When writing term papers, too much intellectual expulsion certainly can stimulate the need for a nap.
Tag Archives: teenagers
Saith Me: A Good Compass
Only follow a leader with a good compass and the knowledge of how to follow it. A broken compass or unskilled leader will certainly get you lost.
Better yet, get your own compass and become skilled in following it.
Critical Thinking and Pleasant Articulation
In the attached article, a recently retired high school teacher explains the troubling trend in education because of the high focus on standardized tests. While he attributes the problems to the federal policies of the last decade, the focus on standardized tests is not new and the side effects were present even 20 years ago, just not a prevalent. In the 1991-2 school year, I tutored a college freshman who was failing her International Relations class. The problem, as it turned out, was that she had never taken essay style tests and had never been responsible for taking notes in class in preparation for an essay style test. Yet she had graduated with honors from one of the best high schools in the nation.
The concerning issue highlighted in this article is the notion of “bad writing” as a scheme to excel on rubric graded writing. I am seeing the results of this type of thinking in my husband’s undergraduate classes and my graduate classes (online education affords us the opportunity to evaluate the other student’s ability to write). I have even had one graduate level professor criticize my work (with rubric attached) highlighting the dysfunction of the system. While I do not claim to be a literary genius, it is very disconcerting when a young professor is more concerned with checking boxes than with evaluating form and function. While more experienced professors seek a well-supported thesis, the younger ones are concerned more with whether every point of a lecture is covered, almost in bullet regurgitation in order to stay within a prescribed word count.
But this is not a completely new problem, just one more common as all facets of education require ease of grading.
Not all disciplines follow the same writing style and the variations can be troublesome for students who have not learned flexibility in writing. Many years ago a great conversation with a fellow student highlighted this point. She had received a poor grade on her paper and had been told to see mine for a comparison. She was appalled to find out that I had not followed the same essay format she had learned in high school English class. I explained that the standard essay she had learned under the strict tutelage of her high school instructor was not what our International Relations professor wanted us to write. He wanted us to write a critical essay highlighting what we THINK! What a notion – someone not only asking us to think but asking us to write it down. Students need to practice multiple styles of writing in order to gain the comfort of flexibility.
Thinking and standardized tests can sometimes cause problems for students, as I have witnessed with one of my two teens. My son, a person who sometimes thinks too much, receives decent scores on standardized tests, but not the stellar scores his younger sister receives. The instructor in the Washington Post article mentioned some of his students had taken Algebra in eighth grade. My son was taking physics when he began taking his ACTs and had a real struggle with the math section. It had been too long since he had seen simple math problems. Once he pulled out his old books and spent some time reviewing the simple, his math scores came up to snuff.
My daughter’s experience with the testing is slightly different because she likes to avoid analyzing but loves data. She is my ultra-creative child who has a near perfect memory.
My goal has been to teach my children to think, analyze, and then think some more. This had not been an easy task. My dedication to this task has left my children less prepared for the standardized tests they are required to take in order to get into the schools of their choice, but it was a risk worth taking. In the long run test scores will do little for them, but critical thinking and pleasant articulation will serve them for a life time.
Saith Me… Propaganda
Propaganda works on those willing to listen either from fear or from prior conviction. It can plant seeds of doubt, however seeds of doubt turn into trees of knowledge for any willing to explore rather than be led.
Back to School
A new year and four new classes on military and diplomatic history. As a new way to ensure mobility rather than atrophy due to the endless hours at the computer, my kids and I plop down in front of the TV and watch history documentaries and lectures. So how you might ask does that help avoid the atrophy? Well by spinning yarn of course!
Last semester I survived four classes but my spinning suffered. This semester I intend to find a better balance. So far it is working quite well, but the challenge will come as the four term papers come due.
I am currently spinning singles for my daughter to use in weaving projects.
A Stellar Year
An odd realization occurred just recently, the realization that true friends not only support you when you struggle, but also when you succeed. In times when recession and struggle seem more common than not, it is a great blessing to have friends who will celebrate your joy and success even when their lives are less bountiful.
2012 was a very stellar year for me and for my family. It was filled with joy and excitement, something of a break compared recent years where struggle to overcome dominated the scene. As this year neared its end, I have reflected on the abundance of my blessings and the sheer joy of life, family, and friends. This reflection makes me glow inwardly and outwardly. It is impossible to contain.
It is a great gift to have friends who celebrate joy with me even while 2012 presented greater struggle for them, and sorrow or pain clouded their days. These friends show themselves to be true. It is of them I will ponder as the clock strikes twelve, and for them I will cast my wish for blessings and abundance in the upcoming year.
Friends and Family, this year they have intertwined and become of the same in my heart. It has been a stellar year and my heart rejoices for the abundance of friendship and love which I have been blessed.
Happy New Year and may 2013 greet you with abundance of friendship!
Joy to the World or Blue Christmas?
My Christmas Letter for 2012…
Christmas time can be a time of contradiction. Even while we celebrate the joys of the season, we often struggle with melancholy memories of days gone by, of family no longer with us, or of worldly troubles. This is not a new struggle, song writers have written many tunes of longing and wishes for family, home, and peace.
Traditions of the Christmas Season help us hold on to better times; times of our childhood before we became aware of the melancholy struggles so many face each year. Grandma’s chocolate chip cookies still are a prerequisite for me. While grandma was still alive, I spent time learning to reproduce her cookie. After she passed on, I made it my goal to send cookies each Christmas to my grandfather and close family each year.
As a child, I was under the impression that my mother did not like frosted sugar cookies because she so seldom made them. Actually she loved them; she just did not like to make the mess. As soon as I learned this, I added frosted sugar cookies to the list of must haves in the Christmas parcels. Just last night we, my husband, children and I, frosted the cookies. Rather than admit to having fun, the boys take the attitude of grouchy bears. It is funny how traditions start, even the tradition of acting grumpy while frosting cookies; a tradition started when mom was able to frost with more flare than dad. It is funny how a fake tantrum by dad years ago aimed at helping the kids accept their limitations has now become the tradition, at least for the men at the table.
Homemade jams and jellies were the constant in my childhood home. Even after my mom stopped making them, grandma kept us supplied. Gifts of jelly have saved many a Christmas when the pocket book was limited but the friends were abundant. Jalapeño Bread soon joined the jelly and is now a favorite as well. My son has taken over the making of the jelly and the bread, but soon his sister will need to step in and not long after that, mom will have to return as the Christmas head chef.
Life does not stand still, and Christmas time reflects the changes of time. Years ago we would send four or five boxes of goodies to family each Christmas, but now we only have one box to prepare. In what seems like a blink of an eye, the family has grown small. Death is part of life but so is marriage and children. One day the family will be back to growing rather than shrinking and Christmas packages will again be numerous.
I really look forward to the Christmases where little pajamas are made by grandma in addition to the adult sized ones being made by mom. These are the visions that dance though my head as I prepare for this Christmas. The dreams of the future coupled with memories of the past make Christmas my favorite time of the year.
I would be remiss in my ramblings if I didn’t also include mention of the joys of Christmas present. There is such a wonderful quality about the time spent with one’s children, time keeping up the traditions of their youth. Sewing the pajamas and Christmas clothing with your daughter or baking holiday treats with your son are truly blessed moments, but the best tradition is decorating the tree. Each year we gather together to unwrap the ornament collection, reminiscing on when each ornament was received and remarking on our favorites. Over the years the kids have grown older and taller and need no assistance reaching the highest branches. During this same passage of time, my husband and I have grown to resemble Mr. and Mrs. Clause a bit more. This was not my husband’s desire but a reality I don’t mind at all, at least not in December. So in honor of our growing resemblance to the jolly North Pole couple, we (meaning me) have decided to begin sending Christmas greetings once again.
Our wish to you during this Christmas Season is that you will always find the comfort of the Savior in your lives, and that His presence will help you through the melancholy as well as the joys of life.
Saith Me… Anticipation
“Can I unwrap presents yet?” – questions the mom who wrapped them. The family all laughs well knowing mom is the worst at waiting for Christmas morning to arrive.
Listen, Learn, and then Act
The compassionate being desires to assist, to ease another’s burden. While a compassionate nature may be natural for many, the compassionate course of action can still seem fraught with uncertainty.
Observation of another’s behavior or need is not enough. The compassionate being must look beyond the symptoms and try to discern the cause of the symptoms. Only when the cause is understood can one truly act in a manner that is both compassionate and helpful.
An example I like to share deals with fibromyalgia. Years ago after an auto accident derailed me from my regular exercise routine, I was determined to get back on track, but unfortunately every time I tried to return to a routine which included exercise I would get sick. All of my symptoms indicated I had the stomach flu. I was nauseated, had chills, and ached all over. Compounding these symptoms was the feeling that I had over-done my efforts, often due to muscle soreness similar to overuse. For nearly ten years I struggled with these symptoms. Diagnosis was a tremendous relief and required a big change. I had to rethink much of what I knew about pain. With fibromyalgia one must move through the pain, taking time off as with exercise injury pain was not the solution. The very treatment I was implementing before diagnosis was, in reality, making my situation worse.
Many of the symptoms we see exhibited by other struggling or suffering through life can be easily observed but also be easily misdiagnosed. If we truly wish to compassionately help others, we must take the time to understand rather than simply observe. Without the investment of time, we may, in our compassionate desire to help, actually hinder the person we wish to help. “It is the thought that counts,” may be true with holiday gift giving, but it is not necessarily true when we try to show compassion. Well-meaning comments, suggestions, and acts can truly make a struggle worse.
When compassion surfaces, take the time to listen and learn; ask in what way you can act. If time is a commodity of which you have little, consider charitable contributions to organizations dedicated to serving people in need. It is better than well-meaning acts of compassion which are misplaced because of misdiagnosis. The last thing you would wish to do in your effort to show compassion is to cause harm because you are interpreting the symptoms incorrectly. When the desire to show your compassion is strong but your time is limited, help those who are dedicated to helping. While nothing can replace the investment in friendship and time, economic contribution is certainly better than shuffling compassion aside.
Relief and Sorrow
A brief glance at the morning news feed indicated another tragedy but no details, so work resumed and ignorance was bliss. A return to Facebook a few hours later revealed the missing details of a terrible tragedy. My first desperate thought was of a friend who lived in Connecticut, a friend with small children. With breath caught in my chest, I quickly checked her profile, bursting into relief filled tears as I read her post declaring the safety of her family. She declared their safety with the simple statement, “I want to go pick up my children from school and hug them right now.”
As I was consumed with great relief another emotion tore at me – sorrow. Sorrow for the families who could not hug their children, not today or ever again in this lifetime. I felt so wretched with these conflicting emotions and sought comfort through hugging my own children. Truthfully, I think they hugged me for they are young and strong and I was so weak from shock and sorrow.
It does not take much for fatigue to overwhelm me. Sorrow certainly brings on fatigue. As I sought the solace of a nap, I prayed that upon awaking I would feel a measure of peace return. This picture greeted me as I returned to the world and left the protection of slumbers solitude behind. While I ache deeply for the parents who cannot hug their children, I feel peace knowing the children, young or old, are in His embrace.
Pithy Ponderings 