Throwing Marshmallows

Just passing on the word about a petition that is being put together in support of Dr. Steger and Chief Flinchum. I personally feel that the media has been overly critical about what could have been done. I fully support an investigation into how things were handled so that we can learn from this, however, I feel strongly that given the information that the administration and police had at the time, they made the best calls that they could have.

And speaking of the media…there is something wrong when the media becomes the focus of the story. There have been several articles about how the media has handled their coverage and seems to be overstaying their welcome. Surprise. Surprise.
~Stephanie

On a local homeschool list, a message came through with the subject “Prayer for VT…and they took prayers out of schools! It’s back now!”. To which I responded:

Can we please remember that although I do believe that we all share the same sense of sadness and outrage over this what has happened in Blacksburg, not everyone here shares the same religious beliefs or same stance on controversial issues (such as prayer in school)?

And as an alumnus of Va Tech it has greatly saddened me to see people jumping on this tragedy to promote their pet political/religious issue. They are loosing sight that for many this is not just an “opportunity” or a “news story”. This is a real event that has affected many real people. Va Tech needs to be given the space to take care of their own.

To which Terri posted the following comment on my previous post (quoted here in part):

Beyond the obvious sympathies for Va. Tech., I have 3 thoughts: first, I agree with all of your comments about opportunism, particularly for religious causes and the media; second, I nonetheless bristle a bit at the efforts to exclude people from the discussion as “outsiders,” I just don’t think that’s the right approach either, as many homeschoolers (like us) are not “joiners” and even though we eschew groups generally (even as alumni) we still have condolences to offer, so we’d like to be heard without feeling rebuffed or corrected by “insiders”;

And I am very glad that she did. Because I did not mean at all that I felt that all “outsiders” should leave Va Tech alone. This tragedy is something that has greatly affected the nation (and world!) and I did not mean to suggest that folks who are not directly connected to Va Tech are not affected. Or that they should not offer their support. On Friday, we went to Outback to celebrate the boys getting their next Teakwando belts. It was very heartwarming to see so many Hokie hats and shirts and colors all over…I have no idea how many were alumni, VT parents or friends and how many were just supporters and it really did not matter.

A student totally unrelated to Va Tech has started a Remember VT Website through which you can read more about the victims and also purchase VT bracelets and make a donation to the Hokie Spirit Fund. I have also seen wonderful emails full of support and love, letting Va Tech know that they are not alone.

My problem is with “outsiders trying to promote a particular agenda in the guise of support”. Who send emails in “support” of Va Tech yet tack on an explanation of why this supports their cause (like prayer in school). I saw one “Call to Prayer” that also celebrated the recent Supreme Court decision on abortion. I guess that if these emails were just going out to followers of that group, I would not have as much of a problem with them. However, these emails are being forwarded onto people and email lists all over. The mixing of causes can be painful to people who have been affected yet do not agree with the political/religious views.

The Roanoke Times had a piece titled “On Heels of Shooting, Religious Groups Pour Into Blacksburg” about the variety of different religious groups coming onto campus ranging from Franklin Graham (son of Billy Graham) to Youth of America. Obviously a majority of these groups just want to lend support (although I would like to point out that Blacksburg has a wealth of relgious organizations that already serve the campus). But some like Operation Save America and Rev. Ed Phelps (whose website said that it plans on picketing Va Tech funerals) obviously have other agendas.

I also believe that this shooting does raise issues (such as gun control and mental health) that need to be discussed as a nation. However, right after the shooting is not the time or place. I was happy to see Governor Tim Kaine shut down that line of questioning quickly at one press conference. Nor is it fair to pull individual students into the discussion (unless they choose to be part of it) as some in the media tried to very quickly.

It will be interesting to see where this conversation goes. I do hope that it goes somewhere. I do want to see this event being a springboard to a national discussion. Let’s just keep that discussion (which has already become heated) separate from our support of those affected. That is all that I ask.

~Stephanie

Well, we are still digesting this whole event. And it still seems unfathomable.

One thing that I will say is that it is very disheartening to hear all the second guessing/monday morning quarterbacking going on. Especially in the media. They seem to be very intent on trying to assign blame. Now I have nothing against looking back on things and seeing where improvements can be made…after things settle down. But to be in the middle of it and constantly trying to get students to criticize the administration, to constantly try to jump on school officials who had to make the best decisions with the information they had at the time in the middle of a surreal happening just seemed too much like blaming the victim.

I have to say that I feel extremely protective of Va Tech and watching the press go after Dr. Steger and Chief Flinchum felt like Va Tech was under attack again. Yes, I know that the press is supposed to be a “watch dog” and ask the hard questions, but I think that in this case they lost sight of the fact that everyone was doing the best that they could under difficult circumstances. People are human and make judgement calls to the best of their ability. I honestly can not see how officials could have foreseen the second shooting given the information that they had. This was a freak event, especially to happen in a place like Blacksburg. If you need to blame or get angry at anyone, you should blame the shooter. Not Va Tech. No one asked for this. And no one could ever be completely prepared for this.

I really got the feeling that the press wanted a controversy. My favorite was the “expert” on the Today show that said that officials should have called out the national guard after the first shootings which would have “prevented” the second shooting. Please.

The problem is that people want to feel like these awful tragedies are preventable. So if they can point their fingers and say “they messed up” they can continue to believe that this could never happen to them. The problem is that if someone really wants to go shoot at a lot of people, there is not much you can do about it. All the surveillance cameras and card readers are not going to stop them.

I am seeing the same thing happening now that it has become clear that Cho had some major issues. People are saying that he should have been kicked out of school given his problems. Forced into counseling. Again hindsight is 20/20. The problem is that even with all his problems, I personally do not feel that you could have really foreseen this happening with certainty. We would like to think that it is possible to know ahead of time…but again, this is wishful thinking. You really can only do so much. His English professor reached out and tried to help him. It did not work. You can not force someone to take help that is offered. You can not fix someone if they aren’t ready to be fixed or do not think that they are broken.

I do feel that the media has way over played this. Especially the 24hr news channels. I was quickly reminded why I do not typically watch these during the day. The newscasters are sensationalistic and they ask idiotic questions that just highlight how little they know about what they are reporting on. Most reporters did not get what Va Tech was about at all. They saw it as another huge news story that was going to get them ratings. They jumped on anything that moved (I even saw an interview with the Cho family’s mailman…please!)

I will say that I did see one piece where the reporter got it right. Hoda Kotb, an NBC reporter, is a Va Tech alum and I think that she got it dead on when she talked about “Not at My Alma Mater“. (If you can’t get the video to play you can read the transcript)

She got it. The disbelief. What it was like to see men with guns on the drill field in front of the Hokie stone buildings that we all know and remember so well. What it means to be a Hokie and why we love our university (and even love the maroon and orange). And why we will come together and support our own. I think that many of the reporters were surprised by the responses they got when they asked students what their plans were…if they would stay at Tech or if they blamed anyone for what happened. Almost to a person, they focused on what they have at Va Tech. The close-knit community. The people. What an incredible place to go to school it is. The Hokie Spirit. The importance of focusing on coming together in unity.

Oh, and can someone please let the news media know that we go by many names, none of which is Virginia Tech University. We are Virginia Tech. Va Tech. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. VPI&SU. VPI. Even VT. But never Virginia Tech University. If you are going to spend so much time here please do your homework and get it right.

At this point I have given up on mainstream coverage. They have moved into looking for that “heroic story”. And when they find one they (all of them…everyone even Oprah) jump on it. And it is too early. The heroes (and there are many) don’t feel like heroes because they are numb and have not absorbed it all. I saw one reporter ask a kid what it felt like to be a hero. He looked a bit stunned and with his voice cracking, said that he was just glad to be here. Heroes do what needs to be done and often don’t feel heroic. They often feel guilty for surviving. Leave these kids alone. Let them heal. They don’t need the distractions of the media circus this has become and is likely to stay (I really am not looking forward to the Virginia Tech Massacre made for tv movie. It is hard enough as it is just to see the words Virginia Tech Massacre on every channel).

If you want coverage by folks who get who and what Tech is all about, read the Collegiate Times, Va Tech’s student paper. No hype. No worrying about ratings. Just trying to get information out to students and trying to make sense of it all. I can guarantee that you will not see a photo of the Draper’s Meadow Massacre bridge in any mainstream newspapers (any other alums know about that piece of history? (I had to memorize it during my TBS pledging period) and was surprised to see a picture of it included in the photo montage). I was also especially blown away by this column. Like I said, they get it.

I have also been impressed by the coverage of the Roanoke Times. Again, it is personal for them. They know Tech. They were the first to get coverage and I have to guess that it is a little more then just a story for them. This shooting has deeply affected their community of which Tech is a large part. Their special section has a lot of informative articles that gets past the surface stuff that you see in the regular media. And they have a wonderful video piece about the Collegiate Times reporters.

Tech will survive. Hokies all over the world are united in a common bond and Hokie Spirit has never been stronger. Now please give us space and let that healing begin.

~Stephanie

I am totally floored by this. I have been watching coverage all day trying to get a grasp on this. I can’t tell you how upsetting it is to see the places that I know so well being swarmed with swat teams and gunmen. 32 people dead is unfathomable. Even though I don’t know the people involved, it is still very personal.

I spent my freshman and sophmore years living in East Ambler Johnson before moving off campus so this hits really close to home. East and West AJ were dorms where many Marching Virginians’ are housed as they are closer to the practice field. Watching video of shots being fired in front of those wonderful Hokies stone buildings leaves me speechless.

I emailed with Dave, the Marching Virginians director (who is a very good friend as well) and at least one of the students killed was a band member…this is such an awful thing.

I was watching a press conference with the Va Tech president and the Chief of Police. There seems to be a lot of questioning about access to buildings and dorms…the thing that people seem to be forgetting…this is Blacksburg! Blacksburg is one of the safest places I know. It is an idyllic, peaceful town in the middle of no where. There is no way that anyone can prepare for this type of thing. As much as we would like to think that this type of thing can be prevented, it can not.

This sort of thing does not happen in Blacksburg of all places. Not at my university. I hate that Va Tech will now forever be remembered for this tragedy.

~Stephanie

Ok, so this one really cracked me up for some reason and I just had to share…

~Stephanie

Got a call from the University of Virginia tonight looking for Mr. Elms. When I told her that he was not here, she wanted to know a better time to call. Wondering why on earth UVA would be calling us, I asked her what this was for.

She wanted to let Jeff know about his upcoming reunion! After informing her that this must be a mistake as we are both die hard Hokies who bleed orange and maroon (OK, so I put it a bit more tactfully then that), she verified his name…Timothy Elms. Uh, don’t think so….but thanks for calling…

Hopefully he can live down the shame of being mistaken for a wahoo…

~Stephanie

The Homeschool Blog Awards nominations have been posted. And to my surprise Throwing Marshmallows has been nominated in 3 categories: Best Homeschool Mom Blog, Live What You Believe, and Best Unschooling or Eclectic Blog. Thanks to those who nominated me…whoever you are!

I had actually gone over there to check to see if Life Without School had been nominated (it has for Best Group Blog, Live What You Believe, and Best New Blog).

Of course there are tons of great blogs nominated (many that I follow and enjoy daily!) so folks have their work cut out for them. I believe that voting is to begin on Monday. So if you feel so inclined, please go check them out.

To be honest with you, I have never felt too comfortable with popularity contests. Makes me nervous as to whether anyone will actually like me!

So it is what it is and I will look forward to the results!

~Stephanie

You are reading a perfectly good interview with a major political candidate for your party and all of sudden you run into a stereotypical portrayal of homeschooling? That is what happened as I was reading this interview with John Edwards in Salon.

Elizabeth has announced that you plan to hire a tutor to help home-school your two youngest children, Emma Claire and Jack, in the fall so the family can be together on the campaign trail. Have you realized how many conservative votes you could get if you play up your plans for home schooling?

I hadn’t thought about that.

I assume that evolution will not be part of the curriculum.

It’ll be part of our curriculum.

Other than thinking about it, have you made any arrangements for home schooling?

No. We haven’t even talked to the children about it, which we have to do.

Now obviously it was the interviewer Walter Shapiro and not John Edwards who has the misconception about homeschoolers only consisting of conservatives who do not teach evolution. Edwards actually seemed a bit confused by the line of questioning (while I am sure Shapiro thought he was being “witty”) I also find it amusing that Shapiro actually seems to think that truly conservative voters would overlook Edwards’ more progressive stances just because he homeschools. Please. I have a feeling that it will take a bit more then becoming a homeschooler to convince true conservatives that Edwards is worth voting for.

I do wish that more folks in the media would wake up and realize that homeschoolers come in all shapes and sizes and all political persuasions. And that yes <gasp> liberals do homeschool!

Not sure it will do much good, but I had to respond of course…

~Stephanie

The Ratastrophe Catastrophe (Book 1 in the Illmoor Chronicles)

Jason’s Rating: Book Hall of Fame (highest)

Summary

It is based on the Pied Piper of Hamlein. Basically, here’s how the Piper got his powers. Supposedly there is this dark magic that comes up every once in awhile and possesses something. This time, it turned out to be a person..Diek. Meanwhile there is a city called Dullitch. It’s problem? It has a plague of rats. The Duke of Dullitch sends out some messengers to recruit mercenaries to get rid of the rat plague. They end up coming across Diek and recruiting him because he says that when he plays his flute everything follows him.

Then when he gets the rats out, the Duke refuses to pay him so he uses his flute to charm the kids into following him to the mountain. The only other two mercenaries who were recruited were a barbarian named Groan and a dwarf called Gordo. They team up with an ex-council member/wizard named Tambor and went off. When the children get stolen, the Duke sent out the messenger to look for them with three bags of 100 gold coins to persuade them to help find the children. They end up searching for the children.

Why I Liked It

It was just kind of funny. The cities had names like Dull-itch and Leg-rash. There was also this one spell called the “Screaming Tower of Doom”. The Wizard ended up casting it. It was supposed to be a 5 foot tall pillar of fire. A little after he casted it and it wore off, he ended up bragging how impressive it was and how it allowed them to escape. He said that it wreaked carnage on them. But really, all that happened is that it destroyed a nearby beehive and then sputtered out.

~Jason

I was reading Rick Riordan’s blog this morning (Rick is the author of Lightening Thief, one of the boys favorites). He posted a speech that he made at the annual conference for the Federation of Children’s Book Groups at Worth Abbey School in England. The theme of the conference was “Crossing Frontiers”.

This part in particular jumped out at me:

Recently I was asked in an interview to name the ten books I thought every child should read. I took issue with the question. Perhaps we should stop thinking about a universal canon of children’s literature. The ten books my twelve-year-old son should read are not the same as ten books his nine-year-old brother would enjoy, or that a fourteen year-old girl would like. Children are not the same. Perhaps instead of narrowing the field to define the center of children’s literature, we should be more active in pushing the boundaries and widening the edges. Let’s expand, not narrow.

Obviously I agree! Reading is such a personal thing and while I do believe in exposing kids to a wide range of literature, I also believe that kids should be allowed to develop and follow their own tastes.

~Stephanie

Can you name all 50 states in 10 minutes? Give it a try! Oh, and you have to be able to spell them correctly too!

I am a bit embarrassed to say that I missed Idaho, Minnesota (only because I could not spell it correctly!), Ohio, and get this…West Virginia. Yes, I forgot about our neighboring state that shares part of the name of the state that I live in. What can I say…I guess that I do not perform well under pressure…

HT: Charlottesville Words

~Stephanie