Smiles Abound with a Seesaw App.

Smiles Abound, With a SeeSaw App.

I absolutely love this new SeeSaw app teachers are using in schools. It's amazing getting notes and pics and things, randomly sent to me- while Logan's off at school, in his own big world. 

In the 70s, 80s, and 90s, there was NO SIDE HUSTLE...Not for Gen X no way. Sometimes we feel like a middle child between The Baby Boomers and The Millenials.  Definitely, if it was not for all of the existential hard-working Boomers, so hard working during hard and dark times. Things were drastically different back then without technology.

A picture sent to an inbox in these two eras would seem unheard of, though, still a thoughtful approach to bridging community and involvement, while lessoning any gaps. 

I remember foremost we had big steel signs that would show in windows as "A neighborhood watch program" that was in full effect, and the neighborhoods, the people, in these areas in Ontario were rich with community standards, involvement, and care.

If taking student or classroom pictures were on a faculty list at any school, this is what it would look like;

 

Here we go now, centering back to the 80s; a fun colourful time with not much to really be seen on the news, in my area of the home.

We would be taking a picture using a Polaroid, wait it out a few seconds, while this seemed to last forever.  The picture would then shoot out from the Polaroid, no one would dare touch it for at least 6 to 10 minutes, or then the picture would be ruined FOREVER!!!!! Yes forever! This sometimes would be considered nowadays a glitch.

More pictures would be taken, not just one. Possibly the parents or groups would be shouting in hypo-glee mode, "take the picture" while tons of polaroids could be then shot out from a slim opening, not like anything seen today. Perhaps, like a FLASH of lightning, A polaroid mess-crashes, gathering and landing on the floor, and then not to smear these action shots, of our precious family photos. 

No one really knowing for sure how to take a picture with a steady hand while in focus. With kids, friends, families, all not very used to such a display of cherished moments in reflection, while keeping memories alive. Crowds of friends, families, workmates, and extended families would be gathered together weekly.  How to work this Polaroid contraption, where some adults with mechanical knowledge and background would be put in charge of the polaroid.  Snapping pictures wildly, before the big heavy camera is out of thick greasy paper.  Which was not accessible in many areas of shops and then to just cast our memories instead of being together, many of us, all the time, remembered these moments anyway.

If the pictures turned out, dried, someone in charge of acting director "saying that's enough, don't waste the ink"  Everyone in the room the same room mind you; could all have a look-see, all giddy-like in the cheer about a fantastic picture taking moment and amazing new use of a new contraption.

Some would shake the picture in hand, -a 5 x 7 or 4 x 6 floppy piece.  If teachers were to include this in their daily classroom activities, wanting to send a picture to a mom, dad, or parental figure...well this has become quite the little hustle now hasn't it?

If this area of manufacturing was established back then, after the final polaroid was taken, teachers would be heading down to their school offices, gathering parents' work or home locations in a scurry, taking notes with a pen and a piece of paper, scribbling addresses with postal codes, clipboards and all, making not one mistake in the parent's location to bring over to grateful families.

One by one and two by two, the teachers seated in cars with hefty seat belts, now driving en route to parent locals. In their hands first, would be a real live paper map, unfolding it was like having spaghetti thrown. Without the use of a GPS or handy google map, or any such mobile cell phones.

Mainly all we had with us, was but a hope and a prayer and each other. We all came from an era filled to the rim, with hustle! The sometimes heated debate about "Is this even in the right place." Would occur, while searching for said parents.

"Yes it's the right local...trust me!!!! As heads turned from side to side trying to catch an address that matches exactly what's on the buildings and what was written down back at the office.

The teachers would have needed to walk up staircases, confused, bewildered, tired; perhaps a tad panicky or panting, or both. Delivering these fine polaroids would be a task given in the same thoughtful form.

 

"They open the door to an unfamiliar workspace, in a location unknown, the teacher would then have the polaroid picture, making sure to be gentle with it, maybe in a folder? In the politest tone, they would say to a present stranger -standing at the front office.

The teacher then asks, "If by chance there happens to be a parent of a certain child from a certain school who may work here?"

 "Yes, I am her."

Oh, here is a picture of your child from school today, we wanted to give this polaroid to you as a precious gift. It's your child and playing and learning today."

You see when I was in school I could break both limbs -Teaching staff in a complete frenzy of commotion, though all fulfilling their duties and responsibilities.

Even though the technology of today is used in many ways, far surpassing mere saving on recycling to lesson garbage fills.  That the power of it is strong for a beautiful means to communications and a picture worth a thousand words, just as it was intended even in history.

Computers were thought of, developed, and then experienced and utilized by Nasa, or so I heard about this from one of my favorite teachers Mrs. Quinton.  By the way, there wasn't any branding in full force by any means. Except perhaps by teachers and maybe even Nasa. Then for the common folk, computers only used at first for a reduction in paper accumulation.  This never really became such a great recycling program at once first thought. Years did surpass while finally recycling paper along with polaroids fell to the wayside, used once in a high waist fashion for school or work, then came times of the Millennium.  Still pens, crayons, markers, and pencils, never did seize.  

"Paper is still for sale at department stores, where essential workers gather.  Gifts are accepted much faster and given with such ease and this handy SeeSaw app, where this article is now a seemingly all over the map, with my See-Saw approach to article writing."

While printers were the fashionable thing for some time, prior.  Though with diligence in technology and growth, I think we finally got to a place where not only recycling has been established, where there is certainly more than enough technology for anyone's fundamental uses.  

Finally, out with the polaroid paper garbage-filled dumps, we're given the gift to see our kids while on the schoolyard, during a harsh time in 2020. Though without such a radical hustle, but for the pure enjoyment of connectivity, watching our kids and youth in the community grow together with many smiles abound, being safe, given a picture with kindness, a new world with inspiring sentimental luxury.

Possibly we could be a bit spoiled with technology and how some choose to use it, this App though is something highly and most intelligently different.

"That's how I feel about life at this moment, as I am just really telling a story about being a mom in 2020, with so much to hope for my child, our communities to grow in strength, with happy times, friends for him, without so much struggle, with a vibrant look on life.  Even though the environmental circumstances are confusing. Seeing these smiles, a gesture in pureness, through SEESAW App, while I'm just learning what an app was myself not too long ago.  As I usually and personally don't always trust many apps, just as I won't want my son to watch too much television or with too much game time. Willingly from the school boards, there it is a picture while I am not taking it, it is with my child in it.  Yes..even with one smile, I know he's happy in his world, a new world for him somehow threefold, but a mom comforted by this."

"Where, now, through my writing in sometimes such random, nonrelated ways, only to hope to encourage in private times to see many years of growth, for the community, with smiles, while writing exploratively with my many unnecessary theories. Thought though, just for kindness and encouragement."