I spent my last week of Christmas vacation completing my Sophomore fieldwork hours.
I had the great privilege of observing a long-time friend, and a great teacher.
One of the requirements for completing fieldwork is that you write out a list of 20 things that you observed that are not found on your observation sheets. I wrote them a list, a very good list, but it was hardly what I wanted to say. Here is what I wanted to write.
My 20 Observations after Sophomore Fieldwork
1. A public high school is an interesting thing.
2. A public high school is nowhere near the den of iniquity that you might have been led to believe. Note: I do realize that I was observing in a small-town high school, but I was still impressed with how behaved the students were.
3. I had never heard of a "Block Day" format, but trust me, the entire world should switch.
4. High-schoolers look younger and younger every day.
5. Lunch is everyone's favorite period of every day.
6. Looking over papers from the 9th grade was the most groundbreaking experience of my life.
7. 11 prepositions and no subject and verb DOES NOT a sentence make.
8. I squared all the past tense verbs and circled all the present tense verbs in one paper. I did that as a way to show the student how much they switched between the two. When I talked to the student about it, I simply said "You switch a lot between your tenses, you need to choose one past or present and stick with it" He looked at me and said, "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about" and he didn't.
9. Two teachers teaching the exact same class find very different ways of teaching it.
10. Apparently, I need to take a TRIBES class.
11. Who is your favorite fairy tale character and why? It's essential to understanding communication.
12. Plagiarism is incredibly commonplace in the public high school.
13. You cannot threaten not being able to get into college with these kids. Most of them don't care whether they go to college or not.
14. Grammar is hated everywhere, but equally necessary everywhere.
15. "Twilight" is big there. I tried to reason with them, but I could not.
16. Libraries remain the sweetest haven of rest. Anywhere.
(the librarian was incredibly awesome)
17. Senior exhibitions: an interesting premise. I would enjoy to see some higher quality ones someday.
18. Art teachers are on crack.
19. Huckleberry Finn is read everywhere. And equally hated everywhere. Funniest moment: the boy who believed that "The Walter Scott" was the name for every boat throughout the whole of Huckleberry Finn. Seriously.
20. No matter how the rest of my life turns out, I have no one to blame but myself. If I end up unmarried, I have no one to blame but myself. I was the one that turned down the marriage proposal from a cute boy. I have no one to blame but myself.
If you would like to hear the background behind any of those, let me know and I'll be glad to share. Admittedly #20 is the longest story, so you might ask, and I just might not share.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Oh Yeah!
It’s Oscar season. I can barely contain my excitement. While the rest of my friends are rushing out to see “Marley and Me”, “Yes Man” and “Twilight”, I am holding my breath, reading reviews, and dying to see the Oscar movies.
There is nothing like an Oscar movie. They are exciting, they are good, they are filled with real acting, they are full of themselves, and your average moviegoer can’t stand them. How can you go wrong?
The award season culminates in the glorious Oscars. But first we have SAG, Golden Globes, Tech Oscars, and even MTV awards. And then that beautiful night comes, the red carpet, the lame speaking, the boring guest announcers, the mind-blowing dresses, the really, really pretty suits. And the most important award an actor will ever receive. This year, however, the Oscars are going to be even better than normal. And why is that? Three words: Hugh Jackman hosting.
There is nothing like an Oscar movie. They are exciting, they are good, they are filled with real acting, they are full of themselves, and your average moviegoer can’t stand them. How can you go wrong?
The award season culminates in the glorious Oscars. But first we have SAG, Golden Globes, Tech Oscars, and even MTV awards. And then that beautiful night comes, the red carpet, the lame speaking, the boring guest announcers, the mind-blowing dresses, the really, really pretty suits. And the most important award an actor will ever receive. This year, however, the Oscars are going to be even better than normal. And why is that? Three words: Hugh Jackman hosting.
Never Trust Favre
The title I think is pretty clear. Never put your trust in or hope in Favre he will let you down. He proved that once again on Sunday. All he had to do was beat the dolphins. All he had to do was beat the quarterback that he kicked out of the Jets when he took over. That was it. I didn’t think we were asking for too much. Remind me to never, ever say anything nice about Favre again. I can’t stand him.
My heart is grieving with Belichick and Cassel. I know that the rumors are currently pretty strong about Brady needing surgery again, and therefore, being unable to return next season. I think both Cassel and Belichick have proved that the Patriots are not just Brady. And 11-5 is a strong way to end our season, seeing how it began. However, that does not mean that tears did not come to my eyes when I heard the results.
I did lose those tears pretty quickly after I found out how badly Dallas got beat, and watched the Broncos be utterly defeated. You have to find pleasure somewhere. I am desperately excited about the indy/chargers game. Definitely the best wild card game this weekend.
My heart is grieving with Belichick and Cassel. I know that the rumors are currently pretty strong about Brady needing surgery again, and therefore, being unable to return next season. I think both Cassel and Belichick have proved that the Patriots are not just Brady. And 11-5 is a strong way to end our season, seeing how it began. However, that does not mean that tears did not come to my eyes when I heard the results.
I did lose those tears pretty quickly after I found out how badly Dallas got beat, and watched the Broncos be utterly defeated. You have to find pleasure somewhere. I am desperately excited about the indy/chargers game. Definitely the best wild card game this weekend.
Christmas Eve Day
It was Christmas Eve day. I was at work. I worked from 5am-1pm. Our store manager, Deb, has a tradition. Every Christmas Eve day she cooks breakfast for all of the workers. Deb is an incredible cook, so naturally this is what we all had been talking about for several days. The breakfast tradition was so great that we had many people tell us that even though they had the day off, they were coming in for breakfast. My manager, and good friend, Becky, was one such person. Connie and I could handle everything without her, but she was going to come in to meet up with us during our lunch time, so we could all enjoy Christmas Eve day together. The time that was chosen was 9:30.
Around 8:45, we got a call from Becky saying she had errands she needed to run after we ate breakfast, so would we be able to eat at 9:00? Both Connie and I agreed, and we met Becky back there at 9:00.
The food was just as we had known it would be. There was tons of it laid out everywhere. There were 6 different kinds of eggs, there was sausage, bacon, cinnamon rolls, breads, multiple juices, and the hashbrowns, lots and lots and lots of hashbrowns. Deb knows that I like hash-browns, so as soon as she saw me, she waved me over and began heaping them on my plate. I didn’t say no. I had been waiting all morning for food, and they smelled incredible. I took some bacon, eggs, and joined Becky and Connie at the table. We were carrying on lively conversations with everyone who came in the break room. We were making jokes about how great it was that Shopko gave every single one of us tomorrow off. And when someone asked me how I was doing, I replied that I was great because it was Christmas eve day, and how could you be sad on Christmas eve day? I finished up my hash-browns to the great amusement of Deb, who told me to get my skinny self back in the adjoining room where the food was laid out, and get myself more hash-browns. I took orders for more drinks, and happily obliged.
I heard the page over the intercom. I hate that about myself now, I can’t help but listen to pages in any store. But the page was so normal “Deb call 451 please, Deb 451 thank you” We knew that 451 signaled an outside line, but no one thought anything of it. I was in the other room, and I could see from where I was pouring drinks Deb stand up and go to the phone that hung on the wall. My attention went back to the drinks. The next thing I knew she was yelling “Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God. No. No. No. No. It’s not true. Oh my God” She hit the wall near the phone, and yelled again. Both rooms became deathly silent. No one knew what to do. After the longest moments in my life, she hung up the phone, and turned to the people in the other room. She spoke, I could see her lips moving, but from where I was, I couldn’t hear what she said. And then suddenly, I heard shrieks from the other room. They were of differing pitches, sounds, words, but one thing was clear, everyone was hurting. I didn’t know what to do, should I walk back in the room with the drinks, or just stand awkwardly in the other room. I took the drinks and walked back in. If you could have seen these people’s faces when I left the room, and when I returned a few moments later, you would have been shocked. It was deathly silent in the room. But it wasn’t silent. People were moaning. One lady had her face on the table, and you could hear her sobs. Becky was sitting shaking her head back and forth, back and forth. Connie sat with a look of astonishment, no tears, no anger, just shock. Another lady sat and stared at the wall, silent tears streaming down her face. One of the men had pushed his food away, and sat staring at the table, no tears, but his hands were shaking. Deb was standing near the phone, her hands rubbing away the tears. But it was useless, her tears kept coming, I wondered why she even tried to wipe them away. I sat down, 3 drinks in my one hand, and a plate of hash-browns in the other. I sat in between Becky and Connie. No one said anything. I looked to Becky. I placed my hand on her shoulder, and she met my eyes. I almost recoiled. The look of pure pain in her eyes was unlike anything I had ever seen before. I asked the only words that could form in my mouth, “What happened” She just looked at me, she brought her hand around to rest on my shoulder. That might have been the most frightening gesture I’ve ever received. She was comforting me before she told me what was wrong. She said, “Joanne’s daughter and grandbaby were instantly killed in a car accident this morning. Joanne is on her way to the hospital, but they already told her that they’re both dead.”
You don’t know Joanne. But I do. I know that Joanne has one daughter, Shannon. I know that Joanne was so proud of Shannon. I know that Joanne was so proud of the way that Shannon was working her way through night school. I know that that was the reason that Joanne encouraged me so many times to keep working through school, to never give up, to not quit, because she knew how hard it was for Shannon to go back. I know that after 7 years of marriage, of tests, of praying, of trying, Shannon and her husband Ed, happily announced that Shannon was pregnant. I know that Joanne announced excitedly over the intercom system that come June, she was going to be a Grandma. I know that Joanne would constantly ask me about the infant apparel clearance, she wanted the baby to have enough of everything. I know that Joanne went to Josh, her manager, and told him that he had to give her every Thursday off once the baby was born, that was her babysitting day. I know the day she got the call that the baby was coming, she could barely finish a sentence she was so excited. I know the day she came back to work after the baby was born, she brought her baby book that she was building for her granddaughter. I know the times she would bring in the baby on her day off so we could meet and play with her. And I know the day that Deb received that awful call. I know that in our local paper in their specialty “Baby’s 1st Christmas” they had a picture of Shannon and Ed’s little girl. I know that that same paper was the one that had pictures of the accident. I know all of those things, but you don’t.
I feel like I should have finishing thoughts. But I don’t. I’m not sure how I should finish this post.
Around 8:45, we got a call from Becky saying she had errands she needed to run after we ate breakfast, so would we be able to eat at 9:00? Both Connie and I agreed, and we met Becky back there at 9:00.
The food was just as we had known it would be. There was tons of it laid out everywhere. There were 6 different kinds of eggs, there was sausage, bacon, cinnamon rolls, breads, multiple juices, and the hashbrowns, lots and lots and lots of hashbrowns. Deb knows that I like hash-browns, so as soon as she saw me, she waved me over and began heaping them on my plate. I didn’t say no. I had been waiting all morning for food, and they smelled incredible. I took some bacon, eggs, and joined Becky and Connie at the table. We were carrying on lively conversations with everyone who came in the break room. We were making jokes about how great it was that Shopko gave every single one of us tomorrow off. And when someone asked me how I was doing, I replied that I was great because it was Christmas eve day, and how could you be sad on Christmas eve day? I finished up my hash-browns to the great amusement of Deb, who told me to get my skinny self back in the adjoining room where the food was laid out, and get myself more hash-browns. I took orders for more drinks, and happily obliged.
I heard the page over the intercom. I hate that about myself now, I can’t help but listen to pages in any store. But the page was so normal “Deb call 451 please, Deb 451 thank you” We knew that 451 signaled an outside line, but no one thought anything of it. I was in the other room, and I could see from where I was pouring drinks Deb stand up and go to the phone that hung on the wall. My attention went back to the drinks. The next thing I knew she was yelling “Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God. No. No. No. No. It’s not true. Oh my God” She hit the wall near the phone, and yelled again. Both rooms became deathly silent. No one knew what to do. After the longest moments in my life, she hung up the phone, and turned to the people in the other room. She spoke, I could see her lips moving, but from where I was, I couldn’t hear what she said. And then suddenly, I heard shrieks from the other room. They were of differing pitches, sounds, words, but one thing was clear, everyone was hurting. I didn’t know what to do, should I walk back in the room with the drinks, or just stand awkwardly in the other room. I took the drinks and walked back in. If you could have seen these people’s faces when I left the room, and when I returned a few moments later, you would have been shocked. It was deathly silent in the room. But it wasn’t silent. People were moaning. One lady had her face on the table, and you could hear her sobs. Becky was sitting shaking her head back and forth, back and forth. Connie sat with a look of astonishment, no tears, no anger, just shock. Another lady sat and stared at the wall, silent tears streaming down her face. One of the men had pushed his food away, and sat staring at the table, no tears, but his hands were shaking. Deb was standing near the phone, her hands rubbing away the tears. But it was useless, her tears kept coming, I wondered why she even tried to wipe them away. I sat down, 3 drinks in my one hand, and a plate of hash-browns in the other. I sat in between Becky and Connie. No one said anything. I looked to Becky. I placed my hand on her shoulder, and she met my eyes. I almost recoiled. The look of pure pain in her eyes was unlike anything I had ever seen before. I asked the only words that could form in my mouth, “What happened” She just looked at me, she brought her hand around to rest on my shoulder. That might have been the most frightening gesture I’ve ever received. She was comforting me before she told me what was wrong. She said, “Joanne’s daughter and grandbaby were instantly killed in a car accident this morning. Joanne is on her way to the hospital, but they already told her that they’re both dead.”
You don’t know Joanne. But I do. I know that Joanne has one daughter, Shannon. I know that Joanne was so proud of Shannon. I know that Joanne was so proud of the way that Shannon was working her way through night school. I know that that was the reason that Joanne encouraged me so many times to keep working through school, to never give up, to not quit, because she knew how hard it was for Shannon to go back. I know that after 7 years of marriage, of tests, of praying, of trying, Shannon and her husband Ed, happily announced that Shannon was pregnant. I know that Joanne announced excitedly over the intercom system that come June, she was going to be a Grandma. I know that Joanne would constantly ask me about the infant apparel clearance, she wanted the baby to have enough of everything. I know that Joanne went to Josh, her manager, and told him that he had to give her every Thursday off once the baby was born, that was her babysitting day. I know the day she got the call that the baby was coming, she could barely finish a sentence she was so excited. I know the day she came back to work after the baby was born, she brought her baby book that she was building for her granddaughter. I know the times she would bring in the baby on her day off so we could meet and play with her. And I know the day that Deb received that awful call. I know that in our local paper in their specialty “Baby’s 1st Christmas” they had a picture of Shannon and Ed’s little girl. I know that that same paper was the one that had pictures of the accident. I know all of those things, but you don’t.
I feel like I should have finishing thoughts. But I don’t. I’m not sure how I should finish this post.
I'm Back
I have been internet-less since Friday which is a lot harder than it sounds.
I wrote these all on different days and am just now getting a chance to post them.
The internet is a beautiful thing.
Happy New Year
I wrote these all on different days and am just now getting a chance to post them.
The internet is a beautiful thing.
Happy New Year
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Idealism
Do you have a friend that you enjoy because of a specific character quality of theirs?
I have a few friends like this. Most recently, I was thinking about a boy that I know. He is an enjoyable person to spend time with. I laugh at him, and he gets annoyed by me - we share a beautiful relationship. This friend's quality that I enjoy particularly is his idealism. He is possibly the most idealistic boy I know. The funny thing is that he is smart enough to realize that he shouldn't be idealistic, but he likes his idealism so much that he doesn't want to be realistic. I enjoy that about him. He is, however, almost ready to graduate, and will therefore be effectively taken out of my life. I am okay with that. We're not that great of friends, and we never communicate outside of college.
We have now come to my point; our last conversation centered around him growing up and sex. You see, he is in a relationship right now, a "perfect in every way except one" (his words) relationship. The only element that is lacking in this relationship is sex specifically that they're not having any. He explained how all of the little "issues" in their relationship would work themselves out once they were married and could have sex. I laughed at him, and he got annoyed by me - continuing our beautiful relationship. I have known him for 4 years now, and I know that he firmly believes every word he says.
Throughout our whole relationship, sex to him has been the unattainable, the end-all be-all, the pinnacle, the final frontier. And I began to wonder what he would be like...after. After he's married, after he's had sex, after he's fought with his wife. He's going to marry this girl, I would be genuinely surprised if he doesn't. So, let's say I run into him 5 years down the road, he is married and has a child. Will he be as idealistic about sex then as he is now? Would he still say that sex can solve any problem in a marriage/relationship? Or, will he have transferred his idealism to something else? Maybe the success of his child, his position at work, or his financial situation. Will that then become the unattainable? Or, will he lose his idealism? I told you he was smart, maybe once he decides that sex can't do it all, he'll become a bitter, cynical man angry at himself for grasping and reaching so long for something that has not given long-term fulfillment.
Reader, here is the horrible truth, I don't want to know how this story ends. I enjoy him as he is now, horribly idealistic about one thing. So, if you see him 5 years down the road, don't let me know how he turned out, I'm not sure I could handle any of the options.
I have a few friends like this. Most recently, I was thinking about a boy that I know. He is an enjoyable person to spend time with. I laugh at him, and he gets annoyed by me - we share a beautiful relationship. This friend's quality that I enjoy particularly is his idealism. He is possibly the most idealistic boy I know. The funny thing is that he is smart enough to realize that he shouldn't be idealistic, but he likes his idealism so much that he doesn't want to be realistic. I enjoy that about him. He is, however, almost ready to graduate, and will therefore be effectively taken out of my life. I am okay with that. We're not that great of friends, and we never communicate outside of college.
We have now come to my point; our last conversation centered around him growing up and sex. You see, he is in a relationship right now, a "perfect in every way except one" (his words) relationship. The only element that is lacking in this relationship is sex specifically that they're not having any. He explained how all of the little "issues" in their relationship would work themselves out once they were married and could have sex. I laughed at him, and he got annoyed by me - continuing our beautiful relationship. I have known him for 4 years now, and I know that he firmly believes every word he says.
Throughout our whole relationship, sex to him has been the unattainable, the end-all be-all, the pinnacle, the final frontier. And I began to wonder what he would be like...after. After he's married, after he's had sex, after he's fought with his wife. He's going to marry this girl, I would be genuinely surprised if he doesn't. So, let's say I run into him 5 years down the road, he is married and has a child. Will he be as idealistic about sex then as he is now? Would he still say that sex can solve any problem in a marriage/relationship? Or, will he have transferred his idealism to something else? Maybe the success of his child, his position at work, or his financial situation. Will that then become the unattainable? Or, will he lose his idealism? I told you he was smart, maybe once he decides that sex can't do it all, he'll become a bitter, cynical man angry at himself for grasping and reaching so long for something that has not given long-term fulfillment.
Reader, here is the horrible truth, I don't want to know how this story ends. I enjoy him as he is now, horribly idealistic about one thing. So, if you see him 5 years down the road, don't let me know how he turned out, I'm not sure I could handle any of the options.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Shock Value
I do not shock easily. Trust me. People have tried. I have a couple theories as to why this might be:
I have lived around a college campus my entire life. My very existence has been surrounded by college-age students who try to shock one another. Maybe it is because I have grown up around this, or maybe it is because I just don't shock easily, but now, being a college-age student, these feeble attempts at shocking seem to be even more, well, feeble.
I think the problem with most comments designed to bring shock value, is that they tend to be centered around standards:
Such as:
"I would let my girls wear slits, but only in 2 or 3 of their skirts"
"I go to the movies while I'm at school but don't tell anyone"
"My two favorite movies are Braveheart, and Hitch so that should show you how loose I am in my movie standards"
"I think when my children are older, I will, if they're with someone, let them go into a Tommy Hilfiger store"
"Sometimes, I don't vote Republican"
"I have nothing against any forms, of any types, of any kinds, of any genres, of music. *pause* That means I listen to CCM"
These comments do absolutely nothing for me (except lower the amount of respect I give to that person). I sit there and wait for them to realize how stupid they sound. I sit there and wait for them to realize that I am not going to argue that with them. I sit there and wait for them to realize that no one cares about their stupid comment. But no matter how long I sit there and wait all I ever get is ....
"Bet you weren't expecting that, huh now where you?"
"Oops, did I just say that? Oh well. Don't tell anyone"
"Sorry if I shocked you."
Each one is equally horrible in its own right, and equally pathetic in its own way. Although the middle one is the most used (especially in a Christian College campus), the last one might be the most personally offensive to me.
I just wish I could say, "Trust me - you aren't shocking me".
I say all of this to say that recently I was shocked by something someone said.
Completely, 100%, all-out, totally, amazingly, and disgustingly shocked.
What they said had nothing to do with standards, it had nothing to do with gossip, movies, or doctrine. None of those above phrases were mentioned. None of that stupidity was there. Maybe that was my problem? Because I knew that this person wasn't stupid, I wasn't worried about hearing any of those above phrases. Maybe that's why I was shocked. When they said the 2 or 3 sentences, I became horribly offended, and shocked. They were so serious, they were so very serious.
I was disgusted with how they treated this issue.
And yes, I was also shocked. I still am shocked. I look back at it and am in awe that any human being would say that, but worse than saying it, they would believe it.
Why am I shocked?
I have lived around a college campus my entire life. My very existence has been surrounded by college-age students who try to shock one another. Maybe it is because I have grown up around this, or maybe it is because I just don't shock easily, but now, being a college-age student, these feeble attempts at shocking seem to be even more, well, feeble.
I think the problem with most comments designed to bring shock value, is that they tend to be centered around standards:
Such as:
"I would let my girls wear slits, but only in 2 or 3 of their skirts"
"I go to the movies while I'm at school but don't tell anyone"
"My two favorite movies are Braveheart, and Hitch so that should show you how loose I am in my movie standards"
"I think when my children are older, I will, if they're with someone, let them go into a Tommy Hilfiger store"
"Sometimes, I don't vote Republican"
"I have nothing against any forms, of any types, of any kinds, of any genres, of music. *pause* That means I listen to CCM"
These comments do absolutely nothing for me (except lower the amount of respect I give to that person). I sit there and wait for them to realize how stupid they sound. I sit there and wait for them to realize that I am not going to argue that with them. I sit there and wait for them to realize that no one cares about their stupid comment. But no matter how long I sit there and wait all I ever get is ....
"Bet you weren't expecting that, huh now where you?"
"Oops, did I just say that? Oh well. Don't tell anyone"
"Sorry if I shocked you."
Each one is equally horrible in its own right, and equally pathetic in its own way. Although the middle one is the most used (especially in a Christian College campus), the last one might be the most personally offensive to me.
I just wish I could say, "Trust me - you aren't shocking me".
I say all of this to say that recently I was shocked by something someone said.
Completely, 100%, all-out, totally, amazingly, and disgustingly shocked.
What they said had nothing to do with standards, it had nothing to do with gossip, movies, or doctrine. None of those above phrases were mentioned. None of that stupidity was there. Maybe that was my problem? Because I knew that this person wasn't stupid, I wasn't worried about hearing any of those above phrases. Maybe that's why I was shocked. When they said the 2 or 3 sentences, I became horribly offended, and shocked. They were so serious, they were so very serious.
I was disgusted with how they treated this issue.
And yes, I was also shocked. I still am shocked. I look back at it and am in awe that any human being would say that, but worse than saying it, they would believe it.
Why am I shocked?
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