A sampling of the stuff that’s floating around my brain right now:
- There’s a huge amount of fuss and bother in the media right now about the upcoming swine flu pandemic that’s apparently going to destroy the universe or something, and I’m sure there’s good reason for concern. Not panic, not even major worry, but yeah, concern. I have an elderly mom-in-law whom I love dearly and I worry about her, and both my kids are in one of the major demographic groups that’s at risk for this bug. Both attend large institutions of learning and poor hygiene, and both have the personal hygenic skills and habits of your typical large primate. There’s already a lot of this flu about, and of course, it’s supposed to get worse. I work in a building that is full of kids who cough and sneeze without benefit of coverage, who pick their noses, who don’t wash their hands regularly, and who come to school when they are sick so they can share their germs with all of us.
But I am not getting a flu shot.
I actually, for some stupid reason I still don’t understand, got a regular flu shot a few years ago, and it made me sick. No, I did not have an allergic reaction: I got the flu. I got injected and within minutes, my head was spinning and within a few hours, I had a fever and flu symptoms. I missed three days of school, with a weekend in between. The shot was intended to keep me from getting the flu that winter. Instead, it made me ill. My family physician did confirm that yes, in spite of the common knowledge that’s put out there, some folks do get the flu from the vaccine.
I also just don’t trust the new vaccine. No, I am not talking conspiracy theories. I just am not sure I want to be shot full of something that was rushed so quickly onto the market, not with my history of bad reactions to even the most benign-seeming medications.
Nope, I’ll wash my hands and use hand sanitizer and I’ll spray my classroom surfaces with Lysol and I’ll do everything else I can, including getting myself in shape and taking my vitamins and praying to the good Lord every day that s/he keeps me well.
But no shots.
- Speaking of school, we head back to school next week, and the kids return the week after, right after Labor Day. That’s kind of ironic, because, you know, we teachers and staff return back without the benefit of a new contract. We’re at the stage of the process now which is called “impasse,” which means no progress is being made and which means a mediator will be hired, and then the process will continue. This has many of us are on pins and needles, with people worried about “what’s going to happen to us.”
Stock answer: Nothing bad, if we stick together.
- I start my new position as a social studies teacher this fall, and I am really excited. Nervous, too. I’ve been able to fly on auto-pilot for the last few years, and the change will do me good in terms of invigorating my inner and outer teacher. But all the new lesson planning, the pacing, the assessing, that will take a while, probably the whole year, to get used to. Wish me luck on my latest adventure, okay? It’s going to be a challenge.
- The world is a lesser place today without Ted Kennedy. While I was never a fan of the way he conducted his personal life, there’s no way I’m picking up that first stone, especially not now. The totality of a man’s life is what’s important, and from that perspective, Ted Kennedy was a giant. And those who are using today as an occasion to dance on his grave, with their cruel jokes and snide remarks, are not fit to wipe their crap from the soles of his very big shoes. The man did a lot of good for the people of this country, and that’s a legacy no one can touch.
- Glenn Beck continues to prove that he is a racist and a buffoon, and the list of advertisers that have jumped his garbage scow now number nearly 50. Which is good news for thinking people everywhere.
If you haven’t yet signed the petition that’s helping to make this happen, you can still go here.
- Few things in life are as nice as afternoon coffee and a Clif Bar. Just saying.
Filed under: Misc. & sundry, Ranting & raving, Summertime and the living is easy | Tagged: Ranting & raving
Good stuff, David! All things I’m thinking about today. How blessed your students will be to be taught social studies. My God uplift you, uphold you and inspire all year long!
Thanks, Sally. Appreciate that.
Hey, Friend. I need to come over to the blog more often. Face book steals away blog time.
I was just having the flu vaccine conversation with a couple of colleagues this afternoon. I have never gotten a flu vaccine, on the advice of my sister the Certified Nurse Midwife. I agree that the H1N1 vaccine has been pushed through too fast, and I wonder if massive profits for big pharma is the motivator here. I was reading about the use of homeopathics as both preventative and treatment.
It is difficult not to get stirred up by the talk of “pandemic” in the media. Especially with children in the target range. But I too plan to really emphasize hygiene and overall health. No hankies for me this year, it’s single use tissues all the way. No touching eyes or mouth either..
By the way, I contracted a case of rubella from the rubella vaccine. If vaccines are a live virus and one is sensitive to the virus, it’s possible to become ill.
The flu vaccine is supposedly killed virus. My physician at that time told me that 10-15% of his patients in some years report gettng the flu or flu-like symptoms from the shot. All I know is I was sick as all get-out, and shaken by the experience to boot.
I teach Social Studies here in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada this will be my secong year doing it, What a great excuse to have incredible conversations!
Last year I let them design their own exams and they came up with some great stuff. We spent two classes on question design, and three months on researching their questions in a pile of books, films, webmaterials etc.., I learned a ton from them!
they all submitted 100 questions (well all but one student who could tell me lots but only submitted 32 questions) and I circled and copied the questions I was going to use- they were all given a copy of the cheat sheet to study from while they moved on to presentations of their specific topics, and I spent a ridiculous amount of time re-typing and refining their questions. They all did well on the exam but better still they formed a lunch time interest group on modern slavery- (we were studying world history neandervalley to 1800’s the noticed the recurrent slavery theme and there it was!
I was told not to expect too uch from them as it is a low income aboriginal/phillipine majority school and I am just an Art teacher after all….
I played the curious idiot amazed by what they were finding out (not playing really, actually amazed) and just kept hunting for resources for them.
To balance this out I apparently totally sucked at teaching the photography course last year (ten cameras-four worked, and 25 students.) but i have received a donation of tem more old style cameras from a Hutterite colony who are not using them any more- they went digital last year!
As for the Flu our aboriginal people got hit hard this last year with H1N1 and that was because the government was trying too hard to be perfect when good would do just fine. Thank goodness for socialized Health care or we would all have had the biscuit! Watching your American debates is an echo of what it was like here years ago- Some doctors refused to serve patients who wanted to go to socialized care and some doctors who wanted to shift to caring health systems over for-profit had their houses vandalized and their families threatened.
If anyone wants to look up the insanity of that time here let me know and I’ll look up some stuff for you. Odd to see such fear-mongering inthis issue when there are so many clear and positive examples around the world, we only had short term examples when we started but the benefits seemed pretty clear. Our next project up here is Garanted annual income- basic survivalk income to replace welfare payments- a negative tax. This got slowed down when the Liberal party was spanked by the voters and replaced by our conservative party (who are clearly in favour of health care being socialized) I must need to go to bed because I just wrote way too much.
Regarding Ted, you’re quite right. I came from a family where Ted Kennedy was a profanity and my father still, to this day, won’t forgive him for Chappaquiddick. But then again, he hates all Kennedys equally.
Hi there, I recently subscribed to your blog!
Just wanted to comment: the killed virus in the shot vaccine can’t cause flu (your doctor is mistaken, which is not all that surprising as a lot of them don’t know about the newer vaccines) but it takes up to a couple of weeks to reach full effectiveness. People who were already incubating flu come down with it after they get the shot, and think it was caused by the virus.
The nasal spray vaccine does have live, weakened virus.
http://www.cdc.gov/FLU/protect/keyfacts.htm
You’ll be a great social studies teacher, esp. with your passion for current events.
I just learned this summer that Glen Beck graduated from MY high school in Bellingham, WA–even though he is much younger. GAG
I firmly believe in washing hands frequently. If more people did that, there would be less worry about illnesses.
There have been quite a few instances of swine flu among people I know – some have found it a very severe virus while others have recovered quickly. From the little I’ve seen, there doesn’t seem any clear pattern as to who will succumb – sometimes it’s just one member of a family or group of friends. Obviously it may worsen in the autumn. Most people I know have recovered without tamiflu – there’s considerable hesitancy here about taking it because of the risks and known side-effects.
“Just wanted to comment: the killed virus in the shot vaccine can’t cause flu…”
Not to pick a fight, but then explain how I got sick within minutes of getting the shot.