It was dark outside but spirits were high as we video conferenced with Kashiwagi. The Japanese children had worked hard to introduce us to Lake Hatoturi. Their drawings were superb - the Bellwood children loved the crayfish and the carp. We understood a lot about the lake.

We showed them that we are using, instead of pond water - we have no nearby pond - a hay infusion. We showed them our Digi-Scopes that will soon be attached to computers. Problem is our laptops run on OS10 and the software for the Digi-scopes in OS9. So we are looking for older computers to run the microscopes on.

Our class told about Thanksgiving and told examples of what we are thankful for - and ended by sayiing we were very thankful for the Kashiwagi friendship and kids.

As we neared the end of the conference, many parents came to watch. A grandparent from North Dakota also came, a former teacher, and was transfixed and fascinated by the fact this was real time.

Apparently, some "big whigs" in state government, including Lana Sievers, Commissioner of Education for Tennessee, have heard about this and want to attend a video conference. I say, the more the merrier.

Pictures to follow..Thanksgiving holidays and the camera is at school.

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Let's see, Tennessee. Jane? Jack Daniels? Jane usually signs her work, so maybe it's somebody else.
Kavitha and I are putting together a curriculum to offer an A-G elective at the high school next year with Japan as the focus. Kavitha has the language skills and I have a great line of BS...
Let's be fair. I do have some experience over there and boxes of dingbats that came back in my suitcases.
We figure we could do some vocabulary and cooking. Calligraphy and geography. Customs and culture. Then we've got the MTP connection which would allow for pen pals and web pages. This could be good.
My principal says we need to have 10 students enrolled and we don't see that as an obsticle. Literature and maybe a play...I'm fishing here for any ideas from the group. Whatta ya think? The paperwork proposal needs to be in by February. Cheers, Jim McElroy

Jim - for some reason you ALWAYS confuse me with Jane. This is Cynthia Jones, from Tennessee. Jane is not from Tennessee. But yes, as I sip the single barrel stuff as I ....wait........wait....sip....ahhhhhh...smooth....Jack does play a big part here in ole TN.

Jane and I did not look much alike...she is short, I am tall; she is more "womanly" and I am rather flat......she has long reddish hair, mine is short and blondish. I have the big nose, hers is a button. Ring a bell?

Don't eat too much turkey. Me? Had the 4th grade kids bring various foodstuffs and as much wild meats as we could find...buffalo, beefalo, quail, venison, wild turkey, and we made two crockpots of "Pilgrim and Native American Soup." The kids smelled it all day as it cooked and we had it with cornbread and hot cider. It was actually darned good. Had enough to eat last night.

I guess I'd better get the real wild TN Goobler in the oven.

Take care!
CYNTHIA FROM
BELLWOOD DISCOVERY

Cynthia, I have always had a problem with nanes and faces. It's not that all cats are grey in the dark, albeit it's the case with cats...for me it's more of a learning disability. When I went to grammar school (with Fred Flintstone) I wasn't diagnosed with anything. Nowdays they'd probably have me in the little "one-on-one" room pushing toy trucks around on the carpet with my left hand or something...Anyway, thanks for the mental pictures. All that steamy "womanly" and "button nose" talk somehow got through our firewall...
Have a grand Christmas break.