Voting in Wisconsin

Today was a historic day in Wisconsin's history.  The 3rd recall of a governor.  As I type this, the results are still coming in but currently Walker is in the lead.  However, as I would like to point out to the people cheering Walker's win, only 26% of the vote count is in, the remaining 74% may tell a different story (so shut up already!)

Politics aside, I'd like to share the story of my voting experience.  After school I went to the city building to vote.  As I pulled into the normally rather empty parking lot, I realized I would be hunting for a spot for a while.  There were dozens of people streaming in and out of the building all going to do their civic duty and right.  I noticed several former students in line or actively voting and I passed the time waiting in line guessing which way they would vote.  "Oh, J would definitely be voting for Walker, M for Barrett, D, hmm, not certain."  My next door neighbors were in the line right in front of me with their granddaughter.  I noticed former students there with their grandparents, parents with small children, and people like me, just going to vote after working. 

While I stood there waiting,  I realized I was tearing up.  Now, please realize, I cry frequently.  Matt teases me because I cry at Hallmark commercials. But this was different.  I was crying because I'm proud.  I'm proud that even though Wisconsin is divided right now and even though I'm afraid to tell people I'm a teacher, we live in a country and state where we have the right to make our voice heard. AND we take advantage of this right. 

When I vote I always think of the women who struggled to ensure that I have this right as well as the men and women who have fought and continue to fight to protect our nation and ensure my right.  Voting, to me, is not a civic "duty." "Duty implies something that you have to do but is not enjoyable like paying taxes.  Voting should be considered a civic privilege. It is a privilege that we all have, some take advantage of, and others would give anything to have.  We take our privilege for granted but complain when we don't like something.  Folks, there is something that you can do: VOTE!!! Especially in state and local elections, your voice matters.  Don't agree with the direction of your state? Vote!  Agree with how the city is handling local taxes? Vote!  People have died and continue to die to give you this right; don't let their deaths be in vain!

Crockpot Oatmeal, yum, yum!

Matt and I have been enjoying this recipe for sometime now. The original recipe says that it takes all night for this to cook; I find in my crockpot it takes about 4-5 hours. This recipe doubles VERY well. I usually double it. It has lasted for over a week and reheats great!

The only ingredients you need! Look at those lovely steel-cut oats!!!

Crockpot Oatmeal

1 cup steel cut oats

4 cups water

1/2 cup half & half

Combine & cook on low. Feel free to add fruit while cooking. Matt eats his with honey, I'm a brown sugar girl. :)

Before, after all ingredients are mixed!

And after, when oatmeal is finished!!

Students

I don't really blog about teaching. I'm not certain why, I just chose not to. But something happened last week that I really need to share. I teach psychology and we were in the middle of our emotion, stress, and motivation unit (I noticed that these spell MES which could be a description of my desk ;)

To inspire discussion about difficult topics, I started handing out slips of scrap paper and having students write answers to questions like: What makes you mad? What causes you pain? What makes you happy? and other difficult questions to discuss out loud. I then read the answers and we talked about what we heard. We ended up having some wonderful discussions.

But the sad part was some of the answers I received. "It makes me mad when my dad ignores me." "It hurts me that I can't have a closer relationship with my mom." "It hurts when my friends make fun of me." "It makes me mad when people call me names." (These aren't actual answers; just my paraphrasing.)

These answers just break my heart. I wish I could share them with the parents of the authors. How could a father ignore a child? And what type of mother doesn't allow for a closer relationship with their child (daughter, I think) Some of them almost made me break Absolute Teaching Rule #1: Don't cry in front of my students (that's different from my Classroom Rule #1: No bleeding) Seeing the answers in stark pen and knowing the courage it took to write that made me very proud of my students. And this is just a little activity in one class.

Teenagers always get such a bad rap: They're loud, dumb, rude, disrespectful, etc.


On the other hand, they want closer relationships with their parents.


When parents choose others over their children, it cuts deep.


It hurts them when they're made fun of by the people who are supposed to be supportive and they don't know how to handle the situation.


They're just kids. Stuck in adult situations that no one is helping them with. A little empathy goes a long way.