“Hands in!” the coach will holler. The four-and-five-year olds will huddle, scrunched together – after all their arms are not very long – and little fingers will drape over those of their teammates awaiting last-minute pre-game instructions. Instructions like, “what do we do when we hit the ball?” “Run to first!” all shout in unison. […]
To Ponder
Across the Fence: Kutte
The first thing that came to my mind when I came across the Germanism “Kutte” (pronounce: ‘koote with a short “o”) in the English language was the traditional garment of a monk. A cloak with a hood and a rope-like belt; the fabric coarse and simple, the color black, gray, brown, or white. Think of […]
Letter: How the Story Ends
When Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis conceived the TV series entitled “Once Upon A Time,” it was rejected by the networks as “too fantastic.” Their 2004 idea, which despite criticisms would eventually become reality on ABC in 2011, was to interrupt the stories long ago told of many fictional fairy tale characters – among them Snow […]
“Wrongful Conviction”
On Thursday, the 2nd of May, The Rotary Club of Tacoma featured Retired Superior Court Judge Mike Heavey from Seattle as it’s program. On May 2nd Judge Mike Heavey called wrongful convictions a “national disgrace.” I think the audience of sixty agreed completely with Judge Heavey. I liked the video comment of Judge Heavey and […]
A ‘Just-Because’ Love
Did you get flowers yesterday, the first of May, the day traditionally recognized, among other things of course, for love? You thought you had heard the doorbell ring but, not sure – maybe it was after all your imagination – you delayed answering and, too late, discovered the flowers – but not the source – […]
Let’s Talk! – A Sail on the Horizon
The above picture couldn’t have caught my first thought better! That’s exactly what my mind pictured when I found this week’s prompt in the book “A Pocket-Sized Jumble of 500+ Writing Prompts” by my author-friend Tyrean Martinson. A seemingly endless sea broken only by the sails of a majestic sailing ship. But to be honest, […]
Clover Park Student Growth Percentile (SGP): Growing Academically or Falling Behind?
Submitted by John Arbeeny. You probably received the April 2024 issue of Clover Park School District’s (CPSD) “premier monthly community newsletter…Inside Schools” in the mail (click here for PDF version). This issue entitled “Helping Students Grow” features articles on Student Growth Percentile (SGP) as a measure of student growth academically. But what does SGP mean […]
Letter: Today
Today is the first day of the month of May, a day of ancient, more recent, and in many cases forgotten seasonal celebrations, among them May Basket Day. Traditionally, in the instance of someone in love and to express romantic interest, flowers were arranged in a basket, or perhaps watering can, and placed at the […]
Across the Fence: Muesli
Muesli – I grew up on this dish for breakfast that is another Germanism in the English language. My mother changed it up with jam sandwiches for us kids (no peanut butter, mind!). The Swiss term Müesli or German Müsli (pronounced fairly similar as you know it) entered my vocabulary only fairly late. We used […]