I wonder if experiencing flash backs is a natural part of the aging process. I have noticed recently that some everyday events will cause my mind to drift back to earlier experiences. Our youngest daughter left for college this fall. As a high school student, she was a gifted two sport athlete. Over the years, Cindy and I spent hundreds of hours driving to her games. People warned us that we would miss this life style when she left. I can’t say that they were right. Cindy and I are very busy people and new experiences seemed to surface immediately to replace the old. I don’t think about high school athletics much any more.
There is one exception. Every time I am on the road now, I remember. There is something about driving on the vacant interstate highways of North Dakota that must free your mind. The images come drifting back … the 3 point jump shots at the buzzer, the trip to the hospital to check out a possible concussion, the game for the trip to the state tournament …
I had the same kind of flash back today while walking through the halls of J. Nelson Kelly elementary school. I was present to observe Darci Santangelo’s class for our PT3 grant. Cindy began her work in Grand Forks as a reading specialist in this school. I used to do research in Darci’s room. This was back in the days when I was programming and evaluating reading games for the Apple 2e.
Kelly elementary has a nice computer lab, but Darci also has several computers in her room. It is vintage equipment — looks like Mac LC2s to me. The students walked in before the school day began, turned the machines on, and started working on one activity or another. It is really nice to see that students demonstrate the kind of interest in learning with technology that those folks who write the books claim they do. 😉
