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The Flame IX December 28, 1992

The Flame is a publication of The Society of Dead Teachers.
You may freely distribute the electronic version of The Flame.
If you distribute our Journal and would like to be noted in
the back of The Flame, send a postcard with your name, address
and where you distribute The Flame. (Also please estimate the
number of readers...) Scott Andersen 7340 Cayman Way #7
Maineville, OH 45039

WHAT'S; INSIDE; FICTION By Scott Andersen Portrait of an
average learner

REVIEWS Battle Chess    Word Tris Super Tetris for Windows
Comptons Multimedia Encyclopedia Jack Nicklaus Course Builder
Strata Type 3-D Typestry MachTen    Excell 4.0 for Windows
Interactive Physics    Ssytat 5.2 ToolBook    Cool Mac Books
Stuffit Delux 3.0    AutoDoubler & DiskDoubler Caere Typist
Trax ConcertWare +MIDI

SMOKEY'S COMPUTER GARAGE By Scott Andersen & Martin Dow You
break'em We put 'em back together!

Discussion

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As we continue to improve and change The Flame Journal, let us
know what you think! Please send in your criticism and
comments so we can determine what it is that you want.  I
appreciate all of the letters that we have received so
far...but I don't want to print just the positives.  Is there
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Editor

Chapter 5; "Portrait of an average learner.";

On this 20th day of September 1991.  That is, by the way, a
Tuesday. I know, I did it again.  I can't help it.   I keep
changing the way I  write the date.  I think it is out of a
sense of frustration.  Once again I am out of time.  Thumbkin
that little brat has all my extra time.  What the heck I am
going to do?  Yesterday afternoon the principal passed out
those wonderful class  ethic sheets.  I hate those things.
I'm always afraid that we are  creating some kind of data base
on what the average learner looks  like.  That really makes me
nervous.  I really can't tell anyone what  the average learner
looks like.  I have had kids, based on looks alone,  I thought
would come into my room and fail horribly.  I have had kids
whom I thought would fly, that then fell flat on their faces.
The  object here is to find a middle ground.  Don't judge the
kids on the  way they look, unless that is affecting their
social status in the  class.  Look at the quality of their
work.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  left me with that goal.  I
have learned to be fair.  I do not judge  children by their
appearance, such as color, sex, or physical  appearance,  but
by the contents of their minds.  This makes all  kid's
superstars.  For all kids have one special skill.  That  makes
my job a little easier at conference time.  I can always start
with  something that is positive.  I turned in the class
ethnic  sheet.  I don't like them much but you  have to do
what you have to do.  Perhaps someday we will be rid of  that
kind of stuff.  Then we can go back to the process of
educating  children because we want to, not because we are
supposed to.  When I was in college I read this interesting
theory.  It was  called,  "The Articles of Failure."  It
discussed why some children  started off with the best
intentions and crawled home with their  tails between their
legs.  The Articles were something like this:  1.  If you
accept failure, it will follow you.  2.  If you deny failure
it will encompass you.  3.  If you see failure as your only
course, you will fail.  4.  Failure is not a dirty word,
accepting failure is.  5.  When you fail, dust yourself off
and do it again.  I always liked the way the Articles
represented failure to children.   It lets you fail,  as all
people fail, but it tells you that you don't  have to accept
failure.  You pick yourself up and try it again.  That  is
what I always try to tell my students.  Don't accept failure,
keep  trying until you get it right.  Kids are often willing
to accept their  failure as part of life.  They feel like they
have no control over what  is happening to them, so they do
not care if they fail.  Failure is a  part of what they do.
They go to bed when they are sent to bed, the  television goes
off when someone else says.  Children often feel  like they
are controlled every minute of the day.  That means that  when
they rebel in resentment for being controlled, they make
things  really hard on everyone around them. As a teacher I
often feel that I am the personification of failure to
children.  They see me as the place where their failure ends,
by this I mean that I am the one who catches them at their
failure.   To often I feel like I am the bad guy because I
have caught a child in the process of failing.

On this 21st Day of September.  That is, by the by, a
Wednesday. The average learner is a hard concept for most
people to  understand.  Many business people tell me that for
effective  presentations, one should tailor what you are
doing, to your  audience.  Teachers have been doing this for
years.  We aim the  concept at the lowest level of our class.
That way  you are never  aiming above your kids' heads.  The
only problem occurs when you  have to introduce something new.
Then you have to be very careful  and work in different ways.
One good way is to go from the whole to  the parts.  This
allows your students who have global learning  techniques the
opportunity to get the whole thing.  Unfortunately,  your
analytical learners may get a bit frustrated by this process.
So you have make sure that you do the nuts and bolts for them.
I remember my friend Sam saying, "Teaching done well is a job
that wrings you out like a mop cleaning a five gallon water
spill.   Sadly, teaching done poorly is the easiest job on the
face of the  earth".  Sam always says stuff like that.  Here I
think he is right.   Teaching is one of those "either way"
jobs.  You can do a good job,  and no one would ever know it.
You can do a bad job and no one  would ever know it.  Then
suddenly it comes back to haunt you.   You  see an interview
with someone who was in your class.  They talk of  the awful
teachers they had years ago.  No matter what your self-
concept is, you feel like you are the bad teacher they are
talking  about.  You feel like you are a failure.  Teaching is
a profession of  inches.  If you give an inch, you will regret
it.  If you don't give an  inch, you will regret it more.

Thursday the 22nd of September, 1991. The social committee
came around today.  The social committee  is one of those
strange rituals of teaching.  You pay five dollars at  the
beginning of the year so that the committee can buy supplies
for  Fat Friday.  Then if someone gets sick the committee also
buys them  flowers.  It is a worthwhile thing, a gesture from
everyone in the  school.  It is also one of the strange
rituals of education.  What  other profession has a built in
office pool of mourning cash? They want ten dollars up front
this year.  Wow!  Inflation has  gotten to everything, even
social behavior.  Maybe I should start the  anti-social
committee and only charge five dollars.  Then many  people
would skip the social committee and join the anti-social
committee.  That would put a strain on the social committee's
budget, by forcing them to raise the dues, which would drive
more  members into my committee.  It is an interesting plan
and it just  might work.  All I have to do is find the time to
plan such a group.   Anti-groups take as much planning as real
groups do.  Plus you don't  get to have meetings, so you have
additional limits placed on your  group. I have to see Mrs.
Turpin tomorrow.  She requested this  conference.  I know what
it will be about.  Little Johnny is not  doing well.  It is
too early in the school year to be having troubles.   He
should be flying through the early part of the year.  After
all, this  is the review time.  We really don't start fifth
grade until later in  the month.

Friday September 23, 1991 Wow.  TGIF.  I made it through
another week.  I'm always  amazed at how much I really go
through on this job.  This morning  I'm sitting in my room at
7:45.  I'm just finished with the Turpin  conference.  It went
really well.  Mrs. Turpin didn't realize how  much Johnny was
goofing off.  She said he would come to school  with a
different attitude, starting today.  I wondered if I should
give the kid a pillow to sit on.  It sounds like his butt is
going to be  warm when he gets here. State law says that you
have to tell the authorities when you  suspect child abuse.
Then it is out of your hands and it goes to the  proper
authorities and they sit on it.  Or so it seems from this
angle.  They don't do anything about it until it is too late.
The child  has to be really hurt or whatever before they
remove him or her from  the home.  I hate this system.  I'm
the only one who can lose a job  over this process.  If social
workers make a wrong call, they get the  benefit of the doubt.
If teachers have doubts and don't report  something, they can
be turned in and lose their jobs.  We are the top  rung on the
ladder.  If you were to cut off the bottom rung, you can
still use the ladder.  You can't cut off the top of the
ladder; you  might get to the root of the problem. I still
hurt over what happened two years ago.  I lost a child right
in front of my eyes, and I had done the right thing.  I turned
him over  to the system and they kicked him loose.  I have
turned in child  abuse cases only to have them get worse and
worse before anything  is done.  I'm not here for the damn
paperwork.  I'm here for the kids.   Why won't people let me
do my job?  It is not social work.  It is  called teaching.
I'm supposed to be a door opener, a path clearer.   I'm not
supposed to be the first social worker in a chain.  I just
want to be a teacher. My favorite teaching movie is not, "To
Sir with Love."  That is a  good movie about teaching, don't
get me wrong.  I love the movie,  "Teachers," the one with
Nick Nolte as a teacher.  I have always  loved the last line
of the movie.  All the people are milling around  outside
after a false fire drill.  The principal comes over to Nick
Nolte's character and says, "Half will never come back in.",
with a  certain tone of resignation.  "Yeah, but half will,"
he answers.  I'm  there for the half that will.

Saturday September 24, 1991 I'm sitting here on my patio
watching the neighborhood.  Have you  ever watched people
bustle in and out of their houses getting ready  for a party?
They run out with an armful of stuff.  Oops, I forgot
something, so they run back in.  Then they run out again.  Two
or  three people living there come out and sweep the patio.
Three or  four different people pour lighter fluid on the
charcoal.  So when the  grill is lit, it goes whoosh.  That
causes everyone to jump back and  start pointing fingers.
That is somewhat amazing, but it is  all  about families and
their Saturdays.  Families have different rules  for Saturdays
then other groups of people do.  They have to do things  as a
group.  The idea of family is important. Personally I like
sending the kids home at 3:15.  I don't have to  worry about
making them dinner.  I don't have to tuck them into bed.   I
just have them for eight hours at a crack.  That also happens
to be  their best eight hours of the day.  I'm sure that
someday I will want  to have children; my mother keeps telling
me that.  Right now, I'm  content to live my life the way it
is.  I don't need anyone else to  take care of me.  I'm having
enough trouble taking care of myself. Later today Suzy is
coming over so that we can have a picnic.  I  love going on
picnics when it is pretty like this.  The high today  should
be in the low 80's.  If we are lucky it will stay in the 70's.
The gathering today is for all the teachers in the school
system.  We  should have a good time.  There is going to be
softball, basketball,  and good conversation.  The school
system hosts one of these  picnics every year to say thank you
to all the teachers in the school  system.  I like it because
the food is good, plentiful, and free.  I  really don't care
about the politics very much.

Sunday September 25, 1991 The picnic was a blast.  I went 4
for 4 in softball.  I lashed one  right down the foul line on
the third base side.  I looped one right  over the first
baseman's head.  I cut a great single to center field.   My
last one was an off the fence double.  I was swinging the bat
really well.  I felt good standing at the plate.  Out in the
field I  made three catches and a good relay throw.  I was
playing the way I  used to when I was seventeen or eighteen,
instead of the way I had  been playing for the past few years.
I guess Suz was right about  running.  It really does help you
do a better job.  I can feel my  mobility increasing.  I have
so much more energy.  I wonder why I  ever gave up running.
I have to plan for the week.  I was running behind Friday, so
I  didn't get to plan during my prep time.  This time crunch
gets worse  as the school year continues.  I have to spend to
much of my time  running off papers.  Otherwise, we will get
behind.  You have to  reach certain things at certain times
otherwise the students will  have trouble on the state test.
I need a break from school, but I  don't think I can get it
right now.  We don't have another three day  break for almost
a month.  Plus those are in-service days.  You have  to spend
all day Thursday at the state wide teachers' convention.
This makes for a great three day weekend.  That does not come
for  another month.  For now I'm going to have to take it easy
two days  at a time. I guess what bothers me is that I was an
adult all day yesterday.   Now I have to stay inside and write
notes about what I will be doing  for the rest of the week.  I
understand that lesson plans are  important.  I just don't
know why we have to have objectives for  every lesson.  Why do
we have to have a paper trail for effective  teaching?  If I
do a good job I will figure out why it worked.  If I  screw it
up, I will know why that happened.  I'm a professional.  I
care about what I do.

Monday September 26, 1991 I thought first that I escaped the
terrorist.  He or she was there  waiting for me, appearing as
a flat tire, on the right side of my car.   It took all forty
minutes of my extra time to change the tire.  That  meant I
made it into the school building just before the kids' bell
rang.  That meant I had to endure the dirty looks of my
principal as I  ran in.  "Flat tire,"  I said as I ran past
him toward my classroom.   He smiled for a second.  Then the
doors open and the flood poured in.   I knew that I would hear
about it later. Of course being a Monday meant that the
children had not done  their homework .  My first thought was
to plunge ahead.  Then I  remembered that this was not review
homework.  If we plunged  ahead, we would end up behind.  I
put zeros in the book for all but  the three kids who had it
done.  That, of course, irritated everyone  as we started the
week.  What are teachers for, if not to irritate  their
students? The Cub Scout Pack here at the school, composed
primarily of  second and third grade students, wants me to
come in and do a  science demonstration.  All the kids are
working on their science  badges.  I do this every year.  It
is fun.  You come in wearing a  white lab coat and amaze the
kids with your abilities in science.   Before you know it,
they are laughing and clapping.  Some of them  might even grow
up to cure cancer or other diseases.  I sent one of  my kids
down to the sponsors' room with a "yes" in red pen. Tonight is
laundry night.  How could one guy be so lucky?  I get  to work
all day and do laundry tonight as well.  Boy, you couldn't ask
for a better life than sitting at the Laundromat watching
other  people's clothes go round and round.  Tuesday the 27th
day of September, 1991 I'm looking for one brown sock.  Here
is the deal, I know I took  the sock with me.  I also know
that I had it in the washer, because I  remember that the two
of them were balled together.  So I undid the  brown sock
ball.   Now one of the brown socks has pulled a  disappearing
act on me.  Where do they go, these missing socks?  I  wish I
knew. Breakfast with mom this morning.  She is meeting at a
little  place just down from the school.  She wants to talk to
me about  wedding plans.  I'm finally going to get to plan
part of my wedding!   I should be careful, they may ask me to
pick colors or something like  that.  It involves one of those
wife or mother trick questions.  "Is  this pastel?", they say
and they don't let you see the fabric swatch  close up.  So
you guess and no matter what you say you are wrong.   So you
smile a weak little smile and say, "I'll try harder next
time",  knowing that if you can possibly help it, there will
never be a next  time. Yesterday afternoon I walked right by
the principal and he didn't  say anything to me about being
late.  I guess he isn't such a bad guy  after all.  People
always used to ask me if I were going to go back  to school
and get a Principal's License.  I have seen the job; I
wouldn't do it if you paid me double.  You always have to be
the bad  guy, and even when you are the good guy, people are
still nervous  around you.  Years after they have left school
people are still  nervous about talking to school principals.
As if all the school  principals have this telepathic mind
link all across the country.   "Don't talk to him; he was a
pain in the ass when he was in third  grade."  The office
itself denotes a level of respect.  It is respect  that comes
from fear.  No one has ever really been afraid of me.  So  I
wouldn't be a good principal, or a happy one.  I'm happy just
teaching school.  Why do I have to be anything more than that?
Because I'm supposed to have ambition.  I'm supposed to want
to  be more than just a school teacher.  Why?  Because people
still see  teaching as a second class profession.  If you are
a principal at  least you are in charge of teachers.  You are
not really teaching,  you're a manager.  Teachers are just
taking children and helping  them become human beings.  It is
really not that important of a job,  so they are not important
people.  Well, I'm a living, breathing  teacher.  That is all
I have ever dreamed of being.

Wednesday September 28, 1991 So here I'm, just a-walking down
the hall.  Wham, this kid runs  into me.  I stop for a second.
Why is this kid running?  Because  another young man is
chasing him.  I look at the kid who has run into  me.  He has
a bloody nose.  I recognize the school bully as he comes
closer.   "What is going on here?", I ask in my best teacher
voice. "Nothing," comes out of the bully's mouth. The other
young man just looks at me with a sense of desperation  in his
eyes.  What am I supposed to do?  Solve all the problems in
the world?  If I don't see what happens, I'm limited.  Just as
police  officers and judges are.  If you can't see what is
happening, you  cannot guarantee that you are doing the right
thing. "Timmy?", I ask the young man who ran into me.  I
finally  recognize him.  I had his brother two years ago.  I
hope my  reputation for fairness will help in this one. He
paused for a moment.  I guess he was afraid of the bully.
That was probably why he was running.  Fine, I'm really on it
this  morning.  At this rate I will probably solve all the
problems of the  world in two or three trillion years. "He hit
me.", Timmy finally said. "What do you have to say about this,
Billy?", I ask the other young  man. "He's lying.  He just
wants to get me in trouble.", Billy answers. At this time, I
suppose I could have just had them both come to  my room for
recess.  I just don't feel like dealing with it now.  So I
filled out the forms and gave them to the secretary.  That
meant  that they would probably beat me back to their rooms.
Principals  hate coming into situations cold.  It frustrates
them when they are  trying to get everything done that they
have to do.  You can't blame  them.  They have feelings also.
They don't always want to be the  bad guys.

Thursday September 29, 1991 Timmy's teacher jumped all over me
for sending him to the office  yesterday.  Here I'm, just
about to sit down to my lunch and boom,  there she is, telling
me that I'm an asshole.  God, all I did was save  the kid's
life.  It wasn't like I hurt him or anything.  Nobody ever
went to the principal's office and came out worse than when
they  went in. I can feel the bitterness coming back. I'm
going to take a personal business day tomorrow.  I have to get
out of this madhouse for a day.  I just want to run down the
halls  shouting, "This isn't the real world.  This isn't the
real world!"  Maybe then, some of these people would get a
life.

Friday September 30, 1991 ThankGodIt'sFriday!  This is a
Friday that comes along at  the right time.  I didn't stay
home, so I'm still catching shit for the  Timmy episode.  Now
it is his parents calling me.   They trust me, I  did a good
job with their older son; he was a troubled young man  before
he had me.  Now he is an honor student in seventh grade.
They called me to let me know what everyone is saying.  It is
really  frustrating that everyone feels like I should have
left Timmy alone.   If he could handle the damn situation he
wouldn't have been running  through the halls with a bloody
nose.  Oh well, I guess you can't win  for losing sometimes.
I wonder if they need teachers in Alaska.   Better yet, why
don't I quit and become a pipeline maintenance  engineer.  It
is a lonely job watching your five hundred and twelve  miles
of pipeline, but at this point, I don't want to be around
other  people anyway.  They are beginning to drive me nuts. So
today I stayed away from everyone.  Sam and I went out to
lunch.  I'm going to keep my nose out of trouble until Monday.
I'm  going to promise myself that I will not say everything
that I really  want to say about this situation.  "Yea, though
I walk through the  teachers' lounge, I will not fear gossip,
because I know it is about  me."


REVIEWS
Battle Chess CD-ROM; When you are looking for a game,
you don't always think about how much you will play that game
in two or three weeks.  Most computer games, like video games,
bore you quickly.  You quickly discover that wonderful game,
that looked so good on the shelf, was really a waste of money.
Which was my attitude as I picked up Battle Chess CD-ROM.
First, this game is not for the weak of dollar.  The game is
cheap, but you do have to have a CD-ROM drive.  The game also
comes in a non-CD-Rom version, however you don't get the
graphics. There are several nice things about Battle Chess,
the first is the animation.  When you capture a square there
is an animated battle.  It sort of reminded me of the Knights
of Knee, from the Monty Python movies. I would love to say
that this was another one of those, Scott play it once and
master them games.  However I am still trying to beat the game
for the second time.  I did manage to win my first game the
other day. I give Battle Chess CD-ROM a solid 95.  This game
is a reason to go out and buy a CD-ROM player.  I am going to
have to take a look at the non-CD version and see how that is!
I would use this game with 4th -12th grade students.  Much
lower than 4th grade and the child would have to be a very
good chess player!

Word Tris; Word Tris is a variation on Tetris, now instead of
tiles falling from the sky, you have letters.  This makes the
object of the game, to spell words!  I thought that would be
easy, after all there are millions of combinations that form
two and three letter words.  However, you can set the game to
only accept 3-4 letter words  or larger.  It can be a very
difficult game. The installation process for this game was not
the best.  Like the program Lotus 123 for the Macintosh, the
installation requires loads of user input.  This is not always
the best way to handle an installer, there are plenty of ways
it can go wrong.  Plus with their technical support crew not
always able to call you back quickly, you end up chasing your
tail for a couple of days. Still, once you get past the issues
of technical support, it is a very excellent program.  It took
me three tries (and a new disk from the  company) to get the
program installed.  However, as with Tetris, once installed I
found the graphics and other parts of the game to be
excellent.  You have the same level of control (horizontal and
downward movement) as you do in Tetris.  The game is fast
paced and holds the interest of 7 year old's and 30 year
old's.  I give WordTris a 95.  It is an excellent program and
I wish they would clean up their installer.  However for the
money and the value, WordTris is an exceptional buy.  I would
use this program with 1st through 7th graders.

Super Tetris for Windows; What a fabulous game this one is.  I
spent about four hours in front of my PC at work, after work
was done, playing this game.  I have always been a fan of
Tetris.  It is a stimulating game that is easy to think you've
mastered, and impossible to really master. Super Tetris for
windows (File Run A:setup) was an easy installation, as
windows installations go.  I would have preferred to have it
be a one disk installer like the Macintosh, but that is the
way windows installs. The images contained in the game are
excellent.  The copy protection scheme is one of the most
intriguing I have ever run across.  You are supposed to answer
questions, about famous circus people, whose information is
found in the right margin of the manual. Their technical
support department leaves a little bit to be desired.  I got a
call back, after leaving a message (I wait 30 minutes and then
I always choose to wait a message) but it took two days.  You
are more likely to get a response on Compuserv than anywhere
else. The game itself is easily mastered.  Some of the changes
include bombs, that will remove misplaced tiles, and special
tiles that let you choose the next shape that will be dropped.
As is always the case with puzzle type games, this one gets
harder as the levels increase. Super Tetris a 94.  I have to
take off 2 points for the quality of the support, because this
is a consumer level product and their customers are not always
the most adept computer users.  I would use this problem
solving program with kids in 4th - 10th grade.

The Comptons Multimedia Encyclopedia; Recently Jostens sent me
their networkable version of the Comptons Multimedia
encyclopedia.  Their version requires a network and a minimum
of 30 megabytes of available hard disk space.  The
installation was easy, just a simple double click on the
installer and away I went. The reason for the 30 megabytes of
disk space is actually fairly apparent once you boot the
program.  Many of the files that would be slow, if played only
from the CD-ROM, are loaded onto the hard drive during that
installation procedure.  This makes the program very fast,
even over a local talk network! From QuickTime movies to JPEG
pictures, this CD has it all.  The text is easily read, the
pictures are well placed.  You don't have problems switching
from a small 9" screen to a 20" screen.  The program has all
the images set up for the smaller screen.  That means that you
can enlarge them if you have a larger screen.  The images are
not jerky even over a local talk network.  Classic II's and LC
II's are just as able to play back these movies as a IIci or a
Quadra. Speaking of which, a local talk network, when running
this encyclopedia, with more than five users, it is still very
fast.  Compared to a program like Microsoft Excel, or Word,
there is little or no appreciable speed loss.  I was very
impressed by that. I found the navigator/report writer portion
to be excellent!  This feature gives the child a notebook
metaphor for using the encyclopedia.  They can easily take
notes and use the program.  Searching and collecting data are
made easier as well.  All in all I found this feature very
applicable to a school setting. For a school, or parents
interested in having the latest and greatest technology, I
highly recommend the Jostens Multimedia Encyclopedia.  I give
it a 96.  This program is great for kids of all ages and
adults.  Its educational setting could be the library or the
classroom.  If the school has a network this program would
really be best served being available to all students!

Jack Nicklaus Course Builder; Another DOS review by the Mac
guy, what's next?  This particular game is another one of my
personal quests.  I have always wanted to be able to design
and play my own golf courses.  Not currently having 30 million
lying around to practice that hobby, I will have to settle for
a computer simulation.  This one is not bad, as far as
simulations go! One of the things that you have to look at is
that this is a DOS based golf game.  The graphics are not bad,
considering that.  Installation (could I please have an easy
to install DOS setup system?) requires more system knowledge
that I really wanted to have.  However that is a function of
DOS based installers, not the game itself. Technical support
for the product was excellent.  My questions about
installation were answered quickly and correctly.  I didn't
have to wait for an extended time period and the music wasn't
overly annoying. The game itself plays much like many other
golf games.  The views and holes are consistent with computer
golf.  I would like a little more animation and 3-D quality to
the screens.  That way you don't have to guess what the lie is
on the green.  However, play is quick and you seldom have
major problems. Building a hole is fun, you can rate your hole
and develop it anyway you like.  I suppose you could create a
course entirely composed of holes surrounded by water, but
then who could break par? I give this DOS golf game a strong
rating of 82.  There are a lot of areas where it could be
improved.  Ease of use and control would be a nice start.
However, in terms of being able to create your own course and
build off of that, this is an excellent package!

Strata Type 3D; While an excellent program, Strata type 3d
finished second in our comparison.  It does have some features
that would place it ahead of Typestry, if you needed those
specific features.  When you first launch this program, you
get the annoying security system, you have to have the
Preferences file from the diskettes in your system folder or
the program will not work.  This is not as annoying as other
copy protection procedures, but it does cause problems when
you rebuild your system. Technical support from Stratavision
was excellent.  They provide quick and easy answers to even
the most difficult question.  I also have to applaud the short
wait I had receiving technical support.  The wait was short
and my problem was quickly resolved. The problem with 3-D text
programs is that you have to crawl along if you are using
anything other than a Quadra.  An LCII (which these two
reviews were done on) just doesn't have the horse power to
handle these programs.  Eventually you spend more time waiting
than you do creating! Perhaps this program would be helped by
a tutorial, however as with its competitor it is intended for
the professional, or experienced Macintosh user.  This is not
for the weekend hacker. There are many particularly strong
features that make this product competitive with Typestry.
Typestry's over all integration and greater power makes it the
better high end by.  Strata Type 3-D is a better buy for those
with a less powerful machine.  It ran faster than Typestry on
an LCII, although it was not as fast on a Quadra.  (It think
that had more to do with an init conflict rather than a more
serious concern).  Strata Type 3-D is an excellent package. My
rating?  I give it a 93.  As I said, Typestry just nudged it
out in our testing!

Typestry; In a new category, that of three dimensional text
creation the winner, not by much is Pixar's new Typestry.  The
program is a powerful addition to any desktop publishing or
production/school newspaper program.  I found myself enjoying
the program more and more as I used it.   I will say that its
5 megabyte of RAM minimum configuration does tend to take it
out of the low end market.  However this is not a program for
the low end. I found the loading to be simple and easy.  As
with most Macintosh applications...you don't really have to
worry about installing the program, just running it later.
Technical support was excellent for the product.  Pixar has
positioned its technical support staff well.  They were able
to quickly and easily answer my two questions. I would love to
include some of the 3-d text in the text only version of The
Flame, people who get the paper version will see a couple, but
the images don't translate from Macintosh to VAxintosh very
well. The program tends to draw you further and further into
the world of 3 dimensional type.  I found the ease of use and
documentation to make the process easier and more fluid.  The
learning curve and equipment needs are fairly high, however
the documentation allows the end user to move up quickly.
I've enjoyed the opportunity to design fancy 3-D text objects.
The only thing I need now, is a version that runs fast on an
LCII.  On a Quadra 700, this baby flies, but on an LC II it is
slow.  However, most things are slow on an LCII! I give
Typestry a 94.  It is an excellent package for  the DTP.

MachTen;
If you have a DOS machine, you have many flavors of
Unix.  On a Macintosh you've had one flavor, AUX.  Until
MachTen, brought to the Macintosh by Tenon  and based on the
MACH Unix kernel, MachTen is an excellent package. Disk based
installation (much easier than Apple's CD-ROM based
installer), is an easy process.  You just have to sit in front
of the computer for a long time, until you have finished the
process.  MachTen takes up less hard disk space than AUX1.  It
also offers a closer look and feel to the Macintosh native
environment. The Technical support offered by Tenon was
excellent.  I've used Unix, both in calling into the Internet,
and when I was selling Unix machines for awhile.  Unix is not
the easiest of languages to learn.  However, once you have
mastered the basic functions, you really can move around
pretty  well. MachTen is an easy package to move around in.
You will need a considerable amount of hard disk free, however
I was easily able to install the package and run it off of a
40 megabyte cartridge drive.  I ended up calling Tenon twice
and was very pleased with the quick and knowledgeable response
I received. Once you install the Unix shell, you are in
business.  Unix has several built in features that DOS and the
Mac OS do not have.  Built in Mail and other file management
features that are accessed from the prompt.  MachTen gives you
excellent GUI qualities, the consistency of the Apple
interface is maintained.  Finder copies are very slow, but
other functions have that familiar Macintosh look and feel.
Those of you planning on moving to the new PowerPC platform
should purchase a copy of Unix and start practicing now.  Unix
is a clean 32 bit operating system, and is what the Taligent
operating system will utilize as its OS base. My rating?  I
give MachTen an 86.  Its features and style do require a
consider- professional.  It is not for the beginner or novice
user.  If you don't know your way around the Macintosh, wait
before you buy this package!  You also need to have a certain
amount of Macintosh and Unix knowledge.  If you run into
problems the manuals are good, but many Unix problems require
long study in order to solve them.  All in all I give this
program a high rating for ease of use (considering what it
does) and power! 1AUX -- Apple Unix.

Excel 4.0 for Windows; So here is the Mac guy again, doing
another Windows review.  However, the product we are talking
about is one of my personal favorites.  I have had a copy of
Excel since the first version came out on the Macintosh ages
ago.  The newest version, 4.0 is the best yet. The
installation in windows is fairly easy...Well as easy as it
can be under windows.  Why doesn't Windows have a disk based
installation system?  Once you choose your level of
installation (I did the whole shebang on both the Mac and the
PC, they weighed in at just over 7 and 9 megabytes "you can do
the guessing as to which was which.") its an easy process.
Excel 4.0 has a customizable menu bar, which I find
invaluable.  You can alter the menu bar that appears above
what you are working on.  If there are certain tools or
functions, that you access all the time, place them in your
menu bar and forget about them!  Because the next time you
need them, they are right there! Talk about features to love,
you and your buddy next door who has a Mac (scary thought, but
there are more of them everyday), can now share an Excel file,
100%!  Everything that you create (colors, charts, data and
macros) is converted to the Mac, and opened as an Excel file,
without your doing anything.  This feature alone puts Excel in
another class as far as I am concerned. Add to that a variety
of fantastic functions that I can't even list here and you
have the best of its class.  From printing to financial
analysis, Excel is the best in its field. My rating?  As you
can guess it is pretty high.  I give Excel a 97.  There are a
couple of minor annoyances that I would like to have cleared
up, one of which would be the huge size of Excel.  It is just
way to large an application.  The other would be that disk
based installer for windows, and while I am at it, a little
more speed would be nice.  However, for anyone using
spreadsheets with 8th graders and above, Windows or Macintosh,
don't even both looking at anything else just run (do not
walk) to your nearest software dealer and buy EXCEL!

Interactive Physics; What a great tool for science teachers!
I loaded interactive physics on my machine the other day and
sat down to learn more about physics.  Before half an hour was
over I knew more about physics than when I started! Loading
the program was easy.  A call to technical support was
dispatched quickly and efficiently.  The engineer on the other
end really knew the product well.  A representative group of
7, 8th grade students were given the opportunity to play with
the program for awhile.  All of them unanimously gave it two
thumbs up. Their quotes follow: "Learning with this
game/package was fun!" "I really like this program." "This was
easier than the text book,  because the pictures were right in
front of me all the time.  I knew what I was doing!" All in
all the program is easy to manage and extremely powerful.
Many Science Education programs (for teachers) around the
country are using this product, which is a high compliment.
You can develop and test theories that aren't always that easy
to test.  I particularly like the pre-built lunar lander
module.  I learned quite a bit about motion while playing with
that module! I give Interactive Physics a 98.  It is a
fantastic product that works well with advanced 7th graders
all the way to high school seniors.  The subject matter is
well presented and the program is very nice.  The only
complaint I would have is that the graphics, in some modules,
are a little weak.  Other than that complaint the program is
perfect.

Systat 5.2; Systat is a high-level data analysis/graphing
program, with version 5.2 now available for the Macintosh.
With Systat, you can do complex analyses of large amounts of
data (the number of cases is only limited by disk space.)
Systat has tear-off iconic menus for data and graphing
options.  If you are doing or plan to be doing analysis of
data, and wish to do it on the Mac, Systat is for you.  The
complexity of data analysis/graphing is testified to by
Systat's documentation: 4 volumes totaling over 1700 pages.
The Systat "Getting Started" manual walks the new user through
a tutorial and brief overview of Systat's features.  "DATA"
takes the user through the powerful DATA programming language
usable for complex data transformations and file manipulation.
"Graphics" describes how to utilize and understand all the
plots, graphs and charts that can be created.  "Statistics"
describes the methods for statistical analysis of data and
their implementation. The most significant improvement (in
this reviewer's eyes) is the ability to create QuickTimet
movies of moving graphics.  Systat 5.2 is the only statistical
analysis program available that offers this unique, and
useful, feature.  Other new features include: enhanced MGLH
(Multivariate General Linear Hypothesis) implementation,
faster hi-res graphics, and 8-bit (256 color) graphs. Although
an excellently written program, Systat is, by the nature of
it's subject, a niche-filling program.  If you aren't doing
any form of data analysis, you don't need this program.  If
you are doing or plan to be doing analysis of data, and wish
to do it on the Mac, with it's amazingly Mac-like interface in
addition to QuickTime support and loads of analyses, Systat
may be just what you're looking for.  Systat gets an 88 (not
in the 90's only because of it's nicheness.) Systat ships with
both a coprocessor and non-coprocessor versions.- Review by
Eric Borsch

ToolBook; Where does one turn in the DOS or Windows world if
they want to find an authoring system for creating interactive
books?  One place they can effectively turn is to Asymetrix
Corporation, whose ToolBook application is a quality authoring
product. The ToolBook approach to an authoring system is very
close to that used   by Claris Corps HyperCard.  There are two
levels of use when you are using ToolBook.  The first level is
as an Author.  As an author, you can create and edit
interactive hypertext books.  As a reader, you can read and
navigate through created books. The tools available to the
author for creating books are diverse.  ToolBook is
object-oriented.  As you create objects on a page, you assign
properties and actions to these objects.  You begin your book
by specifying the size of page you wish to work with.  Then
you place objects on the page as needed.  Buttons, checkboxes,
radio buttons, edit boxes, text boxes, scroll boxes, graphics
elements, and hotwords are some of the items that can be
placed on a page.  To assign actions to these objects, a rich
language called OpenScript is available.  Using OpenScript,
you can have actions happen when certain area of the page are
acted upon in some way.  One action may happen when the mouse
cursor is on an object and the mouse button is pressed down.
Another action may happen when the mouse button is released.
Actions can happen when a field or page is entered or left.
Whenever one action happens to a particular object, another
action may happen to a related object.  OpenScript makes it
very easy to define these actions with an English-like
procedural language. Hotwords is a very nice feature of
ToolBook.  With hotwords, text can be linked to text in any
other area of a book, or even to another book.  Once an item
of text is defined as a hotword, it behaves just like any
other defined object on the page.  Actions can be assigned to
it so that other parts of a book may be displayed or other
objects may be activated.  All of these features make for a
very interactive electronic book. At the reader level, the
user can move through the book using the controls and features
that the author built into the book.  The reader is the one
that makes the decisions of where to move to next in the book.
All in all, ToolBook is a very useful and quality authoring
system.  It is easy to use from both an author and a reader
standpoint.  If an authoring system is needed in the Windows
world,  ToolBook would be a very good choice. Rating:  95

Cool Mac Books; I've had the good fortune to review two more
books in the Cool Mac Series.  Each of these books is well
written and easy to follow.  I highly recommend these to
anyone starting out with their computer, or looking for some
well presented information about their computer. Cool Mac
Animation and Cool Mac AfterDark are both excellent.  The Cool
Mac AfterDark book comes with an AfterDark QuickTime player.
It also comes with tons of fun AfterDark modules. The Cool Mac
Animation book also includes a disk of goodies.  Some of the
things that you can do with Macintosh based animation is
incredible.  I wish I had enough artistic ability to draw some
interesting shapes to animate. Both of these books are
excellent products.  I highly recommend the entire series, as
it is to things you are doing.  Both of these books in
particular are excellent.  I give them both a 98.  If you are
interested in animation or using After Dark, pick up these
two!

Helpdesk, The Art of; A fine book from Peachpit Press, it
gives you the inside track to technical support.  As with any
book, dealing with both sides requires a lot of juggling.
Technical support, particularly in the computer world, tends
to have its ups and its downs. This book is an excellent tool
for people working in the helpdesk or support role, it is also
good for people interested in why their support call takes so
long.  I spend between 10-15 hours a week on the phone with
Vendors and other support engineers.  Very often I experience
the same frustrations that everyone else experience, phones
that never answer, companies that change their phone number,
numbing music on the hold line and long wait times. Finally
this book details the tools you need to set up a successful
help desk.  There are many things that you need to have, in
order to be successful.  You need to hire the right kind of
people.  You need to have a way to track the incoming phone
calls.  You need to build a knowledge base  of the information
you have collected during the various phone calls.  All in all
its a lot of work. Reading this book makes you appreciate the
work that the poor folks do on the other end of the phone. I
give this excellent book a 95.  If you are interested in
helping other people with their software problems, this book
is a good one for your book shelf.

Stuffit Delux 3.0; The old classic grows even one step better.
I was introduced to the freeware version of Stuffit (Stuffit
Expander) and found it to be excellent.   My copy of Stuffit
(1.5.1) came bundled with my copy of America Online.   I
really looked forward to seeing the newest version, with the
automatic compression added!   Version 3.0 did not disappoint.
Stuffit Delux 3.0 is able to open up any type of archive
(Compactor Pro.CPT, Stuffit Delux.sea 2.0, and
Disk/AutoDoubler.sea).  That makes it a fine addition to any
desk top, because it can do that! The installation is easy
(the new automatic compression menu (magic menus) is a
wonderful addition to Stuffit.   Stuffit is probably the most
widely accepted compression used by Bulletin Boards and other
distribution forms (CD-ROM).   Its features continue The
technical support line was very good.   I did have to wait
over 20 minutes, but I did call during the middle of the day.
20 minutes is really not that bad for technical support, try
calling Microsoft's Windows hotline sometime! I give Stuffit
Delux a 96.  If they had a finder copy extension like
Disk/Autodoubler, they would have tied their competitors.
Right now that finder copy addition, makes Autodoubler the
first choice, with Stuffit Delux a very close second.


************************************************************
************   Featured Review  ****************************
************************************************************

AutoDoubler & DiskDoubler; What fantastic tools these
utilities are!  I'm not sure how I ever got by without them.
Both AutoDoubler and DiskDoubler are compression utilities
that I wish I had before I invested in tons of floppies and
Syquests.  Installation was both quick and easy, thanks to the
installer.  Technical support for the product has switched
over to Fifth Generation Systems (they bought Salient the
creator of AD and DD in August).  Fifth Generation Systems,
the maker of Suitcase, has an excellent technical support
staff.  They are quick and very courteous.  They also have an
800 support line 24 hours a day! As with any compression
program, not all software likes to be compressed.  Aldus says
not to compress PageMaker at all.  Although my Macintosh SE is
a little on the slow side, I have PageMaker compressed and it
seems to work just fine...but a little slower.  Microsoft Word
slows down a little bit too.  I guess there are always some
trade offs, but on faster Macs there should be little or no
noticeable slowing. The manual guarantees that you can't
damage or corrupt a file by compressing it.  If you have
something that dosent work right being compressed then you can
set AD not to compress that file.  You can even select an
entire folder and it will be ignored.  Files that cannot be
compressed any smaller than they already are will also be
ignored. AutoDoubler and DiskDoubler are two separate software
packages.  They can be used individually, but together they
really complement each other.  I use both on my SE, and I
don't really have to worry about filling up my hard drive
anymore.  Since AD is invisible to the Finder, the "Get Info"
box shows the normal size of the file.  AutoDoubler comes
bundled with a CDEV named CopyDoubler and an application named
Autodoubler Internal Compressor (AIC).  AutoDoubler runs
completely in the background, and invisibly.  After you first
install, walk away for a couple of hours to let AD start
compressing your hard drive and then check to see the savings!
I have a 40 MB hard disk with an effective storage ability of
56.8 MB.  Of course, some files such as the entire System
Folder are excluded, as well as any invisible or special
files.  AIC takes care of some of that.  AIC is an application
that checks all of your other applications, CDEVs and
Extensions.  If they can be compressed internally (i.e. some
of the file's resources) then you have that option.  There are
several items that might not work right after using AIC, but
you can undo compression on anything that's been compressed.
CopyDoubler not only speeds up the copying process, it will
allow copying in the background and it will also speed up
emptying the trash!  What a great utility!  You can also set
the preferences to verify coping onto Syquests as well as
floppies.  The Finder only verifies floppies.  Emptying the
trash is fast and relatively painless.  You still have to
select "Empty Trash" from the "Special" menu, but you have
options such as always erasing locked files and security
deleting so the file can not be recovered using another
utility. DiskDoubler adds an additional menu in the Finder
after "Special" that allows you to compress, expand, copy to,
and create self-extracting archives (.sea).  It also has a
feature to allow you to quickly see the compressed and
expanded sizes of files and shows you the savings.
DiskDoubler is bundled with DiskDoubler App.  This is freeware
and can expand only.  You can give it to your friends that you
are sharing compressed files with even when they don't own
either AD or DD.  Self-extracting archives are also a great
way to exchange files with your friends.  Just double click on
the file and it will uncompress it's self. Although the only
way to copy a compressed file onto a floppy is to use DD's
"Copy to..." menu, AD allows you to run your backup program in
full compressed form.  Just turn off compression in your
backup program before starting.  Sometimes when you try to
compress a file that has already been compressed by another
program it will actually get larger instead of getting
smaller.  For that reason, AD will not compress any files
already compressed with Stuffit, Compact Pro, or any other
compression utility. A good example would be .GIF files.
Since that is a compressed file AD will not try to compress
it.  However, MacPaint and .EPSF files average a 45% savings.
Word files average 58% and PageMaker files average 70%! I have
to give both DiskDoubler and AutoDoubler a 98!  Although
there's always room for improvement, I just don't know why I
used so many floppies all of this time to store the things
that wouldn't fit on my hard drive.  Syquests love AD/DD also.
BTW, my over 200 floppies are only used for backups now.
*******Warning*********** Data compression is not to be taken
lightly.  The reason that I have little or no problems during
this review, was that I read the manual and followed all the
steps in order.  If you do not install AD or DD correctly you
can have problems.  Also, be sure to make backup copies of the
original AD/DD disks.

Caere Typist; (plus graphics!); The Caere Typist is a hand
held scanner.  The wonder of it all is its ease of use, unlike
a flatbed scanner that requires a couple of square feet of
precious desk real estate, the Typist is hand held and fits in
a small space.  I found the convenience to be exceptional, the
ease of use was exceptional and the installation was easy.
The Typist even has an init that tells you, as your system is
booting, if the typist is installed correctly!  With a tool
that allows you to scan text and graphics, you are freed from
typing, searching clip art collections and other mundane DTP
tasks.  You just take your Typist and add whatever  you want
to add. ((A couple of editorial notes, original artwork and
prose must be credited before use, often it is a violation of
the copy right law to copy pictures and use them without
permission.)) The people at the Caere Technical support center
are wonderful.  They were quickly able to dispatch my problem.
I felt like they really knew their products!  The scanner
itself is a breeze to use.  Its clarity and the quality of the
images are amazing!  Using the desk accessory that you
install, you can place the text or artwork into any other
program. I give the Typist a 98.  This is clearly heads above
any other product in its category.  Fantastic, easy to use and
inexpensive....You can't ask for more!

Trax; Trax music software  which uses a MIDI interface and
input device to record MIDI sequences on your Macintosh  is a
wonderful tool.  As I recorded a song I had been working on, I
was amazed at the number of voices I could use. Installation
of the program was easy.  The technical support staff at
Passport Designs was excellent.  I called twice with minor
problems, (well they seemed major to me!).  Both times they
were courteous and efficient. The interface, which is very
important when using a complex program, was easy to follow and
understand.  I enjoyed the ease of use as well as the
simplicity of the choices I had to make.  The musical voices
that were available were fantastic.  I was able to take my
recording and mix it with other voices to provide my song with
4 different voices!  Using the program you can also come back
and add notes for base and other accompaniment to your
recording.  Playback (using BOSE ROOMATE SPEAKERS!) was
excellent.  The sound quality was great.  Using the MacNexus
MIDI box, the output as well as the input was great.  I
exported a sound clip from Trax and used it as background
music for a Quicktime movie I created.  I thought I was a
major video studio!!! I give Trax a 94.  Because MIDI is still
specialty market, this is not a must have product.  However if
you are a music teacher, consider this alternative to teaching
music (combine Trax with the Miracle and you have an
introductory music instruction package that allows creative
expression!)  I would strongly recommend this package for
5th-10th grade classrooms.


ConcertWare + MIDI; ConcertWare, an excellent music
composition package for the Macintosh, also has a MIDI  For
the beginning to intermediate MIDI user this excellent package
is wonderful! Great Wave, the makers of ConcertWare, have
excellent technical support and educational pricing!  I called
three times on a variety of questions and was satisfied
quickly.  The support, answers and knowledge level of the
support representatives remained high. The installation
procedure was simple and easy.  It is a click and drag
installation, which is the easiest kind.  Just drag the
ConcertWare disk image onto your hard drive, wait for the copy
bar to Finnish and away you go.  ConcertWare is an easy to use
introductory package.  Hooking a Midi box, the Miracle and
this program was easy.  The input and output was excellent.
There are not as many voices as other programs, but the ease
of use makes this an excellent package. Speed was an issue
however, this program is very slow on an LCII or a IIcx.
Other programs in this genre are much faster.  This is an
excellent entry level or beginning education product. My
rating?  I give ConcertWare an 89.  It is an excellent package
for the beginning musician.  I would use this product in 4-7th
grades.

Smokey's Garage; You break 'em; We put 'em back together!; 1.
When I turn on my computer, the screen comes up for a second
and then it goes black.  What is going on?

Monitors often go bad.  If you are convinced your monitor is
dying check the following things:  The cable leading into the
monitor, the cable connecting the monitor and the computer and
finally the power connection for the monitor.  If you are
running off of a video card, try connecting your monitor to
another computer and see if it runs.  If you still receive
nothing, check and make sure that your computer itself is
working.

2.  Why do you fix computers in a garage?

The guys and I used to fix cars, but when the bottom fell out
of the American automotive market, we switched over to
computers.  Since we already had a garage, we just kept the
name and the location.  We can lube your car while we fix your
powerbook, for the ultimate on the go consumer!

3.  My company has both Macintosh and IBM computers, we are
trying to standardize on certain programs.  Will we have a
problem switching files between the different platforms?

Not really, if you choose your programs wisely (grasshopper).
Actually, Microsoft Word and Excel both offer exceptional
translation between the IBM/DOS/Compatible/Windows formats to
the Macintosh versions.  Powerpoint 3.0 is also supposed to be
as compatible between the platforms.  Wordperfect, Lotus and
other packages also offer the same compatibility (although not
as good as Microsoft's) between their programs on the two
platforms.  Good luck, sometimes what seems like a simple no
brain task can end up driving you nuts!

4.  Recently I took a file I had been working on in PageMaker
over to a friends so that they could print it on their laser
printer.  When I brought the file home to make a couple of
minor changes, I found that I couldn't even open it anymore.
What happened?

Most likely, not being with you when you were at your friends,
and assuming that it printed easily there, he or she has a
later version of PageMaker than you do.  You can always move
forward with PageMaker, but you can never open backwards.

5. Sometimes when I try to print from Microsoft Word I get an
error and I can print.  I can place the same text in PageMaker
and print just fine.  What's going on?

Microsoft Word handles fonts a little differently than
Pagemaker.  If you have a corrupt font then word probably
won't  print even if it is not the font you are using. If you
have a lot of fonts it's not easy finding the offending font.
First, look at the sizes of your fonts.  Type 1 Fonts are
usually between 3K and 15K.  TrueType Fonts can be between 15K
to 100K.  If you have a 200K TrueType font there's a good
chance that it's corrupt. If your using System 7, try to open
the font to look at it.  Usually you will get an error if the
files corrupt.  The most sure way and most time consuming way
of finding a bad font is to take out all of the fonts from
your System and try to print.  Add a few and try to print
again.  Keep it up until you find the one that won't let you
print.

6. How do you turn off call waiting?  My modem gets messed up
a lot when I'm logged on to a BBS and I was told that call
waiting was the problem and there is a way to turn it off.

Most phone companies allow you to turn off call waiting
temporarily just for the call you are about to make.  Set up
your communications program to dial *70, (star 70 comma)  for
touch tone service or 1170, (117comma) for pulse. Most modems
are Hayes compatible, and the comma after the *70 will
instruct the modem to pause for 2 seconds for the dial tone to
be re-established.  One way is to set up like this:

*70, 555-5555

Many communications programs can be set up to dial *70, before
the number automatically so you don't have to set up every
phone number separately. Check with your phone company if
these numbers don't work for you.  Not all phone companies are
the same.

Discussion; From:    [e-mail]     Subject:
A happy thought... I am a college freshman at the University
of Missouri, Kansas City. It so happens that in my English
class we are to write four narrative essays. My first one just
returned to me with an A grade on it and my prof. wants me to
publish it. He is also is using it for an in-class discussion.
One comment he made on the paper was that I must have had some
wonderful high school teachers. He was right. I visited my old
high school yesterday and talked to two of my English
teachers. One, who is pregnant with her first child at the age
of 39, was in a depression about her job and the lack of
respect and appreciation that many high school teachers feel.
I gave her a copy of my essay and at the end of it I wrote her
a little note. "Thanks for being a wonderful teacher, and
friend. Love, Paul." When she finished crying she told me that
I just made her year. That she does feel like she is making a
difference. Well, to all of the teachers who read this list...
You do make a difference and even though you may not hear it
enough, we appreciate you and will never forget the kindness
and knowledge that you have shared with us, the students. Paul

[e-mail]     Subject:      RE: A happy thought...
What a perfect day to put this thought on our list Paul. Today
is international teacher appreciation day sponsored by The
Society of Dead Teachers.   You've already taken the first
step.   Stopping by to say thank you to an a teachers you have
before. Stop for a moment today and remember some teacher who
helped you get where you are! Sincerely, Scott Andersen
President The Society of Dead Teachers

"Dorothy J. Christoff Subject:      Re: A happy thought...
Paul - What a wonderfu    l thing you did!!!!!  And made even
more so by the fact that today (October 12th) is NATIONAL
TEACHER APPRECIATION DAY!!! 'Tis sad that many teachers go
through an entire career never realizing the impact they have
had on the lives of individuals.  While teachers know they CAN
make a difference, many of them never REALLY know that they
DID. Thanks again, Paul, for your "random act of kindness"
that made a positive difference in someone's life.  May it be
returned to you many times over by your future students!!!
Dorothy Christoff

Sherri Knight <[e-mail]>    Subject: Project for
At-Risk Students Scott, This is my first message to you other
than DTS. So let me tell you who I am. I am a world history
and humanities teacher in San Antonio. This year I am helping
to institute a program for At-Risk Students. It is a two hour
block for sophomores. In this class students study both world
history and world literature. Besides working with the content
areas, the other team teacher and I try to help these students
see the importance in staying in school. So we work on
self-esteem, goal planning and check on the students' progress
in other classes. We have worked with other teachers who have
these students in class set up tutoring and just be aware
these are students with special needs.  Although our goal is
to have all of these students graduate, we are just taking the
days one at a time celebrating the small successes and
dreaming of the big ones. The reason I am writing to you is in
connection with a project I would like to start using these
students. We have acquired four computers, a modem and
telephone outlet for our classroom. The students are naturally
drawn to the computers. I would like to put together a project
in which these students work collaboratively with students
from around the U.S. and other countries. I don't mean E-mail
pals. Although that would probably interest our students, I
want to do something that would be highly interesting and
educational at the same time. Would you or do you know of any
teachers who might be interested in such a project? I am also
interested in teachers from other countries being involved. I
have two thoughts on the scope of the project. One could be
having the students research a topic then doing a
collaborative newsletter. I like the idea of searching their
cultural roots through perhaps their grandparents or great
grandparents.  I do have some contacts in other countries but
not enough. Do you have any suggestions? Would you be
interested in such a project or know someone who might be?
Thanks for you help? Sherri


[e-mail] Subject:      Man who would be king...
So who is it? Three choices, not really clear, who has the
best shot at helping our educational system? Scott Well, let's
first find out which of the three "Pretenders to the Throne"
have positions on corporal punishment in the schools,
especially K-3. (South Georgia is such a lovely place to train
teachers, especially in alternative "non-invasive" forms of
behavior management teachers rarely get to use in the real
classroom.) The majority of states still approve of violence
(i.e., corporal punishment) in the guise of "discipline." Why
don't politicians address these simple ethical issues? Marty

"Dorothy J. Christoff" <[e-mail]>
Subject:      Re: Man who would be king... Here's my $.02
worth on the voucher proposals: Like so many other programs
that have been legislated by non-educators, this is another
one of those that sounds great in theory, but does not work in
reality. Can anyone out there really believe that most of the
'transfers' will take place because of academic reasons rather
than athletic ones??? The recruiting 'game' that goes on
between colleges and high school kids will seem like a tea
party compared to what will be going on at all levels of our
schools.  (On the other hand, can you envision schools that
can 'drop' their athletic programs and concentrate on
academics?  Hmmmmm. That one's interesting...) The part that
really captures my interest, however, is the part that would
extend vouchers to private schools.  The argument seems to be
that the public schools just aren't getting the job done and
that private schools are. Let's extend this just a little
bit...  Why can't we do the same thing with Social
Security?????  I certainly would like to be able to take a
'voucher' for my SS yearly contributions and be able to take
that to a private financial firm!! I certainly have more faith
in our public schools than I do in the Social Security system!
Comments?????

[e-mail]     Subject:      Re: Man who would be
king... My opinion on the issue of vouchers: I think that they
should be allowed. That would force the public schools to
improve immensely, because they would have some legitimate
competition. They would be losing money if they didn't provide
good enough education to draw students in. In the case of
private schools, and parochial ones, I don't think they are
all necessarily better. I just think that if the public
schools had some competition on their level (not based on the
amount of money the parents make), they would be forced to
improve, and not just either continue the status quo, or
continue to slump. From the keyboard of David Rinke II

[e-mail]         Subject:      Re: Man who
would be king... The majority of states still approve >of
violence (i.e., corporal punishment) in the guise of
"discipline." >Marty Is this true? We haven't had corporal
punishment for 15+ years. We are far better off without it.
From the computer of  Harold Brochmann.

Sherri Knight <[e-mail]>    Subject: Project
PROJECT INVITATION Title:  "In Our Fathers' Shoes" Objective:
Students will exchange via telecommunications stories that
have been in their families for generations. This will both
get them in touch with their own heritage and bring about a
better understanding of the heritage of others. Participation:
Teachers and Secondary Students from within and without the
United States are invited to participate. Deadline: Would like
to hear from those who wish to participate by Nov. 15. Basic
Guidelines: 1) Students would interview the oldest available
member of their family asking that member to relate a story
about any relative, preferably a story that has become a
tradition in the family. It can be a story that is funny, sad,
heroic, or in some way memorable. 2) The students would then
write the story. It should be approximately one to two pages
handwritten. 3) Once the stories were written, the teacher
would help them upload the stories into the computer and send
them to me. I would send the stories that my students are
writing. 4) My students will publish a newsletter of the
stories. If several teachers/students participate, we will
choose a sampling of those stories found to be very
interesting. I hope that we have a lot of participation. I
will be glad to answer any questions teachers might have
before they commit themselves to this project. Thank you!
Sherri Sherri Knight <[e-mail]> World History
teacher East Central High School 7173 F.M. 1628 San Antonio,
Texas  USA 78286

"James J. Dowd" <[e-mail]>    Subject:      Re: Man
who would be king... Concerning faith in the Social Security
system and the idea of vouchers, my confidence in the system
which once was very strong  has faltered a bit of late.  Does
anyone know of any plans that any of the Presidential
candidates have concerning SS?  I have listened closely to
each of the debates and have read daily in the papers with an
eye out for their positions but with no success.  Just a few
years ago, we seemed to reach a national consensus that Social
Security was to untouchable; even in the maw of the Reagan
years this consensus remained steadfast.  Lately, however,
particularly given the considerable discussion over the
deficit, the consensus has begun to unravel.  The 20/20 show
last week was just one    It amazed me that several of the
retirees on the show indicated that they would be willing to
forego their benefits in order to fight the deficit.  I, for
one, have payed into the SS system for 25 years now and have
based my plans for retirement on receiving benefits from the
system.  I am beginning to have a sinking feeling in my gut
that my teacher's retirement pension and  annuity better be
good enough because Social Security for middle class folks
like me will likely be gone by the time I retire.
Ironically, the candidate I trust the most NOT to mess with SS
is George Bush.  The Republicans in 1981 tried to make some
miserly cuts in the system  but were soundly defeated in their
attempts.  Since then they have been staunch defenders.  Perot
without question would attempt to dismantle the system.   Bill
Clinton indicated in the third debate that he would begin to
eliminate benefits for some people; unfortunately, this quite
allusion to SS was not followed up and so we are left in the
dark about what exactly he does intend to do.  I suspect that,
when his plans to increase taxes on those over $200,000 fails
to bring into enough revenue, the Social Security golden egg
will be too tempting not to hit.  Does anyone have the same
sinking feeling and, if so, do you have any ideas about what
to do? Jim Dowd Athens, Georgia

Anne Pemberton <[e-mail]>    Subject:
Re: Man who would be king... Virginia rejected corporal
punishment for school infractions a couple of year ago. Good
riddance! Anne

Anne Pemberton <[e-mail]>    Subject:
Re: Man who would be king... Here's a rambling thought on the
subject of "vouchers". Right now, I see an average of 10
students per period (special ed) thru the day ... under the
voucher system each student comes to school bearing a $5,000
bill. If I took ten kids into my home for private school, I'd
have $50,000 to do it with  as I see fit and with whatever
resources I could scrounge up, and pocket the rest. If I
teamed up with the two other special ed teachers I work with
now, we would share $200,000. Maybe we wouldn't get *filthy
rich*, but even ten kids would be more than double my current
salary. And, if they include an "extra sum" for their
handicapping condition/s ...

[e-mail]         Subject:      Re: corporal
punishment Hope you don't mind Marty... I'm posting your
response to me: >As of the last research on this topic, only
14 states have laws against >corporal punishment in schools.
Most have "rules" that the parent can write >a notarized
statement their child will not be paddled or struck in any
way, >but some states require parents to have this on file no
later than the first >week of the academic year. Most parents
don't know their rights anyway. >Yes, we are better without
it, but how do we go about making these changes >in the
legislatures if we teachers remain silent, some in fear of
losing >their jobs.  This is a very real fear in South Georgia
>I am a firm believer teachers must become more politically
active in order to >change the wretched system that has been
created.  You are fortunate to live >in one of those 14
enlightened states ... I envy you.  I cannot abide with
>silence when I supervise and hear a child screaming and a
paddle whacking.  And yes, I have gotten in trouble for
stepping in when I can.  If we can't be >advocates for the
children, then we truly are dead teachers and are decaying
>from the inside out. >Marty Meyer, lost in the pines and
swamps of South Georgia brochman:  I'm not in one of 14 states
- I'm in Canada. I don't know this, but I really don't think
corporal punishment exists anywhere in this country. Yes,
obviously, political action is in order - through the
Teachers' Union(s) - who must take the initiative. Let's hear
it from the rest of the group. I propose a survey. Everyone on
this list - 'Lurkers' included... SAY SOMETHING. SUGGEST
SOMETHING. Maybe this could be the beginning of that political
action. Would it not be exciting if we could organize
*simultaneous action* in your 36 states? Let's GO FOR IT. From
the computer of  Harold Brochmann.

[e-mail]     Subject:      Re: Man who would be
king... In Indiana, we already have problems for the athletic
governing body (ISHAA) with athletic transfers and children
held back for athletic reasons.    What national programs will
we have to combat our declining national educational programs?
Scott

[e-mail]     Subject:      Re: corporal punishment
To clarify, I really meant that it was "only" an emotional
issue in terms of the problems it causes,, (I am running for
office trying to please everyone). However, I read your
statement, and found what you said to be more along the lines
of what I should have said! Thanks!

[e-mail]     Subject:      Re: corporal punishment
My parents only used corporal twice in my life (I deserved it
both times, once for almost burning down the house and the
other time for endangering my sisters life while screwing
around.).   Both of my parents were masters at the effective
use of non-aggressive discipline and I have applied that to my
own parenting as well.   However, I to have felt that over
whelming urge to utilize corporal punishment while teaching (a
larger child beating a smaller child on the playground).  I
have resisted that temptation, however it was not easy. The
problem with corporal punishment is that it is as much an
emotional debate as it is anything else...

John Coburn <[e-mail]>    Subject:      Re:
corporal punishment I really do not think that the issue of
corporal punishment is *only* an emotional one.  We teach not
only content but also method.  When a child does something
wrong or hurtful to another we may need to intervene.  When we
use corporal punishment we are also teaching the lesson that
whoever is the largest (or more powerfull) prevails.  I do
believe in the concept of legimate authority.  This is what
must be taught.  I wish to teach that sometimes there are
consequences imposed on behavior but these consequences come
from legitimate authority not because I'm bigger than you.
When I was a boy themselves in the hand with a ruler until
they cried.  That seemed perverse even at the time- It taught
a lesson; obviously I remember it 40 years later- but what
lesson did it teach? I work with students labeled as ED and am
constantly reminded that *only* is not a word that works well
with emotion and school. John

Marty <[e-mail]>    Subject:      Re: corporal
punishment John and all others interested in this topic, I
also deal with children with behavioral disorders.  I really
see very few I would consider to be emotionally disturbed.  I
read many psych reports and find so many of these children
have been victims of long-standing abuse by adults ... the
scars are from physical, sexual, or psychological abuse, but
is usually a combination of all three.  I agree with you  big
people not in control taking it out on little people who have
no control. Behavioral disorders and emotional disturbance is
such a curious disability. Most of these children are born
just like the majority of children, but through poverty, poor
parenting, abuse, abandonment, crime - society creates the
"disability"  - which is one of the hardest to deal with, by
the way. Research supports that once a child reaches the age
of 10 and is aggressive and non-compliant, the child is
essentially "lost" to us.  The odds of turning it around are
very small, either by good schooling, parenting, or both.
There must be better ways, and the elimination of corporal
punishment, but setting responsible limits through structure
and non-aversive discipline, seems to be a good place to
start.  What a tragedy when so many of our children fear the
power of physical pain in both the home and the school.
Educators can control one environment, and we should set out
to do it Peace    Marty

[e-mail]     Subject:      Re: Man who would be
king... Dear David, This is my first time to respond to anyone
whom I didn't already know so I'm kind of nervous.  I did feel
that I should respond to your note about public vs. private
schools. I have two children here in New York who are 16 and
8.  They are both in private schools and have been since
nursery school age.  Fortunately, their dad makes enough money
to make it possible.  The reason that they are in private
schools is pretty simple.  The public schools, from lack of
funding, not lack of interesting programs or wonderful
teachers, are very very over-populated.  Would you want your 5
year-old in a kindergarten with 25 other 5 year-olds and two
exhausted teachers if you could manage to arrange otherwise?
As kids get older the classes get bigger so that most first
grade classrooms have 30 kids in them, one teacher.  The
public system offers wonderful programs, like I said earlier,
and many more of them than my kids' elementary private school
ever has, but they have to have the NUMBERS enrolled to
qualify for funds to offer them.  I don't mean to sound
defensive about it.  It would be great if my children could go
to public school and their father could put aside money for
their college years.  It's just that I feel that the security
that they feel at a young age in a place where everyone knows
everyone else, especially here in New York, is of primary
importance to a child.

BILL HUNTER <[e-mail]>    Subject:      Re: Man
who would be king... I would not pretend to judge anyone for
deciding to send their children to a private school, esp. in
New York.  The factors involved in such decisions are often
intensely personal and heavily influenced by local
considerations that outsiders are ignorant of.  My wife an I
considered the possibility of putting our sons in private
schools a number of times, but always decided against.  Still,
we were prepared to at least consider the alternative, so we
know the temptations. Temptations is perhaps a loaded word,
but I use it deliberately.  For those involved in the public
school system (I am a former teacher, now a teacher educator),
enrolling children in a private school must in some sense be
regarded as an admission of defeat.  Our experience included
kindergarten with 38 children and ONE teacher (with no aids)
and a very tense racially integrated junior high school with a
record of violent incidents.  We faced the recommendation of a
classroom teacher that one son should see a resource teacher
for help only to have the discussion end with the suggestion
that he should perhaps be accelerated one grade.  My wife is
also a teacher and between us we could easily cover the whole
of the required curriculum through to grade 12, but we
continued to send our children to schools because it is part
of their socialization to the society in which they will live.
It was important to us that they be exposed to a broad range
of other kids and of different adults.  It was important that
they learn their own ways of coping with people and with
difficult situations.  They are all grown now, doing well and
have consistently been excellent students.  I do not think
they have suffered from the occasional weak teacher or having
to fend for themselves on the schoolyard.  However, as I said
initially, we were prepared to consider private schooling, but
circumstances never pushed us past the threshold. I think we
have seen in some recent political comments that forces
inimical to quality public education will use the fact that
teachers send their children to private schools as fodder for
an argument to provide public funding for private schooling.
I think we should each do what we can to resist providing them
with the bases for such an argument.

[e-mail]     Subject:      Re: Man who
would be king... I am a student that attended both public
schools and private schools, so maybe I could add a new
perspective to this debate.   I attended a  private school
from first grade until fourth grade and I did  not care for
the school.  When I look back on it now I can see why.  Even
though we wore uniforms, there were still cliques and the
poorer students were still put down. I was one of the poor
students and did not appreciate the faculty, staff, or
students attitude that I was not worth their time. I graduated
from a public high school.  I think it was one of the better
things that could have ever happened to me.  I had  better
friends than I did in the private  school and there was also a
sense of family.  It also seemed that the faculty cared more.
I do not really think that there are any truly adverse side
effects if a child attends one school or another.  It is the
quality of education a child receives, not where the education
is received. Jennifer