Music Mondays

Ivoryline - Vessels

Maybe this time, no next time

We'll get our lives right, we'll get it right.

Or will we just do what feels good

Though we know it could cause our souls to drown?

In all the distractions of our lives...

What does it mean to be

Salt and light in the world that's tasteless?

Salt and light in a world of darkness?

Insecurities are breeding inside of me.

They wanna choke our song.

But they won't last against the sword's edge.

The blade, the blade cuts right through wrong.

I wanna know, I need to know

I wanna know, what does it really mean to be...

Half-Year Reflections

Back in the beginning of August 2011, I thought I'd be teaching at BCC again; by the end of the month, I landed a job at Vestal High School.  Although it was challenging with all the preparations, the first few weeks went well.  Now, we're 20 weeks down and half way through the school year.  Here are some of my thoughts and reflections.

1.  After my student-teaching and substitute-teaching experience, I was less than ambitious to teach upperclassmen at the high school.  If I had a choice, I was hoping for eighth or ninth graders.  However, God blessed me with not one, but two great classes of juniors and seniors.  Even though it's a very challenging class for them, most come to class prepared, astute and ready to learn.  They are continually honest, resilient, impressive, and, most of all, forgiving of my rookie mistakes.  Of course, there are a few students who aren't as motivated as they should be, but the good far outweighs the bad.  I haven't had to write up any of my juniors or seniors for behavior issues, and I doubt that will change going into the second half. 

2.  Furthermore, in further praise of my upperclassmen, they all have unique personalities.  Being not too far removed from college myself, I've discussed a myriad of topics with a variety of different students:  sports, music, anime, politics, theology... you get the idea.  When I have taken the time to interact, listen and understand these students, almost immediately to a see a change in their participation during class as well.  So, I have been making a deliberate effort to try to get to know each of my students on a personal level.  This, I've discovered, is critical and its value should not be overestimated.  When you fail to view a class a group of individuals, the class, in turn, seems boring, lifeless, and uninteresting.

3.  When I was assigned the Elements of Algebra A class, I was told that these students were very low performing.  Since I taught a similar class at BCC, I was prepared to handle the academic challenges of the class.  Although one thing that I wasn't ready for was the behaviors and culture the students would bring.  Unlike the BCC classes, those students wanted to be there.  A handful of students I have in my Elements class definitely do not want to be there, and have probably never been successful in math to boot.  Throw in the fact that some are coming from apathetic or broken homes, its a perfect storm of frustrations.  Some days I can navigate the storm; other days, I'm sunk.  Despite the many days I retreat back to my office, it has given me a lot of particulars to focus and improve upon.

4.  Teaching is an art.  Knowing something is great, but being able to communicate that to someone else so that they know they know it is something entirely different.  What makes it an art is that effective instruction rarely looks the same way twice.  People have a whole range of different learning styles, such as visual, auditory, or tactile.  In addition, not all students are coming in with the same masteries.  Some are weak in algebra, critical thinking, or processing.  To teach well in a classroom is to be able to bridge all those gaps for 20-30 students in 40 minutes shouldn't be called anything less than an art.

Honoring MLK

This weekend was thoroughly refreshing.  Not only did I get a lot of the work done, but I feel that I got an adequate amount of time to relax and refresh as well.  Considering that next day off from school is over a month away, I'm satisfied with how everything played out this long weekend.

The reason I got this day off was because it's Martin Luther King Day; so I decided to reflect a bit on some rumors I've heard recently.  Rumor #1 is that MLK ripped off a lot of other people's written and oratory work.  Although it may come as a shock, this happens so often today that no one even realizes or cares.  For example, most speeches made by presidents and other important figures are written for the person.  They don't even write it themselves, but end up getting all the credit.  Since MLK was a well-educated man, he had an opportunity to be well informed and probably researched a lot of what others had done before him.  If this is the case, he was just reiterating ideas that had been lost to a new audience.  So regardless where he got the material, his goal of informing and unifying a group of oppressed people was met and that was the goal of his speeches.  Rumor #2 has something about him only preferring white prostitutes.  When I asked said person for further clarification and a source, he couldn't produce one, so I don't know if this is true.  Considering MLK's history though, I would be more surprised if this wasn't made up.  His assassination is proof enough that he had a lot of enemies, and in some respects he still does today.  That being said, MLK isn't perfect either; I'm sure he had his own character flaws and sins hanging above his head.  No one's works, advances or accomplishments are been labelled invalid because of a less-than-perfect life, so why would this apply now?   Alternative, if it is true (either the race aspect or having prostitutes in general), it would certainly drop him a few pegs in my list of respected heroes.  But again, it can't undo what he has done for this nation.

At the end of his life MLK will go down as one of the unifying leaders of the 20th century, who died tragically before his time.  He was a pioneer in civil rights, and was one of the best orators of recent history.  No matter how much dirt people want throw on him, he still will be credited for educating and unifying a country on what it means to demand for your rights in a non-violent matter.  He changed the direction of a nation and ultimately lost his life doing so.

This video is an excerpt of his speech the night before he was assassinated:

And this is collection of different excerpts using a re-make using auto-tune, which sounds cooler than how I just described it:

Recommitted to Blogging

I haven't wrote in a bit, so here's what's going on:

1.  I feel as though Advent went by so quickly this year.  In a blink of an eye, it went from November to January.  Apart from the more joyful of days, it was a period I'd rather forget.  It was way too stressful and Andrea was sick through 75% of it.  Next year, I'm praying for something more thoughtful, subdued and relaxing.

2.  As New Year approached, I decided to make some reasonable goals for myself this year.  When it comes to this sort of thing, I tend to make three, each based on a spiritual, mental, or physical aspect.  To make them a bit more official and to be held accountable for it, I'll list them publicly.

1. Read through my Bible, cover to cover, in 1 to 2 years, starting January 1, 2011.  I know this will make our Pastor happy who has been preaching this for the last few Sundays.  Although this is something I did back in 2003-2004, I read hastily without absorbing what I was reading.  This time, I want to make it more meaningful so I can actually remember the main points of what I'm reading.  So please pray that God leads me through this with strength and grace.  I'm currently at Genesis 5.
   
2. Although it may seem out of place, I want to blog more.  The main reason for blogging to to help me reflect on what is on my mind, and sharing with others who don't live nearby.  If I'm not taking time to be still and listen to what God is saying to me, I know that I run the risk of following false idols and wasting time that could be used for serving and building-up others.  Look for about 3-4 blogs a week.
    
3. Lastly, I'm aiming to be more physically active, especially during the summer.  Ideally, I'd like to gain about 5 to 10 pounds of muscle, but I'm not sure how to measure that.  However, I know that means I need to eat healthier, ride my bike often, and find someplace to some weight training during the colder months.  If anyone has any suggestions or wants to work out with me on any regular basis, get a hold of me.

3.  I rediscovered a website that will help me assess student understanding.  Behold, Khan Academy is probably the single most expansive and engaging math education website that I ever experienced.  Not only is it a non-for-profit endeavor, but sometime in the last year or two, they added a feature where you could add someone as a "coach," and that allows that person to oversee your progress.  I've encourage students to add me and watch math videos and do exercises for extra credit.  Although small for the time being, it does seem to grow on a regular basis.  I have about 5-10 committed students.

4.  The Pittsburgh Penguin hockey team has been doing miserable lately.  After being consider a top and elite club, we have fallen out of the playoff picture and lost six straight, until winning against Florida last night.  The chief reason for the losses has been due to the fact that a third of the team is not playing due to some injury.  I'm looking forward to having a full and healthy roster again this Spring in time for the playoffs... if we make it.

5.  Got a nice collection of music for Christmas and expecting another CD or two for my upcoming birthday.  Don't be surprised if you see some music posts soon. 

6.  Andrea and I celebrated our 3-year anniversary this week.  I'm continually amazed and blessed to have Andrea as a wife and pray that I can be a blessing to her in equal amounts as she has been a blessing to me.