This Active Life -- March 2003

People

Cuddling for Fun and Health

What parent doesn't wax nostalgic about the bliss of cuddling a newborn infant? Let's face it, only the sweet murmur of a baby sleeping on your shoulder gets you through the night feedings and foul-smelling diapers.

Arizona member John Campbell isn't a new dad, but he's head-over-heels in love with his volunteer assignment as a "cuddler" of premature infants born at the Thunderbird Samaritan Medical Center in Glendale.

"It's heaven," says Campbell, now in his third year as president of the Arizona Education Association-Retired. "The cuddlers, the nurses, and the babies all benefit from the program." Under the supervision of a developmental nurse specialist, the volunteers cuddle newborns who are born prematurely or face other issues, such as absent parents or a drug addiction.

"The human touch and the rocking is very beneficial to the babies," Campbell says. "They're often cranky, and when you rock them, that quiets them right down." Campbell is a volunteer cuddler once a week for four hours. He also volunteers at a hospital information desk another four hours a week (a post he held prior to being chosen as a cuddler).

After going through a training program, John's first assignment was cuddling Brandon, who was born three months premature and weighed just two pounds. "I had a thought that maybe I can't do this," he confesses. But Brandon gradually made strides and was ready to go home when he reached four-and-a-half pounds.

Campbell says he also leaves the hospital feeling better. "I've had two heart attacks, and I can tell when I'm quietly cuddling a child it brings my blood pressure down and I'm much calmer. I told one of the nurses that maybe [cuddling] should be part of heart attack rehabilitation!"

Frontier Teacher

Nebraska member Janet Gardner takes students back to a time when math was called arithmetic and cold pancakes or potatoes were the lunch of choice.

It's still 1888 at the Flowerfield School in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, where Gardner has served as a "school marm" for four years. Rebuilt on the grounds of a museum, the school now serves groups of fourth graders who visit to walk in the shoes of real frontier schoolchildren. Since 1987, more than 10,000 students have taken part in the unique curriculum, which is offered each fall.

Always striving for authenticity, Gardner dons a bonnet, brings her lunch in a pail, and wears a dress of her grandmother's. The students are to "sit up straight, with feet to the floor." Gardner is always asked about the dunce cap that sits on a stool; fortunately, she's never had to use it. It does spark a discussion on discipline in the late 1800s, when misbehavior was cause for a spanking or a rap on the knuckles with a pointer. Before lunch, students wash their hands with lye soap, and they aren't allowed to bring items like bottled soda or processed, packaged foods. In addition to working on their penmanship, students read from McGuffey Readers (circa 1879) and have a spelling bee at the end of the day.

Gardner loves being a school marm, and after 20 years of teaching she says she's still learning about Nebraska history. "This has been such a wonderful experience, and it's a great way to keep my hand in teaching."

--Lorinda Bullock

Legendary Straight Shooter Returns

Michael Jordan and Mario Lemieux did it, so why not Karla Roberts? Skeet shooters beware, after a lengthy hiatus, Missouri member Roberts is rested, relaxed, and ready to get back into competition.

Missouri member Roberts, you see, is a former world champion in skeet shooting (winning 13 ladies championships in different divisions) and a member of her state and national hall of fame. She remains the only woman ever to win five .12 gauge championships in a row.

Skeet shooting, Roberts explains, involves shooting at 25 clay pigeons launched in sequence in a prescribed course. Competitive skeet shooters shoot 100 targets in four gauges. After trying the sport on a whim back in the 1970s, Roberts got hooked and soon dominated her division.

Why did she stop? "It's an expensive hobby," she says. "My son was going off to college, and I just got more involved in teaching and coaching speech and drama." She also gave considerable time to NEA, serving as local president for four years.

Having recently retired, Roberts again has set her sights on honing her shooting skills. "I like it because it's an individual sport," she says. "You're shooting against your own skills, always trying to improve." In retirement, Roberts looks forward to more time traveling and competing. If her comeback is half as successful as the twilight heroics of Jordan and Lemieux, however, don't be surprised to see her in the winner's circle again.