Finally, EHT's priveledge meme, and some more CDs...
First, let's tackle the CDs...First, I would like to agree with Mrs. Chili about letting children listen to "regular" music...adult music. My children often listen to whatever I feel like listening to be it the Beach Boys, or Elvis Presley, or Three Doors Down, or whatever. The children's CDs I own are mine...which means I bought them for myself. All the CDs listed in my earlier post I bought because I like the groups. My Muppet CDs I owned before I had children. Same with the Animaniacs CD and my slew of Halloween CDs...each one having Monster Mash and Purple People Eater on it...
But be that as it may, having learned that They Might Be Giants put out Here Come the 123's last year, I ordered it from Amazon. Sure enough, it's a fun CD, though I learned it's connected to the new Mickey Mouse Club and there are 3 songs from it that disrupt the CD, if you ask me...Not that you did, I understand, but...well, let's move on. It also has a DVD of videos of the songs, although I haven't had the time yet to watch them. When I do, I'll let you know.
Also while ordering that CD I ordered something for myself. Mrs. Chili, over at A Teacher's Education, introduced to me the poet Taylor Mali and I bought one of his CDs, Conviction, which I greatly enjoyed. Mali has another CD that's been out for about 8 months called Icarus Airlines which I purchased. As with Conviction, all of the poems are wonderful, although there's a greater concentration of what I will puriley call downers. He includes several poems about his wife's suicide and while beautiful, they aren't the kind of things that I will want to listen to regularly. "The Miracle Workers" I promptly shared with my coworkers and all teachers should hear, or at least read, it. "Holding Your Position" is a great trip into youth, and "The Mascot of Monterey" lets you know where the title of the CD comes from. "Pizza" is wonderful, but not what you think it's about.
Ok, let's see...EHT's Privledge Meme...
To participate, copy and paste…then unbold my responses to make your own. Bold the items that apply to you:
1. Father went to college 2. Father finished college - University of South Carolina 3. Mother went to college 4. Mother finished college - Ditto 5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor - Dad's a professor, have a sister who's a doctor 6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers. Same 7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home. 8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home. 9. Were read children’s books by a parent. 10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18 - Karate 11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18 12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively. - I suppose...depends...not consistently for sure 13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18. 14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs. 15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs 16. Went to a private high school 17. Went to summer camp 18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18 19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels - Not always, but enough 20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18 21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them - technically, it wasn't called being purchased for me, it was treated like a hand-me-down, but in reality Dad drove the hand-me-down and I got the new car...So it counts as being purchsed for me, if you ask me... 22. There was original art in your house when you were a child 23. You and your family lived in a single-family house 24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home - Dunno, I mean, he may have still been paying a mortgage...Probably counts as a yes anyway. 25. You had your own room as a child 26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18 27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course (I don’t think they existed in the olden days) 28. Had your own TV in your room in high school - Bad idea, that was. 29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in high school or college 30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16 - Well, not anywhere...you mean somewhere... 31. Went on a cruise with your family 32. Went on more than one cruise with your family 33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up. 34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family. - I'm not sure that not paying attention or being informed by parents should count...being oblivious doesn't mean privledged...
I certainly get what the meme is saying, though I hate the term privledged...Every family has its struggles. Not saying we had it as bad as others...just saying we're better off realizing all families have their troubles and money...privledge...doesn't take that away...
Oh, speaking of "The Miracle Workers"...here's Taylor Mali performing it...It's slightly different on the CD...he doesn't say "shit"...he loans a pencil instead of a pen...the audience is...better...but enjoy...
When you know the person involved, it's hard to just write something off as bigotry. See, Mr. Walker was my first principal as a professional teacher and I will say that if you told me to make a list of bigotted people, his name wouldn't appear on it. He treats people fairly...How does that mesh with this news? Well, he's not turning tail on a school and district with a gay/straight alliance club. He's fulfilling his contract and when the contract is up, he'll walk away. He says he was planning on sticking with Irmo High until 2010 and he's moved it one year earlier because he doesn't agree. He's damned if he does and he's damned if he doesn't. If he quits, he's a bigot. If he doesn't, he's not standing up for what he believes in and he wouldn't have to put up with people criticizing him, but he has to live with himself. He's a principal who wouldn't allow students to say "fuck you" to a teacher, but was understanding that some students don't come from a picket fence household. He's a good man, and he was a great principal. I may not agree with him, but I respect him.
But let's talk about whether or not I agree with him and let's leave the gay aspect out. I'm not sure I do disagree with his decision, though I suspect I do. I would need to know what the teacher sponsor of this club intended the purpose of the club to be. I'd also have to know what other clubs exist (I would say at the school, but if we have to talk about clubs in the whole district, fine). There are other clubs than curricular clubs, but I can only think of service clubs like Key Club or sports clubs. The reason I need to know about the clubs purpose is because if the club is just meant for socialization. Like minded people coming together to talk, and there are no other clubs that fit that one description, then I can see his point, even if he adds a sexual element that doesn't inherently exist. If there are political and/or religious groups that get together as a school club simply to discuss their views, then I agree that the gay/straight alliance club should be allowed. But if the clubs all have been academic, service, or sport related, then I see Mr. Walker's point. I want to hear what the teacher sponsor says is the purpose of the club.
My friend Mrs. Chili sponsors a gay/straight alliance club at her college, and I am curious about her point of view. I'm still trying to figure out my POV, myself.
Driving somewhere with the children can be a harrowing adventure. Random commentary about what passes by in the window ("Happy Meal Place! There's Bumblebee!" (Any yellow car after watching Transformers)), arguements about each other ("Bravo-Boy's bothering me!"), random songs often invented by the young singers, dropped items ("Whinnnnneeee...I dropped my juice, cookie, cracker, car, book, etc."), and that's just the tip of the whine-berg. So music is invaluable in giving them something else to focus on and me something else to listen to.
But...children's music...ugh. I mean cartoons and puppets and monotonous songs, oh my! This old man, he played one little duck ran over the hill to fetch a pail of water, Jill fell down the mountain when she comes, she'll be comin' round the mountain.....ARGH! It's no wonder the average parents are testy and seem a touch insane. The CIA has begun using what they call "Soccer Mom Immersion" for interrogating purposes...
CIA: "All right, Boris, where are the secret plans?" Boris: "I tell you nothink." CIA: "All right, load Boris into the van. Bring JIAs (Juvenile Intelligence Agents) Jake, Emma, Madison, and Brady. Give them chocolate chip cookies and juice boxes. Put in Wheels on the Bus and I'm a Little Teapot." Boris: "Nyet, nyet! I'll tell you everythink...everythink!!!!!"
Anyway, I digress...If that sounds familiar, without the international espionage of course, then let me see if I can help you out. I've come across a few CDs put together by popular bands for children.
I decided to blog about this after I purchsed the brand new release Snack Time by the Barenaked Ladies. It features 24 original children's songs, and they are very entertaining. If you follow the link above to Amazon, you can see a video of the first track "7 8 9" with a little something added to the end that's not on the CD. "The Ninjas" is a fun song about those deadly, silent, and unspeakably violent ninjas. "The Canadian Snacktime Trilogy", especially part II, "Popcorn" is wonderful...all the way to the end. Just a collection of fun and refreshing children's song.
The group They Might Be Giants has put out a few children's CDs like No!with highlights on "Where do they make balloons?", "John Lee Supertaster", "Clap Your Hands", and "Lazyhead and Sleepybones". They also have Here Come the ABC'swith "Alphabet of Nations", "E Eats Everything", "Pictures of Pandas Painting", "Alphabet Lost and Found", "Who Put the Alphabet in Alphabetical Order", and "LMNO". I just found out they also did Here Come the 123'swhich I missed and will be looking into.
On a slightly strange note, I was listening to my Blues Brothers CDs and it has their version of the Rawhide theme...which Delta-Boy loved and we had to listen to several times.
Roll 'em, Roll 'em, Roll 'em Keep them babies rollin' Though they're disapprovin', Rawhide!
Wonderful CD...CDs, actually. Two discs. 35 Songs. I've been greatly enjoying it. The best part happened yesterday. I was in my car pulling into a local grocery store when track 17 on disc 1 began playing. Track 17 is the Peter Gunn Theme. People were crossing the parking lor walking in time with the music. All of a sudden, everyone looked suspicious. I didn't know who I could trust. Those carts might be rigged with explosives. I better wait until I'm inside before I get a cart. I was so cool.
What was even better was leaving. I played it again. Now I was in the middle of Spy Hunter. That car behind me is going to try and ram me off the road...OIL SPILL! That guy trying to pass me is going to take out my tires with wheel spikes. HIGH GEAR! WHERE'S THE WEAPON'S VAN?
