There are times with God taps us on the shoulder just to remind us of His presence. My wife had this happen just a little while ago. My wife was getting ready for her horseback riding lesson. Before I go much further, I have to explain that for my wife, horseback riding is not just some activity. Instead, it is almost recuperative for her. Some people work on cars, or shop, or fish, or exercise, or paint, or… whatever. For her, it is a moment to relax and recharge. One of the best things I ever did was to take her to a dude ranch for a summer vacation. It was then that she fell in love with the activity.
Unfortunately, she has been unable to horseback ride for almost a year when she started up lessons gain. The lessons were under the guise of providing them for my son. Actually, to be honest, they were for my son. Yet, it was only a little more expense for her to take the lessons as well. For just a bit more, we were able to provide to provide my son with the ability to explore the activity and my wife with a way to reconnect with this activity that she finds restorative. What does this have to do with God? Be patient; it's coming.
Before the first lesson, my wife was looking for her riding helmet. She found my son's right off, but she had not been able to find hers. Getting frustrated, she decided that if she couldn't find her helmet, she'd just not take the lessons (and just have them for my son). See, at this time, she was still struggling with taking the lessons herself. As much as she enjoys horseback riding, she couldn't bring herself to commit to the little more expense for herself. She had no problem with paying for my son, but she struggled with the extra $10 for herself.
The morning of the lessons, she found her helmet. She was relieved and overjoyed. She really did want to take the lessons, and they really help her stay sane. At the same time that she found her helmet, our two year-old daughter knocked all of the refrigerator magnets off of the frig, leaving only G-O-D (in that order).
Coincidence, eh? You could say so.
Just a couple of weeks ago, I had another similar coincidence. One couple from our small group was coming over to our house for our weekly study. Because the rest could not make it, we suspended our current study on Thessalonians. Yet, I really wanted to have some sort of study. I got on the Internet to see what I could find for a single-lesson study. After looking at several, I found one on Repentance that looked good. That Sunday, Pastor Dave repeated several of the same ideas in his sermon on Sin and how the concept has fallen out of favor in our modern society.
Coincidence, eh? Actually, I explained it away in a different way. I knew that Dave was going to start a series on the 7 deadly sins. Surely that was in the back of my subconscious as I was reviewing lessons. This particular lesson looked good because the idea was in the back of my head. That what I though until…
The next day, I was doing my daily devotional. It's part of a computer package that I have that provides a devotional by the date. I think the original text was written sometime in the 1950s. Still, it's pretty good. On July 3rd, the lesson was on (you guessed it): The Concentration of Personal Sin. Considering that the topic really is out of vogue, that really has to be something more than coincidence. This made me stop and think for a moment. I may need a sledgehammer sometimes in order to see what's right in front of me, but I'd like to think I'm not completely blind.
Yet, a rational person could say that I'm just a little more sensitive to the topic, so I see it a bit more. This is the idea that I'm aware of this topic in close proximity because I looking for it. That is, one finds what one looks for.
So, if one is looking for God, one finds God. Actually, I think there's something to that. Yet, I don't think that it's the case that we create God. Instead, God is present.
I used to say that I needed a burning bush. Why wouldn't God talk to me like that? Sure, there was a little chance of falling over dead or blind from being in His holy presence, but there's not much chance of ambiguity about the message.
I think if we look, there are still burning bushes. Well, not burning bushes per se, but God Moments. Moments with refrigerator magnets, or lessons, or perhaps a minor comment made in the middle of a conversation. I had such a God Moment tonight.
Pastor Dave asked me (pretty much out of the blue) if I had ever considered doing anything on the Internet. I asked him what he meant. He stated that he wondered if I ever did anything with recording my faith walk on the Web. The context was simply that I was considering teaching a class based on John Eldridge's Epic (so the comment really is out of the blue). He didn't know that I've been keeping this blog off and on (more off than on).
More importantly, he didn't know, couldn't possibly have known, that I was debating over making a firmer commitment to keeping an ongoing blog. I was actually debating with myself over keeping the blog and testing the waters with writing an article for a magazine like Christianity Today. (I even looked at the Christianity Today website about their submission policy.) Of course, if I'm being honest, I would probably decide that I should write an article. Then I would decide that the piece wasn't good enough and then put off any real action until I eventually forgot about it. I'm like that.
So, what have I decided with this God Moment? I think I should be writing regularly. I used to think of writing as my gift. Yet, as I started teaching, I found less and less time for my own writing. Second, I think I'll try to keep regular entries in this blog. I'm not so ambitious to think that I'll write daily, but I think weekly is possible. Third, I think I'll keep looking. I don't think finding God's presence is such a bad goal.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Monday, November 07, 2005
Epic: Krapp's Last Tape
In class we just discussed Beckett's Krapp's Last tape. If you are unfamiliar with the play, it is about a 69 year old man who has kept annual tapes about his life. Each year, he listens to a previous one and then records a new one. From the title, we can take it that Krapp was to die before the year was over (hence, this is his last tape).
Overall, there's not much to Krapp. He eats bananas, drinks (some say he's an alcoholic), and makes these recordings. We know that he had aspirations to be a writer, but his text didn't sell very well. In fact, we are told that it only sold 17 copies...11 of which went to libraries. Krapp's is a life filled with emptiness and regret.
The tape that he listens to is one from 30 years earlier. He focuses on a place where he describes a love scene on a boat. This passage he plays over and over again. On the ledger that he records labels for his tapes, he has written "Farewell to Love" by this particular tape. Bit by bit, Krapp had removed everyone from his life. Now, Krapp is in a Spartan room, alone at the end of his life.
Students expressed how depressing Krapp's life was and how depressing this play was. One student asked why he was named Krapp. After all, the name alone made it difficult to discuss such a serious work. Krapp, we are told, has a white face, a red nose, and large shoes. He looks very much like a clown...If only he was so depressing. What Krapp represents is ultimate alienation. He is alone. He has made and listens to his tapes...Analyzing his life, looking for meaning. Yet, he doesn't even like himself (he calls himself a "stupid bastard").
Students were having a hard time relating to Krapp, so I commented that we are like Krapp. The students, of course, rejected this notion. After all, they have their lives ahead of them and live without regrets (at least without regrets of the magnitude of Krapp's).
Yet, when you think of it, Krapp represents the ultimate alienation that has occurred between man and God after the Fall. At one time, we were in paradise (or on a lake) with God. Yet, we wanted something different, so we gave it up. Perhaps, we might say, as Krapp said, "Perhaps my best years are gone. When there was a chance of happiness. But I wouldn't want them back. Not with the fire in me now. No, I wouldn't want them back." Yet, when we really think about it, wouldn't we want them back. Krapp, by the end of his life, would like to have them back. He made a choice, but the price was high. Humanity also made a choice, and the price was high.
This is how I think Krapp's Last Tape fits into the epic. It represents the alienation that we have experienced since the Fall. God did not make us to be alone, but to be in fellowship (for more on this, check out http://www.epicreality.com/WTD11.html). Krapp gave up his present for a possible future, and recorded his life to live in the past. He sought meaning within his own recorded life. In this way, he is a "stupid bastard." Instead, meaning is to be found my finding our place in the greater story. Finding this place comes, not from disconnecting one's self but through fellowship and relationship with God.
Saturday, November 05, 2005
It's all a story
In my frantic life, I rush to and fro. This demand and that demand always. . .rarely looking much beyond today, seldom beyond tomorrow, never past next week. Into this flurry, Brian says, "I want to meet with you each week."
"Sure," says I. After all, there comes a point where one more thing to do is just one more thing to do. There comes a point where I gave up hope of getting unburied and just kept shoveling. The beauty of my job, however, is that there is a point where it all goes away. There is a point at the end of the semester where I can take a breath, relax, and retool for the next semester. All is not lost; there is light up ahead.
So I meet with Brian. I have now met with him twice. Each time, I rush into his office as a man who has places to go and people to see. I enter as a busy person with an attitude of "this had better be important." It is.
Brian invites me to sit, so I sit. Brian asks me about my week, so I tell him. Brian asks me to think about more than today, tomorrow, or next week, so I talk about more than today, tomorrow, or next week. For that hour, Brian starts to lift me out of the minutiae of everyday life, and gives me an hour to think about something more than just this instant, just this day.
So, yesterday, Brian is excited about this new DVD called, Epic. This morning, I go and view the DVD, which features John Eldredge. Eldredge discusses the importance of story. This is nothing new. In fact, Lyotard stated much the same in The Postmodern Condition. We understand the world around us through story. In fact, Lyotard goes so far to say that knowledge has to be expressed in narrative before we do understand it.
Eldredge then goes on to say that stories reflect one another. That is, there are common elements between stories. Again, nothing really new. Northrup Frye stated much the same thing when he was discussing archetypes. Joseph Campbell said much the same in his study of myth.
Where this gets interesting is when Eldredge states that the stories we tell reflect a bigger story, a story of which we are all apart. I'm reminded of a story by Leslie Marmon Silko, Ceremony. In Ceremony, Tayo is a half-breed, Native American who returns home after WWII. He feels disconnected and lost. At one point, he feels that he is disappearing and invisible. His illness continues until he discovers his role in a bigger tale. I think this is true of all of us. We are all in a bigger tale. In order to get over our illness, we need to look beyond the I and Me of today and to see ourselves as part of something larger. It is only when we see ourselves as something larger that life starts to having meaning and purpose.
"Sure," says I. After all, there comes a point where one more thing to do is just one more thing to do. There comes a point where I gave up hope of getting unburied and just kept shoveling. The beauty of my job, however, is that there is a point where it all goes away. There is a point at the end of the semester where I can take a breath, relax, and retool for the next semester. All is not lost; there is light up ahead.
So I meet with Brian. I have now met with him twice. Each time, I rush into his office as a man who has places to go and people to see. I enter as a busy person with an attitude of "this had better be important." It is.
Brian invites me to sit, so I sit. Brian asks me about my week, so I tell him. Brian asks me to think about more than today, tomorrow, or next week, so I talk about more than today, tomorrow, or next week. For that hour, Brian starts to lift me out of the minutiae of everyday life, and gives me an hour to think about something more than just this instant, just this day.
So, yesterday, Brian is excited about this new DVD called, Epic. This morning, I go and view the DVD, which features John Eldredge. Eldredge discusses the importance of story. This is nothing new. In fact, Lyotard stated much the same in The Postmodern Condition. We understand the world around us through story. In fact, Lyotard goes so far to say that knowledge has to be expressed in narrative before we do understand it.
Eldredge then goes on to say that stories reflect one another. That is, there are common elements between stories. Again, nothing really new. Northrup Frye stated much the same thing when he was discussing archetypes. Joseph Campbell said much the same in his study of myth.
Where this gets interesting is when Eldredge states that the stories we tell reflect a bigger story, a story of which we are all apart. I'm reminded of a story by Leslie Marmon Silko, Ceremony. In Ceremony, Tayo is a half-breed, Native American who returns home after WWII. He feels disconnected and lost. At one point, he feels that he is disappearing and invisible. His illness continues until he discovers his role in a bigger tale. I think this is true of all of us. We are all in a bigger tale. In order to get over our illness, we need to look beyond the I and Me of today and to see ourselves as part of something larger. It is only when we see ourselves as something larger that life starts to having meaning and purpose.
Thursday, April 29, 2004
How to Write 750 Words on Blogging
How to Write 750 Words on Blogging
I've been peeping in on my some of students' blogs recently and I found some concerns over the next assignment. They ask how to write 750 words about blogs. On the off-hand chance that any of them actually look at my blog, I thought I'd give some hints.
First, don't set out to write 750 words. If you focus on the word count, you are focusing on the wrong thing. Instead, start by figuring out what you are going to say.
On thing that you might try is re-reading the assignment sheet. There are a list of questions that are designed to get you strarted. You might try freewriting about each question to see what you have to say. Then, you can develop the one that is most promising.
Again, if you are worrying about the word count before you start to write, then you are putting the cart before the horse. The word count is a measurement to help you. Yet, not all 750 words are the same. If you have 750 words that don't say anything, then you will still not receive a good grade. First and foremost, you need to develop your thesis.
Last, if you haven't been doing the blog (or haven't done it very much), you really don't have many experiences from which to draw. If that is the case, I really don't have much advice for you. This is not something that you can do in a weekend. You really needed to be keeping the blog throughout the semester. Keeping up with your blog was a way to develop the material for this assignment. Without that material, I really don't know what you will write about.
Saturday, April 03, 2004
True Grit
Whew! I finished my presentation on True Grit last night, and I feel extremely relieved. It's strange, but just yesterday I felt buried. I felt as if I were juggling several things and just hoping that I can keep the balls in the air long enough not to completely drop any of them. Of course, many of us feel this way at this time in the semester...but that's not what I want to talk about. Yesterday, I wondered how I was going to get the hypertext reviewed, papers graded, and my lawn mowed. Today, however, the world looks brighter. Things that seemed impending and ominous, now seem quite do-able. I just never realized how much stress this presentation was creating.
I'm sure my current euphoria will be short-lived.
As for the presentation, I think it went very well. I enjoy getting dressed up in my best cowboy duds, and camping it up a bit. I also like the time that I spend researching for the presentation--I learn so much about a field I really know very little about.
Now, I have to start thinking about next year. The common theme for the college is going to be "transitions." It would be good if I could come up with a movie that fits in with the theme. Any ideas?
I'm sure my current euphoria will be short-lived.
As for the presentation, I think it went very well. I enjoy getting dressed up in my best cowboy duds, and camping it up a bit. I also like the time that I spend researching for the presentation--I learn so much about a field I really know very little about.
Now, I have to start thinking about next year. The common theme for the college is going to be "transitions." It would be good if I could come up with a movie that fits in with the theme. Any ideas?
Monday, March 29, 2004
Teaching Writing
I've been thinking a lot about pedagogy. This last weekend, I went to a retreat for English teachers and listened a bit to what they did in their classes. The most significant thing that they did differently is that they required more drafts. I require a peer review draft and then a copy for me to grade. After that, I give students the opportunity to revise as often as they wish (but I'll only regrade the essay once). My idea was that the first grade serves as a benchmark and then students have the opportunity to improve. Yet, for several versions, we need to remove the whole grade issue and just work on improving the essay.
Many teachers require multiple drafts that they view before the students turn in one to grade. The students are then graded on providing significant revisions when required. I just don't know if it does that much good for me to require students to revise if they don't want to. With my system, I provide the opportunity to students. The students who want to improve can take that opportunity. Yet, those who don't, don't waste my time. With the required revisions, I fear that I would spend too much of my time looking at work produced by students who don't care and who are just jumping through required hoops with as little effort possible. Perhaps I've just become jaded (already!??), but I want to work with those student who want to learn, but I don't feel that I need to take it personally when a student doesn't feel like learning.
Yet, perhaps I need to require more. Perhaps more structure would be good for them. It is awfully easy to get behind in my class by putting off the impending essays. I know that there were students last week who were just starting the research essay for English 102. I don't know what I can say to a student who is starting that late. I try to provide advice, but I'm thinking that there is very little chance that the student will be able to finish in time. Perhaps it's been too long since I've been a student. Perhaps I've forgotten how easy it is to pull off a weekend miracle. I just know that I couldn't start researching a 10 page essay the week before and hope to have it finished by the due date.
Actually, that's a lie. I could do it. But, I don't fear a 10 page essay. I've written 25 page essays, and, after them, 10 pages is nothing. So, perhaps I'm worried for nothing.
This brings me back to the idea of requiring more. Perhaps I should require a bit more. I could break up the annotated bibliography into a couple of parts and have them due at different times. This would get students researching sooner. Next, I could have students turn in a proposal that would serve as a reminder to get started earlier. Yet, I still think it's up to the student. He or she sometimes learn not to put things off by putting things off. It took me several all nighters before I started to learn--and I still occasionally do a late-nighter or, more likely, an early-morninger to accomplish a task within the deadline.
Well, this post has rambled a bit and really never got to where I wanted it to go. That's the reason why we shouldn't show people our rough drafts--sometimes, they really are just vomit on the screen.
Many teachers require multiple drafts that they view before the students turn in one to grade. The students are then graded on providing significant revisions when required. I just don't know if it does that much good for me to require students to revise if they don't want to. With my system, I provide the opportunity to students. The students who want to improve can take that opportunity. Yet, those who don't, don't waste my time. With the required revisions, I fear that I would spend too much of my time looking at work produced by students who don't care and who are just jumping through required hoops with as little effort possible. Perhaps I've just become jaded (already!??), but I want to work with those student who want to learn, but I don't feel that I need to take it personally when a student doesn't feel like learning.
Yet, perhaps I need to require more. Perhaps more structure would be good for them. It is awfully easy to get behind in my class by putting off the impending essays. I know that there were students last week who were just starting the research essay for English 102. I don't know what I can say to a student who is starting that late. I try to provide advice, but I'm thinking that there is very little chance that the student will be able to finish in time. Perhaps it's been too long since I've been a student. Perhaps I've forgotten how easy it is to pull off a weekend miracle. I just know that I couldn't start researching a 10 page essay the week before and hope to have it finished by the due date.
Actually, that's a lie. I could do it. But, I don't fear a 10 page essay. I've written 25 page essays, and, after them, 10 pages is nothing. So, perhaps I'm worried for nothing.
This brings me back to the idea of requiring more. Perhaps I should require a bit more. I could break up the annotated bibliography into a couple of parts and have them due at different times. This would get students researching sooner. Next, I could have students turn in a proposal that would serve as a reminder to get started earlier. Yet, I still think it's up to the student. He or she sometimes learn not to put things off by putting things off. It took me several all nighters before I started to learn--and I still occasionally do a late-nighter or, more likely, an early-morninger to accomplish a task within the deadline.
Well, this post has rambled a bit and really never got to where I wanted it to go. That's the reason why we shouldn't show people our rough drafts--sometimes, they really are just vomit on the screen.
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Thursday, March 18, 2004
Spring Break
Ugh. Spring Break is almost over, and I haven't gotten very much done. It's Thursday already, and I'm still looking at over 50 papers to grade and over 400 pages to read by Monday. It doesn't look good for our hero.
You might wonder what I've been doing with all my time. Well, I have accomplished a few small tasks. I've purchased a riding lawn-mower. Now that I have three acres, I don't think my old push mover will cut it. (Actually, I'm sure it would cut it, but I don't want to spend my whole weekends this summer walking behind a mower). I've finally attached the antenna, so I have some TV reception. I put a dimmer switch in the family room (which turned out to be a bigger job than it should have been). I got my library card updated and started reading up on John Wayne for my April Western movie presentation (we're showing True Grit, and I'm providing a pre-movie lecture).
Mostly, however, I've been watching my grandmother and my father's dogs. My dad hasn't been able to get out much over the past four years (longer, really). Actually, from the time he retired, he never really got to enjoy retirement. First, my mother was ill, and that kept him rather house-bound. Then, after she passed away, my grandmother got ill, and he's been taking care of her. As a result, he really doesn't get out much. The only vacation he's had came three years ago. That's when I kidnapped him and took him to the Grand Canyon (my wife stayed to watch Grandma). This time, he went on his own, and we agreed to watch Grandma here.
Well, Grandma really hasn't been a problem. She mostly sits on the couch and sleeps all day. We just have to adjust to her schedule. She gets up at 5 a.m. sharp, eats lunch at noon sharp, and goes to bed at 8:30. Not too much problem. The dogs, however, are another story.
One dog has a heart condition and gets pills twice a day. The other is a diabetic and we have to give him insulin twice a day. We also suspect (know) that the dog is blind. I've seen him walk straight into the couch. Yet, this isn't why they're a problem. The problem is that my house has become their personal toilet. I know they were at one time house broken, but that seems to have left them. They're small dogs, but every time we turn around there's another pile or puddle. Since we really don't have a good fence, I can't just kick them outside for the day. Instead, I spend much of my day following behind with a bottle of Nature's Miracle, cleaning up after them. Who knew that two small dogs could make such messes! Once, I was cleaning up one pile, and before I got it cleaned up, there was another!
At night, we put them in the laundry room (we don't really want to face surprises in the morning…before the first cup of coffee). Well, they spend most nights just howling (one is part beagle). It'll be nice next week when things get back to normal.
You might wonder what I've been doing with all my time. Well, I have accomplished a few small tasks. I've purchased a riding lawn-mower. Now that I have three acres, I don't think my old push mover will cut it. (Actually, I'm sure it would cut it, but I don't want to spend my whole weekends this summer walking behind a mower). I've finally attached the antenna, so I have some TV reception. I put a dimmer switch in the family room (which turned out to be a bigger job than it should have been). I got my library card updated and started reading up on John Wayne for my April Western movie presentation (we're showing True Grit, and I'm providing a pre-movie lecture).
Mostly, however, I've been watching my grandmother and my father's dogs. My dad hasn't been able to get out much over the past four years (longer, really). Actually, from the time he retired, he never really got to enjoy retirement. First, my mother was ill, and that kept him rather house-bound. Then, after she passed away, my grandmother got ill, and he's been taking care of her. As a result, he really doesn't get out much. The only vacation he's had came three years ago. That's when I kidnapped him and took him to the Grand Canyon (my wife stayed to watch Grandma). This time, he went on his own, and we agreed to watch Grandma here.
Well, Grandma really hasn't been a problem. She mostly sits on the couch and sleeps all day. We just have to adjust to her schedule. She gets up at 5 a.m. sharp, eats lunch at noon sharp, and goes to bed at 8:30. Not too much problem. The dogs, however, are another story.
One dog has a heart condition and gets pills twice a day. The other is a diabetic and we have to give him insulin twice a day. We also suspect (know) that the dog is blind. I've seen him walk straight into the couch. Yet, this isn't why they're a problem. The problem is that my house has become their personal toilet. I know they were at one time house broken, but that seems to have left them. They're small dogs, but every time we turn around there's another pile or puddle. Since we really don't have a good fence, I can't just kick them outside for the day. Instead, I spend much of my day following behind with a bottle of Nature's Miracle, cleaning up after them. Who knew that two small dogs could make such messes! Once, I was cleaning up one pile, and before I got it cleaned up, there was another!
At night, we put them in the laundry room (we don't really want to face surprises in the morning…before the first cup of coffee). Well, they spend most nights just howling (one is part beagle). It'll be nice next week when things get back to normal.
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
Personal Responsibility
I was listening to NPR yesterday, and a listener made an interesting comment about personal responsibility. First, let me set the context. The show was about obesity. About 15 minutes into the show, there was an e-mail message arguing against the premise of the show, which involved the idea that there might be something that will cause a person to stop "choosing" to be fat. This listener argued against the whole, "personal responsibility movement," which "promotes that fat people are fat through some failure of willpower. . ."
Uh, yes.
I guess if there is a "personal responsibility movement" then I clearly subscribe to it. Unfortunately, I see just the opposite happening today. We are quick to give into our genetic makeup and accept that "we are who we are." Genetic predestination seems to become a common excuse for everything from homosexuality to obsessed. It's almost like we are just a slave to our genes. We are being told over and over in our media to accept our genetic makeup and never fight to be any different.
I agree that we are all given different genes. We all have different gifts and different weaknesses with which to work. For some, it may mean that they are predisposed to obesity. Others may be predisposed to addiction. Others may be predisposed to violent tempers. Yet, it stops there. We then choose to be obese, addicted, or violent. This is the great thing about being a human being: we can be more than our genetic makeup.
Now, there is another approach to this "personal responsibility" discussion. (I'll stick with the obesity example simply because it is what started this discussion. I'm not trying to single out overweight people. In fact, most groups that use genetics as an excuse could used as an example). An obese person could state that society promotes unrealistic body types. As a result, this person could say that he or she is not going to try to fit those societal norms. I have no problem with a person going against society--in fact, I often applaud it. Yet, I'd have to also say that that person has made a conscious choice and must, therefore, be willing to also accept the consequences.
It just seems like there are a lot of mixed messages in the media these days. On the one hand, we still get the Romantic message to have dreams. On the other hand, we're told to accept who we are. We can "shoot for the stars" as long as they come easily. Perhaps I'm a throw-back, but I still think there is something to be said for the Protestant Work-ethic, which has kinda fallen out of favor. I believe in hard work to achieve what one desires. Yet, someone could say to me that working hard is not a guarantee in achieving the goal. I agree. There are no guarantees. Yet, it's not really about achieving the goal, is it? It's really about how one decides to live one's life. I think hard work towards a goal leads to a more fulfilled life (even if the goal is never achieved) than accepting less and living without direction.
Just think what the world would be like if everyone stopped looking for a scapegoat and started taking more personal responsibility. Overall, I think we'd have a better, and happier, society.
Uh, yes.
I guess if there is a "personal responsibility movement" then I clearly subscribe to it. Unfortunately, I see just the opposite happening today. We are quick to give into our genetic makeup and accept that "we are who we are." Genetic predestination seems to become a common excuse for everything from homosexuality to obsessed. It's almost like we are just a slave to our genes. We are being told over and over in our media to accept our genetic makeup and never fight to be any different.
I agree that we are all given different genes. We all have different gifts and different weaknesses with which to work. For some, it may mean that they are predisposed to obesity. Others may be predisposed to addiction. Others may be predisposed to violent tempers. Yet, it stops there. We then choose to be obese, addicted, or violent. This is the great thing about being a human being: we can be more than our genetic makeup.
Now, there is another approach to this "personal responsibility" discussion. (I'll stick with the obesity example simply because it is what started this discussion. I'm not trying to single out overweight people. In fact, most groups that use genetics as an excuse could used as an example). An obese person could state that society promotes unrealistic body types. As a result, this person could say that he or she is not going to try to fit those societal norms. I have no problem with a person going against society--in fact, I often applaud it. Yet, I'd have to also say that that person has made a conscious choice and must, therefore, be willing to also accept the consequences.
It just seems like there are a lot of mixed messages in the media these days. On the one hand, we still get the Romantic message to have dreams. On the other hand, we're told to accept who we are. We can "shoot for the stars" as long as they come easily. Perhaps I'm a throw-back, but I still think there is something to be said for the Protestant Work-ethic, which has kinda fallen out of favor. I believe in hard work to achieve what one desires. Yet, someone could say to me that working hard is not a guarantee in achieving the goal. I agree. There are no guarantees. Yet, it's not really about achieving the goal, is it? It's really about how one decides to live one's life. I think hard work towards a goal leads to a more fulfilled life (even if the goal is never achieved) than accepting less and living without direction.
Just think what the world would be like if everyone stopped looking for a scapegoat and started taking more personal responsibility. Overall, I think we'd have a better, and happier, society.
Tuesday, February 17, 2004
Grading
Grading, grading, grading.
And now it begins. We have finally hit that time of the semester where the first round of essay have come in. From this point forward, grading will be a constant part of my life. With the exception of a stray day here or there, I will always have a stack of papers that need to be grade. I'm not just trying to whine about my work here. Every job comes with some unpleasantness. For a composition teacher, that unpleasantness revolves around actually placing a grade on a paper. I really don't mind reviewing and commenting on essay, but actually categorizing the paper as an A, B, C, etc. wears me down.
Like many teachers, I would love to get away from the whole alphabet grading system. Yet, everytime I try something different (contract grading, true portfolio grading, etc.) it has backfired. It seems to me that the problem is that the students, while also disliking the alphabet grading system, have become programmed to value that system. We in education have skewed the purpose of the class from learning to GPA. Ultimately, students reduce all aspects of the value of the class down to the letter (or the number) that they receive at the end. It's really not their faults, however. My 4 year old goes to school excited to learn. He doesn't even know about GPA yet. So, where do we go wrong in the next 14 years?
I better stop here or else I'll start on a rant about certification versus education... And I have papers to grade.
And now it begins. We have finally hit that time of the semester where the first round of essay have come in. From this point forward, grading will be a constant part of my life. With the exception of a stray day here or there, I will always have a stack of papers that need to be grade. I'm not just trying to whine about my work here. Every job comes with some unpleasantness. For a composition teacher, that unpleasantness revolves around actually placing a grade on a paper. I really don't mind reviewing and commenting on essay, but actually categorizing the paper as an A, B, C, etc. wears me down.
Like many teachers, I would love to get away from the whole alphabet grading system. Yet, everytime I try something different (contract grading, true portfolio grading, etc.) it has backfired. It seems to me that the problem is that the students, while also disliking the alphabet grading system, have become programmed to value that system. We in education have skewed the purpose of the class from learning to GPA. Ultimately, students reduce all aspects of the value of the class down to the letter (or the number) that they receive at the end. It's really not their faults, however. My 4 year old goes to school excited to learn. He doesn't even know about GPA yet. So, where do we go wrong in the next 14 years?
I better stop here or else I'll start on a rant about certification versus education... And I have papers to grade.
Thursday, February 12, 2004
Bad day
Ugh! What a bad day. Ever have one of those days where you'd like to just start over. In the movie, City Slickers, Billy Crystal tells Daniel Stern that his life is a "do-over." This day should definitely be a "do-over." Actually, now that I think about that, scratch that idea. I'm almost done with the day, so let's just call it a "get-it-over-quickly-and-hope-tomorrow-is-better."
Monday, February 09, 2004
Putting things in perspective
Think you're having a bad day? Well, this article puts everything in perspective. No matter how bad my day is going, I can rest assured knowing that I haven't yet had a whale explode on me.
Friday, February 06, 2004
Starting over
I've decided that I should try, once again, to keep a blog. I had trouble with this on my own server, so I'm starting over on the blogspot server. I'm giving students in my Comp. II class the option of keeping a blog as a semester project, so I thought I should probably make more of an effort to keep one myself. Also, I wanted a convenient place to keep a list of their blogs.
So, if you come here seeking enlightenment, I have none to offer. If you come here seeking a kindred soul, you'll find me horribly unreliable. Yet, if you come here to view the ramblings of another person stumbling through the journey of life, then you've come to the right place.
So, if you come here seeking enlightenment, I have none to offer. If you come here seeking a kindred soul, you'll find me horribly unreliable. Yet, if you come here to view the ramblings of another person stumbling through the journey of life, then you've come to the right place.
Managing to Think
While this article is geared towards Christian living and study, I think what it says is very applicable to all of our lives. As I mentioned in the last post, we live very noisy lives. There are almost constant distractions to keep us from thinking and reflecting. I often wonder where we'd be now if the country spent a little more time critically thinking about what we're being told and reflecting on the long-term significance of impending actions. But more than that, I think that a reflective life leads to a more fulfilled life. It is so easy to squander a day or a week that years seem to slip by unnoticed.
Or, perhaps I'm just starting my midlife crisis a couple of years early.
While this article is geared towards Christian living and study, I think what it says is very applicable to all of our lives. As I mentioned in the last post, we live very noisy lives. There are almost constant distractions to keep us from thinking and reflecting. I often wonder where we'd be now if the country spent a little more time critically thinking about what we're being told and reflecting on the long-term significance of impending actions. But more than that, I think that a reflective life leads to a more fulfilled life. It is so easy to squander a day or a week that years seem to slip by unnoticed.
Or, perhaps I'm just starting my midlife crisis a couple of years early.
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