April 11, 2000

Diary

April 11, 2000- Tuesday

Decatur,GA

The day has started early..actually almost 4 am (getting to be usual) when I woke up, still thinking about the class for today..really my last input..and then of course it is all over on the 20th anyhow....

I have 10 questions about the MESH headings...can I get them copied in time for class ? Or distributed by the end of class, perhaps ?

I did the questions, fiddled with my email, sent a few penpal messages at random....Marshall Islands, Australia, Malaysia...wow..how easily to fly around the globe...

A letter from Greg yesterday, an email from Lee the day before..staying in touch a bit...with people from my past.

Last night I talked to Rob about their interview with Mrs. Samples and the school counselor. Marti was not in diffulty over academics or discipline....complaints

She did not talk to Mrs. Samples She copied both verbally and in written work from the other children's papers (Is the concern cheating..in kindegarten ?)

E and R taperecorded the meeting and want to take it futher up..speak to the principal..this is supposed to go in Marti's record...what to do about it ?


So what really happened..from a letter to Lynne Walker

   Message From: echristian@webtv.net (Elizabeth Christian) Date: Wed, Apr 12, 2000, 5:17am To: lynne@SWKTODC.govt.nz (Lynne Walker) Cc: echristian@webtv.net Subject: Re: FW: Friends Thanks for the attachment. I wish you could see Atlanta right now. Our dogwood, azalea, and wisteria are at their height and weather is great, if a bit chilly some days.

I just finished my unit teaching in the Drug Information class....120 pharmacy students. In the "old days"...when we just had one CDROM of Medline from Dialog and..at 20.00 an hour they just didn't go "online"...we now have at leat 7 different search interfaces to offer them....what do you teach ?

I was at an interesting meeting yesterday of library directors for what has now become a North Georgia consortia of academic librarians..and sat between the retiring archivist of Georgia and the librarian for the Jimmy Carter Library and a clutch of other archivists. The editor for the US's first, yes FIRST online electronic encylopedia for a state..our state of Georgia...described what how it is being organized, written, and funding. It will be FREE to everybody, because there is funding from the Governor's office and a reliable consortia of libraries. It sounds so exciting. Now if in fact I do retire, this would be a wonderful project to volunteer with.

More good new in Georgia. Our Galileo system (www.galileo.peachnet.net) is now available..at least may of the databases....to everyone in the state through their public library membership. I talked about this as a model for NZ at one local Lianza meeting when I was there...I still think it is.

I think of you everytime I pass a Dalmation figurine in a store (and what a lot there are) or an elephant....

I hope all is well with you and your staff. Again, thanks for sharing. Elizabeth


About    Marti    and    school

   Message From: echristian@webtv.net (Elizabeth Christian) Date: Tue, Apr 11, 2000, 5:37pm To: dogb@webtv.net (BJ) Cc: echristian@webtv.net Subject: I understand

Getting the help you need at an affordable price is so terribly important. I can certainly see that working it out is a job in itself.

I will express some more concerns myself now...if you don't mind. I don't think it is a major problem...or maybe it is.

Yesterday Eden and Rob (daughter and son-in-law) had a meeting ...scheduled 2 weeks in advance so they could worry about it) with the school counselor and Marti's teacher (Marti is the girl twin 5 and a half)..There is a test they are supposed to take when they finish kindegarten that requires they do certain things. She is supposed to be able to count to 100 (right now she sticks on 29), to recognize letters, and answer questions out loud for the teacher.

Matri has been in classes ever since she was 2 and the teachers have all said she did not talk to them in class. She is constanly asking us to spell words and copying them out asking for telephone numbers and writing them out...Some of the problem may be that she has let Jay speak for her when they were in class together. She is not retarded...but these tests are very important.

Eden is not sure what to do. She has trouble getting Marti to be serious with her.

That scholastic achievement has become such a big thing in kindegarten ....well, it has. Last summer

Eden planned a full "enrichment" summer for them....2 weeks at a zoo program, 2 weeks of art at Callenwolde, 2 weeks of religious school at the conservactive synagague near by, and they started piano lessons.

It seems that maybe this summer they shoulc maybe get a tutor for Marti. It would be terrible I think to keep her back when Jay starts first grade. So....long, long email...just expressing my own anxiety about my child's anxiety.

What a competitive world we are in it seems. So many people have trouble getting good jobs or getting a good career direction. Not very happy , am I.

Well, I will read a joke on line and try to cheer myself up .

Actually it was an interesting day for me. After doing a lecture for the class..after getting the assignment loaded on my web page early in the morning...and interacting with the students until I think they finally understood what I was saying..or at least I hope so....(WHY is a thesaurus term so important...well, frankly I think often keywords do just as well)...

represented the library at a meeting of chief librarians...and sat between the retiring archivist of the State of Georgia and the Librarian of the Jimmy Carter Library....There were an enclave of archivists, state and federal at my end of the table, and they actually talked jobs...some new appointee...and the search or nonsearch process.

We had it at the Agnes Scott campus..woman's college with a teriffic endowment...and the cafeteria food was amazing. There was a full salad bar, pizza bar, "international' entrees and the "regular" food included three meat choices, roast beef, eggplant Parmmm...and chicken....desserts, drinks...and this was just lunch. Beginning to brighten up already. Best wishes and thanks for listening, Elizabeth


ARCHE, Agnes Scott, Decatur

ARCHE Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education: This was the group whose Library Directors Council I attended
About Agnes Scott: I wonder if some time in the future Agnes Scott would be the place for Marti
Decatur Georgia :