Sponsored by MSAD 53 Adult Ed and Abbot Village Press, this FREE workshop will give you a chance to learn what it’s like to be a substitute teacher! Bring your questions, enjoy some light refreshments and an opportunity to discover what working at a school is all about. Call adult ed at 487-5107 to register…
All posts by Walter
We shall not sleep…
In a strange irony, while searching for a file this morning I found a copy of the remarks I made at the closing of the dedication of Abbot’s Veteran’s Memorial in 2011. It seems appropriate to repost them today.
Several folks have asked me about the poppy I’m wearing today. I won’t take the time to tell you the entire poppy story, but they’ve been around for nearly one hundred years. I would encourage you to learn that story. Many of you probably do know the poem about them.
…to you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.
I believe when John McCrae penned the last stanza of that famous poem, he was challenging us to fully understand that peace and passion are so closely related they may be inseparable.
The torch we’ve been thrown is about passion. Without passion, there can be no peace.
Let’s truly understand the debt we have to our Veterans—a debt to have the same passion as they did for those things that matter, and a debt to live in the peace their passion made possible.
Sometimes Even Heroes Need Help
If you are interested in “being one in a million” (a mental health first aid responder) you can check for training opportunities on the NAMI Maine Website or let me know and I’ll try to help. Having been trained for both youth and adults I can tell you that I’ve never once regretted it.
The blog for the National Council for Behavioral Health is featuring stores about mental health among veterans during the month of November. This is a great opportunity to “get the facts” and be prepared to help those who have done so much for us.
Maybe when we thank a veteran for his or her service we should also ask, “How are you doing?” Human connection is powerful and doesn’t need to be difficult.
Checklists Work… even on a luggage tag!
Catching up on my email reading this morning… and found this great idea resource shared by NAMI. The site is called “Understood” and it includes a number of resources for “attention and learning issues.” In the parent’s toolkit section, there are printable backpack checklists for different age kids that can be made into a luggage tag. What a great idea! There are also some sample “contracts” parents can make with their children regarding homework and cell phone use.
I did not fully research or “vet” the site but it does look like everything on the site is available for free and there seems to be a good depth of resources and information. I may not use the sample luggage tag but I really like the idea and may have to make some tags for my own cases. Whenever I leave to teach a course I always find myself wondering “What am I forgetting…?”
