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Simple games

Today I would like to try an experiment. Before you read this get a piece of paper and write down all of the simple games that you can think of. Many of them require a minimum of equipment. After you have made your list, then read and compare. First, I begin with a tag. There are all types of tags. One of my favorites is freeze tag. Someone calls out the word “freeze” and you have to stop right where you are and in whatever pose you are in. the person who is “it” may take three steps. If they can touch someone, then they are it. If not, it starts all over again. My children ...

Easter week is for the Eggs-citement

Next week should be the big egg week, the week the chickens work overtime. But if I am to believe all the bird-flu news, these haggard hens have already been on time and a half – the struggling survivors of the national virus. They should probably create a hens’ union and demand to be paid for piecework. And if I were one of those hard-working hens, I’d be furious that all the credit for my Easter week output goes to a giant pink rabbit. I wonder how that started anyway – the holiday candy and eggs being delivered by the Easter Bunny? I guess it’s not practical to apply ...

Philosophy to ‘build up’ brings better way of life

Preface: It often takes a lifetime of interactions within one’s community and with loved ones to establish a philosophy that guides a person’s ethos for their professional development. I was lucky to come across the “we build up” theme in the summer of 1991 on the Pleasant Township summer playground. My educational and coaching philosophy expanded in the early 2000’s upon learning of the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility model (TPSR) and meeting its creator/author Mr. Don Hellison. In the following paragraphs, I hope to provide parents, caregivers, teachers, and ...

Offering perspective to rise in Autism

There’s been a lot of buzz lately about the dramatic rise in autism diagnoses. In 2023, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported that 1 in 36 children have autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a staggering increase from 1 in 10,000 in the 1970s. To understand this surge, we need to look at the history of ASD. In the 1960s and 1970s, autism was often misdiagnosed as childhood schizophrenia or attributed to emotional trauma. The turning point came in 1973 when Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), mandating schools to support students with ...

Schools don’t consider lost revenues

With all of the other issues with the plan to close the Sheffield and Youngsville High Schools, is there the possibility of the district losing revenue due to this decision? Have they already lost revenue due to just the discussion of closing schools? What happens with yet another empty building? What happens when the district finally sells a building? Is there a gain? Is there any costs to the district by a vacant building? So how would the district lose revenue? Well considering that every resident in the attendance area of Youngsville will be losing a high school, which is huge ...

Escalators and elevators

I was intrigued when a beautiful wooden escalator crossed my desktop. I immediately began my research. It seems that the beauty is part of Macy’s Department Store in New York City. I think I probably rode it when I was with the grandchildren. I know we did not ride it when we visited Santa Claus with the ladies. I know we rode the elevator to go up to the top floor. This escalator was installed sometime between 1920 and 1930 So it has been in operation close to one hundred years. It was installed by the Otis Elevator Co. I knew that many elevators were made by Otis, but I never knew ...