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Monday, November 25, 2013

My Thanksgiving Top 5

       This will be the first Thanksgiving since I was in College that I'll have the entire week off and I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving Day this year. I guess I always do. What guy doesn't? 
     It seems a bit of a  paradox that a day set aside for giving thanks can be loved for such selfish reasons. I have much to be thankful for, but for this blog I am choosing to focus on the wonderful self-indulgent pleasures of the fourth Thursday in November. 

5. Seizing the Day

     Thanksgiving just feels like a holiday the whole livelong day. If you don't have to travel then it's especially enjoyable.  Old Mr. Nickels enjoys the fact that he has finally reached the age where on Thanksgiving people come to him. One of the few benefits of old age. 
      Getting up early and getting that first cup of coffee is one of the best feelings. I put on my comfy green robe and then I walk out into the crisp morning air to get my copy The Indianapolis Star.    
     The cold air wakes me up. I walk back inside and turn on the gas fireplace. I sit down and find the Sports page.  Then I cuss for about 5 minutes because I have to get back up to find my reading glasses.
     Once they're found I return to my chair and see what time the football games begin and  exactly who will be playing against the Lions and the Cowboys.

4. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade  
      
     As a child, I would watch the entire thing from beginning to end. We all did because we couldn't wait to see "you-know-who" in the caboose/sleigh--wink! wink! Mom would be in the kitchen, where she had been since 4:00 am working to create her perennial perfect feast. Never wanting Mom to feel left out, we would update/annoy her constantly with bellows from the living room. 
      -"Mom, they're singing that song from Oliver that you're always humming!" --My mom has always loved show tunes.
     -"Hey, Mom! There's that guy from your soap opera."
     -"Cool! Look, Mom! It's Underdog!"
     -"IT'S HIM! IT'S HIM! Hurry Mom! Come here! " (We couldn't let her miss the arrival of 'The Big Guy').
      Mom would usually stop what she was doing and drag her baking powder and cooking flour covered carcass into the room and glance at the TV for 30 seconds.   Her hair was usually mussed and her apron was stained and faded. Sometimes she would be holding that giant "eye-dropper" looking thing she used to baste the turkey or she would have a giant bowl of potatoes that she was mashing. Always, Mom would acknowledge our requests  and momentarily praise  our astute parade commentary. She would then go back to work. We let her because we knew that she was working on a masterpiece.
     Now, I look at the parade for no more than 25 or 30 minutes. Which is good for about two balloons, a couple of marching bands, maybe one show tune, and two or three minutes of cheesy celebrity banter--just enough to make me reconsider purchasing a firearm. I still like to catch a glimpse of 'the man-in-the-red suit,' but I usually mutter to myself, "Well, he's no Edmund Gwenn."  

3. The Meal Itself

     Is it just me or did the meal get shorter? As a kid, you whined and tried to steal bites while waiting for the signal to 'sit down & dig in.' This "meal rapidity" seemed to have happened somewhere between the ages of 25 & 45. It's a bit of a mystery. Perhaps it's because over the last 10 years I've deep fried the bird and I've also made many honest attempts to carve said bird--a skill I've still not mastered. I wish I had a quarter for all the YouTube videos I've watched on the subject. Fortunately, my carving efforts still yield the first turkey bites to me, so who cares?
      Maybe the brevity of the meal has something to do with the fact that I grew up in a time when a child was required to excuse himself or herself from the table. My cousins and I would sit at our card table and debate the proper length of seat time to appease the adults' draconian rules of etiquette. These rules seemed to vary from house to house.

2. Leftovers

        Shopping for Thanksgiving always includes purchasing items that will prolong the feast. These may include, but are not limited to:
-Whipped  Cream (canned or tub is a debate for another time)
-Rye bread (Dark pumpernickel or Beefsteak brand will do)
-Swiss Cheese
-Lettuce
-Pepperoncini rings
-Durkee's Famous Sandwich & Salad Sauce
     These essential items all serve to enhance that 11:00 pm craving for a Turkey sandwich. A turkey sandwich followed by a slice of pecan or pumpkin pie is one of life's greatest pleasures. Yes, the chances are good that one of my plates will see both types of pie and it may well be at the same time. 

1. Football (previously mentioned, but always worth repeating)

      Thanksgiving is the only day of the year that I will watch 75% or more of a Lion's game. I have so many great memories of watching these games with the Clarks. For me, football was how I learned to  converse with men when there just isn't that much to  talk about. This year, like most years, I'm hopeful that "America's Team" will lose--it doesn't matter to whom. 
       The Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving are set aside for the big rivalry games in college football. Michigan/Ohio State, Alabama/Auburn,  and Indiana/Purdue (yes, this one has lost some luster) just to name a few. I must digress just a moment. The fact that the Aggies & the Longhorns no longer play one another just seems terribly wrong. Don't you think?

     A whole day set aside for TV, feasting and football is a beautiful thing.

     Once again, I appreciate you taking the time to stop by and reading to the end. One last question &  please pardon a blunt Irishmen, but exactly where are we drinking Wednesday night?
Don't forget the Durkee's.  

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Will Write for Food 11/8/13

        Anyone out there need a "barely forty-something"/ fifty year old?
      I've recently made a life-altering decision. At the end of the 2013-2014 school year I will no longer be teaching. Perhaps this is a shock to some. To others, it might just be a slight raise of one or two eyebrows. Some of you may say to yourself, "Thank God! At least now I don't have to listen to him gripe about that job while he's enjoying all those breaks teachers get."
     I won't attempt to speak for anyone, but I will be happy to hear your thoughts, advice and I'm willing to answer any question. I'm also taking job offers while waiting to hear from Ron Howard's people or Steven Spielberg's people or...-you get the idea. Be warned though, my answer may well sound convoluted and contradictory. It's also a safe bet that said answer will change over time.
       "There are a hundred reasons," I have told my colleagues, "and there's a flip-side to every one of them."
       They all nod their heads and say, "I know what you mean."
        All the colleagues that I've told seem to understand. They congratulate me. Some voice their envy in funny ways and some really kind ones tell me that they'll miss me. I appreciate that and I will miss them too, but I also know that eventually I'll be just a ghostly memory. Forgive the momentary vanity, but I do wonder what they'll say when I'm no longer a member of the Lawrence Central High School English department.
     "Nickels? Oh yeah, that guy that used to teach in room 134, right?"
     "I thought it was 132. Any way, he was funny."
     "Quiet and moody sometimes, but he always had a good movie if you needed it."
    "Remember how his seniors would laugh about the way he'd get all worked up at the end of Beowulf."
     "Oh yeah, that part where Beowulf battles the dragon and all the thanes run. He would go on and on about how cool it was the way Wiglaf stood his ground and rebuked the 'shirkers'."
     
     I always liked teaching Beowulf in late October. I would tell people that my Beowulf lecture was what got us to the football state finals twice. We won one and we lost one. Those were fun seasons and I enjoyed being on  the chain gang for home games. Carson, my son, was a ball boy. Old Kit loves LC football and the guys were always nice to him. I enjoyed  the fact that when he watched the Bears play the only colors he saw were Maroon & Gray. He'll be a freshman next year and his allegiance will  shift fully to his Noblesville Millers, as it should. I still have a hard time with those God-awful black & gold colors, but that's a personal problem.

     Let's shift the focus back to my 'life-altering decision'. Shall we? People have a right to speculate about the reasons for my decision and like I said I can come up with a multitude of them. Some are negative, but not all of them. I welcome your thoughts, but I would add one polite proviso. I prefer not focus on politics or negative aspects of the past 25 years.   I've done my best to care more about people than politics and I want to leave teaching  on a positive note because I can. It's time for a change and while I'd like to leave it at that there's an obligation to the truth even though it may be a little painful. The following are, in my opinion, the 3 most salient questions about my decision to start this new chapter of my life.

1. Was it the kids?
      For years, I have told people 95 to 98% of the kids I've worked with are good kids. I still think that's true. It's not entirely their fault that they didn't learn the same manners and behavioral boundaries that I did. Was I disrespected daily? The answer is yes. Welcome to the wonderful world of public education. And while I've 'pissed & moaned' more than my fair share, I also think I earned the respect of some good, young people and that's something I can live with.  So, if we look at my decision as a math problem then the negative behavioral issues with kids are worth around 2 to 5 % of the equation--I'm gonna live with that too.
      Let me tell you about some kids that carried a lot more weight in my decision. There are two boys that sleep down the hall from me and a young married couple that live with my 3 grandchildren just a little bit down the road. They were significant factors in this decision. They deserve a better father and grandfather.  They deserve someone that isn't miserable and dissatisfied so much of the time. Don't get me wrong, I'm not totally burnt out and bitter (here comes the painful part), but I can see myself getting there. That's how I know it's time to get out. I should add that the kids that  occupy the desks in room 134 deserve better too.
    Years ago it seemed to me that the best thing about being a teacher was that it felt like there were a number of ways to do the job well and feel good about it. Sadly, that's changed (for many reasons & some of them are personal), but please don't feel sorry for me. I learned years ago that teaching is a profession in which you seldom get to see the fruits of your labor. I've been okay with that for a very long time.
     That doesn't mean that I haven't had my share of resonant and heartwarming moments. I would say I've had more than I deserve. Just this afternoon I attended a ceremony for a young student athlete that humbly, gratefully and articulately announced to his school, family, friends and teammates that he would be attending Missouri University on a football scholarship. He personally invited Carson and me to attend. Definitely an honor that made my week. I also remember another young football player that was not nearly as talented as the one that I observed today, but  what I remember is that every time he left my classroom he would say, "All right, Mr. Nickels." Little things mean a lot. I'm grateful for all those moments. They are more than enough.

2. What will you miss most?
     This is an easy one. People are what I will miss most--kids are people too. During all those hours I sat in classrooms being taught, lectured and prepared about what my life as a teacher would entail no one prepared me for the depth of support that I would receive from my colleagues. All the venting, laughter and the thousands of little ways that we supported one another meant more to me than I can say.
     When I say, "colleagues", I'm not just talking about the people I teach with. Colleagues include, but are not limited to, custodians, secretaries, building & grounds maintenance workers, cafeteria staff, parents (the ones that "get it") and the friendly bus drivers that wave to you when your standing outside in January. I still stand by the advice that I always gave new teachers. "Teaching colleagues and administrators will come and go. Get to know your support staff, secretaries, custodians, maintenance staff and cafeteria staff. They run the show and they know what's going on. If you ever want to ask a question, but you're worried about looking stupid then go to them. They'll take good care of you if you take care of them."
     English teachers debate word meanings and semantics endlessly. For example, most people might think the words 'colleagues' and 'peers' are synonymous. I don't. I consider everyone I work with a colleague, but I would never say that I am a 'peer' to all of them. It's been my honor to work with and observe some of the most dedicated and talented individuals that  have ever stood in front of a class of young people. Being aligned with so many great educators has been one of my greatest achievements. I'd rather say good-bye to teaching than lose that.
     There are also quite a few sounds and sensations that I'll miss as well. The following are just a few:

  • The laughter of teenagers (believe it or not)
  • A student saying, "Oh, I get it," or "Have a nice weekend, Mr. Nickels."
  • Crowds cheering at sporting events
  • The cool, crisp air of a Friday night in the fall 
  • My students singing, acting, dancing, and playing instruments
3. What's next?
     Another easy question to answer. I'm not sure. The whole proposition is scary and exciting at the same time. Perhaps you haven't noticed, but I'm big on quotes. Here's one that I keep repeating to myself, "There'a a lot to talk about, but nothing to worry about."
      I'm filling out online applications and checking out career websites. I would like something in the public sector. A job that allows me to serve others. I've applied to some hospitals and universities. I've always been interested in the media.  I'm also spending quite a bit of time researching alternative careers for English teachers and forty-somethings--I won't be 50 until April.
     "Encore career" is a new buzzword I've learned. As I said earlier I'm open to suggestions, constructive criticism and advice. I also spend a fair amount of time thinking about the following "dream jobs":

  • Groundskeeper at the University of Notre Dame
  • Groundskeeper at Indiana University
  • A front office job with the Boston Red Sox or a job with the grounds crew
  • Novel and/or freelance writing (take another look at the title)

     For now I'm just trying to end this school year on a good note. I feel very grateful for all the things that have come my way. I'm most grateful for Beth. Her love and support have given me the courage to make this change. Thanks, Honey. Any spare thoughts & prayers you can send her way would be appreciated. She's totally supportive, but this kind decision doesn't come without a fair amount of trepidation. 
     Like Frank McCourt said, "I am blessed among men."
    Thanks again for stopping by and reading it all. Did I mention that I'm listening to job offers?