Inspiring Graduation Experience

I actually wrote this entry three weeks ago, right after Summer Graduation at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX. I was inspired then and remain so. This never got posted because I left town the next morning for a vacation in Oregon, about which I write in my previous entry. So I am posting in a bit late, but that has no bearing on the story or its message:

Thirty graduations. That is how many I have attended since beginning my time as a professor of library science at SHSU. The first one was a thrill. I got to don my beautiful green and gold robe for the 2nd time (first being my own graduation) and walk in as a faculty member. I expected that ceremony attendance would get old after a while but that has not happened. I still enjoy the event, even if it does curtail my revered Saturday afternoon nap time. This year, as I left our building and headed over to the area where everyone assembles for lining up, I encountered something wonderful. Pulled up next to the curb was a big, shiny, chartered bus with people disembarking. Everybody was dressed to the nines and cameras were pointing. These folks were taking pictures of themselves taking pictures of themselves. I walked up to one young lady who was documenting the events with a video camera. “This is a wonderful group you have here," I said, "are you honoring one graduate or a group of people?” “We are all here for one person,” she replied. “She is getting a degree in education!” The people milling about ranged in age from babies in arms to grandparent types. “Where are you from?” I asked. “Well, most of us are from Houston but we also have people from as far away as California.” She replied. After my exclamations of praise for the grad and this family, we parted ways with me feeling better about the world. These folks realized that a college graduation was important enough to bring out a whole family to commemorate the event.

I have no doubt that buses get charted when young athletes reach exalted levels such as state playoffs. Buses of SHSU Bearkat fans come up from Houston on game days. But this was different. All these people were gathering to celebrate the academic achievement of one of their own. What a powerful message to the boys and girls who were part of the group! What a thrill for the grandparents who may not have attained such a goal. What a send-off for the new grad! I believe that the world is a better place because of this family, and others like it, who realize and applaud the hard work and sacrifice of everyone who made this particular grad a success.

Speaking of success, our SHSU Department of Library Science graduated 34 new school librarians on Saturday. Many were from San Antonio, a point of pride for me because I had wished we could offer instruction in SA for several years before plans became reality. We were treated to an exceptional graduation speaker, Dr. James Gaertner, outgoing President of SHSU. This ceremony was his last as university president. Dr. Gaertner is an accomplished speaker, known for his light touch while delivering serious messages. Two of his quotations really stood out for me:
• “Adversity introduces you to yourself.” I can certainly vouch for the reality that adversity shapes a person, but this was a bit of a different slant. As a youngster growing up, I often wondered how I would perform in the face of pain, loss, fear, hard times, or other trying circumstances. I knew my growing-up years were remarkably free of such tests. Looking back from my present perspective I realize that I am like most people: One way or another you get through those things.
• The other thing he said that I noted had to do with momentous life events, both positive and negative: “How a person responds to good or bad things that happen in life shows how big a person you are.” Celebrities behaving badly show the world their small stature by behaving badly in the face of great success and wealth. But we do not have to look that far for examples. I know associates who have shown true colors when confronted with both good and bad news.

As a new academic year begins, and many students enter the final stretch to degree completion, I wish all the best to both students and to the dedicated faculties that work so hard to help them succeed.

Short Note about "Best Bank in the World"

I am sitting in air-conditioned comfort on Alberta Street, Portland OR, on a heat-advisory day. It is supposed to get up into the 90's!!! Given that lots of people are sans air-conditioning, that can actually be cause for concern. Anyway, this place is not only cool, but blasting out AC onto a little open courtyard area. The bank offers the following: free lectures about credit and other banking concerns (one just finished), free cookies, free soft drinks, several computers for free browsing (30 minute limit requested), and chirpy employees. One young guy just finished his time, wheeled his bike outside (yes he brought it inside with him), and pedaled off down the street. They also have a physical bulletin board where people can post notices, and also tout an online board for the same. Oh yeah and there is background music. They also have a project going called "build your block challenge," whereby people can submit proposals for neighborhood improvement projects and hope to gain up to $10,000. It seems a bit heartening to see a bank offering amenities when so many are just ripping you off and being surly while at it. On the other hand, all is not utopia, I surmise. Across the street there is a quaint victorian house sporting signs saying "Boycott Umpqua Bank...logging Old Growth since 1953," and other slogans. The building is the home of an outfit called "In Defense of Animals: Protecting the rights, welfare, and habits of animals."

I asked the young lady who was leading sessions about the signs. Her explanation was that the bank was founded in southern Oregon where logging is the prominent industry, and one director owns a logging company. She was quick to assert that this one person does not make the decisions for the bank. I asked about the organization with the protest posters, and she said they are a local PETA headquarters.

While I was keying in this, another session started. It is for beginning account holders, mostly early 20-somethings. First question, "When you put your money in the bank, where does it go?" She answered briefly and then led the group on a tour of the facility. They were surprisingly attentive, and more than happy to take the goodie bags handed out which contained checkbooks and other logo promotional items.

So what does this have with technology and/or librarianship? Well, the free computers for anyone to use is huge to me. I just sent off an article about the lack of free computer access for kids hit by the economic digital divide. While I was typing one teen left and another arrived on HIS bike and sat down at the computer next to me. What's not to like about free computer use, free cookies, and cool drinks plus AC on a hot day for a kid in this mixed neighborhood?

Finally what is my take on all this? Well, I have to say I see more to like than dislike. Sure the bank may have some issues with the logging industry, but it is local to Oregon and the money stays here. Banks are banks and I do have a certain level of suspicion about motives in view of our current economic woes and the role of big banks and businesses. However, they are trying to be accomodating and informative, not to mention offering the perks previously mentioned. What if EVERY bank offered 2-3 computers for free surfing, especially in neighborhoods where there are lots of people with limited/no access? If I lived in Oregon, I would probably bank here.

Time Enough!

When I was a kid, suppertime was when we all shared the stories of the day. Usually Mom had the most interesting story. She taught first and second grade for many years, and usually she had some tale about what had happened at school that day. She loved to tell us the stories from her reading books too. One she referred to many times was a traditional Yiddish tale—the story about the poor man who goes to the wise elder and asks what to do about his crowded house. Mom called the story “Room Enough” and I think that was the title in the reader that she used. Anyway, in the story the man is told to ease his crowding problem by bringing MORE inhabitants into the house. Bring in the chickens! No improvement. The goats! Much worse! …and so on. Finally the man goes back one more time and the elder says…now…go home and take out all the animals! So he does and comes back to report that the problem has been solved. There is now ROOM ENOUGH in the house. My mother thought this story was hilarious for some reason, and whenever things got cluttered in the den, or the kitchen needed straightening, she would pronounce that WE needed ROOMENOUGH! My brother and I always knew we were in for some house cleaning chores then.

The reason I have been thinking about this for the past few months is that I have been yearning for TIME ENOUGH. Although I am far from a born leader, I agreed with some reluctance last year to take over as department chair for our MLS program. Then around Christmas I had a worrisome mammogram. I ended up with surgery this spring followed by radiation treatments. I lost Mom to breast cancer , and had promised my daughter that if I ever needed treatment I would seek the best care. Thus I had my original appointments and surgery down town in Houston at MD Anderson. I was lucky enough to be able to have my radiation at a satellite clinic just 30 miles from my house. But every single day for two months I made the drive down and back for my treatments, losing about 3 hours from start to finish. I kept telling myself that once I got through with all that, I would be like the crowded family in the folk tale, except with time instead of room. I would get my life back, complete with Time Enough.

I finished my treatments three days before leaving to take students on a travel study experience to NYC and DC, finishing up with the ALA conference. That was a great trip and I took care not to overdo, but during that time I did not have what one would call a leisurely schedule. No matter. I was going to get it back when I returned from the trip! Surely then I would have Time Enough!

Upon return I discovered that I was behind on all fronts, most particularly with the other class I was teaching, and grades were due in one short week. So I got past that. Then came the week I had been waiting for. Last. Week. I was going to have Time Enough starting last week! Monday was busy but then Mondays are always busy. On Tuesday I had a great day teaching a new class of students. But…during lunch I got a call that my dad had been taken to the ER. It seems he had a heart attack, something they call a silent heart attack that must have occurred some time in the previous 2-3 days. Not only that, he had congestive heart failure that really should have been diagnosed ages ago. So again my life went into overdrive. We got him delivered back home and settled with a hospital bed in his den. Life is going on and his amazing spirit still blazes brightly.

Meanwhile I have been attending to a myriad of duties related to the administrative part of my job, and also keeping up with my summer class. Amazingly I am, for the moment, caught up with grading. I have an article to write but I have the all-important idea and it is percolating. I am sitting here listening to Lucinda Williams Radio via Pandora and thinking about re-launching my blog. I think I have time enough to do that. Finally.

Apology to TLC Listserv

Dear Fellow Texas Librarians, I want to apologize for the unintelligible message sent today from my dog, Son. He does not understand about message boards, spam (which he thinks sounds yummy), cookies (which he KNOWS are yummy) or any other computer stuff. I have been enjoying the glorious weather and working on my back porch. Son has been sharing his (once my) lounge chair with me. Evidently when I went inside he at some point he tapped out a message, or at least a subject line that reads "Re: JAnjJhjqpbjbjhoq'&0-¥£¥-'haws." By the end of it I think he was getting the hang of the keyboard and actually typed out some rude laughter. I am attaching a picture of him, right at the scene of the cyber crime. You can see he is sorry about the whole thing...

PS If you look at the bottom right corner and on the floor, you can see evidence of his chewing on the cushion a little bit. He always apologizes for that too.

Are You a Tortoise, a Hare, or a Possum?

I have been thinking about Web 2.0 use in schools and Internet filtering, and also about hares, tortoises, and possums. In fact I am thinking about the topics daily due to an upcoming panel discussion at Texas Library Association (TLA) Conference in San Antonio, which is about filtering. I am, of all things, moderator. I plan to bring a noise maker and wildly wield authority over the session. In preparation for this I am conducting a survey on Filtering at Schools, and would appreciate participation at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/web20survey2010

Meanwhile, back to critters. First of all I want to praise the hares. These folks are leaders, and I am constantly amazed at how far ahead of the rest of us they constantly range. The reason I love Twitter is because I follow some great librarians and technology folks who are constantly presenting and sharing about Web. 2.0 resources. If you want some great tweets, go to my site and pick up some of the same people. They are waay out in front of the rest of us and showing the way. Unlike the silly hare in the fable, these folks are not about to be caught napping. I am in awe of all the different things they do and have followed up on tweets that led to great ideas innumerable times. Hares are also writing, presenting, creating, experimenting, and exerting leadership in countless ways regarding the use of Web2.0 in schools.

Then there are the tortoises. Those are the rest of us who follow along, maybe a bit slowly and thoughtfully, but still very much in the race. These are the folks who recognize the value of new ideas and resources, but are not necessarily the early adopters. With so many new things to evaluate and try, these folks are more likely to follow along with ideas that they can see have demonstrated promise. They may be burdened with other duties and obligations both at school and at home, but are very much still in the race. Hooray for these folks! They can be counted upon to attend training sessions, collaborate with hares, and generally keep things moving along.

Then there is another group of people, I regret to say, who comprise a third anthropomorphic species. I am calling these folks the possums. Yes, these are the people that fall down and play dead. They are content to be uninformed, disinterested, and even antagonistic about technology in general and Web 2.0 in particular. Years ago there was a teacher at my school who said, "If you give me a computer, I will use it for a plant stand." Such folks are hard to reach, but at least some can be brought along. I enlisted my plant stand friend for an online project involving her students and she changed her tune! That was years ago, but I know that there are still educators that do not want to be responsible for supervising students using the Internet, who do not want to bother to try different things, and who may still be fearful and antagonistic regarding computer use.

I have asked for years how the possums can be de-possumed. Now I believe there is not an easy or single answer to that question. But one of the best instruments of change is one-on-one involvement. The deadly old staff developments where large groups are required to listen to enthusiastic hares whose language they may not even completely understand (tweets? wikis? Nings???) are not productive. I suspect tortoises may be better suited for the task. They are more likely to relate to possum-think and offer reassurance and timely as-needed support.

Finally I cannot resist mixing metaphors even more and reminding myself that "You can bring a horse to water but you cannot make him drink." There are some folks who are not going to change their ways. Frankly, while this is getting harder and harder, it is still true that some people can still be effective though possumish. All the same, I would strongly urge both hares and tortoises to extend paws toward erstwhile possums. Any ideas about how to do so will be greatly appreciated.

Health Care Debate

I told myself I would not belabor this issue. I have posted my thoughts before, here and elsewhere. But watching C-SPAN and feeling the urgency of the upcoming vote on health care reform, I am caving in to my impulse to voice my conviction that this measure is long overdue. I am telling a story because I believe in stories. When my husband Ron was being treated for cancer at MD Anderson, he had a network of supporters who were there to help with counseling, pain management, physical therapy, and any other needs he might have. At one point we spoke with a financial counselor. Ron's fear was that his health insurance might run out and then that the expensive COBRA might run out after that. This is the fear of any cancer patient who does not have unlimited resources and is under the age of 65. At that time Ron had an apartment in Houston where he stayed during the week, and then he was with me on weekends. This lady told him to get rid of his Houston address immediately. Why? Because if they could say he lived in Houston, and if he ran out of insurance, he would have to be treated at Ben Taub. Our Montgomery County address meant there was not at that time a cancer clinic available so he could go to MD Anderson. Ben Taub is a great emergency hospital, but is the end of the line for folks who are out of insurance. Before we concluded our interview, the social worker told us a story about another man she was working with. This unlucky fellow was 64 years old. He would not be 65 for several months. He was in the position that Ron feared. His insurance and his money were running out. He actually only needed to hold on for three more months until he was 65 and would have Medicare. They had tried every possible plea and ploy to somehow get a concession so he could continue his treatment at MD Anderson, to which he was responding well. No dice. She said the bottom line was he would have to go to Ben Taub for three months, where the therapy was not available. He would probably die much sooner as a result of this interruption in his treatment. How many people have to find themselves in similar predicaments? How many is too many? I lived through the debate and passage of Medicare, when all the same dire predictions were made. They are no more true today than they were then. Ron died before his insurance ran out, but it still makes me mad that he had to worry about insurance as well as his cancer. Shameful.

And now I am back at MD Anderson. Yesterday I had my blood tested in the same lab where Ron used to get his done. That was a strange feeling. I have good insurance, and I also have a very good prognosis. I am not worried about the same things that Ron, with stage IV lung cancer had to face. But still...

Another Reason Why Librarians Make A Difference

Last week I spent a considerable amount of time in waiting rooms at MD Anderson Hospital waiting rooms at the Mays Clinic Breast Cancer Center. Anybody who has been through a big hospital like this knows to expect waiting, and I was well prepared with gizmos. I was witness to a very compelling little drama at one point. I kept noticing a young boy who looked about 10 and was wandering around, appearing a bit lost. I thought maybe he was with one of the volunteers because he never seemed to be talking to anyone who was seated in the area. Finally he concentrated his wanderings to the area where the volunteers had a plate of cookies and some heart shaped pillows, which they give away to patients. One of the volunteers smiled at him and said, "Would you like a cookie?" I could not hear what he said but it was clear that they then engaged in a conversation, and that he was worried about his mother, who was back in one of the rooms. The lady was offering him some tips on how he could help her by cheering her up, giving her support, helping out with chores, helping her with healthy diet, etc. Then another lady came up and started talking with him too. The librarian in me could not be restrained. I went up to the first lady and said, "I see your friend has questions." She said yes. When she asked him if he wanted a cookie he said "No, but I have a question...How can they make my mother's cancer go away?" I said, "You should tell him to talk to his school librarian. She can find him books on his level that help answer his questions and also help him deal with his mother's illness." She did ask him and he said that he did know and like his librarian and that he would do that. Then one of the ladies took him downstairs to the Learning Center for some written information. He had been researching on the Internet, but clearly wanted to TALK to someone who could give him the information he sought. He was 9 years old. I commented on his maturity and spunk for coming up and asking them questions. She laughed and said he told her, "I may be little but I have a BIG HEAD." She said, "Are you trying to tell me you are smart?" and he said YES. She told him that she was sure he could help his mom just by being himself and being there for her. If you are a librarian you know that children of all ages come in with questions about their loved ones' health issues, and about their own health as well. They need and deserve to have a caring adult who will not only hand over the right book but also be there as someone to listen and give support. This is one of the many things school librarians do very well.