October 28, 2006 was my daughter's wedding day. Many gathered last night for the rehearsal and others are traveling as I write. Some 50 something family memebers and 100 assorted friends are making their way to celebrate the service with us. As a minister and musician, I've been in a lot of weddings. Yet it is different when you are walking your own daughter down the aisle. I don't know why, but you do feel stress.

The church is a small episcopal church here in the mountains of north Georgia. Built in 1840, Grace Calvary Episcopal has a certain historical smell to it. Old wood. Outside are tall white pines that also add to the woodsy scent. The rehearsal day had been rainy but the wedding day broke bright and clear and morning winds calmed before afternoon making a perfect setting. There was not enough time to do everything and everyone seemed to be scurrying back and forth: girls having hair fixed and doing their make-up; getting the right flowers to each participant; snapping photographs; chasing the flower girl and ring bearer around. I'll admit the men were ready first and just sat around much of the time. Papa was the proud grandparent.

A host of relatives and old friends were there. Midge, our close friend from Centerville, friends from Decatur with their children grown--Milton and Lou Ann, and relatives and near relatives, Carter G, Carter M, Heather Carter, and Mary Carter! Many babies were left at home but many were there too, making baby sounds throughout the service. The rector did a fine job, executing the service with deliberate speed. The soprano was fantastic. The bride and groom were joyous and all of us were made joyful too from their great happiness. All those hired to attend us did so graciously and in the spirit of our joy. It was as if the whole world stopped for a day to wish a wonderful life for Rachel and John. I was expecting them to ride away in an antique car, but no, they made away in a huge truck! And a groomsman had made a huge wooden sign to fit over the tailgate saying "Just Married." And my daughter rode away, glowing.

I'm sorry to say that my 55th summer has passed away rather completely. It is cold today, only in the 40's, and near freezing tonight. So it is time to move plants from the patio to indoors. I realize that I'm going to be one of those senior adults whose home is like a sauna when you come to visit, for I'm already thoroughly cold, wrapped in sweaters during the day and throws in the evenings.

I know why Florida is crowded with seniors.

This speaks for itself.

Michael J. Fox has some input to the elections.

I guess that I should want to participate in a merit raise program for teachers. Without blowing my horn here, I can say that my program measures up well with any in the state. We have a lot of cool plaques on the wall. Probably more than 50% of the teachers think they are in the upper half of the teaching profession, optimistic bunch that we are. So, it would therefore follow that teachers would be lining up to vote for merit pay. Why then are teachers so thoroughly against merit pay? Is it that old "union" mentality? Oh wait, there is no collective bargaining in Georgia education. Raises are granted as election favors only.

The reason we are against merit pay is because we know that there is not a fair way to implement it. There is no bank of evaluators who can determine who is doing a good job. Should it be based on test scores? Festival ratings for chorus? Should the coach's salary be based on the football team's record? You might say that administrators should be the ones to decide. They are the bosses. This idea makes teachers laugh out loud.

Now I've been evaluated many times by many administrators. I've never gotten anything but the highest marks in any category. However, reading over their remarks, it is clear to me that they have no idea what I'm doing. How could they know if I've chosen the best literature. There are no guidelines (and rightfully so since each choir's ability is different each year). They don't know anything about choral rehersal techniques, about warm-up exercises, or the best ways to teach sightsinging. They don't even know if we sing well in concert. I've heard them praise the most awful performances with "Wasn't that wonderful?" or "Aren't our student's talented?" The answer to those questions in those cases was "no." Is the state going to hire real experts who might come in and spend a couple of days or better yet, a week, watching and listening, examining the routine, monitoring student progress? That might be somewhat fair. Though it would be difficult to tell who gives extra time and energy to help students and the school function well. It would be hard to determine who is a pain in the neck to work with. And really, for a week, or a day, or for twenty minutes (which is what our observations really are), we can all put on a pretty good show.

Ocassionally you can spot a bad teacher. The classroom is in chaos. The top teachers also stand out. There are probably 10 in a school. But 80 % of the faculty are difficult to tell apart, even by experts. Most of the bad teachers get driven away because they can't get in control and they hate teaching. So the experience thing really does count. Over time you achieve mastery. The right wing gives no account for experience. My guess is that they want an experienced surgeon when they are having that heart surgery though. No first year man in that case.

I'll admit that merit pay sounds nice. It trips off the tongue. It's impossible to implement.

I love the new thing in Georgia. They were paying 10% extra salary to teachers who became national board certified. It was a lot of work to be certified--almost like getting another degree. What's more, only about 50% of the people who did all the work were actually approved for certification. Ugh. That's not a good degree program. But now the state has wised up that they are actually having to pay out some significant dollars to folks so they threw a wrench in. Now if you want the money you must transfer to a "failing" school. No one is doing that program any more!

If immigration is a big issue for the people of America (The preznit just signed the 'big fence' legislation.), why did the administration only issue 3 fines for employers hiring illegal immigrants in 2005? In contrast Bill Clinton's hated administration issued 417 fines in 1999. Obviously, this administration has told the people who enforce the laws on immigration to back off. Why have they done that? I don't know the answer, but the possible answers that pop into my head are all about corruption, graft, bribery, and such. The least offensive thing I can think of is that they are incompetent.

[I got my stats from Vox Verax].

If America can weather the storm of events that surround us today and go on as a respected nation in history, how will we deal with fact 650,000 Iraqis, mostly civilians, have been killed during the war we started. This number has been researched. It is not a shot in the dark. Just months ago the President of the United States reported to the country that approximately 30,000 Iraqis had died during the conflict. (I wonder if he is that misinformed or if he can lie to us in such and exponential manner. One thing or the other is true, or, the scientists who did the study are lying. That's what the electorate must sort out). We are responsible for this conflict. We started it. And because we are a democracy, the blood is on all our hands. Yes mine too.

I was thinking about this number of deaths and so I looked up the American Civil War casualties. There apparantly were about 620,000 soldier deaths in that conflict--the largest number of soldier deaths in any American War. Our administration tells us there is no civil war in Iraq. It takes a lot of death to make a civil war in someone else's country.

My blog attacker the other day considered me to be a "liberal."

It's an interesting comment. I'm pretty conservative actually.

I'm an ordained Southern Baptist Minister.

I've been married to the same woman for thirty-three years. We just celebrated the thirty-sixth anniversary of our first date.

I save money and I think I'll have enough to retire at age 60. That's pretty conservative.

I drive a Saturn, because it's nice and because I wanted an American car. I've bought five Saturns now.

I only speak English. I wish I spoke something else. I still hope to learn, but alas.

I've only worked in two fields during my entire life. 2 years in construction, the rest as a conductor.

I have a deep abiding concern for people in need. No student with a problem can be neglected. I can give comfort and I do. I pitch in and help. I think that's what America is about. People helping each other get through life.

I have never minded paying my taxes. I am satisfied with the fruits of my labor after taxes. I don't need gold-plated handles on my water closets, Italian marble on my porch, etc., etc.

I like education. I think it shines a light in darkness.

I don't welcome change. It scares me. I adapt the best I can to it as it comes.

I have the idea in my head that because many have loved me and much has been given to me, that I owe much to my family and community and yes, even to strangers who wander into my life. At times, I am altruistic.

Somehow this makes me a liberal. I liked the NPR report on the Baptists a few years back. They were are war, conservatives against the more conservatives. Robert Krulwich did the report with his funny way of saying things. He said this about the Southern Baptist Convention "If you ask the conservatives in the room to stand up, everyone will stand up."

I'm standing up.

Perhaps you saw the graffitti artist the other day who scrawled three angry, profanity laced comments in my comments section because of my political point of view. He didn't have a point, just lots of namecalling. It's hard to imagine my blog being that important to a stranger.

Why do I write? Mostly because it allows me to express my thoughts, organize them "on paper." It helps me understand what I think about things. You have to sort out your ideas to write them down. I haven't written much political opinion lately. The situation is so overwhelming at the moment that I don't know what to say. The complaints against the current administration have gotten so long that it has turned into a laundry list. I don't know how to address so many things at once. I have heard the Republicans complain that the Democrats should be investigated concerning the political timing of all these things that are coming out in the media daily. But I really haven't heard much from the Democrats. They seem to be following the strategy of "give em enough rope and they'll hang themselves." And it is working.

Remember ole Gideon in the Bible. He didn't have the forces to defeat the Amorites (or whoever Israel was up against. I'm afraid I didn't re-read Judges to identify the bad guys). So he just posted musicians and torch-bearers around them and made all the noise he could in the dead of night and then the high-tailed it out there I imagine. Make a little noise and shed some light in the darkness and you really break down your enemies at times. That created enough confusion amid a group drunk with wine (drunk on power?) soldiers to end their take over.

Thank goodness there is still enough media to put torch-light to the Republican party excesses. Me? I'm just a bugle blower.

It has been a busy week, beginning last Thursday--

Thursday--Fall Concert for advanced choirs
Friday--Travel by bus to Deland, FL and hear Stetson University Choirs perform
Saturday--Perform for Stetson Honor Choir Choral Workshop and directors Craig Jessop and Phillip Copland
Sunday--Took the girls to Universal Studios and then long bus ride home
Monday--Middle School 6th grade Fall Concert
Tuesday--Fall Concert for beginning choirs
Wednesday--a breather
Thursday--Middle School 7th and 8th grade concert
TGIF
Saturday--All State tryouts.

The next two weeks are 4 day weeks and then it's Rachel's wedding.

Tonight was the great and wonderful Fall Concert for advanced choirs. We have seven choirs. Four are considered advanced--Varsity Glee Club, Chorale, Chamber Choir, and Singers. After 8 weeks, Singers did 25 minutes of college level repertoire from memory. It was astonishing. Listening to the concert I wondered, "How did I get them to do this?"

Tomorrow we take it on the road. The altos had to sing low E's and high G #'s. Fortunately, that is no problem. We travel to Stetson University where we are being featured as part of their high school honor choir program. We sing Saturday night for a standing room crowd in a 1200 seat auditorium and all the top choral directors in the state are there. Gee. No pressure.

All the choirs did well. Chorale was very disciplined and sang expressively. Glee Club was powerful and made great sounds. Chamber gave a big effort and impressed the listeners. People were amazed by Singers. A professional musician in the crowd thought that this group of girls might be the best ever. I disagree, but that must mean that we are hiding our flaws pretty well. We have climbed the mountain. We learned a major program in 8 weeks.

Lauda Sion by Gyorgy Orban
Deep River arranged by Donald Patriquin
Man Proposes, God Disposes and Birdsong by Charles Davidson
Dome Epais from the Opera Lakme
Cerf-Volant from the movie Les Choristes
Toujours by Gabriel Faure, arranged by Alan Raines
See the Gipsies by Zoltan Kodaly
and last but not least
Sacremento-Sis Joe by Jackson Berkey with four hand piano, marimba and xylophone. We go out with a bang.

Look out Florida. Here we come.

+ Pipe Cleaner Dancing Man

Okay this is way fun. Thanks Sarah.

The magic skull was no match for the magic Smoltz.

Yesterday was my dad's 83rd birthday. As far as I know he has never exercised nor watched what he eats. He's been portly and sedentary for 30 years. Go Dad. His sister made it to 90.

We have been looking at the finances and it seems clear that we can retire at in 2011 and 2012 as we reach our 60th birthdays. It is a nice feeling. While many have said "Oh you'll never lay down your baton." But, I am pretty certain that I shall. Time to do other things. Rejoin the symphony chorus for one. So I'm counting down to 2012. Mark your calendars.

My high school friend has written me back. Nice to make a connection after many years. The internet is amazing.

Just when you don't think it can get any worse. Not only do we have sexual predators as congressmen, but the GOP leadership has known about it, covered it up to hide the scandal, and taken money, $105,000 in contributions from the man, either as extortion or in bribes to keep it quiet. Hassert, Boehner, and Reynolds should all resign immediately.

If this had happened at my school and I knew that one of our teachers was having a illicit sexual relationship with a student and I did not report it to authorities, when I was discovered, I'd be fired and jailed immediately. I'd lose my teaching certificate and would come out of jail, ruined and with no profession. I'll bet I'd lose my pension too. You wonder if these guys will suffer any consequences. We will be lucky if there is even an investigation. The arrogance of power.

Time to sweep out children of '94. Their power has corrupted them at every level in almost unimaginable ways. They aren't even safe around children.

I teach students of all levels. As chorus director I work with the salutatorian andwith students in special education whose only class with regular students is chorus. As a result I see a broad spectrum of raw material. Students are not all the same. Every year my students go through an audition with me for placement for the next year. It is a series of skills tests. Everyone has a unique set of responses. Each audition takes about fifteen minutes. It's just me and the student. They sing, they read music, they listen to music and respond. The result is a number. I place the best students in best choirs.

The next year the choirs meet and I observe their behaviors. The best choir has amazingly focused students. They don't all have the best attitude. They are not all among the smartest kids in school. They are however, focused. They have the ability to deny impulsive behavior and work at my direction for long periods of time, fifteen, twenty, or thrity minutes without a pause. They learn. On the other hand, in my weakest choirs, it is difficult to get all the students to work at the same time for any one second. The tendency is to give up and work with as many as you can. There is no way to get them all on task. I probably call students to attention or ask them to change behavior 100 times a day in the weakest class. "Sit up. Look at your music. Check your posture. Stop talking. Turn around." Some students are off task, doing their own thing most of the time. Another odd thing that I notice is that when some of the most physically active students calm down from their whirling dervish behavior, they go to sleep sitting up almost immediately. They are exhausted.

Teachers are made up of those very focused students. I remember that some college classes were not very difficult. People clamored to get those professors. Other classes were bone crushingly hard. The question in these classes was "can you focus enough to master the material?" Advanced level classes tended toward the bone crushingly hard. Doctoral classes were all that way. I don't know how brains work. I observe that brains work differently. I don't see how some of my students pass anything. If you think about it, what we teach in school is not very much. Can focused home schooled kids learn more in less time? Sure. So much time is lost by the disciplined while teachers discipline the undisciplined.

The newspapers complain about output. How many passed the standardized test? How many finished the course or dropped out? There are two problems: expectations and raw material. Some of them can't handle the format. They can't focus and they can't learn the material. The expectation that a successful school can teach certain material to every student is just an uninformed expectation. Do we need another type of program, a real vocational program for those who aren't going to make it in college. Yes. But then how do you get parents to support putting their kids in the non-college track program. At our school, everyone starts out on the college track. I've sat in parent/teacher conferences for 10th grade students who are failing every class and listened to parents say, "She's not going to be like me. She's going to college and be a teacher, or run her own business." What goes through my mind is. "No. She isn't." If there is a way to teach your student, we don't have a format for it here in public school. And they don't have it in the charter schools or parochial schools either. Maybe one on one instruction. But I'm not sure even then.

If you can make A's at our school, you can make A's at Harvard. My best come back to me from everywhere, including MIT and Harvard and say, "It's hard, but I was well prepared and I'm not having a difficult time." Friday the Organic Chemistry major from UGA said just that. "It's tough but I like it." He's in the Glee Club too.