resources that you may have found useful?  Should I have spent more time on some subjects and less time on others.  Should there be more time set aside for interacting with your classmates? On the back also write what would improve the experience.

March 14, 2016 to April 28, 2016

Anonymous: I am walking away from this class with a more positive attitude about myself. I have learned how to push myself to do what I need to do to achieve my goals. I thought that this class was very informative. I would have loved a bit more class discussion, but overall a great class with a great teacher.

Andrea H: This class has affected me in a way that now I have a clear vision of what I want to pursue over the next few months at Empire. Something that would enhance the class for me personally is more time on activities like the Life Boat exercise, because then you have an opportunity of getting to know people and interact with them.

Sonya O: I think this is a short amount of time for a course like this, so maybe not as many videos. I did like the encouragement and advice given.

Tanya G.: I really valued this class and my instructor. He has given me the ability to be able to filter the non-sense around me, and remain positive. I have used all of the skills that I was taught in here, since the first day of class. I am able to view and have empathy towards others, so I am not annoyed or aggravated as easily. Thank you so much for everything! I don’t have a good support system, and want to quit every day, but this class helps me remember why I started in the first place. Every day we struggle to find a ride here, and eventually do, even if we are late when we show up. We are truly sorry for not being on time. Thanks again!

Josh K: I really enjoyed this class. At the beginning I was (and still am) going through a very tough break up, and move out. It was absolute fate to be taking this class at the same time. The affirmations and the self-positivity really helped me through a big portion of it. I almost wish you could take it every module. You have a really big heart, and you are very positive. I really like you as an instructor. You made me feel happy and laugh. Thanks.

Richard G: In my opinion I didn’t take anything from this class. I was constantly arguing with you on facts including the fact that this class is teaching people this it is okay to lie to yourself. I feel this class should have been taught in Junior High at the latest.

(I found Richard’s comments interesting because there is an aspect to this class, where a student might think they are lying to themselves. Building self-esteem means ridding oneself of the habit of negative self-talk. The idea is that we cannot have an objective view of ourselves. Many scotomas blind us to our faults. I teach student to do affirmations – positive self-talk- even though they might not believe what they are saying. One of my principles is “Fake it till you make it.” I can see how he thought that he was lying to himself.)

Tannya P: This class gave me hope and confidence to pursue my dreams. The video that touched me was the Aimee Mullins video. It made me appreciate all of the things that others take for granted. Also the affirmations were great. I will go back and just read them when I am having a bad day. Thanks, Ed.

 Monique P: I liked the videos, but it was hard to sit in the dark at 8 pm. The affirmations are a good idea for people who haven’t been to school in a long time. It’s encouragement to help us pass our classes. We all have negative thoughts sometimes. It’s hard to push forward. Taking the time to bring in positive thoughts is great. I liked how we took a picture showing us what we will look like at graduation.  It’s great encouragement to push forward.

Samantha A: I really liked the body positions and what they mean about you. I use the thrust your arms to sky to get more testosterone. I use it a lot, especially before work. I have changed my thoughts and image of myself since this class. More scotomas- I really liked those. I use affirmations daily. More group work and debates.

Amalia G: I enjoyed your class. It helped me realize that I don’t give myself enough credit sometimes. I caught myself thinking positive during stressful times at work, which prior I would let the environment ruin my day. For adding or subtracting material- I actually enjoyed team projects. I would recommend more of them. It helped me to get to know my classmates, but also helped make the class less stressful. It helped open up a safe/ comfortable place to discuss things with each other. Overall I had a great time. Thank you, Ed.

Chinese Visa

A lot has happened since I posted- 2 months ago? Monday my son and I met at the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco to apply for a the infamous visa. The visa demands that you show your airline ticket and not only print your itinerary, but show proof that you are booked in hotels for the whole time. You also trust them to hold your passport for the four or five days that it takes to process the visa. We arrived about 10 am- It had opened at 9 am, and they were serving numbers 023, 042, 043, 044, 045. We calculated that in one hour they had taken care of less than 50. Our number was 159, so we calculated that it would be at least 2 pm before we would be seen. We didn't consider the staggered lunch hour.

The vast majority of the people there were Asian and most of those born in China. The women who served us at the window spoke almost indiscernible English.  Somehow though our efforts and her efforts of not wanting to encounter any snags, the process only took us about ten minutes.

Incredibly we were out by 2 pm.  

China 中國

About a month ago I decided that I would visit China for the first time. I have many reasons for wanting to go, not the least of which is that life is short and getting shorter. I have always been impressed by many aspects of Chinese culture, especially their art and history. Also my experience with Chinese people (along with the Japanese) is that they are some of the most gracious and hospitable of all.

This blog will just gloss over the myriad things flying through my head. I will discuss them more in detail in later blogs. It is March. My experience with traveling is that I have usually bought my plane ticket by this time, but at this very moment I am not positive that I will really go. Plane fares seem reasonable- from $1000 to $1500 round trip to Beijing. But then there is the Visa application. Only $75, but it appears to need an invitation from someone in China, or a detailed list of places that I will visit and where I will stay. It was the same when I went to Russia, and I used an agent, and I found that very convenient. Here an agent will cost me about $200. I still have to sort that out.

I have a standard tourist agenda of places and sites to visit in a three week period. Beijing, Xi’an, Nanjing and Singapore. Beijing and Singapore are obvious- the number of historical sites is enormous. I love cities, and I am excited by the thought of walking the street. Xi’an is another no- brainer. It is an 11 hour train ride from Beijing- a historic city. It is the capital city of 13 Chinese Dynasties:  the Qin (221 BC – 207 BC), Han (206 BC – 220 AD), Sui (581 AD – 618 AD) and Tang (618AD – 908AD) Dynasties. but most of all the archeological site of the Chinese Warriors- thousands of terra cota warriors individually carved.  Nanjing is close to Singapore. When I was a high school teacher, one of my most impressive students came from Nanjing. Now I just have to find her information.

The language is the third thing that I have been tackling. As a friend of mine remarked, there is no Chinese language. Actually there are several, but Mandarin is both the language of the north and the language of the majority. I had actually spent three years studying Russian to prepare for my trip to Russian, and here I am only giving myself a few months to learn Chinese.  I must say that I am really enjoying it. Chinese, as well as many Asian languages, are tonal. I call it the music of the language and getting the tone right is critical to be understood. I am using many YouTube videos. My goals are modest, I think. I want to be able to introduce myself, order a meal, haggle a price for an item at the market and generally know enough not to come off as an ugly American. 

WIne and the Microbiom - Part 2

I am aware that I live in beautiful Sonoma County, wine country. I have always loved the taste of a good Cabernet Sauvagnon or Zinfindel. For a couple of years I was a partner in making some small batched of California wine. I remember the processes well. At the point where the juice is squeezed out of the grapes, the sulfite is added. Sulfites are antibiotics, and they kill virtually every living thing in the juice. The reason for this is to eliminate a fermentation process where the winemaker does not have control over all of the natural bacteria in the grapes. After that the "good bacteria" are added, and the fermentation process begins, turning sugar in to alcohol.

The bacteria succeeds in fermenting the wine, but the sulfites are never removed. I wish that I knew more about the chemistry, and perhaps an enologist can comment. My understanding is that although the bacteria introduced converts the sugars, there is still enough sulfite in the to destroy bacteria. For one who drinks wine very moderately, it may not have an effect on the stomach. I have have been known to 2 or three glasses at home after I come home from work. It has often upset my stomach, and given me acid reflex.

Upon thinking about the microbiom and the introduction of sulfites to the stomach, I reasoned that perhaps the wine that I was drinking was killing the good bacteria in my stomach. I remembered that winemaking did not always use sulfites. In fact I know that winemakers of France rely on the bacteria natural in the vineyard. The argument goes that after hundreds and even thousands of years of growing grapes, the natural fermenation is well adapted to the fields of France. In this way I have become a drinker and lover of these French wines.

It is possible that these wines contain a positive bacteria. Since I have been drinking them, I have virtually eliminated my stomach difficulties. Also even on the rare occasion where I have had too much, I feel no hangover in the morning.

I will give a plug to my local Grocery Outlet that has been carring a wide variety of drinkable and some even delictious Bordeauxs. Prices generally range from $6 to $12- Well worth it.

The Microbiom- Part 1

One of the more important biological and physiological discoveries of the past ten years or so is the discovery of the pervasiveness of the Microbiom. Simply put the Microbiom is the vast number of bacteria that over millions of years that made their homes both inside and outside our bodies. The subtext of this finding is enormous in scope. Plants and animals including insects have a enormous store of their own beneficial hitchhikers. I choose to focus on the Microbiom of the human stomach- more specifically my stomach, as for years I have had painful heartburn, more recently helped by the overthe counter medication, omneprezole.

Just a side point is that I recently heard on the radio that omneprezole is associated with the early onset of dementia. It suppressed the production of vitamin B 12 which is critical in the formation of myelin bainas neurons in the brain. I need to use something different. 

I have made more discoveries in my reading about the Microbiom and have introduced some changes  in my eating habits to improve the condition of my stomach. The simple fact is that there are many traditional foods that have been staples in foods around the world. When I was in Russia, kvas is one of the beverage staples there. I was never fond of it, but it apparently contains many beneficial bacteria for digestion.

Among the other foods are aged cheeses, yogurt, kiefer, Chinese black beans, Apple vinegar, pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, and many other fermented food. Since I found out about this revolution in thinking about the biology of the gut, I have introduced several of these foods into my diet to great effect. I have always loved cheese. The runny stinky cheeses, the sharp aged cheeses, the bries with thick crusts are all my favorites and I have increased my intake of those. I have come to love kimchi and fortunately have a good supplier in the area. I have always loved pickles. Unfortunately I cannot bring myself to finish the kiefer and Greek yogurt in the refrigerator. It is likely the bacterial will only increase as they age.

I write this as an introduction to the next blog. You may know that I love wine, but it has not helped my digestive problems. I think that I have gained a major insite into the consumption of wine. I will be theorizing, and it will not make me a popular figure in the area where I live. I hope that this teaser will urge you to look forward to my next blog.  I know that I will make some friend and some enemies.

Henry Inman "Staking the Trees"

I have a number of fairly valuable paintings in my possession. I am ready to make a little traveling money and try to sell some of them off. I researched art appraisers and the one that seemed to come out on top was ValueMyStuff. I liked that they also gave an online opportunity to show and sell the work. Unfortunately when I tried to put it up for sale, it said something like- at this time this piece does not qualify for sale. Perhaps because they are in UK they are not able to see it and actually assess that it is authentic- but it is.

I like also that they gave it a name. It mentions that many of his paintings were used for illustrations in contemporary publications. I wonder if that found the actual work in an old newspaper or magazine. I would find that interesting. There are only a handful of Inmans in museum. The same five come up over and over. When I visited the Philadelphia Art Museum, their catelog said that they had two in their possession. Unfortunately they were in storage. Probably not a good sign for the public appeal of the artist. I know that he is pretty much the only post colonial American artist who was famous for painting children, and this painting has a child in it.

I had actually tried to title the painting myself- The Teacher, The Grafter. The Tree Planter. But the appraisers either knew or gave it a title themselves: The Tree Staker. That sounds good for me. They have appraised it for auction between $3,000 and $6, 000. I was satisfied with that. Below is their assessment sheet.

Philly Cheese Steaks

I am reluctant to enter this culinary mindfield, but I do come with some street cred. I am prompted to enter this sensitive area by my lunch purchase of a "Philly Cheese Steak" at a small deli in Santa Rosa, California. She asked me what kind of cheese, and immediately I said provolone. I had no complaints about the sandwich, but I had this nagging memory of my last visit to Philadelphia, and someone mentioning Cheez Whiz as their favorite cheese on a Philly Cheese Steak. (Notice the capitals- like God)

I, myself, do not consider Cheez Whiz cheese. In fact I get a gastro reflex at the thought of eating it. I know a bit about the history of the cheese steak, and I know the two South Philly restaurants that brag about using Cheez Whiz. For me Cheez Whiz is not a food. Some say that it fills the crevices better, but the same can be done with provolone. I remember a cheese disagreement from my childhood. It was between American cheese verses Provolone. I always chose provolone.

I must confess, although not tolerating Cheez Whiz, there is an inconsistency in my diet. I am addicted to Trader Joe's Cheese Crunchies with a delicious "cheese" powder, colored by tumeric. None of these item are healthy, but any cheese steak is loaded with saturated fat and salt. Cheese crunchies has just "empty calories".

I did a little research on this blog. I highly recommend a website called Fooducate                                 ( http://www.fooducate.com/) It will change the way you feel about eating.

Are you good in math?

If this question causes you just a little anxiety, you are not alone. I am seriously tempted to list the horror stories of my education. One of them was a deep insecurity about my abilities with math. It is an example that I use often in the class that I teach. It is especially common with women, and I teach mostly women. 

I heard an excellent interview today on KQED Forum with Jo Boaler, an education instructor at Stanford. She works to release people, especially children, from their math phobias. I was gratified to be able to hear her speak. She reenforced what I teach in my class: that talents and beliefs about our abilities are mostly a mental construct that prevent us from reaching our full potential. 

She really talks the talk and walks the walk of a positive mindset. 

We all have had experiences long in our past that help us to form our beliefs about ourselves. Unfortunately those beliefs have little to do with the reality of who we are and what we can do. They are tied to emotions and pictures in our brain that confirm our image of who we are. So when we have several bad experience with math as children, we form a self image that we are bad in math. All we have to do is change the picture. Create visualizations where we are succeeding in math. Repeat affirmations that confirm our abilities. Most importantly we must get rid of the negative self-talk. 

Here is the link: http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201601251000

It is well worth listening to. Also here is Ms. Boaler’s website:  https://www.youcubed.org/ I would click on the link that leads one to “Growth Mindset”. This concept is key to becoming a confident person. 

If you are still reading, I will relate one math story from my adulthood. I grew up with many insecurities about my ability to learn anything that school taught me, especially math. My father nurtured my love of art, and insured that I have a positive self concept of myself as an artist, but little else. I struggled into high school, flunked and repeated my freshman year. Since I did better taking these classes the second time, it did boost my self confidence a bit.

Amazingly I became a teacher. In the late 1980’s I ended up teaching math in a continuation school. The reason is that in a continuation school, the number of teachers are limited, and one must just step up to the plate. I went to a math conference at Asilomar. My first day I got up early and went to a workshop on Algebraic equations.  Everyone except me was an experienced math instructor.  Problems would be given, and I ended up being the only person in the room who could not solve them.  I left the workshop  feeling embarrassed and insure about my abilities.

If I had the consciousness that I have now, things would have been different in that room. Here I was, the perfect example of the student who cannot get it. And these all math teachers could not construct a lesson to help me feel comfortable about math. Instead I felt the room full of excitement because these teachers were reveling in how smart they were. Now I would turn the situation around. I would say: “Here you are in the perfect teaching situation. How are you going to make this student feel good about him or herself? How can you teach this concept in a way that instills confidence, not shame and insecurity? 

Photographs courtesy of Jo Boaler's site youcubed.

My Heroes

I am teaching a class now called Career Transitions. It is actually a class that helps build self confidence in students. I will write more about the class in another blog, but I use the following videos in the class. I am teaching it for the second time, it has been very rewarding.

I used to think that I did not have heroes. In fact I am not entirely sure "hero" is the correct word. These are three people who inspire me, give me hope, and are models of human courage.

You may have seen the first video as it made the rounds on Facebook. The man's name is Arthur Boorman. As much as I could find out about him came from one of the YouTube comments:

"This guy is a Special Ed teacher & adviser for the Sci-fi & Fantasy Club at my high school. To learn that someone who seems like a pretty normal, laid-back guy overcame such insurmountable obstacles is truly mind-blowing to me. My respect for him has increased beyond comprehension. Mr. Boorman, your story is one of the most inspirational things I've ever heard of. Thank you."

I cry every time that I see this video, and I am almost reluctant to show it, because it is hard to compose myself afterward.

Click here to watch Arthur's story.

Lizzy Velasquez has quite a following these days. You can follow her, correspond with her, become a fan, and read her blog. Again this is another hard hitting video. Probably one of the reasons that it affects me so much is that I was heavily bullied in elementary school, and even into my first year of high school. I still get angry when I see bullying. Also part of the power of Lizzie's talk is the credit that she gives her parents. (Another campaign: Please do not become an accidental parent. It is an awesome responsibility.) Lizzie's story is also one of amazing parenting and the great courage and determination of Lizzie, herself.



Click here to watch Lizzie's Ted Talk


I found Aimee while looking for athletes that embody the qualities that I want to see in my students. By now you must know that I teach (and dean) at a small career college in Northern California. I happen to think that it is one of the best in the United States. Nevertheless we get many students with difficult histories, who are ready to start life anew. They may feel broken inside, under-equipped for the task or just lack confidence, All of these wonderful people help me tell my students that their potential is unlimited, and despite what messages that they have received in the past, they are well equipped to succeed.

I am giving two links, because I love the informality of the first, and it really allows Aimee to tell her story. In the second video Aimee takes head on the issue of "disability". I must also confess that I think that Aimee is incredibly beautiful- certainly on the outside, but on the inside too.



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What Happened to 2015?

Below is basically our late Christmas letter or New Year Letter

I orignially composed it and Donna and Anna laughed, because the news seemed to depressing to them. Anna reworked it, and I corrected her grammar.

This year Ed and Donna have experienced their first months as empty nesters. Their children now understand that empty nesting means: “My parents are so hard to get a hold of.” , They have flown the coop to pursue in their own adventures.

Donna enjoys her job at a Sebastopol’s community clinic, almost literally putting out fires, as a neighboring clinic recently burned down. Her Sebastopol location has taken even a larger workload as a result. Donna spends her free time as a professional Gaita player performing with the internationally known Carlos Núñez Muñoz. She recently part of a vocal ensemble performing the challenging Bach Requiem, and sang for a group of dancers in an improvisation song and dance performance.

Ed still loves his job as the night dean of Empire Collage. He is teaching a regular class that he loves called Career Transitions. The class is designed not only to keep students in school, but  to boost self-esteem. He is still painting and has entered the upcoming Abstract show at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts. He is also preparing to participate in his fourth “Art at the Source” open studios in June.

Truckee and his girlfriend Lauren recently relocated to an amazing apartment in Berkeley with their two kitties Middles and Shipley. Lauren is harvesting her new career as a horticulturist, going to school and working at local landscaping business. Truckee is swatting the freelance work off like flies, he is being to paid to do the nerdy meticulous art he has always done for just the joy of it.

Anna has been working at a small music store in Alaska for the past year while balancing a successful musical career. She was even pitched to the Discovery Channel for a show about young singer songwriters in Alaska.  She’s indifferent about the idea of being a reality star, so if it doesn’t work out, she might even feel a little relived. Anna also decided that after 7 straight winters in Alaska , now was a great time to quit her job, sell her car and travel around the country, while writing her second studio album. Portland, Denver, and Austin are on the roadmap so far. She also brought with her from Alaska, her 28 toed club footed cat who is convinced she is the princess of the new household, and is having a little trouble sharing with the house's current matriarch Fern.

Joey is majoring in economics at Santa Cruz. He has a great house right near the Santa Cruz boardwalk, which came with his new BFF, a snuggly pit-bull named Napoleon. He is still very involved in his musical ventures.

PS

For the benefit of those who read to the bottom:

Here are a couple few tidbits. 2015 was exciting for me in other ways.
I tried out SA- very interesting and met maybe 2 quality people out of 50.
I have used my age to my benefit on omeg.
I have made about 30 new skype friends all around the world.

If you need me to uncover the obfuscation, just contact me.