EARLY EDUCATION Michelle and I returned to Miller, South Dakota in the late 70's where I knew the Miller school system would teach her how to read and write, and I could get some moral support from her grandma Opal. Her grandma Opal did not approve of her diet of grilled cheese sandwiches and mini raviolis out of the can but the lady at the store had said, "Those raviolis are as good as if you made them from scratch", and that was good enough for Michelle. We were shopping at a local store when Michelle said, "Dad, these blouses are half price, so if you buy me two you can save twice as much." This mathematical logic is not taught in the Miller grade school. It is handed down from Mother to daughter and has been passed on for centuries. Grandma Opal volunteered me to drive the Sunday school bus every 6th Sunday. We had to depend on the children to tell us the route because we did not do it often enough to memorize it from week to week. If the child needed a ride they placed a sign in the window with the YES side showing, if not, they put the NO side out. One Sunday morning while I was sleeping in, Michelle dressed herself in her Sunday best then rudely awakened me by saying, "You got to get up and give me a ride, Dad. I had the YES sign in the window and that god-damned bus drove right on by!" I told her I thought she definitely needed to go to Sunday school. I tried not to use profanity around Michelle, and since Grandma Opal is no longer with us to defend herself, I guess we will blame that little outburst on Grandma. � 2001 Maurice D Karst |
YES |
NO |
