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Show EDITOR: RANA LEHR THE DAILY HERALD 344-25- f'l' r K ' '. ' ;vi'rt T w U V " Joseph Walker Instant insight is gained on a bad hear day ;J f t. 3 ?V'V-'-iy;-- i iy.Wt? yja-Jr- fa"'?:--.-- - ; ' 'mN.- - ' - 'V": 4J a, tii,-- ' " .,..,.". f " I am a professional communicator. No, really. I am. You can look it up. I've been communicating professionally for a long time. That doesn't necessarily mean I'm any good at it; it's just that I'm better at it than I would be at auto mechanics, for example, or anything that requires you to work with shudder numbers. During my career I've faced a lot of different challenges, communica tively speaking. But nothing in my experience could prepare me for the communications crisis I faced yesterday when I tried to talk to my father on the phone. DAD, BLESS his heart and his pacemaker, is 88. At this point in his life, he has a hard time keeping pace with the flow of conversation even when he can hear it. But when he's having a bad hear day, well, communication is difficult, if not impossible. And yesterday was a bad hear day. "Hi, Dad," I said when he answered the phone. "How are you doing today?" "Hello? Hello? Who is this?" "It's me, Dad. Joe!" I was speaking louder, just in case. "I can't hear you," he said. "Who is this? Hello?" I cranked up the volume. This was familiar: raising my voice to be heard by Dad, knowing that there's a good chance I still won't be understood. "It's Joe," I bellowed. "Can you hear me?" "Joe? Is that you? You sound like you're far away. Where are you?" "Do you have your hearing aid on?" "My what?" "Your hearing aid," I said, pretty much shouting at this point, partly hear me and partly out of frustration. "Do you have it on?" "Son, I can't hear you very well. Are you sure you're talking into the right end of the phone?" so he could I WANTED to scream, as much from aggravation as from the desire to communicate with my father. Then I thought about what he had just asked me: "Are you sure you're talking into the right end of the phone?" I started to laugh. ' I must have been laughing pretty loud, because Dad started laughing, too. To tell the truth, I don't know if he understood why. But something magical happened in that moment of mutual laughter. For the first time in a long time we were on the same page. We shared a moment of real communication thanks, at least in to communicate. to our inability part, Life can be unpredictable that , way. Just when we're feeling smug and confident, somebody comes along and asks if we're talking into the wrong end of the phone. Not only do these little nuggets of reality help to keep our feet firmly planted on earth, they can often bring illumination and understanding. A lifetime of insight and inspiration can be found in an instant. Chaos can be calmed by a sudden moment of clarity. And a communication crisis can be turned into a laughing matter, even for a professional. , Joseph Walker is a nationally dicated columnist who lives in American Fork. ; syn- S kin ' Y C'ourteKy Traveling to learn: Rob and Susan Reiser with their children, Harrison, 9, and Amanda, 7, travel extensively with one purpose The ieosir in Hems by doing faoioDy By RANA LEHR The Daily Herald PROVO A family that learns together learns more. At least that's how it works for the Reiser family: dad Rob, mom Susan, Harrison, 9, Amanda, 7. This family that has made Provo its home has taken learning to a new level. Instead of sitting at desks and reading about Socrates and dinosaurs, they travel to where history happened to learn about it. They've been to the Grand Canyon to study geology and weather and to Yellowstone National Park to learn about climates, ecosystems and the origin of life. On the beaches of the Pacific Ocean, they studied ocean habitats, animals, currents and tides. In Northern Arizona they learned about the formation of the earth, meteors, volcanoes and various rock types. Traveling to the other side of the world, they learned about ancient civilizations in Egypt, Greece and Rome. They didn't just sight see, though visiting the ruins is part of the learning, they discussed how modern civilization has been influenced by the great ancient ones. They talked about some of the greatest accomplish- - jS Learning f Family Learning Family essay contest & Q By RANA LEHR me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will Tell The Daily Herald . Chinese proverb -' tit ments from these ancient civilizations and what made them great and how they changed the world. The ancient civilizations tour was their most recent learning adventure. For six weeks, the Reisers lived out of their backpacks while hiking around the pyramids in Giza, Egypt, while sketching the Parthenon in Athens and exploring museums in Rome. Family values: individuali- r industry, knowledge, compassion, family and optimism. Now write an essay, poem or short story based on one of those values. Send It to essay99learning-family.com- , or mail it to Essay 99, 965 W. 2100 North, Provo, UT 84604 ty, Integrity, Sec FAMILY, C2 30. by May if : Preparation Here's an amazing tidbit. The Learning Family has made all these trips and several more in about a year's time. That's a lot of learning, and a lot of traveling. The family doesn't just pick up and decide they want another vacation. No. Rob and Susan' spend much time One way UTAH VALLEY the Learning Family is giving back to the community is through their essay contest. Think about the Learning . understand. photo mind: to learn. Each entry must Include the entrant's name, age, telephone number and address. Entrees will be judged by a panel Including teachers, parents and children. The judging criteria is creativity, s , ' Yr";". i.. v. ;;, , Family effort: The Reiser family including (front to back) Harrison, Amanda, Rob and Susan work on filling bags full of canned food at the Food Bank In Provo recently. The family volunteers at the Food Bank to help the needy. message and guage. Entrants lan- . will be divided three age categories: 12 and through 6, into over. See CONTEST, C2 Parents need early start on summer camp for kids By DONNA KATO Knight Riikler Newspapers As a working LOS ALTOS, Calif. mom, Lynn North learned to struc- ture her kids' summer vacations around camp day camps when they were young and away camps when they got older. "Of course I wanted them to be occupied and entertained, but the memory of my own experiences of going to camp is what I wanted my kids to have," says the Los Altos, Calif, mother of three. "Even today, I remember the berry cobbler we were the best ever!" served These days, summer camp is more clamor than cobbler. There are so many types of camps that parents need to study all the options to make a wise, affordable choice. They also need to act fast: With at least three months to go before the first camps dust off their bunks and welcome their young guests, the early enrollment line is already forming. That scramble is reflected in camp attendance figures that continue to soar, both locally and nationall- Choices There's so much to choose from, as well as fierce competition for a place in the more popular camps. It's no longer just about campflres and canoeing either although most camps incorporate many of the activyities that have made summer camp Enrollment has grown about 10 an enduring American tradition. percent annually since 1992, Now parents must consider according to the American Camping camps geared to kids with special Association, or ACA, an accrediting interests such as computers, dance, organization for summer camps. and theater. There are proAbout 8.1 million children signed sports offered from schools, social grams up last year in one of the nation's service agencies, groups and 8,500 summer youth camps and county or city recreation departthat number is expected to grow for ments. Parents must decide whether 1999. the experience should be education"If the parents are thinking about or al more about relaxing and buildsending a child to camp this summer, ing to need start thinking and planthey "Parents need to do some preparaning early," says Ann Woods, a spokesbefore presenting their child tion woman for the Northern California with the options," says Woods. The ACA. non-prof- it self-estee- American Camping Association, which monitors health, safety and program quality, provides regional directories of member camps and tips to help parents and children choose an appropriate program. "The camp and the child should be a good fit, and it should introduce the child to new experiences." A young child or might get a taste for camp life by attending a day program, perhaps one that offers an overnight experience. "It would be similar to school in that there are group activities and an adult leader," says Kelly Espinoza, summer program director at the Harker School in San Jose, Calif., which runs both day and resikids are dent camps. "School-ag- e usually pretty comfortable with first-tim- er that." See CAMP, C2 |