November is nearly upon us, and that means it's time for Parent-Teacher conferences! Since I teach 97 students, I have a busy couple of days coming up later in the week. Mercifully, not all parents have requested to speak with me, but since I'm a core subject teacher, I'm high on the list of most parents. Typically, the conferences are a source of great encouragement to me, and I appreciate the chance to communicate with parents. That said, I'm legitimately worried that I'm going to lose my voice before the day is out on Thursday. I lost my voice last year, and I had significantly less conferences. There's just something about having to adjust from using my classroom voice to a one-on-one voice that is so taxing... please pray for me; for my energy and most of all, my vocal health.
Next week is Far East (the culminating seasonal athletic competition/tournament for international and base schools in East Asia). This will remove 8 kids from my Humanities class, and 4 from my English class. It will also remove me from class on Tuesday, as I accompany the Cross Country team to their competition. Considering that the last day of class for this current week is Wednesday, what this means is that my students who play volleyball and tennis will be out of class from 11/3 until 11/14 (their first day back after the tournament). Even with the helpful idea of homework packets, this is a long time for students to be out of the school rhythm, and every year, there has been a student or two who have hit the academic skids at this point. I will most certainly be praying for these students, and invite you to pray for them, too (and also to pray for wisdom for me to know how to make the transition back to school less rocky for them).
After Far East is all wrapped up, November will be half over--a full school-week, then Thanksgiving week (which is practically a full school-week this year), and the next week, December starts. What I wouldn't give for a pause button sometimes...
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Post 100
I started this blog back in April, after realizing that my previous blogspot site was inaccessible as an editor (I'd long since deleted the high school email account that I used to start the site).
Since then, I have created 100 posts. Okay, so not all were original--some were Bible passages, some were song lyrics, some were re-postings of old writings that I had done. Most, however, were new writings.
I've loved words since I was a child, and in particular, have always loved writing. I didn't realize this love until my Junior year of college, when I first discovered that I could actually write outside of class, not for an essay, not for a research paper, but simply for the sheer joy of writing. However, I held myself back by waiting for inspiration to hit, waiting for a topic to write about to come to mind. As a result, my writings gradually became less regular, and I had a few dry spells (spanning months, even a year at one point).
This past August, when I returned to Japan from several months in Washington, I resolved to write regularly once again. This has turned out to be an almost daily routine, and has been one of my best decisions. I have realized that I do not need to have some perfect topic in mind before I sit down to write--sometimes I simply need to sit down and write to think through my day, to work out a problem I'm dealing with, to express what's on my mind or on my heart.
Writing daily forces me to hold onto the thoughts that pass through my head as I bike to and from school (which is the quiet time in my day when I tend to do the best thinking). It pushes me to acknowledge my struggles and my limitations, to count through my many blessings, to strive to know God better and to seek Him first in all that I do. Well-intentioned thoughts can enter my head and then vanish without a trace the instant something else distracts me. Writing sees those thoughts committed to print. That doesn't instantly make me a better person--they are still just thoughts on a page. It does, however, serve as a reminder: "Oh wow... I did say I'd try to do this or I'd work on improving that, or I'd strive toward this goal, and man, I haven't been doing a good job at all." No, writing itself doesn't make me a better person, but it does hold me accountable in a way that simply thinking does not.
To fall short of the standards that I think but never say makes me an invisible hypocrite... sometimes so invisible that even I do not recognize my hypocrisy. To fall short of the standards that I write down for the world (and myself) to see makes me a visible hypocrite. Well, I've got news for you: Since I started writing, I'm increasingly becoming a visible hypocrite (never mind--you already knew that). That said, knowing this truth myself is a motivation to do better, to be better, to pursue what I know to be ideal, what I know to be true, what I know to be good (and most of all to pursue the Source of those things!).
Writing helps me to sort out what I truly value: what I consider important, who I want to be, where I want to go in life (and the reverse of all of those values as well). Writing tells the world that I am committed to those goals, and involves my readers as witnesses to my commitment. Now, readers--don't worry, that's not a legal title, nor does it involve any real work on your part. For me, simply knowing that people have read what I've written challenges me to follow through (and to be more prompt in admitting when I do not follow through).
Most of all, writing is how I seek to bring glory to my God and King. I'll admit, I get a little cocky about my writing ability at times. Then, I'll read something truly beautiful or profound that someone else has written, and it humbles me to the core... this happens a lot. There are so many people out there who put words together in a far more graceful and thoughtful way than I could. God has given me the ability to write not so that I can glorify myself, but so that I can glorify Him. It's when I am writing as an act of worship that my words take flight... if any other purpose is driving my writing, it looks a bit greasy (shiny, but you'd feel gross if you'd chewed on those words yourself). Sometimes (like tonight), I just need to take a step back and reflect on my motives and the thought process that goes into my writing.
Ack. Writing about writing about writing. I've gotten so meta that even I'm getting lost. So, I'll leave it at that. I'll close with these words from Psalm 19:14... this is my earnest prayer for my use of words:
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Since then, I have created 100 posts. Okay, so not all were original--some were Bible passages, some were song lyrics, some were re-postings of old writings that I had done. Most, however, were new writings.
I've loved words since I was a child, and in particular, have always loved writing. I didn't realize this love until my Junior year of college, when I first discovered that I could actually write outside of class, not for an essay, not for a research paper, but simply for the sheer joy of writing. However, I held myself back by waiting for inspiration to hit, waiting for a topic to write about to come to mind. As a result, my writings gradually became less regular, and I had a few dry spells (spanning months, even a year at one point).
This past August, when I returned to Japan from several months in Washington, I resolved to write regularly once again. This has turned out to be an almost daily routine, and has been one of my best decisions. I have realized that I do not need to have some perfect topic in mind before I sit down to write--sometimes I simply need to sit down and write to think through my day, to work out a problem I'm dealing with, to express what's on my mind or on my heart.
Writing daily forces me to hold onto the thoughts that pass through my head as I bike to and from school (which is the quiet time in my day when I tend to do the best thinking). It pushes me to acknowledge my struggles and my limitations, to count through my many blessings, to strive to know God better and to seek Him first in all that I do. Well-intentioned thoughts can enter my head and then vanish without a trace the instant something else distracts me. Writing sees those thoughts committed to print. That doesn't instantly make me a better person--they are still just thoughts on a page. It does, however, serve as a reminder: "Oh wow... I did say I'd try to do this or I'd work on improving that, or I'd strive toward this goal, and man, I haven't been doing a good job at all." No, writing itself doesn't make me a better person, but it does hold me accountable in a way that simply thinking does not.
To fall short of the standards that I think but never say makes me an invisible hypocrite... sometimes so invisible that even I do not recognize my hypocrisy. To fall short of the standards that I write down for the world (and myself) to see makes me a visible hypocrite. Well, I've got news for you: Since I started writing, I'm increasingly becoming a visible hypocrite (never mind--you already knew that). That said, knowing this truth myself is a motivation to do better, to be better, to pursue what I know to be ideal, what I know to be true, what I know to be good (and most of all to pursue the Source of those things!).
Writing helps me to sort out what I truly value: what I consider important, who I want to be, where I want to go in life (and the reverse of all of those values as well). Writing tells the world that I am committed to those goals, and involves my readers as witnesses to my commitment. Now, readers--don't worry, that's not a legal title, nor does it involve any real work on your part. For me, simply knowing that people have read what I've written challenges me to follow through (and to be more prompt in admitting when I do not follow through).
Most of all, writing is how I seek to bring glory to my God and King. I'll admit, I get a little cocky about my writing ability at times. Then, I'll read something truly beautiful or profound that someone else has written, and it humbles me to the core... this happens a lot. There are so many people out there who put words together in a far more graceful and thoughtful way than I could. God has given me the ability to write not so that I can glorify myself, but so that I can glorify Him. It's when I am writing as an act of worship that my words take flight... if any other purpose is driving my writing, it looks a bit greasy (shiny, but you'd feel gross if you'd chewed on those words yourself). Sometimes (like tonight), I just need to take a step back and reflect on my motives and the thought process that goes into my writing.
Ack. Writing about writing about writing. I've gotten so meta that even I'm getting lost. So, I'll leave it at that. I'll close with these words from Psalm 19:14... this is my earnest prayer for my use of words:
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Arms Open Wide
by Hillsong. Had this song in my head when I biked to breakfast this morning--a great reminder of what is important to pray for.
Take my life I lay it down
At the cross where I am found
All I have I give to You oh God
Take my hands and make them clean
Keep my heart in purity
That I may walk in all You have for me
Oh here I stand
Arms open wide
Oh I am Yours
And You are mine
Take my moments and my days
Let each breath that I take
Be ever only for You oh God
Oh here I stand
Arms open wide
Oh I am Yours
And You are mine
My whole life is Yours
I give it all
Surrendered to Your Name
And forever I will pray
Have Your way
Have Your way
Oh here I stand
Arms open wide
Oh I am Yours
And You are mine
Take my life I lay it down
At the cross where I am found
All I have I give to You oh God
Take my hands and make them clean
Keep my heart in purity
That I may walk in all You have for me
Oh here I stand
Arms open wide
Oh I am Yours
And You are mine
Take my moments and my days
Let each breath that I take
Be ever only for You oh God
Oh here I stand
Arms open wide
Oh I am Yours
And You are mine
My whole life is Yours
I give it all
Surrendered to Your Name
And forever I will pray
Have Your way
Have Your way
Oh here I stand
Arms open wide
Oh I am Yours
And You are mine
Thursday, October 27, 2011
A Long Friday
I think I'm going to try and keep a running journal of what will doubtless be a long day, spanning today, tonight, and most of tomorrow. I'll be updating this post throughout the day with new entries, so stay tuned!
Entry 1: Friday, Oct. 28, 9:05 am
My first period prep time. I'm sitting at a different picnic table than usual so that I can be in the sun. Wise choice--it's actually quite warm where I'm sitting, and very comfortable as the cool breeze moderates the heat from the sun-beam. I'm taking it easy this morning because I know I've got a long day ahead of me, and I am planning on getting a decent amount of grading done at the lock-in tonight.
The freshmen are practicing their Greek Day skits for their English class in the plaza--quite entertaining. Again, this is a class of actors and actresses. I am looking forward to Greek Day!
Entry 2: Friday, Oct. 28, 1:11 pm
High School lunch. I'm out at the picnic tables again, but not at the same one (I'm one to the left--following the sun). Morning was good: open-forum discussion in Humanities 2nd and 3rd period, using questions about The Crucible as a jumping-off point for a larger discussion on freedom. I told the kids to think of applications to their own lives and to CAJ, which is a bit scary because it means that the discussion might veer off from where I hope/expect it to go. But then, there's true value in simply having a class discussion, too, wherever it goes. I can abandon my expectations and goals if there's learning taking place, even if it's not what I had planned.
On this occasion, the discussion mostly revolved around the idea of Biblical perspective and the validity of Bible class (kind of tagging onto the question of 'should a society try to enforce holiness and morality through rules and laws?' and then applying that to what they perceive as CAJ's expectations and rules). It's interesting because this was the direction the 6th period class went with our very first discussion, though the focusing question of "enforcing holiness" gave this particular discussion some traction that the 6th period class didn't have when talking generally about Bible class (as it related to their class identity).
Turns out, there are lots of kids who do not understand the purpose of learning a Biblical perspective in their classes. One girl brought up a very articulate defense of Biblical perspective, saying that "CAJ wants us to practice making connections between God and His world, and to understand that ultimately everything belongs to God." Bravo. I agree that this is the school's, and certainly my own intention.
However, most classmates didn't share this perspective. One girl said in response, "Having done Biblical perspective since middle school, I've simply learned what the teacher wants to hear and so I can write a Biblical perspective paragraph that earns me an A, but I don't actually believe myself."
Less bravo. Points for honesty, though. This girl also said that while she was Christian, she didn't see or understand the connections that she'd learned to make mechanically since middle school. She simply thought requiring a Biblical perspective created parrots who echo the buzzwords that they hear in class. I went to a Christian high school. I went to a Christian college. I learned that I could get high marks if I quoted Abraham Kuyper in my college essays. I know EXACTLY what she means.
Man, and I tried SO hard to work against this buzzword mentality two years ago when I was these kids' Bible teacher... perhaps the process is inevitable. Still, the kids raise good questions and good concerns. How can we make Biblical perspective a genuine and organic thing?
I mean, all of creation belongs to God (and these days, I'm not just parroting Kuyperian jargon--this is actually what I believe) and that, to me, is an obvious truth. You'd think it would not be all that challenging to draw natural, organic connections between God and different aspects of His creation.
Hmm... something to mull over. I'm not a Bible teacher anymore, but it is instructive in how much thought and care I need to put into connecting my Humanities and English course content to the Bible.
Entry 3: Friday, Oct. 28, 3:01 pm
Just got home, and I'm about to head to bed for a few hours. At 7, I will head over to a friend's house for a game night with a bunch of people. I'm looking forward to that. It's seemed like this year, time to hang out with friends has been much too scarce. I value these moments.
Entry 4: Fri, Oct. 28, 6:25 pm
Awake--got just over two hours of sleep and am feeling pretty well rested. This feels doable.
Entry 5: Fri, Oct. 28, 9:11 pm
Here I am, back at the same picnic table at which I started the school day 12 hours ago. Kind of a poetic bookend. The lock-in will start late, as the StuCo gym night is running late, so I will eat my dinner and wait... The game night with friends was fun (though I left before the first game was done).
A random thing I'm thankful for: the hay and alfalfa fields in the middle of the city here. I can't always see them, but if the wind is right, I can smell them. It smells like the farm, the sweet scent of fresh cut grass--and it makes me feel all nostalgic and content. Life is good. God is good.
Entry 6: Fri, Oct. 28, 11:35 pm
We just officially "locked in" for the night--29 Seniors are in the atrium, waiting for the first movie of the night to start: The Lion King! I'm excited. It's been at least 10 years since I last watched this movie. Looking forward to a great night. I miss teaching this class and so it will be good to hang out and catch up with them tonight and tomorrow.
Entry 7: Sat, Oct. 29, 2:32 am
The Lion King was better than I remembered it--so well-made!
Right now, there are 3 groups: Kids who are sleeping, kids who are watching a movie, and kids who are playing Truth or Dare. I am supervising the Truth or Dare game to, in my words, "keep it holy."
Yaaaaawwwnn... I'm getting a little tired.
Entry 8: Sat, Oct. 29, 4:22 am
Most kids are asleep. The remaining few are watching the movie "Tangled." Funny how the older we get, the harder it becomes to stay up late--the Seniors are realizing this. Earlier in the week, they'd predicted that most people would be up all night, and in actuality, about half have been asleep for a few hours. Ah, getting older...
Entry 9: Sat, Oct. 29, 6:03 am
I must have slept for about 40 minutes because one minute Rapunzel was escaping from the tower with Eugene ("Flynn") and the next, the credits were rolling. The sun is up and it is daylight outside. In about an hour, I'll wake everyone up and send some home, and drag a few (or they'll drag me) over to the gym to set up for concessions at 7:30.
Entry 10: Sat, Oct. 29, 9:05 am
For a sense of continuity and symmetry, I decided to write this entry from the same picnic table that I ate dinner at last night, 12 hours ago, and at which I wrote the first entry exactly 24 hours ago. The volleyball games will start in a minute, and the concessions have been running for about an hour. I had a Honey Milk Latte from Tully's--hopefully that will keep me going for a while. The kids running concessions are all troopers--their classmates who are working the late morning/afternoon shifts were able to go home and sleep, but this crew went straight from the lock-in to their concession duties. One of them, the StuCo president, was responsible for setting up/running gym night last night before the lock-in and has been at school for 24 hours now. I'm proud of these kids and their hard work, despite how tired they must be. Let's hope there aren't too many errors in counting out change today...
Well, I am heading back into supervise/watch volleyball... Only... 7 more hours to go? I think?
Entry 11: Sat, Oct. 29, 12:15 pm
I'm now in the stage where I am falling asleep standing up. The kids who started the day with concessions have ended their shifts and I could not be more proud of their endurance. Cool to see these kids grow up and handle their duties and responsibilities faithfully and without complaining, even when they are tired. Being a Senior means taking on hard work, and that trait was so evident this morning.
The games were good this morning--both the C and B teams won their first matches of the day and were quite sharp out on the court.
I'm barely coherent, less than articulate, and have been called back to reality several times by people who have caught me just staring off into space, but I'm surviving. It was a good morning.
Entry 12: Sat., Oct. 29, 4:00 pm
I'm home. Heading to bed. Thanks for your prayers--it was a great (and long) day.
Entry 1: Friday, Oct. 28, 9:05 am
My first period prep time. I'm sitting at a different picnic table than usual so that I can be in the sun. Wise choice--it's actually quite warm where I'm sitting, and very comfortable as the cool breeze moderates the heat from the sun-beam. I'm taking it easy this morning because I know I've got a long day ahead of me, and I am planning on getting a decent amount of grading done at the lock-in tonight.
The freshmen are practicing their Greek Day skits for their English class in the plaza--quite entertaining. Again, this is a class of actors and actresses. I am looking forward to Greek Day!
Entry 2: Friday, Oct. 28, 1:11 pm
High School lunch. I'm out at the picnic tables again, but not at the same one (I'm one to the left--following the sun). Morning was good: open-forum discussion in Humanities 2nd and 3rd period, using questions about The Crucible as a jumping-off point for a larger discussion on freedom. I told the kids to think of applications to their own lives and to CAJ, which is a bit scary because it means that the discussion might veer off from where I hope/expect it to go. But then, there's true value in simply having a class discussion, too, wherever it goes. I can abandon my expectations and goals if there's learning taking place, even if it's not what I had planned.
On this occasion, the discussion mostly revolved around the idea of Biblical perspective and the validity of Bible class (kind of tagging onto the question of 'should a society try to enforce holiness and morality through rules and laws?' and then applying that to what they perceive as CAJ's expectations and rules). It's interesting because this was the direction the 6th period class went with our very first discussion, though the focusing question of "enforcing holiness" gave this particular discussion some traction that the 6th period class didn't have when talking generally about Bible class (as it related to their class identity).
Turns out, there are lots of kids who do not understand the purpose of learning a Biblical perspective in their classes. One girl brought up a very articulate defense of Biblical perspective, saying that "CAJ wants us to practice making connections between God and His world, and to understand that ultimately everything belongs to God." Bravo. I agree that this is the school's, and certainly my own intention.
However, most classmates didn't share this perspective. One girl said in response, "Having done Biblical perspective since middle school, I've simply learned what the teacher wants to hear and so I can write a Biblical perspective paragraph that earns me an A, but I don't actually believe myself."
Less bravo. Points for honesty, though. This girl also said that while she was Christian, she didn't see or understand the connections that she'd learned to make mechanically since middle school. She simply thought requiring a Biblical perspective created parrots who echo the buzzwords that they hear in class. I went to a Christian high school. I went to a Christian college. I learned that I could get high marks if I quoted Abraham Kuyper in my college essays. I know EXACTLY what she means.
Man, and I tried SO hard to work against this buzzword mentality two years ago when I was these kids' Bible teacher... perhaps the process is inevitable. Still, the kids raise good questions and good concerns. How can we make Biblical perspective a genuine and organic thing?
I mean, all of creation belongs to God (and these days, I'm not just parroting Kuyperian jargon--this is actually what I believe) and that, to me, is an obvious truth. You'd think it would not be all that challenging to draw natural, organic connections between God and different aspects of His creation.
Hmm... something to mull over. I'm not a Bible teacher anymore, but it is instructive in how much thought and care I need to put into connecting my Humanities and English course content to the Bible.
Entry 3: Friday, Oct. 28, 3:01 pm
Just got home, and I'm about to head to bed for a few hours. At 7, I will head over to a friend's house for a game night with a bunch of people. I'm looking forward to that. It's seemed like this year, time to hang out with friends has been much too scarce. I value these moments.
Entry 4: Fri, Oct. 28, 6:25 pm
Awake--got just over two hours of sleep and am feeling pretty well rested. This feels doable.
Entry 5: Fri, Oct. 28, 9:11 pm
Here I am, back at the same picnic table at which I started the school day 12 hours ago. Kind of a poetic bookend. The lock-in will start late, as the StuCo gym night is running late, so I will eat my dinner and wait... The game night with friends was fun (though I left before the first game was done).
A random thing I'm thankful for: the hay and alfalfa fields in the middle of the city here. I can't always see them, but if the wind is right, I can smell them. It smells like the farm, the sweet scent of fresh cut grass--and it makes me feel all nostalgic and content. Life is good. God is good.
Entry 6: Fri, Oct. 28, 11:35 pm
We just officially "locked in" for the night--29 Seniors are in the atrium, waiting for the first movie of the night to start: The Lion King! I'm excited. It's been at least 10 years since I last watched this movie. Looking forward to a great night. I miss teaching this class and so it will be good to hang out and catch up with them tonight and tomorrow.
Entry 7: Sat, Oct. 29, 2:32 am
The Lion King was better than I remembered it--so well-made!
Right now, there are 3 groups: Kids who are sleeping, kids who are watching a movie, and kids who are playing Truth or Dare. I am supervising the Truth or Dare game to, in my words, "keep it holy."
Yaaaaawwwnn... I'm getting a little tired.
Entry 8: Sat, Oct. 29, 4:22 am
Most kids are asleep. The remaining few are watching the movie "Tangled." Funny how the older we get, the harder it becomes to stay up late--the Seniors are realizing this. Earlier in the week, they'd predicted that most people would be up all night, and in actuality, about half have been asleep for a few hours. Ah, getting older...
Entry 9: Sat, Oct. 29, 6:03 am
I must have slept for about 40 minutes because one minute Rapunzel was escaping from the tower with Eugene ("Flynn") and the next, the credits were rolling. The sun is up and it is daylight outside. In about an hour, I'll wake everyone up and send some home, and drag a few (or they'll drag me) over to the gym to set up for concessions at 7:30.
Entry 10: Sat, Oct. 29, 9:05 am
For a sense of continuity and symmetry, I decided to write this entry from the same picnic table that I ate dinner at last night, 12 hours ago, and at which I wrote the first entry exactly 24 hours ago. The volleyball games will start in a minute, and the concessions have been running for about an hour. I had a Honey Milk Latte from Tully's--hopefully that will keep me going for a while. The kids running concessions are all troopers--their classmates who are working the late morning/afternoon shifts were able to go home and sleep, but this crew went straight from the lock-in to their concession duties. One of them, the StuCo president, was responsible for setting up/running gym night last night before the lock-in and has been at school for 24 hours now. I'm proud of these kids and their hard work, despite how tired they must be. Let's hope there aren't too many errors in counting out change today...
Well, I am heading back into supervise/watch volleyball... Only... 7 more hours to go? I think?
Entry 11: Sat, Oct. 29, 12:15 pm
I'm now in the stage where I am falling asleep standing up. The kids who started the day with concessions have ended their shifts and I could not be more proud of their endurance. Cool to see these kids grow up and handle their duties and responsibilities faithfully and without complaining, even when they are tired. Being a Senior means taking on hard work, and that trait was so evident this morning.
The games were good this morning--both the C and B teams won their first matches of the day and were quite sharp out on the court.
I'm barely coherent, less than articulate, and have been called back to reality several times by people who have caught me just staring off into space, but I'm surviving. It was a good morning.
Entry 12: Sat., Oct. 29, 4:00 pm
I'm home. Heading to bed. Thanks for your prayers--it was a great (and long) day.
Cool Moments
Each class has a different personality, and some topics, books and activities resonate better with one class than another.
In this case, the topic is Puritan Society, the book (play) is The Crucible and the activity is reading/acting through it together in class. Last year, my 2nd/3rd period Humanities class got really into the play but it simply never clicked with my 6th period English class. This year, it was somewhat the opposite: while some in the Humanities class really got into it, most were less than enthusiastic. My English class, on the other hand really threw themselves into it (and continue to do so: we're not quite done).
It warmed my heart to hear several students leave class today saying, "I LOVE this book!" It's certainly not an uplifting plot--it's the acting the kids enjoy. Today, I put myself into the scene as Danforth (the deputy governor who refuses to cancel the witch trials despite John Proctor's protestations). The role involved lots of energy and lots of yelling, and I gave it 100%. I did this to try and model good reading/acting for the kids (I say "try" because I'm definitely not a great actor, but I am energetic). In 6th period, the kids matched my energy at every turn. Considering the fact that this is the second to last period of the day and the class that immediately follows lunch, this is a minor miracle: last year I had kids fall asleep standing up while they were supposed to be acting.
I don't know if this will go as well next year, or the year after, but I am grateful for how well it's working now. It's moments like this that make me look forward to teaching each day!
In this case, the topic is Puritan Society, the book (play) is The Crucible and the activity is reading/acting through it together in class. Last year, my 2nd/3rd period Humanities class got really into the play but it simply never clicked with my 6th period English class. This year, it was somewhat the opposite: while some in the Humanities class really got into it, most were less than enthusiastic. My English class, on the other hand really threw themselves into it (and continue to do so: we're not quite done).
It warmed my heart to hear several students leave class today saying, "I LOVE this book!" It's certainly not an uplifting plot--it's the acting the kids enjoy. Today, I put myself into the scene as Danforth (the deputy governor who refuses to cancel the witch trials despite John Proctor's protestations). The role involved lots of energy and lots of yelling, and I gave it 100%. I did this to try and model good reading/acting for the kids (I say "try" because I'm definitely not a great actor, but I am energetic). In 6th period, the kids matched my energy at every turn. Considering the fact that this is the second to last period of the day and the class that immediately follows lunch, this is a minor miracle: last year I had kids fall asleep standing up while they were supposed to be acting.
I don't know if this will go as well next year, or the year after, but I am grateful for how well it's working now. It's moments like this that make me look forward to teaching each day!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
It's a little cool out today
It's funny and scary how fast the seasons change. From my unofficial morning "office" at the picnic table in the plaza, I've had a front row seat to these changes: From the first few weeks of the school year where it was so hot and so humid that I'd work up a sweat just by typing while listening to the cacophonous chorus of semi in the trees, to today, 54˚F, clear blue skies, and just brisk enough for me to need a jacket, and the morning is perfectly still save for the sound of me typing.
It happened just like that (I snapped my fingers for effect. You couldn't see, but I did). In no time whatsoever, it will be winter. Perhaps too cold to sit outside, and then I'll have to find somewhere else to spend 1st period. Then, Spring will come, and with it, the beautiful Sakura blossoms. Then, the blossoms will fall, giving way to green, the paper lanterns will go up, bridging the trees for a few glorious weeks, then they'll be taken down, and the school-year will end.
The seasons' changes are a reminder of life moving on, a reminder that we are never at a perfect standstill. Life moving on means a lot of things: Saying goodbye to graduating Seniors (a group I can really identify with--my first year here was their freshmen year), saying goodbye to friends and colleagues who are moving on, saying goodbye to the patterns and routines that have become familiar to me. It also means saying hello: meeting new students and new colleagues, making new friends, establishing new routines. It's bittersweet.
Fortunately, I've been granted by my Creator the ability to do more than simply write about all of this, to be more than a passive observer. I cannot stop or slow the changing of the seasons, but I can respond by carrying into each day a sense of purpose and joy, striving to pursue God in everything I do. If, indeed, I dedicate every moment to God, whether that moment sees leaves of yellow and brown falling to the ground or petals of pink and white, each passing year will reveal progress. Imagine how bleak it would be if the seasons kept cycling and we kept getting older but we never grew as people! Things change for a reason: to keep us growing. Growth isn't always easy and certainly not always painless, but it's worth embracing, and not worth fighting.
Time is short--don't assume you can just wait for life to happen to you because if all you do is wait, life will pass you by.
As the seasons change, dive in and live, and live for God.
...hmm, it's a long way down to the water...
It happened just like that (I snapped my fingers for effect. You couldn't see, but I did). In no time whatsoever, it will be winter. Perhaps too cold to sit outside, and then I'll have to find somewhere else to spend 1st period. Then, Spring will come, and with it, the beautiful Sakura blossoms. Then, the blossoms will fall, giving way to green, the paper lanterns will go up, bridging the trees for a few glorious weeks, then they'll be taken down, and the school-year will end.
The seasons' changes are a reminder of life moving on, a reminder that we are never at a perfect standstill. Life moving on means a lot of things: Saying goodbye to graduating Seniors (a group I can really identify with--my first year here was their freshmen year), saying goodbye to friends and colleagues who are moving on, saying goodbye to the patterns and routines that have become familiar to me. It also means saying hello: meeting new students and new colleagues, making new friends, establishing new routines. It's bittersweet.
Fortunately, I've been granted by my Creator the ability to do more than simply write about all of this, to be more than a passive observer. I cannot stop or slow the changing of the seasons, but I can respond by carrying into each day a sense of purpose and joy, striving to pursue God in everything I do. If, indeed, I dedicate every moment to God, whether that moment sees leaves of yellow and brown falling to the ground or petals of pink and white, each passing year will reveal progress. Imagine how bleak it would be if the seasons kept cycling and we kept getting older but we never grew as people! Things change for a reason: to keep us growing. Growth isn't always easy and certainly not always painless, but it's worth embracing, and not worth fighting.
Time is short--don't assume you can just wait for life to happen to you because if all you do is wait, life will pass you by.
As the seasons change, dive in and live, and live for God.
...hmm, it's a long way down to the water...
Decisions
On the first day of class,
I told my students that life is all about
decisions.
We may not
wind up
in the history books,
but what do
the history books know
anyway?
Our choices have consequences
which thereby open up a new set of choices,
and once the new choice is made, a new
set of consequences emerges
and so on,
and so on.
I used an example from college,
where I chose not to ask out
a girl who I liked,
a close friend of mine,
shortly after she broke
up with her boyfriend,
who was kind of
a jerk.
I think I made
the sensitive choice.
I'm a nice guy,
proud of it
(but not too proud, of course),
and yet it hurt to see
her get back together with
her boyfriend
a month later.
It's easy to ask
"what if"
or
"what might have been?"
"What if I had chosen
a different college?"
"What if I had made better
choices of friends during
my freshmen year
in the dorms?"
"What if I had kept
journalism
as my major?"
"What if I'd listened to my friends
and asked her out?"
Choices beget consequences,
beget choices, beget consequences...
I wouldn't be who I am
today and aside from
the occasional bout with
discontentment,
I'm happy with
who I am.
Now,
I am faced with so many choices
in my life
today
and the "what ifs"
are not borne of regret as I look back
but of curiosity as I look ahead.
How we deal with
the consequences of
our choices
makes us who we are,
and affects how
we'll make future choices.
As I stand at each new crossroad,
I cannot help
but wonder
which choice
will yield the consequences
that will form
me into the man
I want
to be?
LORD,
Grant me
wisdom
and
boldness.
I told my students that life is all about
decisions.
We may not
wind up
in the history books,
but what do
the history books know
anyway?
Our choices have consequences
which thereby open up a new set of choices,
and once the new choice is made, a new
set of consequences emerges
and so on,
and so on.
I used an example from college,
where I chose not to ask out
a girl who I liked,
a close friend of mine,
shortly after she broke
up with her boyfriend,
who was kind of
a jerk.
I think I made
the sensitive choice.
I'm a nice guy,
proud of it
(but not too proud, of course),
and yet it hurt to see
her get back together with
her boyfriend
a month later.
It's easy to ask
"what if"
or
"what might have been?"
"What if I had chosen
a different college?"
"What if I had made better
choices of friends during
my freshmen year
in the dorms?"
"What if I had kept
journalism
as my major?"
"What if I'd listened to my friends
and asked her out?"
Choices beget consequences,
beget choices, beget consequences...
I wouldn't be who I am
today and aside from
the occasional bout with
discontentment,
I'm happy with
who I am.
Now,
I am faced with so many choices
in my life
today
and the "what ifs"
are not borne of regret as I look back
but of curiosity as I look ahead.
How we deal with
the consequences of
our choices
makes us who we are,
and affects how
we'll make future choices.
As I stand at each new crossroad,
I cannot help
but wonder
which choice
will yield the consequences
that will form
me into the man
I want
to be?
LORD,
Grant me
wisdom
and
boldness.
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