Photo: Untitled

Photo posted with the Permission of the Artist.  Photo Taken by Amy Grubbs Moore Dec 2014, Copyright by Amy Grubbs Moore 12-30-2014, all rights reserved

Commentary: The Hobbit

Last Tuesday evening Barbara and I went to see "The Battle of the Five Armies" the third and final Hobbit movie. I first read the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit more than 40 years ago. It was my first journey into the world of Elves, Dwarves, and Hobbits. I was enthralled then and continue to be enthralled. I have waited patiently through the past ten years to see these marvelous literary masterpieces brought to life on the big screen and now that the last of the Hobbit ...series is complete, I would hope that Mr. Jackson will look at the other writings of Tolkien such as "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, Farmer Giles of Ham, or perhaps even the stories of the Silmarillion for inspiration to keep bringing us stories of Middle Earth. I think Mr. Jackson, while taking great literary and theatrical license with the original stories, has brought us a great work which can inspire us to accept our differences, understand that often the greatest power comes from the least of sources, to stand for what is right, and to defend beauty, peace, and love from destruction by ever present and malevolent evil. I told Barbara yesterday that perhaps the best lines in the final film are these which pass between Thranduil and Tauriel near the end. Tauriel asks. "Why does it hurt so much" referring to the death of Kili and to her question Thranduil responds, "because it was real" referring to her love for Kili. Perhaps that is the secret to my love for the stories of Tolkien, it is because they are real to me and have became part of my very soul.

Poem: "The Fulfillment of Advent"

Come Harkin to the Heralds song,

and sing of Emmanuel.

 

Let us repeat their resounding song

and join the heavenly choir.

 

For Love has come from Heaven,

the Prince of Peace in here.

Our lord has come to claim his throne;

so rejoice, with songs of praise.

 

Oh Come, that long expected moment;

when we shall see our King.

 

Written by Mark R. Day 12-20-2014.  Copyright by Mark R. Day 12-20-14, all rights reserved

Poem: "Christmas Break"

'Twas the first day of Christmas and all through the school
Every teacher was trying to look very cool.
The men wore bright ties, which sometimes sang songs.
The ladies were dressed in sweaters of red and green, trying to keep warm.
I was finishing up grading exams when it rang.
The bell of dismissal, it was time to go home.
From the hallway a noise began reaching my ear
It grew and it grew, and then was a cheer.
Jumping up from my desk, I ran and threw open the door,
to See happy children and teachers filling the hall.
They smiled and they laughed as they moved all about.
It was a wonderful, glorious, joyful sight.
Then the children were gone to the buses they ride,
and the school got all quiet inside.
But as they rode out of sight; you could hear them say
Merry Christmas to all, have a great holiday.

Written by Mark Day 12-19-14.  Copyright by Mark R. Day 12-19-14, all rights reserved

Commentary: "How I came to teach at Liberty High School"

I was doing a little self-reflection this morning and thinking about my 20 years of teaching at Liberty High School . Some of you may know that, I retired from the Navy with 23 years and 9 months of service in June of 1995 and began teaching at Liberty High School in August of 1995. Recently, someone asked why did I choose Liberty High School and why had, I stayed there so long? The first part of that question was easily answered; Liberty High School picked me. The offer to come to Liberty was unsolicited. In fact when the call came, I was on the golf course at Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach. Arriving home after the round of golf; my wife informed me that a Mrs. Thelma White had called and wanted to speak with me about a job interview. I made the return call and spoke with Mrs. White. I was unsure of taking the offer because, I had not yet completed my student teaching experience. Mrs. White however, made me an offer that could not be refused when she said, "Mr. Day look at it this way. You can student teach this fall in Virginia Beach and pay Old Dominion University or you can come out to Bedford actually teach and we will pay you." Without hesitation, I set up an interview time and date for the last week of June. It must be admitted, at this point, that I had absolutely no idea where Bedford County even was so Barbara and I looked it up in our Atlas.
As the date for the interview approached, I prepared myself and hoped for the best. The day of the interview, I drove out to Bedford on route 460 from Virginia Beach. It was a pleasant but long trip and I arrived in Bedford around 11:00 am for my 1:00 pm interview. As I took the exit and started to drive down Main Street the scene was somewhat reminiscent of my home town back in New York. However as I topped the hill at the Court House and saw the Peaks of Otter, I fell in love with Bedford at first sight, saying to myself "This is my new home." I parked my car on Bridge Street and having some time to kill wandered through several of the stores that make up the business district. Now this next is funny. As, I walked around town my attention turned to my attire. My suit was good and the tie was perfect, but my shoes left something to be desired. I became concerned and anxious over the shoes and remembering that, I had seen a Wal-Mart sign on Route 460, drove out to that store and purchased a pair of black oxfords.
I arrived at the School Board office on South Bridge Street about fifteen minutes early and was immediately taken back to Mrs. White's office. She was an amiable lady with a broad smile and a pleasant voice. We made small talk for a few minutes and then she stated, that the Superintendent of Schools wanted to personally interview me. I was very surprised by this and my nervousness increased about 100%. My interview was very short, Dr. John Kent asked me a few questions, looked me over, and then said, "I am going to send you over to Liberty High School. You will meet with the Principle for about 20 minutes and return here to see me." Needless to say, I did as told and then returned to the Superintendent's office where he said, "We are offering you a job to teach history at Liberty High School, I want you to go home talk with your family and call me on the Wednesday following the 4th of July with an answer. Of course I did call back and say yes. I have always believed that God must have intended me to teach at Liberty High School, There is no other way to explain the miraculous manner in which the job came to me.
Now for the second part of the question posed to me, why have, I stayed so long and never thought of leaving. This will not require a long drawn out story but can be explained in two parts. The first part of the answer lies in the view, I have from my classroom. I am awed each and every day by the beauty of the Peaks of Otter and feel privileged to teach in their shadow. The rest of the answer lies in the sense of duty, I have to my students, my peers, and the school. I most likely owe that sense of duty to my military background and it has become an integral part of my personality and belief systems. I am old fashion and live by a code that requires loyalty and creates an obligation to complete what, I start. When I was hired for this job, they asked what my goals were and I said, " to stay at Liberty High School and complete my career in teaching the future of America." I will complete my twentieth year at Liberty High School in May of 2014 and look forward to doing at least 3 more years teaching the students that they give me and thanking God for my great fortune.

Poem: Silent, White Perfection

Walking through the mountain meadow, made white with powdered snow

The wind gently blowing up tiny wisps of ermine, that swirl like fairy dust about your face

So silent and so perfect

So peaceful and so calm

Oh! how wonderful the moment, every sense in tune with creation

A symphony of emotions, that fill the heart with joyful feelings and beat with love for all

So simple and yet compelling

So cold and yet so warm

A look at sweet perfection, the very essence of Peace on Earth

Revealed by the power of nature, awakening the human soul.



Written by Mark R. Day 12/6/2014.  Copyright by Mark R. Day 12/6/2014, all rights reserved.

Poem: Burning Minds

Silently and Speechless, they seek, and search for a word to express their understanding.

Hands waver and halt! Heaving halting breaths suggest that the strokes on the tablet will scarce impart a cognizant thought

Heads twist as they wrestle in vain with the pressure to infuse the empty page with life

In the pursed lips and exasperated gasps they give voice to the the unspoken tension that seems to crush all hope.

Then:

The eyes reveal the moment!

The pencil falters momentarily, but then words flow forth and fill the empty space.

Another rite of passage!

A battle fought and won!

The challenge of the essay has now been overcome.



Written by Mark R. Day 11/30/2014.  Copyright by Mark R. Day 11/30/2014, all rights reserved

Poem: Your Story

Under the cover the pages were blank, white, and stainless. 

The undiscovered narrative awaited a soul to give it life

Over time the pages became embossed with your wit, love, and laughter

A testament to joy !

An ode to beauty !

A soliloquy of service !

The pages took up meaning; to a people in search of hope

Each word a humble offering

Each page a light to others in need of a tender touch

But now as we reach the final chapter

Your story's sudden end

We will follow your example and honor all you've done

Committed to our friendships and loving those in need of hope.

Written by: Mark R. Day 11/30/2014.  Copyright by Mark R. Day 11/30/2014, all rights reserved

 Written on the death of my colleague and friend Ms. Debi Reeves.  Debi was the best example of what a teacher should be.  She made a positive influence on the future generations.  She will be greatly missed.

Speech: Short talk for the Celebration of Veterans at Liberty High School [11-4-14]

 

     Over the last 200 years many men and women have worn the uniform of our country.  They have come from both large cities and small towns of our nation; and they have never hesitated to put country before self.  How we preserve, perpetuate, and honor their memory is a task, that falls to each generation of Americans.   The storied history of our veterans must be repeated and retold continually to ensure its survival; and it is our duty to educate and inculcate each generation of American children lest the story of the veterans sacrifice be lost forever, and our children and grandchildren left without knowledge of their ancestors great contribution.   

     For many years, I believe we have been traveling down a path which has  distanced us from our veterans.  Holidays like Veterans Day and Memorial Day have seen their true purpose devalued by commercialism and self-indulgence.  Few, but veterans themselves,  attend the traditional ceremonies of remembrance and many Americans cannot answer simple questions about the origins or meaning of  the Memorial or Veterans Day holidays.  In my own life a statement once made by my father explained everything about the act of remembrance.  He said, that as long as I remembered those who had died they were still alive in my mind, but that if I  forgot them they would truly be gone forever.  That profound truth is the heart of my own belief in making time to remember the veterans. 

     You see remembrance is an act of instruction.  Remembrance is keeping alive something that was valuable but no longer seen and remembrance is making a personal connection.  You cannot expect a statue or bronze plaque on a National Park or in front of a Court House to teach the importance of our veterans to our history.  Monuments of stone and metal are mere reflections of what was and cannot speak to the reality of the veteran experience.  However, we are privileged to have the living veterans of our community and our country as a source of personal contact to the ideals of loyalty and self-sacrifice we hold dear. 

If, as I said, our veterans embody the values and ideals, which our founding fathers wrote into the Declaration of Independence and Constitution and form the foundations of our liberty; we owe it to ourselves to enjoin in conversation with them, learn from them, and follow their lead.  Perhaps it is only fitting that we stand here in front of this school to honor these veterans for they are our best teachers and our best mentors.  We should seek to emulate them for they know the lessons of responsibility and devotion better than anyone else.   

 

Speech written and given by Mark R. Day 11-5-14.  Copyright by Mark R. Day 11-5-14, all rights reserved.

This speech was written and given in support of a Celebration of Veterans sponsored by the students and staff of Liberty High School in Bedford, VA.  It has been slightly edited from the original version before being posted on this site.

Photo: Silver and Blue Perfection

Silver and Blue Perfection

Taken by Mark R. Day using a Canon Power Shot SX100 IS.  Copyright by Mark R. Day 10-21-2014, all rights reserved

Photo's The Interwoven Works of Man and Nature

Photo's taken by Mark R. Day using a Canon Power Shot SX100 IS.  Copyright by Mark R. Day 10-21-2014, all rights reserved

 

Musing: "Rain Drops"

 

Small, slivers, of serendipity slide down the window pane

Solitary speculative sojourners;  spiraling  stoutly toward their end.

 

 

 

10-15-14 by Mark R. Day, Copyright by Mark R. Day, all rights reseved

Poem: Early Morning Choices

Early morning . . . . .

What will the new day bring . . . . .

Pondering the possibilities and the worrying about the realities . . . . .

Early morning . . . . .

Rising from your bed . . . . .

Giving thanks to God for another day of life . . . . .

Early morning . . . . .

The daily chance to begin anew . . . . .

A moment of decision a fork along the road . . . .

Early morning . . . . .

How will you proceed . . . . .

The world calls out and you must make a choice . . . . .

Early morning . . . . .

The opportunity to choose is ours . . . . .

Determining  the course our lives will take each day . . . . .

Early Morning . . . . .

Our lives renew . . . . .

It is thus for me and it is thus for you. . . . .

Written by Mark R. Day, copyright by Mark R. Day 10/12/14 all rights reserved

Message: "Farewell Message as President of the Thomas Jefferson Chapter SAR"

Compatriots,

As, I come to the end of my three years of service as President  of the Thomas Jefferson Chapter, I like General George Washington will soon pass the reigns of leadership to a successor. As, I take leave of my office, the many warm memories, which each of you have written on my  heart, have strengthened my sense of gratitude for the unique opportunity given to me as your President.  I myself merit no praise, but owe every success to the cheerful assistance, I have experienced, from you my friends and bothers, in our great cause to preserve the memory of our ancestors.  Like George Washington, I will soon also forego the honor of Commanding but also like him, I will never abandon my responsibility to serve my country or fail to support each of you and our chapter.  Washington told his men, that he was bound to them by duty and I, like the General, now offer my fidelity and stand ready to offer my services freely at your command.

Mark R. Day

President Thomas Jefferson Chapter

Quote: 'A way of living rather than fearing life"

As, I have often said "life is what happens while you are planning what to do with your life" Accept life for what it is; a grand adventure down an unknown river. Living is found in the plunges and twist that are around the next bend.

Stated and recorded by Mark R. Day 8-7-14. copyright by Mark R. Day 8-7-14, all rights reserved

Quote: Meditation On A New Day

As the sky begins to move from blackness to the steel blue of early morning; another day arrives. The curtain is rising on the renewal of possibilities; take a step forward and discover your destiny.

  Mark R. Day

 Copyright by Mark R. Day 7-14-14, all rights reserved

Prayer: Morning Prayer 6-22-14

Morning Prayer  

Gracious and loving Lord we come before you today and open our hearts to your Devine will.  We are a diverse people oh lord, but we are also your people.  We ask that you hear our prayers and that you comfort those who are burdened with afflictions.  Be with the sick and grant them your healing graces, be with those who are in need of council and lead them on a path that will make them whole.  We ask that you  be with our Pastors as they travel home at the end of the Conference, that they may safely return to us.   Oh Lord we ask your blessings on the people of this world who find their lives torn and disrupted by war and famine.  Grant our leaders the wisdom to act out of concern and compassion as they deal with the mightily issues, which threaten the peace of the world.  Gracious God come amongst us and abide within us so that we might become the disciples that you intend us to be.  Give us the strength and the courage to face the obstacles which stand in our way as we travel on the road of Christian Service.  Lord we stand humble and awaiting your call.  We ask all of this in the Name of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ the Keystone of our faith and salvation.

 

Ascribed to Mark R. Day 6-22-14

[Sermon] Message: 'The Character of Discipleship" [for Heritage United Methodist Church 11:00 Service 6-22-14]

Let us go to the Lord in prayer: 

Gracious God grant that the words, I use to communicate your message this morning will find meaning in their hearts of those gathered here today so that we may come closer to you and be prepared as disciples to do your work in both Lynchburg and the greater World.

Amen

Good morning to each of you and may the "Peace of God" be with you.

When Will first asked me to bring the message, while he and Meagan are at conference, I must admit feeling both a sense of excitement and  trepidation.    Stepping up and placing yourself in a new situation is not always easy.  However after a little soul searching, I found that this was an opportunity for me to answer a call from God and to serve my church.   When in due course Will and I meet to discuss the scripture for this morning, and I found the topic would be discipleship, my mind raced with thoughts on the meaning of Peters words and a quote, learned long ago,  from the writings of the Protestant Reformation leader Martin Luther came to me.  "The human heart is like a millstone in a mill; when you put wheat under it, it turns and grinds the wheat into flour.  If you put no wheat in, it still grinds on, but then it is itself it grinds and slowly wears away." 

Now this may seem an odd quote but I feel it speaks to the very heart of today's text and the need for Christians to be engaged in discipleship.  Have any of you ever gone to an old mill and watched the grinding of wheat into flour.  The mill is alive with motion and activity as it completes its work.  In 1st peter 2:4-5 We are called to be living stones built into a spiritual house and offering spiritual sacrifices.  Each of us has been chosen by God to be living stones and as believers and followers of Christ we, like the Mill Stone, must grind wheat into flour through discipleship and service least we grind ourselves away until nothing is left but broken and worn away stone.

Now if you are like me the question you ask yourself is how can, I be a living stone?   For me the response was found in another quote from Martin Luther.  "Good works do not make a good man, but a good man does good works."   God call us because we are Christians, this is a consequence of faith and we never know when the call will come nor what form it will take.  

God's Call may come at work, in our home, at church, or anywhere  in the world around us.  Being a Christian means, that we are called to join as a community of believers ready to serve for any purpose that God has in mind.  Peter said the living stones were to be built into a spiritual house.  Such a house has no edge or end, no walls to confine, or to restrict our presence in the world.   And if that description is  true we need not  ask to what purpose our community of believers is being called to perform, but rather we should allow God to lead us as he will.  On our church's website we have a page for missions and at the top of that page we find this statement "The Mission Team seeks to put our call to service into action as the hands and feet of Christ we reach out to our community in love and service. "  If you go to that page you will see many of examples of the living stones at work in our church, but so much more can and should be accomplished.   Everyone of us is called to discipleship, Peter calls it the holy priesthood, which will offer sacrifices acceptable to God in the pursuit of God's Holy will

To be a faithful Disciple we must be willing to  witness  to others the virtue of Service to God.  Christian Discipleship  is more than coming to church.  Singing and reading the words in the hymnal does not fulfill the call to discipleship because discipleship is an active response to the call of God, that will make transformative demands on us as we live out our belief and faith in order to proclaim and expand the community of  Christian.  I know, that it is simpler to say be a disciple than to be one.  We all experience trepidation when faced with unknown outcomes  but if we believe, that becoming a living stone is a joyful experience, which will enrich life and that God never calls us in vain we can overcome all obstacles to discipleship.  Belief is knowing he always has a purpose and accepting this concept this is essentially what it means to be a Christian.   

In 1st peter 2:9-10 we are told we are God's own people called to proclaim the mightily acts of him who called you out of the darkness into his marvelous light. . . Once you had not received mercy but now you have received mercy.    Now it is our time to share that mercy with the rest of the world.  That can only be accomplished if we all Every man and Woman practice discipleship through Witness, Patience, Faith, and service to those we know and those we have yet to meet.  Let the Mill stone and the Mill be a metaphor for your life in discipleship.  Be filled with noise and activity in the name of Jesus Christ, the Keystone of our house built of living stone, as you complete your work.  Is God calling you today . . . . if so say "It is I Lord, I will come if you call."         

Amen

Presented by Mark R. Day 6-22-14 at Heritage United Methodist Church, Lynchburg, VA.

Letter to the Editor: Battle of Lynchburg Sesquicentennial

On this past Friday afternoon, the City of Lynchburg began a weeklong series of events commemorating the June 17 - 18 Battle of Lynchburg during the American Civil War.   Planning for these events began in 2011 and has involved local museums', heritage organizations, churches, and colleges.  I would like to congratulate Greg Starbuck and  Kevin Shroyer, who provided outstanding leadership for the sesquicentennial  commemoration, and also the Lynchburg Sesquicentennial Committee for the work they have done to coordinate such a massive educational opportunity for the people of Lynchburg and the surrounding counties.  The preservation and inculcation of our history, both as a nation and locally, through events like those planned in Lynchburg this week are critical to ensuring, that our children and all the future generations will understand, cherish,  and honor the story of America and the men and women whose sacrifice and hard work created the great country they have inherited.   I would enjoin my fellow citizens to go to the Discover Lynchburg website or check the Sunday newspaper for the schedule of sesquicentennial  events coming up during the week ahead. 

 

Mark R. Day

Past Commander Department of the Chesapeake Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War

Past Commander Taylor-Wilson Camp 10 Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil WarPast President Lynchburg Civil War Round Table

 

Poem: An Image

What power does an image posses . . . . . . . .?
 
Can it reach through flesh to reach the mortal soul of man . . . . . . . .?

Can an image enrage and confound the passions . . . . . . . ?

The repugnant can titillate and inflame

Enchantment can turn to burden

Horror and Beauty both can provoke the spirit

What power does an image posses . . . . . . . ?

The power to build or destroy.

The power to love or to hate.

The power of life and of death.


Written by  Mark R. Day 5/12/14.   Copyright by Mark R. Day, all rights reserved 5/12/14

Poem: "Life"

Laughter is a disguise for falsehood and love is the blade whose edge cuts deeply

Blue is the unfading and inconsiderate color of sadness while Brown is the color of rebuke and a blighted soul.

Life is the story of actions and consequences

For the human landscape is strewn with contradictions like laughter and sadness, love and rebuke.

Emotion creates a canvas painted with both weaknesses and strengths, which like shafts of darkness and light penetrate the heart and define  humanity.

Joy and despair, bitterness and Ecstasy are the sum of life, and they define the character of mankind

For good or for evil, we all must live, laugh, love, and learn as the fates allow us. 

That is the way of all life; past present, and future.



Written by Mark R. Day 5/12/14.  Copyright by Mark R. Day, all rights reserved 5/12/14

Poem: "Ode to a lost love of my youth"

I watched from the shoreline

As the gallant lady passed

Gray as death lighted by pale morning light.

Once again bound for the sea

My eyes beheld only beauty as she passed

Pleasant memories of comrades filled my mind

Suddenly the horizon engulfed her

She was lost to sight and cloaked by the vastness of the sea

To the Elysian fields has she passed

To Become a faded memory for she is . . . . . gone . . . . forever Gone

Written by Mark R. Day 5/4/14.  Copyright by Mark R. Day 5/4/14, all rights reserved.

[written as an expression of the feelings held for the USS Nassau LHA-4 upon the date of her decommissioning and retirement from active service.  Five years of my youth were lived out on her decks upon the open sea.  As they say you may take the sailor out of the sea, but you can never get the sea out of the sailor.  It may be hard for a landsman to understand the unique relationships that exist between a sailor and his ship; she was a beautiful lady and every man assigned to her loved her with his whole heart.]

Letters to the Editor for Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - NewsAdvance.com : Letters To The Editor

Letters to the Editor for Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - NewsAdvance.com : Letters To The Editor



Another letter in reference to the sale of painting from the Maier Museum in Lynchburg.

Letters to the Editor for Saturday, March 1, 2014 - NewsAdvance.com : Letters To The Editor

Letters to the Editor for Saturday, March 1, 2014 - NewsAdvance.com : Letters To The Editor  



Here is another letter, that honestly relates the sad facts of Randolph College's sale of the Maier Museum's art treasures.

Letter: On the topic of Education Reform

3/1/14

Greg

     The real danger we face is, that when the educataion system does fail those who have sought its destruction will be able to recreate education in a new kind of segregation.  Failure of the Public Schools will allow the creation of private schools that will operate as the education system for a new aristocracy based on economic status.  We will find that education will become the most important factor in the determination your social caste, yes I said caste.

      I see momentum for a return of the Social Darwinist attitudes of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which empowered certain individuals to see themselves as a chosen elite based some sort of natural selection.  Of course this is just my take on the direction education is going in America and how it will affect the future.  I am sure there are many who see Public Education as just another way to redistribute the wealth, in this case intellectual,  of the nation and they will nay say my comment as socialist dribble because they fail to understand, that the  purpose of public education is to level the playing field for every human being in America regardless of race, color, age, sex, economic success, or any other factor.   After all history tells us that when people are given the opportunity to become educated and valued assets; they will rise to the occasion. 

     Greg, I believe the politicians, neo-academics,  and business people who are driving education today see Public Schools as a frontier open for conquest, redirection, and development.  They see a world that seems to them disorganized, chaotic,  and wild.  Like 19th century Imperialist these people believe they have an opportunity to profit from the extraction of raw materials for their enterprises while painting themselves as humanitarians and missionaries reaching out to save the less informed [teachers and students]  in education from misguided ignorance.  In the end they will take everything and give back nothing; leaving the American Public Education system as crippled and desolate as a third world country.

 

Mark

This letter was also written as a response to a thread on Facebook.

Letter: On the Topic of Standardized testing

2/28/14

Nichole,

     I sometimes wonder if the entire program of testing will not destroy Public Education.   The implementation of "No Child Left Behind" and its derivatives has led us to the brink of  a total collapse when it comes to providing a real educational experience for children.  I continuously hear people talking about rigor, blooms, and higher level thinking to solve problems  but  their concept of rigor and higher level thinking is short sighted and tied to a plethora of often disassociated specific facts, which are tested with multiple choice questions.  We are led to believe these test questions  are analytical because they require the student to apply facts to answer them but that seems a thin argument for this sort of high stakes testing.  Please allow me one final observation about the testing, I believe that the questions, which are purchased from private test writing firms, can be arbitrary and in some cases biased. 

     As for the testing strategy and the constant revision of the tests themselves, I ask the following: Why is it that just when the students begin to master that kind of testing, the politicians and the want-a-be academic administers up the ante and change the testing.  The question, I ask myself when testing changes take place is;  "If we are currently testing for higher level comprehension and the students are being successful why are we changing the testing?"  The answer, that always comes to my mind is, "Damn the students are doing so well, we will need to increase the level of difficulty until we can prove our hypothesis, that the students are not do well.  Now does that sound like a progressive and scientific approach to identifying success?

     In today's Data driven world politicians need to point to data charts and make absolute judgments based on the outcome of testing programs.  I find this ridiculous and dangerous because we place to much value on a momentary snap shot of the student's ability and we pile far to much pressure on our children. 

     Students are  children who have differences  in rates of maturity, economic and social success, and most overlooked is the fact, that they are still developing mentally.  We are eating our young, so to speak, by using a system that is designed to find failure and begin the process of labeling and sorting children into categories. 

      So back to my original rant, the system is designed to fail because it treat students as a raw material without flaws or faults and attempts to turn them all into perfect machine tools who will have been educated enough to fit into the American business machine.  However, that will never really happen because the people, in the system of education, both students and teachers are human beings and not precision parts nor perfect material that will always fit the machine parameters.  Education should not be designed to produce interchangeable parts that can be propelled down an assembly line and mass produced for consumption by corporations. Education is the process of discovering the talents of individuals and directing those talents into useful skills. 

     Perhaps every politician should be forced to watch the silent movie Metropolis or read Brave New World.  Human beings are unique and talented in dissimilar ways.  The current changes in our traditional classical education system seek  to create Drone's who are able to fulfill the needs of a hierarchical order and it fail to seek the full potential of each student based on the talents and skills they possess.

 

Mark

 

This letter was originally posted as a comment on facebook in response to a posting written by a friend who is also a teacher.

Letters to the Editor for Tuesday, February 11, 2014 - NewsAdvance.com : Letters To The Editor

Sale of Bellows painting a travesty

I am writing to express my deep disappointment with the sale of George Bellows’ painting “Men of the Docks” by the leadership of Randolph College. 

College President Bradley Bateman has tried to put a positive spin on this travesty of the public trust, which has been denounced by many museum professionals and the professional museum organization that govern museums of art, as a triumphant moment in Randolph Colleges history. Bateman’s statement that the reputation of Randolph College will benefit from its sale of this American masterpiece to the National Gallery of London proves the arrogance and ignorance of his actions.

The Maier Museum is a Lynchburg treasure, and the sale of this painting has diminished the lives of all the residents of our city.  I can only hope that the arts community of Lynchburg will react with one voice in the face of this despicable act and place immense pressure on the leadership of Randolph College to forgo any further sales of the Maier’s collection.

America and Lynchburg have lost an irreplaceable part of their history and Randolph College has discarded its values and dishonored the memory of the students and alumni who raised the funds and donated the painting to the college so many years ago.

What a shame the sale of “Men of the Docks” has been, for now our residents — and especially our children — will never again have the opportunity to be inspired by this amazing painting.

MARK DAY

Lynchburg

Poem: "Addressed to a student"

 

Few are those inspired and resolved to learn the great truths of human knowledge.

Fewer still are those who will hazard the sojourn down dark musky paths toward enlightenment.

But for those who heed the call of the muses, knowledge shall radiate forth like a candle in the dark.

 

Written by Mark R. Day 2/5/2014.  Copyright by Mark R. Day 2/5/2014, all rights reserved.

 

Poem: “Disappointment”

Oh! Balm of Sorrow, thy soft caress reproaches my blank and hollow aspect.

Disregard my only response, a folly to those who witness my continence.

For darkness has encompassed my universe and hidden all that rewarded life.

I am the vessel overflowing with misery, which splashes upon empty remains.

Cold!

Cold!

Cold!

My once joyous spirit is now corrupt and meaningless.

I am a shell, hollow, and devoid of contentment.

Life shall persist but with little desire, for my dream is dead.

Consumed in the unrelenting fires of technological achievement.



Written by Mark R. Day on 2/4/14.  Copyright by Mark R. Day 2/7/14 all rights reserved.

"initially done as an experiment to see if, I could write in the Romantic Style of Keats.  This work is my attempt to speak toward the the forlorn spirit of a man who has seen his way of life overwhelmed by the steady progress of human industry.  The man has been left behind in a rapidly changing world and nothing remains of the life he once lived.  Despair is the outcome as even his dream [hopes] have been taken from him."

Poem: "Virtual Relationships and The Emptiness of Modern Life"

Have we become separates.

Divided while yet together.

Distant and impersonal.

Is there no time?

Is there no interest?

An existence without substance.

Veiled in shadows of relationship.  

No connections of value.

No connections of love.

Who are we?

What are we?

Electronic messages without faces.

A  host of people but not one true bond.

Intimacy without being intimate.

Loveless and sterile.


Do we know anything about each other?

Do we know nothing about each other?

Relationships so Shallow, hollow, and empty

No real feelings, just words on a screen

 

Poem written by Mark R. Day 1/19/2014