Can we just stop with the individual rights screaming?

 Many of you might not remember this, but way, way back in the 1980s, companies began what is now a common practise: drug testing. This was due in part because President Reagan signed an Executive Order for federal employees that they must all be tested. 

What an opportunity, which is exactly what it was, for insurance companies to make even more money. Either force your employees to sign a waiver to be tested or lose your insurance coverage. This was the excuse used by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune which was owned by the New York Times at the time. Of course, the popular line was they cared about all of us and wanted to make sure if we had a drug problem, we received the help we needed. 

I protested this with every inch of my being. Not because I am or was a druggie, but because I felt my bodily excretions belonged to me. I had never done anything to make anyone think I was doing drugs and I resented the fact that they could, at any time, send me for a drug test because I might be on drugs.

I worked for newspapers over 35 years. I have worked next to people who had a three martini lunch; a joint when they went home for dinner, doctor prescribed opiates where they were so loaded they couldn't keep their eyes open and never, ever had a problem. But now we were required because of insurance. 

Drug tests are now standard operating procedure in most companies as are legalized pot smokers in many states although using federal guidelines, it is still illegal federally. People don't even blink when asked to pee in a cup.

Insurance companies continue to make money off drug tests or at least requiring drug tests and real drug people continue to fool the tests and continue working. Nobody protests.

Enter vaccinations for Covid. Now that companies are requiring employees to get vaccinated or lose their job, which is along the same lines of the paper I had to sign agreeing to be drug tested, people are all up in arms about them having no right. No right to what? Protect the public? 

Why were signed agreements for drug testing okay and not to have a vaccination? I guarantee those agreements affected nothing but insurance costs. They didn't stop anyone from using drugs. I know. I still worked there. 

So my suggestion is to get the insurance companies involved. If employees are not vaccinated, they are fired or the company's insurance is dropped, just like they did for drug testing. 

Apparently I was the only one who protested that so I am going to assume everyone was okay with it. Easy, peasy, problem solved. Let the insurance companies make money and people won't complain any longer.

 Heck, it worked for drug testing.

Why vaccinate?

 

There is still a great debate about child vaccinations. Parents want the right to not vaccinate their children and communities (most) require children be vaccinated before they enter school.

Because of my status of Army dependent, I have every vaccine that could be given before I entered Kindergarten. The MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) was not available at that time so, as is true with most viruses, my brother, sister and I all had them. By the time Jeremy was born, a vaccine had been developed, and he had that. I had strep throat on top of the mumps, so I was kept in isolation in my brother's bedroom and missed almost a whole month of school. 

In 1955, when Jonas Salk released the vaccine for polio, you could not stop parents from making sure their children had that vaccine. It was not tried and true yet, but they sure didn't want to take any chances with their children's' lives. 

According to the CDC, the baseline 20th century annual morbidity rate was 16,316. This was the average in the 4 years before the vaccine was developed. By 1998, this number had been decreased to 0. 100% eradicated from the United States. The World Health Organization reports five out of 6 regions of the world are polio free. Polio is still endemic in three countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria. 

Two other viruses have been eradicated in the United States: smallpox and diphtheria. Gone. 

One Florida senator, Manny Diaz (R) Miami, wants to review all requirements for vaccines, including polio, MMR, Whooping Cough, etc. How many children would be in danger if the state of Florida decided to stop requiring these vaccines for school children. Would polio make a comeback? Would you take that chance?

The year the mumps vaccine was released, 1968, 606 people died from mumps. By 1998, that number had decreased by 99.6%.

Last week, a high school student, 17 years old, died from Covid-19. I did not know her. I did not teach her but I know people who did. She will become another number in this political battle being waged about public health. Why?

When did parents stop worrying about their child's health because politics was the driving force behind the disinformation? What happened to science? 

When will those who are so against vaccines wake up? When will parents be able to send their children to school without exposing them to diseases which could be contained, controlled or even eradicated?

How many more kids must die?

Our students are our future

 I hear a lot these days about the state of our union when the young people rise to positions of power. I worry many nights that I am not teaching the right things or capturing the right mood for the students to realize their potential. I understand that many students do not have a good home life and their families have struggles that I cannot even begin to comprehend but in the eight years I have been teaching, my stars outshine the negativity that many people associate with students. 

One class worked at Habitat for Humanity and built an overflow storage shed which is still standing. They filled baskets with items like powder and soap, toothpaste and deodorant for a senior center and then spent the day listening to stories from the residents. (I get teary just thinking about it)

They move on and sometimes you can keep up with their lives and the feeling of pride for perhaps being a small part of their growth.

The two young women, and they are young women now, at the top of the page are two of my stars. When another hurricane, this one named Irma, caused damage to Arcadia, they were instrumental in delivering necessities to families that needed help. 145 families which meant a lot of time and effort to deliver these most needed items. The smile on my face is real. These young ladies were still in high school. That did not stop them. We had so many donations, they just kept coming. This was four years ago before this distinct, negative malaise fell over our country.

Not one time did anyone ask what their politics were. No one refused help or refused to help because of the racial makeup of the people receiving the help. It did not matter what your sex was. If you needed toiletries and they knew about it, they found a way to get it to you. My friends gave and gave and gave. 

These two young ladies, along with their parents who helped tremendously, (thanks Rachel) will continue to contribute to society. I hope they never lose their generous, giving spirit or let the naysayers make them feel that their contributions to their community don't matter. 

It is students like these that I teach every day. Please don't believe everything you read. They are our future and there are still bright stars out there, learning every day. The country and their communities are lucky to have them. Kudos!

Attendance Matters

 I listen to the education pundits every single day speaking on the problems within our schools. Most teachers have ideas about why so many of our students are failing or not living up to their potential. There can be many causes but I believe one of the most prevalent within our society today is the lack of parental push for the importance of education. One of the ways this can be measured is how often students are either allowed to miss school or are pulled from school because their kid called them to come and get them.

I think a lot of this can be attributed to lack of respect for education and the idea that it doesn't really matter if students are in school one day a week or 5, whatever the child wants is okay with the parent. 

I am not speaking about students who skip school. Those are still around and it still happens, especially when you teach high school as I do. I am speaking of students who tell their parents they just don't want to go that particular day and are allowed to stay home. It seems these teens make the rules in their households and the parents follow along because they feel what the students may learn in school takes a backseat to what their kid wants. 

It is not unusual for me to have 8 or 10 students missing from my classes every day. Out of a class of 24 or 25, that is huge. I have some students who are in my classes that I have never met. Never is the optimum word. They may be late to school every day and in my first period or they may leave every day and miss my last. I receive no email or phone call asking me about assignments, which are all posted in our online platform and if I try and contact them, I get recordings or no response at all. 

That is until the last day of the last week before report cards. Then they want to know what they can do to catch up. They couldn't help it if they missed school due to _____________. You fill in the blank. 

Where are the parents? Or parent or guardian or whomever is responsible for this child? They are normally driving the car. Or signing the excuse. Or yelling on the phone that we cannot possibly fail their child because it is their right to pull their child out of school whenever they want, for whatever they want. 

When I was a kid, we couldn't wait for Christmas break to come home to Florida and see our grandparents. I can remember Daddy picking us up from school after the last bell of the day, his thermos full of coffee and the car packed. He would never pick us up before the end of school because he held education as the most important thing he could do for us. 

I know their are reasons why students must miss school. I understand family emergencies. I also understand using family emergencies as an excuse to go out of town and take your kids. I understand doctors and dentists. I also understand that there are very few doctor visits that last the whole day. 

I know we have social workers and truancy officers and a whole plethora of experts who work on this problem but I also know whatever they are doing is not working. 

How do you get the students to come to school? I am not sure of the answer but I think it needs to begin with parents and until they take school more seriously, we can't expect our students to. 

A Medical Maelstrom

 When I first began working full time after Jeremy, my son was born, I had insurance through my job, which covered everything. I even had a cancer policy which carried me through everything associated with cervical cancer, not to mention Jeremy's numerous bouts with bronchitis, strep throat, and scarlet fever. 

I was making a little over $2.00 an hour, and I managed to get everything taken care of. That was before the For-Profit Insurance became so prevalent like it is in today's working world. My cost was minimal then, and I always made sure I carried as much as I could to cover Jeremy and me. 

In 1973 when the Health Maintenance Organization Act was passed, it took a little while for the insurance companies to catch up and realize what a profit they could now make.  "Aetna and Cigna were both offering major medical coverage by 1951. With aggressive marketing and closer ties to business than to health care, these for-profit plans slowly gained market share through the 1970s and 1980s."  These are multimillion dollar companies right now. Cigna had profits of $8.5 billion for 2020, Aetna, $3.07 billion, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, $30.2 billion. That is a lot of billions, so someone is reaping benefits.

I have not been without coverage since I was a young Mom, but have watch the cost, not only to me, but for procedures for which there is simply no reasonable explanation for. 

This was my latest experience so you can see why I feel this is a whirlpool of disappearing sense. I hurt my ankle in February of 2020. I had begun a walking regime with a friend and part of our walk was a spot that had no sidewalks along a busy road. I was walking on dirt and slipped in a hole covered by bushes. 

After several weeks of pain, tried to book an appointment to have it checked, but due to Covid restrictions passed in March, no one was seeing patients expect for emergencies. My first appointment was in June, 2019. The podiatrist I saw, advised me to stretch my Achilles tendon. It was tight. No x-rays, nothing. So I did. For three months with no relief from the pain. I switched doctors in September. 

The next doctor did take x-rays. He said I had a calcium deposit which was rubbing my Achille's tendon and needed surgery. I couldn't have surgery then because I am a teacher and could not afford to take the estimated 6 to 8 weeks off work to have surgery so he gave me a cortisone injection, sold me heel lifts for my shoes and sent me on my way. I was back in November and then February for 2 more cortisone shots. They helped the pain for a few days, but I limped a lot during those months, hoping to have the surgery he said I needed during summer break. 

In April, I tripped in my back yard over an aluminum pool pole and landed awkwardly on my butt with my right leg twisted. I heard something pop when I landed and the pain was incredibly intense. I crawled from my front yard inside and called a friend who came over and took me to the hospital. There, they put me in a wheelchair, elevated my leg and directed me to the waiting area. After an hour, they came to take me for x-rays and 2 hours later, after seeing no doctor, only the person responsible for getting money out of me, a PA with a EMT from the ambulance told me my ankle was not broken, only slightly sprained, fitted me for a boot to wear for six weeks, gave me one pain pill and a referral if it got worse. That little 4 hour trip cost me $800 because I could have been seen at a walk in clinic. Plus the $200 for the doctor who I never saw. Plus the radiologist bill. I cannot imagine the costs if I had not had insurance. 

Almost a week later, ankle is no better so I call the referral. I reached a very rude person who informed me that although the referred doctor had been on call the night I visited the hospital, he only dealt with ankle trauma. She couldn't refuse me an appointment, but I should really see my regular specialist. 

I called them. They didn't want to see me because I had a referral from the hospital but they would if absolutely necessary; they could set the appointment for 2 weeks out. Once again, no treatment. 

So I missed a week of work, wore my boot faithfully for 6 weeks, then took it off and tried to go back to my regular schedule. My ankle still hurt all the way to my physical appointment with my GP in July. She could not believe my ankle and set up an appointment with a new podiatrist in their practice. Yay!

Now remember, each time I visit a doctor it is a $20 co-pay. So I go see this new doctor and he asks a bunch of questions and his final question was, "Who did the MRI?" Guess what, no one ever ordered an MRI because the original diagnosis from the hospital was a slight sprain. So he said he wanted to see what he was dealing with and ordered an MRI. That makes another $400 to meet my in-house deductible and then they would pay. 

Three days after the MRI, I get a frantic call from the nurse. The doctor wants you back in the boot and on a knee scooter; absolutely no pressure on that ankle. It seems I have a broken ankle and a ripped Achille's tendon. Wow. You would think someone would have believed me. 

Next doctor's visit, two weeks and he orders a prescription for Vitamin D and a bone stimulator because the break is from April. I pick up the prescription, more money, and wait for the company to call me on the bone stimulator. They call and after a series of speaking to several different people, it was determined that after my insurance paid, my portion of the bone stimulator was going to be $700. 

STOP! I am a teacher with insurance and cannot afford to keep paying out these astronomical bills because the insurance company doesn't want to pay because_____________? So I told them no and I let the doctor know. They called me back and figured out of my charge would only be $100. I can do $100. (Bone stimulators have not been conclusively proven to help heal old fractures in all instances) 

So I am taking my meds and using the stimulator and then receive a call from a nurse trying to figure out if they are even going to pay for the bone stimulator. What? So I once again relayed all the information and am hoping in four weeks I can come out of this boot, off the scooter and try to rebuild my ankle using physical therapy, another $20 a visit. 

I wonder how much money could have been saved if the first doctor I went to in my plan actually took the time to listen to what I told him and diagnosed me correctly. Now, beginning in January, my plan is switching to a new plan and a new company. The only redeeming value in this is next year I will be 65 and eligible for Medicare. Although I am still working I think I will take my chances with them. They can't be any worse.

I am sorry for people who must fight this crap on a daily basis because of life threatening illnesses or simply age. I am relatively healthy and can still advocate for myself. I hope that doesn't change any time soon and I still hate insurance companies. 

Our students are learning

 Why do districts tie administration's hands when assuming our students are not learning because of test scores? The answer eludes me.

 Four weeks in to the new school year and I have already had 3 great teaching lessons where the students are engaged in what they are doing, curious about what comes next, and using those brains to figure things out. 

Their work, for the most part, is being turned in on time; I hear them whisper about how fast my class goes by; and the only students who are not passing are those who have not been in school or checking in on  our online platform with me. One of the reasons for this is not because I am such a great teacher, although I think I am, but because my class does not have any of those terrible tests associated with it. My students have to pass my class, but there is no state test associated with it to bring them stress and I don't have the restrictions of teaching a test so my students will pass. I have a lot of freedom. 

The first thing I did this year was make a decision to read at least two books, historical in value, taking place in other parts of the world, and I would do the bulk of the reading out loud. The reason for this is the majority of each of my classrooms have specific learning disabilities with very poor vocabularies. The understanding of the story needs to flow, which can't happen when students don't understand the words they are reading. I read a chapter and they go back and put words they don't understand on strips of paper which are then hung with clothes pins on a word line. The next week we discuss the words, define them and re-read the lines they came from. Then I read the next chapter. It is working so well, I am tickled. The vocabulary they don't know from our first book, I Am Malala, ranges from gnawing to mosque. Words we may think everyone knows, but they don't. 

The second thing I am doing, while we are studying the medieval period is building castles from popsicle sticks. They can use anything extra they want to enhance their castles and the questions they are asking are wonderful. They want to learn the concepts of what the manor system consisted of. I am watching students who don't do well with writing or reading, flourish and become leaders in designing and building a simple castle. One young man even went to the Dollar store and bought a bag of army men, cut the guns off them, used them in front of his group's castle and then shared them with his other classmates. 

The final idea, which I have used with great success, are pen pals. You may think in the world of social media that having a pen pal has no redeeming value, but being in contact with students from another country and culture has continued to enthrall my students and made me very proud. They could not believe these German students, whose class is English, are excited to write to them. The comments range from, "Look how well they write. I am hanging this on my bedroom wall." to "I can't believe they find English an easy language. I am also learning it as a second language. I am going to see if he also wants to learn Spanish." Although they are exchanging social media contacts, they are also writing letters back.

What I expect to see is an improvement in their writing and understanding proper punctuation and spelling. They are receiving a grade for this, but I believe at this point, they would do it without a grade. One even asked if pen pals ever went to visit one another once they grew up. 

My kids are hungry for things like this. They aren't going to tell you that. They will show you that. I even had students who have entered the classroom after we began writing who have asked can they also write to someone to be included. 

So despite what we hear about how our students are behind or not learning, about how this generation is falling so far behind and about how are we to survive as a society if we don't get these student test scores up, I find that you just have to find a way to get them excited about what they are doing. The rest will fall in to place. 

Do I think I have all the answers. Nope, but my students are learning and growing using things which don't cost a lot of money but reap huge benefits. This happens without the stress of having a huge test hanging over their head at the end of the year. For that I am grateful.

I never thought I'd ever...

Growing up in a generation that straddled the Roe v. Wade decision has always influenced many of my thoughts about women and the rights which should have always been afforded us and yet, haven't been.

Being a teen and seeing what girls were and were not allowed to do, simply on the basis of their sex always made me angry. That has not changed. This make what I am writing about very personal for me. 

Having some old man, who has no idea of my life, or anything else about me for that matter, determine how and when I could or could not have an abortion, make the hair stand up on make neck due to anger.

I knew someone who had an illegal abortion. I was in 9th grade and she felt she could not talk to her parents or anyone else. So like many teenagers who listen to other teenagers about what to do in cases like this, she tried to use a metal hanger to end the pregnancy. She died. She bled to death. 

I also knew someone who became pregnant at the same time. She tried to hide the pregnancy from her parents but when they found out, she and the boy, and he was a boy, married. 

In 1973, when Roe v. Wade was passed, I was in 10th grade. I can guarantee you that all of us did not run out and have sex so we could have an abortion if we got pregnant.

I was raised in a Southern Baptist Church. I know my Bible pretty well, probably better than many of those old men in Texas who feel that, not only can they make an abortion illegal after 6 weeks, but they can offer a reward to others to turn people in. The St. James version of the Bible that I know, has nothing like this travesty in it. 

And I am sorry, not sorry, but what in the heck does religion have to do with my body anyway? I believe a decision such as this should be between a woman, her god, and her doctor, religion does not play a part.

I never thought I would ever have to fight again for my rights as a woman. I have been fighting, as we all have, for over a hundred years. 

I was 20 when I married my first husband. Six weeks later, despite being on the pill, I became pregnant. Married, poor, pregnant. I chose, the optimum word, to have my son despite the struggles I faced early on and later as well, once my husband and I divorced. No court in the country EVER made him a responsible person; one who paid his child support; one who emotionally supported his child; one I could depend on to co-parent as they say today. He died several years ago still owing me almost $20,000. At the $30.00 a week at the time, you figure out how much I ever really got. My son is now 42 and I really raised him by myself. 

The ability to choose at this point in the country seems to be the go to word and hearing it daily about mask wearing, you would think that it would translate to what a woman chooses to do with her body. It doesn't, at least not in Texas' mind. Let us offer a bounty for any woman who chooses what to do with her own body so we can call ourselves what? Christian?, Good people? Following Jesus? What on earth would you people have done with Mary Magdalene? What about rape or incest? Who is going to pay for that child? 

What is moral to you may not be moral to me. How holier than thou are you politicians going to become when time and time again you get caught with your pants down?

Many people think because I am no longer of child bearing age that I should have an opinion. I don't have a dog in this fight, so to speak, but they are wrong.

If I was of child bearing age, I could afford to go somewhere where abortion was legal. Europe comes to mind. A plane ride, a simple medical procedure and a plane ride home. What about the poor women? What about the women of color who live day to day, many times with an already full household and a minimum wage job who husband or boyfriend has disappeared, many times to his other family?

All of us women better start fighting now because if we wait any longer, the stakes go up. We should be able to send a clear message to our politicians. Stay out of our vaginas. You don't want us legislating your penises. Enough said.