Page 24 August 2012 FAMILY PRACTICE SPECIALISTS, LTD. Established 1969 • Celebrating 43 years of care Award winning on site clinical laboratory X-ray facility and bone densitometry Dermal fillers Perlane and Restylane Botox and Obagi skin care now available Excellent care offered for all ages State-of-the-art Electronic Medical Records Same day appointments available 4350 East Camelback Road • Ste F100 • Phoenix 602-955-8700 • FpsAZ.com Family Practice Specialists Our family car ing for yours Mark A. Wyse, M.D. Ira H. Ungar, M.D. Allan Goldman, D.O. Karin O’Clair, D.O. David Francyk, D.O. Kate Montgomery, FNP T.E. McCauley, M.D. Charles Levison, M.D. John Stathakis, D.O., (Dermatologist) Heidi Ungar, D.O. F E A T U R E D B U I L D E R A R C A D I A H O M E Scott R. Jung, General Contractor LICENSED • BONDED • INSURED ROC# 163087 602-224-9899 • 3605 N. 44th St. www.SRJConstructionandDesign.com SRJbuildsit@cox.net SRJ: SRJ: CLEARING THE WAY! We build the best & remodel the rest. Free estimates for you! for you! By Greg A. Bruns If the KGB wanted to put out a hit on me, the place where I would be least likely to muster defense would have been my seventh-grade history class. Navajo Elementary School and Mrs. Calvary probably didn’t have a working relationship with the KGB back then, being the Cold War and all, but that just means they missed an opportunity. Mrs. Calvary loved dead presidents. In fact, she loved them so much she had big pictures of them all around the perimeter of her classroom. She knew them all by name and the years they served their of fi ce, plus she knew “something signi fi cant” about each one of them. I guess that’s why she got the job, since the school expected us to know all of this, too. The anxiety of walking into her class to take a dead president test was something I could taste. It may as well have been a waterboarding chamber. Actually, if it was a waterboarding chamber I would have been excited to go in because at least there would be a chance I would be able to answer one of the questions. In case you didn’t fi gure it out yet, I used to hate history. It seemed like such a drab subject with no known bene fi ts. Who cares what happened a hundred years ago? (I imagine this was – and still is – a favorite lamentation of those who despise history class.) I failed to see the connection to present time. To me, the biggest waste of time – aside from sleeping – was partaking in any activity of any kind that had anything at all to do with history. As you get older, things change, of course. Different things make you happy or catch your interest. One day your brain decides it’s not going to release little squirts of dopamine just for watching C.O.P.S., or for playing Grand Theft Auto IV, so you’re eventually forced to discover something new. What I didn’t know then was that I was making my own history. Living it, actually. Later on, as Phoenix grew and developed the desert around us, places and things that I once knew actually became history. When I fi rst told someone that I used to ride my dirt bike as a kid out at Bell Road and Hayden, that was me actually <gasp> giving a little history lesson. Lute’s pharmacy’s candy section, Farrell’s ice cream birthday parties, Video Round-Up on Friday nights: these places and the experiences are all history. So that’s how it fi nally became Continued on page 26 Arcadia’s own “Images of America” will be published in 2013.

Page 25 August 2012 independence and feelings of abandon- ment. Adults can help children acquire the more positive of the two. Listen to your instincts. One mother touring schools saw the sign, “Quick Goodbyes Lead to Drier Eyes.” She felt an immediate con fl ict in her gut. This didn’t jibe with her personal parenting style. She found a school where she could stay with her child as long as she wished. Listening to her inner voice pushed her to fi nd a philosophical fi t for what she personally valued. Learning styles matter. There are many schools to choose from in our fortunate Arcadia community. Finances, proximity and joining friends all matter but philosophy is still King. Children will feel a sense of belonging if their parents do, too. Doing your philosophical homework and fi nding a comfortable fi t will ultimately lessen your child’s anxiety greatly. Mom and Dad like this place so I can feel safe and happy here. Seek an authentic learning community. Nothing soothes separation anxiety faster than the warm feelings of belonging in a community. Find a school where everybody knows your name, wants your child to succeed and interacts joyfully. Observe whether staff knows your child’s individual learning preferences or instead expects every child to conform. Look for a healthy mix of individual, whole- and small-group activities. Do teachers model their own curiosities? Will your child have a voice in the community? In their investigations? In their own intellect? Go where your child is valued as a unique individual and they will happily thrive within that community. Accept approximations. When children take steps - even baby steps - toward independence, celebrate. There are many steps to come before college and beyond and parents are setting a beautiful precedence. It is possible to both stay lovingly connected to family and become joyfully independent. One small step at a time. Nola Enge is director of The Hills School and Atelier at Arcadia’s Shepherd of the Hills. She can be reached at 602-952-2616. School Continued from page 22 Beginning August 6, Saguaro Library, 2808 N. 46th St., will be open until 9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday as part of the Phoenix Public Library’s expanded hours of service. Burton Barr Central Library downtown will open at 9 a.m. those days. For more information, call 602-262-4636. Top Shops in the Nation. Top Shops in the Nation. Conveniently Located in the Arcadia Neighborhood. All Makes, All Models Foreign and Domestic Free Pickup and Drop Off Shuttle Service ASE Master Technicians State-of-the-Art Diagnostic Equipment One of the Top Ten Shops in the Nation Honor Extended Warranties Family Owned and Operated Community Service Supporters of Many Non-Pro ŵ ts $ $ 44 44 95 95 5602 E. Thomas Rd. Call for an appointment today Get ‘em back to sch ol safely! Tony’s Auto Tony’s Auto service center service center 8/31/12 8/31/12 Arcadia’s Number One Real Estate Source Year After Year 602.989.8300