Pag* 2-KINGS MOUNTAIN HERALD-Tunday. Jun* 2. 1981
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Hey, How Ye Doing?
How’re you doing?
How many times a day are you asked that ques
tion?
How many times have you wondered if the per
son asking it really cares, or if it’s just a substitute
for “good morning”?
Wonder what reaction the asker would give, if
you would really tell him how you’re doing?
In most cases, the how ye doing question comes
in passing, usually on the street, and if you would
really answer “I’m just not doing any good at all”
the asker would probably say "that’s nice” and keep
walking.
I’ve often thought about pulling such a trick so
see what kind of reaction I’d really get. Would the
person stop and show a little concern?
Try to picture yourself walking into the Post Of
fice early one morning. As you reach the door, an
acquaintance is leaving;
Jo*: How’re you doing Jack? (Joe doesn’t miss a
stride.)
lack: Just awful. My stomach’s tore all to pieces,
and I have this nagging cold...
Joe: (Who is now walking down Mountain
Street). Glad to hear it. Tell your wife and kids 1 said
hello...
lack: (Who has now turned around and is follow
ing Joe). But, wait a minute, that’s something else.
My wife ran off with another man and took the kids
with her. Joe?
Joe is now a half-block away and still walking at
full stride.
lack: Hey, Joe! Joe! Joe? I ain’t through yet. I
was cutting the grass the other day, and on this big
hill behind my house I turned the lawn mower over
and cut off the end of my big toe, and put a six-inch
gash in my leg...
loe is now roaching for the door of his car,
and lack's picking up speed:
lack: And, Joe, you know 1 told you my wife ran
off. Well, before she left she hocked half of our
belongings and drained the savings account, and
you know they had this big layoff down at the plant
the other day, and my daddy’s done told me the
next time 1 got in a bind not to bother coming to
him to bale me out, and, I was wondering if you
might...
Joe cranks the car and pulls away, leaving Jack in
the street, still talking...and Jim comes up:
lim: How ye doing. Jack?
jack: Ah, pretty good. How you?
Jina: Well, to tell you the truth...
Jack: That’s nice.
Such a story may be in leftfield, and it’s not likely
to ever happen, but it does show us that many of us
aren’t really concerned when we ask someone
how’re you doing.
1 know, because 1 do it often.
But, I’m trying hard to say good morning more.
More Than Roses
We seldom remember in April how tall the grass
at the roadside and in the meadows will be by June.
Or that daisies will frost the fence row and butter
cups fill the meadows. We forget, most of us, that
June is other things than roses.
June is really a time of relative quiet serenity after
the rush of sprouting and leafing and flowering and
before the fierce heat. The aroma of wild strawber
ries and honeysuckle abound and the birds sing
their best, and at our house are loudest in the early
mnrnine hours.
June is graduation time for many Kings Moun
tain citizens, some of whom are receiving their
diplomas from kindergarten and day schools, others
from high schools and colleges.It’s a busy season for
June brides and debutantes.
Lib
Stewart
And since this is the only second day of the
month, there are many things well remember about
the month as it goes by. For June is peonies, as well
as roses, June is the first early-kitchen garden pro
duce as well as flower beds. And June is happy
memory rediscovered and lived again.
Looking Up
By Tom Franks
Dr. Campbell
Shares His Views
On Education
(Socond of four portg)
Looking up continues an interview with Dr. Dan
Campbell, school psychologist and mental health
therapist, who will share some of his views on “Ac
countability in Education.”
Campbell: Before we begin, 1 should say that in
my belief the difference between the words “wish”
and “want” is in the willingness to work and/br the
sacrifice to get things that we want.
Franks: Dr. Campbell, do you feel that there is a
problem with accountability in the educational
system?
Campbell: 1 feel that we should all be held ac
countable to our employers for the things that we
do. In education, as well as many other systems, the
“consumers” are the children of the general public.
On the part of many educators there seems to be a
fear of accountability. I find this strongest in areas
where union talk...excuse me, association talk is
strongest. Many NEA members that I talk with
sound like other union members, some of whom
seem to claim that...“regardless of whether we put
out a better product or service, there are a lot of us
and for that reason we should be paid more.” This
has never made sense to me. I was associated with a
steam fitting union in New York and being a
member of the union implied that you had ex
perienced a five-year apprenticeship, and due to this
training you spposedly could be counted on to pro
vide a level of competent service. If you did not or
could not provide a competent level of service, the
union could not afford to have you spoiling their
reputation.
Franks: What evaluation effortshave been made
to help improve the educational standards?
Campbell: Accountability in education is a very
difficult and sensitive area, because there are a lot of
theories about exactly what the “product” of public
education should be. I feel that a great deal of pro
gress has been made in the attempt at evaluation of
successful programs of education. In my own opi
nion, the primary function of an educational
association should be to devise a system to prove
how competent the member teachers are. The com
petency testing program for holding students ac
countable for a minimum level of mastered material
is not a perfect system, but it represents another
step toward evaluation, which is necessary for ac
countability.
Franks: Do you fee that teachers try to avoid
evaluation? Why?
Campbell: I have found it gratifying that many
of the teachers I have associated with here in Kings
Mountain are so secure in their abilities (and the on
ly security an individual will ever have is ultimately
in his or her ability to perform), to welcome evalua
tion, and many have even constructively suggested
areas and methods for evaluation.
Don't Ask Me About Old Age
How old is old? Don’t ask me or any of my women friends
because we don’t know anything about it. We won’t even let
ourselves think about it — not any oftener than we can help
anyway. Sometimes it’s called to our attention much to our chagrin.
Some kind soul who doesn’t even know me called me up the
other day to make a comment on something I had written. I was
real pleased until she ended the conversation saying “you must be
remarkable old woman.” Dad-gum-it, why did she have to put that
old in there; otherwise I would have been very flattered. That word
old just ruined it all. 1 crept back to my easy chair to rest my old
bones for a spell.
1 remember some years ago I was in the hospital and 1 heard a
nurse say “will you plea.se take this down to that sweet little old
lady in room 304.” It suddenly dawned on me that it was me in
304. Good grief, well she could have called me grumpy which is the
way I felt.
We know as time goes by our idea of middle age and old age
changes as the years go by so fast. Shucks, I guess there was a time
way back yonder when I would have had no idea I’d still be alive
much less kicking at my age. Well, as Reagan says so often, here I
am. Maybe eating all these gym drops is helping!
As long as I can do all of my own housework, baby-sit once in
awhile, go everywhere I’m invited, and am interested in any and
everything, 1 won’t pronounce myself old. I’m going to put that day
off just as long as 1 can, believe you me. There’s too much good and
fun ip his crazy world and I want to swim in the mainstream of life
as long as there’s an ounce of strength left in me.
That woman that called me remarkable was right about one
thing. It is remarkable I’m in as good shape as I’m in considering the
E6TELL1
iWINK
fact that 1 waited so long, almost too long, to start taking good care
of myself. It’s too bad but most of us have to have a warning of
some sort on another before we start thinking bout our health. If we
are feeling good we just take in for granted and go on our merry
way living it up any way we please.
Some people don’t even take a warning seriously. They just fool
themselves into thinking that doctor is just trying to scare me and
life’s too short not to get all the pleasure 1 can out of it while I can.
Too bad, they may not live to be sorry.
Really, old age scares us. I know it does me. I do so like to do for
myself and not be entirely dependent upon anyone. We all are
dependent on many, many people indirectly and that’s for sure.
1 wish I wasn’t too lazy to try to write a book on “How To Get
By the Easy Way.” I bet I’ve learned more tricks on how to manage
pretty good with the least effort of most anybody you ever heard
tell of.
I’m not saying I’m going to invite you to eat off my floor because
it’s clean enough, although it is. I’m not going to ask you to eat any
of my home cooking, period, because there “ain’t” any to speak of. 1
lost my iron, or purpose, years ago. Good riddance!
There are too many good and heathful things readily available to
day for me to spend time sweating over a hot stove. 1 served my line
of duty in that department years ago. My kitchen is just a nice room
to have around in case of a dire emergency!
I could go on and on but I’ll save my other tricks learned the hard
way for my book. I guess I’d better hurry up and get started on it
before I’m too old, or some nut thinks I am, to write one.
I sure as heck am trying to think young. I really think there’s
nothing more pitiful than someone trying to fool others by using all
kind of methods to look and act real young when they’re not
They’re just silly and wasting their time and efforts.
No use just giving up and letting old age take over and obess you
to the point of being useless either. If and when I find out whan old
is old. 111 tell you know.
Public Notice: I had not last birthday la.st June 17,1980. It was a
great day and a good year to stop while I was ahead. I’ve never
mind admitting up to my age, but enough is enough already. Years
may come and years may go, but to myself and anybody interested.
I remain the same age, whatever that was, as of 1980.
a
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3
9
DR. DAN CAMPBELL
Franks: One questionthat comes up quite often,
when a child fails a subject, is, “Who do we blame?”
Campbsll: From the educator’s point of view,
there are a lot of factors that are involved in the
academic progress of an individual student. This is
the reason evaluation is not a simple matter.
However this brings me to the crux of what I con
sider to be the problem with avoiding accountabili
ty. I do not consider evaluation a good or bad thing,
in and of itself. There are a small percentage of
educators who seem to say, “well, 1 can’t take the
blame because Johnny is repeating (did you ever
notice that to some people evaluation always means
blame?), because he came to me from a terrible
background.” But then these same educators are
like peacocks at the end of the school year when
their excellent students “responded to their exper
tise.” What they apparently don’t realize is that ir
order to avoid blame, you must also forego credit.
After all, Mary loight have learned so much due to
her enriched background, rather than to due to the
teacher’s ability. You see, we can’t avoid the bad
side accountabili’.y and still take the good. Both are
flipsides of the same coin. That is why the NEA, or
the school boards across the country must devise a
measurable system of evaluating the goals for
educators, so that we as educators can get credit for
our areas of strengths and can strive to improve our
areas of weakness. If accountability is welcomed,
then we can all benefit, including the most impor
tant person...the student.
This concludes our session for this week. Stay
with us for our discussion about “TV Addiction”, a
controversial as well as an educational subject.
Your letters are welcomed. Have a great week.