Bfth's Boring Blog

I n this world of  continual bad news, bullying, name calling and violence, it's hard to have hope.  The future seems bleak.  Is there anyone out there who DOESN'T feel depressed or full of despair? But even in this dark era, I have found hope.  And I reminded of this song: "I believe that children are our future; Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside. Give them a sense of pride, to make it easier; Let the children's laughter remind us how we use to be." Hokey, perhaps, but also true.  For me the words:  "Teach them well and let them lead the way" sound loud and clear.  WHAT and HOW we teach are children will mold their behavior as teens, young adults and adults.  IF we teach them WELL, there IS hope for the future. I have seen first hand how "children" can treat each other with love and kindness without any "adult prompting".    Recent simple acts of kindness truly gave me ho

Last week was a week of endings and beginnings.  My son brought home his Mead Five Star Flex Binders.  Sorry Mead , I know you say they'll last the school year, but:  I'm not saying they are NOT good products; they ARE good.  They made it a couple of months before the rings slowly started to break.  Most of them made it to the end of the school year with only two rings broken.  The only one that survived was the one that I bought 2 months ago.  (And you can bet that I'll be making him use it again next year.)  Yes, Mead DOES make high quality products (and they stand by them; they have in the past sent me a free binder when I complained and I give them props for that), but nothing can stand up to a middle school boy, his locker and his backpack.  Keep on trying Mead .  You'll get it some day.  (Though that day may be too late for me.) My son's last day was a Tuesday.  Other schools in the surrounding towns let out on Wednesday, Thursday or even Friday.  Th

School's out for summer!  I'm sure you are celebrating just as much as the kids who have left your classrooms.  And why not?  I'm sure it's been an exhausting year for you.  Just like parenting, teaching is not a cut and dried "occupation."  Work doesn't begin at 8 and end at 3; it starts long before that and continues on long after the last bell of the day has rung.  If I'm exhausted, I can't imagine an accurate word to describe what you are! Being a parent is a challenge.  (No one's going to argue with me on that one, right?) This year we've deal with attitude, body odor, forgotten assignments, late homework, bad language, growth spurts, attire changes, boy/girl relationships...the list goes on and on.  When I think of all that has gone on in the past school year, I wonder how I survived with my sanity intact.  (Maybe I didn't!)  As much as being a parent is a challenge, being a teacher must be an even greater one.  I am not a t

It's been in the news lately; people crossing the border ILLEGALLY and as a result being treated like the criminals they are.  They, and those who came with them, are all GUILTY of ILLEGALLY being in our country.  They are put in a detention facility and stay there until due process of the law can be handed out. This is a great idea!  Putting it in place should deter people from entering our county ILLEGALLY. I have nothing against immigration, you just need to follow the rules and the laws.  No matter how long it may take; laws are enacted for a reason and we ALL must follow the law. With that sad, the whole idea of Zero Tolerance is one that we need to take a step further.  If it works to keep people from entering our country illegally, think of how well it would work in other aspects of our legal system!  It could prevent a HOST of crimes. For example, how many drivers have you seen turning right on red, when the sign says clearly NOT to do so?  They are break

All too often, we say neglect to tell the people we love how much we love them.  All too often we don't tell people how much we appreciate them.  We don't say enough nice things.  We're busy and time races on and before we know it...well it's too late.   Thankfully for me, I was able to say the following to a good friend and teacher.  She was leaving her job, a position that had meant a great deal to her.  She needed to move on.  As sad as that might be, I understood.  We all need to move on at one time or another.   So this seemed to be the perfect time for me to say a few words.  To let her know how much I and others appreciated her.  I think she knew it already, but it never hurts to let the ones we love know how much we love and care about them.  It never hurts to let ANYONE know how much they mean to you. In a world that is all too often unkind, kind words need to be said.  They need to be frequently.  They need to be said with feeling.  And they need

Abraham Lincoln is arguably one of the greatest Presidents in our history.  During the most difficult of times, he acted with strength, even as he might have felt week.  His famous words:  "With malice towards none, with charity for all." show us how compassion was a central part of his being.  When did we stop being compassionate to our fellow man?  Some might point fingers at our current government administration.  Some would go back further and accuse administrations from decades ago. But compassion is not just something for our government, it is for all of us.  If we feel our government does not act with compassion, then we need to show and even teach, the importance of compassion. Let's start simply.  What is compassion?  Per Miriam-Webster (my go to source):  s ympathetic  consciousness  of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it.  Or to put it in ever simpler terms:    feeling of wanting to help someone who is sick, hungry, in tr

It's Flag Day here in the USA.  What does that mean?  It is the day that  t commemorates the adoption of the  flag of the United States , which happened on June 14, 1777, by  resolution  of the  Second Continental Congress.   It was officially proclaimed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916 and officially signed into legislation by President Truman in 1949.  (33 years!) As Americans, we should be proud of what our flag represents...freedom.  We can chose to fly the flag or not.   (I would if I could find our flag.  It has disappeared.  My husband claims he moved it from where we had it because it wasn't a good place to store it. So it put it someplace safe.  We have yet to discover where that place might be!) When it comes to the flag, we need to remember that it represents freedom.  As Americans we are not FORCED to put up the flag or even salute it.  It is a choice.  And we have that choice because we are a country that allows individual freedoms; although some migh

The actual quote, which comes from Alexander Pope's essay/poem,  An Essay on Criticism Part II is : " Ah ne'er so dire a Thirst of Glory boast,  Nor in the Critick let the Man be lost!  Good-Nature and Good-Sense must ever join;  To err is Humane; to Forgive, Divine." We are all human and imperfect.  We can forgive.  But we are not divine.  And as such, we can't always forgive. As imperfect human beings there are times when we don't want to forgive.  There are times when we just CANNOT forgive.  These things do not make us lesser people; they just make us human. It is often in our best interest to forgive.  Forgiving others helps us heal ourselves. But it is not always possible.  And if you can't forgive someone, there are some things you CAN do for yourself. Forgive yourself.  Feel no guilt for NOT being able to forgive.  Remember, you are human, not God. Try to understand what you cannot forgive.  As a child, I was bullied by a boy.  40+ years

There was no way I could come up with just 10 albums that influenced me AND I still have on my playlist.  It was IMPOSSIBLE! Music is such an important part of my life that I felt I had to break the list into specific times in MY  life, hence the previous posts:  https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2018/05/10-albums-part-1-early-years.html  and https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2018/05/10-albums-part-2-teen-years-and-little.html. So I've officially reached adulthood with these albums.  And you'll notice that there are really more than 10 here, but I am grouping some together because that's how I see them/hear them.  For example, for me the 1990s were peak McCartney years.  (Yes, I know Flowers in the Dirt actually came out in 1989...close enough I say).  Paul put out some of my favorite music during this time and went back on tour.  (I NEVER thought I would see him live...what did I know?  Who thought he'd STILL be touring?)It may be heresy, but I think McCa

America, you are not a Christian Nation.   This has nothing to do with how many Jews, Muslims, Atheists, etc. live within our borders.  (In fact, I have seen many   non-Christians" acting in Christ like ways.) It has EVERYTHING to do with WHO WE ARE.  It has EVERYTHING to do with HOW we act/behave. (And not just on the "public stage.") I went to look up the word Christian in the dictionary.  It can be a noun:   one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus  Christ  OR an adjective:   a: of or relating to Christianity ( Christian  scriptures),  b: based on or conforming with Christianity ( Christian  ethics) 2a : of, relating to, or being a Christian   ( Christian  responsibilities)  b: professing Christianity ( a  Christian  affirmation) 3 treating other people in a kind or generous way  Based on the above definitions and what I see in national (and even global) news, we are NOT a Christian nation.   That is not to say that there aren't plen

The other day, Kate Spade, a woman who I did not know, but who is around my age, died from suicide.    I have no idea what was going on in her life, but I have to suspect that she was most likely emotionally worn down, feeling exhausted and just tired of "it" all.  Maybe I'm wrong; I'll never know. But I CAN tell you that lately I've been feeling that way.  Two weeks ago I had a cold that still has a hold on me with a cough that continues and an early that just won't completely unclog.  There's been a great deal of upheaval with my 7th grade son (which the rational part of my brain says is normal and typical, but the emotional part of me screams and has yet another breakdown).  My dad had same day (minor?) surgery. Work can be stressful and getting to work even more so.  (What I really needed yesterday was an hour and ten minute commute home...a route that was less than 12 miles!)  Finances freak me out.  And, I'm sure none of this is helped by the f