In the bleak midwinter

Just as the purple pansy pokes up from the snow in the planter by the greenhouse in the midst of the gray, dreary skies, I got great news via email last week. Yes, as the song goes in the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan, earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone, snow had fallen . . . That is pretty much how it goes many days at VJ. Everyone who cares about learning and kids knows all the unnecessary hard as iron obstacles to growth placed in our way by life circumstances and sometimes well meaning leaders. It is in this setting that good news came which makes it great news. I received the Toyota Tapestry grant to collect caterpillars all across Madison County, and my students will be leaders and mentors for other students in those other, oft mentioned, oft awarded schools.

Toyota Tapestry Grant

And as if that was not enough, I got a call on the intercom to see a parent first thing Thursday morning. I thought the worse and wondered who wanted to discuss what I had done to their poor child. I was wrong - in the bleak midwinter, I met an enthusiastic parent who brought her daughter's supplies for our Haiti relief effort. She was gone from school on a field trip and told her mother, "You make sure you get these to Mr. Banks." I was stunned. I had fussed at my classes not because they had not or could not bring anything to help our sisters and brothers to the south who are still living in tents. I had fussed at them because they said they would and did not. As if that were not enough the parent came to my room and got the full tour of the plants and animals and was as enthusiastic as I and said, "You make a list of everything you need and do not hold back, and we will make sure you get it next year through 4H and the PTA." An angel just showed up at my room in the bleak midwinter and hope continues. Further she helped fill out all the paperwork so that her daughter (pictured with the largest tomato on the right) could participate in the regional science fair and even enlisted her VJ graduate daughter to help.

Despite my best efforts to pack it in, I keep getting called back to the greatest opportunity (not the easiest or most lucrative) to help get kids excited about and keep learning for a lifetime about the wonders of this world. Yes, even in the bleak midwinter it is still teaching.

P.S. The telescope is ready for night viewing and a solar filter is ordered for day viewing.

Life after death

First row: Shiquita Watkins, Alicia Martinez, Kiera Draine, Arshunti Perry
Second row: Tevin Grayson, Mr. B., Alexander Pan (exchange student from Austria),
Jonathan Luckett
Full album
The cosmic forces have forgiven me, perhaps. Maybe Sister III's soul was not severed with body. Three events seem to confirm these hypotheses. Or to say it another way, three signs of light come forth after the sad snake situation.

First, I emailed the director of Rainwater Observatory at French Camp, Jim Hill, to see if he would come by and make a recommendation for a possible telescope location at our remote site. He graciously agreed and came by and looked over our grounds and gave a recommendation. Jim Hill is one of the most knowledgeable and gracious people I know about astronomy and life. He like I is all for convenience and the best location is about thirty meters from the greenhouse door. He gave a great compliment to my very introductory biology class(one of three where they put kids not ready to take Biology or the all important state test) that he was escorted into 20 minutes before the bell by the assistant principal, "Is this an AP Biology class?" I guess I will quit calling them boneheads.

In this ultra frugal business of education you never hesitate to ask. He had mentioned grants in his very informative free newsletter (check out www.rainwaterobservatory.org). I boldy asked if with his grants there was anyway he could get us a telescope. After a thoughtful pause, he said they had an eight inch Cassegrain that they were not using and we could use it.
Call it a gift, a loan or whatever - VJ is getting a telescope. As I told Dr. Robinson, the assistant principal, "we are going to have it going on out here." Our principal said we would have to get a picture of that and signed off on a PO for a solar filter and battery pack to get it up and running for both nighttime and daytime viewing. He also gave me permission to go pick it up on the afternoon of our next staff development day, February 15. Go, Mr. Mumford.

Second, one of my introductory biology students came in one day to class (to say she has issues would be great understatement) and was looking at one of the contest posters I have had on my wall since August. One caught her eye and I said why don't you do a research project. To my great surprise she was very interested. One thing led to another and she saved the application form to a jump drive during class, read a preliminary experiment from a Strive to Thrive Lab manual I had gotten a grant for and is planning a workshop for science club members and their parents to carry out her research. Pinch me - am I dreaming or awake?

Third, I finally summoned up enough courage to take some of our students to the Mississippi Mathematics and Science Competition at Mississippi College (in another lifetime and school, I took kids there for ten years and we did quite well). I wanted to go last year but there were just too many obstacles - personally and professionally. I have kicked myself all year for not giving my top physics student who had a 32 on the ACT and is a freshman at Harvard an opportunity to compete last year. I promised myself not to do that again. I kept my promise this year and seven of our students participated (two backed out at the last minute). Four participated in the team competition


VJ Team2010

that is still low tech with questions on an overhead projector and with answers wtitten on pieces of paper. Only the captain is able to raise his or her hand with the answer. Spotters determine who was first, second or third up. We left at 8:30 (thirty minutes late) but still got there in time to take the test and got back at 5:40 in the evening of a Friday - it is not an easy road. (I did get to share my MIC project with the bus driver who has three daughters, and she was interested). And the students watched both the team finals and the awards ceremony with interest. None of them made the stage, but I remind myself and them you have to start somewhere. My first year as cross country coach we only had three runners (five are needed for a team) for our first race. Three years later we won fourth in the state. The same was true for academic competitions in my career.



Blast to the past

Indeed life goes on and hope resides at VJ.