Thoughts

Here is another story I told my class, with the goal of connecting it to a language concept. The story is interesting, anyway. Because we’re all unique, we each have different strengths and abilities. Some of us are better at sports than academics; while others are good at talking to other people, but have trouble playing sports. One man was made famous by his unique ability to walk across tight ropes. This man, named Blondin, came up with the original idea of walking on a tight rope across Niagara Falls. The walk was 1100 feet long and 160 feet above the water. He first accomplished this in 1859, but returned a number of times later with different variations. At one point, he walked blindfolded, at another time he put himself in a sack and walked across, rolling a wheelbarrow, carrying someone on his back, on stilts; and one time, he even sat down in the middle of the walk to make and eat an omelet. At one point in 1861, this man walked across a rope at a building in London called the...

I used to introduce lessons in my classroom with stories, which I would then try to connect to the skill we were focusing on. Sometimes I would do a decent job, and the story would relate to what we were studying. Other days-- and this is funny-- the relationship between my story and the lesson we were learning would be so distant that it was sometimes hard to tell why I told the story in the first place. I look back on that now and laugh, but some of the things I learned were interesting. Here is just one example of a story I told my students (here, it was to introduce distinguishing fact from opinion). There are so many stories that seem unbelievable, and yet many people will swear that they are true. This might best be demonstrated by conspiracy theories. One of the most well-known in our country comes from an area in southern Nevada known as Area 51. On this tract of land sits a military airfield where aircraft and weapons are tested; it’s supposed to be one of the most secretive p...

What would you do if you had a baby who would not stop crying, even though you were sure the baby was not hungry, sick, or needing a diaper change? How would you respond? How you respond to this may depend on your culture. In Navajo Indian tribes, for example, the normal response was to take the child away from social contact. It would be taken outside the single-room home they lived in and placed in a safe, quiet place until the baby stopped crying. When it did, it would be taken back inside to join its family. It was found that babies raised like this were often very quiet (not necessarily the cause), since they apparently learned that making noise meant being taken from social contact. Contrast this with many U.S. families who might often comfort the child by holding it. This may teach the child that crying results in social contact. This isn’t to say one way is better than the other, but both are examples of what is called “socialization,” or the process we go through to learn and ...

I used to believe that my religion caused me to be unrealistically disciplined and separated from the world. In my mind, in fact, "religion" was a word with strong negative connotations, something wholly separate from the word "faith." To me, religion was mechanical in nature, that hollow practice of denying yourself certain things-- not because of a changed heart, brought about by a personal and loving God-- but out of duty. The god of religion, to me, ordered you to be something without telling you why; while the God of faith freed you, changed you for the better, and welled up in you a desire to be more like him. The god of religion was like any other god: impersonal, demanding, and untouchable. Because of the way I felt my life was going (specifically in my late teens and early twenties), I tended to be ashamed of my faith, because it wasn't genuine. Indeed it wasn't. My belief system was neither informed nor tempered by the stabilizing presence of fri...

This is an experiment in perspective, as told through the viewpoint of a monkey. With that solace which sometimes adorns the face of simian creatures like myself, some would argue that I feel younger than I am. "Watch as he swings along the boughs," screams one young lad. "He's free!" Then they understand that to obfuscate me in such a fashion is both ill-advised and reckless, for I turn against them with such unabashed rage that other monkeys clear a fifteen-foot radius for me to let loose upon the world. "No doubt you think I have a problem with my temper, but I am not the angry creature you think I am," I merit, an assertion made more for myself than for others. The lesson to be learned here comes often with experience. It is simply this: admit who you are, and think no thing higher or lower of yourself, for a man or woman with so clear a self-picture can bring to the world a wisdom which not only governs how and when to use our talents, but inspire...

My leadership class and I organized our third rally today. To be honest, these rallies just keep getting better. The first was horrible, the second was better, and the third was successful! Ironically, the less I worry about the events we put on, the more my students take on the responsibility and shine in the way this class is meant to make them shine. It's humbling to find that leadership is just as much about trust as it is about clear direction for those who follow you. I've only recently found this out, and it didn't come because I chose it. I simply got too tired to continue trying to micromanage the class. It would be unfair to judge me flatly, because it is my first year taking on the responsibilities this class requires. All the same, I am humbled by what letting go has meant to all of us: I see them taking risks and growing, and working through frustration with grace; and I see myself having a much more enjoyable time, and-- most important-- trusting them more. Ul...

You may not be able to read the text very well, but this is what I was thinking about today. It consists of several verses in the Bible referring to God as a shield. I feel he shielded me today, so I thought it would be fitting.

If you were asked which country has produced the most refugees (those forced to move from their own country to another), your first thought might be one in Africa. It's not a bad guess. Three of the top ten countries whose people have moved to another country are from Africa (Somalia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sudan). Still, as of 2009 one country has overwhelmingly produced the most refugees, with over one million more refugees than the next highest: Afghanistan. Here is a list of the top ten countries of origin (the complete list can be found at http://www.unhcr.org/4c11f0be9.html). 1. Afghanistan: 2.887 million 2. Iraq: 1.785 million 3. Somalia: 678,400 4. Democratic Rep. of the Congo: 455,852 5. Myanmar: 406,669 6. Columbia: 389,752 7. Sudan: 368,195 8. Vietnam: 339,289 9. Serbia: 195,626 10. Turkey: 146,387 Afghanistan, unfortunately, is landlocked, war-torn, and dependent on foreign help. Its economy has improved recently due to the return of its agri...