December, 2016

    December is the busiest month for most of us.  I thought when my children had grown and my teaching was over, that the seasonal madness would recede.  I pictured myself wrapped cozily in a rocking chair reading a novel while the rest of the world shopped, cooked, decorated, and attended Christmas events.  Not so, folks.  The comfy chair at the fireside dream isn't happening.  There still are lots of domestic chores and community responsibilities which are not at all interested in my right to be in my dotage.  Charles Dickens's old ladies and gentlemen are artifacts of the past. 

    I am looking forward to the trip to Fisherman's Landing on the 14th.  I hope a lot of you signed up to come.  If you haven't yet taken advantage of some of the great outings Minnie Lee Jones puts together for us, consider joining in.  The next one is a trip to Mote Marine on Feb. 22.  We will be car pooling to this one.  She will give us more information later. 

    Our speakers in November were the Manatee County Schools Superintendent of Instruction, Cynthia Sanders, and the Superintendent of Business Operations, Ron Cirranna.  Both spoke about current and future activities in the schools. 

    Diana Buell, Scholarship Chair, said that all high schools have received their scholarship applications.  If you know a high school senior who is interested in becoming an educator, please urge him or her to pick up an application for the FREA and the MCREA Scholarships from a school guidance office.  Applications will be available from Diana at our next meeting if you want to encourage someone to apply.

    Every child in the FELT program received a book or two to take home on the Friday before Thanksgiving vacation.  A citizen of Manatee County who ran a bookstore on the internet decided to retire and donated his complete stock of children's books to FELT.  Of course, grade levels had to be assigned to all those books before they were given out.  A group of intrepid MCREA members went to the FELT office and completed at least half the inventory, more than enough for the distribution.  They will return to do the rest in the new year.  Thank you, Judy Shostrom, Deborah Thomas, and Joan Sackett for your help.  If anyone else would like to help out with this, please let us know.  More hands make it go much faster.  We don't use any formulae.  After all, most long-time teachers can just eyeball a book and decide a grade level.  We are the experts.

    Our December program on Thursday, December 15th, will be a holiday celebration.  The Bay Chorale will entertain us with Chanukah and Christmas music.  So dig out your Santa hat and your jingle bells and join us.  If you have not heard from your caller yet, please call Mary Ann Jensen at 756-7603 or Susan Roe at 792-4786.

    See you on the 15th,
    Ellen