Now It's Spring For Sure

The magnolia tree is blooming:

The garden is taking shape:

And motorcycles are popping up everywhere:

I went to the license bureau yesterday morning and got things squared away on the license plate for the bike. And since it was such a beautiful day, after I mowed the back yard I figured I'd get started on the Square Foot Garden. There's a place just north of Surly that has the vermiculite and compost I needed, so I shot up there to get that, dropped off the paper plate for the bike and went to work mixing up the Mel's Mix after I got back home. Surly then showed up just before dark with the bike. 

Things are blooming, garden's taking shape and there's a new motorcycle in the barn. Pretty good day for Shop Teacher Bob. 

It Must Be Spring

You can tell by the birds-nest.

I started the unit on MIG welding this week with my Intro classes. Having taught this stuff for many a year, I've got a pretty good idea of what to expect when rookies pick up a MIG gun - a birds-nest at the feeder being one of them. The simplest explanation as to what is and what causes a birds-nest is the wire can't feed through the torch when you pull the trigger, usually because of an obstruction on the contact tip. However if you continue to pull the trigger the drive rolls are going to continue to feed the wire and it's got to go somewhere, so it will ball up like in the top photo. This one was done in some other class - I just happened to notice it while walking by.

This big old gob of wire was formed by one of my guys, however. It was much more impressive when it was all poking out from under the cover on the wire feeder. In fact, I'm thinking it might be the all time record size birds-nest of my career. There were actually another couple of pieces of wire that I had cut out before I was able to get this wad out of there. Before you say anything like maybe you should warn them about this, I told them not once, not twice, not three times, but four times: "When you're welding and the wire quits coming out, quit squeezing the trigger." Often times, it pays to heed the warnings of those with a little more experience.

Other than this one, things actually have gone pretty well. The classes in general seem to have been successful. Now that the classes are nearing completion, everyone can at least weld a little bit, I got evaluated by my supervisor and that went about like it used to in the early days at the high school - five minutes with the boss while he filled out the form and then: "Sign here. I'll flower it up a little and give you a copy." Perfect. No muss, no fuss. The students are learning and everybody's happy. Ain't life grand.

Doin' Sum Math - A Good Sine

I'm working on making a little covered rack for the firewood to put behind the barn. Pretty simple construction - 4x4 corner posts and some 2x4's to hold the logs and fasten the roof sheets to. The roof is going to have a 3/12 pitch but in order to set the proper angle on the miter saw the 3/12 has to be converted to a degree measurement or you can solve it several other ways. Lay out the boards with the framing square or easier still with a Speed Square and cut to the line. Since the ends of the rack are only 3' wide by 6' high just lay it out on the floor and transfer the angle with a sliding bevel gauge. Easy to keep things square when putting it together that way as well.

However, when I was at the high school I did a little unit on layout every year so the boys would be exposed to at least a little higher level math. I had a handout that had some of the most common conversions as well as the common trig functions. We'd run through some sample problems using both the trig tables in the back of a couple of my old books and solving it with a scientific calculator. The main point was that if you want to solve for any angle or side of a right triangle, you could do it in a matter of seconds with the proper tools. Really easy, so no reason not to be able to do it.

Until you retire and can't find a math book or a scientific calculator. Took me about ten minutes the other day going through some of my junk to find the book. I used to keep it in the bottom left drawer of my desk when I was at the high school - two high schools in fact. Don't know how long I've owned the book but I bought it for a buck. It was originally published in 1917. Even though it's close to 100 years old, the answers are still right. Unlike the calculator I came up with. I found it right away but couldn't figure out why the answer kept coming up wrong. Side opposite divided by the side adjacent, hit the second function button, TAN and Viola! Except it was wrong. Been so long since I had used that calculator for anything other than balancing the checkbook, I had neglected to set it to degrees before I started.  Now both the book and the calculator are going to take up residence in the wood shop. "You'll use 'em if you can find 'em."

If you asked the average guy the tools he'd want to set up a new shop you would expect things like a table saw, miter saw, etc. I'd definitely add a cheap scientific calculator to the tool box. I know they make some spiffy construction calculators but they don't normally sell for under ten bucks like the cheapy one I've got. Plus I've had it for damn near twenty years. Fifty cents per year? Definitely a good investment there. As far as I'm concerned the cheap calculator ranks up there with movable type and the cordless drill. Throw in a good engineering manual and you're all set.

On a tangentially related note, sticking with the math theme, Dorkpunch posted up a little ditty on the 14th about what constitutes a good teacher. For a young guy, he's got it pegged pretty well. Nothing earth shattering there but it's good to reflect on why you're doing what you do. I had a chance encounter with a retired history teacher yesterday morning while getting a tire repaired on the old Dodge. I'm guessing he was 75 +/-. Interesting to get the take on the job from a guy roughly 15 years my senior after reading what Dorkpunch had to say. The job has changed a lot over the years but the qualities that make up a good teacher? Probably the same since Socrates.

Just Another Day In Paradise

I was cleaning up some files on the computer and ran across this photo. Can't provide credit for it but at least for me it's easy to see why I saved it. Really nice tin work on both the dash and the tunnel. I should print out a big copy and paste it up someplace close to the VW for inspiration. 

I got some stuff done around the shack over the weekend. Put the sharpened blades back on the mower and cut the front yard. Did a few other odds and ends as well. Most importantly, however, I test rode Surly's SV650S and it's now my SV650S. I took my ramp and tie downs along with me when I test rode it but Surly was a little concerned about me unloading the bike by myself when I got home. I've got a spot where I can back the truck into so there's only a little height difference with the ground but he said he'd ride it down one of these days, so that's cool. He rode it to work a couple days last week and got rained on so he said he'd clean it up before delivery. Better still. In the meantime I can get my insurance and plate. 

Now all I need to do is get a few projects done around the shack so I can make good on my justification (rationalization) for buying the bike.

Have a good week.

Sunday Morning Reading Time

The last panel says it all.

I was checking out Frazz as I do every Sunday, and underneath the cartoon was a link to Esquire magazines list of 75 books every man should read. Being the avid reader that I am and being more than just a little curious, I checked it out. Surprisingly enough, I've only read a few of the books on the list. Some I've never heard of and others I've heard of and know I'll never get around to reading. Like War and Peace. I'd have to be stranded on an island with that as the only thing to read to even consider tackling that one. I did see one that piqued my curiosity, however. The Professional by W. C. Heinz. Maybe see if I can locate that one after I finish Dodsworth by Sinclair Lewis. I've got that one on hold for me to pick up Monday. The movie was on TCM the other night. It stars Walter Huston and Mary Astor. Good film. Not normally the kind of thing I would pursue to read but I'm about burned out on the who-dunnits I've been burning through lately. Plus I don't remember ever reading anything by Sinclair Lewis in spite of his being the first American to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. 

Enough computer time. The sun's out and has burned off the frost. Time to get busy. 

Keep On Smilin'

From Here

Nothing much to report this week on either the project or the education front but since I pledged to post at least twice a week here's a little something (Maybe I can make this as asinine and irrelevant as a Facebook post).

Went back to the dentist for the third time in three weeks. Besides getting the old choppers cleaned up on this visit, I got the news that one of them has to come out. Really looking forward to that. I did learn that they've got some kind of magic dust they can sprinkle on the jaw bone for a bone graft. Take the old tooth out, sprinkle on the magic dust and wait a couple of months while the jaw repairs itself, then stick a new tooth back in. Pretty incredible that. Never heard the word painless mentioned, however.

Stopped at the hospital after the dentist to see my former colleague who had the heart attack. He was just getting ready to move out of the ICU room to an intermediate care room. Good news there. He had just had some blood work done prior to the heart attack and all the numbers looked great. But he was trying to teach a couple of auto body classes with 28 students in one, 26 in another, and next to nothing in equipment and supplies. The first two things that come to my mind: It's no wonder that the results in education are lousy, and it's a wonder more teachers don't have heart attacks. Probably would if half of them didn't quit during the first five years on the job.

One other interesting thing from the visit: He flat lined twice before they got him stabilized. Since he died twice for a short time period, I asked him if he saw the bright light at the end of the tunnel or anything. His response was: "If I saw the light, I wouldn't have come back." Something to think about there.

The weather has been crap for the last few days. They shut the college down the other night due to a storm caused power outage. Lots of local flooding. Temperatures forecast for below freezing tonight. However, it's supposed to stop raining over the weekend. That'll give me a chance to check out the Suzuki and see if we're compatible. I need to drop a couple of things off at Surly's house for him. I'll take some tie-downs and the ramp with me when I go, just in case.

Been another tough week in America. I just heard that they've about got the Boston bombing thing wrapped up but not before another innocent life was lost. Maybe someday we can all live in peace.

In the meantime:

Bicycle Stuff

Get some air in the bike tires - May'll be here soon

Finally had a decent day combined with a little free time yesterday. Did some outdoorsy-gardeny things then put a couple of miles on the old Raleigh touring rig. I miss being able to commute on the bicycle but the ride to the college/retirement village is about 25 miles. That's a bit more than I want to tackle. Big difference in fuel cost now. The old Dodge is costing me about $100.00 per week now. I used to average that per month. Plus more maintenance costs. However, according to People For Bikes, 50% of trips people take in their cars are of less than three miles. I'll still be doing the short hops on the two wheeler.

In the latest issue of the magazine from The League of American Bicyclists, I see where they're sponsoring the National Bike Challenge again. The Challenge runs from May 1 - September 30, 2013. "Ride solo, create a team, or pedal as part of a workplace to get healthier, have fun and become part of a national online community. Plus, every month you'll be elgible to win great raffle prizes!" I checked the site and even though there are quite a few colleges listed, mine wasn't among them. I'm planning on giving the info to the lady who I think would be in charge of something like this and see if she thinks it's worth a go. I've been pretty diligent about getting my walkies in every day. Be nice to change up and get back out on the bike from May to October. I was planning on that anyway but if the college does anything with this, I'll sign up.

And last but not least, because of the grabber, I'm thinking my long distance bike touring days are behind me. For the most part my attitude now is "been there, done that". However, I'd really like to do the Climate Ride. Five days/320 miles "along California's North Coast and Redwood Empire to San Francisco!" Cross the Golden Gate on your bicycle. That's exactly the section of California I hope to see when I finally make it out there. It's May 19-23 if you're interested. Sign up and start training.

Get out and get some exercise and watch the diet, people. One of my shop teacher buddies had a massive heart attack last week. The dude's a few years younger than I am and he's lucky to have made it. I've only got a few readers here as it is - can't afford to lose any!

SV 650

How's this for the solution for my wanting to ride this spring? Surly has bought himself a new bike and wants to sell his SV. It's been well taken care of, low miles, it's got new tires and it's about as close to the Ducati I had in '94 as you can get without being one. I really liked the Ducati but for a couple of reasons, it had to go. This would be pretty close to perfect for me.

Follow the logic and see if you can spot a flaw:

I've got  lots of things to do and not near enough time to get them done. Even though I retired from the high school, I'm still working close to 40 hours per week. I'd really like to have my 900 going as well as the 750 Honda and the VW, etc. However, I need to catch up on lots of things around the shack. Remembering my lessons from Stress Management Mondays in rehab, why put myself in the stressful situation of having to choose between working on long overdue chores or putting a bike together. Instead, buy a bike that's a runner, get caught up on the chores, then go back to work on the projects. Seems logical to me.

I ran it past the Missus and her primary concern is me being in the saddle of a sport bike, thinking that the old reflexes ain't what they used to be. I can understand and appreciate her concern.  I'm thinking as long as I remember the old adage that there are old riders, and there are bold riders but not too many old, bold riders, I should be OK. I've already got a new helmet I bought a couple of years ago when I was doing the high mileage contest. I've got a good jacket. Only other thing would be a pair of these cool-ass Gasolina boots.

Stay tuned.

The Grabber - One Year Later

One year ago today I had a heart attack and was hospitalized for a few days. A little scary at the time, especially since I figured I was immune to any cardiac problems with my lifestyle. But a year has gone by, I'm still kicking and I've learned a little about heart health and a few other things in the meantime. As a public service allow me to pass a few of these along.

First of all, as my old pal Dobak used to say, save your money. School teachers are one of the few remaining groups that have defined benefit retirement programs and because of that I was able to take an early retirement. With my pension and the gig at the college, I'm doing OK financially and hope to be able to take in the view as seen in the above photo. Soon. Now when I say I'm doing OK, remember that I've been a school teacher for 37 years. Not a lucrative profession but I've lived within my means and made some good decisions when I was young. Like buying life insurance. Sounds silly now days, but I've got a couple of whole life insurance policies that are now paying enough of a dividend to cover the premium and give me a little something extra in addition to the peace of mind that comes from knowing the Missus will have a few bucks when I'm called "up yonder". I just received a dividend check for the ginormous sum of sixty bucks. Enough for about a half a tank of gas is all but if I wanted to make sixty bucks off the interest in a savings account, I'd need to have $600,000.00 in the bank with the lousy rate of return the banks are giving now. Now you're actually better off spending rather than saving because you can't even keep up with inflation. I don't know how you can put any money away but you need to plan long range and save something, somehow.

Second, take control of your health. I'm probably as well informed on nutrition and the causes of heart disease now as the average doctor. However, that's not saying too much. There's all kinds of conflicting information out there and the approach you need to take is something you need to determine. But like saving money, you do need to determine it.  In my case I've learned that exercise makes for healthy, strong heart muscle but that won't necessarily take care of the plumbing supply. We're looking at two separate issues here. Strong heart muscle is good but ultimately requires arteries that are plaque free. Stress and anger can increase the risk of a heart attack by over 200 times. Yes, 200 times. So that might be the first place to start. "You need to get your mind right, Luke." In retrospect, stress probably was the biggest issue leading to my cardiac event. That plus the genetic factor.

In order to further take control of your health, you must control what goes into your body. Tobacco is not good, nor alchohol in any quantitiy beyond a drink or two per day. Everyone knows this. Not much research needed to verify it. Just stop by the corner tavern and take a look at the regulars who've been holding down the stools for years. Most of those dudes look pretty rough.

Now we come to diet. While not professing to be an expert on nutrition, I can tell you that most everything that is processed is junk and should not be eaten. Should you be a vegan? It's been working for me. It's tough when you travel or go out to dinner sometimes but I think for me it's the best plan. For you? I've got no idea. There is so much conflicting information out there. I do think that whatever path you chose should include real foods, whether that's grains, vegetables, fruits, or meat. Stuff that hasn't been compromised by additives, steroids, hormones, trans fats, or high fructose corn syrup. Eat fresh, eat what's in season, eat organic and stay away from any place that has a drive up window.

Lastly, enjoy yourself. Treasure your family and friends. Strive for harmony and balance in your life. Learn to take control by knowing when to let go. Give a little something back when you can. I've been able to make what some would say are drastic lifestyle changes relatively easily. I attribute that to being in the position that I could. I was able to start a new phase of my life with a new diet, new doctor, new job, and a new outlook on life due to the support of family and friends and a little foresight. Probably more than a little luck as well.

So there you are. Even though I had a heart attack, I'm enjoying every day I've been granted on this earth. I'm still looking and moving forward and no matter what the future holds, I still out lived Elvis by twenty years. 

Speaker Boxes?

Haven't gotten much done on the motorcycle front lately but I have gotten a few other little things done - like the speaker boxes for the new amplifier set-up for the MP3 player. I still have to rivet them together and drill a hole so I can hang them up, but no biggie there. I really like making stuff like this. I draw out a pattern on paper, trace it to the metal, cut it out and then bend it into shape. I think I'm drawn to this kind of stuff because you have to use your noggin when developing the part from an idea and laying it out and then use your hands to actually make the part. Probably the same appeal as Origami.

Speaking of things I like, check out these doors. I'm a huge fan of both Art Deco  and Art Nouveau. I stumbled across these here. It's a site dedicated to to both types of art forms. If you're a metal worker of any kind, you really have to appreciate the craftsmanship, especially the architectural works of the Art Nouveau period. Just fantastic. I think the link gadget is working again, so maybe I can add a permanent link to the site. Give me something to look at when I should be working.

Still Got It

I did a 5K run yesterday morning. While I didn't exactly burn up the course, I did manage to get an age category award - third place in the male, over 60 group. Of course, there were only three of us in that group but I felt good out there. I told my running buddy prior to the start that I was thinking that this was going to be the last one I did, but after the race, I felt good enough that I might reconsider. She said she'd find us another one and let me know. I haven't been doing any running to speak of, just lots of brisk walking. I'm still searching for the middle path with my exercise. I cut way back but was still able to finish a 5K in 40 minutes with my run/walk pace. Probably pretty close now to what I should be doing to get the exercise benefit without over doing it.

This was the first race put on by the local Christian School and they did a pretty nice job - finisher's medals for everyone, chip timing and the nice pint glasses for awards. I found that interesting. Beer glass from the Christian School but they probably didn't look at it that way.  

Did a little yard work in the afternoon. I didn't want to over do it after the run and my time at the gym, but I didn't last long anyway due to all the smoke out there. Seems that someone lit a fire and it got away from them in all the wind. Most of the smoke went west of me but it was still more than I needed. The farmers burn their ditch banks in the Spring and some of these guys are like the guy who farms behind me. He just goes by the calender, not the weather. Wind blowing 20 mph straight at my house. No problem. Time to spray. It was too windy in the morning when I was out running to burn and they were forecasting wind and rain later in the day. You would have thought they knew better.

Going to put a little time in today in the shop. Warm enough finally and more nice days are on the way. Time to get after that 900 and VW. 

Have a good day and a good week.

REPA II

The Indiana law that was supposed to allow non-education majors to teach ran into a snag. You can read all of the details here but I'm still kind of straddling the fence on the REPA II bill as it's called. Actually, I seem to be more for than against, which seems to be contrary to most educators. It's definitely not the view of the teaching colleges but it would be their ox that was getting gored, so I can see where their opposition would be coming from. I commented on this issue once before but I think some of this bears repeating.

First of all, an effective teacher must have knowledge of the subject. When I started teaching, you needed three years beyond the learning level to teach a vocational subject to obtain a provisional license. Under the REPA II you would need to graduate college with a decent GPA, and pass a test to show your mastery of that content area and you get an adjunct license. Not really sure about the license part of it but it's not essential to the conversation. The biggest thing, and one of the few things that everyone seems to agree on, is the need to have a mastery of the subject.

Second of all, you need to be able to impart that knowledge to the little darlings. Lots of ways to do that and lots of ways to fail. You can use lectures, demonstrations, technology such as Power Point, guest lecturers, team teaching, and increasingly, long distance/computer learning. Lots of presentation methods available, which is good because people learn best in a variety of ways.You also must be an entertainer. You've got to capture and keep the students attention so you can dispense the knowledge.

Does that really require a teaching degree? I don't think so. At least not as they are now. The old vocation license route coupled with a skills test pretty much would insure that a teaching candidate knew his beans about his trade. If you take the regular education degree route, you really don't spend a lot of time on your specialty. Maybe a half dozen classes on your specialty, let's say math at the high school level, and the rest of the time is spent on teaching methods and elective courses of some sort. When you are all done you're considered an expert on math but are you really? Likewise, are you an expert teacher? Every one has to student teach but does that make you an expert? Once you're in the classroom on your own, you find out pretty quick what the teaching profession is really like and it's not necessarily like the student teaching experience.

When they place a student teacher, typically it's with a really good older teacher. Makes sense - why would you want them learning from a slug? However, by doing that, you put the student teacher in a class that the older teacher has already groomed. Most behavioral issues have already been resolved, the room is fully functional - there are enough chairs, the computer works, there's a pencil sharpener, the bulletin boards are decorated - so there isn't much that needs to be done except show up and prepare for the day when the older teacher lets you fly solo.

When you get your first teaching position, things change quickly. You're suddenly surrounded by a very diverse group of students who you have to somehow convince to sit still long enough to solve for "y" when "x" is 17 and "z" equals 15. And as if that's not challenge enough, then all the crap that has absolutely nothing at all to do with being a good classroom teacher comes into play. Now you have lunch room duty, bus duty, meetings before school, meetings after school, hoops that need to jumped through to renew your license, club sponsorship, school improvement committee membership, or if you're a welding instructor, fix the piece that holds the high jump cross bar because there's a track meet in 15 minutes. So when you could be grading papers or preparing a lesson, you're standing out in the parking lot in the rain until the buses have all the kids loaded up and start their routes or try to reach a parent on the phone. And then, come payday, you wonder how in the hell you're going to pay back your student loan when your $28,000 per year salary barely covers your living expenses.

I truly believe teaching is a calling. All great teachers have a gift. If you know the material and have the gift most of what you need to be an effective teacher you already have within you. You need some pointers and a chance to try it out without screwing up someone's education, of course. But do you really need an education degree?  The Great Courses have The Art of Teaching: Best Practices From A Master Teacher (24 lessons, 30 minutes each). It's on sale now for $69.95 plus shipping. I'd be willing to bet if you gave that special someone with the gift within them the DVD's and some practice time before a live audience as long as they knew their subject well, you could probably turn them loose in a classroom with excellent results providing they get some help as they're getting their sea legs.

When I was a rookie at the steel mill, they put a red stripe on my hard hat so everyone would look out for me and keep from hurting myself or someone else. I remember the one motorcycle racing organization I belonged to did basically the same thing. Rookie riders had an orientation and wore a bright yellow vest to warn the other riders. Maybe something similar for rookie teachers. A bright yellow blazer so all the rest of the teachers would look out for you. As far as many of the students go, they're going to paint an invisible bulls-eye on the rookie teacher any way, so the blazer wouldn't effect them much differently.

So then, you want good teachers? Here's the prescription:

Start with people who know their subject matter and have the gift.
Have them watch the Art of Teaching course or something similar.
Have them practice their teaching skills before a live audience prior to entering the class room.
Provide real leadership and support in the schools.
Pay them a decent wage.
Let them teach their classes in any way, shape or form they wish. Give them the autonomy they need to accomplish their task and then get out of their way.
Stop all the rest of the foolishness that just saps their energy and gives no educational return. 

It could all be so simple.

Trouble With My Gadget

Photo From Here

When I do the Lab Tech gig, I usually have a little extra time on my hands, so I fire up one of the computers in there and check my e-mail, enter my attendance/grades from my class the previous day, and depending on the time frame, maybe check out a few of my favorite blog sites. With the way the school computer is configured, I can't really put together a book mark list of my favorites, so I figured I'd add a couple more links to the list here. What could be simpler, right? Well, as often happens in the high tech world of computers, at least when I'm involved, not so simple after all.

Initially I was just going to add a couple of links to the existing "gadget", as blogger calls it. Except that when I try to save any changes, I get an error message. I removed the gadget and started over and after several attempts I finally realized it would save everything the first time I clicked on save but nothing thereafter. So I finally got a list with a few links but I didn't get a title in before the error message came up and I can't add that or anymore links. I guess what I'm going to have to do is create a paper list with the URL's and titles, start a new link gadget, and after entering and double checking everything, hit save just the one time.

It's hard to bitch about the blogger platform because it's free. But lately, it's been a pain in the ass. It's been highlighting words for some money making gizmo to try and get me to sign up for that. I'm not opposed to making money but I am opposed to advertising of most any kind. There's just too much of it everywhere and now I'm dealing with this thing where I can't save my changes in the gadget. Not that big a deal, I suppose and I should be used to it. There was always something haywire with the IT when I worked at the high school. I'll get a little better prepared and try to take another run at it one of these days.

Fluke Of The Universe

This is more than a little embarrassing. It's a story about a cheating scandal in the Atlanta schools. I'm not going to defend anyone who cheats on the "big test" to inflate the scores, regardless of what's at stake. I would, however, like to see all the crazy testing get thrown out, teach a little more arithmetic and a little less algebra, and bring some common sense to bear on the problem of poor outcomes with the system.

The Northwest Indiana Times had a couple of front page articles last Wednesday spreading good cheer about the state of education. The headline article was about the school voucher law and a side column was about the deficit at the Gary schools. We're talking millions of dollars here. And yesterday this letter to the editor:

State legislators in Indiana are deciding what is appropriate funding for public education. In a state with a $1.6 billion surplus, how can up to $600 million in cuts to public education be justified?
Every citizen in this state is affected by this issue.
The former governor instituted a 2 percent increase in the state sales tax, earmarking those funds for public education. Instead that money has been funneled to charter schools as well as private schools through the voucher program. This is wrong!
At this rate, education in Indiana will be privatized and only available to the select few.
- Glenn Johnson, Lake Ridge School Board, Gary

Just keeps getting crazier all the time.

Sometimes I think this should be the theme song for education these days. Might have to change the line about Milwaukee, however. Frankie Flood seems to have it going on up there. Just remember that when you read stories like those above. There's lot of good things going on out there by a lot of good teachers. With the way things are going, might not be for much longer, however.