"Outsider" in Maine? (moving to, farms, friendly)

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by irishmom

In all the years I've been vacationing there this has also been my experience with the people and the towns. Now I know that vacationing is not the same as living, but our experiences with the people we have met was definitely the big reason to looking into moving there. Let's face it it's a beautiful state but so are many others...and I've visited some of them as well...but the people we've met here have been amongst the nicest all around. There is a diner in Boothbay that was totally horrified and confused about my son's allergies...(this is why we always rent a cottage with a kitchen we try not to eat out) and the woman server was so upset that she couldn't answer my questions about ingredients that she took me into the kitchen and let me read ingredients myself!!! This believe doesn't happen anywhere else!

Also it's too bad that the laptop thing didn't go well, it sounded so progressive...there is no other state that has tried such a program. You have to give credit to the state education department for trying.

irish,,my son was a seventh grader two years ago, he received a laptop as did the rest of his class,,and the program was a success!!
my god, cant one subject come up without.....throwing mud on the whole program??(not directed at you, irish)

[irishmom]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

irish,,my son was a seventh grader two years ago, he received a laptop as did the rest of his class,,and the program was a success!!
my god, cant one subject come up without.....throwing mud on the whole program??(not directed at you, irish)

I was thinking with all the articles I've read on the laptop program I haven't seen any negative feedback about it...and you know I've looked...LOL Good to hear your son and his class had a good experience with it.

Also if you look at the school ratings for acedemic performance...all the scores go up in 7th and 8th grade...I'm wondering if this program could be one of the reason's for that. Again haven't found anything specific about that...but it kind of would make sense.

[DavidoftheNorth]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

irish,,my son was a seventh grader two years ago, he received a laptop as did the rest of his class,,and the program was a success!!
my god, cant one subject come up without.....throwing mud on the whole program??(not directed at you, irish)

I suspect that the program works best when there is a supportive home/community environment - and that includes having parent(s) that make sure the computers are not mistreated or mis-used.

What do you think, Unhappycamper?

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by Unhappycamper

That laptop program is a disaster. Kids are breaking them, messing them up, using proxies to get around the filters, doing things they should not be. Even as a computer programing major I do not think they should be dishing these expensive machines to these kids. They should upgrade the labs and give them more funding for the programs. My high school's computer lab was horrible. They only offered 4 classes on the computers due to lack of funding (and three of them was learning to type...yay).

/rant

* warning warning *

*Sarcasm alert*

What are you saying? Do you mean to say that throwing money at a school does NOT fix everything?

[rabbitlover]

Originally Posted by Tarastomsgirl

Okay I'm gonna give you my husbands experience.. He too lived in New Sweden.. North of Caribou in Aroostook County he moved there when he was 7 years old from Mass. Small town Maine everyone knows everyone population about 250... So he goes to first grade and draws a picture of a whale and tells his teacher that he's seen one before.. He got send home with a note telling him mother its not polite to lie to people. His mom came into school telling her he's not lying he saw one at the aquarium in Mass. The teacher could not believe it. He got a note home a month or two later for saying he'd been on an airplane in front of the class and was lying to his friends about it.. Once again he'd flown out of Logan.. Seeing how narrow minded and ignorant these people are yet.. So he goes off to middle school.. We're talking 1996 they school has no computers and refuses to buy them . They were also using books from the 1960's.. My husbands mother and father propose that the school buy computers and teach the children how to use them.. They board said you want em you buy em for the school. So she did, she had to set them up and then the school did not let the children use them.. The school also did not have a playset for the children, she brought it up to put them in as she had 3 kids go to the school, they said once again no if you want one for the kids, you buy it. She did and they had to put it together and everything.. They had their tires slashed , the police wouldn't do anything about it, My husbands father has teaching degree and there were in desperate need of teaches, he applied they wouldn't hire him even though he was more than qualified.. The principle hired instead her sister.. The whole school was fun by one family. Kindergarten through 8th grade.. Everyone was related. My husbands 5th grade class was the largest they'd seen in 30 years... It was 10 children big..The school enventually closed down from lack of students.. Hubby and family were eventually run out of the town they stuck it out for 11 years I wish I could say they went into town trying to turn it upside down or that there's more to the story but there's not honestly , they still own the house and we went back up to check it out about 3 years ago and the people in the town had ransaked the house , tore out all the kitchen cabinets, took all the furnature the left int he house, the toys my husband had growing up , everything.... I guess what I'm trying to say is becareful where you go.. They're weary of outsiders, they seem nice but seriously a lot of them are demented and imbred. I'm sure you heard about the aresnic poisoning in New Sweden where they guy put it in the church coffe and some people died. Bondeson was his name. my husband picked potatoes for him during harvest break. Yah you know why he poisoned those people? Because they proposed to put new pew in the church instead of the wooden ones that had been there for the last 100 years.. They're nutso's!!!. Its one of those nice places to visit.. not to live kinda deal. Unless your're gonna go to a larger town like Portland or Bangor

New Sweden IS a weird town, but not all towns,. in Maine, are like New Sweden.

[mollysmiles]

Boy, am I behind on these posts.....

I have 4 children....8, 14 (tomorrow!), almost 16, and 17....notice three of them are beyond grade 7...the 14 year old is in grade 8. The laptop program here in Calais is a success. Here, they are assigned their own laptop and it is not shared. If it is used inappropriately (easy enough to track), the student loses it for a predetermined amount of time. It is amazing to me how much they have learned and how much confidence has been built. These kids are loving these laptops....it opens a whole new world of creativity for them. Some of the imovies they produce has been outstanding. And where have they learned this? Their highly qualified, skilled teacher. Amazing how that works.

[victoriana]

Hi T - In your defense, I have to say that I know several physicians here in the Panhandle who were born and bred for GENERATIONS in the Aroostook county area. They would not deny any of what you have said. You are brave because its hard to tell the dirty little secrets about towns sometimes. EVERY TOWN HAS THEM TOO! When we lived in Tillamook, Oregon, yahoo - well that is a different story for a different thread! I'm in Amarillo, TX now for the past six years and this place is full of dirty little things that Amarilloans would prefer the outside world NEVER know. What I find funny about having lived in the north and south, the north has plenty of racism, BillyBob behavior and in-your-face political weirdos but is mainly the south that gets mentioned about these things. Funny, huh? Well, I wish you much luck in your search for a home. This is a wonderful country with many wonderful places (right there in Maine to raise a family.) Good luck!!

[galeshade]

Maine People Have A Tendency To Watch People For A Bit Before They Are Not Considered Outsiders Anymore. And Your Husband Being In The Fire Department Is A Plus. I Think As A Mainer You All Will Do Fine.being Honest Is One Of The Main Values People In Maine Look For.

[mollysmiles]

ok, not to throw water on this in a negative way....but "several physicians here in the Panhandle who were born and bred for GENERATIONS in the Aroostook county area"?? Aroostook County, Maine? USA? That's unbelievable. That is not a highly populated area of the state (at all!!) and to think that "several" became Drs. and all settled in the panhandle....wow.

[mollysmiles]

Ok, we did say "honestly" right? I do think that we natives can be skeptical of people "from away" who are moving here, but I think it's more from a strong desire to protect what we have worked hard to achieve. I know for me once someone shows me that they have respect for the culture that is here, the environment, and the Maine way of life, they're good in my book. What has made us skeptical are the people who move here with a goal to change everything into what they just left! Also, as you can easily see from some of these posts, there are people who move here and complain, complain, complain. And then wonder why they're having trouble "fitting in" or making friends. Honestly.