A class on life skills is not a radical idea.
Every so often, I see a post on Facebook or other social media lamenting that students today need a class on how to be an adult. They mean that students are not being taught how to manage money, credit, and other things associated with adult life. The complaint generally is critical of teaching higher-level math and Shakespeare, while basic adult skills are not taught. I understand that kind of thinking, but this has never had to be an either/or situation. Both can be taught. I know. I designed and taught the course everyone says should be taught.
I began by…
Or why isn’t anyone reading my stuff?
When it comes to the mysteries of life, we all seek answers. Why do some spiders kill their mates? Is there other intelligent life in the universe? Is there life after death? How in the heck do I get anyone to read my stuff on Medium?
To be honest, I am not sure which answer is more elusive.
I am going to be right up front. I have experienced some success on Medium. Oh, I’m no Tim Denning or Jessica Wildfire, but I have had a few articles do well. In this piece, I am going to tell you, the…
THOUGHTS
Sometimes you wonder why you get up at all…
I have been a news junkie since I was a kid. As an adult, reading the news is how I start my day, almost without exception. In college, before there was the internet, I would usually read 3–4 newspapers a day. Then, with the advent of the internet, I began reading 10–15 different news sources each day. I always prided myself in knowing a reasonable amount about what is going on in the world, both globally and locally. I was a bit of a news snob that way.
As I got older, I became a little more sophisticated in consuming…
How much longer can she go on?
The Earth seems tired today. She looks like a waitress on the night shift, working hard to support everyone who depends on her, and wondering if it is worth it. No matter what she does, it is never enough. She is never fast enough for her unappreciative clientele. She is the one who brings us our food and our water and gives us a place to be. But she’s tired. Very tired.
I read that the world’s population today is upwards of 7.8 billion people, and growing. That is a lot of people. That is a lot of any kind…
The answer might surprise you.
So, John, when are you planning to hang it up?
How much longer do you plan on teaching?
Do you have any plans to retire any time soon?
I get asked this all the time. At age 63, I suppose I should expect it. Still, whenever someone asks me, I feel this jolt of electricity that makes me rebel against it. Inside my head, I am wondering if I look like I am burned out. Do I look like I need to retire? Are people questioning my effectiveness behind my back due to my age? Have I become that person?
…
Early morning observations…
My wife and I live on a small farm in southeastern Wisconsin. We have a farmhouse made of rock, a stream, a pond, and 4 acres of land. We used to raise chickens, but now we focus mostly on growing organic produce. We use no chemicals of any kind on anything we grow. None. Who wants to grow food using poison?
Unlike our raised beds for much of the other produce, the corn patch is too far away to water from the faucets on the house. This means I have to fill buckets, load them in the wagon attached to…
The NRA and why it might be collapsing
This picture is me with my new deer rifle. You probably think I am kidding.
I am sure, with proper training, I could hit a deer with this, um, gun. I am not so sure I could find it afterward though. Before I get too far into this, let me be clear. I am NOT anti-gun. I have owned guns since I was a kid. I used to hunt rabbits, squirrels, and deer, and I loved to target shoot. So this is not going to be a rant against guns. What does concern me, however, is the changing American attitude…
I am bound for Hell
It’s official. I am going to Hell when I die. Pack your bags, folks. If my sister is correct, we will all be there together. I will save you a seat. Let me know if you need popcorn or anything.
The question often comes up about what to do with family members who are on opposite political sides from you. I have read a good many posts that admonish us not to let politics divide families, that blood is thicker than political waters. These posts ask us to see past these differences and find a way to keep the family…
Tipping Needs to Be Done Away With
I am not against people getting tips. I am not even against giving tips, really. I understand that people depend on tips to make a living wage, or even close. I get that. I tip all the time, and I usually tip 20% or more. I feel like a cheapskate if I don’t. My problem with tipping is that it has morphed into something completely different from its original intent. It is time to pull the plug on this anachronism.
Who Am I Tipping?
One reason that tipping needs to be done away with is no one really knows who you are supposed to…
You might hate America and not even know it
Whenever someone brings up an unpleasant or inconvenient fact about what the United States is doing or has done, it is not unusual to hear conservatives say that person “hates America.” You will read it in conservative newspapers and blogs and hear it on conservative talk radio and television shows. It seems like all you have to do to be accused of “hating America” is offer a perspective or criticism that differs from the conservative narrative.
That isn’t very hard to do.
I myself am one of those people who would stand accused of this, um, “crime” of hating America…
John Egelkrout
I am a teacher in an alternative school and work a small hobby farm in southeastern Wisconsin with my wife Kathy.
