6 minute read
ED News
by Russell Hamilton, TWUA Executive Director
Father, Thank You. We bow our heads and humbly say thank you as we acknowledge that you are the creator. We take comfort in knowing that You remain in charge and control of life as we understand it. We need You, and we welcome You in all we do. We come into Your presence, seeking Your grace, Your calm, Your guidance, and forgiveness. Father, we pray for Your mercy and ask that You guide, direct, protect, and bless TWUA and its members. Please send your abundant rainfall. Amen
In West Texas, Lake Spence is sitting at 22.1 % (- 1.0 %). White River is sitting at 16.7 % (+1.8 %). Panhandle - Lake Meredith is sitting at 32.6 % (- 0.7 %) and Greenbelt is at 15.1 % (- 0.2 %). If you want a complete look at current lake levels, go to waterdatafortexas.org. The drought has never left for some.
Please Mark your calendar for the remaining 2022
Regional opportunities – San Angelo will be July 25 – 28th . Ft. Stockton will be August 22nd – 25th . Longview will be October 10th – 13th . Lubbock will be November 1st – 3rd. The links to all the fliers will be activated as soon as possible so that you can register for any region now, making use of budgets more efficiently. If you are able to travel and are in need of training, please join us at one of these events.
Effective July 1, 2022, the Class A Wastewater exam is now available Computer-Based Testing (online). And since both A state exams are available via computer-based testing, effective August 1, 2022, TCEQ will no longer administer A exams at TWUA Regional Training events. Additionally, effective September 1, 2022, paper-based exams will no longer be offered or administered at the various TCEQ Regional Offices. Call the TCEQ staff in licensing for more information or the official statement related to the Exams, Licensing, and Computer-Based Testing. 512-239-6133 A successful Regional School events depend on in-person participants. In other words, if you want to see the TWUA Regional Events in your region of the state continue, we must do a better job of supporting the various events. Or has it become more cost-effective to rely on computer-based training and provide a workstation for staff members to train online in the workplace?
If computer-based training is slowly replacing in-person events in your workplace, please remember internet bandwidth. Adequate bandwidth is the difference between a pleasant classroom experience and a frustrated participant. Buffering is evil.
Have you used the training schedule QR barcode for all TWUA training announcements? If you go to the training page and use your smartphone or from your computer, if you click on the QR codes, it will take you to a PDF listing of events. This PDF can be updated as needed and will not impact the QR code. We are attempting to take advantage of technologies and provide a way for the training classes to stay updated. You will see three different QR codes. One for Online events, One for Regional schools, and one that is all TWUA events. Also, there have been inquiries related to in-person classroom training. If this in-person training interests you, don’t hesitate to contact Norma Clark (n.clark@twua.org).
Dates For Annual School 2022. The 104th Annual School in Corpus Christi dates is September 26th – 29th, 2022. This will be Monday thru Thursday. The events have been pushed forward a day. The Opening Session and Awards will be Monday. The school will begin Tuesday and conclude with the vendors moving out at noon Thursday. We will update the information on the website soon, and the form will be live, so you could go ahead and preregister if you are looking for a legitimate budget expense.
The Story Goes Something Like This –
The Great Wasp Fighter
On a hot summer afternoon, a young boy discovered a rather large wasp nest hanging from a peach tree limb. Curious
about the nest, the young boy slowly made his way toward the nest with a stick in one hand and a plastic trash bag in the other.
The boy’s grandfather was sitting on the porch drinking a big glass of iced tea, peeling an apple with his pocket knife, and watching what was about to unfold.
The grandfather called to the boy and said, “you best leave that wasp nest alone; those squatters get really ornery, and they will fight to protect their home.”
Startled, the little boy quickly dropped the stick, rolled up the trash bag, and ran away.
The little boy could not leave well enough alone. He snuck in the back door and into his room, where he retrieved his trusty slingshot and two badminton racquets. He reasoned that he could knock the nest down from a distance with a rock and fend off any of the enemies with the racquets. Once outside, the little boy began searching for the perfect rocks. When he had about ten flat rocks, he began devising his battle strategy.
The little boy knew he needed to shoot away from the house because breaking a window was a sure path to a busting.
Lining up his ammo on the ground in front of him and carefully laying his racquets where he could get to them quickly, the little boy was ready for battle.
Grandpa said, “I don’t suppose I could offer a little advice?”
The little boy shouted, “Grandpa, I don’t have time for one of your stories or a strategy change. I have called out the enemy, and as you can see, I’m about to be in the middle of a ferocious battle in which I will be severely outnumbered.”
Just about then, the little boy let the first rock fly. Luckily, the first rock missed low. The second rock was launched and grazed a small corner of the nest, but it was enough to provoke ten to twelve wasps. From all appearances, these wasps had a serious mad on.
In all the commotion, grandpa shouted back, “now would be a good time for a hasty retreat to the nearby horse trough?”
The little boy ran as fast as he could, still swinging the racquets at the pursuing wasps and managing to jump into the water trough. That is, most of his body made it underwater. The little boy’s rear was the only thing sticking out of the water. The summer attire was worn very loosely, and skin was showing.
The first wasp hit the mark, and the little boy had no choice but to surface, at which time another mad wasp popped him right on the end of his nose. The little boy let out a squeal and took in a deep breath so he could once again retreat underwater. This time when he surfaced, the wasps were looking for other targets.
About this time, Grandma came out and asked what all the commotion was about. Grandpa said, “your grandson just picked a fight with the wasp family that squatted over in that peach tree.” “And you did not think to stop him?” “Everybody around here thinks I am senile and pays little attention to me. And I’m betting no one has to tell him not to mess with a wasp nest again.” “Experience is the best teacher, I always say.” The moral is that the enemy cannot be trusted. Always consider your grandpa’s advice when it comes to battles. And there’s no substitute for experience in decision-making.
Author Unknown
