It is well known by those around my that I am frugal but also generous at times. On the other hand my husband comes from a family of penny pitchers to the extreme. This large family grew up during the 50's, 60's and 70's. It became a way of life for most of them and it continues on into their adulthood. The boys in particular.
I must admit that I have said more time than once to my husband "You can't take it with you." He has sort of embraced that philosophy and I appreciate his effort. I also make some compromises and one of them is to purchase groceries in the most economical way I can.
I shop at a store called Aldi. Aldi was started in Germany and Klaus loves this place. He and his family lived in Germany for several years while his Dad was in the military. Sometimes there are things that are available that remind him of those good old days. Klaus is from Iowa but we live in Minnesota. For some reason Iowa had Aldi long before Minnesota. The first time I went to Aldi I was like, "What is this place?" It was much different back in the early 90's. There were almost all generic items, not much produce, everything was stacked on floor pallets and they don't have bags unless you want to buy them. I did not have much of an open mind. We continued to shop there over the years as once a frugal family always a frugal family. When Aldi moved pretty close to where I live I started shopping there although it is much improved compared to the good old days in Iowa.
I love it because the locations are generally small and I can make quick trips for our basic household needs. We don't need much these days.
But, the point of this ramble are the carts. For me they have almost become a social experiment. If you do not know this, when you get a cart you have to pay 25 cents to unchain one. They do this so that people bring them back and they do not have to hire a "cart person". Makes sense.
I most often purchase a cart. I only purchase the amount of items that fit in my "grocery bag". Once finished shopping I always try to give my cart to someone else once I have put the groceries in the car. When you do this people always want to give you a quarter because when you return your cart you do get your quarter back.
I know it is ridiculous but I like to give my cart for "free". I always say, "It's o.k. just take it." This brings on the most remarkable smiles on peoples faces. It is amazing what a simple quarter can do for people.
The funny part for me, is when someone is walking in the store with three giant bags and I offer my cart and they say no and run away because they think they have to give me a quarter. I mean it is a quarter. This small amount of money can bring out the most interesting looks and responses from people. It really is a social experiment.
Well, yesterday someone gave me a cart. First time. Pretty cool. Yep, I paid it forward and gave it to someone else. What would you do?
What fun.
With love from your retired FACS teacher, Jane
P.S. My husband does not like that I give my cart away. Those quarter add up you know. ;-)
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Family and Consumer Sciences: Are we going to be able to sustain as teachers retire?
Yesterday I had lunch with 4 Family and Consumer Sciences teachers from around Minnesota that I have gotten to know over the years at conferences and through meetings.
We talked about many things. One friend started talking about how she has spent much of her summer organizing her classroom. She has been in her current location for over 30 years. She was mentioning that she would be retiring in a year and then another said it would be two years for her and another mentioned 4 years for her.
We all wondered at the same time how jobs and positions would be filled when there are currently such low numbers at colleges and universities with FACS degrees.
This is a real problem. We are seeing this trend arise year after year and the ratio of retiring teachers to new graduates only seems to be getting farther apart each year. We also all agreed that rural areas would be the communities to suffer from the lack of FACS candidates as these small towns are much less desirable for young people.
I know that I have written about this before but I really feel as though FACS teachers need to openly recruit in their classrooms. Talk about your career, where students can go to school, the opportunities and the importance of Family and Consumer Sciences.
So many students often talk about wanting to be elementary teachers thinking that it will be easier to deal with young children. Sometimes as teachers we need to put a little bug in these students ears to just get them thinking about different avenues for their future.
As we continue to promote Family and Consumer Sciences because of the obesity prevention issue we also need to figure out how to sustain (and grow those that we have lost) each and every program that exists in the United States and other places around the world. We need to work as a team, focus on the good that we do, hope that our example will inspire others to follow our steps so that they can continue and grow the programs we have developed.
Happy summer!
It is my hope that as you enter the school year this fall keep this thought in the back of your mind.
"Have I recruited a future Family and Consumer Sciences teacher in the last few years?" If not, "Get on it!"
With love from your retired FACS teacher,
Jane
We talked about many things. One friend started talking about how she has spent much of her summer organizing her classroom. She has been in her current location for over 30 years. She was mentioning that she would be retiring in a year and then another said it would be two years for her and another mentioned 4 years for her.
We all wondered at the same time how jobs and positions would be filled when there are currently such low numbers at colleges and universities with FACS degrees.
This is a real problem. We are seeing this trend arise year after year and the ratio of retiring teachers to new graduates only seems to be getting farther apart each year. We also all agreed that rural areas would be the communities to suffer from the lack of FACS candidates as these small towns are much less desirable for young people.
I know that I have written about this before but I really feel as though FACS teachers need to openly recruit in their classrooms. Talk about your career, where students can go to school, the opportunities and the importance of Family and Consumer Sciences.
So many students often talk about wanting to be elementary teachers thinking that it will be easier to deal with young children. Sometimes as teachers we need to put a little bug in these students ears to just get them thinking about different avenues for their future.
As we continue to promote Family and Consumer Sciences because of the obesity prevention issue we also need to figure out how to sustain (and grow those that we have lost) each and every program that exists in the United States and other places around the world. We need to work as a team, focus on the good that we do, hope that our example will inspire others to follow our steps so that they can continue and grow the programs we have developed.
Happy summer!
It is my hope that as you enter the school year this fall keep this thought in the back of your mind.
 |
| This is Becky. Former Student now at UW STOUT |
With love from your retired FACS teacher,
Jane
Friday, July 18, 2014
Old is new and New is old and we do it all over again!
When I was teaching my favorite subjects to teach were those that suggested students be creative and think outside of the box. Often those classes were higher level classes that used the skill level that students retained from lower level courses.
It is not always easy for a teacher to be able to conduct courses that are higher level because you really need to know basic content yourself. You need to be ahead of your students so that when they get an idea you can help them figure out how to achieve their goals.
Pinterest has been a resource that many people love because creative ideas are openly shared with others. This is a quick source to find directions on how to produce a product, which makes creativity very fun.
When I retired I decided that I might try to get a position in industry. I have a great deal of knowledge and have lived through sever decades. I was not successful finding a position and I think that many HR departments are looking for young "fresh" talent. This always makes me chuckle because so much of today's fashion is what we call in fashion history as "revival". Sometimes I think I could have saved my closet from the 70;s, 80's and 90's, combined them all together and made a wardrobe for the 2000's. (Of course I could only fit them on my right leg.)
Anyway the whole point of my long indirect story is that re-purposing is here......again! My mom said this in the 70's when I was making skirts out of pants and I am saying again when I see my former students re-purpose much of their wardrobe.
Last summer my son's girlfriend saw a planter made out of a shoe for gardening and said she wanted to do that too. My son started laughing and said, "My mom has been doing that forever, that isn't knew."
It is true, I have a couple of old boots with flowers in them. I also rarely buy planters and my yard is filled with canners, metal tea and coffee pots loaded with flowers. This isn't for everyone but my random personality embraces it.
I also covered one of my outdoor tables with broken dishes. I screwed cement board onto the table and fit broken dishes onto the table with tile glue, filled the cracks with grout and then coated the table. I did this project because someone in my house dropped a box of dishes and I could not just through them away. I might add that this may be one of the most challenging project I have taken on and I will not being doing it again.
What items have you re-purposed in your household?
Please share.
With love from your retired FACs teacher, Jane
It is not always easy for a teacher to be able to conduct courses that are higher level because you really need to know basic content yourself. You need to be ahead of your students so that when they get an idea you can help them figure out how to achieve their goals.
Pinterest has been a resource that many people love because creative ideas are openly shared with others. This is a quick source to find directions on how to produce a product, which makes creativity very fun.
When I retired I decided that I might try to get a position in industry. I have a great deal of knowledge and have lived through sever decades. I was not successful finding a position and I think that many HR departments are looking for young "fresh" talent. This always makes me chuckle because so much of today's fashion is what we call in fashion history as "revival". Sometimes I think I could have saved my closet from the 70;s, 80's and 90's, combined them all together and made a wardrobe for the 2000's. (Of course I could only fit them on my right leg.)
Anyway the whole point of my long indirect story is that re-purposing is here......again! My mom said this in the 70's when I was making skirts out of pants and I am saying again when I see my former students re-purpose much of their wardrobe.
Last summer my son's girlfriend saw a planter made out of a shoe for gardening and said she wanted to do that too. My son started laughing and said, "My mom has been doing that forever, that isn't knew."
It is true, I have a couple of old boots with flowers in them. I also rarely buy planters and my yard is filled with canners, metal tea and coffee pots loaded with flowers. This isn't for everyone but my random personality embraces it.
I also covered one of my outdoor tables with broken dishes. I screwed cement board onto the table and fit broken dishes onto the table with tile glue, filled the cracks with grout and then coated the table. I did this project because someone in my house dropped a box of dishes and I could not just through them away. I might add that this may be one of the most challenging project I have taken on and I will not being doing it again.
 |
| Seriously, I like to think of myself as an intelligent human being....I uploaded these pictures and had them rotated so that you do not have to lay down to see these in the correct direction but I can not rotate them in this blog. So much for my technical savvy. |
Please share.
With love from your retired FACs teacher, Jane
Monday, July 7, 2014
AAFCS conference in review!
One of my last posts was a long list of all that I had to do before the American Association of Family Consumer Sciences conference in St. Louis and then my vacation with my husband.
The AAFCS conference went well. There were new events that appeared to be successful and fun for those attending. For me it is important to see new/young faces and keep those new people involved in the organization.
The following are just a couple of notes on activities that I was involved in this year.
"Not your mom's PR"
I felt success during our education session and was happy to see the participation of young folks helping those that were slightly technically challenged enter the social media world. Sometimes those that use social media on a regular basis can not fathom their world with out the android or I-phone in their hand. Yet, I met a great deal of members that were so happy to just understand how to get an account on Facebook and Twitter and use it.
Because we are a group that is so diverse, those that do not understand how to use technology need to embrace it and move forward and those that are constant users of social media need to be patient and teach.
The presentation is posted on the blog before this.
ESAE
I have been treasurer for ESAE for two years. I am not necessarily good at that job but took it on because there were not others that stepped up. I am grateful for a new treasurer and someone to take over and hopefully be much better at the job than I was this year and last year.
The Secondary teachers have always had a silent auction to raise money to support the "Teacher of the Year" recognition. This year the silent auction did not receive as many donations as in the past and there was some confusion with donations and where to leave them.
Please remember that when something goes wrong or not the way that you think it should happen; the people organizing the event are almost always volunteers. These volunteers are often new to their office/position and might not be perfect at all that they do. Most of these people also have careers, work hard at all that they do; because there is such a shortage of volunteers they often do too much and find themselves caught in unfamiliar territory.
I made dumb mistakes this year....Not enough bid sheets were printed, forgot my change, used the wrong email list of affiliate presidents......and frankly the list could be longer. But because I know myself, I am not shocked. I am a total picture person but NOT a detail oriented person. This is the reason I have NEVER taken on the roll of President of anything. Can't do it, never will.
The thing is, when you work with someone that is different that you are you just have to accept it and move on. I try very hard not to judge because I know what it feels like to be the person criticized. Everyone is different and that is why the world works as it does. (Let me point out that I am not perfect and I have been irritated by someone different than I but I most definitely appreciate their differences!)
So let us move on and get to the point. ESAE is vital to the association. We need to support this group and find a way to have more applicants for teacher of the year. We need to make the Teacher of the Year experience good for all of the affiliate candidates and make them feel special. Teachers are fundamental to the AAFCS organization as a whole and it is time to help and guide the group as much as possible.
Community Showcase
This event went so well. I hope that those that did not know what a community is have a better understanding of them and become involved.
The Public Awareness community is still looking for a new leader.
Thanks to the community leaders for doing such a nice job organizing.
With love from your retired FACS teacher,
Jane
The AAFCS conference went well. There were new events that appeared to be successful and fun for those attending. For me it is important to see new/young faces and keep those new people involved in the organization.
The following are just a couple of notes on activities that I was involved in this year.
"Not your mom's PR"
I felt success during our education session and was happy to see the participation of young folks helping those that were slightly technically challenged enter the social media world. Sometimes those that use social media on a regular basis can not fathom their world with out the android or I-phone in their hand. Yet, I met a great deal of members that were so happy to just understand how to get an account on Facebook and Twitter and use it.
Because we are a group that is so diverse, those that do not understand how to use technology need to embrace it and move forward and those that are constant users of social media need to be patient and teach.
The presentation is posted on the blog before this.
ESAE
I have been treasurer for ESAE for two years. I am not necessarily good at that job but took it on because there were not others that stepped up. I am grateful for a new treasurer and someone to take over and hopefully be much better at the job than I was this year and last year.
The Secondary teachers have always had a silent auction to raise money to support the "Teacher of the Year" recognition. This year the silent auction did not receive as many donations as in the past and there was some confusion with donations and where to leave them.
Please remember that when something goes wrong or not the way that you think it should happen; the people organizing the event are almost always volunteers. These volunteers are often new to their office/position and might not be perfect at all that they do. Most of these people also have careers, work hard at all that they do; because there is such a shortage of volunteers they often do too much and find themselves caught in unfamiliar territory.
I made dumb mistakes this year....Not enough bid sheets were printed, forgot my change, used the wrong email list of affiliate presidents......and frankly the list could be longer. But because I know myself, I am not shocked. I am a total picture person but NOT a detail oriented person. This is the reason I have NEVER taken on the roll of President of anything. Can't do it, never will.
The thing is, when you work with someone that is different that you are you just have to accept it and move on. I try very hard not to judge because I know what it feels like to be the person criticized. Everyone is different and that is why the world works as it does. (Let me point out that I am not perfect and I have been irritated by someone different than I but I most definitely appreciate their differences!)
So let us move on and get to the point. ESAE is vital to the association. We need to support this group and find a way to have more applicants for teacher of the year. We need to make the Teacher of the Year experience good for all of the affiliate candidates and make them feel special. Teachers are fundamental to the AAFCS organization as a whole and it is time to help and guide the group as much as possible.
Community Showcase
This event went so well. I hope that those that did not know what a community is have a better understanding of them and become involved.
The Public Awareness community is still looking for a new leader.
Thanks to the community leaders for doing such a nice job organizing.
With love from your retired FACS teacher,
Jane