Monday; July 20

          What is going to happen when school time rolls back around?  At the least, I imagine that most districts are going to modify what they have done in the past and, for many, they are in for some major changes.  I have always been a big fan of the public school system and feel for them especially during these days.  For years, society has kept adding to the expectations we have for teachers, support staff and administrators and now this!  All I can say is that my heart, prayers and thoughts go out to those in education.  I want to encourage all of us to be tolerant and supportive of what is happening in modern education.
          As I thought about today’s school staff I came across a quote by Brad Henry that I thought was good, “A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning.”.  I would imagine that most of us would agree with Mr. Henry, but I believe that the application of this quote, just like the educational system, is about to change.  You see, with limited access to teachers we, as community members, are going to have to take on this responsibility.  This can no longer merely be farmed out to professional educators – parents, grandparents, business leaders and every caring adult will need to step up and set the tone.  Educating our children is a tough job and now with even more limited exposure to teachers, it is our responsibility to be the sparks that ignite the fire for learning and succeeding. 
          Do we know someone who needs a positive role model this school year?  What are we going to do about it?
          Think About It!

Popular posts from this blog

Thursday; May 3

I have a fish tank that allows my three Bettas (Larry, Darrell and Darrell) to live in the same structure, but remain hidden from each other – well sort of.   When I go to feed the fish, I believe that one of the Darrell’s can sort of see that the other Darrell is getting fed and he will linger over on that side of the tank even after I put his food in his tank.   I have to tap on the side of the tank where his food is floating to help him refocus and eat.   I get the impression that he is so interested in what is going on in the other Darrell’s tank that he can’t enjoy his own food. I have been told that the brain of a fish is pretty small – which explains their inability to process “blessings”, but are we guilty of the same malady as Darrell?   Are we so worried (or consumed) by what happens to the people around us that we fail to realize what is going on with us?   Are we envious of the blessings that others are receiving and end up missing out on what we have been given?   Are w
Read more

Thursday; February 14

         While most of us are familiar with today being Valentine’s Day, there are some who actually refer to February 14 th as “St. Valentine’s Day”.  This title is often affixed to a criminally historic event known as “The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” on February 14, 1929 in Chicago, but that is another story for another time.  Not knowing much about the history of “Saint Valentine” I did a little research and found out he was a Roman religious leader who was martyred in 269 AD.  According to my limited research Valentine was killed because of his encouragement of Roman men (especially soldiers) to marry which was in violation of Claudias’ edict that prohibited marriage to keep their minds singularly focused on their task of defending the Empire.  Somehow, from this beginning – and possibly embellished by Chaucer – St. Valentine became intertwined with the concept of romantic love.           I am not really sure how February 14 th became connected with love, but inspired by thi
Read more

Wednesday; July 10

During church services last weekend, our song leader took us down Memory Lane leading us in a few old classics including the hymn “Yield Not To Temptation”.   According to a brief internet search, Horatio R. Palmer wrote the song in 1868 and published it in the National Sunday School Teacher’s Magazine.   From that point the song developed a following and it became a favorite for a lot of people.   We used to sing this song a lot when I was a youngster, but like many of the old standards, we don’t sing it as much anymore.   However, as we sang it the other day I was struck by the simplicity of the second verse, “Shun evil companions, bad language disdain, God’s name hold in rev’rence, nor take it in vain; be thoughtful and earnest, kindhearted and true; look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.”.   I am not going to argue the point of the eloquence of the verse, but the practicality is self-explanatory.   Whether it is the middle of the 19 th Century or at the beginning of the 21
Read more