Change the World

As I was looking through my twitter feed today, a teacher I follow, Kay Connors, had posted a story from CNN called "Give a Child A Camera and Change the World."  "Give a Child a Camera"Of course, I was hooked and I went on to read the story on CNN.  Four college students got the idea to travel to distant parts of the world to teach children how to use a camera, the idea being that these children would take pictures of their day to day reality, pictures that could then be posted and eventually sold.  The money from the sales would go to "boots on the ground" organizations in these countries that would help the children.  The CNN story shared the details of an orphanage in Sudan where the money earned from the pictures helped build a fence and secure reliable transportation.  The college students eventually turned their idea into a non-profit and have gone on to work in New York and Cuba.  100 Cameras   As I read the article, I was cheered.  Young people, probably close in age to the young man who opened fire on the movie theatre in Colorado, had an idea that they could make a difference for good in the world and they found the courage and the means to make their idea a reality.  It happens that their actions fit nicely into my personal philosophy which I have explained to my students and my own kids.  Summed up it is simply you are either a part of the problem OR you are a part of the solution.  There's so sitting idly by, watching the world go by.  If you can read about stories of injustice and poverty and NOT feel compelled to do something, anything, then, in my view, you are a part of the problem.  The college students highlighted in the CNN story are working toward a solution.  As the comments on the CNN story indicate their work is not without its critics.  Several people noted things that ran along the lines of, "you can't solve this big a problem with cameras," "how do you know the organizations are giving the money back to the children?"  While some of these criticisms may be legitimate, I put these naysayers firmly in the "part of the problem" side of the world.  Yes, there are probably lots of problems with this idealistic view that if you give a camera to a child in poverty then you can somehow change the world.  But, isn't it wonderful in our too cynical world, where some young people open fire on innocent movie goers, that some college students decided THEY could make a difference.  What made them newsworthy is that they did it.  May all of our young people feel so empowered.  That is, after all, one of the most important goals of education in the Lasallian tradition, helping people realize that they can be a force for good in the world.  To sit on the sidelines is to be a part of the problem.  Don't sit on the sidelines.  Choose to be involved in the world.  The rewards for all are immeasurable.

Saturday

It's Saturday.  It's the day when I used to get all the chores done that had piled up during the week like grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning, dusting, etc.  Most Saturdays though I go to Jeff to see my Dad.  I'm not sure how much he enjoys my visits because they are always really short, but Jack told me that it helps him when I do go, so I've gone every Saturday since Dad moved into assisted living back in October.  Except today.  And, I'm feeling a bit guilty.  Life is like that, though.  It's one giant juggling act between what we need to do and what we want to do.   I decided to stay home today and do some of the things that have been piling up.  I started painting the deck today.  I have it over half finished, but I ran out of paint, so will finish later in the week.  The kids are all gone this weekend.  Matt's with the Freelands, Becca went to Hays with Corey, and Sarah is in Columbia with Joe.  I miss them, but it's been fun cleaning and organizing without anyone but Grady under foot.  The dog got a little paint on his nose because he got a bit too close to the action this morning.  And, now I just have to finish the myriad of tasks I've set for myself before my precious Saturday is gone.

Summer

I have been thinking a lot about the summers of my childhood.  And, a variety of memories have surfaced, each poignant and delightful, each bittersweet in its own way.  I remember...The Tuscumbia Picnic.  It wasn't actually a picnic...it was more like a, Lees Summit Downtown Days. . .a carnival came to down replete with rides and sideshows. . .the PTA hosted a delicious chicken dinner....there was a dance...square dancing...a beer garden that parents strongly discouraged...there were swimming lessons at the Lake of the Ozarks...my mom's garden...I think we ate wilted lettuce every night for at least two months...my Aunt Betty who came to visit in late June and stayed until August...the 56 Chevys...the bookmobile...there were nights swimming at the Eldon Country Club...our annual visit to Iowa to pick up Grandma Wright who had gone for a visit to Aunt Barbara's and stayed for three weeks, or more...my brothers' birthdays...both born in the summer...vacations with the Smiths to San Diego, Wyoming and Colorado.  Who could forget camping in the wilds of the Snake River during August when the temperatures dipped into the 40s?  My dad, having a "bellywasher" with Phil Smith, on the banks of the Snake....we picked blackberries with my grandmothers Tilly and Lizzie.  My brothers and cousin Ron collected minnows at Gum Creeek while I...read...ah, the books...Ah.  It was a simpler time.  I hope that my children's memories of summer are as rich...