When I was in the Air Force, one of my favorite shows was MASH. Radar played an important role in the show and it was well known that the Army clerk yearned to return to Ottumwa. I'll never forget that one episode that Radar had been dressed up to resemble his true mother. Though the Ottumwa I traveled into wasn't exactly a thriving, prosperous city.

I was asked to speak at Glen James Elementary at Family Fun Night. It's easy to get lost in Ottumwa. There are bridges everywhere, roundabouts, and many one-way roads. I quickly became lost and stopped at Wilson Elementary to ask for directions. A teacher attempted to give me directions and after five minutes of telling me to turn right at the BP, don't turn left at the bridge or you're sure to get lost, etc. he realized I still had no idea where to head. Then he asked me to follow him through the heart of the city. Ottumwa is a city in disrepair with many storefronts boarded up and governmental aid programs advertised on huge billboards to assist families in need. At just about every stop sign was a big pothole in the crumbling roads.

It took us about ten minutes to get through the city - not because of traffic but because it was a confusing obstacle course of twists and turns and sharp rights.

When I saw McPherson Street I then knew we were heading the right way. Glen James sits on top of a hill overlooking the river. The landscape was nice including blooming purple flowering trees. I thanked the teacher for his assistance and waited around a few minutes because I didn't see the need to rush into the school because there were only a few cars in the parking lot. I honestly felt the speaking event was a bust because it was warm outside and I wasn't so sure parents would want to hear my speech indoors on such a beautiful spring evening.

I finally gained the courage to enter the school and was met warmly by Sheila Guiter who'd arranged the evening speaking engagement. Sheila was plenty excited. Movie theatre popcorn was popping and twenty bags had already been filled in anticipation of a huge crowd. Sheila showed me where I was to speak and the first thing that jumped out of me was the crafted baseball billboard the school had created with local baseball teams' memorabilia like the Burlington Bees, Iowa and Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, and the Riverbats.

And yet, I couldn't shake the empty row upon row of metal folding chairs. It isn't that I am embarrassed for myself; rather I feel for the organizers who spend months and many hours planning these events and when no one shows it is awkward for all. To ease what I sensed was a bust, I began pushing chairs back away from the stage to perform my shadow baseball skit. I figured I could knock down at least twenty to thirty empty chairs to lessen the painful impact.

But then Sheila assured me that she was pretty sure the large room would fill with excited fans. She then introduced me to Mr. Green, the school principal. It wasn't long before the great arena did indeed fill with parents and students as Sheila had predicted. A great time was had by all including parents who truly enjoyed the story about Creeper and fishing at Creeper's Pond. Not to be outdone, Ottumwa continued to surprise me when a line quickly filled around the autographed table. Just about every parent and student who'd attended the evening speech wanted to take a picture with me and the compliments regarding my storytelling skills left me feeling humble.

What the citizens of Ottumwa, Iowa taught me is that you can't read the tenacity and friendliness of a community by the city's outward appearance. Radar O'Reily's gentle mannerisms but determined resolve in many ways best symbolized this humble yet proud city. And as for me, I shall never judge a book by its book cover again.

Thank you Sheila, Mr. Green, and many, many parents and students for making me feel special - for wanting a picture of me and a signed book as a keepsake. Ottumwa is a special place because of its friendly people who want the best for their kids. Ottumwa has renewed my faith in the resolve of people.

The week of April 12th through April 16th was an especially busy one for me. I was asked to speak to elementary students at Runnells, Willowbrook, Centennial, Clay, Delaware, Four Mile, Altoona, and Mitchellville. The Iowa Cubs' Cubbie partnered with me at several of the schools. The elementary students were very polite and highly excited - especially by Cubbie's antics. Some of the dreams confessed to me were from would-be singers, baseball and football players. Several of the students wished to have lots of money and to be famous. Some of the more cute dreams were to have my dog stop biting me and to have mom stop yelling at me. One girl wished that she had a thousand friends, a young boy wished his father would play more with him, and a young girl who had just recently moved to Newton wished she'd find one friend to at least play games with her.

A special thank you goes to Laurie Wyatt who was instrumental in scheduling me to speak at Southeast Polk Schools. I'd also like to thank Lori Waddell, Robin Norris, Steve Stotts, Randy Mohning, Kevin Walker, Mrs. Dodge, Lea Morris, and Dennis O'Lear who assured I had everything I needed for my speech at their schools and who made me feel right at home. I'd also like to thank Joe Nelson, the principal of Mitchellville. Joe is an umpire and enjoyed reading the Principal Park book. Mr. Nelson was so impressed with the book that he purchased 50 copies of the book for his 5th grade and 6th grade students.

The seventh graders that I spoke to were also bright and courteous and when I had something important to say they quieted down to allow me to speak. We had a fun game of baseball and after my speech several of the students came up to me and confessed their dreams. They were a great group of students who offered me tremendous respect.

I have spoken to thousands of eighth-graders and we've had a great deal of fun while I am still able to get my message of transition across to them. However, I was never quite able to reach these eighth grade students until the very end of my speech when the intensity in my voice came brazenly through. The crowd was quite stunned - shocked might be a more adequate depiction. Afterwards, not one of the students came up to me to talk. I felt isolated and alone in a sea of bodies scrambling to get to their next class. I wasn't so sure if I had been too forceful in my attempt to reach out to the group of disbelievers. I do know that I limped back to my car drenched in sweat. I've heard teachers tell me their biggest fear is speaking in front of a large crowd. Up until that afternoon, I had never known that type of anxiety. That afternoon was brutal. The constant drone of noise had not only left me frustrated but it also had thrown me completely off my rhythm and pace. I couldn't recall the last 30 minutes of my speech - other than wanting to find a quick exit.

I didn't sleep well that night. I was beginning to doubt myself and whether I should continue to talk to junior high students ever again. I usually only have one chance to reach out to a particular set of students and when I can't reach them it is vey upsetting to me because I feel as if I failed them. But then I thought why can't middle school students still believe in dreams?

You have to wonder: Why is it that as students mature that youthful dreams seem to fade away? Why is it that young adults become untrusting of their peers and would rather swallow their pride than ask for help? For far too long our culture has believed that with maturity comes independence. And yet I have seen the devasting consequences that young adults have inflicted on fellow students when left alone to fend for themselves.

If you ask a middle school or high school student the age they're considered an adult, they'll tell you eighteen when they graduate from high school. And yet, true adulthood isn't properly reached until the age of 30. This big push toward maturity is why growing children sometimes actively engage in promiscuity, why bullying occurs, and why some children go to the extreme and act violently because violence gets immediate attention right or wrong.

There is a big push for standardized education in the classrooms. Because of educational costs, schools are merging and drawing a larger number of students into one school building. But from what I've seen when we institutionalize children in this environment they become unyielding, untrusting, and have a tendency to internalize their weaknesses. These children who fall behind the state's mandate become lost in a never-ending cycle and are in constant reminder that they won't ever amount to much.

The high school my daughter attended had a pond out in front. I always thought it odd to have a pond at a public school in the suburbs until one day I asked the baseball coach at the school why they had a pond out front?

"Oh, this," Coach said pointing at the pond with cattails. "This is the best teaching tool we got."

"What do you mean?" I asked him.

"Think about it," he said. "I've seen prissy cheerleaders slip and fall in pond scum and laugh themselves silly. I've seen burly football players too afraid to hook a squiggly worm on a fishing hook. And then I've seen nerdy kids stand out and suddenly become cool because they know how to fish and aren't afraid of catching a slimy crayfish or tadpole. You see, Dr. Mullen, this pond is a place where kids can be kids."

Interesting thought I guess: The pond was a place where kids had the freedom to be kids.

When I look back at my life, what I remember fondly is fishing at Creeper's Pond, camping out at night, playing pick up baseball games, dreaming of hitting a home run at Crosley Field - all the fun things we kids used to do as kids.

An editor once said my story about an average player living out his dream is outdated. I have to wonder if the "diary of a wimpy kid" is all that my generation has left to give. I hope not. I certainly hope not.

The week of April 5th I spoke to Karen Acres, Valerius, and Olmsted Elementary in the Urbandale school district. And then on Friday, April 9th I spoke to the students at Woodward-Granger.

During my speech at Olmsted, I called on a handful of students to share their dreams with their fellow students. After my presentation to the K-2 students at Olmsted a few of the students had been disappointed because I hadn't called on them to share their dreams. Once I answered the students' questions I offered the handful of students their opportunity to share their dream with me saying, "If you want to share your dream with me, I'll stay and you can whisper your dream in my ear."

A young girl with her front baby teeth missing was the first to whisper in my ear that she wanted to care for sick animals. Then another young girl confessed that she wished her dog would stop biting her. Then a young boy said that he'd like to be an army soldier and another girl wanted a thousand bucks. I glanced up and to my surprise saw a line of forty students patiently waiting to whisper in my ear their dream. On the one hand I felt like Santa Claus doling out promises of Christmas wishes and yet on the other hand I suddenly realized that I was being offered a gift more precious than a little girl's wish of a doll baby or a young boy's hope for a new bicycle. What these children were secretly confessing in my ear was that one chance when the world seemed to stop and would appreciate their unique gift if only briefly for a few precious seconds.

I am now approaching 100,000 students that I have spoken to. Once a student asked me if I ever get tired of speaking to a roomful of kids. I told him no because I speak to each each child and each child is unique. The joy I receive is when I look into a child's eyes I can see their special gift sparkling in their eyes. How could anyone get tired of that?

Due to my schedule, I traveled from Des Moines to Sully and then back to Des Moines this week. Then I had to travel to Traer and back to Des Moines and then to Independence and finally back to Des Moines. Sometimes the schedule doesn't work out as I hope but once I commit to a date I rarely change it. I have now logged over 30,000 miles in the state of Iowa and when I listen to the news or the weather channel I feel as if I have a personal connection with the towns mentioned.

Many of the comments I have received from Iowa teachers is one of envy - wishing they had the freedom to explore their state as I have done. Most of the teachers comment that I must have many stories I could tell and in truth I have enjoyed my visits because the people in Iowa have always put me at ease like I am a long lost cousin. Iowa is a beautiful state but what I have been most impressed with are the small towns and how each small town is determined to preserve its store brick fronts, old opry houses, and stone courthouses. Iowans take a lot of pride in their heritage and it is best seen in how well their small communities are maintained.

This week I spoke at Lynnville-Sully and was met by a spirited Bonita Jansen. I also spoke in North Tama and Steve Foster reminded me that North Tama is known for its baseball champions. I also spoke to the students at West Elementary in Independence and met Nancy White who is a board member on the Iowa Reading Association council. On Friday I spoke to the students at Jensen Elementary in Urbandale and had the privilege of speaking to a scientist and a dualing piano player. Jen Froelich was in charge of the event and the students had so much fun that the principal reported that he didn't have one visit from a disruptive student. It was a most interesting event with even a professional football player and illustrator. To top off the day, the fire department brought one of their fire engines and gave the stduents a live demonstration.

Just another week - another day spent in Iowa!