Technological Thanksgiving

I did this amazing lesson with my students today, or so I thought. We discussed global poverty through an activity produced by the United Nations. Each student read a biography of a teenager from different areas of the world that included information about their lifestyle. Many of the students were surprised by how little these kids had. Then we talked about how much we take for granted and how grateful we should be for these things we sometimes think we are entitled to. The lesson ended with each student making a list of things they were grateful for. It took me until this point to realize the kids had no idea what I was trying to get at. On every single list at least ¼ of the things they were thankful for were some form of technology. But don’t worry, I learned from my mistake. I know now that the kids in my class would rather have their cell phones than three meals a day. Good to know.  

Title: New Hampshire; Artist: BGH; Cost: $250

 

VAY-CAY!

Bill’s mom, Lynn, came to visit us this weekend. Being from the Bay State, which by the way, makes no sense to me whatsoever as Massachusetts isn’t even a state, it’s a Commonwealth – wouldn’t that make us Bay Commonwealthers?, we have every available holiday off, so we celebrated Veteran’s Day by going to Martha’s Vineyard and followed up that adventure with a trip to New Hampshire to see “New England’s Most 100 Scenic Miles.” Bill and I were a tad suspicious about that claim for two reasons: 1) What is the criteria for “Most Scenic” (Bill) and 2) Does that mean there are 87 miles somewhere else that are even more scenic? (Beth). The weekend was lovely and became 100 times more enjoyable when we discovered Wisconsin had a surprise blizzard while we relished the 65-degree weather.

While viewing the history of the Vineyard and experiencing the reasons New Hampshire is called “The Land of Many Uses” (which to me sounds like an invitation to come exploit the land for personal gain), I came to a very startling realization. There exists in this world distinctly different vacationing styles. I should have realized that not all families included a trip to the library as an important preparatory step for vacations. The Guilbeaults’ tendency (or most Guilbeaults I should say) is to use vacation as an excuse to read in a place other than Appleton. Not that that is the only thing we do – we focus a lot of energy on meals and drink our way through a few bottles of wine. But I realized this weekend that some families actually do a whirlwind of activities while on vacation. It must be those vacationers that say, “I need a vacation after my vacation!” I am sure there are vacation styles other than the reader and the whirlwind – say the shopper and the sightseer, but I have not experienced those. In fact, I bet there is some sort of continuum that makes some people better compatible as vacation partners. My parents seem to have the same idea of what vacation means, while I would venture a guess that Brian and Cassie are more diverse on the spectrum. Maybe it has something to do with the frequency of vacationing with that vacation partner. Mom and Dad seem to have their styles together worked out, but they shift subtly when the vacationing group changes. But whatever the style, it is nice to know that one thing seems to remain consistent – magnets are definitely a mainstay for all vacationing crowds.