Once upon a time, I taught a teen –Student A – who missed a lot of school. On average, this teen missed my class once a week. By the end of that school year, said student had accumulated 40 absences. I was lucky. Student A had been absent for nearly half the year in other classes.

            The student always made up assignments, turned them in the next day, and scored high on tests and quizzes. Student A’s final grade was above average, but I questioned how this teenager could receive a passing grade based on lack of classroom interaction.

            Should Student A have been considered truant?

            Twenty-some years ago when this situation happened, the school I taught in had a policy that students could have no more than 10 absences per semester. If a student accumulated over that amount, he/she was required to take semester exams.

            If Student A were in my classroom today, his/her case would be reported to the County Attorney who would have to enforce our state’s truancy law.

            Current Nebraska law, put into effect two years ago, requires schools to report the names of students who miss more than 20 school days per year regardless of whether or not the absences are excused. Once reported, the law does not require county attorneys to act, but in many cases, parents are notified, must appear before a judge and offer an explanation for their child’s absenteeism.

            Nebraska Department of Education numbers show that two years ago, close to 22,000 students hit the over-20 mark. Last year, the number dropped to 18,000.

            This law is causing turmoil across the state. It’s problematic. Should individual circumstances be taken into consideration? For instance, should a student suffering from illness be exempt? Should a child have to stay home from school because of bullying, making school an unsafe haven for learning, thus making the student truant?

            The Legislature is looking at ways to fine-tune the law. Last Wednesday, the judiciary committee advanced the proposed measures.

            The committee suggested that it will not change the present requirement that children who miss more than 20 days of school must be reported to the county attorney; however, schools will have to offer assistance to the county attorney. For example, if a student misses class due to a lengthy illness, the school will be required to report the absence as the result of illness.

            Schools can ask for additional time to work with students to make sure they are in class before the court intervenes.

            Bottom line: parents need to be responsible and make sure their children are in school. By all means, keep your child home if he/she feels ill, but don’t schedule family vacations during instruction time. That’s just common sense.

             Students need to be responsible and realize the importance of being in class and of getting an education. Consider school your job. What would happen if you missed that many days of work?

            And schools need to work with struggling families, helping students find success.

            Shouldn’t that be one of the ultimate goals of education?

            Rusty pieces of metal. Skeletons of overworked tractors. Dead pick-up trucks with busted out windshields.

            Eyesore? Or, is that heap of junk worth something?

            Venture down nearly any Nebraska back road, pass by a farmstead – abandoned or thriving – and you’ll more than likely see a mountain of scrap, piling higher than a haystack.

            Scrap yard. Junk pile. Bone yard.

            Call it what you want, but that heap of leftover ironworks longs to be repurposed, resold, or recycled: the three R’s of scrap pile use.

            The scrap pile has historical significance for Nebraska and the nation.

            During World War II, Nebraskans hauled metal, tin foil, and even paper to scrap drives. In 1942, Nebraska ranked 14th in the nation for collections, gathering 111 percent of its quota to assist the war effort. The morale boost gave Nebraskans an increased feeling of helpfulness and patriotism.

            Perhaps Nebraskans were a bit too overzealous donating to the cause. Nebraska Historical Society documents give examples of historical objects being sent for salvage. A Civil War cannon from Fort Omaha, as well as a cannon located in Fairbury utilized in the Spanish-American War were given up.

            It’s unfortunate these artifacts were lost.

            For years, farmers have used their ingenuity, pulling bits and pieces of salvageable material from the mound of metal, reusing a section of pipe or cutting angle iron for a special project.

            My grandfather was the master of repurposing. Cousins Brian and Curt, along with sister Laurie  and I, would explore the massive swells behind grandpa’s shop, never knowing what we would unearth, always wondering how we could put these treasures to work.

             We wondered why he kept springs and engine parts, varying lengths of metal and old farm implements.  Grandpa was a welder, a darn good one from what I’ve been told, and he relied on the salvage pile to repair equipment or to create new projects. 

            When I moved to my grandparent’s farm, I still enjoyed exploring the area behind the shop. The girls and I found a couple old ploughs, which we repurposed as landscaping decorations; a tub from grandma’s wringer washer, repainted and repurposed into a flower pot; and grandpa’s experimental irrigation system made in the early 1940s, which curiously resembles a modern-day center pivot system.

            Was my grandfather a packrat, saving any fragment of material for future use? Was it an innate response from enduring the Depression, when every trace of any material could make the difference between survival and loss?

            Or was it just a common sense approach to farm life and conservation of resources?

            Now, with salvage prices at reasonable rates, it makes sense to clean up excess materials. At least that’s what husband Scott tells me. After consulting a few area recycling facilities, the average price for old appliances is $195 per ton. Unprepared metal averages $230.

            A poor economy, coupled with a need for recycled metals and high prices paid for scrap, maneuver the competitive market.

            Not a bad paycheck for cleaning up the bone yard.

                On Sunday, did you join the estimated 111.3 million viewers tuned in to NBC to watch the Super Bowl?

                Some people watch for the love of the game; others tune in to critique the commercials; many view the half-time show as the best mini-concert you can see from the comfort of your favorite Lazy Boy lounger.

                If you watched, you helped set a record for the most-watched television show in U.S. history.

                But did you happen to catch the Nebraska connections?

                One of the biggest headlines happened right here, in the Cornhusker State. Okay, it actually happened if you lived in the KNOP-TV viewing area, the local NBC affiliate located in North Platte. It’s also the smallest NBC affiliate in the U.S.

                Billed as the best ad of the night, actor Will Ferrell stars in an Old Milwaukee beer commercial.  The “Anchorman” star walks through a field until he closes in on the camera. Then, someone off-camera tosses him a can of Old Milwaukee. Just as Ferrell pops the top and starts to say the brand name, the commercial cuts to static. Intentionally, of course.

                Ferrell’s commercial is part of a series of ads for the beer that run in only a handful of states. The actor approached the beverage company about making the commercials and industry insiders say Ferrell filmed them for free.

                Could the selected market relate to a certain NFL player? More later.

                Is there a Husker football connection with the game? Yes. Fifty-two Huskers have played in 33 games since the inaugural game. Mick Tingelhoff made four Super Bowl appearances for the Minnesota Vikings. Three former Huskers have each made three appearances: Roger Craig, Russ Hochstein, and Grant Wistrom.

                On Sunday, former Husker defensive player and first-round draft pick Prince Amukamara won his first Super Bowl ring. His appearance keeps the Husker Super Bowl streak alive and kicking at five.

                Prince saw considerable playing time, although I spied him getting burned on a critical fourth quarter play. Didn’t make a difference.

Once the celebration began, Amukamara was one of the last of the Giants to exit the field, posing for pics with fans and even celebrities, including Katy Perry.

                For me, the best Nebraska-Super Bowl storyline revolved around Patriot’s running back Danny Woodhead. He caught a crucial TD pass at the end of the first half, nabbed three other passes for gains, and ran the ball seven times for 18 yards.

                Woodhead, a North Platte gridiron star, wasn’t recruited by major schools. When the-coach-who-shall-remain-nameless refused to offer a scholarship to Lincoln, Woodhead rushed his way to the record at Chadron State.

                His great-to-greater-glory story has made him a New England fan favorite and endeared him to those who cheered for and followed his career back home.

                Had the Patriots won, it is possible that Woodhead would have been in the mix for the MVP award.

                Woodhead serves as a role model for perseverance, dedication, and hard work, attributes most likely credited to his Nebraska roots.        

                Perhaps the airing of Ferrell’s commercial in North Platte isn’t a coincidence.

Well, Bob Kerrey made it official today. He said ‘no’ to running for the U.S. Senate seat that will be up for grabs in November’s general election.

I’m disappointed.

I first met Kerrey 30 years ago when he was in Hastings on a campaign visit. I worked in a bar and one of the owners, who donated money to the Nebraska Dems, brought him there for drinks prior to a meeting.

The owner came up to me and pointed at Kerrey, saying ‘See that gentleman? One day, he’ll be president.’

At that point, I didn’t know who Kerrey was, but I made a point to find out.

I followed his career as Governor and then as the Nebraska Senator. I campaigned for him when he started his bid for the 1992 presidency. Even though he dropped out of the race, I still followed his career. No, it wasn’t a stalker kind of thing.

He’s just one of the most intriguing people I’ve met.

Had he returned to Nebraska and entered this year’s Senate race, it may have been a struggle, especially entering the fray this late in the political sniping season. It would have, however, made for an interesting campaign . And it’s possible his former political backers would have rallied and helped the perceived underdog secure his place in D.C.

And, I also believe he had members of the Republican party scared. Attack ads were already airing on radio and TV.

I wish he would have said ‘yes’.

WOW! If you enjoy reading and you’re looking to find new books that tickle your fancy, check out the February edition of the Sacramento Book Review. This issue has 83 jam-packed pages of reviews. Three of my reviews are in the print edition:

• Pickles, Please: A Dilly of a Book (children’s literature)
• Microstyle: The Art of Writing Little (reference)
• Saints Preserved (religion)