The Power of Kindness

A friend shared a story with me the other day and it made me reflect on a teacher truism that many educators will know from the work of Rita Pierson, particularly this TED Talk Every Kid needs a Champion.

This friend, let's call him Bill, was walking through a parking lot toward a grocery store. Nearby, walking in the same direction was a teenager, probably in high-school. Suddenly, a man in dishevelled and dirty clothing, emerged and began to yell random, unconnected statements toward the pair. It became obvious that he was homeless and suffered from some form of mental illness (likely schizophrenia).

Bill and the teen were taken aback momentarily. In an instant, the man became distracted and then temporarily disoriented. Seconds later, he turned and, as he moved away through parked cars, continued his verbal barrage in the opposite direction toward no one at all.

The teen reached into his pocket to retrieve his cell-phone and Bill was outraged to realize he intended to record this event. Furious, Bill prepared to unleash his offence. The words "obnoxious, entitled, unfeeling & callous" swirled in his head alongside a tirade of expletives.

However, before he discharged his venomous, but justified, derision - his age and wisdom kicked in. In a calm and patient tone he said, "Hey, don't you think that guy has it hard enough without being recorded? Wouldn't it be kinder to just let him be?"

Sheepishly, and silently, the teen put his phone away and quickly walked in a different direction - away from Bill and the homeless man.

I'd like to think that I would respond similarly - but Bill might be a better man than I. Regardless, the story made me reflect on my role as an educator and adult citizen in this world.

• Escalating a situation unnecessarily only gives the offending party the opportunity to feel justified in their behaviour and vindicated by the outrage of their inevitable response.
• It's our responsibility to socialize the youth with whom we interact. This has been emphasized from Plato to Rousseau to Egan
  
• Children rarely learn from people they don't respect or that don't treat them with respect. How would that teen have responded if Bill had started by calling him a jerk?

As I plan my return to the classroom next September, this is a lesson on which I will frequently reflect. It's also a story I hope to share with my students. Perhaps, together, we can help each other become the best we can be.

The 500 - #477 - Merle Haggard - Down Every Road (1962 - 1994)

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 or 2 records per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation.

Album # 477

Album Title: Down Every Road (1962 - 1994)
Artist: Merle Haggard
Released: April, 1996 (With songs from 1962-94)
My age at release: 30 or (Before birth - 28) 
How familiar am I with it: A couple songs
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Okie from Muskogee 
Great Lyric:
I'm lonely but I can't afford the luxury
Of having one I love to come along
She'd only slow me down and they'd catch up with me
For he who travels fastest goes alone. (The Fugitive)

In my last post, Loretta Lynn: All Time Greatest Hits I suggested that picking a "Best of..." album was a bit of a cheat by Rolling Stone for their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Little did I realize that the next pick was a 4 CD Boxed Set Retrospective with 100 songs on it. 

I didn't recognize this initially. As you might imagine, I didn't buy the box set, I just punched it up on my Spotify app and began my daily workout. I say "workout" but it it's more of a "loiter and shuffle" approach to fitness. I am the literal antithesis of Beast Mode Culture - I just need the T-shirt. 

After nearly an hour had passed, I thought to myself "this must be a double record." So I checked and realized I wasn't even at the halfway post. Consequently, I am still finishing my first listen as I write this entry. I'm still deep in the seventies (Disc 3), which isn't a bad place to be.

I was only familiar with Merle Haggard by name...and I knew the songs Okie from Muskogee (I think I first heard it in the film Platoon) and his version of I Can't Stop Loving You which was ubiquitous in the 70's. However, as I listen, there is a lot to like. In my last post I shared my country roots, as top-soil shallow as they are, so there is no point in reflecting on that again.

I think this is going to be a one of those posts where I would encourage you to listen to the podcast that inspired me to take this journey: The 500. On Episode 23 the guest is Peter Billingsley who most will immediately associate with his role as Ralphie in the holiday classic A Christmas Story. However, he has spent the past 20 years on the other side of the camera as a producer, editor, writer and director. He's an engaging and likeable storyteller with 40 years in the industry. He is also a big fan of the Bakersfield Sound and the influence it had on artists from the 60s to today: The Beatles, The Stones, The Eagles, Wilco and 

Sunvolt to name a few. He even draws comparisons to bands as diverse as punk rock pioneers Social Distortion or hip-hop innovators N.W.A. in his summary. As he eloquently & passionately puts it... 

"these guys lived it and when you look back at their life stories, I don't think they were singing lyrics to try to rhyme, they were singing what they knew. They were angry, they were poor, they were frustrated, they were starving...they were singing about the experiences in their lives and they were singing it beautifully."

He and host Josh Adam Meyers share, in far greater detail, many of the things I learned while listening to and researching this box set which I like far more than I would have initially suspected.

Things I learned...

• Merle Haggard served time in San Quentin Prison where he saw Johnny Cash perform. Years later, when performing with Cash, he mentioned this. Cash responded by asking ... "You were with my band?" and Haggard needed to explain that he was in the audience.
• He was later pardoned of all his crimes by President Ronald Regan.
• Okie from Muskogee was initially performed  earnestly as a patriotic anthem, decrying the "San Francisco Hippies" who smoked marijuana, took LSD and burned their draft cards." Later in his career, when Haggard became a marijuana proponent and his attitudes on the draft had shifted, he would sing the song with a satirical panache - tongue firmly in cheek. I guess that is a testament to the strength of good art - it weathers change effortlessly:  changes in time, changes in attitude or even in the opinions of its creator.

The 500 - #478 = Loretta Lynn - All Time Greatest HIts

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 or 2 records per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation.

Album # 478

Album Title: All Time Greatest Hits
Artist: Loretta Lynn
Released: May, 2002 (With songs from 1964-78)
My age at release: 35 or (1-13) 
How familiar am I with it: A couple songs
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: As Soon as I Hang up the Phone
Great Lyric:
"The girls in New York City they all march for women's lib
And Better Homes and Gardens shows the modern way to live
And the pill may change the world tomorrow but meanwhile today
Here in Topeka the flies are a buzzin', 
the dog is a barkin' and the floor needs a scrubbin' " (One's on the Way)

During my time in Kingsville, Ontario (1975-1979) I heard a lot of country music. Kingsville was, at the time, a farming community of about 4000 people. Country Music radio stations were the norm. Whenever I would visit the homes of my friends, particularly my farming friends. Conway Twitty, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and, of course, Loretta Lynn.

I always thought that she sounded like a character in a DC comic because of her alliterative name ... Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Loretta Lynn. 

The movie Coal Miner's Daughter came out when I was 14. It was around that time that I was becoming aware of film as an art form and my interest in movies was changing. Between 1977 and 1979 I would go with my friends to the Leamington Bijou Theatre to see blockbuster action & comedy films: Star Wars, Grease, Superman, Every Which Way but Loose or The Jerk.

I was starting to notice and gain an interest in more complex films. I started to want to see dramas with rich, layered characters performed by Oscar nominated actors. I was ready for longer, slower scenes built around mood and dialogue. I was also desperate to be able to see R-rated films. At that time - before commercial VHS players - it was nearly impossible to get into a movie with an adult rating. 1980 marked a turning point because we moved to London - a city with a population of about 250,000. Suddenly, R-rated movies were accessible to me because...

• I made friends with people who had access to a car, so Drive Ins became an option (ID was checked far less often when you were holding up a line of cars waiting to get in.)
• I also had friends who worked at movie theatres - they would sometimes be allowed to give out free passes to a movie...or would sneak you in the back door.
• Multi-plexes arrived - I would pay to see The Blues Brothers...watch it... then sneak into the next screening of The Blue Lagoon. A box office giant that was fuelled by its provocative and controversial content - which it needed, because it is awful. Even at 14, I knew this was a bomb.
  
• There was a Revival House theatre called The New Yorker and it showed all the R-rated movies I'd wanted to see, but couldn't. A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Mad Max, The Warriors, Apocalypse Now were very popular with my group. Additionally, if you bought a monthly pass, you saved on ticket purchases and never got asked for ID. I think there was a certain respect they gave to any kid who would become a monthly subscriber at an art house theatre. 

"If he's mature enough to buy the pass - he must be mature enough for Monty Python's Life of Brian." 

It was at the New Yorker that I saw Coal Miner's Daughter. I knew I was watching some great performances - Sissy Spacek, Tommy Lee Jones & Beverly D'Angelo - but the movie wasn't as great as I would have hoped. I suspect I might have still been a little too young to deeply understand the themes of poverty, isolation, fidelity, domestic violence & sudden celebrity. I might watch it again - I wonder if it has aged well. 

This record, All Time Greatest Hits, seemed an unusual choice for the Rolling Stone list. It isn't an album - it's a collection of songs from many albums. Somehow, that seems like cheating. If you looked at the number of tracks and their length, you'd think this was a punk album. Only 5 of the 22 songs are longer than 3 minutes and 4 of those 5 are under 3:07. 

I've listened through it three times and I've enjoyed it - There is a sweet unassailable charm to many of the songs. As I said to a friend on the weekend, "it's the palate cleanser I didn't know I needed" particularly after writing about the psychedelic assault of Maggot Brain by Funkadelic and the violent, drug fuelled Mafioso-Rap world imagined in Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Links.

In many ways, it took me back to a simpler time, playing with Mego Action Figures and Atari's Breakout Video Game in the farmhouse rec-room of my friend John Barnett. His mother cooking in the kitchen and songs like these on the radio. 

Things I learned...

• The White Stripes album White Blood Cells, which I wrote about earlier was dedicated to her.
• She took on controversial topics in her writing. Rated X is about the double standard divorced women face, Wings upon your Horns is about the loss of teenage virginity and The Pill is about contraception. 
• Politically, she has supported Democrats and Republicans and seems to take a centrist view on many issues.
• She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013.

6 Minute Podcast Stories

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As I have mentioned in a few recent posts, like this one and this one, I am leaving my role as an Instructional Coach and returning to the classroom. I'm really excited about this prospect and I'm already organizing activities, lessons and flexible long range plans. Well, as much preparation as I can given that I don't know what grade I will finally land for September. 

The other day I spotted something promising in a post by Grade 5 teacher Tony Vincent. If you don't follow him, you should rectify that promptly by clicking this link to his page. He is an incredibly generous resource for lesson ideas, assessment strategies and easy-to-follow tech tips.

Tony posted a link to the website bestrobotever.com and a podcast called Six Minutes. It is, as you've likely guessed, a repository for a full series of six minute long podcasts. He got me intrigued with the caption ... "Six Minutes is an addicting podcast drama - my 5th graders are obsessed."

I am not sure if I am going to be teaching Grade 5 but, this seemed like the kind of things that had some range...maybe Grade 4-8? 

While driving between schools, I checked it out.

The podcast is presented like a radio play from the 40's, in the Golden Age of Radio. Live broadcasts of Dragnet or The Adventures of Superman had audiences entranced or, in the case of The War of the Worlds, in a literal state of hysteria. 

This iteration has the benefit of advances in multi-track, production technology; but, it still relies heavily on the convincing performances of its skilled cast of actors.

Episode 1 begins with the opening to a ominious and etheral melody that sounds vaguely similar to Gimme Shelter by The Stones. Layered on top is a narrator's ominous prologue

There are kids in this world who are different. Special. They look like us and they act like us. But they are not us...and one of them is missing.

We are introduced to the Anders family who are on a whale watching trip in Alaska. We learn, through dialogue, that the mother, Monica, is a doctor while the father is involved with the military in some mysterious, but clearly important, capacity.  

Their youngest child, a girl named Birdy, falls into the ocean and, after being pulled aboard, reports that there is another girl in the water. Her brother Cyrus dives in and rescues her...clinging to life she gains consciousness long enough to reveal that she remembers nothing...except her name...Holiday. 

It is the kind of story that is sure to hook young listeners. By episode two, more is revealed (often in subtle clues that only keen ears will detect). It ends on a cliffhanger that I am certain will have students, as Vincent put it, "obsessed".

I immediately contacted a Grade 5 teacher at a schools I support. She agreed to let me try out a few episodes with her students to gauge their interest and build some connections to her balanced literacy program. Hopefully, I will post those results and some lesson ideas soon.

The 500 - #479 - Funkadelic - Maggot Brain

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 or 2 records per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation.

Album # 479

Album Title: Maggot Brain
Artist: Funkadelic
Released: July,1971
My age at release: 6 
How familiar am I with it: Not at all
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix:Wars of Armageddon
Great Lyric:
“I once had a life 
Or rather, life had me
I was one among many
Or at least I seemed to be…”

Without a doubt, this is the best new album I have discovered on this list so far.  It is not without its flaws and there are a few songs that are clearly the product of ambitious psychadelic drug consumption. Even the title track, although brilliant in its mournful delivery, can be jarring at times.

According to legend, the entire track, recorded in one take, was  created while members were under the influence of LSD. Guitarist Eddie Hazel was told by bandmate & producer George Clinton, to "imagine he had learned his mother had died ... but then, slowly, discovered she was still alive".   

The story on the song may be apocraphyl, but is exactly the kind of tale that would make a 70's high school stoner say "Whoa, that's heavy man."

The rest of the record is a mixed bag. Some of the songs are great uptempo funk ... either the acoustic-tinged, wall of sound, doo-wop sound of Can You Get to That to the smooth, gospel groove of Hit it Quick. From the Hendrix-esque guitar jams on Super Stupid to Wars of Armageddon which exists as a constant contradiction...sloppy but technical, earnest but silly, mature yet decidedly juvenile.

It was a distraction that came at a perfect time. I am currently interviewing for a classroom placement in September. I am fortunate to have enough seniority to guarantee me employment but, I also need to find an opportunity that is good for me and, by extension, best for my future students. Additionally, the final decision lands with Principals who really don't know me well.

After an unsuccessful first round, I needed some time to regroup. I didn't want to ruminate too much (and certainly not too negatively). My first listen to this record was at the gym on the elliptical. I escaped into it as I puffed and trudged my way through some tedious, but necessary, cardio. I then gave it a listen while working on some coding for a PD session I am facilitating this summer. My third listening is happening right now.

In my last post I acknowledged that I would probably never listen to the album (Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx) again. This one is falls at the other end of the continuum. I'll play this one a few more times this week.

Give it a spin and, if you have time, listen to the excellent conversation about it on Josh Adam Meyer's The 500 Podcast. His guest, actor & comedian, Baron Vaughn is a natural and engaging storyteller.

The 500 - #480 - Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by comedian Josh Adam Meyer. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 or 2 records per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation.

Album # 480

Album Title: Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
Artist: Raekwon
Released: August, 1995
My age at release: 30
How familiar am I with it: Not at all
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Rainy Dayz
Great Lyric:
"Back to slinging every 45 minutes
G's fleeing, fiends is in the building OD'ing
The drugs is in the ground, burners on the side of our legs
It's gonna happen so you know we low keying" Canal Street

I had not heard of this album... imagine that? The 53 year old white Canadian had not heard the first solo album by a member of the Wu Tang Clan.

I actually have a story about discovering the Wu Tang Clan, but I'll have to wait until album #386 to share that one.

I learned a lot about this record listening to The 500 Podcast. I learned that it supposed to play like a film - with Raekwon as the star and Ghostface Killer as the co-star. It is highly regarded in the  music world as a pioneer of the Mafioso-Rap sub-genre inside the larger Gangsta Rap Genre.

When this genre was popular with my students it was troubling for me as an educator. I recognize that I am judging from my perspective and that the lyrics were written from the point of view of young men who have an entirely different lived experience. 

Regardless, the lyrics are...

• rife with violence,
• peppered with caustic language (sometimes unnecessarily),
• often misogynistic and troublingly homophobic,
• prone to celebrate materialism & narcissism.    

This record, like many of this genre, present a world where the decision to become involved in criminal activity is the only alternative for a protagonist who is, at his core, a good guy. A man who, through no apparent fault of his own, has been pushed into this situation by an unforgiving society. He wants to pull off one more big money deal and then retire to be a good father.  

At the time, I was teaching in a school where many students embraced this narrative. Some came from homes where significant challenges were commonplace - financial, emotional & criminal hardships were part of their world. In many cases, these students had been raised with a view of society with which I was not familiar - but learned to understand over the twelve years I taught there.  People in authority were villains to these kids because of the way their parents framed the events in their lives. 

• The police were not to be trusted - they "hassled" the family unduly and arrests, when they occurred, were viewed as partisan & arbitrary.
• Landlords were unreasonable, cruel and dishonest. Evictions were often believed to be... "being kicked out because he kept raising the rent" (I knew this was not the case.)
• Lending institutions - particularly Rent-to-Own franchises & cash checking/lending operations - were criminal and discriminatory.
• Lawyers, judges, teachers were all part of a corrupt system and not to be trusted. They were liars, manipulators & invariably let you down.

Consequently, these kids would naturally identify with the primary characters on records from this genre. Raekwon & Ghostface discuss their goals on the first track Striving for Perfection. They are tired of the small time dealing they have been doing and they are going to leverage a better connection to make enough money to retire and get away from the dangers in this neighbourhood. They would finally have everything they deserved ...wealth, power, safety & respect. It is, in its way, the American Dream - just realized through criminal enterprise. This wasn't viewed by my students as a negative proposition - after all, the rest of society is equally criminal - they just get all the breaks.

I tried my best with those students - pointing out the pitfalls of gang culture and encouraging them to see the world through a different lense. I was successful with some. For many, it was just a "phase" and they were experimenting with that persona. I know I also made dubious personality choices at that age. As I've aged, I've learned that many kids explore personalities, temperaments and identities. I've always thought about it like this...

"Have you ever watched a toddler push something off his hightray chair and squeal with delight as it falls. He is experimenting with physics because it is unfamiliar to him. Pre-teens and teens are doing the same thing when they are suddenly uncharacteristically moody or hostile or lazy. They are experimenting with their identities. They are trying on personalities to see which one fits them best. Typically, like the toddler, they will get bored with the game and settle into a groove that fits."

As with many pieces that are "of a time & place" much of the hip hop slang of the 90's has not aged well. In particular, the expression "You know what I'm saying" often phrased without pause "knowwhatI'msayin".  I am immediately reminded of J-Roc, the character portrayed by Jonathan Torrens on the Canadian television mockumentary Trailer Park Boys, who overused the expression to tremendous comedic effect particularly in this clip. Now when I hear it spoken on this record, it makes me chuckle.

Once again, this is intended to be a growing experience for me. I am approaching every record with an open mind and I am trying to expand my understanding of music. The reviews for this record are glowing - particularly the praise for the production work by RZA. I don't suspect it will get further listens - it's just not for me. However, I do like the vocal track by Blue Raspberry on the song Rainy Dazy, which I picked for my Spotify mix.

Things I learned...

• Often called The Purple Tape because it was released on cassette with a plastic cover that was purple.
• The title refers to a style of thick, gold chain that is popular in the hip-hop community because they are expensive and also because they are difficult to pull off in a fight.
• This is the first record to name drop the champagne "Cristal" which, even I know, is omnipresent in hip-hop culture and lyrics. 

The 500 - #481- D'Angelo - "Voodoo"

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan (amended). 

• 2 1 records per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation.

Album # 481

Album Title: Voodoo
Artist: D'Angelo
Released: January, 2000
My age at release: 34
How familiar am I with it: Not at all
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix:  The Root 

This is the first record on the list that I know absolutely nothing about. I vaguely remember that D'Angelo was a musician and I think I lumped him into the category of "R&B/Hip Hop for the ladies category" - with Nelly, Usher, Maxwell & R. Kelly. 

When I was teaching in the early aughts, I think he was one of the artists that the girls in my class liked. I remember a girl named Hailey who was really into this genre and singularly obsessed with Nelly. Whenever student voice was encouraged - she would always choose to do her work with an Nelly connection. That year, I read Nelly essays & Nelly poetry. I saw Nelly inspired artwork and listened to speeches about Nelly. I wish it had been D'Angelo she was obsessed with - then I would have more to share today.

This record is enjoyable. I'm not a fan of it all and I don't suspect it will get many more spins but, there are some great tracks on it. The track The Root has a Prince vibe to it.

Things I learned...

• He covers a Eugene McDaniels song Feel Like Making Love which is a weird coincidence because I just heard about McDaniels this week on Bill Burr's Monday Morning Podcast.
• Questlove of The Roots plays drums on the album and co-wrote four of the songs.
• This album literally won all the awards in 2000 - I am so surprised I didn't hear about it before now.
• This style of music is called NeoSoul 

Interview Time Part 1

Last March I learned that I, along with the other instructional coaches and support staff, would be returning to the classroom for the 2019-20 school year. When I wrote about it I celebrated the opportunity. I love what I do now but I am excited to put all of the learning I've received into practice. Truth be told - I love having my own class

Well, Round 1 at our Board was released on Wednesday and there were about 10 jobs that got my attention. My seniority is high - I'm number 749 out of about 3600 - so I am in a fortunate position. I am only able to accept interviews for three jobs, so I called 4 schools (just to be safe) to indicate my interest. Well, at least I thought I called four schools.

One of my choices was a Grade 7/8 position with a Gifted class. I would need to take my Special Education Additional Qualification course to secure it but that was something I could do this summer. By Friday morning, three principals had contacted me and I began to mull over the difficult decision of declining an interview. All four opportunities held great promise.

At 4:00, the decision was made for me when I did not receive a call about the Gifted class. I was perplexed. Were there really that many candidates with more seniority than I? 

Then it struck me... I hadn't contacted them. I had completely forgotten to make the phone call necessary to put my hat in the ring.

How could that have happened?

I am not one to believe in fate and I am not a fan of the expressions "everything happens for a reason" or "it was meant to be". On the contrary, things happen and we ascribe a reason to them. That being said (and I may be applying hindsight bias here) but I think this may be a variation on the psychological phenomenon of motivated forgetting. 

I have an incredibly busy summer coming up. 

• I hope to be participating in the Summer Numeracy Camp for Grade 2's & 3's again - that's the first three weeks of July. 
• Then I am facilitating a 3-day Summer Academy in Stratford for colleagues from three boards in late July. 
• Then in mid-August I am attending our Federation's Annual Meeting in Toronto.
• I am also planning for my return to the classroom.

I think my sub-conscious knew that an online Additional Qualification course might be too much. Well, at least that is what I am telling myself because the other option is horrifying. I may have simply forgotten because I am old and just not as sharp as I used to be. Guess I better get back to those brain training apps!

The 500 - #482 - Steve Earle - Guitar Town

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan (amended). 

• 2 1 records per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation.

Album # 482

Album Title: Guitar Town
Artist: Steve Earle
Released: March, 1986
My age at release: 20
How familiar am I with it: A little
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Guitar Town
Great Lyric:
"Just when every ray of hope was gone
I should have known you would come along
I can't believe I ever doubted you
My old friend the blues"

Like almost everyone I know, Steve Earle showed up on my radar with the release of Copperhead Road in 1988. I think I had it on CD - or perhaps I borrowed it from the Software Library and recorded it on to tape...I don't remember any other tracks, so I likely put that song on a mixed tape.

Steve Earle songs wouldn't resurface for me until the late 90's when some hockey playing friends of put together a honky-tonk, southern rock, rockabilly cover band dubbed "Reverand Freddie & the Distillers" to fill in a Monday night slot at our favourite tavern, the now-demolished Brunswick Hotel. The guys were even kind enough to play for my students for free.

It was shortly after this time when I discovered The Wire and Earle played HIV-positive recovering addict Walon. Every time I think about that series it makes me want to rewatch it. The characters are complex and often contradictory - Earle's character is one of many who brilliantly illuminate the complexities of life.

I enjoyed the album. Steve Earle is a terrific writer and the record is full of variety. There are some songs fueled by angst, others dripping with literate venom and some resigned to bittersweet humour. It's a country record - but it isn't. It is absolutely worth a listen ... or two.

Things I learned...

• After learning guitar at 13, he ran away from home to find his idol Townes Van Zandt.
• He wrote & produced an off-broadway play about the execution of Karla Faye Tucker.
• He's been married 7 times (twice to the same woman) - somehow, I don't find that as shocking as I should. 

There is an Educator on Survivor

I live in a 90 year old, three-storey brownstone near downtown London. It has 16 apartments in total, 8 on each side of the building. The residents are a mix working and retired professionals - I am one of three teachers who live here.  However, it is more than a residence for its occupants - it is a community. 

We have BBQ's on the back patio, summer Rib Cook-Off Competitions and celebrate events like the Oscars and Superbowl together. We've even installed a portable television on the back wall so that we can watch the Stanley Cup Finals outside over burgers and beers.

Yes, that's a duck in the window - very popular with late night University revellers returning from the bars. 

So, in January of 2001, we were watching the Super Bowl (a bit of a blow out as the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants soundly). At the end of the game, the second season of Survivor premiered and we hastily put a pool together. This was the beginning of a Survivor watching tradition that has continued for nearly 20 years. We PVR it now and only my wife and my retired neighbour Art watch it weekly (on Thursdays because I have hockey on Wednesday nights).

I've always wanted to get on the show - but as a Canadian, that is an impossibility. When I was younger and fitter, I thought I would have a chance at some of the physical challenges. Now that I am older, I'd have to rely on mental agility and hone a successful social game. There is so much to overcome in order to win this game. The hunger, the boredom, the physical toll, the unexpected twists, the social strategy - playing hard and deceptively enough to get to the end while still gaining the respect of a jury of eliminated participants who will eventually determine the winner.  

When I watch each episode I can't help but envision myself in each scenario. Invariably, I know that my role as an educator would have to come into play. 

That's the thing about being an educator - you have to be in professional teacher mode whenever you are in the public eye. Even on Twitter, I am cautious. I don't get overly-political, I am careful which tweets I "like" - even though a "like" isn't an endorsement. Posting a picture of a craft beer on a Friday night is the extent to which I expose my celebratory side.

This year on Survivor, there is an educator. Not just any educator, Ron Clark. The guy who...

• Left his small town to teach in New York City Public Schools,
• Founded the Ron Clark Academy, 
• Wrote 4 New York Times Best Selling Education Texts,
• Built a 90K Twitter following,
• Was named Oprah's first "Phenomenal Man",
• Had a biopic with Matthew Perry made about him,

...that Ron Clark.

So, I was keen to see how this would play out. 

• Would he need to stay in professional teacher mode?
• How deceitful could he be?
• Is all forgiven if he takes on the role of villian in order to Outplay, Outwit and Outlast?
• Is it "just a game" or are there real world consequences?

This week he was eliminated and, potentially, became the 10th member of the jury. However, it was the way in which he was eliminated that has me reading articles and blogs this weekend.

After lying to fan favourite contestant Rick Devins on multiple ocassions, Ron made a devilish choice. Privately, he offered Rick an olive branch in the form of a parchment that offered an immunity reward - ostensibly making the possesser safe from elimination at Tribal Council. However, here is the deception. The immunity scroll was expired - something Ron knew and Rick didn't.  

Granted, deceit is part of the game. But, Ron made a decision that, ultimately, was revealed to be mean-spirited - particularly when Ron and his ally Julie reinforced the veracity of the parchment later in the day. 

That evening, when Rick tried to play it at Tribal Council - the ruse was revealed. Seemingly defeated, he turned to the remaining survivors and, in front of the jury and television audience said: 

"Ron and Julie, you are villains! I was already going home! You just wanted to make me look stupid? Why? So my kids think I'm an idiot?"

In a brilliant twist of fate and what is bound to become a legendary Survivor moment, Rick reached into his bag and produced an authentic immunity idol and Ron, not Rick, was sent packing.

Again, I put myself in the scenario...could I have made the choices Ron made? What would the fallout among my friends, student and colleagues be if I made that choice?

What about you?

• Have you ever wanted to participate on Survivor?
• Would you be able to play the role of villain to win?
• Would there be fallout in your professional life?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.