you're my star, what do you care
i'm reading the best book i've read in a very long time. although i've been reading a people's history, i felt like i needed a little something else that was a bit more upbeat. sarah vowell's assassination vacation has been just that. i am excited to read it when i get home. EXCITED. all caps baby. her dry wit has me constantly giggling like a small child. i find myself running in to tell my parents captivating little snippets of history that i've just learned (e.g. did you know that john wilkes booth's older brother edwin saved the life of lincoln's son by rescuing him from train tracks? what??? who knows that?? oh, that's right. i do. thank you ms. vowell). i highly, highly, highly recommend picking up a copy of it. especially if you're a sarcastic little so-and-so who loves learning. some hightlights thus far:
"booth's good looks get a lot of play, but in a lincoln conspirators' beauty pageant, my money's on powell taking home the tiara."
"it is interesting how, once one edits justifications for violence down to a length suitable for t-shirt slogans, political distinctions between left and right disappear."
"trying to be an educational aunt, or as educational as a person can be when a three-year-old is trying to chop her head off, i told him that the act of chopping off a person's head is called 'decapitation' and that a head that's been chopped off is called 'decapitated.'"
***i especially enjoyed this one. i despise the habit of speaking to small children as though they have no more understanding than a household pet. use big words, develop vocabulary at a young age, stop making yourself sound like an idiot.
today i had a horribly eye-opening moment in the world of education. one of my little girls asked if i would help her fill out some forms. she's several months pregnant, living with her boyfriend and has very limited contact with her mother (none with her father). she held a stack of medical forms that would normally be completed under the loving guidance of a parental figure. i was more than willing to put down everything i was doing and help her to understand what she was signing/filling out.
the harsh reality of her situation hit me at that moment. she's a baby; a small child bringing another small child into this world. she's overwhelmed and worried, and rightfully so. as we visited i came to understand just how dire her situation is. they have no money, literally. they are learning to be grown-ups without anyone to show them how. it is heart-breaking. she is a very intelligent girl and she told me that she really wants to graduate. i told her that she HAS to stay in school, but what i did not say is that i cannot imagine how incredibly difficult that will be for her.
the school system really does need to be the source of direction for kids like her (and there are plenty of them out there). i'm going to do anything and everything i can to help her until i leave lubbock. but she is just one solitary kid. we HAVE to develop a system that addresses the realities of teenage pregnancy and supports young girls who make the very challenging and adult decision to keep a child. if we fail these young mothers, we fail their children and in turn fail ourselves.
"booth's good looks get a lot of play, but in a lincoln conspirators' beauty pageant, my money's on powell taking home the tiara."
"it is interesting how, once one edits justifications for violence down to a length suitable for t-shirt slogans, political distinctions between left and right disappear."
"trying to be an educational aunt, or as educational as a person can be when a three-year-old is trying to chop her head off, i told him that the act of chopping off a person's head is called 'decapitation' and that a head that's been chopped off is called 'decapitated.'"
***i especially enjoyed this one. i despise the habit of speaking to small children as though they have no more understanding than a household pet. use big words, develop vocabulary at a young age, stop making yourself sound like an idiot.
today i had a horribly eye-opening moment in the world of education. one of my little girls asked if i would help her fill out some forms. she's several months pregnant, living with her boyfriend and has very limited contact with her mother (none with her father). she held a stack of medical forms that would normally be completed under the loving guidance of a parental figure. i was more than willing to put down everything i was doing and help her to understand what she was signing/filling out.
the harsh reality of her situation hit me at that moment. she's a baby; a small child bringing another small child into this world. she's overwhelmed and worried, and rightfully so. as we visited i came to understand just how dire her situation is. they have no money, literally. they are learning to be grown-ups without anyone to show them how. it is heart-breaking. she is a very intelligent girl and she told me that she really wants to graduate. i told her that she HAS to stay in school, but what i did not say is that i cannot imagine how incredibly difficult that will be for her.
the school system really does need to be the source of direction for kids like her (and there are plenty of them out there). i'm going to do anything and everything i can to help her until i leave lubbock. but she is just one solitary kid. we HAVE to develop a system that addresses the realities of teenage pregnancy and supports young girls who make the very challenging and adult decision to keep a child. if we fail these young mothers, we fail their children and in turn fail ourselves.
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