An Educator's Perspective

What a night! What an amazing night. I was nervous yesterday, well until the polls closed. As the polls closed and state returns became clear, though, I felt a wonderful sense of relief. Americans from every corner of the nation were voting for Obama, even in majority republican states, he was going to win and win big. When Pennsylvania and Ohio were called, McCain was eliminated, but until the magic 270 was reached at 11:00 PM ET when California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Hawaii polls closed, one couldn't say for sure.

John McCain made a timely, appropriate, and positive concession speech, and I was very glad he repeatedly stopped the 'boos' from his crowd. I hope he will go back to being a senator who will work to get things done, not the partisan candidate he has been for some months.

The highlight of the evening came around midnight when President Elect Obama took the stage at Grant Park in Chicago, my eyes teared as he and his family walked up the long stage and received the tremendous outpouring of gratitude from the happy throng of over 100,000. Over 100,000 people stood for hours waiting to see the president elect, can you imagine? After the few minutes of waving, his wife and girls walked back, leaving the President Elect alone at the podium...the eyes and ears of the world focused on this young senator from Illinois. What would he say?

I saw and heard the best victory speech I have ever heard. His remarks outlined the work ahead, he was so very gracious to senator McCain, he spoke with a conviction and passion for our country and with an eloquence and power that this nation has not experienced a long time. I was proud for him and am happy that our nation has elected a president who will change how America is viewed throughout the world and who can successfully take on the task of rebuilding the nation's hurts, ending the wars, stopping the torture and spying, protecting the environment, helping the uninsured, and many other problems that were created and left unfinished by the current administration.

Looking at the thousands of faces on the television screen last night, seeing the hope and joy in those faces, I believe this country has found a new sense of hope and purpose in Barack Obama. Nothing will ever be the same in America from this day forward, and although I'm tired this morning because I stayed up too late, I wouldn't want to have missed it. I pray for the health, safety, and providential guidance of our new president and look forward to better times for our nation.

Election day has come at last. I have been reading, listening, and thinking about this election like everyone else for a long time now. It's hard to believe elections can go on this long and so much money can be spent just seeking the job, but now we get to see who wins.

Driving into work this morning in Virginia, where the polls open at 6:00 AM, I noticed heavy traffic and the school parking lots looked like school was in session since so many cars were parked in the lots. The line here outside my high school, even forty minutes after the polls opened, was about forty yards long but people had books with them or cell phones and seemed to be patient. It's hard to imagine some of the early voting lines where people had to wait over four hours to cast a ballot, but I suspect some places today will experience that or worse.

I'm going to leave work early today to go home and walk with my wife to the polling place. It's supposed to be raining this afternoon, but it will be nice walking, standing in line, and talking with my wife as we go to perform our most basic and important duties as citizens. Virginia is going to be close, according to the polls, but I have high hopes for an Obama win not only in Virginia but throughout the nation. His last rally was yesterday afternoon out in Manassas, Virginia, and I thought that I should have gone, I certainly would have liked to have gone, but it's about 25 miles away and the traffic and crowds would have been rough. Still, I should have gone.

I look forward to walking back home with my wife, having supper, watching my TiVo'd SNL presidental bash from last night, and waiting for the polls to close so I can follow the returns. It could be a long night! Go Vote - and Vote for Barack Obama for a better America!

Election day is, at last, one week away. My wife and I live in northern Virginia and are receiving three to eight phone calls each day urging our support for either side. We don't answer, but we're looking forward to next Wednesday when the calls are gone. We've had folks knock on our door several times from the same camp, a disappointing lack of coordination if you ask me. It has been an unprecedented and unpredicted presidential election process that has led us to a choice between Senator McCain or Senator Obama.

For myself, once the nominees were selected this has been an easy choice. I fully endorse Barack Obama to serve the nation as its next president.

Barack Obama represents the best of America, what America can be. He is positive, intelligent, insightful, energetic, well spoken, comes from grounded roots, has a passion for all Americans, able to lead, reaches out to those who are smarter to aid in his decisions, stable, quick witted, athletic, and Godly man. I first heard him, like many in America, when he delivered the speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention. I made the comment then that his words, if he meant them, created the most powerful and inspiring vision for America that I'd heard to that point. I don't know all about him, and I supported others in the primaries before him, but it wasn't because I didn't know or trust him, I just felt I knew and trusted others better.

John McCain was more likable as a Senator, before he became the nominee. As he became the presumptive nominee last spring, he became more of a divisive conservative than he ever was as senator. He seemed artificial, is unable to speak other than to deliver lines, comes from an elite background, makes snap decisions, seems hard and cold, is out of touch with reality, has nothing original to offer, has changed from his own stated positions on many issues in order to appeal to conservatives, and has not been able to convey his vision for America.

In education, I don't support all of Obama's ideas, but I support virtually none of McCain's. As I noted earlier this year, McCain didn't even mention his education policy until around March/April of this year - it was that unimportant.

I worry what it would mean for McCain to be elected president, if this country could handle four more years of such poor leadership.

I worry for Obama to be president as well, for there are so many people with such hatred for him simply because of the color of his skin. In the year two thousand and eight race is still an issue for so many, and that truly is a shame. We are all Americans, regardless of our race, color, or religion and I don't know how that idea can be infused into the hearts and minds of people. We need to all love and care for one another.  If bad men succeed and Obama is killed, I worry about the fallout within the country and how far race relations will deteriorate. I worry that the task before the nation is so immense that it will cause considerable, almost unbearable strain on the nation as we grapple to correct our ills - so we can emerge as a stronger nation in the end.

Do I agree with Senator Obama on all the issues? Most certainly not - we vary in a great many places. I believe we do need a government that will take care of those least able to take care of themselves, and that is why I vote Democratic. Will my endorsement make a difference? Probably not, but I am happy to vote for Barack Obama and will support him in my heart and prayers if he is elected - and hope you will too.

Last year, sometime in late September, I was hiking along the Occoquan River near Bull Run and noticed a strong and sweet smell in the air. The leaves were beginning to fall and it was a crisp day and I had never smelled such a smell as that before, so I started looking for the source. Eventually, as I circled the area where the smell was strongest, I found a greenish yellow oblong object lying on the ground. I didn't recognize it, but found the fragrant smell was indeed coming from that object - but what was it? I looked around for more and found one more on the ground but could not see any in the trees or even tell what tree the strange objects came from.

I discarded the first I had found since it had some discoloration and kept the other and begin walking back toward the car parked some eleven miles away. I kept smelling the object, it smelled good enough to eat, but was hesitant to take a bite since I had no idea what I had and I was a long way from home. I carried it for some miles, turning it over and over in my hands and feeling the smoothness of the skin and noticing the elongated shape of the thick object about four inches long and two inches think. It was firm and had the coloration of a ripe pear, even with some flecks on the skin. Since I was hiking alone and didn't know what I had, I finally convinced myself it was just some inedible fruit and tossed it aside atop one of the ridges on the way back to Fountainhead Park.

When I got home, I told my wife and brother about the object, but they too had no idea what it was so the matter was dropped. Each time I hiked or thought about hiking I thought of that object, wondering what it was and sure it had to be something, but that was the extent of my energies.

Some months later, I think it was November or December, my latest edition of Smithsonian magazine arrived. As I turned through the magazine reading the articles and looking at the great photographs, I turned to a story that really caught my eye - it was about native fruits. I turned the page and there was a photograph of the very object that I'd held in my hand only a few months before - it was a pawpaw. I read about it and the other native fruits with great interest and excitedly told my wife and brother about it and showed them the picture, but they didn't seem that excited.

I began to research pawpawsand soon I'd read pretty much everything about themand kept kicking myself that I'd been afraid to taste that wonderful smelling fruit in my hand. I learned that the pawpaw is the largest fruit native to North America and grows in almost all of the lower forty eight states. It's taste is described as banana custard apple, and from the smell in my memory I could almost taste it. So, I began to look forward to having a pawpaw this fall, collecting some seeds, and planting them back in Oneida next summer.

As the weather warmed this past spring, I resumed my hikes past where the pawpaws are and watched the fruit develop throughout the summer. After a strong summer storm broke a branch with a cluster of three pawpaws, I brought the branch out and showed it to my wife and brother and put the branch still with the fruit attached into a glass of water in hope that it may continue to ripen and develop, but it did not. That's OK, though, I figured, since there were quite a few of them in the trees that I would collect later on in the fall.

Fall came, school started, and I got too busy. I last hiked down to the trees on September first, and they weren't ripe yet, but I planned to return frequently and get my pawpaws. So, finally, last weekend I got out and went on a hike to the trees along the river, taking two plastic bags with me to bring out the fruit. It was a perfect fall day, deep blue sky and sunshine. I paused for a while and watched a doe with her two fawns picking at acorns and casually walking along - oblivious to my presence and already wearing their dark winter coats. I was so close to the location of the trees that I finally started walking along again regularly and the doe and her fawns raised their flags and casually trotted just to the edge of sight, but that was fine.

I arrived at the pawpaw grove in just a few more minutes and immediately noticed all of the trees were bare of leaves - and I couldn't see a single piece of fruit on the trees. That was alright, the fruit was of pretty good size and I could find it on the ground...or could I? The leaves of the tree are large and the ground was covered several leaves deep. I grabbed sticks and racked the leaves away, searching for almost an hour and finding not one pawpaw.

I was so disappointed. I was finally going to get to taste that fruit that the Indians had known about for hundreds of years, the fruit that early settlers found so wonderfully tasty and sweet. Mom had had always sang a little song "picking up pawpaws - put 'em in a basket; picking up pawpaws - put 'emin a basket" and I had that little tune in my head on countless hikes over the summer as I thought of the fruit to come. I knew I'd love the fruit. I pictured preparing the seeds to be planted back in Tennessee, right where I'd plant themnext summer. I saw the little trees sprouting and, after about six years, producing their first fruits and having my family there enjoy them...but all of that will have to wait.

Maybe next year I'll get to see what a pawpaw tastes like and bring some home to share. One more thing to look forward to...

Last week was vacation week for me, my first in a while. Unfortunately, my wife couldn't go with me due to her work, but we agreed it would be good for me to go back to Tennessee for a while to see my family.

I left Friday afternoon from work and drove straight to Oneida, over 525 miles, and got there late that night. I sat up and talked with dad for a while and admired the new porch and had a good visit before turning in. I got to see Dolly, my grandmother on Dad's side, on Saturday and she was doing very well. Three of my brothers live in or relatively near Oneida and I saw them Saturday as well along with their children - it's amazing how fast those nephews (and one niece) are growing.

The main event for the vacation was a backpacking and camping trip to the river with two of my brothers. On Sunday afternoon we made our final pack adjustments and hiked down to the Big South Fork of the Cumberland from our house, about three miles. Dad and my older brother joined us for the hike down, but they came back after we all spent some time wading in the shoals at the mouth of William's Creek. Two other brothers and myself said goodbye to Dad and our oldest brother and shouldered our packs for another mile of hiking that would take us down the river to a campsite called the Hurricane, a place where a small creek, Hurricane Creek, empties into the river. We made good time but were pretty tired when we reached the site and found it in good shape. We sat up camp, a nice camp with tarpaulins on the ground and above the tents, gathered wood, started a fire, and then headed down the bank to the river.

Everything looked perfect and we started fishing. While I worked to put out some lines, both of my brothers began to catch fish - small but exciting to land - and it looked like it would be a good trip. We had good food, enjoyed the coolness of the water and trying to catch fish, and enjoyed each other's company. It was so dark in the woods, I'd forgotten how remote it felt being in such a place. The cool air of the river gorge, the hooting of owls, the calling of the whip poor wills, and the crescendo of crickets, katydids, and their countless friends at night made me feel good, like I was home. I like being in places like that, being reminded that was how things used to be for those first people who lived in that area, being reminded that we are not always in charge.

On Monday, Dad walked down again to check in on us and brought us some ice cold Mountain Dew, and that was very nice. Shortly after his arrival, a storm moved in from the North - very unusual, and it was one of the strongest storms I'd experienced in a long while. In the river gorge, the thunder rolls back and forth and seems to fill all spaces, the lightning dances along the ridges, and the rain falls in sheets. We stayed relatively dry under the tarp as we witnessed the power of the storm on display for almost an hour, and then it broke. Dad walked back out and we went back to fishing.

That was how our time passed, lots of fishing in the river where it felt good just to wade along even if you didn't catch anything. Seeing fish, kingfishers, hawks - but no bear, bobcats or coyotes - and an unusual amount of snakes was all part of the trip. On Tuesday afternoon, we moved our campsite back to the first crossing, so that meant packing up camp and hefting our packs for a hike of about a mile and a half. As we arrived at the new campsite, Dad arrived once more from home - this time bringing ice cold strawberry milk that really hit the spot. As the river was running muddy from the heavy rain the previous day, we decided we wouldn't do much good fishing, so we shouldered our packs and headed up the long and steep trail that took us back out to civilization. Another storm broke on us as we walked out and, even though I was soon soaked, I enjoyed that storm as well as I listened to the thunder bounce back and forth from the faces of the ridges.

That afternoon, even though we were tired, we wanted to catch enough fish for a fish fry, so we went over to our uncle's pond to try our luck. We had made a couple of casts when a new storm broke and the rain fell for half an hour before we could fish. We sat in his screened in shelter next to the pond and watched this storm play as well, but this time we were high and dry and sitting in chairs. Once the rain ended we got to fishing, and the next forty five minutes was some of the best fishing I ever had. I caught a seven or eight pound bass, the largest I'd ever caught and each of us caught four or five bass better than two pounds. We cleaned some of them, fixed some potatoes and hushpuppies, and had a wonderful fish dinner that evening - just dad, my older brother, and two of my younger brothers.

We talked after dinner, family matters, and then everyone went home for the night. I was exhausted and went to sleep, my head swimming with scenes from the past three days. Wednesday, we all went out to watch Batman and enjoyed that, and then I went over to my older brother's house and spent the evening with him. We walked and talked about things - we don't see each other that often - until Dad came over and we watched a movie with my three nephews. On Thursday, Dad and I walked over our land to the back where my wife and I planted our first Christmas tree and talked about how things have changed and plans for cleaning up some of the areas from the tree debris of years. We checked on my youngest brother's orchard, looked over all of the work that they've been doing lately clearing ground, and then drove to church to see the new fellowship hall - very nice work.

I left around noon that day to drive back to Northern Virginia, looking forward to getting back to see my wife but also sad to be leaving Oneida once more. Due to my wife's work, we don't expect to get back to Tennessee this year, so it could be a while before I'm around the family once more. It was also sad to be leaving without seeing my Mom, but she wasn't around while I was in town and I don't know when I'll get to see her again. Some things with families never change, but some do I guess, and sometimes change isn't for the good.

Now I'm back at work, only a couple of weeks before we start back to school for the 2008-09 school year and I've got to get my mind back around being an assistant principal. It'll be tough keeping my mind on work with all of the new and old memories of home flooding my consciousness, but I'm also afraid they'll be pushed back too soon. It was great to be with my Dad and brothers for a few more days together, it was great to be in the hills of Tennessee again if even for a short time.