What Is Your Nationality?

By Cindy R. Williams

I read about a fellow the other day that said his nationality or heritage was Caucajewmexdian.  I read it slowly then smiled. He must mean his ancestors hale from some European countries and that he is of Jewish decent along with Mexican and Canadian. I read more and found the "dian" was from India as in "Indian" rather than from Canada as in "Canadian."  Interesting.

I decided to write my nationality. This is what I came up with. I am a Caucabritscotwelshswedgerm. Sounds like I am some kind of strange germ right? Which is Caucasian, British, Scottish, Welsh, Swedish and German.

What is your nationality?

Tough Nuggies

By Beckie Carlson

Working at an elementary school is a lot like working at a circus. There is a lot of laughing, shouting, running around, and game playing. Once you get outside,it gets even more entertaining.

I love working here. The kids tell me regularly that I am their favorite aide. I wonder why that is? I make them follow the rules, I don't pick up their garbage, I let them beat me at tetherball, and I kick the ball far so they have to run to get it. Maybe it is the motherly aura that lingers from my own home. I've been a mom a long time. My kids would admit to it being as long as they can remember. I guess that is right, although I don't feel old enough to be a mother to some of them. 

I think learning should be fun. I try to make some fun in every lesson I teach, when I'm on the playground, in the lunchroom, and even at the gate when I work the 'bouncer' position. My son informed me last night that you can't learn when you are having fun because 'learning' takes 'effort' in the brain area and that is hard and not fun, and blah blah blah. I stopped listening because he wasn't making it funny. He is a smart guy though, so I did ponder it for a few moments before I found chocolate in my bag.  

Does learning have to take effort? I beg to differ with my brilliant son. I can remember many times when I thought I was playing a game, or having fun and later realized I learned something. Of course, I can't remember any of the specifics right NOW, but I promise it happened. 

The key to making learning fun is to not make kids cry during the game you are playing. Or is it? Maybe the little girl I made cry today will learn not to be such a bit drama queen and play nice next time. Or maybe, I'll learn that even when I call someone 'bratty' under my breath....they might hear it and cry. Maybe the real lesson here is that I need to eat a whole lot more chocolate on the first day of my cycle before stepping into a third grade class.....cause I said so. 

Photo credit: www.goodenoughmother.com

Beware!

By Susan Knight

I missed my deadline because last night I was back and forth on the phone with my mother and siblings and talking to my children about a crisis that beset my mother.

She was scammed.

Someone called her pretending to be MY son, who is in college. This scammer soaked my mother for a few thousand dollars she did not have to lose, leaving her with only about one hundred dollars in her checking account.

As you can imagine, my emotions have been close to the surface all day today as eight siblings have been back and forth texting--while working--with what's happening and what's to be done.

This could happen to anybody who has compassion and loves her children and grandchildren. It could happen to me. It could happen to you and yours.

Please be vigilant. If anyone calls or emails you and asks you to wire money to a foreign country because they are in jail--hang up or delete.

I've received lots of those emails. I delete them.

My mother truly thought she was talking to my son. She wanted to help him. He told her he would pay her back as soon as he got out of jail. She believed him. My mother didn't want to betray his trust by telling me because he asked her not to.

I am sick about this, as you can imagine. She is embarrassed, humiliated, frustrated. She feels violated, as do I because it was about my son; my son, who was ensconced in finals at BYU this week, and not in jail because of a car accident in Mexico with lapsed insurance.

Like I said, this could happen to anyone. I have let her know that. We siblings have been consoling her all day.

Beware. Please.

Perspective

by Kami Cornwall

I have been ruminating recently on how people so easily lose their perspective in life. The morning news can do that to a person. I was watching a mother who supports her 5-year-old daughter in pageantry and admitted that her daughter's wardrobe was worth probably a million dollars. They showed the glitz and glam that this girl was surrounded with, and the young girl was saying she wanted to grow up to be a rock star and a nurse and....well the list went on. It was the STUFF that struck me...and the sense of entitlement that she seemed to have. 

As pink sequinned dresses and tiaras flashed before my eyes I thought of the image of some poor starving child and found myself saying, "That bedroom could feed a third world country." It kind of made me sick to think about. 

Maybe I'm just being moody.

I just hope we don't lose too much perspective as we go through life - as mothers, daughters, wives, aunts, and friends. I hope we appreciate what we have and are willing to share with others. Our family has adopted a "motto" this week: "Ubuntu - I am because we are." The idea is that not one of us can be happy when others are unhappy. Maybe that's where my perspective is coming from today.