Hi, Mike!  Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

MP>  I can remember when I was a kid, I wanted to do extra
MP>  "learning," too.  Actually, I think I still do.


           Uh-huh.  Same with me on both counts....  :-)



MP>  I actually prefer to learn stuff on my own, rather
MP>  than be forced to learn it.  It just feels like
MP>  more of an accomplishment than a chore that way.


           I think you're onto something there!  A lot of the adults I know
who had to read KIDNAPPED in school hated it, but then they read TREASURE
ISLAND on their own & loved it.  With me it was the other way round...
I loved KIDNAPPED, probably in part because I wasn't forced to summarize
each chapter & pass tests on my understanding of the stuff as I was
with TREASURE ISLAND.  Yes, there are teachers whose approach seems less
than inspiring & there are assignments which seem very boring.  People
often work just as hard at something they have chosen to do, however, and
regard it as "fun" because nobody made them do it....  :-))



MP>  So, I guess that is like a kid.  ;-)


           Growing older is inevitable, growing up is optional!  IMHO kids
have many good qualities which are worth keeping.  If you've retained your
curiosity & you enjoy learning, we're on the same wavelength.  I notice
also that... left to their own devices... kids learn when they're ready to
learn & use strategies which suit them as individuals.  We can do the
same as adults.  But in terms of formal education, we're expected to meet
certain standards.  As a teacher I was probably no less frustrated than my
students when I knew they weren't ready for something & the provincial
curriculum required it be taught in a certain grade.



MP>  I am not much of a snow person myself.  Once a season
MP>  is more than enough for me.  I can understand about
MP>  getting around with the wheelchair during snowy times.
MP>  Here, we get some ice mixed in, too, sometimes.  Makes
MP>  it even harder to push one of those things around.


           We get freezing rain as well.  We had some just after the snow,
then we had another six inches of rain within two days.  The ground was
still frozen
... meaning all this rain had nowhere to go... so Greater Vancouver
experienced floods & landslides in a variety of locations.  I had to
mop the basement twice while I wasn't feeling very good.  Otherwise we were
okay, though, and it was a relief that we could stay home if we didn't
really feel like going out....  ;-)



MP>  I seem to have picked up something myself, but a Dr's
MP>  visit Friday has got me started in the right direction.


           I hope you're feeling better now.  Either way, you can talk
about it here if you'd like to!  What we had, apparently, was some form of
Norvovirus... commonly known as Norwalk virus.  Norwalk is one specific
type, but many people use the name "Norwalk" to refer to all of
them.  There's been a lot of it going around in southwestern B.C. lately...
and having had it myself I see why it's a danger to the very young, the
very old, and those with other medical issues.  I couldn't keep anything
down except water for 24 hours, and it went in one end & out the other.
 Most people, however, aren't at risk for complications....  :-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+