Ever since I stopped writing 'It's Only Funny When Dad Does It', I've had people asking if it will make a return. Well, here it is! As much as I've enjoyed writing 'School Zone', I will resume writing about the community through the eyes of my family. Of course, I still want to hear about any school activities that would be of interest to the readers. In the meantime, let me kick things off with a column that mixes Christmas and education.
Over the years I've noticed a distinct change in my Christmas wishes. Perhaps it's a sign I'm finally maturing - although my wife, Lydia, may disagree with that statement - but the desire for material gifts has greatly diminished. The presents we swap have become fewer and less expensive. Instead, money saved from buying extravagant presents is earmarked for things which last longer than a box of Quality Street chocolates and are more useful than knick-knacks bought on a whim.
"You could always buy me more LEGO," is Mitchell's suggestion for the savings.
"Yeah, I'll get right on that," is my response. In my mind I add on the bit about a certain place freezing over first.
Christmas has become less about dollars spent and more about the memories banked. It may sound corny, but as the kids get older, I realize our time spent together will likely lessen. In a few years university will beckon and, despite protestations to the contrary, they may prefer the company of boyfriends and girlfriends.
This was brought to mind when I received an invitation to visit Dr. Peir K. Pufahl, Associate Professor Department of Earth & Environmental Science at Acadia University. He suggested I bring the whole family and this was not a hard sell.
"Anyone want to come with me this Sunday to see fossils, meteorites and really cool rocks?" I asked. I explained how Pufahl had worked with NASA, looking for 'signatures of life' in Martian rocks which had hit the Earth as meteorites. Unlike my requests for company on grocery expeditions, there was no hesitation from the entire crew as they jumped at the chance.
Pufahl gave us a private tour of the laboratories and his own classroom showing us fascinating specimens of animals, minerals and fossils. We looked through microscopes at incredibly thin slices of igneous and sedimentary rocks which were surprisingly beautiful in polarized light. The latter teemed with signs of ancient life in the form of minuscule clams and brachiopods.
Mitchell's eyes lit up when Pufahl told us how his students were often snatched up by companies in the mining, environmental and petroleum industries. Many of them ended up earning salaries in excess of their professors. The gears clicked over as Mitchell considered the possibility of not only studying rocks and fossils as a career but also earning enough to feed his LEGO habit. However, when Mitchell was told that the smooth rock he has holding was in fact fossilized dinosaur poop, his excitement noticeably waned as his eyes sought the nearest Purell dispenser.
Pufahl was extremely generous with his time, showing Mitchell and Sylvia a glimpse of university life that served to inspire them and give them hope that education is more than what they've encountered thus far. He then topped it off by giving them fragments of fossilized dinosaur teeth which I thought was a really cool, early Christmas present.
As for Lydia and myself, we were pleased to tag along and stockpile a few more memories.
Now, that's a gift to be cherished more than any that might come wrapped Christmas morning.
atoal@ns.sympatico.ca
