The coworker and I discussed the virtues of the writings of C.S. Lewis, especially the need for such clear-headed thinking so frequently demonstrated by our students and the choices they had made in their lives. My coworker has not read much by Lewis, and I have ready nearly everything by Lewis, and I want to get more into that library than just two fantasy series already there. As she suggested, having a better quality library could bring about better thinking among the students. We'll see.
However, today marked a difference in my usual interactions with the students in that I had more library time when they were available to come to it than I normally have. At one point, another teacher brought in two young men that were looking for something to read over the upcoming holiday weekend. I knew one of them, but the other was unfamiliar to me. The former kept trying to suggest books to the latter (I'll call them "Connor" and "Zeke" to protect the innocent).
Connor kept pointing to books that included varying levels of gore and violence, while Zeke was looking for something deeper and of better quality. Then again, Zeke was also interested in reading "Mein Kampf," which was not in circulation due to its questionable content. He commented on the fact that it might seem odd that he, being Jewish, would want to read Adolf Hitler's book, but then he revealed that he had relatives that survived the concentration camps. He wanted to learn more about the twisted mind behind those horrific experiences, but I could not help him.
A few minutes later, I heard him commenting to Connor about the "Left Behind" series. I quickly finished what I was doing in the office and went into main library room. I spoke to Zeke about his interests in books and then led him to a shelf with works by C.S. Lewis. First, I suggested "Out of the Silent Planet," but when Zeke made it clear that he needs a somewhat easy plot to capture his interest, I switched to "The Magician's Nephew." Zeke seemed confused so I asked if he had ever read the Chronicles of Narnia. He said he had not, but he had seen the most recent movie version of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Hearing that he had liked the movie, I pressed him to take the first book of the series. He did. I'm eager to hear what he thinks of it.
Later, as my coworker and I continued our tasks in the library when everyone else had gone, she turned to me and said, "Bill, do you realize that you convinced a Jewish boy to check out a book by C.S. Lewis?!"
I replied, "Yes! It was on my mind the entire time he and I were talking. Given his interest in the Left Behind series, I figured a switch to the Chronicles of Narnia would just give him a better literary experience. Yes, it was on my mind the whole time."
Thursday, May 24, 2012
The Path to Being Certifiable
All right, folks, here's the score: Maine requires teachers to pass the Praxis I (reading, writing and math) and the Praxis II (Principles of Learning and Teaching, and subject area content knowledge) to be certified to teach grades 7-12 in a given subject. My subject area is social studies. If you look at the lists in the parentheses, you'll see that there are a total of five exams. I have taken all five. I know now that I have have passed four, and I'm waiting to hear on the fifth, the PLT. When I pass the PLT, then I will be teacher-certifiable. Yes, that's the goal. Thus endeth the update.
Update: It's official. I am certifiable. :-)
New Update: It's official. I am certified!
Update: It's official. I am certifiable. :-)
New Update: It's official. I am certified!
Librarian, Part I
Substitute teaching has been my primary work this school year, even while I have pursued state teacher certification and alternatives for employment. In my role as a substitute teacher, I have encountered a number of challenges and rewards, and I am grateful to my employers and to the Lord for the days and months I have spent in various classrooms.
I can recall the interview process that I had for one potential employer very early in 2011. At the end, when I was turned down for the position, the reason given was that I did not have sufficient experience with "disadvantaged youth" to work at their school. Well, I have more than made up for that this school year, as one of the places where I work is involuntarily residential, so to speak. There have been countless opportunities to exercise de-escalation techniques, many of which would be very helpful to know and use in any classroom setting. I have received significant training in maintaining classroom and student safety and security, and I appreciate all the time that has been put into making this particular school a beneficial time for all involved. Challenging, but beneficial.
Though I am a substitute teacher, I have been employed as a teacher's aide and as a fill-in librarian, too. In December, the librarian got done in preparation for moving out of state. Though that has not happened, the school library was in desperate need of maintenance, so I offered to do it. Don't get me wrong--I'm getting paid for my time! And it has provided extra work hours for me during a long winter without full time employment. It has also garnered the appreciation of my boss, including good citations in my work evaluations.
As the "assistant-to-the-(nonexistent)librarian," I maintain the flow of books in and out of the library. Difficulties with the computer server have limited my ability to check books in and out of the computerized catalog, but I set up spreadsheets to handle the same functions. It gives some idea of where the books are and which books are most frequently being read.
The other substitute teacher has helped immensely, too, reshelving books when I am not there and keeping the room clean. Today, we had a lengthy conversation about what we would do "if we ran this library". I expressed my desire to see better quality books available. Before I could even say which author I'd really like to see represented more in the stacks, she said the name I was about to mention: C.S. Lewis.
I can recall the interview process that I had for one potential employer very early in 2011. At the end, when I was turned down for the position, the reason given was that I did not have sufficient experience with "disadvantaged youth" to work at their school. Well, I have more than made up for that this school year, as one of the places where I work is involuntarily residential, so to speak. There have been countless opportunities to exercise de-escalation techniques, many of which would be very helpful to know and use in any classroom setting. I have received significant training in maintaining classroom and student safety and security, and I appreciate all the time that has been put into making this particular school a beneficial time for all involved. Challenging, but beneficial.
Though I am a substitute teacher, I have been employed as a teacher's aide and as a fill-in librarian, too. In December, the librarian got done in preparation for moving out of state. Though that has not happened, the school library was in desperate need of maintenance, so I offered to do it. Don't get me wrong--I'm getting paid for my time! And it has provided extra work hours for me during a long winter without full time employment. It has also garnered the appreciation of my boss, including good citations in my work evaluations.
As the "assistant-to-the-(nonexistent)librarian," I maintain the flow of books in and out of the library. Difficulties with the computer server have limited my ability to check books in and out of the computerized catalog, but I set up spreadsheets to handle the same functions. It gives some idea of where the books are and which books are most frequently being read.
The other substitute teacher has helped immensely, too, reshelving books when I am not there and keeping the room clean. Today, we had a lengthy conversation about what we would do "if we ran this library". I expressed my desire to see better quality books available. Before I could even say which author I'd really like to see represented more in the stacks, she said the name I was about to mention: C.S. Lewis.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Happiest Days
Yesterday was one of the happiest days of my life. I have had many wonderful days. Some of my happiest days are:
1. The day I realized that Jesus had died on the cross and risen again to pay for MY sins.
2. The day Laurel agreed to marry me.
3. The day Laurel married me.
4 & 5. The births of my children (and all that their becoming my children entailed).
6. The day my eldest nephew, I.D., demonstrated that in spite of the autism that locks his language from auditory expression, he could nonetheless make a public profession of faith, and took his church membership vows.
7. The day the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004.
Yesterday ranks in the top ten, even though it involves someone I am not related to. It was the day that a former student of mine returned home safely from military service in Afghanistan. Perhaps it is because I know his family pretty well and have stayed in touch with them since their kids were no longer my students. Perhaps it is the friendship I have formed with him and his brother since they were my students many years ago. Whatever the reason, I am thankful to God for hearing the countless prayers on this young man's behalf, and that He has brought this young man home to his family.
He is not the only former student that God has brought safely through military service, and I am thankful for each one that has served and for his safe return. I am proud of each one, and I continue to pray that God would keep them close to Him, whether in times of war or in times of peace.
1. The day I realized that Jesus had died on the cross and risen again to pay for MY sins.
2. The day Laurel agreed to marry me.
3. The day Laurel married me.
4 & 5. The births of my children (and all that their becoming my children entailed).
6. The day my eldest nephew, I.D., demonstrated that in spite of the autism that locks his language from auditory expression, he could nonetheless make a public profession of faith, and took his church membership vows.
7. The day the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004.
Yesterday ranks in the top ten, even though it involves someone I am not related to. It was the day that a former student of mine returned home safely from military service in Afghanistan. Perhaps it is because I know his family pretty well and have stayed in touch with them since their kids were no longer my students. Perhaps it is the friendship I have formed with him and his brother since they were my students many years ago. Whatever the reason, I am thankful to God for hearing the countless prayers on this young man's behalf, and that He has brought this young man home to his family.
He is not the only former student that God has brought safely through military service, and I am thankful for each one that has served and for his safe return. I am proud of each one, and I continue to pray that God would keep them close to Him, whether in times of war or in times of peace.
Friday, December 9, 2011
What a ride!
Disclaimer: You may not find this interesting.
I had quite the ride into work yesterday. When I got up at 5:45, I could hear the wind driving the rain against the house, and I thought to myself, "I guess the snow missed us. Well, good. It'll make the drive to work easier." As my former secretary used to say to me, "Silly boy."
By the time I realized that the rain had changed to snow, it was too late to leave early to deal with the bad roads, and I found myself in a world of difficulty when I left the driveway at 7:00 a.m. For one thing, the left front strut on my car needs to be replaced, as do the front tires that have worn down due to the wobble from the bad strut. For another thing, I have a full set of snow tires, but they're in the back seat of my car, doing me little good in the slush and snow.
From the first movement out of the driveway and onto the road, I could barely get any traction. I was surprised that the road had not been plowed; normally our road is cleared immediately. The roads got worse, and by the time I reached outer Ohio Street, I found a hill that I could not get over. I spent nearly 20 minutes making it over the crest of that hill after a series of stopping, sliding backwards and sideways, and lots of plain old waiting. Still, I made it over.
A quarter of a mile later, as I descended another hill, I made the mistake of shifting out of first gear. I gained momentum and was soon sliding toward the ditch. I turned the steering wheel away from the ditch, desperate to avoid the rapidly approaching telephone pole and the steep embankment beyond it. Two thoughts flashed through my mind at that point. The first was "Turn into the skid!" The second was "Dang it! Lord, please help me stop! Please help me stop!!"
I did and He did. At the end of that road, the engine quit and I rolled into the driveway of a car repair garage. While I got the car started again, I called my boss to say I'd be late, and I took several deep breaths while I got my nerves under control. The next road was just wet, and I had an uneventful trip after that. But oh, what a ride to that point!
I had quite the ride into work yesterday. When I got up at 5:45, I could hear the wind driving the rain against the house, and I thought to myself, "I guess the snow missed us. Well, good. It'll make the drive to work easier." As my former secretary used to say to me, "Silly boy."
By the time I realized that the rain had changed to snow, it was too late to leave early to deal with the bad roads, and I found myself in a world of difficulty when I left the driveway at 7:00 a.m. For one thing, the left front strut on my car needs to be replaced, as do the front tires that have worn down due to the wobble from the bad strut. For another thing, I have a full set of snow tires, but they're in the back seat of my car, doing me little good in the slush and snow.
From the first movement out of the driveway and onto the road, I could barely get any traction. I was surprised that the road had not been plowed; normally our road is cleared immediately. The roads got worse, and by the time I reached outer Ohio Street, I found a hill that I could not get over. I spent nearly 20 minutes making it over the crest of that hill after a series of stopping, sliding backwards and sideways, and lots of plain old waiting. Still, I made it over.
A quarter of a mile later, as I descended another hill, I made the mistake of shifting out of first gear. I gained momentum and was soon sliding toward the ditch. I turned the steering wheel away from the ditch, desperate to avoid the rapidly approaching telephone pole and the steep embankment beyond it. Two thoughts flashed through my mind at that point. The first was "Turn into the skid!" The second was "Dang it! Lord, please help me stop! Please help me stop!!"
I did and He did. At the end of that road, the engine quit and I rolled into the driveway of a car repair garage. While I got the car started again, I called my boss to say I'd be late, and I took several deep breaths while I got my nerves under control. The next road was just wet, and I had an uneventful trip after that. But oh, what a ride to that point!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Oh yeah, I have a blog
It's Wednesday, November 23. I'm sitting at the dining room table at my father-in-law's house in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, enjoying the relative quiet of Thanksgiving week--the calm before the storm. That's an odd choice of words, though, because there's quite a storm brewing outside. We drove down yesterday to avoid this storm, which is taking the form of wet, heavy snow in our neck of the woods. Rain had barely begun to sprinkle here when we arrived last night around 9:30. The boys were already asleep and their bed was ready, so we got them nestled in and then visited with Dad and Aunt Sue.
One of the blessings of coming a day early is having a quiet day here before Thanksgiving dinner at my sister-in-law's house tomorrow. Another obvious blessing is not traveling the day before Thanksgiving, and not traveling in heavy rain and/or snow! The boys are playing pretty well in the living room, while my wife shows her father some card tricks she has learned. Her aunt is making pies in the kitchen. We're warm, dry and relaxed. It's a pleasant place to be.
I've been working as a substitute teacher in a few different schools this fall, even enjoying four weeks of nearly full time at one school. Truly full time work has not yet been found. Anyone inclined to pray is encouraged to continue doing so!
One of the blessings of coming a day early is having a quiet day here before Thanksgiving dinner at my sister-in-law's house tomorrow. Another obvious blessing is not traveling the day before Thanksgiving, and not traveling in heavy rain and/or snow! The boys are playing pretty well in the living room, while my wife shows her father some card tricks she has learned. Her aunt is making pies in the kitchen. We're warm, dry and relaxed. It's a pleasant place to be.
I've been working as a substitute teacher in a few different schools this fall, even enjoying four weeks of nearly full time at one school. Truly full time work has not yet been found. Anyone inclined to pray is encouraged to continue doing so!
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