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brauneyz now leads the pack with 8 wins, followed by DaBearsFan, Colts01, jhinkamp, mikesteelnation1 and Pruitt all at 7.
Current standings.
Last weeks results.
Season to date.
Now on to Week #14 of the FP Upset Special Challenge. Let's get busy.
You can join us every week. You can join mid-season. If you miss a week, so what? Come back next week. We're just glad you're here and you'll always have me to talk to down at the bottom of the standings.
- One pick per week
- Your chosen team must be at least a (+3) underdog (Only games listed in this column are eligible)
- Your chosen team must win the game outright (no 'pushes' or 'covers')
- Season winner is the one with the most upsets correctly chosen between Week #1 through the Conference Championship Games (20 weeks all together)
- There will be a points system to determine a winner in the event of a tie
- Points will be accumulated by adding the game spreads for your correct picks (if you take Carolina (+4.5) and Carolina wins, you will be awarded a win and 4.5 points). Be careful making picks based on the number of points possible. Points only count if you are tied for the total wins lead when the whole contest is finished.
- The No Upsets Option: Predict correctly that 'No Upsets' will occur in any given week and you will be awarded one win and a point total equal to the sum of all the spreads in that week's Upset Special. If you wish to exercise the 'No Upsets' Option, that prediction is due by 5 minutes prior to kickoff of the first game of the week in question. This includes Thursday Night Football and Saturday Playoff games. The 'No Upsets' option is confined to the Upset Possibilities listed in this article.
- Picks are due no later than 5 minutes before the scheduled start of the broadcast time for your game. The FootballPros.com time stamp on your post is gospel.
- Spread lines will be posted Wednesday and will remain static throughout the week. This isn't The Sports Book at Caesar's Palace, after all.
Prizes to be determined but may include a cool icon denoting your status as *ahem* Upset Special Top Dog, a hat or t-shirt or possibly tickets to the Super Bowl (NOT!!)
Week #14 Upset Special Possibilities (odds by OddsShark). Underdogs in bold.
Thursday Night Football
- Broncos @ Raiders (+10)
Sunday Early Games
- Rams (+3) @ Bills
- Falcons @ Panthers (+3.5)
- Chiefs (+7) @ Browns
- Eagles (+9) @ Buccaneers
- Cowboys (+3) @ Bengals
- Titans (+5) @ Colts
Sunday Late Games
- Dolphins (+11.5) @ 49ers
- Cardinals (+11.5) @ Seahawks
- Saints (+5) @ Giants
Sunday Night Football
- Lions (+7) @ Packers
Monday Night Football
- Texans (+3) @ Patriots
Dave's Week #14 Upset Special:
I'm going with the Rams this week. Just a hunch.


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For example, state security does not stand over reporters to censor them, said Lu Yao, the director of news assignments for China Business News TV.
Also, Chinese property owners pay a tax when they buy property, but not annual property taxes, she said.
Yao was part of the group which came to the U.S. as part of the State Department's Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists.
The group first visited Fort Morgan High School to see how diverse students are in the school.
One of the questions students asked was why the visitors would come to rural Fort Morgan, said Fort Morgan Police Chief Keith Kuretich, who hosted the visit.
Over the past decade, Singapore has seen a lot of immigrants, said Yong May Han, news editor for Lianhe Zaobao, a Chinese language newspaper in Singapore. People from China, India and all over the world have come to live in the city.
She said she was very interested in how American governmental and press systems work, and how America deals with immigrants.
The Republic of Singapore sits off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, and it has a kind of free press. While the government does not censor the press, it does hand out licenses for media, and that has to be renewed, Han said.
Hearing that water is a big issue in Morgan County, she said her government has a lot of foresight.
Singapore legislative representatives are required to meet with constituents every week.
Hong Kong has freedom of the press, although it is officially part of China, because it has been a special administrative region since the British left, said Guanxiong Wu.
All of the journalists were very interested in how The Fort Morgan Times survives in a time when newspapers are struggling. They were surprised to see a daily newspaper put out by so few people.
Asked about how China deals with intellectual property like patents and copyrights, Yao said that for the past 30 years the country has been concentrated on manufacturing. However, as it becomes more focused on high-end technology and services, people can expect more attention to intellectual property.
Kuretich said Fort Morgan was a stop for the group partly because it represents the "heart of America," and partly because of its diverse but co-existing population.
Living with a variety of cultures has not always been easy, said Mayor Terry McAlister.
"Change is really hard," he said. "It's becoming a melting pot."
The biggest challenge is to educate the community about the newcomers at the same time as educating immigrants in local laws and customs, he said.
McAlister explained that Fort Morgan has many immigrants due to the jobs at the Cargill Meat Solutions beef plant. That is something happening across the U.S. as refugees come to the country.
It is important to be proactive, said retired Fort Morgan School District Superintendent Greg Wagers. Instead of waiting for problems to crop up, it is good to anticipate issues to make transitions easier.
Morgan County has the advantage of agencies willing to collaborate, he said.
Yao said she was interested in the demographics of the county.
Fort Morgan City Manager Jeff Wells noted that culture in rural America is different than urban America. For one thing, the county's economy is agriculturally based.
Morgan County has about 28,000 people, about 40 percent of whom are Hispanic, said Cassandra Wilson, executive director of the Morgan County Economic Development Corp.
The average yearly income is about $31,000 per worker, she said.
Morgan County would like to expand its higher paying jobs and bring in technological jobs, Wilson said.
Tianbing Weng, president of the Guangzhou Metro Daily and Zhou Xing, producer for Hong Kong Television International Media Group, also visited Fort Morgan.
-- Contact Dan Barker at firstname.lastname@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


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NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Last week we took a thorough look at the college financial funding process, with no shortage of good ways to pay for a college education. But federal and state college funds are limited, and the Free Application For Financial Student Aid program really works on a first-come, first-serve basis. This week, the Sacramento, Calif.-based Student Aid Financial Services, which specializes in completing FAFSA forms for college-bound families, elaborated more fully on the issue. Illinois, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont and Washington have made a "first-come, first-served" warning explicit, saying they don't have as much funds on hand as they did before the Great Recession. According to the National Association of State Student Grant Aid Administrators, state funding for college students has fallen 2% from 2007 to 2012, a slide the group expects to continue. Thus the real need to get those FAFSA forms in early. "Speed and accuracy are essential when preparing a FAFSA," said Brad Baker, president of Student Aid Financial Services. "The aid process is competitive and it pays to submit early." That's no hyperbole. SAFS says that the average college undergraduate student secured $13,218 in state and federal aid, including loans, grants and work-study programs. How can you leverage your FAFSA form to maximize the amount of money you can earn for your son or daughter's college education? Here are a few pointers from analysts at SAFS: Know the price before you apply. SAFS advises get an estimate of what financial aid they may be eligible for before applying to specific schools. One tip: most college websites offer net price calculators that can help you narrow down your likely estimate for college aid. The company has more detail on net price calculators here. You don't have to include a tax return. Since tax returns aren't due until April 15, it's perfectly fine to prove estimated annual income on your FAFSA form. "There is no penalty for estimating income, it is actually recommended so that deadlines aren't missed," SAFS says. "Students can easily make any necessary adjustments once their (or their parents') income tax filing is completed." Know the "dependency" statutes. Few issues are more misunderstood with FAFSA than dependency. According to SAFS, even if a college student lives one their own and is financially independent from his or her parents, states still consider children to be dependents "for financial aid purposes." The rule, then: Always include parents' financial aid data on the FAFSA. For details on the dependency issue, visit FAFSA here. SAFS also says that nontraditional households must file FAFSA forms in the name of the custodial parent in a divorce situation. If there is a joint custody situation, file under the parent who has provided the most financial support. Maximizing college funding opportunities via the FAFSA form isn't a luxury for most families -- it's a necessity. Take the advice listed above and get your FAFSA form in early. It's likely the best college funding move you'll make this year.
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Heating and Cooling No Longer Majority of U.S. Home Energy Use
For decades, space heating and cooling (space conditioning) accounted for more than half of all residential energy consumption. Estimates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)'s most recent Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) show that 48% of energy consumption in U.S. homes in 2009 was for heating and cooling, down from 58% in 1993. Factors underpinning this trend are increased adoption of more efficient equipment, better insulation, more efficient windows, and population shifts to warmer climates. The shift in how energy is consumed in homes has occurred even as per-household energy consumption has steadily declined.
While energy used for space conditioning has declined, energy consumption for appliances and electronics continues to rise. Although some appliances that are subject to federal efficiency standards, such as refrigerators and clothes washers, have become more efficient, the increased number of devices that consume energy in homes has offset these efficiency gains. Non-weather related energy use for appliances, electronics, water heating, and lighting now accounts for 52% of total consumption, up from 42% in 1993. The majority of devices in the fastest growing category of residential end-uses are powered by electricity, increasing the total amount of primary energy needed to meet residential electricity demand. Increased electricity use has a disproportionate effect on the amount of total primary energy required to support site-level energy use.
Other notable trends in household energy consumption include:
- The average U.S. household consumed 11,320 kilowatthours (kWh) of electricity in 2009, of which the largest portion (7,526 kWh) was for appliances, electronics, lighting, and miscellaneous uses.
- On average, residents living in homes constructed in the 1980s consumed 77 million Btu of total energy at home. By comparison, those living in newer homes, built from 2000 to 2009, consumed 92 million Btu per household, which is 19% more.
- Space heating accounted for 63% of natural gas consumed in U.S. homes in 2009; the remaining 37% was for water heating, cooking, and miscellaneous uses.
The RECS gathers energy characteristics through personal interviews from a nationwide sample of homes, and cost and consumption from energy suppliers. The expanded 2009 RECS provides more precise home energy data and detailed estimates for the following geographic levels: U.S., 4 Census Regions, 9 Census Divisions, 16 individual states (12 more than previous rounds), and 11 groups of states.
For more information, you can read the full EIA article here.
Chip Berry is the Residential Energy Consumption Survey Manager at the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
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The Children's Theatre of La Junta, under the direction of Kelly Jo Smith, is pleased to announce their summer production, "Tarzan." The production is set for July 10-13 at the La Junta High School Auditorium.
TARZAN is swinging in this summer!
The Children's Theatre of La Junta, under the direction of Kelly Jo Smith, is pleased to announce their summer production, "Tarzan." The production is set for July 10-13 at the La Junta High School Auditorium. Based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Tarzan of the Apes" and the smash-hit 1999 Disney animated film, "Tarzan" tells the story of an infant boy orphaned on the shores of West Africa. Taken in and raised by a tribe of gorillas, the young boy strives for acceptance by his ape father while grappling with his uniqueness. When a human expedition enters their territory, Tarzan — now a man — encounters strangers like himself for the first time.
"Tarzan" features music and lyrics by pop icon Phil Collins, including the Grammy and Oscar winning song "You'll Be in My Heart" and book by Tony Award-winning playwright, David Henry Hwang.
Smith is looking for area children grades 3 through 12 to fill the cast of characters. Young Tarzan, Tarzan, Young Terk, Terk, Jane Porter, Kala, Kerchak, Prof. Porter, Mr. Clayton, exploration crew, Tarzan's parents and some 25-30 gorillas, elephants and other jungle creatures.
Tuesday, May 14, 5:30 - 7 p.m. – Grades 3 and 4
We will not be auditioning new young cast members this summer. We will audition first and second graders only if they are returning cast members. If your actor was a part of last year's cast and you are interested in auditioning, please attend the Tuesday audition.
Wednesday, May 15, 6 - 7 p.m. – Grades 5, 6 and 7
Thursday, May 16, 6 - 7 p.m. – Grades 8, 9 and 10
Friday, May 17, 3 - 4 p.m. – Grades 11 and 12
Actors are asked to prepare a monologue and a song. For complete audition requirements log on to the LJHS Drama Web page link Children's Theatre or http://www.lajuntaschools.org/ljhs-departments/drama
If you have questions, contact Smith at 384-4467, ext 231, or by email at email@example.com.


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The anticipation was palpable Saturday night as a crowd gathered in front of the Boulder County Courthouse on the Pearl Street Mall just before 8:30.
Suddenly, a zombie jerked her head back and the action began.
Boulder's fifth annual Halloween flash mob helped people get into the seasonal spirit as about 30 costumed dancers got down to Michael Jackson's super hit "Thriller," and hundreds more watched and cheered.
The budding tradition brought some early life to a relatively quiet Pearl Street Mall, despite a Facebook page urging people to dress up and hit the mall as part of the revived Halloween mall crawl tradition.
"What I love about flash mobs is everyone loses their 9 to 5 identities and it's the ultimate freestyle," said Patty "Skull" Shull, who helped organize the event. "I thought it was great. Tonight was the warm-up for Thursday."
Juliet Seskind, Shull's co-conspirator and the zombie the helped initiate the "Thriller" dance, developed the Ayre Dance class at the North Boulder Recreation Center, and said the mob grew out of her desire to do something fun with her class.
"It's a fun way for us to do something together and a bunch of strangers showed up for rehearsal today and that was fun too," she said.
One highly visible mob participant was Boulder's Chris Macor, also known as Mu, the master of the universe. Macor stood out in his long, white wig, and homemade wizard's robe.
"I like to dance," the self-described comrade of Merlin said when asked why he took part in the flash mob.
Macor said donning his costume also presented an outlet for expression.
"It's important for me to come up with this costume because this is a character within myself," Macor said. "I discovered him in my bathtub."
The event, which will be repeated on Halloween night this Thursday, is a mellower tradition than the Halloween mall crawl, which, according to its Facebook page, was also taking place Saturday and again Thursday.
By 6:30 p.m. Saturday, 230 people had confirmed they planned to take part in the mall crawl on the Facebook page but only a few costumed revelers were on the mall early on in the evening, perhaps because the University of Colorado football team was playing on the Boulder campus.
This is the fifth year since the mall crawl was resurrected following a two-decade ban that started in 1991. During it's peak in the 1980s, the event was known to draw tens of thousand of people to Boulder, and cost the city tens of thousands in security, traffic control and cleanup costs.
Emma Mackoy and Caleb Pilon, of Littleton, came to Boulder dawning costumes to go bar hopping with friends.
The couple, dressed as a masquerade ball attendee and "death himself," commented on how quiet the mall seemed.
"It's usually pretty crazy, but it is still early," Pilon said. "I used to come up here when they used to do the naked pumpkin run. That was a whole different scene."
The mall crawl was a family affair for Jane and Dave Roberts and their 7-month old daughter, Ava. The trio dressed up in matching head-to-toe dairy cow outfits.
"We're promoting vegetarianism," Dave Roberts said with grin.
"We love costumes and we love Halloween," Jane Roberts said, noting the family also took part in 2012 when Ava was still in the womb. "Last year there was such and energy and buzz in the air. It's just fun."
Contact Camera Staff Writer Joe Rubino at 303-473-1328, firstname.lastname@example.com or twitter.com/JoeCarmenRubino.


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With increased demand and decreased cost of production, the cost of stand up paddle (SUP) boards have certainly come down the past couple of years. Paddles are a different story. They need to withstand a lot more abuse and stress than boards. Simply put, if the paddle isn't made well, it's highly prone to breakage and it just won't perform well on the water. It's important to learn about your gear, especially when buying for the first time, so read on find out how choose your perfect paddle.
What Kind of Paddler Are You?
- Will you be surfing or flat water paddling?
- What is your fitness and skill level?
- What kind of board do you have?
Paddle Construction
Before having a panic attack over the varying prices of paddles, first consider the components and essential materials used to make a quality paddle. The paddle consists of the blade, shaft and handle, each affecting the ergonomics of the paddler as well as the efficiency of the paddle stroke. A less expensive paddle has an aluminum shaft with plastic handle and blade. Viewed as beginner paddles, these are the most durable paddles on the market. Performance paddles, on the other hand, typically have carbon fiber blades and fiberglass shafts, both of which are far lighter weight than aluminum and plastic. Carbon fiber has incredible strength to weight ratio making it ideal for smoother strokes, using less energy. In a nutshell, if you're a novice paddler or only plan on cursing on flat water a few times a month, a less expensive paddle will do the trick. If you have a few seasons under your belt or if you're looking for a little more excitement with your paddling, lighter weight materials will greatly enhance your experience on the water. And of course, if you're racing or plan to paddle for extended periods of time, you'll definitely need to drop a little more cash on a performance paddle to reduce fatigue and to go faster.
Carbon Fiber SUP Paddle-
- Offer a better weight to power ratio.
- Perfect for surfing or long distance paddling.
- Lighter
- Higher Cost, typicality $179-$300.
Adjustable Aluminum SUP Paddles-
- Strong and Durable
- Less expensive $89-$150
- Heavier
- Perfect paddle for the first purchase of a passionate SUP family
Blade Size and Shape
Paddling style and body size are the main factors to consider when choosing a blade size. A smaller person should stick to a smaller blade for more control and less fatigue. You'd think that a larger person should always use a larger blade, but many larger people still prefer a smaller blade due to their paddling style. A high, fast cadence style of paddling will be more efficient with a smaller blade. Dynamic turning with quick, short strokes will be easier with a smaller blade. Larger blades put more power into a lower cadence stroke. Such a blade is helpful when trying to get into waves for surfing. If your paddling style depends on the day, give preference to your distance paddling needs. You'll be much happier with a smaller blade that won't tire your arms and shoulders out.
Length of Paddle
As a general rule of thumb, the paddle should be 6″ to 10″ longer than your height (shoes off!). A longer paddle provides a longer, stronger stroke for flat water SUPing. A shorter paddle enables the quicker, shorter strokes needed to navigate more challenging water conditions and waves. Adjustable paddles are recommended for people who plan to share their paddle with friends and family. While not performance paddles so to speak, adjustable are still perfect for most recreational paddlers and will deliver for years to come.
Like any other sport, it's not a bad idea to 'test the waters' before throwing down on the highest end gear. First timers, a less expensive paddle will guarantee a summer of fun. And hey, if the paddle was only $99 and you found your new calling with stand up paddle boarding, then treat yourself to a performance paddle next summer. You can always share your old paddle with friends or other newbies!
Shop The House selection of Sup Paddles.


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The future of the NFL rests on two key issues
Now that football season has officially come to an end I want to take this opportunity to talk about the handful of topics that seemed to dominate not only Super Bowl week, but the whole season.
Those are, of course, player safety and PED use.
I feel these two issues are inter-connected. The reason I feel they are connected is because if you have players who are bigger, faster, and stronger they are going to hit harder and faster.
The NFL is trying to change how their league is perceived. Moving kickoffs up five yards, fining players for hits on "defenseless" players and all the other rules that make people feel they are going to strap on belts with red and yellow flags hanging off the sides anytime now.
The reason the NFL says they are doing this is to protect the players from future health problems. That is true, however there is also the elephant in the room that is the countless lawsuits that the league is facing from former players who have these health issues currently.
This issue cannot be fixed at the NFL level, for that matter it can't even be fixed at the college level. This generation of players is for all intents and purposes are out of luck, because they have not been taught to play this way, but have not been discouraged from doing it either.
Just imagine after 10-15 years of doing your job one way all of a sudden your company is taken over by someone new who wants things done in a different way. This is what has happened with the NFL. Roger Goodell took over a league that was riddled with players who were all doing things the "old school" way. He has tried to change the rules, however problematic, as it has been.
My solution is three-fold.
One, you tell these current players that if you want to continue and play the way you are, go ahead. However, you will sign paperwork giving up any right you have to sue the league at any time for health problems that have occurred from playing football. These players have been warned, penalized, fined and suspended. If they don't get the message by now, when will they?
Along the same lines, no one is forcing these players to play football. They have the same opportunity to become a doctor, teacher or a business owner, but they choose to play football, and unlike the players who are involved in current lawsuits, these players are more than fairly compensated for what they do.
Today's player does not care about the issue of player safety. Players continue to play however they want. Take for example players like James Harrison, Ed Reed, and players like Joe Mays, the linebacker from Denver who took off part of Matt Schwab's ear with one of the dirtiest hits I have ever seen.
A storyline that dominated Super Bowl week was that 80 percent of NFL players don't trust their team doctors, my response is how many team doctors trust the players?
Take Laurent Robinson. Robinson wanted to play in the NFL so badly he took part in a realty TV show sponsored by Michael Irvin, where the winner would be given a spot on the Dallas Cowboys training camp roster. Robinson not only won the competition on the show, but also made the team out of training camp and currently plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Robinson was recently quoted as saying he has all intentions on continuing his career after suffering four concussions in the final four months of the NFL season.
Step two involves PEDs. Two years ago, the NFL and NFLPA agreed to institute HGH testing. They now say that they intend to begin that process next season. What is not clear is what kind of discipline is going to be taken when and if a player tests positive. So, let me help out Mr. Goodell. First time you are busted, you sit for the season. Next time you get popped you're done, go play in Canada. Players do not respond to fines. Reed was fined more than any other player this past season, and the total amount equaled less that one-twelfth his income for the year. Players will and have responded to being hit with suspensions. The average NFL career is just over three years. Take away a third of someone's possible earnings and they will take note.
The testing and punishment will also discourage players from using, and when fewer players are using you will have fewer human missiles launching themselves or human tanks trying to run other players into the ground.
The third and final step is fixing the problem from the bottom up. As I already noted, this generation of players has little hope of changing. But if you start teaching the upcoming generations how to properly play football the risks will be severely decreased. This is the most pressing issue. During Super Bowl week, Bernard Pollard of the Baltimore Ravens was quoted as saying the NFL will not exist in 20-30 years. The best way to change that is to start with the players who will be playing in the next five to eight years.
The NFL and NCAA are multi-million and billion dollar companies, so it would be in their best interest to ensure the safety of their product in the coming decades. So fork over some money and help little league and middle school programs so that they can properly learn how to teach the game.
As a former player and coach I know what practice is like. Youth teams can struggle to find one coach, let alone a coach who knows how to teach the proper techniques. So what I suggest is that the NFL and the NCAA put money into youth programs that extensively teach coaches how to teach players. To coach you have to take a class and pass the class just like a referee would.
Now you might say that this could cut down on the slim number of coaches that there already are. Too bad. If you can't have a coach who knows what he or she is doing it's better that they don't coach anyway.
Also as an extension of the coaching certification class, have representatives that randomly show up to practices and make sure that these coaches are teaching the right techniques.
The only way to fix the problem of poor tackling and tackling with bad form is to start teaching the players of tomorrow how to do it properly from day one. Very few concussions or head and neck injuries occur when proper tackling form is used. One of the problems that is now occurring is that players feel they can use poor tackling form and launch with their heads because they now have "magic helmets". Well, these helmets are not magic and they still don't prevent head injuries if poor form is used.
Many people feel as though the violence in the sport has helped make the sport so popular. Well, my response to that is this: one commissioner Goodell has already put in ridiculous rules that have dramatically altered the game, and the Super Bowl that was just played 72 hours ago was the highest rated TV event in history. Secondly, a good majority of the most vicious hits are clean hits. Just because you keep your head up on a tackle doesn't mean you can't hit the ball carrier with the same amount of force that you would otherwise.
In fact I would say you would be able to hit him harder, since you will actually be seeing what you are hitting.
Football at all levels is reaching a tipping point if it isn't already there. When the person who represents the highest level of the sport says that he would discourage his son from playing football, that's not a good sign.
And he isn't the only one. The days of the families like the Mannings or the Matthews are coming to an end.


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Secrecy common in officer shootingsBy NANCY BEAN FOSTER
Sunday News Correspondent
August 18. 2013 12:05AM
WEARE - A New Hampshire police chief who previously served as an officer in Weare believes the officers involved in a fatal shooting last week will be found to have acted properly, but it could be awhile before official word is released.
The secrecy that typically shrouds such shootings can cause frustration, but police from across the state say the whole story eventually comes out.
Brookline Police Chief William Quigley, who served in Weare prior to taking the helm in Brookline, said: "You don't shoot anybody that's not posing an immediate threat. I find it highly unbelievable that the Weare officers fired without justification."
On Wednesday night, an undercover drug operation by the Weare Police Department somehow went wrong, authorities said. When the suspect fled the parking lot of the Dunkin' Donuts where the sting was taking place, two officers shot at him as a chase ensued. A crash then occurred involving two police vehicles, the suspected drug dealer's car and a vehicle parked by the side of the road, authorities said. The alleged dealer died of his injuries.
Information yet to be released includes the names of the officers and that of the suspect.
Standard protocol in police departments throughout New Hampshire as well as state law restrict use of deadly force. According to RSA 627:5, an officer is justified in using deadly force only when it is reasonable to believe that it's necessary in order to defend the officer or a third party.
Jeffery Strelzin, senior assistant attorney general, said officer-involved shootings don't get special treatment.
"We investigate them like we do all homicide cases. We secure the scene, speak to witnesses, collect evidence, do forensic testing as needed and if possible, and then apply the law to the facts to reach a determination," he said in an email last week.
After an officer-involved shooting, it is standard protocol for the officer or officers to be immediately placed on paid administrative leave while the incident is investigated.
The two Weare officers who were involved in last week's shooting are on leave and won't return until the investigation is completed, said Sgt. Joe Kelley, who referred all questions about the shooting to the Attorney General's Office.
That period between when a shooting occurs and when the investigation is completed can be frustrating for officers, said Hillsborough Police Chief David Roarick, because there's only a limited amount of information released to the public in the early stages. In 2011, two Hillsborough police officers shot and killed Shelly D. Naroian when she brandished a weapon during an altercation.
"These events happen in less than a couple of seconds, and those seconds are analyzed by ... people for weeks, even months to determine that force was justified," he said. "Every question under the sun comes up."
But it's not until those findings are made public, after the investigation is completed, that the true nature of the incident can be made clear, said Roarick.
"The level of detail out there (initially) can't be the whole story in order to protect all of the parties involved, including the person who was shot," he said. "It's only fair that when the information is released, it's right."
But Roarick added that it's tough for officers to read comments or see media reports that don't tell the entire story.
"It's frustrating when you know what the truth is and you hear other things that are inaccurate, but you can't say anything because it could jeopardize the investigation," he said. "But I guess it's just the nature of the beast. It's the way it has to be to be fair to everybody."
It is expected to take weeks before the investigation of the Weare shooting is released, according to Senior Assistant Attorney General Susan Morrell.
Training required
Every year, police officers are required to attend a four-hour training session regarding the use of deadly force, said Capt. Benjamin Jean of the Police Standards and Training Council.
"It's important for them to understand the law and how it applies," said Jean, "because an officer only has seconds to decide whether to use his weapon or not."
And sometimes not even seconds, said Chief Alex Scott of Claremont, where an officer-involved shooting in 2008 resulted in the death of Anthony Jarvis, who shot Trooper Phillip Gaiser during an altercation in Jarvis' trailer. The Attorney General's Office found that Gaiser's actions were appropriate.
Scott said the decision to shoot someone has a long-lasting effect on an officer, whether the person they shoot lives or dies.
"It's a life-altering event," he said. "In the incident in Claremont, the officers involved were in counseling for a very long time."
"Police officers are not in this job to hurt people," said Roarick, Hillsborough's chief. "We sign up for this job because we want to help people. So it is a difficult thing when we have to make the decision to take another life. Even if it's a bad guy, it's still a human being."
The use of deadly force is relatively rare, said Deputy Chief Rene Kelley of the Durham Police Department. Kelley said that an incident in Lee on Dec. 3, 2012, in which two Durham officers fired on Steven Amazeen, was the first time in the department's history that an officer had to discharge his weapon in the line of duty.
Taking leave
In Durham, Kelley said, there was both an internal investigation and an investigation by the Attorney General's Office.
"We offer them counseling if they are inclined to go along with that," he added, "and prior to returning to work, they have to be cleared through a department-chosen mental health professional to be sure they are mentally prepared to come back to work."
Crime, law and justice Public Safety Weare Top Section Stories


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The Canandaigua City School District is seeking community insight regarding the current strengths and weaknesses of the educational program in the schools.
The district's Strategic Planning Committee asks all residents to complete a brief survey to better identify those strengths and weaknesses. The survey is part of the district's 2013-14 initiative to develop a new long-term strategic plan, known as a Plan for Excellence (PFE), to help focus and guide district operations over the next 3-5 years.
To take the survey, to www.CanandaiguaSchools.org, and QuickLink: PFE Community Survey. Find QuickLinks in a drop down menu at the upper left of the home page.
The survey should take no more than about 10 minutes to complete. The survey will be open through Friday, Dec. 13.
"Since early October, we have been gathering information about the current state of the school district," stated Superintendent of Schools Lynne Erdle. "We've done this through public forums and focus groups, as well as internal meetings with our employees. The survey is the last major step in gathering as many perceptions as we can to factor in to the new plan. We very much hope that people from every facet of the community will participate."
After survey results are collated, the Strategic Planning Committee will analyze all information during the first few months of 2014, and begin developing a framework for a new Plan for Excellence. A proposal will be presented to the Board of Education in the late winter or early spring, with adoption of a new Plan for Excellence by the Board of Education anticipated in late May.


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The Pulaski County Humane Society (PSHS) held its annual meeting to recognize volunteers and choose leadership on Friday.
The meeting was hosted by Sellers Sexton in St. Robert and according to PCHS president Kim Fuhr, was the best attended meeting to date.
The organization has seen a lot of growth in the last couple of years, with increased volunteer involvement, more fundraising, and the opening of their new Loving Paws Adoption Center in Crocker.
PCHS is a local volunteer-run organization which depends solely on donations. Volunteers often spend as much or more time working for the organization than they do their regular jobs, according to Fuhr.
"Adoption center volunteers alone have logged over 200 hours a month, this year," Fuhr said.
The adoption center and the animals in foster care number 244 as of Friday's meeting for the year. Fuhr pointed out that the organization has handled more than just dogs in the last year, helping horses, a goat and even a large bird that resembled an emu called a rhea.
Fuhr said she wanted to recognize the people who volunteer and foster animals for the organization because "without them, none of it would be possible."
Fuhr presented an award to outgoing board member Marge Connors and an appreciation award to Debbie Crawford, while recognizing others who weren't present.
The organization also held its first ever Critter Camp for girls over the summer, as well as continuing to make improvements on the adoption center.
Volunteers held multiple fundraisers throughout the year including several runs, a golf tournament and a concert, as well as participating in adoption events.
Plans for next year include a fun dog show, which will likely be held in April with contests that will include best dressed dog, best dog trick, ugliest dog, cutest dog and others. The proceeds of the dog show will benefit PCHS and K's Lifesaver.
K's Lifesaver benefits Kaylea Ringis, a local child with Brittle type one diabetes who received a diabetic alert dog last year named Hope. According to Lorrie Ringis, Kaylea's mother, Hope has saved Kaylea's life several times since she became part of their family.
PCHS has teamed up with K's Lifesaver to help the Ringis family raise the money needed to pay for the purchase of Hope.
The evening wrapped up with the election of PCHS's new board which includes Kim Fuhr, Angie Johnson Cherie Rigsby, Candice West, Barbara Freeman, Shawn Layman, Barb Easterla, Connie Herndon and Tina Christenson.


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Episodes Include:
Go Ahead and Jump (1954): Mason, a flip cab driver with a secret heart of gold, has a forlorn passenger determined to commit suicide. Starring Dick Powell, William Johnstone, Joanne Jordan, George D. Wallace and Robert Bice.
The House Always Wins (1955): Willie Dante, owner of a underground gambling casino, is tipped off by a former lover of an impending robbery. Starring Dick Powell, Jack Benny, Jean Willes, Herb Virgran, Regis Toomey, Alan Mowbray and Tristram Coffin.
A Place Full of Strangers (1955): An overworked businessman, desperate for a break, takes an unplanned bus trip in an attempt to escape his responsibilities. Starring Dick Powell, Dina Merrill, Morris Ankrum and Frieda Inescort.
The Witness (1953): Playboy Defense Attorney Donagin must track down a key witness to save the life of an innocent young man. Starring Dick Powell, Charles Bronson (as Charles Buchinsky) and Marion Carr.


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The debate about the value of charter schools rages on. Are charter schools a success or failure? As someone who was part of the "movement" nearly from the inception 20 years ago and can lay claim to helping create the first charters in two different states (Michigan and Florida) and having consulted with countless others in their quest to start a charter school, I can say "both."
In 1995, I wrote an article for the national magazine Education Week foreshadowing what sadly has played out in the charter school movement and what we are witnessing today. I said at the time charter school advocates tend to fall into one of three categories:
Here are more tips and stories, just in time for fall:
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- Back to School: Mantle-perfect school portraits
Zealots and ideologues: These people tend to view charter schools passionately as a way toward "the truth," or at least as a stopgap solution to public education's problems that will suffice until they can get a voucher system in place.
Entrepreneur scoundrels: There are gross profits being made, and some charter management are getting the gold mine while the taxpayers and students are getting the shaft.
There are clear cases of charter-school management companies making hundreds of thousands — if not millions — in annual profit on real estate deals alone while failing to educate children. Sadly, their actions are not illegal under current law, but should be.
Their motive is greed, not service. Look out for these so-called entrepreneurs in education.
Child-, parent- and teacher-centered reformers: These individuals and organizations realize that reform requires boldness and risk taking. To them, charter schools are not anti-public education, but pro-child and pro-public choice.
Not much has changed. Today, similar to traditional public schools, charter schools have a network of apologists and lobbyists intent on protecting their gains into the educational market and have become in many cases the new status quo. Like traditional public schools, charter schools today cover the spectrum — from the good, the bad and the ugly. This includes both traditional and charter schools not educating our children.
We need one quality and accountability standard. We must demand transparency, efficiency and effectiveness in how billions of our tax dollars are being spent and quality outcomes for our students.
We need to stop the ideological debate, from both the left and right — the left condemning all charters and the right believing once the charter moniker is invoked it turns a lousy school into a good one. We need to arrive at the point where the only adjective before the word "school" that matters is quality.
The ideological fights from the state capitol have never educated a single child. At the end of the day, when we focus on teaching, learning and children and quality — and not power, control, politics and adults — good things happen for our kids.
A lousy school not educating our kids is not worthy of anyone's support and should be made better or be closed, whether it is "traditional' or "charter.' Can't we all agree on that?
Tom Watkins served as Michigan state superintendent of schools.


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The Team Fortress 2 Blog details significant changes to the item drop system in Valve's teamplay shooter, indicating the changes are going live today. They outline the changes, which boil down to idlers finding few items after the changes are implemented, and everyone else will find items more frequently and with greater regularity. Looking forward, they say: "We're still thinking about how to allow you to influence your drops."
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That is what I have been saying too, though I do believe the QB play has not been good though. For the team, the head coach is the most important thing. I think we are seeing that in spades this year.As many have noted on here I have been one of if not the most vocal defenders of the QBs on this team. Whether that be Cassel or Quinn I have defended them all season long. I can now point to an example as to why that's the case.
Last night Alex Smith of the 49ers played OUTSTANDING. He only missed 1 pass the whole game. A few seasons ago Smith was in the same seat that Matt Cassel has been in over the course of his time in KC. But that's changed a lot over the last 2 seasons. What happened. He got a good HEAD COACH.
This is not a team that is just lacking good play out of the QB. Our Wrs have not played to the level they can. Our O line hasn't been great. Our guys are tipping passes to the defenders. Many talk about how the passes are not great. And the most common thing is overthrows. Well I can say I have watched many other NFL games. The same throws are being made by other QBs around the NFL. There guys have to go up and get the ball. NONE of them have tipped the ball to the defenders as often as our guys have. WHY Is that? We have some good WRS. Bowe is one of the most talented in the NFL. Baldwin has shown promise at times looked lost at others. They don't suck. They are the victim of the same thing our QBs have been the victim of. HORRIBLE COACHING.
A good head coach and good coaching staff can go a long way for the players. We saw Matt Cassel play well with a great head coach in New England. He hasn't had that in KC. And Cassel is not a great enough player to overcome poor coaching. He needs it.
This team is suffering from a lot of things. Poor Qb play is on that list. But the biggest thing they are suffering from is a BAD head coach and a bad coaching staff. Nothing is going to get better in KC until that changes. Many want a 1st pick to get a Great college QB. Well unless we get change in coaching that QB isn't going to be able to do much better then what we see the current guys doing. Alex Smith shows just how far a good head coach can take a player. We haven't seen that since Dick Vermil. It's not in KC now. If the Chiefs are ever going to be a winner again they HAVE to find a real head coach. That's where it starts. Get a real head coach and then work on the other problems but it starts with the coaching staff.


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Goulds AVB20600C0X0X0X1 Aquavar IPC (Intelligent Pump Controller) TYPE 12 & TYPE 3R ENCLOSURE, 208-230 Volt, 3 Phase, C2 Frame Size, 170 Continuous Output Amps
Goulds AVB20600C0X0X0X1 Aquavar IPC (Intelligent Pump Controller) TYPE 12 & TYPE 3R ENCLOSURE, 208-230 Volt, 3 Phase, C2 Frame Size, 170 Continuous Output Amps
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Responding to Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed 2013-14 fiscal budget, California's Legislative Analyst's Office released its overview on the budget at a press conference Monday, calling it sound and "commendable."
Analyst Mac Taylor said the plan presented in Gov. Brown's proposal was on par with being a balanced approach to what the state needed.
In November when the LAO released its 2013-14 budget outlook projecting a $1.9 billion deficit — a large improvement over massive deficits in the past — the state's outlook would depend on fiscal restraint.
"We think the governor's budget reflects that kind of fiscal discipline," Taylor said.
When Gov. Brown released his proposed budget last Thursday, he touted an end to the state's operating budget deficit, though it was dependent on whether all his proposals passed muster with the state legislature.
The budget plan included a $1 billion surplus at the end of the 2013-14 fiscal year, the result of years of bone-deep cuts and bolstered by tax revenue garnered from the passage of Proposition 30.
The $97.7 billion operating budget promised an increase in spending for both university systems, huge gains for the K-12 and community college budgets and approaches to handling the federal expansion of Medicare.
Brown's proposed budget promises the K-12 and community colleges $56.2 billion, a $2.7 billion increase over last year. The University of California and California State University systems both stand to gain $125 million more each, on top of the $125 million for each system expected from Prop. 30.
Taylor commended the budget, saying that it pays down debt, including $2 billion in delayed payments to schools, and that the budget stressed that additional payments were plugged in down the road to get the obligations "off the books."
"This is really critical because we still face a lot of risk," Taylor said.
While Taylor said the LAO respected Brown's sound judgment in the plan, he was critical of some aspects, including the fact that it did not pay down the state's "wall of debt" within the budget's period of time.
"It builds up very little reserves in that time period and it does nothing regarding our various retirement obligations," Taylor said. He did note that the governor's budget referenced those problems.
The major difference was about $1.1 billion in revenue between what Gov. Brown's plan projected and what the LAO forecast in its November report.
The numbers largely depend on whether the tax revenues were up to par come May, and it was still very possible to see major shifts in the numbers in Brown's proposed expenditures.
Another factor was one largely recognized as beyond the state's control — the federal debt ceiling and the federal government's handling of that situation. If not resolved, Taylor noted its adverse reaction on the national economy would be felt in California.
Overall, however, the differences between the LAO and the administration were so negligible that it would do no good to quibble over small details.
Brown's approach to K-12 and community college funding was commended.
"We think the governor is on the right track for the funding formula for K-12 schools," Taylor said.
The governor's proposed plan included categorical spending, departing from the norm of limiting schools to spending money on specific needs from earmarked pots of money by designating spending on schools with more need.
All systems would receive the standard amount but would be augmented based whether a district needed more to help with low-income families or communities.
However, Taylor said the LAO questioned some funding practices, especially with how the governor shifted money from Prop. 39 — half of which is promised to go toward energy projects — toward Prop. 98 calculations.
Prop. 39 promises $550 million per year until it expires in 2019.
Prop. 98, passed in 1988, mandates at least a minimum set of California's budget be spent on public K-12 education. Taylor said that was a major departure from how the LAO traditionally understood the use of tax revenue and its legality may be questionable under the state constitution.
"This is a serious departure from our longstanding view of how revenues are to be treated for the purposes of Proposition 98," the LAO wrote in its overview. "It also is directly contrary to what the voters were told in the official voter guide as to how the revenues would be treated."
Taylor also commended the approach to handling higher education but at the same time questioned some promises Brown would make. Brown's budget expects the UC and CSU systems to suspend tuition increases for the next four years but at the same time promises a 5 percent increase in intervening years.


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MSGL now has a Book Reviews page.
Click here to visit the Book Reviews Blog. We welcome reviews of recommended books from staff, parents, and children.
Contact me at: email@example.com if you would like to submit a book review to our site.
The best kind of snow day is when you can actually play in the snow.
Last week provided a miserable welcome to the new semester. Snow, high winds, and bitter cold meant that the Montessori School of Greater Lafayette was in session for only 20 out of a possible 40 hours over four days. Our staff did its best to maintain communication with the families and those families were very understanding. There were, however, a few questions about how we respond to Indiana's volatile winter weather at MSGL.
The question of the week was "If the weather continues like this, can we expect to continue having so many delays and closures?" The short answer is, "yes." But how are decisions about school delays made? That's a longer answer.
I would have thought this to be a very elementary understanding. Doesn't everyone know when it's too dangerous to take the kids to school? But when I found myself working as MSGL's "Weather Delay Intern" last week, I discovered that many factors contribute to a closing or delay, and they are not always obvious to everyone.
First, there are no hard and fast rules for determining if conditions are too dangerous for school. Everything depends on timing. Temperatures below -12F are a general cut-off if people are going to be outside for more than a few minutes. However, if the roads are clear and the temperatures are on the rise at 8 a.m., then -12F might be acceptable at arrival. High winds could change that, of course. Roads that are clear now may not be clear when morning classes dismiss. Or they might be passable in town, but dangerous out in the country. And all of this has to be considered over the course of our 10-hour day.
MSGL can't follow the determinations of local school districts because they have special considerations - such as bus transportation and a large number of students who walk to school. Generally, MSGL can be in session more frequently than the public schools.
The weather is just one component of a weather-related school delay. Preparation of facilities and the safety of our staff are two others. And our families themselves are an important consideration.
Facilities: The parking lot and sidewalks must be clear of snow and ice before staff and families arrive. Our school is a small, not-for-profit, parent-owned school. A small core of people manage the day-to-day operations of the school and the needs of over 500 people. This is why we rely on a private company to clear the parking lot, sidewalks, and steps of snow and ice. That company serves several other businesses each day AND it needs two hours to clear MSGL after a snow or ice event. As an example, if the snow stops falling at 6 a.m. on a school day and we are third on the list for snow removal, school cannot open at 7:30. The ability of our snow removal contractor to clear our lot and paths before we arrive is a major determinant of our start time.
Cultural Considerations: Another little-known factor is our region's cultural relationship with winter weather. As one parent said, "I grew up in Vermont. We don't cancel school there." Indiana's threshold for tolerating winter weather might be a bit lower than other cold places because we don't see as many snowy days and our street departments are not equipped for a large quantity of snow on a regular basis. And because the majority of the West Lafayette community is made up of faculty or students from Purdue University, we also have a lot of families who come from places with absolutely no snow, ice, or cold temperatures. It can take these families a few snowy days to get the hang of dressing for the weather and driving in it. We are more comfortable with snow than Los Angeles, but less comfortable than Montpelier - and that makes a difference in how we respond to it.
Staff: Teachers and staff need to be able to travel safely and arrive at school before the children. Our staff are dedicated to their jobs and they want to be at school. While it's easy to imagine teachers being excited to have a snow day, the reality is that the majority of our teachers have school-aged children of their own. Just like MSGL families, the teachers have to scramble to get their children safely to school in case of a delay or to arrange other care if public schools cancel and MSGL is in session.
Many of our staff live outside of city limits and travel county roads to get to work, so their ability to arrive safely is always a top priority. Delaying the start of school allows them to get out of their driveways and travel potentially hazardous roads in daylight so they can be here when the families arrive. We could call on substitute teachers to work for staff who cannot make it to school, but our substitute teachers are also home with their children on these days. Operating without adequate staff is not an option so we need to be sure all of our teachers can get to school.
Forecasted weather: Conditions throughout the day, and not just at arrival, need to be considered to determine closures and delays. The weather may be clear at morning arrival, but if incoming snow and/or ice and wind threaten later in the day, staff and children could become stranded at school or out on the roads. The administration must take into account the anticipated timing of dangerous weather and sometimes cancel classes in advance of this weather (even if that bad weather never fully materializes.)
Our early arrival and after school programs are the first to be cancelled because MSGL is a school and not a daycare facility. We do offer before and after-care programs that can function as full-day care for families, but our primary function is that of a school. This means being open during class time from 8:30 - 3:00 takes priority over being open before and after class.
We understand that it is frustrating to wake up to a school delay or cancellation. Our Montessori parents have jobs, commitments, and plans and not being able to leave their children in our care causes real problems for them. That being said, MSGL is a parent-owned school. We were started by parents over 40 years ago and all current MSGL families are the current owners of the school. If you are reading this and you have children enrolled at our school, you are one of the owners of the Montessori School of Greater Lafayette. With that ownership, come some responsibilities.
What can MSGL families do to help?
1. Stay informed - before school and during the day. We announce delays, cancellations, and early dismissals through many different sources. Here is a listing.
2. Offer help, if you can. If you have some time after bringing your child to school on a wintry day, you might:
If possible, we would prefer to be able to control the climate and prepare the outdoor environment as carefully as we prepare our students' learning environments. But the realities of winter weather require our staff and families to be vigilant, flexible, and patient with weather events - and the timing of those events - over which we have no control.
And if you, like me, are curious how the large, public school districts determine delays, this video from Louisville, KY is interesting.
Thanks for reading, ~Heather
I had the great pleasure of working in my former classroom today and it reminded me of why the three-year cycle in Montessori classrooms is so beneficial, not least of all, to the teachers.
Our Montessori preschool classrooms are composed of a mixed-age group of children who remain, ideally, in one classroom for three years. A child starts at age three and stays through her Kindergarten year. This is called the three year cycle. Each of those years brings new and unique learning opportunities for the child. As a three-year-old, the child observes her older peers and benefits from their experience. As a four-year-old, she starts to see herself as one of the "big kids" and expands her social circle. In her Kindergarten year she is recognized as a leader and takes pride in helping others.
When I took a sabbatical at the end of the school year in May, I left behind children who had been in my classroom for one or two years. I was able to catch up with many of those students today when I visited the classroom. I observed that two of "my" third-year students, I'll call them S and K, were part of what Montessorian John Chattin-McNichols calls a "roving pack of 5-year-olds." They were wandering around with some other boys and mixing it up a little. I knew these two boys when they were just barely three years old. I knew them before they could consciously control their bodies at group time and even before they could dress themselves successfully. Now, here they were - big, bold 5-year-olds and I was curious to see who they had become eight months after we last worked together.
Angie, my dear friend and the lead teacher of my former class, shared with me that S and K had been working on the squaring and cubing chains in the math area, so I asked them about those activities. They were eager to show me what they had already done and tell me what came next. Within a few minutes, they broke off from the pack and were ready to master the 10 cubing chain.
The 10 cubing chain - or 1000 chain - is a concrete representation of 10 cubed. It's made up of one thousand pea-sized beads organized into bars of ten. The bars of ten are attached at the ends to make a chain. Children are ready for this work after they have mastered the 1 - 10 squaring chains and the 1 - 9 cubing chains. This video from the DuPage Montessori School in Naperville, Illinois provides a good overview of how the squaring and cubing chains are presented in the Montessori classroom.
The 10 cubing chain is nearly 30 feet long so it must be laid out in the hallway outside the classroom. So, off to the hallway we went.
S and K divided up the tasks between themselves. One carried the rolled-up mat and the other carried the chain. We established the space we would use in the hallway and K unrolled the mat while S went back into the classroom for the number tabs. We discussed how they would sort the tabs on the tray and move it down the mat as they worked.
S found the 1000 tab. He knew it went at the very end of the chain but he left it on the tray. There was a pause before they started and I asked what number they would start with. S said, "We have to count them all."
That is certainly one way to do it. But when a child is ready for the 1000 chain, he is generally ready to complete it without counting every number because he can now count by tens and hundreds. Once you trust that 10 is ten, you don't have to count it again.
I asked if they thought they could first put tabs on the hundreds. Yes! They were sure they could. Together, we counted the bars as 10, 20, 30 and so on until we got to 100. S got the 100 tab and marked that spot. K quickly grasped the system and immediately went to work sorting out all of the hundreds tabs in a separate group so that S could place them. This was my cue to find something else to do. I went back inside the classroom to assist Miss Angie while the boys marked off every 100th bead on the chain with the appropriate tab.
They repeated the process, stopping after each bar of ten. K was the sorter, S was the placer. "150! I need 150," S said. K had it ready. There was never any disagreement, that I heard, over who would do which task. They just got started and they each found their niche as they went. And they were really digging their work.
They started the cubing chain work at 9:45 and I checked in with them every few minutes. They finished at 11:00. One of them stopped to use the bathroom then went straight back to his work. Other children would step into the hall to see what was happening and then go back inside to their work.
Sometimes I checked on S and K without speaking and other times I acknowledged their progress. Once, I said I would be back to check on them in a bit unless they needed some help. "We need some help," S said. They could not find the tab for 590. I suggested they leave a space for that number and they could put it there when they found it. They never found it, but they were able to move on without hesitation.
As they got to the very end, S picked up the 1000 tab and started to place it under the 1000th bead. K said, "Hey! We decided we would put that one on together!" And so they did. That's when this photo was snapped.
If you had asked me three years ago if these children were developing normally and if they were going to learn to read and write and grow up to be compassionate humans I would have responded, "Of course they will!" But in the back of my head there would have been a tiny voice saying, "What if they aren't? What if they are never able to sit in a chair for more than 8 seconds? What if they never learn to put their shoes on by themselves? What if they show no interest in reading? What if they always write six as 9?"
That doubtful voice is a familiar one to parents because most of us only get to experience the development of one or two children. We fear we will do something wrong and our children will not achieve their potential. Preschool teachers should know better because we get to observe hundreds of children over the course of our careers, right? But sometimes, even with years of experience, we forget that our job is simply to prepare a nourishing environment. It is the child who must do the work of building the man.
In 1949, Maria Montessori offered us some guidance in our quest to relax and trust that each child will reveal himself as a competent and confident being in his own time. In The Absorbent Mind she wrote, "...for while, in the traditional schools, the teacher sees the immediate behavior of her pupils, knowing that she must look after them and what she has to teach, the Montessori teacher is constantly looking for a child who is not yet there."
Dr. Montessori also implemented the three-year cycle in our classrooms to give us enough time to look for that child and see him before he moves on to primary school.
I am not at all surprised that S and K can count to 1000 by tens and hundreds. I am not surprised that they can recognize 3-digit numerals or that they can prepare, complete, and put away their work. I am not even surprised that two 5-year-old boys willingly work together on a math material for 1 hour and and 15 minutes with only a bathroom break and very limited guidance. I've seen it before.
I am surprised at the sense of joyous relief I feel each time children reveal themselves in this way. It's an experience that never gets old. I suppose that's the ultimate reward of being a teacher.
An MSGL preprimary student prepares carrots at home using a chopper and cutting board of her own.
Dozens of MSGL students are enjoying increased independence at home thanks to the "Bringing Montessori Home" parent development night held January 21, 2015. Thirty parents and grandparents attended the 1 ½ hour event that offered live demonstrations of Montessori-inspired activities children can do at home as well as hands-on activities, and an introduction to the Montessori philosophy.
Small groups of parents rotated through three different classrooms to observe and take part in presentations. Dena Saunders and Emily Frazier presented Care of Self and Care of the Environment. Getting dressed, caring for plants and pets, and cleaning up spills were some of the topics covered. Dena elicited "oohs and aahs" from one group when she demonstrated how to use masking tape to make a square on the floor so a child can easily sweep spills into a dust pan.
Angie Shamo and Machelle French demonstrated how to put together a few simple art activities on a shelf at home for when a child wants to work creatively and independently. The cutting strips, which consist of thin, sturdy paper strips on a tray with a pair of scissors, allow the child to practice cutting safely and successfully. Another suggestion was to offer just three colors of watercolor paints at a time - in the beginning - so a child can successfully create a painting without all of the colors mixing into brown. Families were also given the school's popular recipe for making play dough at home.
Many parents tried their hands at peeling and chopping carrots and peeling clementines in the food preparation class led by Anita Trent and Ana Ramirez. Each activity was arranged as it could be in the home, including child-sized tools. Hand-washing and serving etiquette were also discussed as these are important aspects of food preparation for young children. While one parent offered sliced carrots to the group, Anita said, "Imagine how it feels for your child to serve you just like you have always served your child."
After the presentations, many parents said they were excited to try these activities at home with their children. They also felt that some of the things their children were already doing at home, such as preparing a salad and feeding the fish, meshed nicely with the Montessori philosophy.
Each family received a selection of child-sized items to use at home.
Each family in attendance received a materials bag containing a child-sized vegetable peeler and chopper, a small pitcher, a dust pan set, cutting strips and scissors, child-sized sponge and towel, and a hook to hang the child's coat or book bag at a level where she can reach it. Families also received a custom-made photo book - created by the teachers - that reviews materials covered in the presentations as well as offering additional ideas and resources.
Materials bags and books are still available for purchase in the office for $10.
Thank you to everyone who attended! MSGL plans to offer "Bringing Montessori Home" again next year and will include new activities and take-home materials.
Grace's first day of Montessori preschool, 1997.
Last summer, my 19-year-old daughter was getting ready to move into her first apartment. I was excited for her to have the chance to live on her own and had been setting aside household items that I thought she could use. One day, after admiring the "steal" of a chair I had found at Goodwill, she asked me, "Aren't you sad that I won't live here anymore?"
"Well, honey," I said, "I always imagined that you would grow up and move out of the house. That was our goal all along for you to be an independent, self-sufficient person."
"I know," she said. "But I'm kind of sad that I won't be sleeping here anymore."
I reminded her that she had hardly slept at home at all since she started college last year. She lived in the dorm, four hours away from home and we often didn't hear from her for days.
"Yeah, but this is different. I just can't believe this won't be my home address anymore. Are you going to change the garage door code?"
A-ha! Then I figured it out. She was worried about cutting the cord from the house where she grew up. I had been concerning myself with making sure she was comfortable "out there" and she was worried she would no longer be welcome back at home.
It occurred to me that not much has changed between that day and the day sixteen years ago when we were preparing to send her to preschool here at the Montessori School of Greater Lafayette. Back then we were so excited to help our "baby" pick out a new lunch box and indoor shoes but we had little idea what to do to help prepare her (or ourselves) emotionally for this new chapter. She sailed through preschool and is now working through nursing school just fine, but we have learned a lot since then. Today I am sharing some tips and advice gathered from teachers and parents here at MSGL to help you and your child prepare for the first days of preschool.
Talk about school - mindfully.
Talk with your child about preschool when he is in the mood. Maybe he will bring it up or you can start the conversation, just don't push too hard. If your child seems "done" with the conversation or is becoming anxious, let the topic drop until later. And be honest about your feelings when you do talk about school. Some children worry that their parents will be sad or lonely when they are gone. When you say, "I am going to miss being with you in the morning, but it makes me happy to know you will be enjoying yourself at school," it lets him know that you will miss him but you are confident that school is a good place for him to be.
Check out the new environment.
MSGL's Parent Work Day is Saturday, August 16th. This is a great time to get familiar with the school and classroom environments and to be part of the school community. Children are encouraged to help clean lockers, pull weeds, and load and unload wheelbarrows full of mulch right alongside their parents and new classmates. And, each family member's time counts towards your volunteer hours requirement.
You will have another opportunity to get familiar with the school when your child attends her New Student Orientation visit on Monday, August 18th. This is her first opportunity to see her teachers and classmates in her new classroom. She can put her indoor shoes in her locker, locate her cubby and extra clothes box, and see where the bathroom is. The whole family can attend the Parent Orientation later that evening and maybe your child can give a tour of her new classroom.
Make new friends.
You will receive a class list via email in August. Consider contacting a few families on the list to set up a playdate before school starts. Even if you can't get together with any other families, you and your child can look over the names on the list together. You may discover that one of his classmates lives on your street or maybe someone has the same name as a sibling or a friend.
Help her dress for success.
Our Montessori classrooms are prepared to encourage your child's independence and you can help by providing your child with shoes and clothing that she can put on and take off by herself. Belts, suspenders, and jumpsuits look smart but they can be difficult for your child to use successfully. Provide your child a choice of clothing that allows her complete independence in her self-care routines. And please remember that preschool is a time to jump in and explore. Paint, snack, sand, and dirt from the garden can stain your child's clothing, so please send her to school in clothes that can stand to get dirty.
Plan a morning routine.
Now is a good time to do a mental run-through of your morning routine. Consider how much time your child needs to wake up, get dressed, and eat breakfast. Allow time for packing lunches, finding coats and shoes, and getting on the bike or in the car. Then add a few extra minutes. Parents and children who are not in a rush tend to have much better experiences at drop-off. Some families even do a few "practice runs" in the summer to see if they can get to school and work on time.
Create a goodbye routine.
Discuss with your child how you each want to say goodbye at drop-off. Some families say, "After you put on your inside shoes and put away your lunch box, we will walk to the classroom and I will give you three hugs and two kisses before I go to work." Some children like to wave to dad out the window and some parents leave their children with specific plans for what they will do after school. "Sonia is picking you up today" or "we are going to the Farmer's Market on our bikes after school today." Children have so little control over their daily lives that they appreciate at least knowing what is happening and when.
And while we're talking about goodbyes, let's take just a moment to consider the specter of separation anxiety.
What if my child cries when I walk away?
Separating from your child that first time can be heart-breaking, but remember - it's only for a few moments. The majority of children who are sad when they separate from their parents are able to calm themselves and choose an activity within a few minutes. If you have gone through the goodbye routine and are finding it hard to turn around and walk away, ask your teacher for help. Sometimes parents say, "Please help me. I need to leave." That is the teacher's sign that she needs to hold your child's hand or pick her up so that you can walk away. Teachers don't want to step in before you are ready to go but they are happy to help when you ask them.
The best thing you can do for your child at drop-off is to be consistent and walk away when you say you will. Lingering tends to just prolong the heartache for the parent and the child. The first few times you drop your child off may be difficult, but trust that with consistent repetition you and your child will develop a peaceful good-bye routine.
Talk with the teachers.
Talk with your child's teachers about how the adjustment period is going. The teachers help dozens of children adjust to school every year but this may be your first time. They expect you will have questions and concerns. Email is a great way to communicate with your child's teachers and all of the contact information is available on the classroom web page at Msgl.org.
Help your child talk about his day.
If this is the first time your child has been away from home you will no doubt be very eager to know what he did all day. Unfortunately, preschoolers often say they "did nothing" or "just played." A lot of things happened between the time you dropped him off that morning and when you picked him up several hours later, but he might not yet be able to give a sequential list of his activities. Here are some ideas to help your child tell you about his day.
Take care of yourself!
The best thing you can do during these last few weeks of summer is to give you and your child the gift of a regular bedtime that allows enough sleep to wake up refreshed and ready for the big days ahead. Fill up with a good breakfast each morning and be extra patient with your child and especially with yourself. Parenting preschoolers, like college students, is hard work and there is no right way to do it. Follow your heart and follow your child, and in sixteen years, or so, you will be very proud of the people you have both become.
A child explores the knobbed cylinders.
"Gradually the children begin to concentrate. One day one child, another day two or three children. After they have concentrated the children are different. They become detached and work for themselves. The disorderly children begin to love order. They all become so orderly that disorder is an extraordinary thing." - Maria Montessori, The Child, Society, and the World
"Gradually the children begin to concentrate. One day one child, another day two or three children. After they have concentrated the children are different. They become detached and work for themselves. The disorderly children begin to love order. They all become so orderly that disorder is an extraordinary thing." - Maria Montessori, The Child, Society, and the World
"Normalized" is the word Maria Montessori coined to describe children in their natural state. She believed that a "normal" child is one who is able to focus on activities that interest him and, through these experiences, he constructs his personality. A normalized classroom is one in which the children interact peacefully while exploring activities that introduce them to the world. Montessori described a normalized classroom this way,
"A room in which all the children move about usefully, intelligently, and voluntarily, without commiting any rough or rude act, would seem to be a classroom very well disciplined indeed." - The Montessori Method.
"A room in which all the children move about usefully, intelligently, and voluntarily, without commiting any rough or rude act, would seem to be a classroom very well disciplined indeed." - The Montessori Method.
At the beginning of the year, Montessori Toddler and Preprimary classrooms are far from normalized. Some children shout, wander the room, and maybe even throw objects or dump materials on the floor. There is crying and spilling. Messes are made and not cleaned up. Disagreements arise. Those first few weeks can be wild, indeed! In traditional educational methods, teachers might respond to these behaviors with reprimands and punishments. In Montessori classrooms, the teachers respond with redirection to purposeful work.
For example, when a new three-year-old is wandering the room and disturbing the work of others, a teacher will take him by the hand and present a new material to him. If he has shown an interest in counting then we might present the Hanging Bead Stair. When this work is completed, we assist him in finding another activity that calls to him.
While polishing the sailboat, a child tunes out everythiing else around him.
Whatever the activity the child is redirected to, the aim is always the same: to develop concentration. Concentration is the key to a child's natural development and all learning takes place in a state of concentration. We can think of ourselves in our adult lives to get a better understanding. When you need to study for your GRE exam, what do you do? Do you head to a busy shopping mall to work on your laptop in the food court with your friends, or do you choose a quiet place? If you need to paint a room in your home, do you do it in the afternoon when the children are busy around your feet or do you save it for those glorious, quiet mornings when they are at school? Adults relish those moments when they can concentrate and really focus on their work without interruption. Children also relish those moments, but they must first know what concentration feels like.
This is what a Montessori classroom does: it provides an environment where children are free to concentrate - without interruption - on work that is essential to their development. A child who is excited and distracted by all the activity around him will transform into a peaceful, thoughtful individual when he is able to concentrate on a work he enjoys. Because concentrating and being in control of his body feels better than thrashing around wildly and causing mayhem, he continues to seek out other activities that allow him to feel this way.
Since concentration is the ultimate goal of every activity in our classroom, we are reverent of it when it appears and we do not interrupt it for any reason. If all learning occurs during a state of concentration, it would be illogical to interrupt a child's concentration in an attempt to "teach" her something. Corrections, points of interest, fixing a lock of hair that has fallen over her eye, picking up the pencil that rolled off the table, reminding her to wash her forgotten snack plate - we must do none of these things. In fact, when a child begins to concentrate on an activity, our job is to quietly step away and behave as though we are not in the room.
"The great principle which brings success to the teacher is this: as soon as concentration has begun, act as if the child does not exist. Naturally, one can see what he is doing with a quick glance, but without his being aware of it." - Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind
"The great principle which brings success to the teacher is this: as soon as concentration has begun, act as if the child does not exist. Naturally, one can see what he is doing with a quick glance, but without his being aware of it." - Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind
Dressing the baby doll and fastening its clothes requires great concentration. Some children choose this activity nearly every day.
Eventually, in a few weeks or even months, the classroom has been transformed from a noisy, chaotic scene into a peaceful, happy place to learn and play. We have seen this transformation begin in our classrooms. The children are beginning to put their belongings in their lockers and walk quietly into their classrooms. They greet their friends warmly, but not loudly. They choose work, complete the work, and put it away when they are finished. They choose to work with a friend or by themselves. They tap us on the shoulder when they have a question. They pour their own water for snack and wash their dishes when finished. They use the toilet without assistance (although assistance is always available.) They are also preparing to read, write, and count to 1000 - but when you are a young child, those accomplishments are of secondary importance compared to the ability to control one's body and interact peacefully with friends.
Your children always benefit from opportunities to concentrate on an activity. You can provide these opportunities at home by providing space and, most importantly, time for them to focus on just one thing. Maybe painting with watercolors, washing the breakfast dishes, watering the plants outside, looking at the spider web by the front door - let her look and explore for as long as she wishes. Be available to answer questions, but don't obey your urge to jump in and explain everything you've ever heard about spiders or tell her all about color theory. Let her concentrate and formulate her own ideas and questions. When her curiosity is satisfied and she is ready to turn her attention elsewhere, you may notice that she looks refreshed and relaxed. This is a sign that she is learning and making new connections in her brain! Dr. Montessori observed that, "The child who concentrates is immensely happy."
Do you have a story about concentration from your life or your child's life you would like to share in the comments below? We would love to hear about it.
May you find yourself concentrating and immensely happy in the week ahead. Thanks for reading.
~ Heather
Following Friends to Physics
Free play and building with logs and boards is a realistic way to explore physics concepts. MSGL has an outdoor space that allows for more than just "recess." Outside time is not a chance to get away from the classroom, it's an opportunity for children to use their whole bodies to learn and, most importantly, have fun with friends.
On Thursday, a quartet of boys was getting very silly in the back corner of our Montessori classroom. They were speaking with outside voices and using all available paper to make pretend swords so they could have a pretend swordfight. When I tried to redirect them, they asked to make paper airplanes and see whose would fly the farthest. Although Montessori teachers are known for their flexibility and laid-back grooviness, I could not condone sword-fighting and airplane-flying during class on this, only the second full week of preschool. What would people say?
I empathized with these friends because they wanted to play together and needed to actively move their bodies, but it was still 30 minutes before we (read: I) could even think about going outside where this type of gross-motor play was appropriate. They took a half-hearted interest in another activity and I sat at a table nearby to observe. When they realized I was there to stay, they started putting away their work and chanting with dead eyes and sad voices, "No more fun. No more fun. No more fun." It would seem I had officially become "the man." They went to the other side of the room to build a tower with the brown stair and the pink cubes and within minutes, they were using the smallest brown stair as a lever to launch the smallest pink cube across the rug. Clearly, they were trying to tell me something.
What these boys wanted was action. They are perfectly willing to come in each morning and work on their maps or practice writing their names, but after a time they really want to make things move. And it's not just the boys, of course. Girls thrive on kinesthetic learning activities and they are usually the first to line up to walk across the log seesaw.
In fact, all young children are kinesthetic learners. Most mature into adolescents who can learn successfully through watching and listening, but not all. As long ago as 1979, researchers studying how humans learn understood this:
"Restak (1979) and others have indicated that many students do not become strongly visual before third grade, that auditory acuity first develops in many students after the sixth grade, and that boys often are neither strongly visual nor auditory even during high school. Therefore, since most young children are tactual and kinesthetic learners, such resources should be developed and used, particularly for those who are experiencing difficulty learning through lectures, direct verbal instructions, "chalk talks," and textbook assignments."- See the full article at Education.com
"Restak (1979) and others have indicated that many students do not become strongly visual before third grade, that auditory acuity first develops in many students after the sixth grade, and that boys often are neither strongly visual nor auditory even during high school. Therefore, since most young children are tactual and kinesthetic learners, such resources should be developed and used, particularly for those who are experiencing difficulty learning through lectures, direct verbal instructions, "chalk talks," and textbook assignments."- See the full article at Education.com
No one is suggesting that preschoolers should be taught through lectures, but sometimes society (or maybe our high school principal's voice in the back of our head) worries us into thinking that if we don't make our children sit down, concentrate, and learn - how will they ever be successful in school or the Real World that supposedly comes after?
Parents sometimes ask, "When will you teach him to sit still and listen to the teacher?" The answer is that he will sit still and listen when what I am saying is of interest to him. It's my job to find the topic that is so fascinating to the child that he can't help but hold his body still so as to not miss a single word. A teacher's job is to be fascinating; but only until the child is so interested in the subject that he sets off to explore it on his own. At that point, the teacher observes and prepares for the child's next question then guides him to find the answers on his own. (Please note: Matters of health, safety, and courtesy are always addressed immediately. No one in the classroom has the freedom to hurt themselves or to hurt or disrupt others.)
Maria Montessori observed that not only do young children learn kinesthetically, they absolutely MUST learn this way for proper brain development.
"Movement, or physical activity, is thus an essential factor in intellectual growth, which depends upon the impressions received from outside. Through movement we come in contact with external reality, and it is through these contacts that we eventually acquire even abstract ideas." - The Secret of Childhood
"Movement, or physical activity, is thus an essential factor in intellectual growth, which depends upon the impressions received from outside. Through movement we come in contact with external reality, and it is through these contacts that we eventually acquire even abstract ideas." - The Secret of Childhood
So, as a good teacher who believes in a research-based approach to education, I am obligated to consider the kinesthetic learning style of my preschool students. I am also obligated to follow a child's interests because a child who is studying something she is interested in, as opposed to an externally-imposed curriculum, is much more likely to retain that information and build connections in her brain. So why were we still inside the classroom and NOT outside studying the physics of flight and simple machines? Because I didn't know they were interested until Thursday. But now I do.
As a result, my assistant and I will be following our 3, 4, and 5-year-olds into the action-packed world of physics this week starting with the simple lever. We will spend a little extra time outside on the log seesaw for some major gross motor exploration, then we will scale down the kinesthetic experience to make smaller levers inside the classroom using blocks, rulers, pennies, rocks, and pompoms. We will introduce the appropriate words such as "load", "effort", and "fulcrum" and we will figure out how many pennies it takes the raise the rock load. I will do my best to be fascinating. There may be squeals of joy and pompoms flying through the air, but no more "No more fun."
Thanks for reading,


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Sponsored by Music
The Luther College Music Department presents the Annual Benefactor Organ Recital with this year's guest organist, David Briggs. The organ improvization concert will feature the 1925 film "The Phantom of the Opera" starring Lon Chaney. The concert is free and open to the public.
The Annual Benefactor Organ Recital is sponsored through the Kathryn Ulvilden Moen '41 Organ Fund and the William B. Kuhlman Endowment for Organ Performance.
Questions? Contact Eric Ellingsen, 563-387-1267