Elizabeth Edwards

Elizabeth Edwards died this past week of cancer. I got to meet her a couple of times and talked with her once while she campaigned with her husband, John, here in Iowa. When the presidential candidates tromp around the state of Iowa seeking support at the caucus, they often have their wives and sometimes their children along. Usually the spouses are impressive in their own right, and occasionally you think, she would make a better candidate than her husband. Elizabeth Edwards was a good example of this. She came across as intelligent but down to earth. She related better to Iowan's than I think her husband often did. Some old duffer once told me you should never trust an older man with too much nice hair, or one who wears white dress shoes. In Edwards case that would have been good advice. There was just something about him which seemed a little "slick." Elizabeth didn't have that problem. I helped organize one of his events, and one of the first questions people asked was, "Will Elizabeth be there?"

Another spouse who impressed me was Jackie Dodd, wife of Chris Dodd. They stopped in Wellman on July 4th and my son and I went to see them. While he did his thing his wife kept two kids in line plus schmoozed with the crowd in a way that her husband seemed unable to do, without seeming a bit fake. Or in looking at his head of silver hair, he probably violates "the man with too much nice hair rule." During their short stay in Wellman, I ended up standing next to her while Sen. Dodd doled out ice cream and argued with my son about his mandatory "volunteer service" idea. (Not all that many people came to hear him that afternoon) It didn't take much to realize she was bright, more articulate than her husband, and frankly in my opinion would have made a better candidate.

Others who made a positive impression were Jill Biden and Christie Vilsak, though with the latter, it seemed to me she wanted her husband to be President more than he did. She was the one with ambition oozing out her pores. I didn't get opportunity to see Michelle Obama, and as for Bill Clinton, his wife kept him out of the state if I remember correctly.

more from the classroom

Tales from the classroom.

The first day back from break is always a bit stressful. The students are busy catching up with their friends activities and in the case of Thanksgiving, describing how much they ate. Some are more focused on all the stuff they bought on Friday, while others remember they didn't look at any of their homework since leaving school on Wednesday.

Today in World History we looked at the chapter titled "Renaissance and Reformation." I did a time line activity with the class before I gave them another activity. I put the date 1517 on the line and asked if anybody was Lutheran. The first response was, "Why would that matter?" One student said she goes to a Lutheran church but doesn't really consider herself to be Lutheran. Next I asked if anyone had heard of Martin Luther. One student said, "He's that black guy, isn't he?" I told her she was thinking of Martin Luther King Jr. Another student blurted, "aren't they they same person?" I told them "no" and asked if anyone had any idea when Martin Luther King Jr. lived. Guesses were made from 1700 to 1950. From there we went back to the Reformation. I wrote the date 1525 on the board and asked if anyone knew why that might be important. Nobody seemed to know, so I wrote "Anabaptist's begin." The next question, from a Mennonite student, was "What's an Anabaptist?" followed by, "what does Anabaptist mean?" By the time we got through this there wasn't much time for the activity.

Next was U.S. History where we are finishing the Civil War and looking a bit at Reconstruction. The one group of students seemed mystified that many in the Union thought the Confederates had committed treason. I discovered part of the problem was they didn't know the meaning of the word, "treason." One well meaning young woman, summed it all up (at least for her) when she said, "Why couldn't they just have their own country?" It only got worse, but it did bring to mind what I read somewhere, "teaching history to 15-16 year olds is an unnatural act."

American Gospel by Jon Meacham

Found this to be interesting but for some reason it was slow going. Meacham argues America's founders recognized the value of religion and the importance of religious values in establishing a new country,but at the same time realized if the new country was to survive it would have to be tolerant of different religious beliefs. Rather than create state support for one set of doctrines, Meacham documents how Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison and others set about creating a new religion, what Meacham calls "American public religion." Describing God as transcendent, or "Natures God" leaves it ambiguous enough that nearly anyone, except the most avowed atheist, can believe. So if you are a fundamentalist, or evangelical who "wants America to get back to its Godly heritage," Meacham says you can find support for that position. If you are Jewish, and don't buy into the Jesus stories, American public religion is broad enough to include you. If you lean towards a God who doesn't get involved in the daily goings on of people, the idea of nature's god should be enough to keep you happy.

I found the idea of American public religion to be useful in thinking about the country's history and our contemporary situation. Thanksgiving has become one of the high holy days of American public religion. Driving across the mid-west on Thanksgiving it was interesting to hear what some of the "Christian" radio stations had to say - some preacher ranting about being more thankful, prayers for the soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, prayers for all the men who have "kept our country free," gratefulness for a country bestowed with such blessings, with the occasional song thrown in.

Coming from a sectarian church background, it is easy (tempting) to see the many contradictions between what is generally considered to be "true Christianity" and American public religion. The most dangerous of these are the belief in American exceptionalism and the idea of "redemptive violence. Meacham's book did help me understand those people I know, who devoutly salute the flag, say the pledge of allegiance, pray at the pole, and then work to raise money for missions in other parts of the world. The question for me is, to what kind of Christianity do we want these people to convert? Is it to buy into the American public religion described by Meacham, or is it a universal Christianity with an emphasis on spreading good news to the poor? (less)

How JFK changed my life

Yesterday was the 47th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. I have vague memories of watching the funeral on television but since I was only five I don't remember much. Still his death changed my life, at least in a round about way.

My parents had grown up in a conservative Mennonite church which did not allow its members to have television. They were living in Idaho in 1963 and since there were no conservative Mennonite churches in the area they made do with a regular Mennonite church. Sometime I will have to ask if they were just being good members, or if they didn't want to spend the money, but in any case we did not have a tv.

This changed with the assassination of John F. Kennedy. After the assassination, my father rented a television in order to watch the funeral and the many news stories. Walter Cronkite, along with Huntley and Brinkley, must have made an impression and my parents decided to keep the television. I may have been allowed to watch Captain Kangaroo but probably not much else. It is also where I learned that disappointment would long be a part of my life. NBC had its peacock, and the slogan, "Bringing this program to you in living color." I always waited eagerly for the black and white images I saw on the screen to appear in "living color" but for some reason, (we had a black and white tv) the "living color" never appeared.

We moved back to southeastern Iowa a few years later and I don't know if the tv came with us, or if the decision was made to buy another one once they arrived. The conservative Mennonite churches in the area still had a rule against tv, so my parents eventually joined Kalona Mennonite, a congregation which allowed tv's. By now 60 Minutes was on the air, and in our home, it was required viewing. All of my first cousins in the area attended the conservative churches so our house became a favorite destination. If an Iowa basketball game was televised we had company.

If my parents had not purchased the tv, they may well have remained in the conservative church. I may have attended Rosedale and married a nice girl who wore a covering and didn't cut her hair. Instead I was corrupted by shows such as 60 Minutes, Hogan's Heroes, and Carol Burnett. I was one of the few kids allowed to watch the Smother's Brothers before they were kicked off the airwaves. Maybe that is why I struggle with trying to not be too cynical.

The conservative churches dropped the tv rule a number of years ago when it became impossible to enforce. There seems to be little difference between what these churches and regular Mennonite churches say about the use of technology. I certainly don't see a difference in the gadgets the students use and carry to school.

getting back to this - Social Studies Conference

With all the summer activities I seem to have not got back into the habit of writing every so often. Maybe over the next few weeks I can catch up a bit since some interesting things have happened.

Back in October I attended the Iowa Council on Social Studies meeting for the first time in my teaching career. I drove over to Des Moines and arrived in plenty of time. At the registration table I received the packet of information including my name tag. I was tempted to not put it on, but as everyone else seemed to have them on, so I wore it. What resulted was a day with rather interesting questions.
"You teach at a Mennonite school. Do you use technology?" "Yes", I replied. "You mean you have electricity?" Another "yes." Another women asked, "How do the kids get to school?" This seemed normal until she added, "those buggies don't travel very fast, do they?" Next, another teacher said, "Since you have a beard, does that mean you are Amish?" At this point I was about ready to take off the name tag and head to the fake seaside bar in the hotel.

Among the interesting things I learned - Elkader, Iowa is named after a Muslim prince and religious leader. Today he might be called a terrorist as he fought to keep the French from colonizing Algeria.
Iowa schools are struggling with technology and the many changes it is bringing. Some schools have a lap top for every student 9-12. Some schools struggle to keep their computer labs up to date. One school requires its teachers to have Twitter accounts, while other schools tell their teachers they shouldn't have Twitter, Facebook, or other social networking sites. Most schools, including the public schools, are struggling with finances and the costs required to keep up with the latest technology.

All in all it was a good day. I met some interesting people, heard some decent speakers, and had a safe and pleasant drive home.

Poland

I was in Poland for the month of June, came home, went to Montana for a family event, came home, the basement flooded, and now school has started. This explains a bit of what we experienced in Poland.

Poland
On June 5th, I left Cedar Rapids with five Iowa Mennonite School students for Poland as part of the US-Poland Parliamentary Youth Leadership Exchange Program. The goal of the program is to build and improve relationships between Poland and the US and is funded by the US State Department. Two other US high schools also participated in the program, one from Des Moines and the other from Chicago.

The group from IMS spent three weeks in Łodź (pronounced “woodge”), a city of approximately 800,000 people. I stayed with Angelika, the Polish teacher who was here in February and her parents. They lived in a relatively new home on the edge of the city. In, Łodź we attended classes and visited many different historical and cultural sites. Łodź had been the leading industrial center of Poland but since the fall of communism the factories have closed and the city has had to reinvent itself. Currently Łodź is competing to become “the European city of Culture” for 2016. The city is home to a famous film school, hosts several important film festivals and bills itself as “Holly Łodź.” In addition to the cultural activities and sites the city has attracted new industries including a large Dell plant and Infosys.

After the home stays, we traveled by train to Warsaw and met the other US schools. In Warsaw we were hosted by the European Academy of Diplomacy. We spent much of the time in Warsaw meeting government officials, politicians, and former diplomats. We were also shown some of Warsaw’s historic buildings. The impressive thing to note is that 90 per cent of the buildings in Warsaw were destroyed during World War II, so most of what we saw had been painstakingly rebuilt since 1945.

One of the more sobering visits was to the newly opened “Uprising Museum.” This museum was built to commemorate the attempt by Poles to resist the German army after nearly four years of occupation. At least 6 million Poles, including 3 million Jewish Poles, were killed during the war, if not by the Germans, then by their Russian “liberators.” Nearly every Polish person I asked could tell stories of family members who were killed, or who disappeared during the war.

From Warsaw we traveled to Krakow where we met the Polish students. This portion of the trip was led by the Kosciuszko Foundation. The students worked on developing community service projects for the host Polish cities along with visiting some of the historic spots in the city.

Some observations:
95 % of Poles identify themselves as Roman Catholic. Of these, 80% describe themselves as attending mass regularly. http://countrystudies.us/poland/38.htm. During the 19th century when Poland did not exist on the maps, it was the Catholic Church which kept alive the Polish language, culture and sense of national identity. More recently, the Catholic Church played a key role leading to the fall of communism. When Pope John Paul II, the first Polish pope, traveled to Warsaw, the communist government was powerless to stop people from going to hear him say mass. We saw many statues of Pope John Paul II as we traveled. As Poland becomes more in tune with the more secular western Europe there is debate about what role the Catholic Church should play in the life of the nation.

Religious identity is important. It felt odd to have people ask if I “was a Christian.” This usually happened when people noticed I did not know how to cross myself, when to kneel, or when to put my hands in the holy water. Discussions about sin, confessionals, and the role of Mary, also raised concerns about my salvation as I was the one expressing a view very different from most Polish Catholics.

Similarly, when we said which school we were from we were often asked to explain “what is a Mennonite?” This included both Polish people we met as well as the students and teachers from the US. One US student admitted she was surprised the IMS girls were not wearing bonnets.

The average Pole is much more knowledgeable about foreign affairs than is the average American. Situated between Germany and Russia, Poles are keenly aware of the actions of those countries as well as the US. Poland sought and gained membership in NATO and the European Union and is pushing its neighbors, Ukraine and Belarus to join in spite of strong Russian opposition. Poland is sometimes described as the European country most supportive of the U.S. Unfortunately, many Poles feel the US government takes this support for granted.

Many Poles assume that all Americans are wealthy, carry guns and have sex with many different people. These ideas come from watching American television shows and movies. TV shows which are popular include, House, The Bold and Beautiful, Grey’s Anatomy, the CSI and Law and Order shows along with some of the reality shows.

The food in Poland is fairly basic. I ate lots of pork, kielbasa (sausage), potatoes and cabbage. The majority of this was locally grown.

Farms in eastern Poland are much smaller than in Iowa. The largest tractor I saw was similar to a John Deere 4010. One day when were driving through the countryside many farmers were raking hay. The surprising thing was to see people using long wooden hand rakes in addition to the tractor pulled rakes. The most common crops were wheat, barley, potatoes, cabbage and strawberries.

Gasoline is expensive; approximately $5.60 a gallon and most people drive small cars. On most purchases there is a Value Added Tax (sales tax) of 22%. This is in addition to personal income tax rates similar to the US. The current exchange rate is around $1 US to 3 zlotys. Poland is scheduled to switch to the Euro in early 2012, the year they host European Soccer championships.

Finally, the people we met were friendly, open, and glad we were visiting. A number of times I was asked, “why would you visit Poland?” They seemed surprised, yet pleased, when we told them how beautiful the country is and how well we were being treated. It was a wonderful learning experience for myself and the students.

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress

I recently read Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen. The book has become a bestseller and many people have written reviews, so I’m sure someone has said what I think. The title is misleading, not that anyone but Mennonites would care. Her stories are at times funny, at times a bit mean, and sometimes just repetitive. How many times do we need to hear about her former husband, his charm, manic-depression, and that he “left her for a guy named Bob”?

The book did prompt some thoughts. For example, I could identify with the strong sense of being different, or odd, as a child because my parents were Mennonite (the kind who thought Janzen’s Mennonite Brethren were “worldly”) and my grandparents were members of the Conservative Mennonite Church having left the Amish when my parents were young. Now, if I ask my students at Iowa Mennonite if they have ever felt different because they are Mennonite, they look at me as if I am some kind of moron. “Why would they feel different because they were Mennonite?”

I’m not sure exactly why I felt different. I didn’t dress much differently from the Catholic kids at Kalona Elementary, I ate the school lunch, and as third graders we weren’t drinking, smoking, or having sex, but still I felt different. It only got worse as I got older. Most of my relatives did not have TV. We did, but were not allowed to watch certain shows because they might be too violent. On the other hand I was one of the few kids allowed to watch the Smothers Brother’s.

The book also reminded me of a lot of the young Mennonites we met when we lived in Philadelphia. They were often from a conservative or plain family in Lancaster, PA. They had gone to a Mennonite college and done well and now they were in the city for grad school or med school, or their first professional job. We usually didn’t get to know them well. The first time we would meet them was the Sunday morning the weekend they had moved to the city. Their parents had helped them move, had stayed the night, and before leaving their child alone, they sought out our little Mennonite church.
We usually wouldn’t see them again until their parents came for another visit three months later. The smart ones at least came the weekend before. If they were really smart they found out when we were having a potluck and came for the meal. Then when they came with their parents we could act like we knew them and that they were part of us, and their parents could leave, reassured that their child had found a church home.

Some of these folks wanted nothing to do with Mennonite’s, even one’s who made up our congregation, where no topic was to sacred to be argued about and where we were proud in a Mennonite sort of way of our openness. They wanted to get away from the rules of their childhood, the foods, the clothes, the whole works. Others liked to hang around the edges. Some I think valued what the little congregation was trying to do and what it represented. For others, it was just good to have a close reminder around of what they didn’t want to be and what they were trying to flee.

That is what Janzen's book seems to be. An acknowledgment that it is nice to have this Mennonite "stuff" around because, for one, some of its not so bad, and besides who doesn't feel better after making fun of their stodgy, backward, and repressed background, especially when it lands you on the bestseller list.

game with Regina

IMS 2, Regina, Iowa City 1

IMS put their unbeaten season on the line as they hosted defending 1A state champion Iowa City Regina Tuesday evening at IMS. Regina began the game with the wind at their backs but it was IMS which nearly scored in the opening minute as Truman Shetler gathered in a ball, outran his defender and put a shot on goal only to see it skim the outside of the post. From that point on the intensity level of the game picked up as both teams worked hard to maintain possession and to create good scoring chances. Despite going into the wind Jacob Yoder and Shetler were able to create several opportunities, while midfielders, Brian Miller and Vince Rhodes along with Stephan Peters and Seth Miller upped their level of play to match that of the skilled Regina team. The back line of John Nicholson, Marshall Schrock, Kyle Miller and Chris Perez did an excellent job of knocking away balls while trying to contain the speed of Regina’s forwards. Goalie Michael Darby made several key saves when tested during the first half. Regina scored first with 9 minutes left in the half after Daniel Larew gathered a ball in the midfield, turned and cracked a wicked shot from about 30 yards out which ripped into the goal for the 1-0 halftime lead.

The second half saw more fast paced soccer as both teams worked hard to create scoring opportunities only to see good defensive play knock the balls away. As time passed the halfway point of the second half, Brian Miller gathered in a ball, beat a defender and took a shot from about the 18 yard line and sent it low to the far post where it escaped the grasp of the goalie to equalize the score. The goal energized the tired legs and bodies of IMS players. Ten minutes later, Vince Rhodes dribbled towards the box, passed the ball to Miller, who sent it back to Rhodes in stride and he took the shot for the 2-1 lead. As the final minutes ticked away, Regina tried to find the equalizer which opened up several scoring opportunities for IMS but shots either went wide or were saved by the goalie.

The IMS team showed tonight that not only are they a skilled team but that they have a lot of heart and determination, requirements for beating a quality opponent like Regina. With the win IMS moves to 11-0 for the season.

more studentism's

Speaking of students who don't know much, this week a junior in US history became confused when another student asked when New Mexico became a state. She wondered why anyone cared when New Mexico became part of Mexico. The shocked stares of her classmates must have convinced her she said something which was a bit on the outlandish side, but all she seemed able to say, was, "It's part of Mexico, isn't it?" Another student asked where she would be going on class trip when the seniors visit Washington DC. She said "to Washington state, isn't that in the north somewhere?" Her classmates tried to help her out but I'm still not sure she gets it. Plus looking at a map would probably be way too much work.

students

This year has made me wonder whether students are becoming dumber, lazier, or some combination of both. I have been making notes of some or the comments students have made which just make me wonder what is going on (or not going on) in their heads.

When we were looking at Greece we were looking at the philosophers Plato, Socrates and Aristotle along with some of the others. One young man raised his hand and blurted, “Did they invent soccer?” I asked, “What?” He repeated his question, “Did they invent soccer?” I asked, “why would you ask that?” His response, “Whenever I hear about the old Greeks, someone always talks about “soccer tee’s.”

More recently when we were looking at India I showed the movie, “Gandhi.” The movie starts with the assassination of Gandhi, shows his funeral, and then goes back to when he was a young lawyer in South Africa. A girl in the class asked me to stop the dvd because she was confused. So I found the pause button and asked for clarification. She then asked, “Was he just reincarnated?”

In general their vocabulary is more limited than it should be. On the test which had a question about the partition of India and Pakistan, the word “partition” created serious problems for half the class. This despite it being one of the text’s vocabulary words meaning it is printed in dark bold letters followed by the definition. A fifth grade teacher told me it was on the vocabulary test for his kids last week.

This doesn’t include students who can’t remember the US government has a Senate and a House of Representatives, name the States which border Iowa, and sometimes think the Atlantic Ocean is really where the Pacific is located.

IMS soccer - Williamsburg

The IMS soccer team traveled to Williamsburg to take on the Raiders on a windy and soggy Friday evening and came away with a 4-0 win. Play opened with IMS heading into the wind. Williamsburg came out strong and attempted to deny midfielders Vince Rhodes and Brian Miller the ball. Truman Shetler and Jacob Yoder worked hard at their forward spots to create some chances abut crossing the ball into the wind was difficult and with the wet conditions it took some time to get used to the ball skipping in unpredictable ways. In the meantime the back line of Kyle Miller, John Nicholson, Chris Perez and Marshall Schrock did a great job of keeping the Raiders from mounting many strong chances.

Play was back and forth through much of the first half until with eight minutes on the clock, Brian Miller sent a ball from the midfield to a streaking Jacob Yoder who struck the ball strategically into the net for the 1-0 halftime lead.

With the wind at their backs in the second half the IMS players came out strong in the second half. Three minutes into the half Jacob Yoder beat his defender down the right side of the goal before sending it across the box where Truman Shetler was waiting to turn the ball into the net. Ten minutes later Chris Perez cleared a ball from his back line sending it to Brian Miller who flicked it on to Vince Rhodes who burst through the back line, gathered in the ball, dribbled into the box and when the goalie made his move, struck it to the left corner of the goal. A few minutes later Brian Miller sent a ball into the box where Shetler’s hard work paid off as he beat the goalie to the ball at the far post and poked it into the goal.

This game was a good challenge as Williamsburg was a physically strong team and coupled with the weather conditions it made for a difficult game. The guys did a good job of adjusting to the play and overcoming the weather conditions. IMS moves to 7-0 overall and 5-0 in the conference.

JV
IMS 5, Williamsburg 1

The IMS JV continued to improve as they notched a 5-1 win over Williamsburg. Justin Boller scored three times on assists from Malachi Bontrager, Joel Shetler, and Matt Libby. Tommy Rhodes scored on an assist from Peyton Thompson. The other goal was considered an “own goal,” after Nathan Peters sent a beautiful cross into the box. In an attempt to clear the ball a Williamsburg defender accidentally knocked the ball into his own goal. Peyton Thompson, Dillon Bender, Levi Schrock and Jesse Shetler did a good job defensively. Ben Brenneman allowed no goals in the first half while Joel Shetler played well in goal the second half allowing just one goal.

IMS soccer - Columbus Community

IMS 4, Columbus Community 0

IMS traveled to Columbus to face the Wildcats on the soccer pitch and came away with a 4-0 win. As play started it took some time for the IMS players to become used to the bumpy field and hard turf. Nine minutes into the half, Brian Miller beat a Columbus player to the ball, then passed it to Truman Shetler who sent a strong shot by the goalie. Seven minutes later Jacob Yoder beat several defenders and placed the ball behind the Columbus defense where Vince Rhodes was waiting to turn the ball into the net. IMS created several more good chances in the half but could not add to the score. Columbus upped their intensity level and made several good runs at goal but the defensive unit of John Nicholson, Marshall Schrock, Kyle Miller and Chris Perez along with Brian Miller and Vince Rhodes in the midfield did a great job of turning them back.

Columbus came out strong in the second half and it took some time before IMS matched their level of play. Michael Darby made one key save while another Columbus shot banged off the crossbar. IMS began to respond and to turn the tide and began to take control of the game. After cutting off one ball, goalie Michael Darby punted the ball up field where Shetler headed it forward into the path of Peyton Thompson who beat one defender and the charging goalie to put IMS up 3-0. With just seconds left on the clock Shetler sent a crossing ball across the box where it bounced to Ben Libby who took one touch before putting the ball in the back of the net for the 4-0 final score. IMS moves to 6-0 overall and 5-0 in the conference.

JV
IMS 0, Columbus Community 0
The JV played two 20 minute halves since many of the Columbus varsity players also needed to play with the JV. The IMS JV put forth a good effort creating several good scoring chances but could not stick any into the net. At the same time the defense stood strong and though Columbus created some scoring opportunities goalie Ben Brenneman made several key saves to keep Columbus scoreless on the evening.

Burlington Notre Dame

IMS 2, Burlington Notre Dame 0

Two teams without a loss this season met on the soccer pitch at IMS Tuesday evening when IMS hosted Burlington Notre Dame. From the opening whistle forwards Truman Shetler and Jacob Yoder and the midfield of Vince Rhodes, Brian Miller, Stephan Peters and Seth Miller established control of the ball and maintained consistent pressure on the Notre Dame goal. Ten minutes into the half, Shetler passed the ball across the eighteen where Yoder placed the ball neatly by the goalie.

IMS continued to create good scoring opportunities as Notre Dame kept the majority of its players back and played for the counter attack. The strategy nearly worked as Notre Dame had several long runs only to see them chased down by the back line of John Nicholson, Marshall Schrock, Chris Perez and Kyle Miller. The few balls which got through were snagged by goalie Michael Darby.

Play continued much the same way through the second half as IMS established possession but could not get the ball by the Notre Dame goalie. With the clock running down, Vince Rhodes took the ball down the right side towards the touch line, before cutting back and crossing the ball across the goal. Several players took a crack at the ball before Brian Miller pounded the ball into the back of the net for the 2-0 win. IMS moves to 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the conference.

JV IMS 5, BND 0

Because of limited numbers for BND the JV played one 30 minute half. Two minutes into the game Justin Boller beat the goalie to the ball and slid the ball into the goal. Boller assisted on the next two goals, the first scored by Tommy Rhodes, the second by Matt Libby. Ben Brenneman, playing on the field instead of his usual spot in goal, scored on an assist from Dillon Bender. Boller and Libby combined for the last goal of the 30 minute period as Boller sent a ball behind the defender as Libby ran on to it and struck by the goalie for the 5-0 win.

IMS soccer -Mid-Prairie game

April 15, 2010
Iowa Mennonite Soccer IMS 6, Mid-Prairie 0

IMS hosted Mid-Prairie in a local derby (meeting between local rivals) Thursday and came out on top with a 6-0 win. With the wind at their backs Mid-Prairie put immediate pressure on IMS. Just a few minutes into the game George Sanches ripped a wicked shot from about 20 yards out only to see it bang off the crossbar. IMS players picked up their pace and succeeded in maintaining possession of the ball and limiting Mid-Prairie to just one more shot in the half.

With twenty four minutes showing on the clock Vince Rhodes sent a ball into the box where Jacob Yoder ran onto the ball and pushed it by the goalie. Mid-Prairie tightened their defense and limited further chances for most of the half but with just seconds remaining on the clock, Vince Rhodes dribbled into the box and sent a shot into the net for the 2-0 halftime lead.

In the second half, IMS continued to create good pressure. Awarded a corner kick Brian Miller sent the ball into the box where Truman Shetler out jumped the defender to head the ball into the corner of the goal. On the next goal, Yoder beat a defender then pushed the ball across the goal to Shetler who pounded it into the goal. A minute later Yoder sent a ball into Shetler who tapped the ball to Rhodes who did a beautiful job of finishing. The final goal came with three minutes left when Seth Miller passed the ball into the path of Matt Libby who struck the ball into the corner of the goal.

The back line of Chris Perez, Tommy Rhodes, Peyton Thompson and anchored by John Nicholson did a good job of turning away Mid-Prairies offensive thrusts and of helping in maintaining possession of the ball. With the win IMS moves to 4-0.

I didn't send this next part to the papers, but it is sort of a hard game to coach. Mid-Prairies coach, Neil Yoder played for me at IMS, was my assistant at IMS for a few years, and he helped me at Mid-Prairie when I was helping to try to start the program over there. Neil took over the boys team while I concentrated on the girls team. What makes it hard, is that he is a good guy and I want him to do well, just not the night we play them. Plus I know he will always have his guys pumped up because Mid-Prairie would really like to beat us. My guys get up for the game, but not nearly as much to match the intensity level.

With soccer season starting it has been hard to find the time to write the way I want. Since the local papers no longer send reporters I have found it easier to write my own descriptions of the games and send them in for publication. So I figured I might as well include them on this, especially since the Kalona News doesn't usually credit me with writing the game summary.

I know I should probably be writing about what is happening in the West Bank, or maybe even some of the things happening in class but that will have to wait, at least a bit. In the meantime here it is.

Iowa Mennonite Soccer IMS 3, Holy Trinity 2

When the #7 and #8 ranked teams in 1A meet on the pitch one could reasonably expect to see a good match. That was certainly the case as IMS hosted Holy Trinity on a beautiful spring evening and came out on top with a hard fought 3-2 win.

Holy Trinity scored first as their quick forwards burst through the back line on a through ball and scored three minutes into the game. IMS evened the scored four minutes later when Vince Rhodes took the ball near midfield and began dribbling towards the goal. Weaving his way through several defenders, Vince Rhodes found his passing lanes cut off so he continued towards the goal, where he beat two more defenders before stroking the ball into the goal.

Both teams settled down defensively and for much of the rest of the half, play took place in the middle third of the field. With five minutes left in the half, Jacob Yoder took a ball deep into the corner of the box. Cutting back towards the goal he drilled a shot from an impossible angle but curled it around the post and into the goal. Holy Trinity equalized the score with just seconds left on the clock as a ball bounced badly off an IMS defender, allowing the Holy Trinity forward to run unimpeded towards the goal.

The second half saw IMS take the field with a bit more energy which showed as the players kept the pressure on the Holy Trinity defense much of the half. Forwards Truman Shetler, Jacob Yoder along with Chance Miller got off several shots but found it difficult to score as the goalie made good saves, or as shots hit the post or crossbar. Midfielder Stephan Peters nearly found the back of the net as he one touched a crossing ball but it hit the post and deflected to the goalie.

With five minutes on the clock Jacob Yoder sent a ball to Vince Rhodes on the left side. Determined to score, Rhodes took the ball, cut back and struck the ball into the net for the winning goal. This game provided a good test for our defense and with two exceptions the guys did a great job of slowing down the Holy Trinity speed. John Nicholson, Marshall Shrock, Kyle Miller and Chris Perez did a good job on the back line while Brian Miller and Rhodes anchored the midfield. Though he didn’t score Truman Shetler provided a lot of energy up front through out the match. With the win IMS moves to 3-0.

In JV action IMS lost to Holy Trinity 1-2 in a tough match. IMS scored first when Justin Boller ran down a long pass, beat his defenders and scored with 16 minutes left in the half. A second goal which IMS thought it had scored when the ball crossed the line was not called so the half ended with an IMS 1-0 lead. In the second half, Holy Trinity took advantage of some defensive miscues to notch two goals. IMS JV players found some bad fortune as several shots hit posts or the crossbar. Both teams played well as the IMS boys learned they need to play with intensity the entire match.

Forty Degree's

According to the local news today the temperature hit the forty degree mark which last happened 94 days ago (http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/86730402.html) Winter in Iowa this year has been miserable. Even people who enjoy the snow and cold have been complaining. Forty degrees felt balmy and a lot of folks were spending time outside. With piles of snow of snow still filling the back yards it was difficult to do much other than to watch the ground turn to mud which is what we usually deal with in February, March and April.

We need a few more days of of temps in the 40's because Monday the 15th, boys soccer practice starts. There is still at least six inches of snow covering the field and frankly, practicing in the snow isn't all that practical. So hopefully this coming week we have temps in the 50's, lots of sunshine, and if I can get picky, a light breeze from the west or south.

When kids complain about Iowa weather I often tell them it teaches them to deal with adversity but frankly, we have all had enough snow and cold for the year.

airports, budget cuts and what is wrong with this country

Last weekend I traveled to Pittsburgh for a meeting of Mennonite schools. It was interesting but the topic which dominated the weekend was the weather, specifically the 20 plus inches of snow which landed in the area. While some of the schools left early to avoid getting stuck we didn't really have that choice as the flights out of Pittsburgh were full and our flight Saturday afternoon was canceled. We were rescheduled to leave the next morning at 6:30 so our group left the hotel at 4:30 am to catch a flight most of us thought would be canceled.

Our principal had been able to pre-print boarding passes for everyone but me. The note said I needed to see a ticketing representative. The ticket agent said they needed to see my ID and after shining her light on it, she printed my boarding pass. When I asked about the chances of the flight leaving, she said, "honey, its not leaving, you'll be lucky to get out of here by Monday." She and her colleagues than began to discuss the stupidity of their bosses which were requiring them to issue tickets for planes which were not going to be flying.

After getting the ticket I went through security where I removed my shoes, emptied my pockets, placed my belongings on the scanner and walked through the metal detector. This took only a few minutes as there were plenty of security people on hand. A few seemed to be standing around without much to do.

From there we proceeded to our gate where we soon were told the flight was indeed canceled and that we could rebook a later flight. The only problem with this idea was that all the later flights were full, meaning we might get out by Monday at the earliest.

While the principal was deciding on our next course of action, I talked to a couple of airport personnel and a women from United Airlines. The plane we were to fly on was at the terminal, the pilot and flight crew were also able to get to the airport. What was keeping our plane from taking off was the snow, or more precisely, the lack of a ground crew to remove the snow. It wasn't difficult to see a couple of large snow plows sitting parked, from our terminal. I volunteered to run one (I figured I've run a skid loader so I could figure out a snow plow) but they didn't take me up on my offer.

The women working at the United stand in our terminal explained that the Airport Commission had been cutting budgets and one of the hardest hit areas was the department which handled snow removal. So there we sat because the airport couldn't hire people to remove snow. It was nice to know we were safe from terrorists, bombings, and other assorted attacks while we meandered around the airport. I did walk back towards the security area to see if they were still processing people. By this time most potential passengers were realizing they were not going to be able to fly so they were staying home. This meant the Homeland Security people were having a rather easy day as they sat around, visited and screened the occasional arriving passenger. It would have been nice to have a few of them work on cleaning the runway's but that wasn't going to happen.

Today we have another snow day so I did a search and ran across this news article which suggests another reason for the budget problems of the Pittsburgh airport. (http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/39115). Yesterday, Rep. John Murtha a Democrat from Pennsylvania died after serving in the House of Representatives since 1974. The article describes how Murtha designated or diverted funds to build an airport in Johnstown, PA. Able to handle the largest airplanes flying, the airport in Johnstown is described as being a little used facility, serving primarily as a backup, in the event the Pittsburgh airport was damaged in a military attack. Without going back and checking I think the last time Pittsburgh was attacked was during the French and Indian War.

So, we sat in the airport knowing, we were "safe" from terrorists as there was money to the pay all the Homeland security agents, but there was no money to pay people to shovel snow. Eventually we rented vans and drove to Cleveland where we were able to catch a flight to Chicago and then home.

Are we so fearful that we will gladly spend billions of dollars for "security" and at the same time make our lives less safe because we can't pay for what seem to be rather basic necessities, such as snow removal, education, and non-defense related infrastructure. It seems this is the choice the country is making. And it is one that will come back to bite the country in the butt, sooner or later.

Sen. Grassley town hall

Senator Charles "just call me Chuck" Grassley made a stop in Kalona last Wednesday evening. When I arrived at quarter till five Grassley was already taking pictures and talking with a few people. At five, he introduced himself to the room full of approximately 100 people. Quite a few of us had to stand along the walls as the seats were all full.

Grassley has been a Senator for 35 some years so he is good at relating to people and excellent at responding to questions without really answering the question asked. Since there were so many people present he said there would be no follow up questions which was also to his advantage.

The first question was about the bio-diesel tax credit, but the second related to health care which then dominated most of the evening. In between Grassley's explanation of why he didn't vote for the current Senate bill, "even though it has some good things," we were treated to the occasional outlandish statement by random audience members. "Democrats are treating the constitution like a damn beer can," stated a guy who looked like he has tossed his share of Busch lite cans out of a car. This guy added, "if I have a chance I'll chase them out, and I won't be using no damn pitchfork neither." His statement seemed to embolden the large women who kept blurting out at random times, "why can't real Americans vote on this health care bill?" or "Can't we just change the Constitution to stop these Democrats from ruining our country?" To his credit, Grassley didn't do anything to add to their anger or passion and at times he seemed to go out of his way to mention bipartisanship or a Democrat who had worked with him on some legislation.

According to the Washington Evening Journal, a paper I have a hard time believing anyone subscribes to, "the audience was almost all Republican based on the questions." Either the reporter didn't know many people or she wasn't paying attention to some of the questions which were asked. For example an older man asked if the Senator believed the government could reduce the deficit without passing some type of health care reform. Grassley admitted it would be difficult but then added he didn't want to do anything which raised taxes and with that he evaded the question. A younger man made a comment about abusive insurance practices. Grassley rattled off some of the ways the current bill addresses these issues, which brought the next question, "if it as all these good things, why didn't you vote for it?" Another person asked if he would still vote for term limits. We were treated to an answer explaining why after 35 years in office he is running for re-election, and oh-yes, he has changed his mind on term-limits.

Towards the end we were exhorted by a Navy veteran to "be in prayer for our Constitution because prayer is the only way it will be saved." ( I suppose this could be an argument to cut the military budget) Grassley responded by referring to I Timothy 2:1-2 telling us that he felt strengthened by all the people praying for him.

It was an interesting evening. For the most part the people in the room were polite to each other and to the Senator. On my way in I did have one man I know ask, "What are you doing here? He then added, "you're just a dirty Democrat, you better not cause any trouble." I told him his attitude is what is wrong with our country. At first he seemed to think I was kidding, but I decided to pile on, and added that his attitude is also what is wrong with the Republican party.

books

Finished reading two books over the last two weeks. The first was Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins. The second was The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer. At first glance they don't have much to do with each other.

In his "confessions" Perkins describes how he was recruited to work for an international consulting firm. His task was to make unrealistic projections of economic growth if a developing nation borrowed money to build an electrical system. On the basis of his bogus forecasts, nations borrowed large sums of money from the World Bank, the IMF, or other funding sources. When the country agreed to borrow money for whatever development project he was selling, they were on the hook. Because the projections were overly optimistic the country usually ended up in massive debt even if the government spent wisely and there was no corruption. According to Perkins the country was now in a situation where the US or other western governments could dictate what policies the country should follow.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind tells the story of William Kambwamba who grows up in a rural village in Malawi. His family ekes out a living on its small farm with enough money for food, clothing, and to send the three children to school. Then after floods followed by drought they lose their crop. When the people appealed to the government for food relief they discovered the government had sold all the food reserves. To quote the book, "... the international community -namely the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank- had pressured the government to pay off some of its debt by selling off a portion of our grain reserve.... But some individuals in government sold all of it instead, without keeping any for emergencies." (p 82)

Kambwamba's family barely survives the famine though he is forced to drop out of school since his family can't pay the fees. Since there are no crops to tend and no school, he begins visiting a small library in his town where he borrows books on physics, electricity and science. The family has no electricity (Perkins apparently hadn't victimized Malawi) and after Kambwamba sees a picture of a windmill he decides to build one. He wants to be able to read at night and he thinks that if he can get electricity his family could pump water so they would not suffer from future droughts.

I didn't understand all the science but the authors made building a windmill out of scrap material sound rather exciting. At the end of the book, the windmill works, and through a variety of circumstances it is "discovered" by the international community. With the help of his new friends and supporters Kambwamba is able to attend a science school and travel to the U.S. His family benefits from its personal electrical source and a regular supply of water. After nearly starving to death, his new found fame, and the improvements to his family's living conditions seem well deserved.

In contrast the "confessions" Perkins makes seem rather hollow and simplistic. For all his supposed guilt about what he was doing, he kept at his work, reaping the economic benefits of the fraud he was perpetuating. The only suffering he seemed to experience was his existential wrestling that never led to anything but indecision and maybe a bit more guilt. In the meantime he collects big paychecks, sails his boat and describes meeting beautiful women.

Garrison Keillor talks about the cold weather Protestants who want their God to show a little vengeance. Maybe that is what I was feeling as I read the book. Though the book was written at least in part to make amends for his past actions, something just didn't sit right-he seems just a bit to "slick." It seems he ought to suffer at least a bit more for the part he played in perpetuating dependency and poverty on people around the world. So while I don't doubt the validity of what he describes, I do have a hard time understanding his motivations and the choices he makes. Kambwamba on other hand wants to have enough food to eat, an education, and an improved life for his family, something anyone can understand.

Cold

This morning our thermometer said the temperature was -18 F. The official temperature was probably not quite that low but in reality there isn't much difference between -18 and -14. So far in 2010 the temp has been below 0 every morning. When the kids complain at school about how cold it is I tell them it teaches them how to deal with adversity. I'm sure people who live in places where the weather is relatively mild learn to deal with adversity somehow. Dealing with weather extremes seems a fairly simple way to learn there are forces beyond your control. You soon learn that no matter how much you complain or whine the weather is not suddenly going to warm up for you. This is the kind of day where I dig out the long underwear and wear a stocking cap inside to keep my balding head head warm.

I did have to spend some time outside splitting wood and bringing enough in to last for the next week. It was cold enough that I soon had ice forming on my mustache. With insulated gloves on, it took about 25 minutes for my fingers to start getting cold. At first it wasn't too bad but after a few more minutes my fingertips became numb and it was time to go inside to let them warm up.

When we first moved to Iowa the only work I could find was as a carpenter. The first winter we built a large furniture store in Kalona. I tell some people I helped build two of the ugliest buildings in Kalona, (the Pull'r Inn motel - and Kinneer's furniture). The goal was to have the building framed and closed in before it got too cold but that didn't happen. Shingling a roof in January and February in Iowa is no fun. It was too cold to use nail guns because the hoses would freeze. This meant we did it by hand. Handling nails with thick gloves doesn't work well but then neither does not using gloves when the temperature is cold. For a couple of days it was cold enough that the plan was to spend 30 minutes on the roof before climbing down and finding some place warm.

To add to the misery I was reading the Little House on the Prairie series to my daughter who was quite insistent we read them in order. After freezing at work, I read The Long Winter to her before bedtime. The story takes place in South Dakota and the title pretty much sums up the book. It was a long cold winter, and I suffered through it with Laura and the rest of the Ingall's family. It certainly didn't help me feel any warmer, but it did inspire me to figure out a way to find a job which did not require working outside in January in Iowa.