Happy Facebook Birthday

As a child, I got birthday cards from my family. Later, a few close friends would either call or send a card. As I grew up, I could count on one hand the number of non-family members who acknowledged my birthday in any way.

Prior to the advent of Facebook, birthdays were a way to stay in touch. A birthday card to a far away friend was a way to affirm the relationship. This was also a good determiner of the whether such effort was worthwhile. Some people didn’t seem to care about such things. Whether or not they reciprocated (most did not), these cards either kept relationships alive or let me know that they were already dead.

Facebook changed all that. Now I only have to remember the birthdays of friends who are not on Facebook, and even for those people, I often send emails instead of cards. A birthday email is far more effective – and let’s face it, for many people, I don’t have much to say beyond, “happy birthday.”

So now we have a long list of simple and banal birthday greetings. Each morning, I see the names of my Facebook friends’ birthdays. I type a little greeting. Is it worth it?

Meaningful or not, Facebook birthday posts feel good. While I have heard my students discuss the number of digital birthday greetings, for me, the amount is less important than the fact that people take a few moments to reach out. This is not only gratifying, but also healthy –and it seems to work better than my old approach. 

I enjoyed my recent birthday. I loved the time with my friends and family and the warm Facebook posts. But I didn’t need any real fuss. I save fuss for my children’s birthdays. Those are far more important to me than my own birthday.

I used to hate kiddy birthday parties. The worst part was the glut of presents that the kids unwrapped and discarded. The real meaning of the celebration got lost: the gift that is the child. My children’s birthdays are a chance for me remember and renew the gratitude for the joy they bring me.

And that is why birthdays matter. Whether on Facebook, through a card, a call, or email, they are a chance to renew this kind of gratitude and joy. They are a moment on the calendar to give a long distance hug. They keep us positively connected.

Sappy as it sounds, Facebook helps keep these positive connections alive when they might have disappeared. Even if some of them are not substitutive, they make us smile. They keep us from drifting too far apart or getting too caught up in ourselves.

Birthdays are a chance to affirm relationships. And they aren’t the only chance. There are lots of ways to say, “I love you.” Birthdays are only one of them. I make a point of noting anniversaries and other special dates that Facebook doesn’t list. It would be wonderful if birthdays, or something like them, came along several times a year.

Cliché though it may be, this is a case where it really is the thought that counts. It is nice to be remembered and feel loved and appreciated. However we do it, this kind of acknowledgement keeps both the sender and receiver healthier and happier. Thanks, Facebook!

Before Going Into Darkness, Let's Look Back at Star Trek 2009

On the eve of the premiere of the new film, it is time to look back at the first J.J. Abrams version of Star Trek. I was frequently asked how I felt about this new take on something I enjoy so much. Here is my view on that film: 

Since I am a nearly life long Trekker, fanatic and the driver of a vehicle that looks like a Star Trek shuttlecraft, everyone has been asking me about the latest movie. If you have not yet seen the movie, I am going to discuss some specific details. If you want no spoilers, read this after you see the film. Yes, you should see the film.

So what do I think of the new movie? The short answer is I liked it, and it rocked my world.

The long answer is it gave me the same feeling in my chest that I get after a roller coaster ride. This is not only because it is a good action adventure movie.  It is also because it took me several viewings to come to terms with this new alternate universe Star Trek. The first time I saw it, I was moved, had fun and was overwhelmed by the massive changes to the traditional Star Trek timeline. The second time I saw it, I saw more of what was familiar and right, and the big changes felt less important. By my third viewing, I was in Trek heaven.

I am far from orthodox in almost anything, but I do take my Trek seriously. This film challenges me to separate the trivia from the substance.  Star Trek XI (or Star Trek 2009) is an archetypical origin story. We meet characters who are rebellious, self-destructive, and struggling with loss and pain. At the beginning of the film, they are alone because of their differences. As the film progresses, they find mentors and each other. They claim their inheritances and find both their power and humility. They fight their inner demons while struggling against a classic villain. They learn to, “do what feels right.” This is good story telling and good Star Trek.

Star Trek XI is also a launching of a new set of Star Trek stories in a new Star Trek universe. It is an exploration of strange new plotlines. This Star Trek is really alternative Star Trek. Like the fans of the mirror universe that has been explored in several Star Trek television series, this Star Trek is boldly going where past Treks have never dared to go. This new film is the pilot for a new film series. Truly, “our destinies have changed.”

This film is true to Star Trek in many ways. Our characters, “do not believe in the no win scenario” and are more than willing to cheat to make things right. The characters “feel” correct. Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Pike are so well cast and played that no comparison to the original performances is necessary. Uhura is the character that we always wished she would become. Chekov and Scotty are new songs sung by familiar voices.

Of course we have elements that have become standard in Star Trek stories. We laugh and applaud classic lines like, “I’m a doctor not a physicist,”  and “I’m givin’ it all she’s got, Captain.” When the Enterprise makes her first appearance in space, we get some long adoring shots and heroic, romantic music. As our heroes succeed or are in peril, we pan across each of their faces. The ships and sets, costumes and effects look like the Star Trek we all love.

There are wonderful nods to past Treks. This films echoes Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in many ways: the Kobayashi Maru test (in which Kirk is eating an apple, just as he was when discussing this test in Star Trek II), shots around Saturn that resemble the final battle sequences, Nero uses a bug similar to Kahn’s and screams “Spock” just like Kirk screams, “Kahn!”,  and we even hear some of Spock’s famous dying words, “I have been and always shall be your friend.”

There are so many other little Trekker details that they are too numerous to list: Scotty has tribbles, Christine Chapel is mentioned, Kirk hits his head on a bulkhead in a very Star Trek V manner, Spock’s final entrance on to the bridge reflects his first entrance in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and poor crewman Olson, the red-shirted away team member, bites the dust.

This film is also highly influenced by Star Wars. We have a bar fight in a cantina that only lacks an alien band. Jim Kirk now has a background very similar to Luke Skywalker. Like Skywalker, he gains a father replacement/mentor who guides him into honorable military service.  At the end of the film, Spock pilots a ship that resembles Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon. And we have plenty of fighting on narrow bridges in the interior of a cavernous ship. However, no one loses a hand.

There are some elements that do not work. Kirk and Spock give a nod to Federation friendliness at the end, but they (and we) are far more satisfied when the kindness is refused and retribution and revenge are justified. The entire sequence on Delta Vega, the ice planet, feels contrived. It is unlikely that Gene Roddenbery would have had anyone wish the characters, “Godspeed” or refer to the “Christening” of a ship. Kirk seems forever hanging from a ledge, catwalk, or precipice and a crisis often intervenes when he is in trouble with authority. What is red matter? But these are fan nits I am picking.

This new alternate reality Star Trek XI/2009 is still a celebration of family, loyalty, optimism and humanity. It is everything that has kept me a Star Trek fan, and it is a riveting action thriller as well.

The next film will be more challenging. It will be a “middle” instead of a “beginning” and middles are not as exciting. I am optimistic that it will be much more than a good amusement park ride. This film was about characters who learn to think, feel and thus grow. I hope the next film asks the same of its audience. Because, at its core, that is what makes good storytelling and good Star Trek.

Prevent the Hack Attack!

Been hacked lately? Received an email containing a strange link? Seen people tagged as shoes on Facebook? Friends stuck in a foreign country and need money? If you don’t take precautions, your accounts could be hacked.

Everyday, people lose control of important online accounts. There are three simple ways to prevent this: better passwords, a password manager, and a security system called two part authentication.

Better Passwords: The first step is to make your passwords harder to crack. Don’t make your password a simple word or phrase; the longer the password, the better; include numbers, capital letters, and punctuation marks; don’t use the same password for everything.

One way to make a stronger password is to base it on a phrase. For example, the first few lines of Browning’s famous poem:

“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach,”

This can turn into a password by using the first letters of each word (or some version of them): “HdIlt?Lm123tw.Ilt2td&hMscr,”.

This is a much better password than any single or combination of words –and I will be able to remember it!

Password Managers: Remembering passwords is difficult, but there is a good tool to help you: a password manager program. These programs store all of your passwords securely. Instead of a list of your passwords in a text file or on a scrawled piece hidden under your keyboard, these programs collect and enter passwords in your browser, and even help you to create more complex passwords. So my password can be “eKHnqjnqJCL98bUwrF” because I don’t need to remember it. When I need to use it, my password manager will fill it in for me. I only need to remember the password to that program! I only need one password!

Two popular password manager programs are LassPass and 1Password. Both offer apps for your phones so you can have your passwords in your pocket.

Two Part Authentication: Beyond making your password more secure, the other precaution you should consider is two-part authentication. Two part authentication means that your password is only one part of logging into a site like Facebook, Google, or iCloud. The second part is a code sent to your phone.

Yes, this means revealing your cell phone number. While that may make you nervous, I have not encountered any problems with it and the benefit is additional online security.

After signing up for two-part authentication, the first time you sign back on to your account, you will be asked for your password. After you put it in, a code will be sent to your phone. After you enter the code, you will have access to your account. You don’t need to do this every time you log on. You can indicate that you want to authorize a computer and the system will remember it. However, when you are logging on using a friend’s machine or any other “foreign” computer, you do not click that box, and even if someone gets your password, your account is still safe.

In order to log into your account, a hacker needs your password and the code sent to your phone. A person might hack your password, but will not have your phone. If a hacker is trying to get into your account, you will get a text message with a code. Didn’t request one? You know what is going on: change that password, and stay ahead of the hacker!

Here are links that show you how to set up two-part authentication for Facebook, Google, and iCloud.

Better passwords and two-part authentication will make your accounts less vulnerable to hackers. They are not perfect of fool proof, but why not put secure locks on your valuables? 

Staying In Touch

How do you stay in touch with people whom you don’t see regularly? Facebook is a nice way to keep lines of communication open, but, most of the time, it is lacks the personal touch. I find that, even when I am deliberate about phone calls, I don’t reach the person more often than I do. Keeping in touch is difficult.

Even in the day of electronic communication, ubiquitous cell phones, and video chats, I struggle to stay in touch with people who aren’t on my “route”  - even people I dearly love and with whom I feel very close.

Sunday dinners with my folks, holidays and celebrations, school events, and kids’ events pull in many people. If we share an activity or organization, we have a point of contact. If none of these structures are in place, how do we keep a friendship that once had them from fading?

I think the answer is: most of the time we don’t.

My family moved during the summer between fourth and fifth grade. We moved only a few miles north, but it might as well have been a thousand. I had no real means to get to my friends in my old neighborhood. I don’t remember if I telephoned much. I was certainly very lonely in my new neighborhood for a while. It was as if I had closed that door. I wasn’t there any more. My parents neither encouraged nor discouraged my connection to my “old” friends, and it was a case of “out of sight, out of mind,” even when there wasn’t much on my mind.

As a teacher, people I spend a significant amount of time with move out of my life on a regular basis. Each year, a hundred or so former students cross the stage, grab a diploma, and I never see them again. Thanks to Facebook, I get little glimpses into a few, but even these often remain only digital friends.

There are a few special students who become real friends. Not just former students or occasional visitors, but friends in the real sense of the word. They are very special rare gifts. They are one of the greatest perks of being a teacher. It is my experience that the students who fall into this category must make a significant conscious effort to remain in touch – and I must do the same with them. It is a partnership. Although sometimes, I may not see these former students for months or even years, their reappearances are regular and dependable. There are a few I have lunch with during the summer and even more who I see every year or three. There are some who make regular treks back to school and some who make a point to touch base with me on holidays or birthdays. I am so grateful for this kind of keeping in contact.

And that is the key. That is what staying in touch is all about; it is a commitment to contact; it is like marriage, a promise to maintain the bond. Sometimes the bond isn’t very strong, but it is still present. Sometimes, I don’t feel the bond until it appears.

Staying in touch, even in the digital age, is difficult. It is a statement of value: I want to keep you in my life. I want to hear your voice and see your face, not just your updates and photos.

There are lots of big and small ways to keep in touch: a postcard from a trip, a call on a birthday, an unexpected email, a carefully planned visit, a quick coffee, or a message, “just to say hi.” When these people appear, it makes my day. It reminds me of that, no matter how busy I am or how long my to-do list, the people are what make it all worth while. It may be difficult, but keeping in touch is worth the effort! Now if I could just do it! 

Yes is the Responsible Vote in 113

There is no convincing some people that our aging high schools need help. While we can debate the finer points of the plan, the key issues are simple: Are we willing to spend a little to make sure our kids can learn in a healthy and modern environment? Is it important that our community schools are technologically up-to-date?

Since the referendum of 2011, the district has involved hundreds of community members and held scores of meetings to discuss this plan. Developed through a highly inclusive and participatory process, this plan is a collaboration and a compromise. Those who do not like this plan might not like any plan. Click here to see an analysis of the “plan” the opposition thinks is better.

There are plenty of myths and misinformation about this referendum. It is very important that we look closely at the claims from those who say that they are putting education first. Here is an article that addresses some of these misconceptions.  

The infrastructure of our high school is like an old car. In my family, we try to keep our cars as long as possible. We take good care of them, and drive them as long as we can. However, there comes a point where the increasing frequency and cost of repairs and maintenance is not the best use of our money. When a car starts to need lots of expensive repairs, it is time to invest in a new one. When we purchase a new vehicle, we use a combination of savings and loaned funds.

This referendum is the most fiscally responsible way to address our aging buildings. We have taken very good care of these buildings for a long time. But it is not cost effective to keep repairing systems installed decades ago. The district is proposing a combination of reserve funds and bonds to pay these costs. We should not let our school district drain its reserves completely. Would you go bankrupt to buy your new car?

And, as both sides of the debate have noted, the issues won’t go away. What happens if you wait too long to replace that old car? Sometimes, you get stranded when the car breaks down. Do we want our kids in schools with broken heating and cooling systems? Sometimes, we have to spend money to repair old systems because we don’t have the funds to replace them. But that is not the best use of our funds. Do we want to throw away money putting band-aids on old equipment we should replace?  Do we pay more to maintain obsolete systems when we could equip our students with up-to-date computers and educational technology?   

For a small amount of money, we can make a significant improvement in the way our schools feel and function. My yearly tax increase will be about the same amount I pay for one month for cable television!

To deny the needs of Deerfield and Highland Park High Schools is to live in an irresponsible past. To oppose this referendum is to sacrifice the critical long-term needs of our children and communities in order to save a few bucks now and pay much more later.

I have lived in District 113 for over twenty-five years. I am the parent of a current Deerfield High School student and a recent graduate. This referendum is about the safety and well being of all of our children and the future of our community. This referendum is critical to maintaining an excellent educational experience and ensuring that everyone who uses our high schools is safe, healthy, and in the twenty first century! I urge you to vote YES! 

A Journal a Day

Although I have been journaling for more than thirty years, at the end of January in 2003, I made a decision to write daily. I review the prior day, talk to myself, make notes about school, writing, and life in general. 

I like it. It is my kind of meditation. It is a form of memory making. In the Facebook age, we use the cameras on our phones to document our lives. It is all there in pictures. Pictures are great, but they are not enough. I wanted to be able to save the feelings, thoughts, questions, and conversations. I wanted more than images.

February 9^th, 2004: P.J. just threw up in the front hall.

Journaling has come in handy not only for the higher goals of reflection and metacognition, but also for simple stuff. When were the cable repair people here last? What was the original date of our vacation? Whom did we bump into at the restaurant?

There is the memory jog aspect of journaling. By reviewing my day and thinking about it, I often discover ideas that lead me to new places and insights, people to contact, and items to add to my to-do list. After reviewing an old journal entry, I am often left with a renewed sense of humility and gratitude. 

March 17^th, 2005: Jonah woke up feeling sick. I thought it was just gas, and I sent him to school. He seemed fine by the time I got back from bringing Quinn to orchestra. I was wrong.

My daily journal is also a dumping ground. I can get it out and leave it there. It is so tempting to blog rants. I don’t want to. When I journal, I can vent, scream, yell, cry and wring my hands. I can figure out what I am really feeling and what will be an appropriate way to proceed.

I review my journal infrequently. When I do, I see changes as starkly as when I look at older photographs of myself. I can look back at things that seemed daunting and dangerous that now seem like no big deal. I can laugh with relief at the struggles or problems that have long since been filed away.

May 23^rd, 2007: As I was making my “it’s been a great year” speech, David asked if it was time to “gift shears.” He said the class had gotten together and got me a gift: SHEARS! Yes, I got a gift of shears from my Senior English class!

My journal helps me learn and move forward. I look back, and I see what this week or month has really been about. I am able to more fully digest all the things that come at me so quickly.

Oh, yes, and I am frequently running back to my journal to add things. I didn’t write about that phone call. I forgot to note the issue with the van! How could I have written all about yesterday and not mentioned the concert? The day falls into my journal in a dream like order and with emotional logic. I put it back together. 

April 23^rd, 2010: We checked out through attendance and then drove to the Secretary of State’s office. Quinn had no trouble with the road test and passed just fine. She took a lovely license picture.

I will continue to write daily. I will continue to journal, blog, and talk to myself. One is an outgrowth of the other. It is great that I can share my writing – and have writing that is just for me. 

Your Grade is an 89.9% B+ and That’s Final!

How do teachers determine the grades students receive? I have discovered that many teachers do not determine grades. They leave students’ grades to the numbers. They call this a “fair” grade. It is not fair. It is poor. It is a dereliction of duty.

Even putting aside the inherent problems with using averaged percentages as a grading “system,” teachers, not numbers, should monitor the progress of their students. Good teachers use a variety of assessments and instruments to evaluate what students can do and what they know. It is a teacher’s responsibility to make certain that the grades assigned to students are valid representations of students’ mastery. Leaving that to the numbers takes the teacher off the hook.

“Wait a minute,” some teacher cries! “I graded the quizzes, tests, and homework. The grade is merely the average of the students’ work. It is a fair representation of how many items the student answered correctly.”

True. However, is it a fair representation of how well the student has mastered the material taught? No. Two points off.

Students’ success on assessments should improve over time. This is called learning. If a student is getting everything correct from the start, little learning has occurred. Is the teacher even needed? Teachers often love the kids they don’t need to teach. They are the easy A’s. It is critical to provide students with instruction, practice, feedback, and assessment – and then do it all over again. Through this process, students’ achievement should improve.

So is it “fair” to average the speed of the learning process into the grade? If one student did poorly on some assessments, but then mastered the skill later and clearly demonstrated this, should that student be penalized for the time needed to learn the skill? Should the grade be more about which student made fewer errors getting to the goal? We don’t take away an Olympic swimmer’s gold medal because he didn’t make a world record in practice. No one graded down Shakespeare for bad drafts or Einstein for failed formulas.

Thus, a student whose average is on a border, who earns 89.9 or 92.4, should not automatically be given the B+ or A-. A student whose grades are trending up is really learning the material. In truth, the most recent assignments are the best measurement of mastery. Although the student may have earned an A- for the quarter, if she rocks the final or the last major assignments, a teacher should ask if the numbers accurately reflect her learning.

At this time of year, many students and parents are asking teachers, “Why is my child on the grade border? What could have happened to push him from the lower to the higher grade?”

Teacher shrugs and says, “the numbers tell the story.” But that is incorrect. What is the grade trend? Has the student mastered the skills? Are you certain, teacher, that a few items on a few assessments are not the reason for the average? Is your certainty grader (oops –I meant greater) than your margin of error? What would you see if you looked more closely?

Yes, it is more difficult and time consuming to examine student individually. It is easier just to pop numbers into a computer and let it determine the grade. But such unprofessional laziness is not an accurate representation of student achievement, and it is unfair to both the students and the learning process.

Teachers do not want to be evaluated exclusively on their students’ numbers. Their students should not be evaluated that way either!