{"id":2043,"date":"2020-12-05T20:28:30","date_gmt":"2020-12-05T20:28:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/?p=2043"},"modified":"2020-12-05T20:30:22","modified_gmt":"2020-12-05T20:30:22","slug":"ftv-shifting-a-pair-of-dimes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/?p=2043","title":{"rendered":"FTV: Shifting a Pair of Dimes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Many years ago, Ontonagon Area Schools business teacher Diane Hardes and I were sent to a workshop held at the Holiday Inn in Marquette.\u00a0 The day\u2019s theme was \u201cintegrating computers into your school\u201d and on the way home, we agreed that beyond the lunch we were served, it was a big waste of time (we will get back to this part a bit later).\u00a0 The two gentlemen who did the program were what is known in the workshop business as \u2018seagull presenters\u2019:\u00a0 people who \u201cswoop in, drop their load, and then fly home.\u201d\u00a0 The \u2018seagull presenters\u2019 description was the opening salvo they used to describe themselves in a well honed routine that screamed, \u201cWe have done this presentation so many times, we don\u2019t even need notes to tell us when to finish the other guy\u2019s sentences.\u201d\u00a0 They broke the ice using a demonstration built around an old attention grabbing puzzle I employed for many years in my science classes.\u00a0 As we all gathered around the front table, Workshop Leader #1 pointed to a six penny nail sticking out of a four inch square piece of 2 X 4 lumber sitting next to twelve other nails.\u00a0 WL#1:\u00a0 \u201cIf I asked you to balance these twelve nails on the one stuck in the board, do you think you could do it?\u201d\u00a0 When I realized he was pointing directly at me, I said, \u201cSure, I could do it.\u201d\u00a0 His face did not betray what he was thinking as he quickly pointed to several other people surrounding the table while repeating the same question.\u00a0 After everyone else responded with a nervous \u2018no\u2019 (I had surprised him by saying \u2018yes\u2019 because he really wanted to hear \u2018no\u2019), he revealed the solution.\u00a0 This demonstration was supposed to impress upon us that a seemingly impossible problem can have an elegant solution waiting to be discovered, but only if we were willing to think outside the box (Please note that I have made it a point to not share the solution…just in case you find yourself at a similar workshop.\u00a0 I will give you a hint, however:\u00a0 the key word here is \u2018balance\u2019).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0As we returned to our seats, WL #2 passed my table and said, \u201cThanks for not blowing our\u00a0 grabber.\u201d\u00a0 When I explained how I used it as an opening day kicker for my own classes and workshops, he said, \u201cOh man, thanks again.\u201d\u00a0 The theme of this workshop was getting everyone in their home district excited about integrating computers into their curriculum.\u00a0 WL #1 and #2 discussed strategies that could be used to speed up the process by getting our buildings computer ready.\u00a0 Team work, they said, would be the key.\u00a0 Stringing internet cables and organizing staff training with volunteer labor was the way to expedite the whole process.\u00a0 The reason Diane and I thought this was a waste of time?\u00a0 According to the \u2018seagull guys\u2019 timeline, the Ontonagon Area School District was already two years ahead of this schedule.\u00a0 The things they said we would have to do in order to get up to speed had already been done in Ontonagon.\u00a0 Staff volunteers had wired our Junior-Senior High building during the previous year and a good number of teachers were using internet connected computers in their classrooms.\u00a0 We were on the verge of installing our first modern computer lab when Diane and I attended this conference.\u00a0 The OASD staff was already exploring ways to integrate digital technology into our classrooms.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There are two things that did leave a lasting impression from this road trip (three if you count the \u2018seagull presenter\u2019 thing).\u00a0 First, part of their patter went something like this:\u00a0 WL#1 said, \u201cNo one should be afraid of using computers in their classrooms.\u00a0 Education is always about change and shifting paradigms.\u00a0 This is a new paradigm\u2026\u201d at which point WL#2 held up two dimes and continued with, \u201c…and if someone offered you two dimes, nobody would turn that down, would they?\u00a0 Nobody in education will turn down your offer to help them \u2018shifting a pair of dimes\u2019 (as he made an exagerated motion to put the two dimes in his other pocket).\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The second thing I remember is how angry our short term superintendent was about the report I submitted when we got back.\u00a0 The report explained how the conference really didn\u2019t offer us much new information.\u00a0 Diane and I were pleased to learn our district\u2019s technology plan was already ahead of many other schools represented at this meeting.\u00a0 When the super showed up at my classroom door (the report crumpled in his fist), he accused me of wasting the taxpayers dollars by not getting anything of value from the meeting.\u00a0 He further claimed that, \u201cThis kind of information in the public\u2019s hands will sink the upcoming millage.\u201d\u00a0 All I could think to say was, \u201cThe report says we are already ahead of most other schools and this workshop would have been better for us to attend two years ago.\u00a0 At least the lunch was good.\u00a0 If my report about this one meeting is enough to sink an entire millage election, then the pen is truly mightier than the sword.\u201d\u00a0 The super\u2019s white eyebrows were now clearly outlined on his reddening face as he turned and stalked away.\u00a0 I thought, \u201cWell, this is one of those situations where my dad would have suggested I keep my witty comments to myself!\u201d\u00a0 The millage passed, the super left the area soon after, and the Ontonagon Area Schools continued \u2018shifting paradigms\u2019 by continually upgrading our digital educational assets over the next thirty years.\u00a0 So much for the millage poisoning power of my report about a workshop where the main highlight was the lunch.\u00a0 Apparently he had done the same act for poor Diane and as a newer member of the staff, it rattled her.\u00a0 I assured her I had serious doubts it would get either of us fired.\u00a0 \u201cBesides,\u201d I told her, \u201cI wrote it and submitted it so you can just say, \u2018Ken did it!\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0If one is of a certain age, one can look back and see clearly how rapidly new technology changes the workplace as time passes.\u00a0 As an example, let us consider the typewriter.\u00a0 In the early 1960s, my dad\u2019s work as a State Police detective kept him on the road quite a bit.\u00a0 When he would go to the Post in South Marquette to catch up on paperwork or wash his car, my brother and I would often tag along.\u00a0 It was during one of these trips that I was introduced to that magical instrument.\u00a0 I was fascinated by the mechanical workings more than anything so there wasn\u2019t much serious writing going on, just me playing around trying to understand how it all worked.\u00a0 I began the summer after ninth grade hobbled by a planter\u2019s wart on my heel.\u00a0 When the doctor removed it, he said, \u201cNo sports, swimming, or other activities that require you to put pressure on your heel for at least a month, if not six weeks.\u201d\u00a0 My father was not about to let me sit around the house and mope so he suggested I take a six week typing course at the high school.\u00a0 I protested, but he insisted it was just the kind of thing I needed to keep me busy and out of the house.\u00a0 The Monday after my wart removal, I was on my bike heading two and a half blocks up Lincoln Avenue hill for my first typing class.\u00a0 The instructor turned out to be my old eighth grade math teacher, Julius Tizianni.\u00a0 We were stationed at manual Underwood typewriters very similar to the one we had at home.\u00a0 Mr. T asked, \u201cHow many of you have a typewriter at home you can practice on?\u201d and about half of us raised our hands.\u00a0 \u201cGood,\u201d he said, \u201cbecause I am going to cram a semester worth of typing skills into six weeks.\u00a0 You might find it helpful to practice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The kicker in my dad\u2019s \u2018suggestion\u2019 that I take a summer typing course was his statement of an obvious fact:\u00a0 \u201cYour handwriting is so sloppy that unless you learn to type, you might never graduate.\u201d\u00a0 I did not think my penmanship was that bad (it still is), but he was right.\u00a0 Over the years I have even said (somewhat tongue in cheek), \u201cIf I hadn\u2019t learned to type in the summer of 1968, I might still be in high school.\u201d\u00a0 Once the class got rolling, I actually enjoyed doing the drills and picked up the nuances of the QWERTY keyboard fast enough that I didn\u2019t need to do drills at home.\u00a0 Interestingly enough, the fact that I was the only male in the class never really registered with me.\u00a0 I can\u2019t say I got the top score on the timed drills, but I did okay.\u00a0 Just for fun, he let us try our hand on one of the new IBM Selectric machines (why \u2018selectric\u2019 and not just \u2018electric\u2019 I can\u2019t say).\u00a0 If one wasn\u2019t careful how much pressure one exerted on the keys, a whole row of one letter would appear on the page.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0From that summer on, I opted to write my rough drafts for papers on our trusty Underwood.\u00a0 Being able to type almost as fast as I could form ideas was great.\u00a0 Being able to read (or have others be able to read) my work enabled me to speed up the whole writing process.\u00a0 The tricks of the trade Mr. T taught us about centering lines and how to type entries in small spaces on applications and forms has paid me back many times over.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t even mind filling out tax forms because it was just a matter of showing the form who was the boss!\u00a0 Song lyrics and band contracts (with their carbon copies) flew out of this marvelous machine!\u00a0 When I began typing mimeograph sheets for lessons I used in my own classroom, I often thought of and used a lot of the tricks I learned from Mr. T.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The day I walked into the NMU Geography Department office and was offered a semester-long work-study job, Ceta the secretary asked if I knew how to type.\u00a0 I assured her I had even taken a typing course back in the day.\u00a0 She arched her eyebrow and simply said, \u201cWell, we will see soon enough.\u201d\u00a0 My one semester job also coincided with my education methods class where we were expected to show our mastery of things like film projectors, copy machines, and other tools of the trade.\u00a0 At some point in the semester, we had to report to the library across the academic mall and be tested.\u00a0 If we didn\u2019t get our punch card of skills filled out, we had to keep going back until we did.\u00a0 In my work-study job, I ended up running every type of mimeograph or stenographic copier they had in the department – even an old fashioned \u2018dictaphone\u2019.\u00a0 I was also dispatched to set up movie projectors, slide projectors, and film loop projectors for various instructors.\u00a0 You need to be a certain age to remember some of these educational marvels, but suffice to say, the girl who tested me at the library claimed I was the first one she had tested that got them all right on the first try.\u00a0 Maybe it was true, but with all the practice I had, it would have been pretty dismal if I hadn\u2019t been able to demonstrate all of the tasks required.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0One afternoon, the Geography professor who taught my Methods of Teaching class came in with a folder full of handwritten papers and announced he needed them typed and copied right away.\u00a0 When I said I would get right on it, he said, \u201cI mean, I have to leave for an extension class I am teaching out of town and I need it typed and copied by five.\u201d\u00a0 No pressure.\u00a0 I banged it out and copied it with minutes to spare.\u00a0 The fun started the next day when he burst into the office red faced and angry:\u00a0 \u201cDo you know how many typos and mistakes there were on that test?\u201d\u00a0 All I could say was, \u201cNo because you didn\u2019t give me enough time to actually proofread it.\u201d\u00a0 It was all too much for Ceta.\u00a0 She came around her desk and pulled herself up to her full height (she was 5 foot two if she was an inch) and got into the professor\u2019s face:\u00a0 \u201cYou walked in here yesterday and expected to have a hundred question test typed AND copied in a couple of hours and YOU AREN\u2019T HAPPY WITH THE MISTAKES?\u00a0 The big MISTAKE, buster, was you waiting until the last minute and then complaining about what you got.\u00a0 You GOT just what you ASKED FOR!\u201d\u00a0 He turned beet red and I think I saw a little steam coming out of Ceta\u2019s ears.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When Ceta got her dander up, she was a sight to behold.\u00a0 After she backed the professor out the door and he made his escape, she turned around and re-entered the office.\u00a0 Her thunderstorm expression melted into a big smile and she started to giggle:\u00a0 \u201cHe won\u2019t ever pull that nonsense again.\u00a0 By the way, he said to tell you he is sorry for making a fuss.\u201d\u00a0 A few months later, Ceta and her husband left town for his new job in Iowa.\u00a0 We had lunch at the University Center on her last day and had a good laugh at some of our office adventures.\u00a0 The \u201cdo you know how many typos and mistakes\u201d episode put us both in a fit of giggles, but I reminded Ceta that I had a couple of uncomfortable weeks wondering if there would be any payback.\u00a0 \u201cOh, he wouldn\u2019t have DARED!\u201d she said before busting into another round of giggling.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0One thing I learned from these kinds of episodes is simply:\u00a0 If you make a mistake, it is better to own up to it and do better next time.\u00a0 Nobody likes to get yelled at.\u00a0 With that said, I kind of liked getting chewed out for something that actually wasn\u2019t my fault.\u00a0 Why would someone enjoy getting a needless harangue?\u00a0 When the dust settles, I get to explain why it wasn\u2019t my fault that this or that happened.\u00a0 It is always interesting to watch how the \u2018yeller\u2019 tries to backpedal to save face.\u00a0 Whenever this has happened to me, in my mind, I can still see Ceta taking after that poor professor like an angry mother bear.\u00a0 It also reminds me to put \u2018anger\u2019 at the end of a very long check list one should scroll down when problem solving.\u00a0 It saves a lot of apologizing later on.\u00a0 Like the old adage says, \u201cNothing ruins a good argument like some darn fool with facts,\u201d or in cases like this, someone who did the best they could under the circumstances.\u00a0 Learning that\u00a0 \u2018pair-of-dimes\u2019 has prevented me from sticking my foot in my mouth many times over the years.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Top Piece Video:\u00a0 Huey and the boys talk about ‘Working for a Living’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Many years ago, Ontonagon Area Schools business teacher Diane Hardes and I were sent to a workshop held at the Holiday Inn in Marquette.\u00a0 The day\u2019s theme was \u201cintegrating computers into your school\u201d and on the way home, we agreed that beyond the lunch we were served, it was a big waste of time (we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,8,12,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education","category-from-the-vaults","category-humor","category-woas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2043"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2043\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2046,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2043\/revisions\/2046"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}