It was easy to fool the colonel but I didn't fool the non-coms for a minute. It seemed like such a good idea at the time. At the end of my tour of duty I elected to retain my reserve ID. The plan was to use this card to travel free on Air Force planes to various points of interest. Pretty good plan up to this point. But, like many plans, there was a flaw.
You had to be enrollled in some phase of training of benefit to the Air Force. I chose Supply. The Non-coms found a desk for me and piled a bunch of Supply manuals on top. The first thing I knew, the colonel gave me a letter stating that on the basis of an interview and personal observation I was being terminated. None of which was true. There was no reason for him to lie like that. He had accurate information from his non-coms and his decisions should have been based on their input.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Getting a top rating in the Seattle School system
If your students dislike coming to your class it is time to consider another profession. Take a look at the students as you walk down the halls. Are they wearing their happy faces? If not, something is drastically wrong.
Once a year the vice-principal would ''evalute" the science teachers. What a farce that was.
We could see her coming a block away. She would come into the room and take a seat in the back of the room, scribble a few notes then leave. She had a reputation for being a "hard-nose" take-no-prisoners disciplinarian. While she was in their view they sat in their seats like mummies, scarcely moving. When the WW (wicked witch) left we alll started breathing again.
I have six of her ''evalutions'' and they are all identical.......and all phony.
When I think of all the dumb things that are committed by the school system I can't help wondering what the School Board is doing and why parents don't take a more active interest in the schools.
Once a year the vice-principal would ''evalute" the science teachers. What a farce that was.
We could see her coming a block away. She would come into the room and take a seat in the back of the room, scribble a few notes then leave. She had a reputation for being a "hard-nose" take-no-prisoners disciplinarian. While she was in their view they sat in their seats like mummies, scarcely moving. When the WW (wicked witch) left we alll started breathing again.
I have six of her ''evalutions'' and they are all identical.......and all phony.
When I think of all the dumb things that are committed by the school system I can't help wondering what the School Board is doing and why parents don't take a more active interest in the schools.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Lackland uber ales
The Air Forcew had an extra 1st Lt. and they didn't know what to do with him so they put him in charge of the school at Lackland Air Force Base. They could have given me any number of assignments that would have been far worse.
A steady stream of recruits reported to Lackland. Many were graduates of religious colleges in the southern states. They were strong on theology but weak in sujects important to the military, like science and math.
I would have been nice had I been authorized to add them to my group, but the table of organization would not permit it.
I gave the instructors free hand. They came up with the idea of a night march - using recorded sounds of enemy fire.
We were trying to give kids training that would keep them alive under enemy fire. But the mothers complained that this was too rough on the recruits.
We also had to teach Military Law once a month. We had to read the regulations to them or something forgetable like that.
My instructors came up with the idea of having a military court - letting them participate in the process rather than read about it.
The Colonel in charge shot this idea down. Instead, we could watch them fall asleep trying to read and understand regulations.
There is not a more useless set of officers than Colonels.
The more colonels I meet the more respect I have for the non-commissioned officers. They are at their best when it comes to closing down an Air Force facility, such as a squadron. It works like this: Each squadron has an extensive inventory. When a squadron is closed they must account for every item in their inventory. Squadron A will phone squadronB to say that they have extra cots but are short several other items. A trade will be made and both squadrons will fill in gaps in their inventories.
A steady stream of recruits reported to Lackland. Many were graduates of religious colleges in the southern states. They were strong on theology but weak in sujects important to the military, like science and math.
I would have been nice had I been authorized to add them to my group, but the table of organization would not permit it.
I gave the instructors free hand. They came up with the idea of a night march - using recorded sounds of enemy fire.
We were trying to give kids training that would keep them alive under enemy fire. But the mothers complained that this was too rough on the recruits.
We also had to teach Military Law once a month. We had to read the regulations to them or something forgetable like that.
My instructors came up with the idea of having a military court - letting them participate in the process rather than read about it.
The Colonel in charge shot this idea down. Instead, we could watch them fall asleep trying to read and understand regulations.
There is not a more useless set of officers than Colonels.
The more colonels I meet the more respect I have for the non-commissioned officers. They are at their best when it comes to closing down an Air Force facility, such as a squadron. It works like this: Each squadron has an extensive inventory. When a squadron is closed they must account for every item in their inventory. Squadron A will phone squadronB to say that they have extra cots but are short several other items. A trade will be made and both squadrons will fill in gaps in their inventories.
Snooping
Perhaps listening would be a more appropriate term than snooping. Anyway, try it. Sit down in a booth next to a group of college students. If they are girls they will be talking about boys and if they are boys their conversation will center around girls. Sometimes they will fool you and talk about sports or TV, but rarely about anything significant or important.
Things are different in England. It becomes quite clear, on close inspection, that the endless discussions and debates in the English pubs has had an enormous impact on English thinking, writing, and philosophy in general. Many great English writers have tested their ideas in the give and take of the pubs. And what has come out of the American taverns? Not much.
Things are different in England. It becomes quite clear, on close inspection, that the endless discussions and debates in the English pubs has had an enormous impact on English thinking, writing, and philosophy in general. Many great English writers have tested their ideas in the give and take of the pubs. And what has come out of the American taverns? Not much.
Call me twinkle toes
There was a time when Seattle was awash in ballroom dancers, dancing schools, and dancing instructors. If my memory serves me correctly it was in the late 1950s. It's all gone now. W hat happened? Are we satisfied with watching professional dancers on TV? So it would seem. If we couldn't get enough dancing here at home we would drive to Vancouver, B.C. and attend their dances.
My first teaching assignment was at Sequim, Washington, a Christian Fundamentalist community. To them, dancing was a sin. It was not surprising, therefore, that a proposal by the lady gym teacher to teach ballroom dancing (at the request of the students, I might add)
was turned down.
My first teaching assignment was at Sequim, Washington, a Christian Fundamentalist community. To them, dancing was a sin. It was not surprising, therefore, that a proposal by the lady gym teacher to teach ballroom dancing (at the request of the students, I might add)
was turned down.
Taking a small town teaching job
Things started moving rapidly for me in September of 1945. I had been discharged from the service and needed a job. The city of Renton had an opening but refused to hire me because I had a college degree. Their feeling was that I would not make a career out of police work.....and
they were absolutely right.
After a brief stint in the Police force in Port Angeles, I finally got a lunch date with the superintendent of the local school district in Sequim nearby.
Lucky for me that the town of Sequim needed a teacher and I signed a contract with them. The Super told me that I'd be teaching bookkeeping and typing - but I didn't realize he meant at the same time.
The first thing I noticed was that a glass wall divided my room into two rooms. I was to teach two classes at once. I would give a bookkeeping class an assignment then go to the next room and get the typing class started. The school could easily have lost their accreditation over a stunt like this, but they were good enough to give me a start and I was grateful - so I didn't complain.
One of my students had a musical scholarship to Bremerton Jr.College. Since she was from a poor family - the scholarship would be her only means of affording college.
She should never have gotten into the back seat of of her boyfriend's car. Pregnancy interfered with and probably terminated her college career. When the college found out she was pregnant out of wedlock, they revoked her scholarship.
The boy should have been made to make good on the medical expenses and possibly support his child.
In situations like this it seems that the girl always pays the price.
they were absolutely right.
After a brief stint in the Police force in Port Angeles, I finally got a lunch date with the superintendent of the local school district in Sequim nearby.
Lucky for me that the town of Sequim needed a teacher and I signed a contract with them. The Super told me that I'd be teaching bookkeeping and typing - but I didn't realize he meant at the same time.
The first thing I noticed was that a glass wall divided my room into two rooms. I was to teach two classes at once. I would give a bookkeeping class an assignment then go to the next room and get the typing class started. The school could easily have lost their accreditation over a stunt like this, but they were good enough to give me a start and I was grateful - so I didn't complain.
One of my students had a musical scholarship to Bremerton Jr.College. Since she was from a poor family - the scholarship would be her only means of affording college.
She should never have gotten into the back seat of of her boyfriend's car. Pregnancy interfered with and probably terminated her college career. When the college found out she was pregnant out of wedlock, they revoked her scholarship.
The boy should have been made to make good on the medical expenses and possibly support his child.
In situations like this it seems that the girl always pays the price.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
small town politcs
I will be talking about real people in Port Angeles although none are still alive (I'm 86 and they would be 95 and older.) As you might expect I will make myself the hero of any story I am involved in.
The setting - Port Angeles in the 1950s. I had just graduated in September with my teaching certificate, but since it was September all the teaching positions were already filled! I had to take the first job that was available. So I looked at Law Enforcement. I applied in Renton but when they looked at my school record (straight As in University) they said they didn't think I would stay for a career in law enforcement. They were right! But I still needed a job.
So I had to look further afield. And found an opening in the Port Angeles Police Department. And here was where I learned about local politics and the interaction between local government and police departments.
First, let's take a look at our municipal judge. He spent entirely too much time at the American Legion Hall getting drunk and some members of the police dept. would take him home. Did he appreciate this service? I'm sure he did. Every police officer knew they could count on support from that judge on any case.
One day, the mayor was going entirely too fast so I gave him a ticket. When I went off-shift the Chief called me into his office and proceeded tear up the ticket. He pointed out that maintaining good relations with the mayor was good business. If the police dept. needed anything like a new vehicle, we could depend on the mayor to get it for us.
The State Patrol ticketed City Manager Vergeer on one of his trips from Seattle to Port Angeles. According to the story told to us, our esteemed City Manager told the State Patrolman 'I am the City Manager for Port Angeles'. But he got ticket anyhow. He was just a City Manager - not a big enough deal. The story got around - and every officer knew he had tried to pull rank and failed. So if he did anything out of the ordinary the officers would go out of their way to nail him.
Then one time I pulled over his son for speeding. The Chief and Vergeer himself asked me for my opinion on how I should treat his own son. That was a helluva spot to put a young officer in. So I told them, 'It's your specialty and experience, not my call. Maybe just put him on a bicycle for a year.' Since he loved his fast car so much - that would be the best lesson for him. So they made the call and they took the car away from him. I'll bet that was a good lesson for him though. Not that he was a bad kid - but hopefully he'd be more responsible.
The Coast Guard Station situated at the end of a long sand-spit is a major tourist attraction
but some of the young Coast Guardsmen liked to use it for a speedway. Port Angeles is a mecca for tourists and we try to make their visit both safe and enjoyable. I worked out a plan, Plan A,
that was very effective. There was a "roundhouse"at the beginning of the sand spit which made a good hiding place for me. Now, don't try to make me feel bad by pointing out that it is illegal for police cars to hide. There was no hope of my catching those speeders, but I was able to get close enough to jot down license plate numbers before they entered the Coast Guard Station.
Step 2 was to give the license number to the Chief. He called the base commander and a few minutes later, a somewhat sheepish young man would report to Chief Eide and get his punishment (a ticket and a fine) When he returned to his base his CO would mete out additional punishment. They never did figure out that the Police Chief and the Coast Guard Commander were fishing buddies and they worked closely together.
Before you get the erroneous idea that the Port Angles police were dedicated to making life intolerable for the Coast Guardsman, consider this. Two Guardsmen came out of a tavern and stood on the sidewalk finishing their beer. When they finished they tossed the empties over their shoulders. Surprisingly enough they didn't spot me directly across the street from them, in full sunlight and in my police uniform. They were not drunk. Could a few sips of beer obscure one's vision?
I suggested that Harrington's Bar might have a broom and a dustpan. With these tools they were able to clean up the mess. I'm sure they were aware that I could easily write out a ticket listing several violations of city ordinances. Sometimes you don't need to actually write up a ticket to fix a problem.
The setting - Port Angeles in the 1950s. I had just graduated in September with my teaching certificate, but since it was September all the teaching positions were already filled! I had to take the first job that was available. So I looked at Law Enforcement. I applied in Renton but when they looked at my school record (straight As in University) they said they didn't think I would stay for a career in law enforcement. They were right! But I still needed a job.
So I had to look further afield. And found an opening in the Port Angeles Police Department. And here was where I learned about local politics and the interaction between local government and police departments.
First, let's take a look at our municipal judge. He spent entirely too much time at the American Legion Hall getting drunk and some members of the police dept. would take him home. Did he appreciate this service? I'm sure he did. Every police officer knew they could count on support from that judge on any case.
One day, the mayor was going entirely too fast so I gave him a ticket. When I went off-shift the Chief called me into his office and proceeded tear up the ticket. He pointed out that maintaining good relations with the mayor was good business. If the police dept. needed anything like a new vehicle, we could depend on the mayor to get it for us.
The State Patrol ticketed City Manager Vergeer on one of his trips from Seattle to Port Angeles. According to the story told to us, our esteemed City Manager told the State Patrolman 'I am the City Manager for Port Angeles'. But he got ticket anyhow. He was just a City Manager - not a big enough deal. The story got around - and every officer knew he had tried to pull rank and failed. So if he did anything out of the ordinary the officers would go out of their way to nail him.
Then one time I pulled over his son for speeding. The Chief and Vergeer himself asked me for my opinion on how I should treat his own son. That was a helluva spot to put a young officer in. So I told them, 'It's your specialty and experience, not my call. Maybe just put him on a bicycle for a year.' Since he loved his fast car so much - that would be the best lesson for him. So they made the call and they took the car away from him. I'll bet that was a good lesson for him though. Not that he was a bad kid - but hopefully he'd be more responsible.
The Coast Guard Station situated at the end of a long sand-spit is a major tourist attraction
but some of the young Coast Guardsmen liked to use it for a speedway. Port Angeles is a mecca for tourists and we try to make their visit both safe and enjoyable. I worked out a plan, Plan A,
that was very effective. There was a "roundhouse"at the beginning of the sand spit which made a good hiding place for me. Now, don't try to make me feel bad by pointing out that it is illegal for police cars to hide. There was no hope of my catching those speeders, but I was able to get close enough to jot down license plate numbers before they entered the Coast Guard Station.
Step 2 was to give the license number to the Chief. He called the base commander and a few minutes later, a somewhat sheepish young man would report to Chief Eide and get his punishment (a ticket and a fine) When he returned to his base his CO would mete out additional punishment. They never did figure out that the Police Chief and the Coast Guard Commander were fishing buddies and they worked closely together.
Before you get the erroneous idea that the Port Angles police were dedicated to making life intolerable for the Coast Guardsman, consider this. Two Guardsmen came out of a tavern and stood on the sidewalk finishing their beer. When they finished they tossed the empties over their shoulders. Surprisingly enough they didn't spot me directly across the street from them, in full sunlight and in my police uniform. They were not drunk. Could a few sips of beer obscure one's vision?
I suggested that Harrington's Bar might have a broom and a dustpan. With these tools they were able to clean up the mess. I'm sure they were aware that I could easily write out a ticket listing several violations of city ordinances. Sometimes you don't need to actually write up a ticket to fix a problem.
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