Jim Minard:  

Life My, my photo looks smug! It was taken at the wedding of my youngest daughter, so I guess some self-satisfaction was in order. The tie shows a school of fish and one swimming in the opposite direction (not shown by the photo). After attending Wilson, Jefferson and Hutton grade schools I attended Lewis and Clark, (Louie Livingston's home room) where I initiated creation of a student-described catalog of electives, was student government representative, and then (to the surprise of some) ASB president. I offered to try to have the ASB teach freshmen to dance and we used several approaches. I also supported a progam of student assemblies among the different high schools and designated "floor leaders" from each class in the council. I understand my successor continued these iniatives. After a wide variety of courses and institutions, but with graduation from college at the expected time, I obtained an MS in Psychology from the U. of W, a Ph.D. from the U of Colorado, taught in NE medical schools, Universities and Colleges 30+ years. Upon retirement, I studied marketing, but retired to obtain a certificate in School Psychology from a program offered jointly by WSU and EWU at Riverpoint. I had experience at each grade-level and in a private high school, retiring when I had a radical prostetectomy. I finished drafts of a book patterned a bit on Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and looked for classmates or others interested in reading and commenting on early drafts of it. They have been most helpful, but I will have at least another round of readers before approaching publishers. What books do you read? I was pleased that, when I introduced it to the last meeting of the nation's narcoleptics, a dozen of them offered to read and comment. One of the book's tasks is to "demystify" narcolepsy and schizophrenia. Both are disorders that often begin in the high school years. They are now apt to go undiagnosed and untreated for decades, causing considerable misery and social cost. I would like to see a college-level psychology course taught to capable high school seniors and maybe juniors in a way that would change this terrible situation and reduce the current epidemic of teen suicide. I think a capable school psychologist, aided by high school student...Expand for more