John Oliver Smith
Bio
Baby, son, brother, child, pupil, athlete, collector, farmer, photographer, player, uncle, coach, husband, student, writer, teacher, father, science guy, fan, grandpa, comedian, traveler, chef, story-teller, driver, gardener, regular guy!!!
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Stories (126)
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Planet First
I sometimes question the rules of economics. I often wonder if maybe we got it wrong somehow, somewhere back along the way. People need things. They want things. Other people have those things and they are willing to part with them to help satisfy the needs and wants of others. Those that have the needed or wanted items will charge a fee for the provision of said items to help compensate themselves for the time and effort needed to supply (grow, produce, extract, manufacture, etc.) those things. The greater the need or the want, coupled with the strength or weakness of the supply chain, will help to determine the (monetary??) value of the item(s). This is what I understand to be the basis of world economy and local micro-economy alike.
By John Oliver Smith3 years ago in Earth
The Flower
If one considers life on earth for any length of time it is probable that the unfathomable number of individual organisms existing presently or at any time past or future will eventually creep into the mind causing said mind to quickly grind to an impasse. Contemplate the number of human beings on the planet for instance – over seven billion. This number pales in comparison, however, to the number of individual insects or spiders that co-habitate at any one moment in time. Eltonian pyramids and food webs show us that the number of individual producer organisms is hundreds if not thousands of times the number of primary consumers so it becomes quickly evident that the number of plants that live on earth is astronomical. The odds of encountering any particular species of plant, then, are slim indeed but the odds of a chance meeting with an individual of any species are beyond comprehension. There are a phenomenal number of humans on this planet that we will never see, hear, smell, greet, break bread with and so on and so on. There are humans that don’t know if they exist and so would be hard pressed to have ever examined the possibility that you or I exist. There are star-nosed moles, for example, that are conceived, born, developed, chased, eaten and digested that no human will ever see or even think about. Why would we? They are of no concern to us are they?
By John Oliver Smith4 years ago in Earth
Sweet Betsy from Pike
Five hours in the back seat of the car since they left their farm near Estevan and Tony and Jenna finally felt like this most recent family outing could end sometime soon. Their Uncle Clint’s ranch in the Cypress Hills appeared in the distant valley.
By John Oliver Smith4 years ago in Fiction
Road Trip
Any teacher who has ever worked in a classroom or a lab or a gym full of unseasoned learners and not-yet-fully-developed human beings for 32 years is bound to have a few stories. These stories may come from the classroom itself and involve one or two students in particular, or they may come from the “out of school” experience involved when whole classes of students venture head-long, into the big wide world. I certainly have had both types of experiences (and everything in between), thus I also have the stories that go with those sorts of adventures. In the account that follows, I would like to relate some muses of my ten favorite entries in the School Field Trip ledger. Of course, I was involved with dozens, if not hundreds, more than what I have mentioned here, but many of them were matter-of-fact, and simply followed the book – going much as planned, innocuous in their process and procedure and predictable in their outcome. A few, on the other hand, stick out vividly in my mind because of one or more incidents involving one or more students, or because of the destination, or because of the mode of travel to and from the destination, or because of the complexity, magnitude and scope of organizing and proceeding with the trip itself. During my teaching tenure, I was primarily a teacher of physical education for much of the time, and thus, was involved with coaching a variety of sports for a variety of male and female age-groups. I estimate that I likely took more than 250 sports-related road trips during that time. While teaching in Canada (Saskatchewan and British Columbia), I was involved with a minimum of one class-related trip (Museum visits, drama performances, etc.) per semester and at least one whole-school-related outing (Skiing trips, camping, hiking, etc.) per school year. The inclusion of these activities increases my field-trip tally by another 100. Add to that, the 30 plus shopping trips I took with my Foods & Nutrition students while teaching in China, and my career total stands at nearly 400 field trips taken during my teaching career. That’s an average of over 10 times per year that I was given the opportunity to be involved with the fabrication of some very interesting tales of student adventure (or possibly misadventure). Anyway, you get my point. In over 350 outings, it is very likely that a few of them could rightfully be categorized as at least slightly interesting. So, without further ado, here is my list of favorite field trips taken as a teacher of extraordinary students, and a facilitator of discovery.
By John Oliver Smith4 years ago in Education
New Virus Detected in America
While still reeling from the world-wide effects of COVID-19, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has issued a medical alert regarding another in a long list of highly contagious and potentially dangerous viruses. These new viruses can be transmitted orally, by hand, visually and even electronically. A facilitating agent for transmission of the virus, is considered, also to be governmental and corporate stupidity and greed. The virus has been aptly named the Weekly Overload Recreation Killer (WORK) virus. Ground zero for the start-up of this virus has been narrowed down to a location somewhere between 1599 and 1601 Pennsylvania Avenue in the city of Washington, D.C. in America. It seems that a person (or persons) in that specific area has been attempting to spread the virus to many parts of America and the world through insistence that the citizens of (at least) America (especially the elderly) prepare to undergo daily and/or regular contact with WORK beginning as soon as yesterday. It is very likely that WORK has already been contracted by some corporate bosses and employers and that they, in turn, are prime candidates to spread this very dangerous virus to others in their own business environments. The CDC strongly recommends that all citizens of America, and indeed North America and the World, should distance themselves as far as possible from WORK at this particular stage of the present global crisis. If, for example, your own boss attempts to transmit WORK to you, or if you suspect that any of your colleagues are extending efforts to put you in contact with WORK, via any means, immediately vacate those premises and take shelter right away in your own home. One should also avoid opening electronic messages or responding to telephone calls that may attempt to coerce you back into the WORK-infested environment any time in the indefinite future.
By John Oliver Smith4 years ago in Fiction
Jumping Off Buildings in Macau (June 2013)
There are lots of us heading for the Wuhan Train Station on a Friday after school in June. So many, in fact, that it is sort of like an end of the year school trip / party. We have eleven “jumpers” and five who have decided not to jump for money or health or other reasons. They may be talked into it when the time comes though – that remains to be seen. We have been organizing this event for over a month now with the help of a few of our colleagues. We have been able to recruit this present group of adventure seekers and some die-hard cheerleaders.
By John Oliver Smith4 years ago in Wander
