Killing them with kindness

Last year in April, I had a shift that started out so very odd. I wrote about it, but I left it sitting in my iPhone notes collecting dust. I’d like to share it now.

~^..^~

First thing of my shift, my co-lead and I clock in, check out store devices, and dun, dun, dun.... get called into the principal’s office. Lol

Not really, but ya know that work feeling when the boss says, come in and sit down, when you didn’t start the conversation? Yeah that.

Very quickly it turned into a ‘you guys are leaders in the store and we want to share some insights into a new customer service perspective so you can help lead our team better’.

Oh. One of THOSE talks. And videos. I kid you not, the first one was a tear jerker and I started wiping at my eyes. Without a word, just a simple small smile, he reaches over for a tissue box and sets it in front of me. 

And while the whole purpose of the talk, which he said would last 10-15 minutes actually took 40, was about ways of connecting with our customers in different ways, which in turn drives repeated business up, it really got to the heart of what I’ve been thinking about lately.

The videos were Chick-fil-a training videos, but they were an awesome new perspective to look at. It’s common sense stuff, but not what we always think about. As I said, it hit home with a lot of what I’ve been mulling recently, and the first video starts with the crux of the issue. “Every person has a story.”

As retailers we have a limited amount of time to spend with our customers. 10-15 minutes, usually some less and sometimes much more. That’s all the time we have to make a truly human connection. We don’t know their names usually, or what’s going on in their lives. Sometimes we get customers who share their whole life story and it can get annoying, but think about why for just a moment. Why would someone share so many intimate details with a perfect stranger? 

We don’t know what anybody’s life is like. What if they’re lonely and you are one of the few people that they have interactions with this week? What if they had a childhood trauma of a family nature that left them searching for love and acceptance and you cringe away from them in disgust for hygiene, wardrobe, style?

What if you have five minutes to brighten their day just a little bit? Would you take the opportunity?

Think about the legacy you want to leave behind. Perhaps someone you touch will never know or remember your name. Perhaps they’ll forget all about you. But for one moment in time you can make a difference.

At Gordmans, we didn’t call it ‘customer service’ and we didn’t call them customers. Turns out we weren’t the only company, but I had never encountered it before. I asked why and had a really awesome manager, Kevin, explain it in a really awesome way that struck me enough to stay with me all these years.

If you think about it, your work life can take as much time and energy as your home life and it’s tough to find a balance sometimes. But if it takes any amount of time, your work place is like a second home. You take pride in your home, why not your work? So a customer is coming into your second home and asking questions or requesting something that you as the host would normally provide if able. Do all of these second home guests behave, or deserve your effort? Certainly not. But ‘killing them with kindness’ isn’t just a cool Biblical saying. It works.

Contemplating a Podcast Gig and How it Came to Be

So it has been a hot minute since I posted, but I have taken the time during this inclement weather we are having in the northeast corner of Indiana to catch up on some television binge-watching. I'm nearly caught up with all of the currently airing US shows, and holding off on some Canadian programming until the full seasons are aired. There's just something about Canadian programming. I cannot just watch it one episode at a time. I gorge myself on a full season because I cannot seem to just wait for the next week's airing.

Since I have to be in the mood for certain shows when I watch them, such as Madam Secretary and Blindspot, I scroll through my available videos and came across a tile for an animated television show called Carmen Sandiego on Netflix.

Wait just a red hot minute!! Did you just say 'Carmen Sandiego'?

Netflix's Carmen Sandiego

Yes. Yes, I most certainly did. If you ever played the Carmen Sandiego games on computer or game console in the late 80s to early 90s, or watched the game show in the mid 90s starring Lynn Thigpen as the Chief, the show will bring back nostalgic memories in no time. I want to do an in depth profile on the Carmen Sandiego property at a later time, but if you hadn't yet heard of it, go watch it now. Seriously, I mean right now.

Unless you want to finish reading this then go watch it, by all means.

In this fandom vein, I have come across a conundrum of the highest order. I have too many interests. Here's the story behind that:

The History Chicks

Several years ago I became bored with my Spotify playlists and went in search of something else to listen to. The music was monotonous and I wanted to find something else to enrich my mind. Enter Beckett Graham and Susan Vollenweider, better known as The History Chicks. I started with their very first podcast and was pleasantly amazed at this amazing list of historical women who deserve their stories told again and again. However, I quickly forgot all about The History Chicks as real life got away from me, and it wasn't until the past few months as I began to research becoming a YouTuber that I revisited the Chicks. I am currently caught up to their 'Season 3' and enjoyed the heck out of their Teeny Tiny Tudor Tutorial. (LOL) But then again, I watched Showtime's The Tudors religiously. I love Jonathan Rhys Meyers and watch as much of his work as I can get my eyes on.

So in the grander scheme of things, I am up to their published podcasts circa 2012. Just 7 more years to catch up on. Hee Hee!

The History Chicks found a niche, a concept on which Kong and Jesse at Jumpcut have based their entire formula for creating a successful YouTube channel. So at the very beginning of the process, the Jumpcut guys walk you through a formula for creating a magical channel idea.

In attempting to nail down that idea for myself, I quickly realized I have too many interests, and not enough of an idea on how to rate what the public is truly interested in. At the very heart of the issue is this: I have no idea what topic to center a YouTube channel on. Plus, I have to work full time to make money, which limits the amount of time I can dedicate toward filming for YouTube in the first place.

Oh! And let us not forget about the near crippling stage fright condition I have suffered from since childhood.

Now it just doesn't seem to make any sense whatsoever. For those who know me personally, I'm the wacky and quirky person who always laughs and cracks jokes. I'm an absolutely card, a shock jock, funny, gregarious, friendly. I am everything any of the successful YouTubers seem to be... Right up until you turn a still or video camera my way.

Suddenly my palms get sweaty, my heartbeat races, my vision goes down to a pinpointed red and black tunnel, and my mouth gets dry. And when the video plays back, I am hypercritical of how I look and how I sound. I don't even like my recorded voice.

Jump forward to the past few months at work, all the while the internal struggle regarding a YouTube channel, do I or don't I, continues, I'm making more work friends and finding that people actually do like me. I won't say they love me, as that is definitely an acquired taste and it is for them to say, not me. But people genuinely like me and my personality.

Now we back track to The History Chicks. What do they have that I don't? Other than successful careers and podcasting equipment to actually pull off a successful podcast, even if it nets them no money other than to offset their operating costs. (For the record, I am simply spitballing here; I do not know if The History Chicks make money off their podcast, nor what it actually takes to produce a podcast. I am currently researching that information with a friend of mine, Becca.)

I have tons of 'useless' knowledge in my head and love to share it with others. I love to research new people, places, things, and events all the time. My Google search history is filled with such oddball and diverse topics and questions, it boggles my mind sometimes. But as I listened more and more to Beckett and Susan, I was reminded of my friend from work Becca and how often our conversations in the break room at work are back and forth, consistent, and others often cannot get a word in edgewise. We are so different, Becca and I, and yet so, so, so similar.

I was clocked out and getting ready to leave when I noticed her turning in her equipment, signalling she too was leaving for the day. Before my better judgement could silence me, I boldly asked her if she'd ever heard of The History Chicks. Her reply was sooo typical Becca (which you perhaps will get to hear soon enough) and quickly produced a 25 minute conversation that also included her clocking out, and us walking out of the building, pausing by her car, and ending when I headed to mine. Twenty-five solid minutes of non-stop conversation. It started out with our love for the Chicks' podcast, went through several mutations of ideas, and ended with "Let's do a Podcast!!!"

What?!?

Yeah. I know. You really had to be there to watch the completely organic development of this idea. There's no other way to describe something like this.

We'll keep you posted. This may take some time. lol

And to think, this blog post started with the realization that in order to keep warm, I am wearing articles of clothing that are from several fandoms. Her Universe Superman leggings under my jeans. A tie-dyed 'Country Rocks My Soul, Est. 1977' tank, under a tie-dyed Pirates of the Caribbean tee, under a long sleeved Green Bay Packers quarter zip Dri-fit style shirt, under an embroidered sweatshirt bearing the symbol of my alma mater, Concordia Lutheran High School. I mean really. How can one be sane and normal while at the same time this diverse?

Who says I am sane? I certainly never said I was normal.

I’m not white.

For the first time today, I was recognized as ‘not white’.

By a black person.

And it felt awesome.

Confused? I’ll attempt to explain quickly.

I’m descended from several grandparents who are part Native American, though we only know one tribe for certain. My maternal grandfather’s mother was a full blood Apache adopted by a German couple. We were talking about hair styles, different lengths, textures, et cetera, et cetera, and so in the midst of showing photos of my various hair styles over the years, I shared my senior picture. In the preceding conversation, we had already established my current age. This woman looked at the photo, looked at me, and said, “Are you Native? Looking at that picture and you now, you are aging really well! I’m looking at that and thinking you ain’t white.”

Normally I have to actually tell people I’m not fully Caucasian for them to even notice. But she did.

And it made my day.

What is a Terrorist? Donald Trump?

I probably got your attention really quickly there, didn't I? And I'm not out to slander or libel the President of the United States. Furthermore, while I disagree with President Trump's politics 95% of the time, he is still the President of the United States. The office alone commands my respect, if not the man holding the office.

This was something that I realized when President Obama was elected to office 10 years ago. The country was indelibly divided by the election and shouts of "Not my President!" rebounded through the internet. As an American, I find that single statement un-American and un-Patriotic. You are definitely entitled to disagree with me, however, my studies of the United States government over the years, ethics and sociology, as well as world historical studies have shown me that the President is still your President, even if you didn't vote for him. As the duly elected and sworn in President, he is the President of the country that you are a citizen of. Therefore, whether you like it or not, in this case I really, really don't, the person in charge is in fact your President.

Convoluted, but I think you get my point. We didn't have to vote for him, don't have to agree with him, but Trump is el Presidente. More's the pity.

In the last decade, I have watched as our nation has become more and more divided over politics. Awful and derogatory things have been bandied about and negative campaigning is the norm. It is incredibly sad that we have stooped so low.

So now to that wonderful post title: What is a Terrorist? Donald Trump? It certainly got your attention. I'm not saying Donald Trump is a Terrorist. I truly am not going to outright say that. But I will lay out some simple facts and then let you decide from there how you feel about it.

Let's start with a definition. (Definitions from dictionary.com) Terrorist is a noun, a.k.a. a person, place or thing, in this case a person. It is defined as a person, usually a member of a group, who uses or advocates terrorism. So we have to look at the definition of terrorism, which again is a noun, in this case a thing, intangible as it may be. It is defined as the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes.

So what is the state of our nation? So many are scared. Scared of deportation. Scared of illegal aliens and what their presence means for our jobs, our security, our safety. Scared of what foreign policy means for us within our nation's borders. Scared of what a wall between America and Mexico means, for us, for illegals, for legal immigration, or if it will curb the drug trade from Mexico and through Mexico.

All the while, President Trump continually opens his mouth to say whatever he wants to say in the moment, with no filter, no apology, and no regard for who he hurts or bullies. So what was terrorism again? The use of violence or threats to intimidate, usually for political purposes. President Trump has an agenda, all politicians do, and he consistently reminds us of the threat of other's actions. He routinely reminds us what he believes is the result of doing nothing and tells us that his way is the only way. Millions have jumped on board to his ideology out of fear and anger, without a willingness to see the other perspective.

I has gotten so bad that we are in the midst of yet another government shutdown. How long will this last? And what exactly is it regarding? How can we get them to put differences aside and pass a budget that allocates funds where they are most needed?

There is an article at ThoughtCo.com that gleans facts from the Congressional Research Service and gives a run down of governmental shutdown and information about all 21 shutdowns in U.S. history. Take a read and use the definitions I shared with you and your own perceptions of our President to make up your own mind. Think for yourself. Does our government really have our best interests at heart right now? Or are they too busy keeping us off balance in our fear to see what they are really up to? You decide.

And if you are reading this blog post during the current shutdown, pop over to this article about President George Washington's Farewell Address here: https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=false&doc=15

Take note of the internal pop-up: It reads: 

Due to the shutdown of the Federal Government, National Archives facilities are closed, websites and social media are not being updated or monitored, and activities are canceled, with some exceptions. Check Archives.gov for details.

How's that for efficiency? Non-essential personnel are let go without pay with no end in sight for as long as the President and Congress refuse to agree. Hmmm. Your disagreement causes people to go without money for food and shelter? If the shutdown goes too long, what will happen to those workers? Or for that matter, what will happen to the people who rely on the government for money due to disability or retirement? Those funds and people are non-essential to the status of national security so they are just out of luck? Think about what our President and our Congress are doing to our nation.

Like I said. You need to use what you know, learn what you don't know, and then think for yourself. Decide for yourself what you believe and what you think should, could, or would happen. Don't just repeat what you hear or read verbatim. We the People are better than that.

Second Weebly Blog Deleted

Once I deleted the Mom on a Narrow Path blog, a secondary site that I had completely forgotten about popped up. Turns out I had three Weebly websites, one being a poor attempt on my part for my husband's landscaping business.

In any event, the first site I started was Narrow Path Home Study, a website that the kids and I would use to try getting them used to attending school online. It really and truly failed. There was a blog on the front page and no one but the kids could access the education pages because they had the URL of a page that was not in the main page menu. I wasn't about to pay yearly for a website to have username access for 2 kids, which after a single year was reduced to 1 kid. 

But I still like the idea. I realize that there are lesson plans out there and educational websites all over the place, and as I have mentioned before, CrashCourse and places like Khan Academy. I might play with it some more, especially since I spent so much time building badges for my kids to collect, lessons, schedules, and report pages. Plus, the one lesson plan I put together actually helped my son. I'm still so proud of how he was able to relay the basic story of The Odyssey, even though he couldn't do it anymore if his life depended on it.

In any event, I copied all the Narrow Path Home Study blog posts over here the same way I did Mom on a Narrow Path this morning, and deleted the pages from the site. I want to salvage the lessons somehow.

~^..^~

Deleting Mom on a Narrow Path Weebly Blog

I had a blog at Weebly called "Mom on a Narrow Path". There is a lot to digest with that thought process and maybe someday I'll go through and explain it, but don't hold your breath. Earlier today I already explained my ability to follow through on things like that.

But so as to not lose my thoughts that I had 'back then', let alone when that when was (make sense?), I copied and pasted everything, adjusted dates, uploaded images and PowerPoints elsewhere... Essentially transported the whole thing over here. Thankfully, there were just as few posts over there as there were here before this morning, so it only took me 2-3 hours. I think I'm going to continue to hang out here at Blogger. It remains to be seen if I head out to the rest of the blogosphere and pull everything else here too, to centralize my thoughts. Some may be lost to the ether. I'm okay with that. Some will make no sense here, particularly my old LiveJournal Icons stuff. I'm okay with that too.

So anyway. In some of those posts, I tried to catch all the references to a "Clark", a short lived blogging nickname I had for my son. I'm still debating the use of a nickname or his actual name... Frankly, I'm just not sure how to approach his anonymity. So if there's a reference to "Clark", and references to anything at all relating to my son... I only have one. I have several stepdaughters, former and current, as well as a former stepson. But I'm not so sure how I want to handle all that. Other moms are so careful in their blogs about their children's privacy and I'm one of those people who WYSIWYG really applies (What You See Is What You Get, for those of you who are not familiar with web design lingo,)

Anyway, I'm saving the headline and About information here as well. On a side note, round about June of last year, I lowered my reading goal back to 100, and ended the year with only 55 books read. Not bad. I challenged my son to read 100 as well... He didn't keep up to date on checking them off. That's okay. He's learning how to navigate social media and apps. We'll get there.

TTFN


Weebly Headline

Matthew 7:13-14

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

Weebly About Page

The basics:

Name: Elizabeth mK
Location: northeast Indiana
Education:

• Central Lutheran School, New Haven, Indiana (Class of 1994)
• Concordia Lutheran High School, Fort Wayne, Indiana (Class of 1998)
• University of Phoenix Online, Graduated 2017
• Associates of Arts with Concentration in Accounting

Household: Husband, Stepdaughter, Son
Pets (Also pictured below):

• Tigger (2000-2017)
• American Longhair/Shorthair Orange Tabby Mix
• Mia (2001)
• Seal Point Himalayan Persian 
• Lizzy (2008-2018)
• Border Jack (Border Collie/Jack Russell)
• Bailey (2016)
• Shollie (Border Collie/Shepherd)

Tigger

Mia

Lizzy

Bailey

Additional information:

• I grew up on a dairy farm with a lot of cats that I tamed and named.
• Tigger and Mia are my 114th and 116th cats respectively. 
• I tamed and rode Holstein steers and bulls, because I really wanted a horse.
• I homeschool my son through Indiana Connections Academy since 2014.
• He started in 4th grade.
• He has ADHD, anxiety, and is possibly on the autistic spectrum, though extremely high functioning if so.
• I enjoy reading, cross stitch, yoga, DIY, and farming.
• I am trying to read 100 books in 2018. 
• (~^..^~ Edit: Upped to 200 books as of April 2018 ~^..^~)
• Cross stitch has been ever present in my life; still working on many projects.
• I wish I had space for a home fitness room so I could do yoga more often.
• I am constantly starting DIY projects, a small percentage actually get finished.
• If I could live solely off the land, I would.

I suck at this blogging thing... and New Year's Resolution # 1

So, I really am really, really bad at this. I started this blog in 2004 when I was pregnant with my youngest child, my son, who is now a whopping 14 years old. I had so many hopes and dreams for writing about my life, what I am passionate about, picking apart so many topics and maybe sharing a perspective of life that others might not have thought about.

And how many posts have I actually made? The breakdown is dismal.
2004: 4
2005: 0
2006: 1
2007: 1
2008: 4
2009: 0
2010: 0
2011: 0
2012: 0
2013: 9
2014: 2
2015: 0
2016: 0
2017: 0
2018: 0
2019: 1, this one.

Not a single year did I break into double digits. So really, why bother writing this one? Why bother continuing to attempt blogging? I mean really. What is the point?

Because this year I made two New Year's Resolutions. I haven't made resolutions for New Year's in well over a decade. I know my level of follow through. It's non-existent to be honest. But I resolved to blog more and game more. More on the gaming thing some other time.

The views I've had for my various blogs over the years have never been anything to sneeze at, so why continue? Is the method of blogging what is stopping me? Am I choosing lesser platforms for my blog? Should I just use Facebook? Move to a new platform? Consolidate my blogs? Start fresh? What do I do?

And it doesn't help that I have too many passions. I am a Jane of All Trades, Master of None, which basically means that I like too many things and I'm not good enough at or well versed enough in any one thing. There's no way people will flock to my site and find me interesting. My Pinterest boards haven't a core theme. They are quite literally all over the place in interests. Games and their platforms are all fair game, pun intended. My favorite crafts run the gambit from wood crafts, to painting, to drawing, to sewing, to needlepoint, to movies, books, television... You see the problem.

Facebook allows me to post and share anything I come across, but it's hard to sit and write a long post on Facebook. No one wants to read it. Then, if I post something extra long, my husband isn't exactly supportive, as he says "I see you wrote another novel," in a completely condescending tone. As much as I love him, he barely knows what a good novel is unless it's written by Stephen King, and books are a 'waste of space' because you 'only read them once'. I bought him a hardcover Doctor Sleep a few years ago and I don't think he's even cracked it open. So I fear writing more than 4 sentences on Facebook because if I do, I'm going to hear his disdain. But utilizing Facebook in some way, shape or form is how I'm going to share my words to people I care about. So there's juggling that.

The current attention span of the masses is so incredibly short. If they are not entertained within the first minute or so, you've lost them already and they click away. Reading on an electronic is 'oh so difficult', and most prefer their stimulus in video format. Hey, that is not happening from me. As much as I fantasize about vlogging rather than blogging... Yeah. I am not prepared to do that. Even though I have plans to use a room screen my uncle made with some curtains I bought as a backdrop... It's all someday and a someday a long way off.

And if you've made it all the way to this point in my post, you see how much I jumped around on the topic. The downside to having my level of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder for those who have been living under a rock the past 2 decades), is that my brain runs tangential. Anything can spark a topic and within that topic a word or phrase or background noise while I type can cause some other topic to enter the writing.

And if I just press "Post" or "Publish" without editing, I sound like a rambling fool. If I take time to edit, I get bogged down in the process, giving anything else the opportunity to pull me away from the edits. Before you know it, I have drafts that never get published.

Oy. What to do? So here's why the Resolution to Blog More: I need to share. Hold on. I'm pulling away for a minute to watch Jada Pinkett Smith on Live with Kelly and Ryan. Be Back Momentarily...

~^..^~

Okay. There's a commercial break... Do you see what I'm talking about? How can I even hope to be a successful blogger?

Perhaps the point is to just get things off my chest and out into the universe. If I put it out there, my intention is not to earn money this way. I'm far too busy working and recovering from work daily to invest time even learning how to make money blogging. But perhaps something I say and post will help someone later.

Okay. Jada's back on. BRB

~^..^~

All right, her segment is over so I'm back. And her appearance on the show is actually my point. She just finished saying that we're all in this together. We are all living this life and if we survived something or did something, we should share it. It might help someone else. And you know what? That's exactly why I have to keep trying to blog.

Christmas morning I was at the in-laws' Christmas. For the past 9 years, we go to my mother-in-law's house for Christmas with my husband's immediate family. I wasn't feeling well, having come down with a flu-like bug the night before at 11:30. Ish. So that I didn't even remotely risk anyone else getting anything from me, I sat in the corner of the couch and messed with my new phone. I saw an ad for Jada's Red Table Talk and proceeded to watch the first five episodes. Jada and Will Smith are like realer than real to me, you know? Their lives and experiences are not typical, but if you know anything about them, where they came from, how they chose to raise their children, how they interact with the public, you know that they seem just a little too good to be true.

And that's why I think Jada's show with her mother and her daughter is so very important. Our society today cannot seem to take anything real at face value, but anything shocking is believable even when it is not. Jada's first two topics, Motherhood and Surviving Loss, were so real for me. Then it went on to Body Confessions, getting real with Gabrielle Union, and how she raised Jaden and Willow and how it affected them. Despite all the controversy surround the youngest two Smith children, as 'out there' as you may think them to be, they are amazing kids if you truly listen to them.

So what's the point again? If you've made it this far, I think you get it. We all want a voice. We all want to be heard. None of us want to feel inconsequential. We want to matter. And so many get into trouble when they find something that makes them feel important, especially when it gets them on the wrong side of the law or in bad situations.

Sharing how I've lived my life, what is meaningful to me, sharing my opinions on entertainment for its own value, and while I'm at it, attempting to not delve into gossip, that's my point.

I promise to attempt a better rapport. And at first, I'm quite sure I won't have feedback or much of an audience. Doesn't mean I'm going to give up this time.

The blog may change looks. Maybe it will stay the same. Maybe it will get a new name. Maybe it will stay 'her royal pinkness'. I mean it is kinda out there. Just like me.

Uncut. Unedited. Uncensored. Okay. Barely edited. But I'm not going back through and reading and critiquing the heck out of it. That will distract me from the purpose and I'll drown in the drafts.

TTFN

Blogging, Vlogging, and the vlogbrothers

(Originally posted to Mom on a Narrow Path blog on Weebly, now deleted.)

We all know someone who blogs. We may even know someone who vlogs. Some stay in a level of low notoriety, and others become famous. Some even become famous because of activity other than their internet work. Some maintain a large following, though not in the mainstream.

John and Hank Green did not come to my attention through John's novel The Fault in our Stars. Nor was I aware of NerdFighters or VidCon. No, I found the brothers by looking up videos for summer homeschooling my children in the spring of 2014. To say I was pleasantly surprised by their vast knowledge is an understatement of the highest order. To find out that the hoopla surrounding the novel was a result of one of my favorite famous nerds writing it was indeed a moment of "Woah! Small World!"

To be completely fair, I like the overboard way in which the brothers talk, explaining their topics in a fashion that keep you interested. And interesting it is, if you're into that sort of thing. Which of course I am.

Where I came from, there were not many farm-girl geeks. I am not by any means saying that farm-girls are dumb. Far from it! But there are not many true nerdy, geeky, smart farm-girls in my neck of the woods when I was growing up.

Seriously. How many D&D dice-throwing, dungeon mastering, story-telling, World of Warcraft addicted, Magic the Gathering playing, computer techy, cow-milking, hay-throwing, trivia buff, Wonder Woman obsessed cowgirls do you know?!? Probably none. Well, except me now, of course.

What I want to share at this time is that as parents we are often blown away by the subjects that our children are learning in school. If my son struggles with a specific subject and I haven't a clue about the topic, I head over to Crash Course on YouTube and see if they've covered it, especially in the realm of history and "social studies". Trust me. Crash Course is exactly what it sounds like and every nugget of information in their videos is verifiable if necessary. Feel out of depth with your child's history homework? Get a Crash Course in the topic and go from there.