Dear Shirley,
School's out in Grand Forks for the annual North Dakota Education Association meetings. This break couldn't come at a better time because there is a lot of flu going around. Maybe this will give students a chance to recover and give schools a fresh start next week.
The welcome mat is out all over town for teachers from all over North Dakota. Winner of the 2010 North Dakota Teacher of the Year award was to be announced this morning by Gov. John Hoeven. And the keynote address on Brain Compatible Teaching is by Merilee Sprenger. She's an adjunct professor on brain compatible teaching strategies at Aurora University in Illinois, Shirley.
I was looking over the two-day program, and it sounds highly interesting. Laura and Douglas Munski are teaching a session on geocaching as a way to learn the landscape. And Julie Holien of Schroeder Middle School will demonstrate how the game show "Deal or No Deal" can be used to teach students about percentages and probability.
The annual race is on to get the leaves raked before city workers come around with their gigantic vacuum that gobbles them all up. Each morning, I look at the old elm tree in the backyard and wonder when it will be willing to undress. That tree hangs onto its leaves long after the others have given up. The trees along the berm are already naked, and there are little ribbons of leaves awaiting the great sweep-up of 2009.
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This is the time when neat gardeners seem to cut down the growth of the summer. I just smush stuff around. Somehow, any enthusiasm I had for gardening in May and June is long forgotten. I find it far easier to bring out the sweaters and bake pumpkin pie on these October days.
It is spooky when you go out at night. The people on 18th Avenue South have once again gone the whole nine yards to create spooky Halloween scenes on two of the houses. There are all kinds of scary, creepy places getting ready for Halloween in Grand Forks. And next week on Tuesday, the UND Sioux basketball teams will make their debut in an event called Halloween Hoops 2009. Players will be introduced by the coaches. Coach Gene Roebuck will talk, and he can be scary. But I am not afraid of him, Shirley. Coach Brian Jones will talk, too, about the men's team. He's about as tall as the Foshay Tower in Minneapolis. There will be a costume competition and a quick 3-point competition by the basketball players. The doors will open at 5:30 p.m.
This is a great chance for kids to come in Halloween costumes. And they can get supper in a bag for a buck.
Ethiopian students will be featured in the Thursday Night Cultural Series in the UND Memorial Union this evening. And in the children's department of the Grand Forks Public Library, they are having an introduction to chess night at 6:30 p.m. today. It's not just for kids, Shirley. It's for people of all ages, and Children's Librarian Aaron Stefanich says they will show a kid-friendly video called "Learn Chess in 30 Minutes."
It might take some people a little longer.
Once again the UND School of Medicine has its call out for people to pose as patients for medical students. It would be a great job for a hypochondriac, as well as an interesting experience for anyone. They get $50 for an afternoon. They answer questions for medical students and are given noninvasive procedures. Dawn Drake is the coordinator of this program at (701) 777-4028.
I have never done this, Shirley, but I think about it every year.
Love from your sister Marilyn shopping for Mr. Goodbars for Halloween.
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P.S. How are your Spanish classes coming along?
P.P.S. I don't know if "smush" is a word, but if it isn't, it should be.
Reach Hagerty at (701) 772-1055 or send e-mail to mhagerty@gra.midco.net .
