UPDATE!!

Today I received an email from the Sisters of St.Mary of Namur.  This is what it said:

June 25, 2009

 

Dear Nick:

 

Sister Dorothy Ann asked me to e-mail you in reply to your very nice e-mail message of June 8.

 

Sister Dorothy Ann is in Fort Worth at our motherhouse. She is retired from active, all-day teaching, but does tutor students at Our Lady of Victory School during the school year. 

 

Plus she is active in the daily life of the sisters,   reading, discussing, praying for all our families and friends and students as we navigate these challenging days. 

 

She has wonderful memories of many students in many schools. 

 

Keep the sisters in your prayers!

 

Sister Joan Markey

Sisters of Saint Mary 

I need to try to see her, but I don't know the protocol.  I'm not family and I don't want to feel like I'm intruding on someone's personal life.  Even though her life is anything but personal.  It has been spent serving others.  I feel so selfish. As usual, it's all about me.

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Sister Dorothy Ann

My school district was given a waiver of instruction last week so that we could have some extra professional development.  It has been a good move, and even the veteran teachers have embraced it.  Over  two of the days we received SIOP training.  I had the training at my last district and considered it to be helpful.  The facilitator we had this week was awesome.  She reminded me that a teacher can be the most important person in a child's life.

The teacher I always remember is Sister Dorothy Ann.  I went to a small parochial school in which which she was the principal, and the teacher of the 7th and 8th grade.  The 7th and 8th grade were in the same room at the same time.  She managed to teach one class while keeping the other class busy at the same time.  This was quite a task, especially with me trying to shoot the wheels off when I felt like it.

She was the only nun that I remember who understood the impact that she had on a child's life. Whenever I attend seminars and workshops, the facilitator inevitably mentions the fact that a teacher can change a child's life.  Whenever this occurs, I think of Sister Dorothy Ann.  She is one of the reasons that I became a teacher, and I hope that the empathy that she showed to me has guided me to show empathy to the students I encounter every day.

I have always gotten along with the students that some teachers label jerks.  I guess it is the old "Birds of a feather" thing.  I try to treat all students with respect, regardless of their attitude.  That's the way Sister Dorothy Ann did.  I don't remember her ever yelling at me, and I deserved it, I'm sure.

I always thought I was her favorite when she would send me to perform a task that was probably damn near impossible for me to do.  Like the time she gave me a hand written letter, sat me in front of a manual typewriter, and asked me to type the letter without any mistakes.  It kept me busy all afternoon.  Little did I know that she was on "vacation" that afternoon, because she was teaching without the obstacle of my knuckleheadedness.

Every year about this time I think about her.  Four years ago, I found the website of the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur, and I emailed to see if they could get a message to Sister Dorothy Ann's family and let them know how much I appreciated her influence upon me.  Lo and behold, I received an e-mail, with a picture, letting me know that, "I'm not dead yet."  She had just retired from full time teaching, but was still tutoring 2-3 times a week.  I was flabbergasted!!  It seemed like she was about 90 ------ 45 years ago when I was in 8th grade. I guess as I get older, everyone else stays the same.

I believe that this week, I will try to contact her again.  I could use a kind word about now.

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Buffoonery

I have been accused of recycling rhetoric from Rush Limbaugh and Fox News.  I have probably not listened to 15 minutes of Rush Limbaugh in the past ten years.  He is a buffoon for a misguided radical wing of the Republican Party.  I have heard many sound bytes from his show, most of them amuse me.

I am rather eclectic in my news channel watching.  I do watch Fox News, but none of the prime time pablum.  Fox is pure genius because they put a good looking chick in a short skirt sitting on a couch.  Who knows what the heck she's saying?  Early in the morning, I catch RedEye on Fox, which also amuses me.  As you can see, I am easily amused.  Nancy Grace doesn't amuse me.  She may be the most annoying woman I have ever heard.

There are no statesmen left, but there are buffoons abounding.  Rush is one for the right, along with O'Reilly and Glenn Beck.  The left wing has its share also.  The problem is that when you out them, you are labeled a hate monger, who is subversive to all things just.  Well, what the hell, here goes.

Number one on my list is Keith Olberman.  He is the main cheerleader for the liberals and President Obama.  When I mention the word "lickfest" I can see Olberman's tongue.  The "woman" that follows him, Rachel Maddow, is cut from the same cloth as Olberman; except she is not as intelligent, but much more manly.  They both amuse me.  Lastly, and I hesitate because it is so easy and may be a cheap shot ------- Joe Biden.  I like Mr. Biden, but Joe, count to three before responding to anything anyone says.

There are many other buffoons, which I will go into at a later date.  I will however let you know who my biggest buffoon is.  It may surprise you, but I hope not.  Many of you have a preconceived notion that I am somewhere to the right of Attilla the Hun, that is not the case.  I am a fiscal conservative, but I am all over the place on other issues.  I am anti-abortion and anti death penalty.  I am for legalization (decriminalization) of drugs.  I am against vouchers in schools.  I am against nationalized health care and against bailouts.  I am a laissez-faire economist that believes the government should stay out of our business.

Now for my biggest buffoon -------------------the governor of the State of Texas  Rick Perry.  This is the kind of aggie that the other aggies say, "Damn, is he dumb, or what!?"  Rick is the kind of guy that makes Kinky Friedman look like a viable alternative.  When Kay Bailey Hutchinson debates him, they should both be forced to wear their college cheerleading uniforms.  Sorry, aggies, a yell leader IS a cheerleader.

Let me know if any of my views offend you or need to be explained.  

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