Another tour of England

Nicely done Gwen.

I'm sorry to hear that craftwork skills are being lost in the US too. I do wish our education systems valued them more - now all that seems to be the focus is to get a child into University, whether it is appropriate or not - maybe what we need to do is to expose them to other ideas, other skills, other career opportunities when they are younger. Maybe we also need to expose parents to the idea that it isn't necessary to have an MBA or LLB to have a sucessful kid. I wonder how many schools still have ceramics labs, and auto shop on the curriculum. How many would even consider couture, or glass making worth teaching.

You know, just thinking about it, I bet we would have happy kids around if we did take a broader spectrum curriculum. I can't imagine what it must be like for youngsters who have zero interest in computers or law, but would just love to design a Chuhuly (sp)

Hi Laurie -

So the timber-frame house with the thatched roof is the one you're talking about? Say it's so . . . does your house have a thatched roof?

Yes, the one with the thatch roof - but PLEASE remember that I also said its much posher than ours! And no, we don't have thatch we have warm red terracotta tiles, made locally, and the whole roof has a sort of wavery effect with the natural sag of the timbers. I love looking at it - especially on the barn.

Ooooh. Tiles, that's very homey looking. So neat, Laurie.

Laurie, Gwen, so totally agree kids these days, as most of them have never been taught the right way on anything we where taught, as kids now most just runamuck, and do what they please, so sad.
They do not have any any idea of the history behind anything no mater what it is, only some do, because of the right nurturing they had growing up, with the right influence, family or elseware.
i

My oldest granddaughter (almost 21 years old now, married and with a baby) took glass blowing classes when she was around 15 years old - she showed great promise (the instructor was thrilled with her) and it was a much needed activity for her. Then they moved to CA and couldn't find any classes nearby. Dale Chihuly is from the Pacific Northwest, of course, so the interest in creating gorgeous glass items is much larger. And it's disgustingly expensive, of course.

My youngest stepson (38 years old), supposedly the golden child of his entire family, has an MBA from the University of Washington (a prestigious school from which to earn this degree) and is absolutely brilliant. He is also lost in a gambling addiction, hasn't held a job in probably two years. Don't know what that has to do anything, just a reminder that education doesn't protect you from the evils that lurk.

But an education that REALLY interests you might help.

I often think addictive behaviour has a lot to do with trying to control an uncontrollable world - although this is a bit of wild analysis, the very fact that he picked a quantitative addiction (beating the odds), and has a quantitative profession seems significant (although that is dramatically simplified - its never, ever, ever that simple).

Maybe he would like to take up glass blowing - I'm not being flip, I can really imagine it would be an artform that would interest someone with an MBA background: its risky, its precise, its science, and it takes tremendous control.

Ask him sometime when you've run out of conversation. Sorry, I hope that isn't intrusive.

Laurie, lol - not at all intrusive, but I would fall into a dead faint if he ever showed interest in anything except history, politics, and gambling! And he knows EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING and ANYTHING. I know it doesn't sound like it, but I am very fond of the kid and so sorry that he has messed up his life. (Not to mention he owes us a huge sum of money, and I will be in a heap of hurt because of it if I lose my DH.)

Wow. Let's get off that negative topic that I inadvertently got going and get back to Laurie's wonderful land/home history. Sorry 'bout that! I seem to be a bit tense these days.

Well, talking to people from the PNW, this is the glass-blowing capitol of the world and Whidbey Island is the center of it! We have so many glass-blowers here it's a joke. Truly. Whidbey also is home to many many artist types. So our school does have the full-blown ceramics lab, etc. The kids have a show every year and I just went to this year's show and it was the most impressive I've seen yet. So I am very lucky to live in a place that values art so much. Theater and music is also extremely important here on the south end of Whidbey.

My son was going to major in math until his senior year when he took art just to get his requirements. He fell in love with both ceramics and photography. He started off majoring in ceramics but now has switched to photography. I think he will do a double major in photo and english so he'll be able to go into photojournalism if he wants. He writes well, won the Whidbey Writer's Institute scholarship when he was a senior.

But even tho we are a very artsy island, it still isn't quite the same as the old trades and skills.

And kids just don't get it and I totally blame the media and the computers, etc. My son went to Europe with the school between his junior and senior year. They traveled by bus everywhere, including between Scandinavia and Germany/France, etc. I asked him what the countryside was like there and he said, "I don't know, I mostly slept on the bus." Good to know I shelled out thousands for him to sleep. When we go on family trips, they are much more interested in sleeping (or playing on their computer) than looking out the window and seeing scenery. I don't get it, I LOVE to look at scenery. I try to explain this stuff to them but they just don't get my way of thinking because it is so foreign to them.

I think about this alot. What can we do? When my kids were little, having 3 boys, of course they were in sports. Well, Little League games are on weekdays during the dinner hour. So that shoots 3-5 nights a week worth of family dinners. Soccer games are often on Sundays - there goes church. So do you take your kids out of sports or give up a way of life that I consider important.

Twice I have had to go in and complain to the middle school and high school when teachers planned 'field trips' on holidays. I was livid when my 8th grade son's class was going to leave for a week long trip on Easter morning. Of course the teacher for that trip did not go to church,did not even consider Easter a 'real' holiday. I had to be the 'bad mom' and do the complaining. They left in the afternoon instead, so that shot family Easter dinner. And I can't remember what the exact circumstances were but 2 years ago another son left for a week-long trip on a holiday as well. It may have been Easter again. (So few Catholics here on South Whidbey. ) This stuff just fries me.

So what do we as parents and a society do to turn things back around where our values and traditions become important again?

Gwen

Gosh, Gwen - there's that big Catholic church in Langley (St. Hubert's) . . . they have three or four services there because membership is so big. And the Episcopal church is huge (in participation, not necessarily membership) both on the south and north end of the island. And Easter is important to all Christian religions.

So I don't get it either!!! Your boys all sound fabulous, though - and how thrilling for one to find the photo/journalism thing to be so important to him while he is young.

Our high school has a horticulture program (got some cabbage and squash starts from them), woodworking, jewelry-making, and used to have ironwork also. More practical classes would be good. Auto and/or small engine repair could really help some kids get off to a good start at a potential career. My son made 10 abacuses for my classroom when he took woodworking.

He also made a model of the Globe Theater (where Shakespeare's company put on plays), to steer us back to the topic of English history. This is under construction, and does not include the interior stage and stage roof. Imagine putting all the thatch on this building (the real one, not the model)!

This message was edited Jul 5, 2008 10:27 PM

Wow! I am impressed!! Good for him. Very nice work. That is so cool he's able to help you with things for your classroom. Are you thatching that roof?

Gwen

Very talented young man.

Holly - I'm impressed!! He does very good work.