I have roughly 51 hours until my first class of the new semester starts. Am I ready for this? Can I handle a third year of this chaos they call college? Yes, I can and I will. But before that starts, I have about a million things to do: gather all my textbooks, change my work schedule around for the start of school, actually practice my orchestra music, and squeeze every last bit of enjoyment I can out of this summer. Plus more.
There were many things I was planning to do this summer that I didn't get accomplished. There were many things I wasn't planning to do this summer that I ended up doing and enjoying. I'm not sure I'm ready for it to end though. With the end of summer comes the start of school. With the start of school brings a crazy semester that simultaneously seems to never end and goes by too fast. I'm half done with college. I don't want the next two years to go as quickly as the first two have. I'm anticipating many new adventures in the months to come.
I'm not really sure what to expect with the new semester, other than the same old staying up late doing homework and going on late night coffee runs. There's bound to be some concerts, early morning breakfasts at Wolfgang's, long night labs, and orch board meetings. I'm excited for it all, though my thoughts aren't very coherent on the matter. But, I told myself in light of last year's significant lack of blog posts, I'd start this year out right. A little start back into the world of blogging is better than no start at all. So here's to a new school year, full of new things to learn and new things to experience. To many papers and many blog posts. To music in every shape and form. To friends, family, and loved ones. And mostly to life.
31 August 2014
21 March 2014
Catching Up-- Reflections on Costa Rica
It's been quite a while since I've visited this blog, my own personal corner of the internet. It's been a little over three months. And within those three months, so much has occurred; it is time to catch up.
Since the last time I've updated you all, I've ended one year and started another (as I assume most everyone else has...), adventured to Costa Rica, and started a new semester, among other less-notable things. The end of one year and the beginning of the next was refreshing, as always, but was filled with preparations for a once in a lifetime trip. From January 9 to 20 I left the frozen tundra that is MI for an orchestra tour around the beautiful country of Costa Rica. Originally, I had planned to split the trip into three separate blog posts to recount stories, share pictures, and just generally tell what I was learning/ experiencing. However, while I was in CR time didn't really allow for that, and once I got back, I felt as though I'd rather reflect on my adventure on the whole instead of chopping it up into little bits. So here it goes:
Costa Rica was absolutely amazing. I'd go back in a heartbeat, if the opportunity arose and my own personal resources allowed. The country itself was gorgeous, filled with rolling hills, stunning mountains, rain-forests with more shades of green encapsulated in them than you can possibly imagine, beaches that were the epitome of tropical paradise, buzzing cities and so much more. The people we met were so warm, friendly, giving, appreciative of our gift of music, and they all graciously put up with our attempts at speaking Spanish, even though a lot of us just ended up butchering the language. The trip was a lot of work, we essentially played 11 concerts in 8 days, but we also had plenty of time to try new things, enjoy each other's company, and relax every now and then.
The first couple days we were in Costa Rica, we stayed in a dorm from a Methodist seminary. It was for the most part, a dorm; it wasn't as nice as some of the hotels we stayed in, but in it there was a big common room where we could all come and hang out after a long day of traveling and performing. To me, a little thing like that room made a big difference, because it had the power to bring us all together at night and just fellowship with each other. One night, we decided to have a back massage train in this big room. It was very much needed after several days of playing concerts, our backs were starting to get pretty sore. And it was a lot of fun.
Even though we were rehearsing for and playing concerts a lot of the time we were down there, we also did so many tourist-y things. We went to places like: Poás Volcano, La Paz Waterfall Gardens, downtown San José, Arenal (where we went zip-lining!), a couple rain-forests, a cloud forest or two, Sky Walk suspension bridges in Monteverde, Manuel Antonio National Park, a beyond beautiful cathedral in Cartago, and so many more.
I went zip-lining 600 feet above the floor of the rain-forest--which we were told is the highest zip-line in all of Central America. It was exhilarating and was over much too fast, but I'm really glad to be able to say that I did it and I had fun. I'm also really glad that I got to go with such a cool and encouraging group of people, and with my best friend. My dear best friend since first grade did something really adventurous with me (well and the rest of us); I was excited to see her be so daring and enjoy it! The view from the top of the zip-lining course was stunning. You could see for miles and miles, from Arenal Volcano, to the deep blue-green waters of Lake Arenal, to the surrounding rainforest--and it was gorgeous. Later in the trip, I also got to swim in the Pacific Ocean for the first time! It was so lovely and warm (and salty...which I kept forgetting since I'm used to freshwater lakes). And I thought I got some pretty fantastic beach hair!
[The collage to the left depicts my favorite beach pictures. Top: My first time touching the wonderful Pacific Ocean. Middle: Angela, me, and Bethany having some spontaneous fun on the beach. Bottom: The silhouettes of me, Angela, and Bethany against the sunset. All the beach pictures were taken at Manuel Antonio National Park, though they were at two different beaches within the park.]
On top of zip-lining and beach-going, I got to experience a lot of other new things. Like food... I can't even begin to tell you how amazing the food was. And how much of it we were given at each meal. One of my favorite things were the "batidos" which are basically smoothies, sometimes made with ice, milk, or ice cream and of course, loads of delicious fresh fruit. The other thing food-wise that sticks in my memory were the "casados." The word casado literally means marriage, but food casados are plates with rice, black or refried beans, a salad of sorts (like lettuce with tomatoes and carrots on it, but no dressing), fried plantains, meat (I mostly had chicken or beef, sometimes seafood), and tortillas. I think the "marriage" part of it comes from the fact that you mix it all together and eat it.
Going on this trip I knew I'd be stretched as a person and learn a lot. One of the best learning experiences was actually one of the most awkward experiences: going to a Catholic mass for the first time. I am not Catholic, I don't think anyone in the Calvin group was. The first time we went to a mass, we were given the very front bench by the priest. This made things awkward because we couldn't watch what was going on around us; we didn't know when we were supposed to stand, sit, or kneel (or even if we were supposed to kneel). Before mass, we asked our conductor what to do-- because there are certain things in mass that you're not allowed to do if you aren't Catholic (like take communion). He said to just follow his lead, but the whole group didn't catch that apparently. None of us took communion, so I'm glad we didn't offend them in that way, but when it came time to kneel about half of us did, and the other half just sat. The row I was in kind of crouched above the bench, not standing but not sitting, before deciding to kneel. Also, the service was in Spanish. My Spanish is alright, but it's hard to grasp what's going on when it takes a lot of effort to even understand the words being said. All in all, it was awkward, but it was a good learning experience.
The next mass we went to was better, and was in a gorgeous Cathedral in Cartago. After mass we played a concert and the acoustics in there were beautiful: echo-y, but warm. As we were walking out a few of my friends were singing hymns and just enjoying the acoustics. We stopped near the entrance and sang a ton of hymns; it was really moving. Even though Protestants and Catholics don't hold the same beliefs in some areas, it was cool to still acknowledge that this Cathedral was as much the house of God as my church back home was. There's nothing better than praising God in His house. And even though I most definitely consider the music we'd just played in our performance to be an act of worship, and all for His glory, the words in the hymns are very powerful as well. Our tour guide, Ronald (who was super cool), told us we sounded like a choir and that we should sing like that on the top of a mountain.
Unfortunately, that was one of that last days in the trip so we had no more mountains to visit. We did however visit Guayabo National Monument, ruins of an ancient civilization. There were many mounds there, where different parts of the city used to be. We weren't allowed onto the actual mounds, but we found a little hill next to them, dubbed it our "mini-mound," and gave Ronald the mountain-top concert he asked for. I thought it was a pretty neat moment.
On our last two days, we stayed with host families who all went to the International Baptist Church in Escazu. I walked into the church nervous about staying with host families, not wanting to be split up from the rest of my compadres on the trip. But, there was an unusual sense of peace that I found in that church. It was something familiar, a Baptist church that looked similar to the church I went to back home, not like a Cathedral (there's nothing wrong with Cathedrals, they are just unfamiliar). The orchestra improv-ed on some hymns and contemporary songs, just like I do at my home church. And it was in English. It all felt very good to be in a place of unfamiliar familiarity. With my host family, my roommates and I got to go to the market where they get all their fruits/vegetables for the week. They even treated us to freshly squeezed orange juice sweetened with fresh sugar cane juice, plus breakfast. The market was a cool thing to experience culturally; it was definitely an experience I won't forget.
Since it was an orchestra tour, we ended up playing our instruments a lot. What surprised me about all our concerts was how thankful all the people we played for were for our gift of music. On one of our last bus rides, we asked Ronald if he was getting sick of hearing the same program over and over. He responded by saying something along the lines of: I find something new and beautiful to listen to each time you play. I guess I didn't anticipate how appreciative people would be. We got to introduce string instruments to some small children at a couple of the concerts and we got to be the first orchestra ever to play in the Theatre in Jaco! Once we played a concert for only 2 people, but instead of calling it off or shortening the program, I think I tried that much more because these two people deserved to have a wonderful concert as much as the packed Jaco Theatre did. I love music, I love making music and traveling with a bunch of my friends and making music together was absolutely incredible.
All together, it was 12 days well spent. I really didn't want to leave; we decided that we should just move Calvin and the people we love to Costa Rica, so we wouldn't ever have to leave. I suppose it is good to be back in my hometown, but I really fell in love with that country. I have many more stories and experiences that wouldn't fit in this blog post, because you'd be reading for hours. But I am way beyond thankful that I got to go! If you supported me in any way on this trip, thank you so much. I know this is something I won't be able to experience again, so I'm ecstatic that I went and had the best time. I guess there's not much left to say besides ¡Pura Vida!
Since the last time I've updated you all, I've ended one year and started another (as I assume most everyone else has...), adventured to Costa Rica, and started a new semester, among other less-notable things. The end of one year and the beginning of the next was refreshing, as always, but was filled with preparations for a once in a lifetime trip. From January 9 to 20 I left the frozen tundra that is MI for an orchestra tour around the beautiful country of Costa Rica. Originally, I had planned to split the trip into three separate blog posts to recount stories, share pictures, and just generally tell what I was learning/ experiencing. However, while I was in CR time didn't really allow for that, and once I got back, I felt as though I'd rather reflect on my adventure on the whole instead of chopping it up into little bits. So here it goes:
Costa Rica was absolutely amazing. I'd go back in a heartbeat, if the opportunity arose and my own personal resources allowed. The country itself was gorgeous, filled with rolling hills, stunning mountains, rain-forests with more shades of green encapsulated in them than you can possibly imagine, beaches that were the epitome of tropical paradise, buzzing cities and so much more. The people we met were so warm, friendly, giving, appreciative of our gift of music, and they all graciously put up with our attempts at speaking Spanish, even though a lot of us just ended up butchering the language. The trip was a lot of work, we essentially played 11 concerts in 8 days, but we also had plenty of time to try new things, enjoy each other's company, and relax every now and then.
 |
| Photo Credit: Ruth Vanden Bos of Ruth H. Photography. |
Even though we were rehearsing for and playing concerts a lot of the time we were down there, we also did so many tourist-y things. We went to places like: Poás Volcano, La Paz Waterfall Gardens, downtown San José, Arenal (where we went zip-lining!), a couple rain-forests, a cloud forest or two, Sky Walk suspension bridges in Monteverde, Manuel Antonio National Park, a beyond beautiful cathedral in Cartago, and so many more.
 |
| Angela and I in our zip-lining gear! Photo Credit: Ruth Vanden Bos. |
 |
| Top photo: mine; Middle and bottom: Ruth Vanden Bos. |
On top of zip-lining and beach-going, I got to experience a lot of other new things. Like food... I can't even begin to tell you how amazing the food was. And how much of it we were given at each meal. One of my favorite things were the "batidos" which are basically smoothies, sometimes made with ice, milk, or ice cream and of course, loads of delicious fresh fruit. The other thing food-wise that sticks in my memory were the "casados." The word casado literally means marriage, but food casados are plates with rice, black or refried beans, a salad of sorts (like lettuce with tomatoes and carrots on it, but no dressing), fried plantains, meat (I mostly had chicken or beef, sometimes seafood), and tortillas. I think the "marriage" part of it comes from the fact that you mix it all together and eat it.
Going on this trip I knew I'd be stretched as a person and learn a lot. One of the best learning experiences was actually one of the most awkward experiences: going to a Catholic mass for the first time. I am not Catholic, I don't think anyone in the Calvin group was. The first time we went to a mass, we were given the very front bench by the priest. This made things awkward because we couldn't watch what was going on around us; we didn't know when we were supposed to stand, sit, or kneel (or even if we were supposed to kneel). Before mass, we asked our conductor what to do-- because there are certain things in mass that you're not allowed to do if you aren't Catholic (like take communion). He said to just follow his lead, but the whole group didn't catch that apparently. None of us took communion, so I'm glad we didn't offend them in that way, but when it came time to kneel about half of us did, and the other half just sat. The row I was in kind of crouched above the bench, not standing but not sitting, before deciding to kneel. Also, the service was in Spanish. My Spanish is alright, but it's hard to grasp what's going on when it takes a lot of effort to even understand the words being said. All in all, it was awkward, but it was a good learning experience.
 |
| Un casado; the Cathedral in Cartago; Ancient mounds/ ruins in Guayabo. |
Unfortunately, that was one of that last days in the trip so we had no more mountains to visit. We did however visit Guayabo National Monument, ruins of an ancient civilization. There were many mounds there, where different parts of the city used to be. We weren't allowed onto the actual mounds, but we found a little hill next to them, dubbed it our "mini-mound," and gave Ronald the mountain-top concert he asked for. I thought it was a pretty neat moment.
On our last two days, we stayed with host families who all went to the International Baptist Church in Escazu. I walked into the church nervous about staying with host families, not wanting to be split up from the rest of my compadres on the trip. But, there was an unusual sense of peace that I found in that church. It was something familiar, a Baptist church that looked similar to the church I went to back home, not like a Cathedral (there's nothing wrong with Cathedrals, they are just unfamiliar). The orchestra improv-ed on some hymns and contemporary songs, just like I do at my home church. And it was in English. It all felt very good to be in a place of unfamiliar familiarity. With my host family, my roommates and I got to go to the market where they get all their fruits/vegetables for the week. They even treated us to freshly squeezed orange juice sweetened with fresh sugar cane juice, plus breakfast. The market was a cool thing to experience culturally; it was definitely an experience I won't forget.
Since it was an orchestra tour, we ended up playing our instruments a lot. What surprised me about all our concerts was how thankful all the people we played for were for our gift of music. On one of our last bus rides, we asked Ronald if he was getting sick of hearing the same program over and over. He responded by saying something along the lines of: I find something new and beautiful to listen to each time you play. I guess I didn't anticipate how appreciative people would be. We got to introduce string instruments to some small children at a couple of the concerts and we got to be the first orchestra ever to play in the Theatre in Jaco! Once we played a concert for only 2 people, but instead of calling it off or shortening the program, I think I tried that much more because these two people deserved to have a wonderful concert as much as the packed Jaco Theatre did. I love music, I love making music and traveling with a bunch of my friends and making music together was absolutely incredible.
All together, it was 12 days well spent. I really didn't want to leave; we decided that we should just move Calvin and the people we love to Costa Rica, so we wouldn't ever have to leave. I suppose it is good to be back in my hometown, but I really fell in love with that country. I have many more stories and experiences that wouldn't fit in this blog post, because you'd be reading for hours. But I am way beyond thankful that I got to go! If you supported me in any way on this trip, thank you so much. I know this is something I won't be able to experience again, so I'm ecstatic that I went and had the best time. I guess there's not much left to say besides ¡Pura Vida!
Here are a couple more photos from the trip.
 |
| (1) Me trying papaya (banana-carrot) for the first time and Katie enjoying the fresh pineapple; (2) Candid shot of us getting ready for our concert at Casa Adobe [Photo Credit: Ruth]; (3) Ruth, me, and Bethany having a spontaneous dress up night [Photo Credit: Ruth's Camera-- I'm not sure who actually snapped the picture though]. |
If you want to see a beautifully photographed and put-together picture montage, check out this YouTube video (also made by Ruth):
Photos (that aren't mine) were used with permission from the lovely photographer, Ruth Vanden Bos. Check out how extremely talented she is at http://ruthhphotography.weebly.com/ !
16 December 2013
To Recap this Semester
A friend of mine once told me a joke: "There are two kinds of people in this world, those who need closure..." as his voice trailed off I instinctively interjected "And?" But that was the whole point. There are those who need closure and this was meant to show you that you're one of them. It's very true, my life becomes extremely unnerving when I haven't received closure in different areas; ambiguity doesn't always sit well with me. I also need time to reflect on what has happened during each season of my life. So this is it, the bookend to this semester. Fall 2013 Semester is basically over.
A mere two hours ago I walked out of a physics classroom for hopefully the last time ever. It also happened to be my last final of the semester. Aside from a couple extra credit reports that I'm trying to convince myself I should write, I am done. I have no more academic commitments for the rest of 2013, which is such a relief. This semester has been kind of rough... I averaged about 4.5 hours of sleep a night, and only had one day off (no work, no school, no orchestra) over the course of the whole semester, even over academic advising and Thanksgiving breaks I was still busy. I don't mean to make you feel sorry for me, most of it was my choice or a direct result of my choice. Meaning, I want to be at Calvin more than anywhere else in the world. I can't afford to come to Calvin without working, therefore I work about ≈25 hours a week, although it does vary. But it's tough being that busy all the time. I know "that's the life of a college student," but I'm not sure it's supposed to stress me out that much. It definitely had some detrimental effects.
Even though I was pretty stressed, overworked and underpaid for the majority of the semester, I still managed to enjoy myself sometimes. I let the nerd flag fly: I was one of the many who stood in line for a couple hours and one of the few that actually got into the inaugural Grand Rapids Comic Con. I got to see the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special in theatres in 3D! I wrote in Circular Gallifreyan and made my own cipher (although I never did use it for anything).
I taught my first class ever.
I wrote my own case study of a learner who struggles in school.
I had class for 12 straight hours once.
My calling to teach was confirmed above and beyond what I thought it would be.
My calling into chemistry was confused... what I thought was a love of chemistry began to disappear, thanks to organic chemistry. I now don't know whether I was never supposed to be in chemistry in the first place or if God is calling me in a different direction that I didn't expect, or if I just need to stick this one out and it'll get better from here.
I got a 96% on a 12 page research paper that I did the research for AND wrote in the span of about 36 hours. That's not 36 cumulative hours of work, it's that I spent at most a day and a half working on this paper.
I played some of the most glorious parts of Handel's Messiah.
But that's not all I did! I also built and upheld a lot of relationships. I reconnected with some people from high school. I got to know some coworkers from Michaels a lot better. I built up stronger friendships with people from Calvin that I knew from last year, and started new ones with some other fellow Knights. I started dating a most wonderful guy. I remained a daughter, a sister, a friend, a student, and an employee (though at times I wasn't really the best of any of them, but I tried).
I was reunited with the Charming Cellos of Calvin College was so excited to welcome many new charming cellists to the section. I found greater purpose and joy in making music than I have in any of my previous nine years in orchestra (not to downplay those, I made some of the best memories in those nine years due to orchestra). I went to Spanish chapel almost every week to get back into hearing and speaking Spanish. And now that my semester has finally come to a close, I am headed to enjoy my short break before I, along with 15 of my fellow musicians travel to Costa Rica for an Interim Chamber Orchestra Tour. I'm literally so excited, and even though we've got a lot to prepare it's going to be a wonderful experience. So, on the whole, I'm glad this semester happened, but I am glad that it is no more and I am looking forward to the New Year, new beginnings, new adventures and whatever life has to throw at me next semester.
A mere two hours ago I walked out of a physics classroom for hopefully the last time ever. It also happened to be my last final of the semester. Aside from a couple extra credit reports that I'm trying to convince myself I should write, I am done. I have no more academic commitments for the rest of 2013, which is such a relief. This semester has been kind of rough... I averaged about 4.5 hours of sleep a night, and only had one day off (no work, no school, no orchestra) over the course of the whole semester, even over academic advising and Thanksgiving breaks I was still busy. I don't mean to make you feel sorry for me, most of it was my choice or a direct result of my choice. Meaning, I want to be at Calvin more than anywhere else in the world. I can't afford to come to Calvin without working, therefore I work about ≈25 hours a week, although it does vary. But it's tough being that busy all the time. I know "that's the life of a college student," but I'm not sure it's supposed to stress me out that much. It definitely had some detrimental effects.
Even though I was pretty stressed, overworked and underpaid for the majority of the semester, I still managed to enjoy myself sometimes. I let the nerd flag fly: I was one of the many who stood in line for a couple hours and one of the few that actually got into the inaugural Grand Rapids Comic Con. I got to see the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special in theatres in 3D! I wrote in Circular Gallifreyan and made my own cipher (although I never did use it for anything).
I taught my first class ever.
I wrote my own case study of a learner who struggles in school.
I had class for 12 straight hours once.
My calling to teach was confirmed above and beyond what I thought it would be.
My calling into chemistry was confused... what I thought was a love of chemistry began to disappear, thanks to organic chemistry. I now don't know whether I was never supposed to be in chemistry in the first place or if God is calling me in a different direction that I didn't expect, or if I just need to stick this one out and it'll get better from here.
I got a 96% on a 12 page research paper that I did the research for AND wrote in the span of about 36 hours. That's not 36 cumulative hours of work, it's that I spent at most a day and a half working on this paper.
I played some of the most glorious parts of Handel's Messiah.
But that's not all I did! I also built and upheld a lot of relationships. I reconnected with some people from high school. I got to know some coworkers from Michaels a lot better. I built up stronger friendships with people from Calvin that I knew from last year, and started new ones with some other fellow Knights. I started dating a most wonderful guy. I remained a daughter, a sister, a friend, a student, and an employee (though at times I wasn't really the best of any of them, but I tried).
I was reunited with the Charming Cellos of Calvin College was so excited to welcome many new charming cellists to the section. I found greater purpose and joy in making music than I have in any of my previous nine years in orchestra (not to downplay those, I made some of the best memories in those nine years due to orchestra). I went to Spanish chapel almost every week to get back into hearing and speaking Spanish. And now that my semester has finally come to a close, I am headed to enjoy my short break before I, along with 15 of my fellow musicians travel to Costa Rica for an Interim Chamber Orchestra Tour. I'm literally so excited, and even though we've got a lot to prepare it's going to be a wonderful experience. So, on the whole, I'm glad this semester happened, but I am glad that it is no more and I am looking forward to the New Year, new beginnings, new adventures and whatever life has to throw at me next semester.
01 December 2013
Teaching Isn't All Fun and Games
There comes a time in every teacher-to-be’s life when you
realize that deciding to become an educator is more than a choice to spend
every day with students. It’s more than preparing lessons, coming up with fun
review games, writing tests, and grading homework. At the core, choosing to
teach is choosing to give of yourself in order that the children with whom you
work daily can learn. It’s about preparing children to become wonderful young
men and women, and preparing young men and women to be well-rounded, stable
parts of the functioning adult world. Teaching isn’t about forcing information
into students, but about using what they already know as a basis to broaden
their horizons and have new information flow through them. And sometimes,
practically, I think that is such a hard task.
How do I teach the kids the information they need to know
without feeling like I’m shoving it down their throats? How do I motivate them
to care about my subject matter if it’s something they don’t see the value in?
How do I come alongside every student so that they can achieve their best, but
also make sure that the schools standards for learning on the whole are where
they should be? The scary part is, I don’t know how to answer these questions.
I have ideas, but they are not comprehensive. I’m not sure any “plan” ever will
be. Maybe that’s pessimistic, but I think it’s realistic. All we can do is our
best and even when we do that there will still be things—maybe small things—that
slip through the cracks.
In my education class this semester, we recently had a
discussion about how to deal with a class full of students all at different
learning levels. We gathered ideas from each other on how to make activities
that can encompass students at all varying degrees of academic ability: those
highly gifted and way above the rest of the class, those struggling with even
the most basic concepts, and those at every point in between. I do believe that
every child can learn and I really do believe that every child can achieve
their personal best in school, but I understand that those will not all be at
the same levels. That still won’t stop me from trying to accommodate those who
have trouble learning; it won’t stop me from being a creative teacher when I
can be.
I will be presented with many challenges as a teacher. Some
of which I can prepare for in my time of studying at Calvin. Most of which I’ll
never even think about until I end up in my own classroom. In our discussion in
class and subsequent conversations with people I’m close with, I began to
realize that on the outside, I’m a real pessimist. I exaggerate my problems and
complain more than I should. But deep down, I am such an optimist. My heart
tells me that everything will work out in the end, that life is beautiful, and
that there are always positives to focus on. I think this plays well into my
calling to teach. Though teaching may be challenging and sometimes draining,
each student has something unique to bring to the table. Everyone has their own
individual strengths and weaknesses and I want to help students realize them.
Sometimes the hardest part of learning information is learning how your brain
works, and what you struggle with. Moving past the failures, facing the
struggles, and embracing the strengths is what true teaching is all about. You
cannot just focus on all strengths or weakness, there has to be a balance, and
as a teacher you have to be the one to set that balance.
Sure, teaching might not be all fun and games. But it’ll be
rewarding, I know. It’s the most rewarding career I could think of because I
have the opportunity to make an influence. I still have so much to learn, but I’m
ready to take it all on. I am so thankful to have wonderful educator examples
in my life to run to when I really don’t know what to do and I am equally as thankful
for those who listen to my dream and spur me on towards my goal. I’m not
looking forward to the times when I struggle and don’t succeed in the
classroom, but I know I’ll learn from my mistakes to ultimately become a better
teacher and a better person.
07 November 2013
The Call to Teach
Since at least my sophomore year of high school, if not
before, many close family members and friends would tell me that I would
someday end up teaching—just like my Grandpa, just like my Mom, and just like
my Dad. I denied it for a couple years, but during my senior year I decided that
I wanted to pursue education. So I signed myself for education classes, but
began to doubt this choice, being persuaded that there were other things I could
do and other careers I could pursue that were bigger and better than being a
teacher. However, I've come to realize that at this point in my life there is
no greater call on my heart than to teach. And what a journey it’s been thus
far, and will continue to be.
This semester I've been required to immerse myself in a
classroom to observe and participate; I have been placed in an 11th
grade English class at a local, small Christian high school (and not the one I
went to). This requirement has been stressful because it’s an extra 3+ hours a
week I’m busy—which while taking 17 credit hours, having extra time commitment for
orchestra and labs, and trying to work around 25 hours a week is a bit
difficult—but it’s definitely been worth it. Mostly because it has probably been
the most influential factor in removing many of my doubts about going into
education.
This confirmation came in the form of several small moments
of epiphany while in the classroom. The first was on one of my very first days
observing; I was talking to the classroom teacher who was telling me about his
journey through college and teaching at different schools around the country
and even around the world. He began to say something about what techniques and
types of lessons work better here, compared to other schools he taught in, and
I began to realize that although I already knew it intellectually, practically
speaking teachers always have to be on their toes. They have to go through a
lot of their higher education learning all about learners, new educational
research, school contexts etc. in order that they will be able to plan lessons
well, so everyone can learn, and maybe more surprisingly, so that they can
respond during class and react effectively if the class period is not going as
planned.
My second moment really holds the weight of my call to be a
teacher. Nothing really special happened to bring this about, I was just
grading papers and listening to the teacher’s conversation with the students as
they worked and thought “I could do this for the rest of my life.” And that wasn't a depressing thought, like I've chosen to be stuck doing this, but it
was a thought full of great hope—I get to share my love of chemistry or my love
of writing (or both!) with all kinds of students. I can teach them all about
the interworkings of an atom or the interworkings of a sentence simply for its
own sake because I truly believe that it is important to be at least a little
bit experienced in most academic fields.
Although I’ll probably never go on to get my PhD in
chemistry and do a bunch of experiments and research, that doesn't mean that
one of my students can’t. The class that I teach could have that much of an
impact on someone, hopefully from a combination of efficient and passionate
teaching that overflows from my love for students and my love for chemistry. I
know I’ll run into students who don’t understand the purpose in learning
chemistry, but I’ll strive to show them how it’s one of the most beautiful
studies of God’s creation—displaying the complexity of design and the complete
order set up in the world.
The call to teach is much more than learning about pedagogy
and lesson planning, more than sharing a love for a subject area. It is a call
to be a light in a dark world. It is a call to serve the students and the
community in the best way you possibly can by not only sharing valuable
academic information but also by taking a personal interest in the lives of
these students. If I think back to my time in grade school through high school,
and even now in college, there have been so many teachers who have impacted the
way I think, the way I act, and my spiritual life more than I ever thought
possible simply because they cared for me as a person. They gave of themselves
to come alongside me and help me learn, but also to help me grow as a person by
investing their time and energy into building relationships and giving advice.
That is something I’ll forever be thankful for and something I hope I can do in
my future classroom as well.
13 October 2013
Standing on a Yoga Ball
Sometimes life is a struggle. Standing on one of those yoga exercise balls is also a struggle. Therefore life is like standing on a yoga ball. For all of you familiar with logical syllogisms, I know that is technically a fallacious syllogism because there is an undistributed middle term. But I still think it is a helpful analogy to consider when pondering the complexities of life.
How do you stand on a yoga ball? Is it even possible to get your feet planted on one without falling over first? Honestly, I have no idea, I've never tried actually standing on one. Many people thought I was really good at it though, due to a few of my senior pictures (right). Everyone was so impressed with how coordinated I was, until they found out that I was really standing on one of the red cement balls outside of Target. Cool photo op, but it wasn't exactly hard to stand on. It just took a bit of balance.
Balance. What a lovely idea. Life is all about balance-- something I've been realizing more and more lately. You've all heard the phrase "too much of a good thing" and it's very true. Some parts of my life are truly amazing and it feels like I just want to spend all my time doing them (spending time with my friends, listening to music), but if that was actually all I did, I'm sure I'd get a little fed up with even my closest friends and listening to music would lose its appeal. On the flip side, if these thing were completely eliminated, my life would be significantly sadder.
It's all about finding time to be social and time to be alone. Time to work hard and be productive, but time time to relax and de-stress as well. Not gorging myself on food when I actually do come home, but also not forgetting to eat because I'm so busy. Sleeping long enough to function, but staying up late enough to get homework done. These are all practical balances*; they are all also balances that I struggle with on a day to day basis. But the more abstract balances are the ones that pique my interest even more.
How do we pursue knowledge while acknowledging that we will never be able to know and understand fully? How do we act to bring about the Kingdom of God on earth, while acknowledging that this world is so broken that we will never be able to see it in its fullness in the here and now. It is already here in the church, but not yet here in its fullness**. Why do we strive so much to get to know other people, when we know that we can't solve the mystery of another person? As my religion professor says, "A mystery is different from a problem; problems get solved, mysteries get explored." Balance, that's the answer.
Don't lose the mystery of life. Don't ignore the mystery; don't be consumed by it. Balance these extremes. Life is one big balancing act; I feel as if I'm already up there on that yoga ball. It gets hard to keep everything in check, but it is possible! It can be done. I can't tell you how to balance your schedule or your checkbook and I also can't explain the balance found in the most accurate answers to some of life's hardest questions. But I can encourage to strive for that balance, it makes things a little bit easier. I myself am still trying to find that optimum balance. I come tumbling off that yoga ball way too often, but each time I do I learn what not to do next time. And though I may never perfectly get the hang of it, I'm always improving. Always searching, always learning, always weighing the options. Always balancing.
*I find that this reminds me of Ecclesiastes 3:1-11, one of my favorite passages. I often find myself taking great comfort in the fact that my time is not my own. It is a gift from God, and I should be a good steward of it, but what God has ordained to happen will happen. Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 reads as follows:
**I kind of derived this idea from a prayer said to be written either by Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador or as a reflection on his life and work there. It has been a very influential poem in my life and goes by many different names: "Prophets of a Future Not Our Own" or "It Helps Now and Then" or "A Step Along the Way." No matter its title, the message is very moving and the poem itself is eloquently worded. It really is quite beautiful. If you haven't read it, you can find a copy of it to read here.
Balance. What a lovely idea. Life is all about balance-- something I've been realizing more and more lately. You've all heard the phrase "too much of a good thing" and it's very true. Some parts of my life are truly amazing and it feels like I just want to spend all my time doing them (spending time with my friends, listening to music), but if that was actually all I did, I'm sure I'd get a little fed up with even my closest friends and listening to music would lose its appeal. On the flip side, if these thing were completely eliminated, my life would be significantly sadder.
It's all about finding time to be social and time to be alone. Time to work hard and be productive, but time time to relax and de-stress as well. Not gorging myself on food when I actually do come home, but also not forgetting to eat because I'm so busy. Sleeping long enough to function, but staying up late enough to get homework done. These are all practical balances*; they are all also balances that I struggle with on a day to day basis. But the more abstract balances are the ones that pique my interest even more.
How do we pursue knowledge while acknowledging that we will never be able to know and understand fully? How do we act to bring about the Kingdom of God on earth, while acknowledging that this world is so broken that we will never be able to see it in its fullness in the here and now. It is already here in the church, but not yet here in its fullness**. Why do we strive so much to get to know other people, when we know that we can't solve the mystery of another person? As my religion professor says, "A mystery is different from a problem; problems get solved, mysteries get explored." Balance, that's the answer.
Don't lose the mystery of life. Don't ignore the mystery; don't be consumed by it. Balance these extremes. Life is one big balancing act; I feel as if I'm already up there on that yoga ball. It gets hard to keep everything in check, but it is possible! It can be done. I can't tell you how to balance your schedule or your checkbook and I also can't explain the balance found in the most accurate answers to some of life's hardest questions. But I can encourage to strive for that balance, it makes things a little bit easier. I myself am still trying to find that optimum balance. I come tumbling off that yoga ball way too often, but each time I do I learn what not to do next time. And though I may never perfectly get the hang of it, I'm always improving. Always searching, always learning, always weighing the options. Always balancing.
*I find that this reminds me of Ecclesiastes 3:1-11, one of my favorite passages. I often find myself taking great comfort in the fact that my time is not my own. It is a gift from God, and I should be a good steward of it, but what God has ordained to happen will happen. Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 reads as follows:
There is
a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to
be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
What do
workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human
race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He
has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no
one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
**I kind of derived this idea from a prayer said to be written either by Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador or as a reflection on his life and work there. It has been a very influential poem in my life and goes by many different names: "Prophets of a Future Not Our Own" or "It Helps Now and Then" or "A Step Along the Way." No matter its title, the message is very moving and the poem itself is eloquently worded. It really is quite beautiful. If you haven't read it, you can find a copy of it to read here.
10 September 2013
Instead of an About Me Section
I am not in the mood to discuss anything deep at the moment. That's not to say I'm in a bad mood, but after several hours of classes and many more hours of homework, my brain is a bit burned out in the intellectual realm. So I think I'll go for something a little different this time.
You can really learn a lot about a person from some of their favorite things. Hence the "25 Things About Me" Facebook notes and the awkward small talk conversation go-to "So, what kind of movies do you like?" or something of the sort. But to me, each piece of pop culture, art, poetry, or each hobby and past time reveals a bit more about the person than meets the eye. I've been struggling to come up with an About Me section for this blog lately, so I think a bunch of mini-lists of things I like will work even better. Enjoy!
Favorite Songs (at the moment):
And here's this. Just because I think the 'Keep Calm' stuff is cool and I'm such a nerd. So best of both worlds in this one!
You can really learn a lot about a person from some of their favorite things. Hence the "25 Things About Me" Facebook notes and the awkward small talk conversation go-to "So, what kind of movies do you like?" or something of the sort. But to me, each piece of pop culture, art, poetry, or each hobby and past time reveals a bit more about the person than meets the eye. I've been struggling to come up with an About Me section for this blog lately, so I think a bunch of mini-lists of things I like will work even better. Enjoy!
Favorite Songs (at the moment):
- "She's Always a Woman" by Billy Joel
- "All Will Be Well" by the Gabe Dixon Band
- "Hey Pretty Girl" by Kip Moore
What I'm Currently Reading (or trying to...):
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
Three Random Things I Have an Affinity For:
- Owls
- Nutcrackers
- Peace Signs
Best Advice I've Ever Received:
"Serve God; enjoy life."
Television Shows I Think Are Worth Watching:
- Bones
- Doctor Who
- Broadchurch
- The Big Bang Theory
Favorite Feeling:
Taking a walk late at night, in the autumn-- the glorious moon shining bright, the wind gently blowing my hair, leaves rustling a bit, enough chill in the air to make me pull the sleeves of my hoodie down over my palms. Perfect.
Most Loved Piece of Clothing (right now):
This new 60's-ish long sleeve dress my Grandma bought for me!
I pretty much love dresses in general. Too bad they're super hard to play cello in.
This Year's Favorite Verse:
Ecclesiastes 3:11, NIV: "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."
Four Good Poems/Sonnets You Should Check Out:
- "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost
- "She Walks in Beauty" by George Gordon (Lord Byron)
- "The Touch of the Master's Hand" by Myra Brooks Welch
- "The World Is Too Much With Us" by William Wordsworth
And here's this. Just because I think the 'Keep Calm' stuff is cool and I'm such a nerd. So best of both worlds in this one!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)