Should teachers have to pretend? Do students really prefer a teacher who says it as they see it? When did education go from being a reasonable way to ensure our youth had the tools needed in today's world, and become a prison? I wish I had these answers.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Judge not gays, lest Ye be judged.
I have a nephew who is gay. Some Christian friends would say he is sinning. But those same people, who say the bible is to be obeyed, have never stoned their children for being disobedient. And yet, they say you cannot pick and choose from the bible. Right. If God has an issue with gays He will deal with them. Me, I will love them same as I love all others.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Friends and their lives
Have you ever wondered why you you would bother keeping a friend who doesn't return calls, never comes to your place but expects you to come to his, ...
To compound issues, he wants to go in business with you. Now, if alarm bells are ringing, they are for me too. What to do?
There is so much in the bible about who a friend is. Mostly it talks about who you should be as a friend. I will continue to accept my friend as he is, since surely there are those who accept me. But enter into business? Somehow I cannot clearly see that vision.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
The Pit of Darkness and the Light of Christ
I had been sharing my world view with a student yesterday, and we were talking about struggles that he and classmates were facing. My advice to him was to be careful how far into the darkness he went with a light to guide him back out.
This got me thinking about life in general. How often do we allow the darkness to overcome us? When all is well, when the sun is shining on our little existence and everything just seems to fall in place, it is pretty easy to see the road ahead. Our future is clear, our path smooth. Then a cloud rolls in, and life gets a little less clear; soon thunderclouds are on the horizon and we are leaning into the wind of strife with all our remaining strength. Now, the road is no longer clear, the future is a mystery, the darkness soon becomes complete. Now we can no longer see.
It is at this point that we recognize the need for a light to guide us, to show the path under our feet. For many of us, we follow the light of Christ, who stated -"I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12. Others look for light from other sources. Wherever our light comes from, we must recognize that a light only shows us the path immediately in front of us. We must trust the road signs to tell us where to head for. We must know what path we seek. Christ can provide the light; we must agree to trust where the light points us to.
Too many people fall into darkness without having access to a light. Or perhaps I should say without being aware that a light is a call away. The light is always there, it is just shielded to we ask the light-keeper to remove the cover. I was asked recently who appointed me to speak for my fellows at work. I have been asked what reason I have to take on thankless volunteer roles. The answer is Christ. Whether I question some bible additions, whether I question Son of Man vs Son of God, whether I ask what my role is, I know that the light is always there for me, just a question away. I know that I have been asked in life to speak for my brothers and sisters, at work or home, play or politics. I am my brother's keeper, and my role is NOT to be the light in their lives, but to show them the light-keeper, so they too can find their way out of darkness.
We all fall in the Pit of Darkness. Some of us fall a lot! The Pit is well hidden, covered with a blanket of good intentions and better living. "I did it for the kids", or "Why not, I earned it", and many more thoughts provide the start to a gentle slope into darkness. Perhaps in my case it is "I deserve a beer". Perhaps in yours it is "just one more smoke". Sooner or later we all gently slide into the Pit without even knowing it, until we are knee-deep in slime and can't see our way out. That is when we need to remember the light.
The Light-keeper does not care how you ended up in the Pit. He cares that you need to be freed from it. Christ gave His life to dig us out of the Pit, would He do less than light our way? Can we do less than show the light to others? If that is all the calling we have, showing others how to find a light that will lead them from Darkness, then we have achieved so much.
I believe my calling is to help others see the light in their own lives, to find the path that leads from Darkness to Destiny, from Despair to Delight. At work, at the ATA, in my "private" life, my calling is and should be to reflect the light of the Light-Keeper, to show a glimmer of The Way. What a calling that is, considering we each struggle to see the Light in our own lives. A Calling is not easy; sometimes the light is dim and hard to see. Nonetheless, to follow that light is the greatest calling of all.
This got me thinking about life in general. How often do we allow the darkness to overcome us? When all is well, when the sun is shining on our little existence and everything just seems to fall in place, it is pretty easy to see the road ahead. Our future is clear, our path smooth. Then a cloud rolls in, and life gets a little less clear; soon thunderclouds are on the horizon and we are leaning into the wind of strife with all our remaining strength. Now, the road is no longer clear, the future is a mystery, the darkness soon becomes complete. Now we can no longer see.
It is at this point that we recognize the need for a light to guide us, to show the path under our feet. For many of us, we follow the light of Christ, who stated -"I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12. Others look for light from other sources. Wherever our light comes from, we must recognize that a light only shows us the path immediately in front of us. We must trust the road signs to tell us where to head for. We must know what path we seek. Christ can provide the light; we must agree to trust where the light points us to.
Too many people fall into darkness without having access to a light. Or perhaps I should say without being aware that a light is a call away. The light is always there, it is just shielded to we ask the light-keeper to remove the cover. I was asked recently who appointed me to speak for my fellows at work. I have been asked what reason I have to take on thankless volunteer roles. The answer is Christ. Whether I question some bible additions, whether I question Son of Man vs Son of God, whether I ask what my role is, I know that the light is always there for me, just a question away. I know that I have been asked in life to speak for my brothers and sisters, at work or home, play or politics. I am my brother's keeper, and my role is NOT to be the light in their lives, but to show them the light-keeper, so they too can find their way out of darkness.
We all fall in the Pit of Darkness. Some of us fall a lot! The Pit is well hidden, covered with a blanket of good intentions and better living. "I did it for the kids", or "Why not, I earned it", and many more thoughts provide the start to a gentle slope into darkness. Perhaps in my case it is "I deserve a beer". Perhaps in yours it is "just one more smoke". Sooner or later we all gently slide into the Pit without even knowing it, until we are knee-deep in slime and can't see our way out. That is when we need to remember the light.
The Light-keeper does not care how you ended up in the Pit. He cares that you need to be freed from it. Christ gave His life to dig us out of the Pit, would He do less than light our way? Can we do less than show the light to others? If that is all the calling we have, showing others how to find a light that will lead them from Darkness, then we have achieved so much.
I believe my calling is to help others see the light in their own lives, to find the path that leads from Darkness to Destiny, from Despair to Delight. At work, at the ATA, in my "private" life, my calling is and should be to reflect the light of the Light-Keeper, to show a glimmer of The Way. What a calling that is, considering we each struggle to see the Light in our own lives. A Calling is not easy; sometimes the light is dim and hard to see. Nonetheless, to follow that light is the greatest calling of all.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Dying of Thirst in a Sea of Plenty
Education should be facing a time a glorious communion, with ATA, school boards and government all sharing together in helping young minds to grow. Instead, it appears that teenagers have taken over and are playing a game of Chicken.
Let me explain what I mean. Money. Yes, Manna. It always works down to money. The government, in its infinite wisdom, has decided that School Boards should use all that half BILLION in General Surpluses to pay for all those wonderful programs they offer. Of course, the School Boards feel they have those surpluses for a reason, or maybe they want to keep the shareholders happy, because rather than spend the money they just cut programs and services until the budget matches again. Finally, we know teachers are at fault because we took a pay raise and now no one can afford to pay us.
Fine and dandy. The Minister tells School Boards to spend their surpluses but refuses to enforce his request, stating that if he made the decisions for school boards then why have them at all. Why indeed. The School Boards state that they are indeed going to be running deficits, and need to use their savings for the projects they were earmarked for. Teachers are just hoping to be able to squeeze into the few classrooms left, and have new teachers to replace them when 30% or so of them retire in the next few years (someone has to pay for our pension). Everyone has some line to feed. Unfortunately, what is being fed is not edible by our students.
When teenagers play chicken, at least they head for each other. When School Boards and Government play chicken, the students get run over. New teachers find other work; after all they are highly trained professionals. Old teachers retire early; who needs this s@#t. I guarantee no MLA was has been overly affected by these proceedings. School Boards can just un-volunteer themselves. Students have no such escape.
Teachers not replaced equal classrooms without teachers. Programs cut equal student needs not met. Kids suffer when this game of Chicken is played. Isn't it time that the players quit playing this game? Sort it out, people!
Let me explain what I mean. Money. Yes, Manna. It always works down to money. The government, in its infinite wisdom, has decided that School Boards should use all that half BILLION in General Surpluses to pay for all those wonderful programs they offer. Of course, the School Boards feel they have those surpluses for a reason, or maybe they want to keep the shareholders happy, because rather than spend the money they just cut programs and services until the budget matches again. Finally, we know teachers are at fault because we took a pay raise and now no one can afford to pay us.
Fine and dandy. The Minister tells School Boards to spend their surpluses but refuses to enforce his request, stating that if he made the decisions for school boards then why have them at all. Why indeed. The School Boards state that they are indeed going to be running deficits, and need to use their savings for the projects they were earmarked for. Teachers are just hoping to be able to squeeze into the few classrooms left, and have new teachers to replace them when 30% or so of them retire in the next few years (someone has to pay for our pension). Everyone has some line to feed. Unfortunately, what is being fed is not edible by our students.
When teenagers play chicken, at least they head for each other. When School Boards and Government play chicken, the students get run over. New teachers find other work; after all they are highly trained professionals. Old teachers retire early; who needs this s@#t. I guarantee no MLA was has been overly affected by these proceedings. School Boards can just un-volunteer themselves. Students have no such escape.
Teachers not replaced equal classrooms without teachers. Programs cut equal student needs not met. Kids suffer when this game of Chicken is played. Isn't it time that the players quit playing this game? Sort it out, people!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Trial Blog
This blog site will be for my personal ramblings, not my political ramblings. I thought having seperate sites might be a good idea.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)