Ringing Like a Bell

Today is a glorious day; it's my sister's birthday. A few months ago I was getting my oil changed, and I read an article about siblings in one of the worn out magazines on the table near my seat. I found it insightful. I can't remember the article's title exactly, but it was in People or Good Housekeeping -- a magazine like that. Its basic premise was that the relationship people have with their siblings is the most formative, vital, and long-lasting connection they have. I remember thinking. Yep. So true . Reading it raised my awareness about how important my siblings have been in my life. I need them, probably more than they know. I wouldn't be me without them, not to mention the fact that they  understand me in a way other people just can't. We do have the same parents and most of the same childhood experiences after all. All I have to do is look at one of them and say, "Cheesebooger." They know what that means and exactly what I'm tal...

A few years ago one of my colleagues showed me what might be the best lesson plan -- ever . The whole idea is to show students the Discovery Channel "Boom De Yada"  commercials then let students write their own versions of the song inserting the things they love about the world into the verses. If you've never seen the videos (or even if you have), you can watch it right there. Students whole-heartedly embrace the idea every time I've ever presented it. They write some pretty beautiful Boom De Yadas, and they leave class brighter, their faces shining. I've got a theory about that: it never hurts to think about the good stuff. I'm a sucker for the videos myself. I've seen them several times now, but somehow they still manage to lift my spirits. The wonders of this life (heartbreak included) make my heart sing. I read an article a while back about how scientists have figured out how to encrypt Shakespeare's sonnets onto a synthetic strand of DN...

I am always fascinated by overheard conversations. I wouldn't exactly call myself an eavesdropper, but I like it when I catch snatches of someone else's conversation. Once in Starbucks I listened to a lively debate between two women behind me -- tea vs. coffee. I was tempted to whirl around throw my arm up between them and say, "Ding, ding, ding! That's the end of round one!" I didn't, of course, believe it or not, even I have boundaries. A while back I caught a fragment of  a conversation my students were having. One said, jokingly, "What's the meaning of life?" The other said, more seriously, "Nobody knows that." Several of their peers joined in and before long one student's half-saucy remark had sparked a wildfire in my first period. As so often happens in the classroom, all of them turned toward me at once. In their eyes I'm always the 'tie-breaker' because being in charge automatically makes you right, right? (H...

Each Thursday after school a group of students meets in my room. There aren't many of them, but that's okay. Each week a different one of them offers a brief devotional, and they pray. They pray for all sorts of things, but, most importantly they pray . I'm not able to participate in the group with them because of school guidelines about staff and religious activities, but I can offer them a place to meet and my supervision. Interestingly, I think my being just an observer is a good thing. First of all, the students bear the responsibility for the group. The decisions are theirs -- not mine. Second, watching them has been such a gift. Let me explain.  I know most of them outside school from church or the community. I teach in a small town, so I get to know my students in their actual lives -- not just as bodies in a classroom. The Bible Buddies, as they call themselves, have encouraged me so much. Each of them takes leadership and discipleship seriously. They are commit...